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 Network
Giphy
Subculture
"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."
Reddit user ts_13_ asked:
"What’s a food you can’t buy because you will literally eat the entire thing in one sitting?"
Never. See. The. Cookies. Again.
But I don't feel bad about it, cause I'm absolutely not the only one out here with self control issues. Here are Reddit's snack confessions.
Serving Size
Tortilla Chips GIF by Salsarita's Fresh Mexican GrillGiphy"Chips."
"The larger size bags are a better value, but I almost always get a small bag. Why? Self-preservation."
"Regardless of how big the bag is, for me the serving size for chips is one bag."
- GrumpyCatStevens
"Same, can’t open a bag of chips/chip-like things (Doritos, Cheetos, etc.) without it being gone and me being full of shame."
"Crunchy, salty, and savory is a deadly combo for me."
- [Reddit]
"Same!"
"The routine is eat half the bag, lie to myself and save the other half for another day…an hour later eat the rest of the bag."
- Ill-Marionberry-9071
Literally Heaven
"Fresh warm French bread that just came out of the bakery"
- Original-Area-8739
"Dude fresh bread straight out the oven is literally heaven. I will eat an entire loaf, I’ve done it before and I'll do it again."
- ts_13_
"I bought a breadmaker at the beginning of the pandemic and man it is dangerous."
"The loaves aren't huge so you can just... eat one. Like a snack loaf."
- bartnet
Addictive Personalities
"Literally anything I slightly like"
"Yes, if I think 'damn these pickles are pretty good' there goes the whole jar PoP jut like that."
"Same with cookies, chips, anything."
- IReallyLiveCorn729
"This is me too."
"Not just cookies and chips and treats, but regular meals too. It's gotten to the point where I only cook bland things because if I make something that tastes good I'll want to eat 3 or 4 helpings that night."
- sedimentary-j
"Most snacks really. I don't have a sensible relationship with food."
- [Reddit]
The Brown Dragon
Happy Get Down GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy"Cereal! Omg it’s bad. Specifically Cinnamon Toast Crunch (regular or the churro kind)"
- StreetNext5958
"Someone brought in popcorn at work the other day. All sorts of 'gourmet' versions. One was Cinnamon and Sugar."
"It tasted EXACTLY like Cinnamon Toast Crunch."
"I killed the whole bag. Now I'm shaking. I need more. I'm chasing the brown dragon."
- Element1977
"Omg here in Texas, HEB sells horchata-flavored Rice Krispies. First it was Cinnamon Toast Crunch then it was the churros...now it's these."
"Canela es vida"
- MephistoTheHater
A Fascination With The Frozen
"Popsicles."
"Not the fancy ones, that 3 dollar bag of 24 twin pops. Had my girlfriend come home and see the side table by the couch full of sticks and just shake her head in disappointment at me."
"It's a childhood addiction I'll never shake, I guess."
- kira7setsuna
"One day an old roommate bought a 48 box of ice cream sandwiches then went to the gym."
"By the time he got home I only managed to save him two."
- amplesamurai
"I like to eat all the colors and leave the grape ones , then eat the grape ones repeatedly until my entire mouth has frost bite."
"I've had to go to ER three times because of it and have given myself nerve damage."
- abitheshark
An Animal
"White cheddar popcorn... I turn into an animal"
- Legitimate_Duck6090
"Same. My sister has a video tucked away of me emptying a bag of white cheddar popcorn into my mouth at a stop light while driving. She made sure my husband saw it before we got married."
- Signal-Block-1797
"The amount of SmartFood family-sized bags that I have singlehandedly torn to shreds…"
- SnekBills
More Animals
Hungry John Krasinski GIF by The Animal Crackers MovieGiphy"Circus Animal cookies with the pink and white frosting."
- FecusTPeekusberg
"If surveyed, I wouldn't even say I liked them and it never occurs to me to buy them. But if they're around, get out of my way!"
- LordPizzaParty
"Have you tried them frozen? Discovered it by accident when I was staying in a place with no AC, and haven’t looked back since"
- HalloIchBinToad
ADHD Obsessions
"Anything I like. I have ADHD and no self control"
- goyourownwayy
"I have ADHD and I obsess over food too! Will eat the same thing for days until I don't like it anymore."
- jellie_99
"The lack of self control is actually the worst."
"I binge food, alcohol, people, until I’ve f*cked up my body, my relationship, my job, or whatever else."
- PinealPunch
Hidden In The Toilet
"Peanut Butter."
"If it's in the house, it CALLS to me, and I am drawn to it like a Siren from Greek mythology."
"When my partner wants to have PB in the house, she literally has to hide it from me. And I've found it a few times, so she has to get REALLY CLEVER every time she gets a new container."
"Last time she hid it in the toilet tank, and I found it because I had to repair the flapper device and found it in there."
- whomp1970
"I found my people. Can’t have it in the house. I will throw it away to save myself from myself."
"Everyone close to me knows it too, cuz I’ll announce it."
"No, no, no, get it out. I won’t stop eating it until it’s gone."
- mach1130
Easter Emergencies
crab GIF by OriginalsGiphy"I made myself sick on Easter because I ate what turned out to be 11 crab rangoons in one sitting."
"I'm lactose intolerant. They're full of cream cheese."
"Worth it."
- graccha
"I'm allergic to seafood and I am addicted to them. Luckily they're usually made with fake crab..."
- alexopaedia
Alright foodies, you're up.
Go ahead and confess your snack sins. You're clearly among friends here.
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Shoplifting and weed. Let's start there.
Fishy
Big Fish GIF by PBS KIDSGiphy"Being able to walk with a salmon suspiciously."
YorkshireCat
"The Salmon Act of 1986 made it illegal in England, Wales, and Scotland to 'handle salmon in suspicious circumstances.'”
water_fountain_
Exercise
"I’d legalize putting bikes in pools in California."
Wolfiye11
"Honestly, water biking is a great exercise and should totally be legal everywhere."
TheTrueGoldenboy
"Ding ding ding! you win!"
alemini_
Hey Spud
"Selling Unlicensed potatoes."
williamfvirgil
"As a potato myself, I agree."
CaliforniaPotato
B4TTLESNAKE
Speak Loud!
"The UK government has effectively banned protests so I'm gonna go for that."
YumYumFunTown
"here’s an article that explains it a bit. basically over here the police will now have more power to control protests. they can impose more measures, make sure people are ‘not being loud’ etc."
scseven
"Yeah super glad America doesn't have that. Right to protest is in our DNA. No matter how annoying, it’s necessary."
MRmandato
by death
death GIFGiphy"Executing politicians for treason for any crimes or abuses of power while in office. Iirc treason and sabotage are both punishable by death according to the constitution."
moldyhotdogs
Salmon? Really? Can I carry tuna or a nice cut of mahi?
Cheers all Day
Happy Hour Reaction GIF by New GirlGiphy"The ability to purchase alcohol at any hour of day, on any day of the week. How many of you have gone out late at night to buy beer only to be turned away because the alcohol section is closed, or not being able to buy any at all on Sunday? (in some places)."
isabellemwilliams
It's Food
"Feeding homeless people."
Breadflat17
"I am guessing it is to discourage some psychos from feeding them sh*t (both metaphorical and literal). Reddit taught me about a cop, who gave a homeless guy a literal crap sandwich."
Sandybat
"It keeps people from poisoning them."
derpygamer2142
Incredible
"Magic mushrooms."
ReallyDontWant2Argue
"I was enrolled in a clinical trial using psilocybin as a treatment for depression. After decades of treatment resistant depression, I'm depression-free. Even if it's temporary, I'm so grateful and I can't wait until everyone has access to this incredible drug."
Torontopup6
"I am hoping that weed legalization can open the doors for mushrooms."
MusicianMadness
Bringing the End
"I know it's controversial, but I would say Euthanasia (for very bad illnesses and elderly, if they're miserable and don't want to go on anymore). Afaik it is legal in some countries, such as Switzerland. Just wanted to add I'm not American and therefore can't relate to all the comments telling me about situations in US states, but don't get me wrong, it's interesting nonetheless. :) "
wurzlsep
Sex
Julia Roberts GIFGiphy"Sex work. I'm not interested in it, but it appears to be an arbitrary law that would be a waste of time to enforce."
"Adults can have sex for money in front of the camera for all to see, but once the camera is removed, it becomes illegal? It doesn't make much sense. The only reason it's illegal, I believe, is that the government hasn't found a method to tax it."
corneliatdyer
Sex work is real work. Let these people be.
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