Everyone has at least one popular or societally acceptable thing they hate — and can't understand how anyone else likes it. Maybe you're convinced everyone's just pretending to like cheesecake, or dressing up for Halloween. Maybe you find watching reality TV not at all as juicy as people make it out to be.
Well, recently, Reddit user u/AndyBales asked, "What are you convinced people are pretending to enjoy?" and I am super curious if you think these things are actually enjoyable, or if you agree that they're overrated and stupid. Weigh in on each below!
1. "Clubbing."
"I went out with my friends pretty often when I was younger because it was what everyone did for fun. It was such a weird relief to realize and accept that I actually didn't like it. And I honestly don't understand what people like about it."
2. "Being a 'content creator,' especially when it comes to videos or creating some kind of art. When you start, it's kind of a passion project, which is great. Ideas are fresh, and inspiration comes naturally. When you get traction and find a formula that clicks, it becomes more about pushing content that generates as much traffic, likes, shares, and subs as possible. When this happens, your original ideas become more and more manufactured and less authentic, which takes the joy out of the creative process, making it feel like a job you hate."
"I briefly had mild success with a channel on YT 10 years ago, and it was nowhere near the level things are now. And I see the production value and the regularity of some of the content. And I just think how much pressure these folks feel to feed the machine or perish."
"I used to have a decently sized following online for my art. ... Maybe if I kept it up, I could've turned art into a full-time job (shit, I've always wanted to draw comics and do animation for a living), but I got massively burnt out less than a year after my page started gaining traction. It was a constant battle to focus on what was giving me the most views/likes instead of actually practicing and improving in my weaker areas, and I was always working on something in my free time so I would have something to post. I was always trying to outdo myself, too, so if one post didn't get a ton of attention, I'd get REALLY hung up on it."
3. Similarly..."Being an influencer must be hell. No time off, having to take millions of photos just for one to be posted on the day and not being able to actually stop and do something that isn't already established. You don't see many Instagram influencers doing much different than what they post."
"At some point, if you have enough of a following, the amount of time you spend making content is very likely more than a full-time job. I imagine that even if it’s content you enjoy, you’d get burned out really fast."
4. And..."Being famous as a whole, really. Sure, money is very good, and having fans 'love' you is good and all, but I'm convinced that they miss their privacy."
5. And a final similar one..."Trying to make everything Instagram-ready. I've fallen in that trap before, [then I] deleted everything but Reddit. I'm much happier now living in the moment, watching my kids play instead of taking photos of them, [and] eating my food instead of standing above it trying to take a picture in a crowded restaurant. Once you stop feeding your ego, a lot of worry stops with it."
6. "American talent shows like...America’s Got Talent and American Idol. Who the fuck are these shows catered to? The dialogue is cheesy, idiotic, and fake as fuck, and the structure doesn’t make sense. Back then, it had categories, and the contestants would compete against their own groups, which at least made it somewhat interesting. Now? Anything fucking goes, and you could have a wannabe Jabbawockeez dance group of about 20 people vs. little Timmy playing a harmonica with his asshole. It makes no goddamn sense."
"I HATE these shows and always have hated these shows. It's an overly glorified, overly produced show with a sob story for every contestant. I hated when they'd introduce a contestant/performer, and then, the music would change to that dramatic music, and the person would start tearing up and reveal this terrible thing that happened to them or their family. It's so manipulative and cheesy."
7. "Anything that requires a wild amount of waiting in line. Amusement parks, brunches at fancy places, night clubs, etc. Like, you're engaging in a barrier to make the 'thing' you want seem worthwhile. I dunno, I despise lines."
"My wife and I went to Disney World a few years ago. She had been before. It was my first time. What you said is 1,000% that. Every ride was around an hour wait, at least. When you finally make it, it's 5 minutes of...fun? Idk. They're cool and all, but it's not worth NEAR what you pay or go through."
8. Similarly..."Parades."
"Thousands of people collectively pretending like they've never seen a firetruck before."
9. "The 'Happy Birthday' song. Everyone feels awkward singing it, and awkward having it sung at them. Can we please just not?"
"Long-ass, boring videos of their friends' kids."
"Also: Long-ass, boring videos of people's pets. Long-ass, boring videos of someone's last vacation."
"Long-ass boring videos of anything. Am I the only one who has the decency to just never bother showing anyone any video that's more than 30 seconds long?"
10. And similarly, "Long-ass, boring, forced video chats with friends’ kids. I DON'T WANT TO SKYPE WITH YOUR 5-YEAR-OLD. I know you’re tired of them talking your ear off, but subjecting your friend to it is just plain inconsiderate."
11. "Going to a children's performance, especially if their own kids aren't currently on stage."
12. "Contemporary design trends. The all white/grey homes with rendered exteriors are so lifeless and all look the same. There's no way people actually want this, right?"
"Those gray tiled floors and super crisp white walls drive me UP THE WALL. It all looks like a corporate office. I'll be browsing Zillow or some shit for fun, and all the interior designs of these homes look like some executive lounge at Big Corp Inc."
"Not just houses, but all the restaurants are following the grey trend, even where it makes no sense. McDonald's, Starbucks, Taco Bell... Did they all hire the same agency to undo their brand?"
13. "Bars and restaurants with loud music and terrible acoustics. What’s the point in being social in a place where they’re trying to make it hard for you to socialize?"
"Someone explained this once, and it made a lot of sense. ... Loud music fills in awkward silences and covers up social faux pas in an environment where mixing and mingling is encouraged. It helps facilitate you hooking up with Jenny because she doesn't realize you're a terrible conversationalist, since the music covers it up."
14. "Seltzer beer. Just, what the fuck is even wrong with them?"
"Seltzers taste like someone drank a wine cooler or similar fruity alcoholic beverage, and then, someone poured a can of mineral water in the same glass without washing it first, and it still had a little bit left of the previous drink."
15. "Kombucha. Every, single one I've tried. Just undrinkable!"
16. "Waking up before dawn to work out."
"I do that, several times a week. I partially agree, the devil’s in the details: I don’t enjoy getting up and starting my workout, but while I’m doing it, it is okay, and I absolutely love having worked out."
17. "Having constant drama at work, in friend groups, and elsewhere really can't be all that exciting...can it? If I have one friend causing me too much drama, I usually avoid it like it's the plague."
18. "LinkedIn."
"Accurate. It's like an office party you don't want to attend but need to so you can 'network.'"
"It's fine as a job board. The social networking aspect is a joke."
19. "Baby showers/reveal parties."
"Honestly, as a SAHM, any opportunity to go socialize with other adults without my children is a delight. I don't care if the party is celebrating that you clipped your toenails. If there are adults and no kids, I'll be there with bells on."
21. "Reaction videos. Why would anyone care how a stranger reacts to something? Most of the time, the reaction isn't even real and just played up for the camera."
22. "Live-action remakes."
"What's not to love about a movie that's longer, has less expression, changes the original ending and message, features actors that can't really sing, and only exists to remind you of a better film that came out 25 years earlier?"
"The thing that I specifically don’t like is when the 'live-action' remake is really a CGI remake, but they won’t just acknowledge that it’s still animation. You want to remake the hand-drawn animated Lion King movie with a computer animated Lion King movie? I don’t care to watch that, but fine, go ahead. But don’t call it 'live-action.'"
23. "Working in-office."
"A lot of people I know who want to go back in are the ones who don’t want to stay home because they don’t like it there. One lady I work with can’t stand being around her husband that much because he is at home, and some other people I know have said they want to get away from their kids. I’m sure that’s not everybody’s experience, but just some examples."
"When COVID hit and everyone was remote, I really felt like the entire world came to an understanding that it was best to be remote. You can work on your own time, and as long as you get your job done, hours don’t matter a whole lot. "
24. "Podcasts, radio shows, and late-night TV where the hosts just laugh at everything they/other hosts/guests say. Nothing is that funny for that long, dude."
"Sometimes, a podcast really needs an editor to say, 'I'm glad you guys are having a good time, but this whole episode was like an in-joke that the audience is not involved in.'"
"Tell a joke, spend five minutes laughing at the joke. Both of the stations I listen to added morning shows, and now, I just constantly flip to avoid the talking."
"Jimmy Fallon LAUGHS AT EVERYTHING. It’s painful to watch."
25. And finally..."Having a job, even when you love it — especially if it takes up your identity/life."
"I feel there is an immense pressure to identify with your job and always being willing to run the extra mile. But is it really worth it? What's the reward?"
"If money were no object, even people who 'love' their jobs wouldn’t do them five days a week. Maybe two days a week if it was their lifelong passion, but beyond that, NOBODY would work if they didn’t have to."
"I think most people would find more happiness if they saw their work as a means to support their pursuit of other hobbies and interests. Like, you need to work to earn money, but it’s often the things outside of work that bring the most value and meaning to your life. I’ve been in that situation before where work became my life, and it got me burnt out pretty quickly."
What are some other things everyone seems to like that you hate? Let us know in the comments!
Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.