I've asked this question in other subs but many have felt like an echochamber of whiners who want to be validated. Need a perspective from intelligent dudes who I can start to emulate as I shed my Blue Pill skin.

Basically me and my bro (1.5 years younger) have grown up and been friends with two other brothers in our neighborhood, me mostly with the older brother same grade as me and bro with the one in his grade respectively. Parents babysat all of us back and forth, you could almost call us family.

Thing was, the older brother wasn't necessarily a loyal friend. He would be buddy-buddy one on one, but in Junior High sold me out to gain social favor with our friends group. This one scrawny dude pretending to be our Alpha of the pack supposedly claimed I was being excommunicated from them. No reasons I can think of besides the fact I was more of an introvert.

I won't cry about it, but any intelligent person knows alienation at a young age affects mental growth. I became clinically depressed from this and had to rebuild my confidence and social circle from scratch.

Years later because of mutual friends we find ourselves hanging out in the same social events since we just became old enough to spend all our money on drinking. I would go to his place to odd time usually because our brothers suggested it. At the time it wasn't as big a deal as I had many friends, but as you get older you become more selective with who you surround yourself with.

It's funny cuz this guy started smoking shisha like me and my bro, watched all the same shows, and started getting all into EDM because we were. Then one guy from the group way back in Junior high shows up out of nowhere at one of these shows and buddy starts following him again instead, going down the rabbit hole of hardcore rave culture and drug abuse. I worried for him and his brother for a time, but coming out the other end suddenly he thinks he's hot shit cuz he's been to EDC a few times, and started suddenly going out of his way to bust on me, embarass me, and break rapport at every social occassion including the first time I introduced my new girlfriend to the group. Let me establish I'm familiar with ball-busting as a form of male bonding but this guy only gets belligerent towards me and noone else.

He's a successful electrician, and pays alot of the bills for his family, but hes kinda overweight and rarely works out, he's never had a girlfriend (from what I understand gets sex from escorts) doesn't seem like he wants to grow as a person or try any new activities - besides getting all beers stamped on his beer passport. Meanwhile I earned a bachelor's degree, am pretty fit, like hiking and trying new things, not a Casanova but have had several hook ups and girlfriends. And yet this guy acts like he's doing ME a favor by hanging out.

Organized a meetup last week and when I introduced a new friend to "the brothers I've known since I was 5" buddy mocks me. As the night progressed he was talking me down so I started calling him out on his bullshit and I was laughing it off because he was giving me shit for an experience he himself had never done. I could have knocked him out but it wouldn't be a fair fight.

Really tried being this guys friend but I'm fucking done. Organized a GoFundMe when his family farm got raided, custom designed a t-shirt for his birthday and he didn't give two shits. Am I right in cutting this guy out for good maybe talk to him man-to-man, or just roll with the punches and just pay him no mind when our mutual friends invite us out?