Overwhelmed 2: The Syndrome
So yeah, when Franz Liszt played his pleasant piano pieces, people would sometimes go mental. They’d just lose their minds at being the presence of that kind of genius. It was called Lisztomania and it’s really cool that it was a real thing. Yeah.
And in 1620 or whatever, people decided that they just had to have tulips. Everyone likes tulips because tulips are awesome, but when everyone goes for the same thing at the same time, the price becomes, shall we say, unreflective of its value. This was called Tulipomania and it’s really cool that it was a real thing.
Sometimes, when people go to Jerusalem, they go crazy. They develop a religious fever, sometimes moving there permanently, and other times believing they are the second coming of Jesus. It’s called Jerusalem Syndrome and it’s great that it’s a real thing.
Sometimes, when people go to Paris, it doesn’t quite match up with their mental construction of what Paris should be like. If the disparity is wide enough, the crushing disappoinment drives them mad. It’s called Paris Syndrome and yes, it’s a real thing.
Sometimes, when people are in hostage situations, or a situation analogous to a hostage situation, they start thinking the abusive assholes are the good guys because they occasionally let up on the abuse to go to the bathroom or get something to eat. These people, these poor deluded souls, can even turn to the dark side and join them. This is called Stockholm Syndrome, and obviously it’s a real thing because it’s in a bunch of movies.
Sometimes, when people are in the presence of lots of art or pretty things, their tiny human brains can’t take it and they fall over, or otherwise go crazy. It happens a lot in Florence (obviously), but it can happen anywhere and despite the fact that it should clearly be called Double Rainbow Syndrome, it’s called Stendhal Syndrome. And, yes, it is also cool that this is a real thing.
