Is it considered "normal" to have a strong distaste for any material containing Romance?

[crusador90]

Is it?

If not, well, aparently, I'm not normal, since I have a strong dislike for the genre and themes wherever it appears.
Doesnt help considering how unavoidable it is.

And for the record, I can discern between love and lust.

 

[Keoul]

I guess it's normal, people generally like companionship and romance but not being fond of it certainly doesn't make you a weirdo.
Maybe you'll change your opinion over time who knows.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Depends. I hate the Romance genre because it's stupid and overly dramatic. However, if you avoid everything that has so much as a kissing scene, that's a bit extreme.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Very normal, a lot of romance in tv shows and movies etc is cheesy and vomit worthy. Whats more is that a lot of the time it feels as if the creators only shoved romance in because they felt they had to, not because they felt it would enhance their creation.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I've got no beef with it, but I hate it when it's in something that I don't feel it should be in.

Transformers, for instance. The 'romance' between Megan Fox and Shia Labeouf was painful, I just wanted to see robots fight...

 

[idodo35]

idk if its not normal
but i really am into that stuff when it comes to a girl i like... os idk either im wierd, you are, we both are or none of us are but hey who cares whats normal whats important is what you think!

 

[Thaluikhain]

Depends, do you dislike romance in general, romance because it tends to be done really badly, romance because it gets in the way of the otehr stuff, or just the idea of romance?

I hate tacked in romances in stories about something else. You don't need a male lead and a female lead to fall in love every fucking time.

 

[madwarper]

Depends.

Do you dislike material with romance strictly because there is romance? Or, do you dislike it because the material in general or its attempt at romance in particular is shit?

Do you dislike The Princess Bride? If you do, that's... That's just... Inconceivable!

 

[Doclector]

I dislike it. People seem to act like it's the only important emotion.

Doesn't help that I'm hopeless at it in real life, but it is really goddamn annoying when film makers seem to think it's the only reason for a character to do anything.

 

[sky14kemea]

I hate romance films, and I generally tend to avoid anime that has romance in it. I'm not fully opposed to it, I just feel it's predictable, and gets in the way of what could be a good story.

Unless it's an action film, then I'm just there for the explosions.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

Is it?

If not, well, aparently, I'm not normal, since I have a strong dislike for the genre and themes wherever it appears.
Doesnt help considering how unavoidable it is.

And for the record, I can discern between love and lust.

When I was a teen and younger I hated it, but I saw all romance as an excuse to put two "hot" people in sexy situations to increase ratings. Things are a little different now.

 

[felbot]

no its not weird, depending of course on how much you avoid romance, like avoiding fallout new vegas because veronica happens to have a girlfriend, that would be strange, but avoiding ps i love you is totally ok.

my mom seems to adore that movie though.

 

[Colour Scientist]

I don't mind romance when it makes sense within the story and I really like it when it's done properly.

I hate it when it feels forced because the people involved felt like it needed a romantic plot-line, just because.

 

[Mr F.]

Is it?

If not, well, aparently, I'm not normal, since I have a strong dislike for the genre and themes wherever it appears.
Doesnt help considering how unavoidable it is.

And for the record, I can discern between love and lust.

Depends. Are you over the age of 14?

Romance, love, relationships between people who care about each other are a central part of human communication. Some of the most drama comes from those petty relationships, most of us can relate a lot more to "Someone said something that was taken the wrong way and now their entire world is falling apart" then "The aliens are coming and the entire earth is going to die".

So...

Yeah, I would state that you are not normal for "Having a strong distaste for any material containing romance" because pretty much every book, outside of non-fiction, will contain at least some romance. It makes characters relateable.

Your distaste means you do not like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Firefly, Starwars, Startrek, A Song of Ice and Fire... Hell, it also cuts off the Darren Shan books which I loved when I was young, Artemis Fowl, the Wind Singer trilogy (One of the best trilogy's I have ever read), Northern Lights and the rest... Fuck it. Just about every example of literature/book I can think of contains at least SOME romance, bar some short stories.

I will try to come up with examples of books or films that do not contain any form of romance on any level.

Um. *ponders*

Uh. I guess the new Rise of the Planet of the Apes? It was a pretty good film and I cannot remember any "Romance". Not to say that there wasn't any, but hell, I think I was concentrating on the rise of the apes and whatnot. I do not watch many films. But even trashy stuff like Death Race (ONE OF THE BEST FILMS EVER MADE. ITS TWISTED METAL THE MOVIE) contains a tiny bit of romance, or at least a remembered romance, to try and make you empathise with the main character.

I guess if you only like to read non-fiction, watch documentaries about events and not people, and uh... Nope, that is about it.

May I ask WHY you have such a strong distaste for interpersonal relationships of a romantic nature?

 

[Playful Pony]

Uuhm. Depends on what you mean really! If it's a distaste for romance in books, movies and TV? I see where your coming from, I can't stand romantic movies. They are so painfully clichè, and more often than not very awkward and embarrasing to watch...

If it's a general distaste for ALL things romance, then I would consider that a bit strange Oo. I think most people would enjoy a bit of romance in the bedroom for example. Well, my male friends seem to think just shooting their load and going to sleep is enough but... But.. You know, maybe it IS perfectly normal to have absolutely no romantic interests... The musings of my male friends sure would suggest as much...

 

[ohnoitsabear]

Not liking anything with romance in it? But that must mean you don't like The Princess Bride. One of the best movies ever made. A movie that anybody with a soul likes.

Begone you soulless demon!! Begone I say!

Seriously, though, I'm normally not a huge fan of romance, especially when that's the entire point of the movie/book/whatever. However, I can usually deal with it if it's done really well and if it doesn't overtake the rest of the film.

Also, everybody here needs to watch The Princess Bride if they haven't. It may sound like a stupid and cheesy movie, but trust me, it's not.

 

[Sande45]

I'm cool with the romance genre but what I hate with a passion is the mandatory love interest subplot from every other genre. It's annoying even when it kind of fits the story (and it rarely does) because I have that nagging feeling that it's there just for the sake of being there.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I'm always skeptical about romantic elements of films. Love interests being crowbarred into films that really don't need them is annoying. Romantic films that are aimed solely at women and so have ridiculously unrealistic male characters are best avoided too(I'm a man).