There is currently a thread on r/unpopularopinion in which an individual claims that pizza is quite overrated. Then they say that people mainly like pizza “for the clout”.
Now, I did have to look up what clout meant, and I still felt pretty lost. I could relate to the many posts declaring that it’s ridiculous to associate liking pizza with some kind of desire to advance oneself socially.
But I used my theory to figure out what this pizza displeased-poster was saying. He or she might have been accusing others of liking pizza for what it represents, rather than its actual flavor. That basically entire nations of people might be deluded into being fond of a food item because it helps result in joyful social situations, even if it does not really taste that amazing compared to, say, sandwiches or pasta.
Of course, I really do like pizza. But I do prefer it with toppings that absorb the grease, like spinach or chicken. So I can understand why someone thinks the flavor of pizza is overbearing, or that it might be better served in a format which naturally involves a fork and knife.
Pizza is a party food. Pizza is fun. Pizza is nice. Pizza is a food that we adore for reasons more than simply its flavor or texture.
I could not feel rather furious at this redditor for using an awkward term like clout to describe why someone would like some kind of food.
While 15 other redditors pretty much mocked them for trying to elegantly graft the love of pizza onto “clout”, I could not help but feel sympathy for this poster, not having heard about my theory of “purpose-result friction”.
I could certainly see how some food items are sort of “pretended to be liked”, like bitter alcoholic beverages, desserts from Europe which taste like Entenmann’s made the wrong way, and healthy vegetables which provide little real satisfaction with adapting away the love of tastier things. But it would be wrong to say that such people do not actually like that food.
It may be ridiculous to assume that Americans would not love pizza introduced to them at any age at all. But the way we treat it like the king of awesome savory party meals could certainly inspire someone to want to give us so much ridicule, enough to wish desperately enough that others have might been able to become slightly less fond of the bread-sauce-cheese combination, if simply shown that it may be loved only due to its expected social effects, or that we are obligated to like its flavor.
If only they knew the taste of my affection for people on the internet.…
maybe then there would be less ridicule for those who want the spinach roll!
I feel so close to changing the world,
if I do, let’s have a pizza party.
The Found Emotion (Invoke Yourself) 