it's very interesting to me that current stereotypes about Catholics amount to "they love suffering" when like 20 years ago the stereotypes were that they were alcoholics with ten kids. this change is probably related to the assimilation of white Catholic immigrant populations, I would imagine, but I'm not sure
but Catholic suffering remains a bizarre stereotype to me bc my Lutheran father was repressed and incapable of earthly pleasures and my Catholic mother told me sex was a gift from God. my mom's whole side of the family is Catholic and I never knew them to willingly suffer or deny themselves anything
