This Man Wants to Normalize the 9-to-5 Life and the Internet Finds It Depressing

Perhaps you've heard the phrase, "If you're bored, then you're boring." To put it somehow even more simply, fun people are fun regardless of the situation. This could mean having a grand time in line at the DMV, letting it all hang out while doing your taxes, or even showing the world that it's totally OK to be normal. Normal isn't bad.

But, isn't normal subjective? Before I go down an existential rabbit hole, for the sake of this piece, I need to define normal. Actually, I'll let TikToker @hubs.life ,or Connor, lead me down the average yellow brick road with videos that in his words, "normalize normal." I find them oddly peaceful, but the reactions online vary from horribly depressed to absolutely delighted. Let's take a gander at the 9-to-5 life, and more, on his TikTok.

If you're like me, then you refuse to let the capitalism machine convince you that working a 9-to-5 is necessary. According to NPR's KQED, "In the 1920s, Henry Ford shocked the world by shortening the workweek for his assembly line employees down to 40 hours per week." Once the Great Depression descended upon America, our government decided that a 40 hour week would "fight the massive unemployment crisis." Fun fact, Henry Ford only did this so he could run his factories 24 hours a day. Capitalism!

Speaking of great depressions, working 40 hours a week doesn't feel great, but Connor is trying to change that. In each video, he slaps on a facial expression that would rival that of any nonplayer character. Honestly this is smart, because it allows viewers to project themselves onto him. Who doesn't want to experience the joys of going to work again? And boy, are we going to work.

Multiple videos show the TikToker getting up, picking out work clothes, grabbing food, driving to work, and sitting down at his desk. Some of them pick back up as he's leaving, heading home, changing for the gym, playing with his dog, and finally making a disappointing dinner. It's like The Truman Show without any color. He has invited us into a world that is mostly beige, and it's very soothing.

Because we have grown accustomed to his tedious schedule, videos where he's traveling for work seem like a treat. Actually, now that I'm writing this, I feel like the viewers have been kidnapped and now have Stockholm Syndrome. Regardless, little things like packing and having a beer become special little moments. This is all very banal, but it's generating a ton of wild reactions from social media.

Twitter user @mrice97 shared a classic video of Connor going to work along with the tweet, "This video was so depressing that I started tearing up watching it." Here's the thing, unless this person visited Connor's TikTok, he probably has no idea that the vibe is subtle satire, with a dash of earnestness thrown in. Without context, the video is deeply sad.

Others chimed in with their own thoughts. "Men like this used to lead legions into battle. Now he sits in traffic, on the way to the same cubicle every day," tweeted @Anc_Aesthetics. Things take a turn when this person references an "HR harpy" and concludes with, "This is the hell of modernity for a lot of men." OK, but is this person really waxing poetic about fighting in wars? What a weird desire.

Kerry Fowler replied with a big thumbs up for Connor: "That guy is a winner in my book, too. At a glance, he's clean, hard-working and loving. A great partner and father in the making." Kerry's book could use a few extra chapters about how fatherhood isn't for everyone, but otherwise, they are very supportive.

Perhaps the most polarizing response to this particular TikTok was how Conner poured his beer. Most people have been taught to tilt the glass in an effort to alleviate foam. Instead, he poured from directly above the glass. More than one person said this was actually the correct way to pour. So if nothing else is gained from this TikTok, let it be known that we all learned how to pour a beer.