Hey, and welcome to Connect! Today, we're going to talk about the metaverse. I want to share what we imagine is possible, the experiences you'll have, the creative economy we'll all build, and the technology that needs to be invented, as well as how we're going to all do this together.
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First of all, I'm well aware that there is more to kleptomania than just being an asshole that steals things. It's a serious condition that's often tied to underlying issues such as depression and/or other impulse control disorders, and I'm not discounting this fact whatsoever. Of course it's not necessarily someone's fault if they have urges to do certain things that people generally consider weird or wrong, I know that. I also need to clarify that I believe that punishing or bullying people for their mental health problems isn't helpful whatsoever; I'm sick of those born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-the-mouth assholes that always say shit like, "Having [mental illness] doesn't excuse your [behavior that is inherent to and inseparable from said mental illness]!"
That being said, I (18M) find myself in a tough situation right now.
My girlfriend (25F) has been stealing things recently. We've been in a relationship for roughly five years, but we only moved in together a couple months ago. Once we were under the same roof, she started showing signs immediately, but it didn't start off too bad. She would sometimes just take my sweatshirts, which is nothing out of the ordinary for a lot of normal people. She just wrote it off as being a thing that girls do, and I get that.
I started noticing something was actually wrong when she began stealing a bunch random personal items for no apparent reason. You guys might remember that tweet from Richard Dawkins where he talks about eugenics being a useful and effective tool for society. I bought a custom mouse pad with that tweet printed on it because I thought it was a totally rockstar move for him to drop some redpill shit like that. I've been using it for about a year now, and it's one of my favorite personal items. She just took it without warning or restraint. I know it's a fuckin' awesome tweet and a cool-ass mouse pad, but still, it's not like she was taking it for monetary gain or anything. Kinda seemed like she needed to get that "rush" that some people get from stealing, almost like she was taking some sort of drug. She tried lying straight to my face, saying that it was a stupid mouse pad that a grown man shouldn't own, but I know that she really just trying to get that high, that feeling, that tingle.
It really got serious when I noticed that my mario water was missing. I was absolutely livid. I hadn't yet thought about the possibility of her having some sort of condition, so I was just straight pissed. I cussed her out, screamed, threw some things, and then locked myself in the bathroom for a few hours. I know that seems kinda excessive, but at least I'm not the one that has fucking kleptomania. Once again, she tried playing it off like she was trying to get rid of things that I shouldn't own, but she literally unironically uses tampons, so she has no right to tell me what I can and can't do.
Recently, it's gotten terrible. She won't let me sit her down and talk it through. She denies that there is any problem whatsoever, and she has even tried to claim that I have some sort of issue myself. She went as far as to call me "delusional" the other day. I was so pissed (and worried for her and my own well-being) that I actually thought about dialing 911 at that point, but then I remembered that officers tend to kill everybody at the scene whilst responding to mental health calls if there aren't any social workers with them, so I decided against it. I started thinking that I probably just needed to put all of it away for a while. I started wondering if I might have been overthinking this.
Nope. Worst fears confirmed. Today I found HER clothes in MY washington machine and dryer. It felt like she had pried them from my hands and repurposed them for her own selfish gain. She marked her territory. She stole my fucking appliances. I was dumbfounded. This was stepping over a line that I had never seen crossed in my entire life. I always make her go down to the laundromat because I'm not a punk sucker. I bought that shit. It's mine. It's fucking mine. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care.
I haven't been home since this morning. She's trying to text me, asking where I am. But I don't know where I am. I don't know what I am. I resent this life I have chosen for myself. I don't know what to do now. I want to love her so much. She's a libertarian and she watches South Park. I don't want to lose a girl like that. But I also don't want to lose my dignity and my mario water. If I even tried talking to her, she'd probably just tell me that I'm the problem. It can't actually be me. There's just no way that I would be at fault for all of this. I didn't start it. What am I supposed to do now?