Is it normal to dislike a person who's really nice?
My ex and I broke up earlier in the year and have been friends ever since. But slowly, as those rose-colored glasses came off, I started to notice all sorts of annoying things about him that I didn't care about when we dated.
First, let me give you a little background about how and why we ended:
His mother is a materialistic, vapid lady. She works a lot and makes good money, and gives her son like $200 a week for spending money while he sits on his ass at home and plays video games, or goes out to breakfast, lunch and dinner with his friends on her dime. He's VERY sheltered and spoiled, and when I say sheltered I mean he never even wanted to move out of his mother's house. Ever. He was used to a simple relationship with his mom: they don't talk much except about her new manicure or some dumb thing, she will give him more money, and that's it.
So, when his mom decided she didn't like me one day, she did everything she could to alienate me when I was around, and insisted her son leave me and drive her places- when she has her own perfectly good luxury freaking car- and she did this even on Valentines Day! And he did NOTHING to stand up to her or tell her, "No, I can't drive you today because its V-day and we had plans; You know mom, you probably shouldn't be treating my girlfriend like that." Zip, nada. He's just too sheltered and used to things being easy with her, even when she is the primary cause of ending a relationship with someone he really loved.
So all that was when I really started to see him as someone weak, who can't assert himself at all. And it was a slap in the face. I got over the pain, but it was the beginning of noticing all sorts of things that I can't stand, besides weakness:
~He is a complete slob. Until I dated him, he never wore deoderant. He would show up unshowered with big pit stains and stinking to high heaven, and put his arms up for a hug. I'd be like, Are you kidding me?! A grown man shouldn't have to have his girlfriend tell him to take a damn shower and wear deoderant. It's basic hygeine.
~The slob thing continues: I personally disdain what I call "Walmart People." All you have to do is look at the Walmart crowd to know what I'm talking about. People walking around in pajamas, their gut hanging out, clothes that are too tight and are exposing everything, using their bra as a cell-phone holder, etc. I think if you're going out in public, try and show a little pride in your appearance by at least wearing normal clothes (that fit.) This guy walks around with his dirty, holey, wifebeater undershirt half in and half out of his pants, and very visible under his ill-fitting shirt that doesn't reach over his gut, among other ensembles.
~Slob cont'd: This is a combo slob/clumsy thing. It's pretty embarrassing when you invite someone in for the first time (my family is strict about letting people in the house), and he uses the restroom, and after he leaves you're told that he left pee all over the floor. Disgusting.
~Clumsy: This guy knocks over and breaks everything. At first it was cute, but now it's gotten annoying and embarrassing- like when he is trying to get into a booth at a restaurant and he somehow knocks over another customers drink, spilling it all over her and her friend. Or how he can't even vacuum and avoid knocking over and breaking the only fan in the house, in the middle of summer.
~His voice only knows one volume- LOUD! When we're in the car he almost bursts my eardrums just by talking in his normal voice. If I have a headache (or he gives me one) and I ask him to please lower his voice, he gives me this look like I'm the bad guy for asking him to talk like a normal person. Needless to say, I'm always shushing him in public places, trying to be nice about it but damn- why are you projecting your voice so that the whole store can hear you?
~Money. This may seem like a weird one to resent him for, or one where you're like "why do you care", but I somehow don't respect the way he STILL is so beholden to his mother because she gives him so much money to just do nothing but eat out. It just makes me feel like I wasted all that time on someone who is a mommas boy, and I'd respect it so much more if he actually WORKED for the money he's spending. Every time he says "Oh I'm going to lunch with so-and-so", I just sigh and roll my eyes because I know his freelance job only made him $25 that week, and that did not cover the cost of gas, insurance, car payments, AND leave him money to go eat at 5 different restaurants this week. No, this is not a jealousy thing. I just respect hard workers, not weak lazy momma's boys.
Now here's the obvious thing- the guy is actually REALLY nice and loyal and kind. He's technically a great friend who'd pick you up in the middle of the night if you're stranded somewhere, and in fact has. Despite being such a good person though, I can't help but get more and more annoyed everytime I see him, just by his personal habits.
Two things: I DON'T take all that out on him. I may be someone who's irritable, but I'm not a jerk. He can't help a lot of these things I find irritating. I'm never going to tell him about them either. Also, I am not looking for a solution here. I know the solution already, and its to stop hanging out with the poor guy if he bugs me so much, and I've already started doing that. I just want to know if its normal to resent SO much about a person who's super nice and loyal. That's all.