23 genuinely useful things that have been “ruined by stupid people” (NSFW)

“This is why we can’t have nice things” is the refrain for when a previously good and pure invention has been corrupted by the worst instincts of humanity.

It very much comes to mind when reading this reddit thread, prompted by this question from user QuantumLinhenyus:

What genuinely useful thing has been ruined by stupid people?

Hard to argue with this bunch of suggestions…

1.

“The word literally, which used to be reserved for indicating that you were not exaggerating and that a thing really happened.”
-genericusername123

2.
“Oh, where to start? Social media was such a promising platform for meaningful connections and intelligent discourse, and now it’s a delightful dumpster fire of cat memes, conspiracy theories, and unsolicited opinions.”
-sountryman

3.
“Airbnb.

“A cool, couch surfing idea that became a way to rent a spare room and save a little money on a hotel, got turned into a way to cut off housing supply and create a housing crisis, all by its own users.”
-redsoxsteve9

4.
“In my city there was this bike sharing project. Amazing for students and young people. Within 3 days (3!!!) all of the bikes (FUCKING ALL OF THEM) got either stolen or badly damaged.”
-love-unite-rebuild

5.
“Google search.

“At the time, Google’s algorithm was a breath of fresh air compared to the dog shit Ask Jeeves. Now its results are just those who paid the most to Google followed by those that paid the most to SEO companies.”
-inspectorgadget9999

6.

“Roundabouts. They’re supposed to ease traffic, but somehow people still treat them like a game of Mario Kart.”
-ladpocktredge

7.

“My parent’s old apartment had this little dog park. Our greyhound loved it because she could go run every morning.

“They closed it because people wouldn’t pick up their dogs’ poop. They would just leave piles of shit, despite management sending letters out.
I’m still salty about that one. Don’t get a dog if you can’t pick up their messes.”
-Left-Fish-1351

8.

“Democracy

“Not choosing any sides here. Just people believing in and voting for:

-False promises

-People who are unwilling to alter their views when new information is given

-People who are charismatic instead of intelligent or moral.”
-arjensmit

9.
“[The] concept of customer service!”
-LOvEY_MyBotty

10.
“Green traffic lights, some people just sit at a green light not knowing the light is green because they’re distracted by their radio or phone and it takes till someone beeps their horn that they notice they have a green light and waste the light for everyone else as the light turns yellow and red after they go.”
-Goddessviking86

11.

“Plastic. Incredibly useful material.

“Totally ruined by selfish people discarding it without a thought, corporations for prioritising profits over the environment, cosmetic companies for creating micro plastics, and governments for not doing anything about it!”
badmother