On Tuesday, Reddit user u/RealimTheanimalkingasked, "What toxic behavior is, for some reason, becoming more accepted at this time?" People came through with some spot-on examples of stuff that's been normalized — especially right now — and I think it's important we acknowledge it.
1."Absurd, baseless, poorly sourced nonsense in political discussions."
4."Generally treating others like shit. It's like it's in now. I know, I know — shitty people have been doing shitty things forever. But it's almost like aggression is the new norm."
10."Being offended. There are things that can actually offend, and there are things that you overreact to on the internet because it's the cool thing to do."
12."QAnon and conspiracy theories! They are just using recycled garbage I heard when I was young, like, 'Barcodes are the mark of the beast.' I knew even as a young kid to stay away from this stuff. If any of this had been even said in public a decade ago (especially by people in power), they would have been laughed out of the town. Now it's being normalized!"
14."Ghosting. Online dialog has made it much more of an option. I've sometimes asked people how they would feel if they were talking to someone and abruptly then turned around and walked away without saying anything."
15."Having unrealistic standards when it comes to dating partners. No one is ever perfect, so telling people not to settle until they find their perfect person is a scam. You should instead look for someone that ticks almost all the boxes for you and makes you happy."
16."Doing good deeds for other people for your own selfish benefit such as clout, money, a fake image that you’re an amazing person, posting about it, etc."
