We, people, are interesting creatures. Or maybe complicated and messy would be better descriptive words. But why are we throwing such words around, you might wonder?
Well, today we're going to talk about the things people tend to romanticize that are actually pretty horrible, which is a complicated matter, isn't it? And so, the words fit the theme very well. So, now it's up to you to go through today's list and decide whether the mentioned things fit the theme too.
More info: Reddit
#1
Those “little kid raised $25,000 for his mom’s cancer treatment” stories.
We (the U.S.) should have universal healthcare. We are the richest country on the planet. We shouldn’t be go fund me’ing our health.
We send our tax dollars to Israel regularly and they have free healthcare.
Image credits: Tarable
#2
Romeo and Juliet... It's a tragedy not a romance. .
Image credits: Aggressive_Pop1315
#3
Growing up poor. People act like it was an enriching experience that they chose to partake in. It certainly can build character but I wouldnt intentionally have been born on the struggle train and I dont look fondly back on those days.
Image credits: brokenmessiah
Throughout our lives, many of us strive to have as perfect a life as possible. Yet, the harsh reality is that an absolutely perfect life does not exist.
Of course, a lot depends on what you consider to be a so-called perfect life. For some, it’s having unlimited funds; for others, it’s having a great career, a happy family, or anything else. Just as there are many people in the world, there are just as many ideas about what is an ideal life.
#4
Being a workaholic and perfectionist.
Image credits: GhosthunterJelliana
#5
Living in New York City. Everyone thinks it's going to be like S*x and the City or Friends - glamorous brunches, cute apartments, spontaneous adventures.
Reality: You're paying $3,000 for a shoebox where you can touch all four walls while lying in bed, your "cute neighborhood coffee shop" charges $8 for a latte, and that "romantic subway ride" involves being pressed against a stranger's armpit while someone plays saxophone badly at 7am.
But hey, at least the rats are confident!
Image credits: BubbleByteQueen
#6
The Victorian Era. Disease, ppllution, filth, and child labor.
Image credits: Last_Survivors
While it’s completely possible for many folks to achieve something similar to the best version of their life, it’s impossible for it to be without struggles of some kind. Life just doesn’t work in such an ideal way – there is always something that throws you off your ideal path.
Life is full of quirks, imperfections, and just overall unfortunate things that make it impossible for it to be picture perfect. All of that is caused by the various shortcomings that every person tends to have.
We won’t be going over the whole possible list of what kind of quirks people can have, as it’s literally a never-ending one, so instead, today we’re going to focus on one specific flaw: a tendency to romanticize things.
#7
Childbirth and having a baby- I say this as a mom. It’s portrayed as being hard to give birth but afterwards everything being perfect. No it is a hard time for a lot of people.
Image credits: SolutionDry8385
#8
The song, "Every step you take," by Sting. I've heard it played at weddings. It's a stalker song.
Image credits: jmiller423
#9
Being a nun!
It's presented in such an idyllic way in brochures, but the reality is that idealistic sweet young women go into the convent and get exploited & mistreated. They work rigorously for extreme hours and no pay; and because they're not "employees" then there's no OSHA or standards. Every aspect of their lives are controlled, sometimes including superiors reading their mail and censoring it / forcing them to rewrite outgoing letters that reveal a*****e conditions.
Check out the recent memoir "Cloistered" for an accurate account of a woman entering and slowly becoming disillusioned. .
Image credits: MorningByMorning51
Why is that such a bad thing, you might wonder? Well, it isn’t all the time. Sometimes, it’s not so bad – it gives people hope when they desperately need it, and it makes life a little easier, and a little more fun, and things like that.
At the same time, in other cases, it can be quite detrimental. Especially when it comes to people romanticizing things that shouldn’t be romanticized. This list is full of examples of such things – from workaholism to lovebombing to jealousy, just to mention a few.
Out of all of these examples given here today, we want to briefly focus on one of them – the romanticization of mental health struggles.
#10
Those fifty shades of grey movies , if that guy was just any Joe Shmoe that story wouldn’t be so romantic and s**y , it would be creepy but you know cause he’s rich it’s okay 😂.
Image credits: No_Conference271
#11
S*x on the beach, or any place sandy for that matter.
Image credits: Gomdok_the_Short
#12
Living in “a quiet little town/village where everyone knows each other”.
Sure, some people prefer city living and some countryside. But the latter can be boring, claustrophobic, and full of judgy locals.
Image credits: St_Melangell
Some of you might think: how can someone romanticize such a horrible thing? After all, mental illnesses and all things related ruin people’s lives or, at the very minimum, make them 100 times harder than they should be. So how can someone look at that through rose-colored glasses? Well, some do.
Let’s take ADHD as an example. From time to time, this disorder is represented as some kind of “superpower.” This presents it as something that people should wish to have, as ADHDers are presented as more energetic, enthusiastic, and creative than common folks.
While it’s possible for a person with ADHD to have these traits, what should be noted is that it also comes with other things that aren’t so admirable. These mentioned traits can even take on a form that isn’t liked by others.
#13
Running a pub. It's really hard work, long hours, finding a great team you can trust, managing drunk customers, being on call all the time, it can quickly wear a person down.
Image credits: TemperedTeal
#14
‘Bad boys’.
Image credits: Bunnycreaturebee
#15
War.
Image credits: Popular-Mark-2451
For example, in reality, their energy levels can be rather irregular – one moment, a person can be full of energy and ready to take over the world, and then at another moment, they can’t lift a finger, as all their energy is gone. It also can manifest with things like impulsive decisions, daydreaming, or making careless mistakes and unnecessary risks, among many other things.
Basically, while ADHD can bring some traits into a person’s life that make it seem like it’s a superpower, it brings just as many things that make life way harder than it should be. And this fact isn’t limited to ADHD; the same applies to other mental disorders as well.
What other horrible things have you noticed that people romanticize? Share it with us in the comments! And don’t forget to upvote the ones already mentioned on the list!
#16
Working in a bookshop.. it’s just like any other retail job. Boring, bad for your back and the customers are still annoying as fuuuuck.
Image credits: selkieluver
#17
Being stalked – can be scary at times.
Image credits: Ok-Hornet-24
#18
Jealous partners. i get that some kind of jealousy is normal, but sometimes people isolate themselves for their partner because they suspect cheating everywhere and once they break up they wonder where their friends are. as a friend it feels like you didn‘t mean anything to them.
also, most of the time a partner who suspects cheating everywhere is the one actually cheating. people tend to think everyone is like them, therefore they think their partner is likely to cheat, too.
Image credits: PringeLSDose
#19
Casual heavy alcohol consumption.
Image credits: Mundane-Badger-9791
#20
The good old days.
Image credits: Strict-Argument4876
#21
Being a small business owner.
Image credits: kokonutkingfilm
#22
ADHD
It's not only the quirky bit.
Actually it is mostly self doubt, low self esteem, near instant forgetfulness, rsd, time blindness, audio processing issues and so on and so on.
Oh yeah, ADHD tax!
Forgot about that one, sigh.
Edit: thank you all for the conversation, up votes and award.
Image credits: fluffy_munster
#23
Pregnancy.
Image credits: PricePuzzleheaded835
#24
‘Fixing’ others. A one-way ticket to co-dependency and habituation of identity-loss.
Image credits: useyourindicators
#25
Isolation. It’s not cute to keep your partner from their immediate family.
#26
Showering together.
Image credits: eatmeat2016
#27
Living to work.
Image credits: anon
#28
Possessiveness.
Image credits: Responsible-Orange16
#29
Living without technology.
#30
Lovebombing and super fast romances.
Image credits: strict_ghostfacer
#31
Lying in a field of tall grass out in the middle of nowhere.
Image credits: tucakeane
#32
The relationship between The Joker and Harley Quinn.
Image credits: overfiend1976
