Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Professions That Were Highly Respected But Are Now A Complete Joke

People Break Down The Professions That Were Highly Respected But Are Now A Complete Joke
Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Do you ever sit back and ponder just how much the world has changed?

It's astonishing. Things we thought we'd never be able to live without are now obsolete.

Does anyone even own a cassette tape anymore?

Do we still have home landlines?

If I call 411... do people still answer? And what about all of the jobs that went along with them?

If anyone is answering at 411, now they're basically looked at as a failed telemarketer.

So many jobs that were seen as thriving and a legacy have really taken a hit.

Everything from bus drivers to pilots and waiters.

Why is society so disrespectful?


Redditor jaysmith007 wanted to talk about the careers that used to be lauded that are now a big laugh.

They asked:

"What profession was once highly respected, but is now a complete joke?"

Salespeople have really taken a hit. Car dealers use to be revered, now we know they're thieves trying to fleece us. I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean.

LOUDER

"The town crier."

GengarIsLife

"We actually have one where I live, he appointed himself in the early 90s and still “announces” town events while wearing a silly hat and ringing a bell. It’s kind of amazing."

bandi53

Giphy

Pages

"My friend's Dad was a pretty successful ad salesman for yellowpages. After no one needed phone books anymore and he cheated on his wife and had 2 divorces, and bought a purple Harley with a dragon on it, he then became a seller of funeral packages."

DarTouiee

Bye Guys

"Milkman, now they are just everyones secret father."

TheAngloLithuanian

"The mailman had taken over that responsibility. Now we've got the Uber Eats people doing that in the 21st century."

adsarelies

"Milkmen are still a thing! They just are more truckers than like the 50’s style milkman everyone thinks of. My family has a long line of milkmen (yes yes hilarious) who deliver milk commercially like to grocery stores etc. But my grandfather started out as the traditional 'delivers milk to your house type.'"

ida_klein

Opinions are like...

"Critic, for the most part. It used to be that to be taken seriously as a critic, you had to have some accomplishments in the field you were critiquing, to show that your opinion on the subject was worth some value. Somewhere along the way, the position devolved to 'any a**hole with an opinion is a critic.' It has fallen even further in the internet age, with 'critics' giving obviously stupid 'hot takes' just so their name can be spread out among the media."

FDRockAtWork

Torture

"Teaching. They get completely crapped on by the kids and the parents."

LCCyncity

Giphy

I feel so bad for teachers. They deserve all of our support.

Hippie

"Philosopher. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Now if someone tells you they are a philosopher you probably assume they don’t have a job and do a lot of drugs."

Dr_Ugs

Giphy

World Planner

" Travel agent."

drunkqueen

"Travel agents are still worth it if you live in a non major city. They can book multiple non associated airlines on one ticket, something you can't do yourself. If you book two different airlines yourself, and the first flight is late, your second flight will be cancelled and you'll lose your money. Travel agent can just rebook you."

turniphat

Zero Experience

"Chef. My dad was a chef and in his day you could have your pick of jobs. Literally walk out of a restaurant and into another by the end of the day. People respected them and allowed creative and financial freedom. Now I work as a chef and I constantly have to answer to people (managers, waitresses etc) who have absolutely 0 culinary experience."

"The pay is sh**ty, the hours are ridiculous it's about 3 decades behind in terms of workers rights. This goes double for smaller places like non-chain bars and restaurants. They know that theirs always another chef looking for a new gig and often have no problems treating chefs like absolute dogsh*t."

BanditSurvivalist

Fabulous Air

"Air hostess- Once the symbol of glamor now it's like a joke."

peoplecallmedude797

"I’ve been flying for 14 years and even in that short amount for time, I’ve seen quite a change in the level of respect. When I started it was 'oh that’s so cool' to now it’s like, 'wow that really sucks.' I still love it (most days) but yea."

Sky_hostess

Fallen Gods

"Journalist. It used to be a respected and necessary career, now, for more than one reason, it's lost almost all the respect it had."

Dovahnime

Giphy

Walter Cronkite must be turning over in his grave. We need our principled journalists now more than ever.


Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Truth Social logo; Donald Trump
Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images; Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Trump's Truth Social Platform Has A New AI Tool—And Trump's Not Gonna Like What It Has To Say

President Donald Trump regularly uses his social media platform Truth Social to attack his opponents and lie profusely, but the site's new "Truth Search AI" tool is unlikely to win his favor because it actually—get this—tells the truth about him and his policies.

A test conducted by the center-right news and commentary site The Bulwark found that the tool, which Truth Social debuted shortly after Trump signed an executive order to counter the use of “Woke AI” in the federal government, actually tells the truth about everything from his widely unpopular tariffs to the 2020 election results.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump and Laura Ingraham in the Oval Office
Fox News

Trump Just Bragged That Everything In The Oval Office Is 'Real Gold'—And Even Laura Ingraham Isn't Buying It

President Donald Trump received a dubious reaction from Fox News personality Laura Ingraham after he touted the Oval Office's gold decor as "real gold" while giving her a tour.

The Oval Office has been significantly revamped since Trump took office in January—it features, among other things, fireplace adorned with gold cherubs and medallions, surrounded by portraits of American statesmen in ornate gold frames and shelves filled with gilded figurines, urns, and freshly installed Rococo mirrors.

Keep ReadingShow less
man giving two thumbs down gesture
Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Questions That May Sound Innocent But Are Actually Offensive

Humans in general tend to be curious creatures. We seek information about the world around us.

But sometimes it's best to rein that desire in a bit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk; Joyce Carol Oates
Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images; Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images

Elon Musk Rages After Author Joyce Carol Oates Calls Him 'Uneducated' And 'Uncultured' In Epic Takedown

You'd have to be a "chronically online" user of X, aka Twitter, to know just how prolific a tweeter author Joyce Carol Oates is, but to those who are, her takedowns have become legendary.

And recently, the 87-year-old award-winning writer set her sights on the owner of X himself, Elon Musk. And the gazillionaire babyman is FURIOUS about it.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sydney Sweeney channels boxer Christy Martin
Black Bear Pictures

Sydney Sweeney Speaks Out After 'Christy' Biopic Has One Of Worst Box Office Openings Of All Time

Sydney Sweeney can land a punch, but maybe not at the box office. Her latest film, Christy, a biopic about trailblazing boxer Christy Martin, landed a hard blow but barely connected with the audience, opening to a paltry $1.3 million.

That’s not just a loss; it’s a technical knockout in the “worst wide release openings ever” category, according to Box Office Mojo. For films debuting in over 2,000 theaters, Christy ranks at No. 12 overall and No. 9 when excluding rereleases.

Keep ReadingShow less