People pride themselves on having unique interests. It sets them apart from the rest of the herd.
So it makes sense a person would become upset when something they thought they had exclusivity over – like enjoying a niche music artist – suddenly became popular.
Redditor aakkii911 sought input from strangers on the internet by asking:
"What was ruined because too many people started doing it?"
Examples varied from hordes descending upon national parks to the exploitation of Christmas sweaters.
Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar?
Concert Tickets
"Buying concert tickets."
"As soon as any band announces a tour, there are literally legions of people who will buy tickets in bulk just to try and resell them for a higher price. This causes others to watch anxiously at the ticket sell date so they can grab them before theyre gone which only causes more scalpers to anxiously wait for the sell date so they can beat the die hard fans. Last time Tool went on tour in my state, tickets were sold out within minutes."
"EDIT: not just tickets, everything apparently."
National Parks
"Not quite there yet but will be soon: National Parks. Too many people who don't follow the rules, especially the ones on littering."
Gaming
"All small games. When they get popular, they get flooded with hackers. It's kind of sad honestly."
– Daokosi
Storage
"Storage unit auctions. Everyone and their brother/sister/cousin etc thought they could make a killing after watching Storage Wars or one of the others. What used to be 10-20 people went to 100+. Units that used to sell for $250 were now selling for $1000."
"Completely ruined it for me. I just did it as a side thing, mostly looking for tools I wanted, plus I liked looking through peoples sh*t once I owned it."
Social Media
"Instagram and Twitter used to be extremely fun when they were new, but as the years have gone by, I find myself rarely hopping on now."
"Nowadays, everybody wants to be an influencer or someone "important" and it's ruined the platforms."
Conquering Everest
"Everest. People are literally dying because the summit runs are so crowded. You don't need to be skilled or physically fit, just rich enough to afford a sherpa or 2. It's the perfect time to leave your corpse on the tallest peak in the world to be preserved in your foolish endeavor forever."
– sarthurf
Tacky Holiday Sweaters
"ugly Christmas sweaters. Used to have to be legit. Now they out here selling purposely made ugly sweaters at Target. boo."
Season 6 Christmas Sweater GIF by ABC NetworkGiphySubculture
"Basically just about any obscure subculture. It's cool at first because its underground and the people it attracts are very sincere and passionate about their interests. Then it goes mainstream and corporations start to monetize it and it loses its creative edge in order to appeal to the masses."
Small Plates
"Small plates at restaurants. It used to be a novelty, reserved for tapas."
"The last ten years it seems like most 'trendy' restaurants have adopted the exact same formula everywhere:"
"Hello! Welcome to Fig & Driftwood! Have you dined with us before? Our dishes are designed to be shared, we typically recommend 4-6 per person. The kitchen is free flowing and dishes come out as they're prepared. Chef also has a tasting menu tonight, which is a selection of three dishes from each course. The tasting is $75 per person and everyone at the table has to participate."
"It was cool the first few times, kind of. Now I long for ordering an entree for myself and not having to pass plates around a table to share. It's also way more expensive than it should be once the final bill comes."
Calling "Karen"
"Using the phrase 'Karen.'"
"It's very quickly turned into another way to call women bitches without getting called out."
– Lozzif
Influencers
"Becoming an influencer. You know you have a problem when anyone is are getting sponsored for dressing up like Nova girls on instagram and booty popping to WAP on tiktok."
Face Place
"Facebook. It started out as a place for college (and later highschool) kids to socialize, gossip, talk to each other. Then the other generations started joining and the news took notice. It wasn't before long that posts started getting political and people started getting fired over what they said online. A few years later and the college/highschool kids of today prefer other platforms over Facebook while the baby-boomers have embraced it."
Guilty As Charged
"Reddit. Used to be we'd post interesting, conversation worthy material that was upvoted or downvoted based on merit and the ability to generate discussion."
"Now it's mostly the opposite. Post something banal that the hive mind can consume within 5 seconds, forget about, and move on from."
Exploitation Of Animals
"Owning pets."
"Some people are literally not cut out for owning pets; they don't have the physical or mental capacity to properly take care of them."
"Also it has promoted puppy mills to run rampant across the country. (really makes my blood BOIL)"
Mental Health Conditions
"Validating and talking about mental health. Let me preface this by saying I have a mental health background as well as my own issues. But I got so f'king tired of people being like 'oh I'm so OCD lols' or 'God I'm just so depressed today!!' Like no... no you're not. Unless what you have significantly impacts your ability to function in normal every day life you do not have a mental illness."
Anxiety Tools
"Fidget Spinners, they had a purpose for people with specific disabilities, but do to becoming a fad those same people started getting them taken away."
When we're young and naive, we tend to be optimistic as we have our whole lives ahead of us and we have to time to figure out who we are and who we want to be.
But when we're all grown up and out in the big world on our own, nothing can prepare us for the harsh realities of adulting until we experience them.
And unfortunately, life isn't always sunshine and roses the way we imagined it to be when we were much more innocent.
Curious to hear about life's many wake up calls Redditor Just_Surround_2108 asked:
"What is the adult version of finding out that Santa Claus doesn't exist?"
Life's deceptions begin slowly revealing themselves.
Caveat Emptor
"When you buy an 8-piece tupperware set, 4 of the pieces are lids."
– throwmeawaypoopy
"Same with pots and pans. What a rip off!"
– MrsMalvora
"And when you put them in the cabinet, suddenly SIX of the pieces are lids 😂"
– opheliainwaders
Value Of Friendships
"That some friends were never really your friend."
– Kangaroowrangler_02
"Also that friendships can end just like any relationship."
– ScienceUnicorn
"The best friend I'll ever have said some nasty things to me and blocked me recently. Never going to get much closure on that front."
"Not having closure is, with both friends and lovers, worse than the loss itself. I want to grow. Tell me what I need to become so this doesn't happen to me again!"
– VoxClarus
"On a related note: your co-workers are not your friends."
– tomdelfino
"I think most people seem to treat this as the default stance, but I’ve learnt you can actually make deep connections amongst coworkers, the same way you do in other stages of your life."
– immorjoe
The role of parent and child unexpectedly switches. So now what?
Who's Parenting Who
"That time period when your relationship switches and your parent looks to you for answers and advice, instead them being the one with all the answers."
– Smile_Terrible
"Not sure about that one. Dad simultaneously says I’m the smartest person he knows and I don’t know how to do anything lol."
– Puzzleheaded-Job6147
About Grieving
"When both your parents die. I am in my mid 50’s and had my mom pass on Mother’s Day ‘22. My Dad then was living with us from then, and eventually reached in-home hospice status with a sudden stage IV cancer diagnosis. He died in January of this year, and then I got laid off from my tech job and was unemployed for 10 months. Nothing takes the wonderment and positive outlook from the world than having to empty out your childhood home solo and throw everything you grew up with into a big dumpster and are left to wonder what our lives really mean."
– i_spock
Leaving Behind The House You Grew Up In
"I’m in the process of dismantling my childhood home right now. I’ve compared it to dismembering the dead body of a loved one. It’s really rough."
– HaloTightens
"my mum sold my childhood home a decade ago. i won't have to go through that."
– deathschemist
We all want to grow up when we're young. But as soon as reach reach 30, we want to slam on the breaks.
Aimlessness
"I thought I'd grow up, move out, find my footing in the grown up world and basically switch into cruise mode. Now I'm in my 40s and sh*t is confusing as f'k."
– Borsti17
"As adults, nobody knows what they're doing, we're just pretending we do."
– BeautifulMidnight-
Misconception Behind Work Integrity
"Being a hard worker and good at your job doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be rewarded for it."
– DorianOrosco
And the laziest person at work is allowed to be lazy, but the hardest worker isn’t allowed a break."
– Puzzleheaded-Job6147
We Are Our Parents
"Finding out that your parents are people, too, with weaknesses or flaws that you were blind to when you were young."
– tamammothchuk
"And the day you suddenly notice how old they are. When their mortality finally hits you."
– daggerxdarling
Living On Borrowed Time
"Yep had that day earlier this month. Was visiting for dad's 75th birthday."
"As I was leaving, out in the sunshine and fixing to get in the truck, I suddenly saw how small and frail-looking they are now. Mom hit me the hardest. She's started to shrink. They are both healthy, but Dad's just . . . worn."
"Been also doing the math lately. The math where you count up how many times you see them a year and then multiply that by how many years they have left according to the average."
"I've had enough crap and surprise losses in my life that I've long since started parting with family and friends like it might be the last time I get to see them. But that times left to see them calculation really clobbers me with my folks, and it's not even that bad yet for me. Given the ages of my grandparents when they passed I've probably still got somewhere between 150-200 visits."
"But the meter is running."
– Boudyro
I'm at the point where I'm realizing there are no handbooks on life and taking care of our parents.
When you're so used to having them there and taking care of you your whole life, nothing can prepare you for the time when that role reversal happens.
As tough as that may be, however, there's nothing more beautiful in life than returning the favor for the people who loved you unconditionally and raised you.
It's not attractive to gloat.
And there is little more obnoxious than flaunting how wealthy you are.
Particularly if you aren't even that wealthy to begin with.
Indeed, perhaps to make themselves feel more powerful and important than they actually are, many people will try and show off how much money they have in what they wear, eat, live in, and drive.
However, not everyone is so easily fooled, as those in the know can detect a charlatan when they see one.
Redditor aloe_veracity16 was eager to hear the dead giveaways that someone might not be as wealthy as they appear, leading them to ask:
"What’s a dead giveaway that someone is not actually as wealthy as they claim?"
Stating The Obvious...
"When they constantly talk about how wealthy they are."
"A genius doesn't need to tell you they are smart."
"An athlete doesn't need to tell you they are fit."
"And a rich person shouldn't need to tell you they are wealthy."- TigLyon
Attracting Unwanted Attention...
"90% of the wealthy shut the f**k about it, because they learn once they start making good money everyone wants a piece."
"Talking about it constantly = broke AF."- Vladtehwood
Simply By Doing It...
"Making the claim at all is a dead giveaway."- Starfox41
In Plain Sight...
"People who actually ARE wealthy mostly try to hide it."- Matt7738
"Living In A Material World..."
"I'm not well-versed in judging someone's wealth, but I do notice that the fake rich only look rich on social media and try their hardest to go to popular locations celebrities post."
"I know a couple of friends of friends who took out a loan just to keep up the facade that they're all in on the latest iPhones and wearables."
"They built a persona of being a rich kid, so now they have to stay the course."- anima99
Flaunt Modesty, Not Wealth...
"As a person which knows many very rich people."
"I can guarantee that not a single one of them wants to be known as rich."- CompetitivePause9033
Schitts Creek Flirt GIF by CBCGiphyWe Heard You The First Time!!!
"When they repeatedly and adamantly tell you how wealthy they are."- Famous_Bit_5119·
Experiences Over Stuff!
"I feel like actual rich people prioritize vacations/travel, buying their kids cars, paying for their kids/grandkids tuition."
"They don’t spend money on flashy or luxury stuff as much."- Klesea
Summer Time GIF by Merge MansionGiphyAll In The Editing...
"Ever notice how those jet setting influencers that post their pictures out of the airplane window are behind the wing?"
"They're in coach."
"The picture in business is where they stopped to pose on the way through."- Turbulent-Ask-2633
Pack Light...
"Private Jet pilot friend of mine said for the slightly wealthy they bring loads of luggage."
"The ultra rich bring a day bag they have enough money to buy clothes when they get there or already have clothes waiting on them."- hadmeatgotmilk
The Less Said...
"I never met a wealthy person that talks about it."
"They don't need to."- 181Eclipse·
Christina Moses Secrets GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy"See The Pyramid [SCHEMES!] Along The Way..."
"They make a goofy advertisement for some book or course that 'will help you get rich too!'"
"If they were actually rich, they would be on some tropical beach engaging in whatever vices they enjoy most-not hocking some get-rich-quick scheme."- illegalopinion3
All About The Simple Things...
"My dad's entire job is managing millionaire / billionaire philanthropy accounts, so I’ve grown up surrounded by some of the wealthiest people in the country."
"And I never knew until I got older how these 'Mr. Smith' and 'Ms. Jones' people that I’d grown up hanging out with were anything above upper middle class."
"Normal clothes, modest homes, very down to earth and funny people."
"Big wealth, and especially old wealth, is quiet wealth."- Travel_and_Tea·
Anything But Proud...
"I have a family member who insists she and her husband are upper middle class."
"She isn’t."
"She’s rich (8 figures), but it hurts her in some sort of primal way to acknowledge that."
"Her adult brother is also wealthy, although not as much as his sister."
"Likely also 8 figures."
"He insists he’s blue collar and middle class."
"There’s something in their upbringing that makes them ashamed of having 'made it' financially."- strangled_spaghetti
Blue Collar Work GIF by Pudgy PenguinsGiphyPeople will try to come off as wealthier than they are for a multitude of reasons.
But just like any facade, keeping it up eventually becomes untenable.
This is why it's always most important to be grateful for the things you have, rather than flaunt what you wish you had.
