It sounds to me like they all feel inferior to you. It's like cats' "mounting behavior", trying to show who's boss.
But was it ever really in dispute?
![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic)](https://i.mysupportforums.org/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
Of course not. They show you that by their words and actions.
Italians call that "burning [the other person's] balls". I mean, they actually have a precise way of telling the other person to stop annoying them in that petty fashion. So you KNOW they make a habit of doing it and feel self-righteous in doing so. Like some weird machismo.