Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Professions Were Once Respected But Are Now Considered A Joke

Make us preferred on Google

The needs of people change over time.

What might have been a necessity 50 years ago could be an optional service today.
This, in turn, affects the people who work to provide those goods and services.
The world changes, their demands change and soon the job you had that once garnered lots of respect is now treated like a joke.

Sometimes for good, sometimes for bad.


Reddit user, LevengeLover, wanted to hear how you've been downgraded in society when they asked:

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

Maybe the career isn't seen with much reverence anymore because something else has come along and taken its place, be it machine or people doing the work themselves.

What Was Once Common Is Now Luxury

"Milk man."

Remember_Poseidon

"Nah milk delivery is still a thing around me. The service was somewhat expensive but amazing overall."

cbrad1713

Dancing And Pushing The Logs Along A River

"Log Driver."

Degenerate_Saint

"Oh my god. This is true. Even in my country the old people would still say ‘I’m not a Log Driver’ meaning I cant afford it making it seem like Log Drivers made a lot of money last time"

frishavocadoot

Not A Lot Of Demand For Ship Sails Anymore

"Spinner. Not only is it not a job anymore, it's thought of as a dumb hobby. But, back in the day before the industrial revolution, spinners were a huge part of society. Spinners made the thread that wove fabric."

"Without fabric a lot of things wouldn't be possible in society, and I'm not just talking about clothes. Think about the sails for ships, think of how much time and effort went not only into weaving sails but into simply spinning the very thread that they were woven from!"

"That's what spinster used to mean. It was a woman that could financially support herself independently through spinning because the craft was so important. And now it's an insult and the profession is just thought of as a dumb hobby."

ClancyHabbard

The job used to define the person, but soon the kind of person came to define the job.

If you had a solid head on your shoulders, the profession kept its level of respect.

However, a lot of con men and untrustworthy individuals seemed to make their way in, making the professions less reliable.

They're More Than A Babysitter

"Teachers."

"I personally don't agree, but here in the United States of America(USA), most people treat teachers like glorified babysitters that "anyone can do", and literally believe their dishonest kids over their teachers."

MTVChallengeFan

"Came here looking for this. Unfortunately, this is the case not only in the US. I'm a teacher and half of the time I feel like I'm working a shitty customer service job. Answering complaint emails from parents who are not happy that their child forgot to bring his homework home, even though we reminded him."

"Well, we didn't remind him good enough, according to the parents. Oh, your kid acted out, flipped a table and broke expensive school equipment? I'm sorry, of course it is our fault. We should have found a way to prevent that from happening."

"Sometimes I teach too, though."

"No, but for real. It's become a joke, it's true."

i_am_chemistry

How Much Power Do You Think I Have?

"Bank Manager"

MystyMountainsPeak

"I was going to write this one. Spot on - back in the day they had decision making ability, now they are just any other store manager."

"To be honest, it's for the best."

sionnach

Not Naming Names...Tucker...

" News anchor"

SpicyMustardNoHotdog

"News actors are what we have now"

Seigmoraig

"I prefer the term "News Wanker"

TheGrenglish

Gotta Get Those Hate Clicks

"Journalist."

qbertisback

"I did a year of journalism at university, but switched afterwards. I thought my job would be to inform people and to expose injustice. Instead, it’s about finding the right events and the right words/format to maximise viewers."

"These viewer statistics are then showed to marketing companies to drown your article in ads and make money for the large company that owns your paper."

Guava_

And then there's these, professions which matter so little in the world anymore its a wonder anyone anywhere could make a living doing it.

The Stars Say...

"Astrologer. Henry VIII used to make huge decisions on the advice of astrologers, as did many other monarchs. More recently, Princess Diana also had an astrologer. Is astrology even a thing anymore?"

tommyhashbrown

"Nancy Reagan had an astrologer, too. Yeah, it's still a thing. When I applied for a visa to live in my husband's home country, astrologer's reports were on the list of "acceptable evidence" that our marriage was genuine."

44morejumperspls

It's Fun. It's Not Real.

"King or queen"

Good_Carrot_5089

"Probably closest to the right answer in this thread. Those other professions aren’t a complete joke just getting a lot of hate right now. A monarchy like in the UK is legitimately a complete joke now compared to how it used to be."

TheRavenSayeth

The Times Are A Changing

"I’m only 24 so I could be very wrong, but from my understanding, politicians at least had a baseline level of public trust and respect from the getgo, and rotten politicians were either just something you called the opposing party, or just bad actors."

"Now, I don’t care who you are. If you call yourself a politician, I don’t trust you, unless you really start putting in some measurable effort to gaining that trust back and never stop working for that respect."

"You’re a politician, which means in my eyes you work for me & my fellow countrymen and it should never have been any way else."

"Clowns, all of them, until proven otherwise."

Brotherbeam

Men Of The Cloth, Men Of Lost Faith

"Priest."

"Once a highly prestigious position, now still important in some quarters but does not command nearly the same level of prestige and respect."

epicurious_aussie

"What makes me sad is that even today there are some incredible priests. The pastor at my church makes me proud to be Catholic because he is so great at what he does. He is a friend and mentor even though he is double my age. If he was the standard I would be proud for either of my sons to follow him into the priesthood."

"But I've had terrible priests too, and they seem to be as common or more common than the good ones. So many pathetic men who preach hate and judgement instead of love and forgiveness. This is obviously without even getting into the rampant corruption that allowed systemic abuse of children for decades (or centuries), but that's a whole separate post I think."

PDGAreject

Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.

That's what they say, right?

But it is nice to get paid and get respect now and then.

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

screenshot from Fox News of Riley Gaines and Sophie Cunningham
Fox News

Riley Gaines Just Tried To Make Negative Fan Reaction To Anti-Trans WNBA Player All About Herself—And We Can't Even

The WNBA has been enjoying immense growth as more people tuned in to the women's NCAA championship then followed their favorite players to the professional league.

Sensing opportunity, Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer who made a career out of tying a trans woman for 5th place in an NCAA championship race, went to a recent game between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Max Miller
@MaxMillerOH/X

MAGA Rep. Offers Bonkers Reason For Why He Couldn't Have Assaulted His Ex-Wife In Bizarre Video

Ohio Republican Representative Max Miller was criticized for his defense against accusations that he assaulted his ex-wife during a custody exchange, saying he couldn't have abused his former partner because she had offered to cook him dinner days later.

Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno, alleged he poured hot water on her, held a gun to her head, and broke their daughter's collarbone. Despite the controversy, Miller has made no indication he’ll drop out of the Ohio House race.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot with Rosie O'Donnell; Donald Trump
On with Kara Swisher/YouTube; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rosie O'Donnell Shares Brutally Accurate Assessment Of 'Snake Oil Salesman' Trump In Viral Takedown

Speaking to podcaster Kara Swisher, actor and comedian Rosie O'Donnell recently explained how she viewed President Donald Trump as a native New Yorker before he ever took office.

O'Donnell and Trump have feuded for years and O'Donnell, fearing the worst once Trump won the 2024 election, moved to Ireland shortly before he was inaugurated. She has cited the risks Project 2025 and Trump's potential retribution pose to her and her nonbinary child.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kalia "YaYa" Wong (left) and Mario Lopez (right) in the A.I.-generated video shared to X.
@mariolopezviva/X

Mario Lopez Hit With Backlash After Sharing Bizarrely Sexual AI Video Of His Niece At Dodgers Game

In the ever-growing category of social media posts people probably wish they could unsend, Mario Lopez's latest upload is making a strong case for the top spot.

The actor and Access Hollywood host is facing backlash after sharing a since-deleted X video—captured by freelance journalist Yashar Ali—featuring himself and his niece, Kalia "YaYa" Wong, at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Marco Rubio; Screenshot of Marco Rubio from the widely-circulated meme
Fox News

Marco Rubio Finally Addressed That Oft-Memed Photo Of Him Sitting On An Oval Office Couch: 'I Hated That Picture'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that he actually did find a viral photo of him looking miserable while sitting on a couch in the Oval Office rather "funny."

The February 2025 image captured Rubio seemingly sinking into an Oval Office couch during a tense meeting involving President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The photo quickly went viral, with many online pointing to it as a reflection of Rubio's increasingly expansive portfolio within the Trump administration.

Keep ReadingShow less