People Explain Which Social Customs They Think We Should Retire Immediately
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay |
Shaking hands... what's up with that?
Could this social custom be going out of style given that we're all in the middle of a global pandemic and have become hyperaware of all the germs around us?
And not just that, but just how nasty people are? Why would you want to shake hands with them?
People shared their opinions after Redditor alebenchhe asked the online community,
"What social customs do we need to retire?"
If someone wants that, then more power to them.
But there are indeed people out there who spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to have weddings to please their families... only to divorce later.
"If I take a day..."
"Rest being seen as lazy. If I take a day off of work simply to sleep in and rest at home instead of having to have some sort of big plans or destination it shouldn't be seen as anything less."
"Having to purchase..."
"Having to purchase gifts for extended family that you cannot afford because it is Christmas or another holiday."
Yeah, let's stop that. Not all of us are made of money!
"That culture..."
"Though it looks like this custom is fading away during the pandemic...but how about we stop glorifying us "being model employees by showing up to work even while sick?"
I was at a retailer for 14 years, and I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I used to see managers and supervisors dragging themselves to work while sick to please their superiors. In January 2020, I ended up getting the flu from a co-worker that decided it would impress the store manager if she still showed up while sick with the flu.
That culture went away REAL quick when we started getting COVID cases in the store I was at...and I too ended up getting a mild case of COVID. I've called out any time in the past when I felt sick...and I will continue to do so as I normally did."
People Share The Most Selfless Thing They've Ever Secretly Done | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
"I don't create..."
"Worshipping celebrities. I don't get it and it seems to just create tons of problems."
The celebrity worshipping culture, at least in the United States, is insane, and sets people up with rather unrealistic expectations.
"This goes along..."
"That because someone is"family", you should force yourself to spend time with them and be "nice and respectful", no matter what kind of person they are or how they treat you.
This goes along with the enabling acceptance of "that's just how they are" rather than condemning poor behavior choices."
Yes, let's normalize cutting out toxic people from our lives. We'll thank ourselves later.
That's how they get you––it's in your employer's best interest to keep you in the dark, and it's wrong. Many people out there are not aware of their rights in the workplace.
"Giving greeting cards..."
"Giving greeting cards for every single event imaginable. Why pay $5 to give someone a piece of paper that will get thrown out the next day? I'd rather you give me $5 and skip the card."
It's a wild world we live in and social customs can and do change. Life now won't look the same twenty years from now for instance––perhaps for the better? Who knows?
Oh, and sorry, but can we go back to the topic of shaking hands? Let's not do that. Just wanted to be extra clear.
Have some opinions of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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The Absolute Worst Thing Someone's Ex Said During A Breakup
Reddit user FlintTheDad asked: 'What is the worst thing your EX said during the breakup?'
The people you love can hurt you the most.
When a relationship is on the rocks due to an incompatibility awareness or an unfaithful lover, it can feel like all hope is lost.
But there are worse things to come when the inevitable breakup happens.
Ending a relationship is bad enough as it is, but the words said in the heat of the moment can be like twisting the knife after being stabbed in the heart.
Strangers online revisited their dating history to share their lowest point in a relationship after Redditor thedamned234 asked:
"What is the worst thing your EX said during the breakup?"
These Redditors were kicked while they were down.
There are Options
"I can have any guy in this room, why would I want to be with you."
– wyoflyboy68
"No, you can f'k every guy in this room. It's different."
– PinceTancredi
Dispensible
"After I financially supported her for three years, I paid the travel expenses for American Idol auditions and one America's Got Talent audition. After I nursed her through her recovery after gastric bypass surgery, she said this,"
"You are worthless and I don't have time for you anymore."
– Elle12881
Actions Hurt The Most
"Abusive relationship for 3 years. Finally had enough and broke up with her after taking her to dinner. She got hostile (again) and I literally f'king ran out the restaurant. The worst was her screaming my name while driving in circles around the casino parking lot, honking the horn. She was not sad. She was angry as f'k."
– chaoticneutraldood
Trust issues were at the heart of these problematic relationships.
Hurting Before Getting Hurt
"Justifying her cheating because she thought I was cheating on her."
"I wasn't."
– TopTurtleWorld
"My girlfriend has been accusing me of cheating the last few months. I’ve been depressed and kind of distant, but I still only want her. My greatest fear in life is this. I don’t know what that says about my relationship and self-esteem but here we are."
– VANY11A
Just Someone She Lived With
"My last ex left me for the person she was cheating on me with, after 3 years together. When she came to get the last of her stuff, she would only talk about how she was worried she'd screwed up things with her new partner, cause he didn't know she was with me at the time. She'd lied to him and just said I was someone she lived with."
"She wasn't even sorry about what she'd done to me, just that it was causing problems with the person she actually cared about. Been hard to feel good about myself since then."
– Cheesus333
These words sting the most.
Oof!
"I wish we never met."
– Skyx10
"I usually get something similar from enemies and my brother"
– thedamned234
Undesireable
"My 2nd two year relationship, 'I feel disgusted when I touch you' that ate at me for a while. Much healthier and happy spot now."
– khadmon
By The Way
"Well, it is better than 'I'm breaking up with you because Im getting married tomorrow, please leave or I'll file a restraining order.' After 5 years in a relationship."
– sam-sung
Father Figure
"You'll never be a great father (before I even had children)."
"No reason why she should have said that except I held off having children with her because she was a heavy smoker and lied about quitting. I am now a father of two in a happy marriage of 9+ years. My kids tell me they love me every night and I spend almost all my money on them making memories, not stuff."
– cubsfanrva79
Consolation Prize
"After 5 and a half years: 'I was just afraid I would end up alone, so I settled for you.' Immediately after the break up she had a new boyfriend."
– kokosnoot32
Roommates With Benefits
"6 years and she used the same line on me as she did with the guy before me."
"We were just roommates who f'ked for the last 6 months"
"I'd bought us our firat house 3 months before."
"Over a year later and I'm still broken mess."
– accused_throwaway22
There's no way to soften the blow when it's time to breakup with someone–the worst of which happens when it's a unilateral decision.
Although I give compassion points for those who are not hostile during breakups, it doesn't help when they say, "It's not you it's me."
Like, that makes things so much better.
What do you think is the gentlest and honest way to breakup with someone?
Sex work is real work.
And the reasoning behind why someone does it is none of our business.
However, the loved ones of sex workers can have a difficult road to acceptance, even more than society itself.
Good parents find a way to take care of their kids, though.
Hopefully, that can be the through line.
Everybody is going to have a past their kids learn about, no matter their profession.
What everyone hopes is that it won't be the ultimate judgment of who they are.
Redditor ameen__shaikh was hoping the kids of sex workers would be willing to share their discoveries, so they asked:
"Children of sex workers, how did you find out your mom/dad was a sex worker?"
Truth First
Hey Girl Rose GIFGiphy"My dad straight up told me he was a gigolo in Denver in the 80s, 30 years later. He had moved out there to get away from an abusive home life when he turned 18 and found that that was the best way to make ends meet."
Stillawakeat330am
Do What You Have To Do
"My mom wasn’t in sex work anymore when I was born, but she raised my older brother on the money she got as a stripper. She worked customer service jobs my entire life. When I was around 7 or 8, I went to go do something on the family computer and I saw a Facebook message she sent to her friend referencing her days as a 'dancer.'"
"I was super excited upon reading this and confronted my mom, thinking she was a ballerina or something. She explained to me (in the most age-appropriate terms she could) that she was a stripper. Of course, she didn’t go into all the details until I was older."
infectedorchid
Shut up Auntie!
"My aunt drunkenly told me that my mom was a stripper one night and not a FedEx driver as she had told me. She traveled a lot (apparently she was a hot commodity) and would tell me that she was staying with her friend when she had to work because she lived closer to work. As a child, I had no reason to not believe my mom. I liked having her home a lot when I was young."
"I was 14 when my aunt told me and my mom had just quit and got a job as a secretary at that point. I wasn't upset by it. I was actually kind of proud that she was a traveling stripper and she brought in a lot of customers. My mom was LIVID my aunt told me though."
Sedaisedaiayay
Nice Men
"I remember living in a den, I was young maybe 6-7, I asked mom why her job was to dress up at night, and she told me she went on dates with nice men. I put two and two together probably around puberty. I didn’t put four and four together and stopped to think about how it affected me till my 30s."
EDMElevatorguy
Straight Up
"The woman admitted to it on my adoption papers."
Minute_Storm_5199
Good to always lead with the truth.
They'll find out anyway.
That's A lot
Confused Over It GIFGiphy"My mom told me so that I can be the person to report it if she ever went missing after a job. When I was 10, she would leave me names, emails, phone numbers, etc. anything she had to help identify a client."
DizzyConversation429
Work Bag
"My mom was a stripper trying to raise four kids. She would work nights, and I would see strange outfits and shoes in her closet and her 'work bag,' everything smelt strongly of cigarettes. I watched the movie Independence Day where Will Smith's wife was an exotic dancer… and I somehow figured out what that was."
"One morning she and I were sitting at the kitchen table together eating breakfast, I was in 4th grade, and I asked her what her job was. She looked at me funny and I continued by asking her if she was a stripper. She asked me why I thought that and I explained everything I listed above. She then confirmed my suspicions and thought my dad (her ex-husband) spilled the beans to me."
"I assured her that was not the case and she asked me never to tell my three brothers. I never did. She eventually got out of this line of work and is now very successful. I’m proud of her and although I used to resent her for some of her choices, I understand now she did what she could to do to take care of her kids."
Jiwalk88
Don’t blame Her
"My mom just told me and my other two sisters straight up. We were 11, 12, and 17. We were just okay with it I guess? Not like we had much of a choice on what our mom would be. She went on and did that for 15 more years...."
BackgroundImpress127
When I was 11
"Interestingly enough my grandma on my dad's side (my mom was the sex worker) was supposed to be punishing me for smoking weed or something I don’t really remember but to get in my head she found my mom's online profile advertising herself and showed it to me when I was about 11 years old. I moved in with my mom later on and she’s been in that line of work my entire life."
MeteorVesta
People have their preferences.
Let it be. We applaud these parents for broaching such difficult topics with their kids.
Most of us can't deny that going to the movie theater is a fun experience, but we also can't deny that the concession prices have become kind of outrageous.
As a result, it's become increasingly common for people to sneak their own food or drinks in, and some of their attempts have been downright impressive.
Redditor AMosquitoBitMe asked:
"What is the most outrageous snack that you snuck into the theater?"
A Well-Deserved Pizza
"Someone snuck a whole pizza past me once when I was taking tickets. I asked if they snuck it through the emergency exit. Nope, they walked right by me and I didn’t notice."
"Props. They deserved that pizza for pulling it off."
- pontoponyo
Ready for a Fun Time
"A large sandwich from Firehouse Subs and a six-pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade."
- car0003
Awkward Whipped Cream
"Two of my friends snuck in Taco Bell and a full can of whipped cream into 'Spider-Man: Far from Home,' only they failed to factor in how loud cans of whipped cream are."
"Spider-man: 'Everywhere I go, I see his face.' [Loud whipped cream sounds.]"
"Spider-man: 'I just really miss him.' [Slightly muffled whipped cream sounds.]"
- Emo___Emu
A Toast to the Movie
"I took a liter bottle of wine into the cinema once. I was going out afterwards, so I had to combine the cinema with my pre-drinking."
"It had a plastic stopper thing on it. Unfortunately, the moment I decided to open it, the movie went suddenly quiet, so there was just this loud 'pop!' sound."
"I think a few people knew exactly what it was. I heard a few laughs anyway."
- gilestowler
Enough Food for a Long Movie
"Not me, but a lady sitting behind me brought in an entire rotisserie chicken in her purse to watch 'Infinity War' (admittedly a long movie)."
"I heard these god-awful smacking noises behind me about 20 minutes in, and I looked back to see her shoving handfuls of chicken in her mouth!"
- 97ratsinatrenchcoat
A Humble Meal
"Two cheeseburgers, two medium fries, and a 20-piece nugget."
- Balahkeh
"But what sauce?"
- TheBlueNinja0
"BBQ, ranch, and buffalo!"
- Balahkeh
Taste the Rainbow
"Like a jumbo-jumbo factory-sized bag of Skittles for ten people to split that I couldn’t get open, so I gave it one mega effort rip, and a billion tiny Skittles went exploding all over the theatre at the quietest movie intro."
- Ciinnaa21
Don't Forget the Drinks
"Two Arby’s gyro combo meals, complete with drinks."
"One night several years ago, I saw two women had snuck in full to-go boxes of wings, lol (laughing out loud)."
- spamgoddess
Weirdly Comforting
"Two boneless KFC buckets together with a four-pack of beer."
- Randomguy95x
Not So Sneaky
"I stuffed an 18-inch deli sandwich down the sleeve of my winter coat once. It was in the noisiest plastic packaging known to man."
"My brother was two seats over dying laughing as I ever so slowly tried to open it quietly. The sound in the quiet theater was super obvious."
- calis
That's Hardcore
"A can of uncooked corn."
- IPreferCorn
"Did you open it beforehand or what?"
- Illustrious_Bike1954
"No. You must be able to open the can with your bare hands."
- IPreferCorn
"Like Popeye opening a can of spinach."
- JaxBigSexy
What Childhood Memories Are Made Of
"Back in the early 90s, Burger King had a promotion: two burgers, two fries, two bucks. The BK was in the food court of the mall right across from the theater. My friend and I (maybe 12 at the time) smuggled them in our winter coats and feasted."
- AndShesNotEvenPretty
The Simpler Things in Life
"I packed Frankenberry and stuffed two 16-ounce bottles of milk in my girlfriend's purse. I had two bowls of cereal and it was amazing."
- r2celjazz
Dinner and a Movie
"Two instances I'm weirdly proud of (I was known among my friends as the one who could probably get anything into a movie theater, lol [laughing out loud]):"
"Taco Bell: I lined the bottom of my purse with napkins and then filled it about halfway up with the ten-count box of soft tacos from Taco Bell, then canned sodas (put in there RIGHT before going inside to not chill the tacos/heat the drinks; this is science), all topped with nachos and cinnamon twists (I brought ziplock bags and filled them when we got the food from the drive-thru)."
"Culver's: I put four pint-sized ice creams at the bottom of my purse, then a thick layer of napkins, then a giant order of fries and tenders, and then the napkins and spoons."
- TheBookishAndTheBard
The Definition of a "Good Memory"
"20+ years ago, a friend and I were sitting around the house. We decided that we really wanted to go see 'Bubba Ho-Tep' which was showing at the local indie theater that our roommate worked at."
"The only trouble was that we were in Minneapolis and there was an unseasonable early blizzard happening outside. Like whiteout conditions, and we were on foot. But we were determined and hungry so we decided we'd swing by Popeye's on the way to the theater and get some."
"Walking through the blizzard was exhausting, but the goal of fried chicken and a Bruce Campbell movie was worth the effort."
"We managed to get our chicken (a large family size portion, because why not), and then secured it under our coats for the mile-and-a-half trudge through the snow. So we're freezing cold on the outside being pelted with sheets of ice and snow, and the chicken is burning us but kept from going cold so it was a system that worked."
"We got to the theater and our roommate saw the chicken and demanded to join us, being that there was only one other person in the theater. We headed to the balcony and set up our feast and set to it."
"About 20 minutes into the movie, the one other person watching left their seat downstairs and came up to the balcony."
"'Hey, I can smell the fried chicken from down there. Uhh.. do you guys have any extra?'"
"H**l yes, we did. We gladly invited this stranger to join our chicken party and all had a terrific time watching a movie that was a little disappointing."
- tenehemia
Going to see a movie is a fun experience, but it's obviously much less fun if you're hungry.
From ice cream to tacos and sandwiches to whole chickens, these Redditors seem to have the system all figured out!
When I was about 16 months old, I fell asleep in my high chair with a piece of toast in my mouth. No one noticed I had a piece of toast in my mouth, so it was panic-inducing for my parents when I suddenly woke up because I was choking.
Luckily, my mom knew what to do in this situation and was able to make me cough it back up. When my mom told that story a few years later to her paramedic friend, the paramedic said she'd seen a lot of children in fatal situations because their parents weren't able to help them while they were choking.
First responders have seen a lot of bad situations that could've been avoided if people educated themselves to handle them better.
First responder Redditors know this all too well and are ready to share their advice.
It all started when Redditor PeachMilkshake2319 asked:
"First Responders of Reddit what is a terrifying situation that you wish more people knew how to handle to result in less casualties?"
Here I Am
"Have your address clearly marked & lit so responders can get to you quickly... every second counts."
– Ten7850
"So many of the tips here are wilderness survival, and I can't argue those will help."
"But coming from a kid that's suburban raised and city for the last dozen - this hit me hard."
– pnwWaiter
When You're Alone
"How to perform a heimlich on yourself, you're a goner without a doubt if you're by yourself and food gets too stuck."
– Personalberet49
"When I was 13 years old I was choking on a bit of hamburger in my grandparents house while both of them were out of the house. I had to get up against the lazy boy and give myself the Heimlich maneuver. Finished the burger though it was tasty."
– Mewtoy
"On this note, if you’re choking on something and coughing, lean forward over your knees with your head down. Let gravity help clear the blockage, rather than trying to fight it."
– Catfishers
Please, Make A Scene
"It is way too common to find people choked to death on toilet stalls at restaurant. By instinct they don't want to disturb others and seek a place where they try to get whatever is stuck on their throat out. Please, if you are choking, try to get help and let everyone know that you are in trouble."
""Oh I don't want to embarras myself and ruin peoples night, so I'll just die in the toilet" is a wrong mindset in that situation."
– timippa
"I’ve had 3 instructors mention that it’s mostly women who do this too. Women are (in general) raised to not make a scene and are more likely than men to go to the bathroom when choking."
– Anoif_sky
Don't Cut It Off!
"Limb amputations. Easy to save someone with a tourniquet. Keep a few in your car, know how to apply them. It can save your or someone else’s life. Tons and tons of blood dumps out of an amputation."
– tibearius1123
Better Safe Than Sorry
"Treat every gun as if it’s loaded."
– RangerDangerfield
Stumble And Fall
"Friend of mine is a police officer in his home city. If your friend is drunk get them a cab home. DO NOT leave them to take the train home. He always tells me 90 percent of the people he gets run over by trains are drunks who fall into the train tracks."
– Cool_loser69
No Water Please
"Caveat - do not drink water that smells or tastes rancid or contaminated. Chances are it will make you vomit, causing you to get even more dehydrated."
– KristjanKa
Verify, Don't Trust
"Also don't entrust a drunk/incapacitated person to the care of someone you don't know. Don't trust their tinder date or an uber driver to get them home safely. That's how people go missing or get assaulted."
– notreallylucy
Check, Never Assume
"Ex-EMT here. We’re talking 13 years ago."
"It’s not a great idea to put the pedal down as soon as the traffic light turns green. Wait a couple extra seconds. That first 2-3 seconds when the light turns green is a GREAT time to get nailed by some idiot blowing through a red light."
– CDC_
"The only assumption I make when driving is that everybody else on the road is an idiot."
"If you assume they're an idiot, you can be more prepared for stupid stuff they might do"
– Raxsah
"I’ve always said “assume every other driver doesn’t know what they’re doing, where they’re going, where they are, or how to operate their vehicle”. Thus far, it’s been a success."
– EveryFairyDies
"My dad always told me"
""75% of people on the road are blind and stupid. The other 25% are actively trying to kill you""
– WhiteWizardDD
Allergies Kill
"How to inject an epipen!"
– readitpaige
"Don't put your thumb on the end of the pen! Great way to stab yourself instead (although if you're stabbing yourself anyway an EpiPen to the thumb is still better than nothing)"
– TerribleIdea27
"Haha in my EMS class the day they passed around an EpiPen, my teacher was literally saying "and just so y'all know, that EpiPen is hot, so whatever you do, don't put your finger--" and got cut off by "OW!""
"Calm as a cucumber, he continued, "--and now yall're gonna practice vitals on our newest victim!""
– TrailMomKat
Be Prepared
"I’m not a first responder, but my wife was a trauma nurse (now PACU) and we’ve found ourselves in some not ideal situations in our travels."
"Take an AED/CPR/First Aid class, bonus points for Stop The Bleed (it’s often free!). That will prep you for the majority of stuff you’ll encounter. Have a good first aid kit on hand at home and in your car."
– hipsterasshipster
You Are Not Immune
"If everyone in a room/vehicle/building is unresponsive, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. If you see someone collapse after entering a confined space, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. If you see a person collapsed near a potential chemical spill, DO NOT ENTER FOR ANY REASON. Overall, if it killed them, it will kill you."
– garfieldlover3000
Strapped In
"Wear your f**king seat belt"
– Shamefullvaper
"And make sure others in the car also wear their seatbelt."
– FueledByFlan
"I literally won't move my car until everyone inside is buckled in. It's one of the few things I've been a stickler about my whole life."
– TUNGSTEN_WOOKIE
Some of these (especially that last one) seem simple, but they are all vitally important!