Look — we all put up with plenty of stuff, every day, that we really shouldn't. But we do because we're used to it.
So it's no surprise that people have plenty of opinions when it comes to examples of toxic behavior that is still tolerated in everyday life. u/Sucks2Suck88 recently asked the people of Reddit, "What toxic behavior does society still make excuses for?" Here are some of the most interesting responses, which might change your mind about a few things:
1. "Overworking and lack of sleep."
2. "Looks like we are quickly returning to the 'Go to work even when you’re sick' way of thinking."
3. "That family is allowed not to respect boundaries. It's something I see a lot, and often, trying to set healthy boundaries with them makes them treat you like the bad guy. And media and society tend to promote this behavior as love, when it's often actually dysfunction. There's a difference between being close and taking care of your loved ones and being expected to give up reasonable rights to personal space, or to self-sacrifice for them."
4. "The 'cute but psycho' mentality. It’s not cute to be toxic or treat people like shit because you think it’s 'cute' or acceptable because of your attractiveness."
5. "Believing that being a parent is about power and control and not guidance."
6. "Hustle culture. You don’t need/have to monetize every moment of your private life to make more money — you don’t need a side gig or to start your own business or to turn your hobby into a job to be happy. It’s actually really scary that so many people get drawn into this way of living and don’t realize they’re literally missing the 'living' part of their lives."
7. "White-collar crime. And it often appears that the more money involved in the crime and/or fraud, the less likely commensurate repercussions will be brought. The consequences of big-money financial fraud are widespread and significant. It ruins many lives and often leads to the death of innocents."
8. "Abuse of power by employers."
9. "Using people as stepping stones for one's success."
10. "People treat the two-party system like teams in a football game. They excuse bad behavior from the side they support and do everything they can to make the other side look bad. Often, they treat the two sides differently for the same behavior. It gets really bad during elections, when you can't even be critical of your own side when they're wrong without being accused of supporting the other side. Or some other accusation in the extreme."
11. "Filming someone making a mistake (not crimes) and posting them on the internet, without censoring their name and/or face, for them to be judged and humiliated."
12. "This behavior where couples go behind each other's back and snoop through their phones is really weird to me. Especially when they get mad for not finding anything. Or, when asked to see their phone, they get defensive. It's very childish, IMO, especially when it's 30-plus-year-olds doing it."
13. "Using your kids to shore up your own online presence, like posting photos and videos of them being pranked or embarrassed."
14. "Expressing outrage or offense on a third party's behalf to derail a conversation or to make it about placating them."
15. "The 'I just say what’s on my mind' mentality, without thinking about how rude their comments can be. But they justify it because 'I say it like it is.'"
16. "Forcing kids to hug and kiss relatives they don't want to."
17. "Bullying. They will pass it off as, 'So-and-so was just kidding or teasing.'"
18. "Telling girls that if boys are mean to them, the boys must have a crush on them."
19. "All that alpha male bullshit."
20. "CEOs making record annual bonuses while everyone else makes peanuts."
Agree? Disagree? Have your own additions? See you in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.