On Saturday, Reddit user u/Tizerkane asked the question, "What’s something inherently toxic that is perceived as normal?" People came through with toxic things a lot of us have normalized in some capacity.
Here's what people said:
1. "Going to work or school even if you’re super sick or in pain."
2. "Asking a prospective employee to create a full-on project or develop content specific to the position applied for. You might not get the job, but the company has your intellectual property (and plenty are not above using it as their own)."
3. "The expectation that a hobby isn't worth having if you can't (or don't want to) monetize it."
4. "I’m surprised nobody else has said sleep deprivation yet. Sleep deprivation literally causes brain damage to the part of the brain responsible for happiness and memory."
5. "Not saying what you actually mean."
6. "Parents screaming at their young children during Little League games."
7. "Making fun of or denigrating your spouse in social situations. My wife has a habit of doing this. She's gotten much better over the course of our marriage, but when she has too much to drink and we're out with friends, she talks about my intelligence and dick size like we have a studio audience. It used to be a hit while we were in college, but as we and our friends have gotten older, I can see them cringing when she starts in on it. It's a shitty thing to do."
8. "Saying and/or thinking, 'Never turn your back on family.' It is rhetoric used by abusive people who think they shouldn’t face consequences for their bullshit."
9. "I don’t know about other places, but in the US, internships that delegate actual business responsibilities to interns but don’t pay them. If your intern calling in sick would disrupt your workflow, they’re not an intern; they’re an employee and they deserve a wage."
10. "Blind loyalty. Loyalty is seen as such a positive trait, and people who are not loyal are seen as snakes, rats, etc. While I understand the importance of loyalty to an extent, I don’t understand why people are applauded for being blindly loyal to people who have done something wrong or go against your values, etc."
11. "Companies offering in-app, in-game purchases that are just dressed-up gambling."
12. "Toxic positivity or optimism. Let people grieve. Don't invalidate someone's feelings and sadness."
13. "Pressuring kids to hug or kiss adults, family friends, etc. Just because you, the parent, trust this person doesn’t mean the child automatically has to. Let the child find their own boundaries, and don’t teach them that they have to compromise their consent for the sake of politeness."
14. "Overemphasizing that you need to clean your plate when you eat. My husband was raised like that. I sometimes remind him he doesn’t have to eat everything on the plate. You can stop when you’re full!"
15. "The expectations women set for their weddings. So many women need to have a better wedding than the next bride, the bachelorette parties last three days, and you have to fly across the country half the time. Just to marry the love of your life? So toxic."
16. "If you hit a stranger, it's assault. If you hit your partner, it's domestic violence. If you hit your child, it's loving discipline? Doesn't make one bit of sense to me."
17. "Never saying no to work."
Now it’s your turn! Let me know in the comments which toxic things in society you believe have been too normalized.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. H/T: Reddit.