What's The Point of Toxic Love Stories?

Remember, there was a time when romcoms were the trend, and there were dozens coming out in batches every month?

It didn't matter that the stories were repetitive or clichéd. They were feel-good movies that were entertaining as well.

The good ol' days weren't they? Sadly, these movies quickly lost their turn in the carousel of trending genres and were eclipsed by action and adventure, then dark fantasy.

Romcoms are sparse in the modern world, where viewers scoff at how unrealistic characters can be.

Love? Ugh. What a waste of an emotion. Today's world is all about convenience and equal-pay partnerships, and usually short-term. 

Why invest in a relationship when you can invest in trades and make money?

Romcoms don't work in today's world because we don't see how putting someone else's needs before you helps in the long run. 

How is giving up on opening a factory in a small town, helping the employment rate or the economy? 

The town can still have its little bakery, but people without jobs and money can't afford those treats. Can they?

And leaving a big city job that affords you a two bedroom apartment just for someone who has a small farm isn't believable anymore.

You can have your farm and find someone who can help you run it rather than expect a big-city person to understand, much less help with operations.

And who in their right mind gives up a good-paying job in today's economy?

It makes sense that the new generation is looking for stories that are relatable to them.

For some reason, filmmakers think that glorifying toxic relationships is exactly what everyone is looking for.

Not surprisingly, these movies are successful as well. So can we say that this is what people want? 

Toxic romantic stories consist of one of them...usually the hero... being obsessed with his partner.

He controls every aspect of her life. She can not be friends with anyone. She can't talk to other guys.

If she decides to do anything without the hero's consent, she is pushed around, pinned against the wall, and given no choice in her handling.

This is seen as romantic. The hero is thought to be assertive rather than aggressive. 

He isn't being controlling, he's taking care of her. The story is pivoted to show that the guys the heroine was friends with were taking advantage of her. The hero was right. The heroine was naive.

She should have known better, but that's okay. At least the hero came just in time to save her. 

The heroine can walk away and argue with the hero numerous times, but towards the end, she succumbs to his intelligence, and false sense of protectiveness.

She agrees to marry him even though he's carrying several red flags.

So...what is the point of toxic love stories?

They are here to show that the weird feeling you think is love is actually a need to control or be controlled.

These stories are a stark reminder that love isn't about mutual understanding, care, or respect. Rather, they are about how you need to take up stalking because that is an acceptable action now. Or how you need to belittle your partner because you are just being honest and not a jerk.

The fact that these stories are lauded and well-loved to the point fandoms are built on them show how much cynicism is in the world.

The world has changed us. Corrupt leaders have made us lose hope. A failing economy has made us desperate to survive.

Love? Do we have time for it? 

We can't control the world, but we need to control the people in our lives at least. Right?