Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Social Norms That Are Super Weird If You Really Think About Them

A man stares out, deep in thought
Photo by jaikishan patel

"Reddit user irish-springs asked: 'What are some social norms that are pretty f**king weird if you think about it?'"

The basics of human behavior have changed so much over time.

The change feels especially rampant over the last decade.

Somethings that were considered "normal" or "just everyday behavior" have been researched, studied, and cast aside.

A lot of these changes are for the better.

Once you do a deep dive into a few "traditions," you stop and ask yourself...

"Who the H*LL thought this was ever a good idea?!"

But once you learn more, than you do better.


Redditor irish-springs wanted to hear about which norms in life feel very outdated, so they asked:

"What are some social norms that are pretty f**king weird if you think about it?"

I'm used to odd behaviors.

So I doubt I'll be shocked by this list... well, maybe.

Sorry Bob...

Roses Funeral GIF by Un si grand soleilGiphy

"Spending so much for a funeral. Uncle Bob is dead, a $1200 coffin or a $100 coffin is the same for him."

8champi8

"Funerals are just weddings with really muted colors and a few extra sad people."

Oseirus

"Paying tens of thousands of dollars to bury corpses in the f**kin' ground."

ieatsthap***y

"It's even worse: we are not burying in the ground. That would be better. We are paying to embalm corpses so they are preserved for a long time, in wooden/metal boxes, using valuable space."

"Modern embalming techniques can preserve a corpse for a long time. If we were simply burying them in the ground and letting them decompose, it would be way, way better."

IWishIHavent

We Hear You!

"I feel like too many people talk on speakerphone. Do you remember when conversations were private?"

kellykellyculver

"I live in a cul de sac and a neighbor has their phone hooked up to the car Bluetooth. I can hear the phone ringing while calling someone and I can hear the entire conversation from my garage with 2 houses in between us. It's fascinating and I don't think they have any idea how loud it is."

ember3pines

"If someone is having a conversation on speakerphone in my presence, I am now part of the call and will insert myself into it as much as possible."

twilightchickens

No Frills

"The expectation to have a huge wedding."

asj0107

"The expectation to have a wedding at all. They’re overrated IMO."

hiremeplz2017

"My fiancé and I are having a registrar's office wedding, just us, two witnesses, the registrar, and the paperwork. His sister complained we weren't having a proper one and that solidified my position to do it this way. No frills, no drama. We can't decide if we want a reception of any kind."

ElliotFrickinReed

A Creepy Custom

wedding fail GIFGiphy

"Garter toss is f**king weird."

coronakiddos

"Yeah, we did not do this at my wedding. Really creepy custom. I don’t need to see my coworkers and my husband’s friends clamoring for something that’s just been around my thigh. And I wanted to keep my bouquet, so I tossed the maid of honor’s bouquet instead."

ZoraksGirlfriend

That garter idea always seemed off to me.

Danger Attire

Black And White Vintage GIF by FilmStruckGiphy

"I can’t think of a single reason for ties being the standard for business attire other than it’s a reminder to everyone in the room that you could be easily strangled at any time."

Taxitaxitaxi33

Small Talk

"Asking people how they're doing as a matter of courtesy when you truly don't care and are hoping they just say 'good hbu' in response."

TheMaskedSandwich

"You know, you walk out the door. You see someone that you know, and they ask you how you are, and you just have to say that you're fine when you're not really fine, but you just can't get into it because they would never understand."

shall_always_be_so

"It’s even perfectly acceptable to respond with, 'Hi, how are you?' And have neither person ever actually answer with how they’re doing."

OfficialLindsayLohan

Traditions

"Blowing out candles on a birthday cake."

Lallner

"It never occurred to me to look up the origin until now..."

"For the Ancient Greeks, putting candles on a cake was a special way to pay tribute to the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. They baked round cakes to symbolize the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected moonlight. Candles on cakes became a popular tradition long ago in Germany, too. For religious reasons, Germans would place a large candle in the center of a cake to symbolize 'the light of life.'"
"Some scholars believe that other meanings have also been attached to the use of candles on cakes. People may have believed that the smoke from the candles carried their wishes and prayers to gods who lived in the skies. Others probably believed the smoke helped to ward off evil spirits. Today, we still put birthday candles on cakes. Many people still hold superstitious beliefs about them, too."

powderp

Wasted Paper

"Cards. I'm just giving Hallmark money in exchange for a piece of paper that someone's going to look at for about 10 seconds and then completely forget about."

TheTurtleOfWar

"Lately I've been making my own handmade cards and they get a lot more love than your average store-bought ones, and I see the ones I make always end up out on my friend's dressers for display over anyone else's."

hellboyyy25

"Hallmark cards are an all-too-common phenomenon of capitalism replacing a genuinely heartfelt gesture with a store-bought, mass-produced one… and in so doing, removing the meaning from it altogether."

bearded_dragon_34

Hard Labor

Working Out Of Office GIF by This GIF Is HauntedGiphy

"Working your butt off for 65 years to then live for 10 years."

maybetoomuchrum

There are so many things on this list I never thought about.

We really need some life updates.

I like the idea of working less, for sure. (Or at least not to death!)

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Bowen Yang
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Bowen Yang Gets Candid About Why He Decided To Leave 'SNL' After His Sudden Exit

Bowen Yang, who's well-known for his work on Saturday Night Live and his role in Wicked and Wicked: For Good, stepped off of the SNL stage for the last time, mid-season, after being a writer and performer for the past eight seasons.

During his final skit, Yang starred opposite Ariana Grande, with the couple playing a married couple. Grande was waiting for Bowen to come from after his final shift before retiring from working at an airport.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kyle Rittenhouse
Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images

Kyle Rittenhouse Blasted Over Sociopathic Post Following ICE Shooting In Minneapolis

Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse sparked outrage after he offered to travel to Minnesota following ICE's fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.” But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back against this narrative considering witnesses described seeing Good in the vehicle trying to flee officers when she was shot.

Keep ReadingShow less
LEGO's 'SMART Brick'
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

Lego Just Unveiled Their New Tech-Heavy 'Smart Brick'—But Not Everyone Is Excited About It

LEGO has long been known for its fostering of creativity, independent play, and imaginative designs, both in their LEGO sets and free-form bricks.

Parents have long hailed LEGO as a viable option for fostering creativity and critical thinking, even when faced with the frustrations of children not cleaning up all of the pieces and the pains of potentially stepping on them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams
Bryan Bedder/Athlos/Getty Images

Serena Williams' Husband Just Stepped In To Defend Her From Accusations That She's Lightening Her Skin

When the Williams family burst onto the scene in the tennis world as juniors, an inordinate amount of discourse focused on Venus and Serena's appearance. The Williams sisters weren't the first Black people—men or women—to play tennis at an international level, but they quickly achieved heights that set them on the path to legendary status.

The heightened attention brought with it a lot of racist and colorist comments about their hair, their skin, and their bodies—especially Serena's more muscular and curvy body.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Roasted After Berating Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer For Making Him Look 'Heavy'

On Tuesday as MAGA Republican President Donald Trump addressed House Republicans at the Kennedy Center, he gave a special shout out to one of the press photographers present.

Trump pointed out New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning Doug Mills.

Keep ReadingShow less