Why We Turn on Things We Love When They Go Mainstream (and 4 Wicked ways to Reclaim the Joy)

Why We Love to Hate What Everyone Else Loves

All I have been hearing about the past week has been the Movie Wicked. Back in 2009, my wife Karen and I went to see the musical at the Orpheum Theater in San Franciso. We loved it and it was all we talked about for the next week! For 15 years, we eagerly anticipated its release as a movie.

Fast forward 15 years: the movie did come out finally… and the hype behind it is making me want to vomit. I hate anything that is popular or trendy, so the popularity behind the movie ruins the experience for me.

My wife, Karen, and I getting ready to see Wicked back in 2009. He still has that Jacket (but NOT the hair)!

 Ah, popularity. the double-edged schmear on the bagel of life! At first, it’s exciting. You discover something new—maybe a Broadway show like Wicked, a little indie band, or even a hole-in-the-wall deli that makes a pastrami sandwich so good it could bring peace to the Middle East. But then, what happens? Everyone finds out about it, and suddenly, it’s everywhere. Your social media feed, your Aunt Sylvia’s Facebook posts, and even the cashier at CVS won’t stop talking about it. And you? You’re over it faster than a kugel at a shiva.

What’s that about, huh? Why do we, especially those of us with a little neurodivergence in our matzo ball soup, turn on things once they go big? It’s like we’re allergic to joy the moment someone else joins the party. Let me tell you, there’s something universal—and a little funny—about this dynamic. So pull up a chair, nosh on this article, and let’s talk about why your brain might be playing Defying Gravity backwards just to spite you.

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The Thrill of the Underdog

Here’s the thing: we all love an underdog. Wicked was once the quirky kid in the corner of the Broadway cafeteria. It took a beloved story (The Wizard of Oz) and flipped it on its head. You felt clever for finding it, for loving it before everyone else did. It was your thing. And now it is a movie with Arianna Grande nonetheless (whose music I won’t listen to because it is popular, cross-promoting department stores, and selling out cinemas like hot latkes at Chanukah. Suddenly, it’s not special anymore.

It’s like dating someone amazing, only to introduce them to your friends, and now everyone wants to marry them. Hands off, people!

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Sensory Overload

You know the saying, “Too much of a good thing”? It’s a little like being at a Bar-Mitzvah with an open bar. At first, it’s thrilling. But by hour three, the DJs played Shout four times, Uncle Murray’s doing the Worm, and You’re hiding under the dessert table. When something becomes popular, it’s everywhere—on billboards, in conversations, plastered across your Instagram feed.

For some of us, especially those who process the world differently (read: anyone who’s ever wanted to scream when someone says, “Let’s unpack this”), that constant exposure turns delight into disdain. Suddenly, what you loved feels like an attack on your senses. You don’t hate the thing—you hate what it’s done to your brain.

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The Rebellion Reflex

Now, here’s the kicker. You know that feeling when someone says, “You have to see it”? Oh, no. You do not. If you have a neurodivergent streak, chances are you’ve got a built-in oppositional reflex. The more someone pushes, the harder you pull away. It’s like being told, “Don’t touch the stove.” Suddenly, you’re Gordon Ramsay, slamming your hand on the burner just to prove you can.

The popularity of Wicked—or anything else—starts to feel like a demand. Love this thing, they say. And you, my rebellious little gefilte fish, decide you’ll do the opposite just to stay in control.

So what’s a Lansman to do? Wicked was one of my favorite musicals ever. I found it to be a celebration of neurodiversity, but I can’t bring myself to see the movie because it has been Kardashianized by society. Read on, my friend!