The phrase 'This is why we can't have nice things' has long been a common idiomatic expression used by parents or authority figures when something is broken due to carelessness. As a meme, it transitioned into digital culture to describe situations where a group's behavior or a specific accident ruins a positive experience. The meme gained significant pop culture traction through various TV shows and was further solidified in the mainstream by Taylor Swift’s 2017 song of the same name. Today, it is used across social media to ironically or sincerely comment on everything from literal property damage to the internet's tendency to ruin wholesome moments through viral trolling or chaotic discourse.