"What was normal when you were a kid, but you never see anymore?"
Honestly... Rude then, Rude Now!
"Showing up to someone’s house without a text or call."- lpkrew
Walking In Season 2 GIF by FriendsGiphyBefore There Was Bluetooth...
"Cassette tape innards strung out along the highway, glimmering in the sunlight."- bigolfurryhead
No More Second Hand Smoke!
"Parents smoking in a car with kids with the windows rolled up."- WonderfulEmergency77
"Everybody smoked everywhere. At restaurants, the office, airports, everywhere."
"There's a picture of my grandma holding me as a baby in one hand and a cigarette in the other."
"Nobody thought that was the least bit strange."- MeghanFI
mothers day smoking GIFGiphyNow We Have Google!
"Using a set of 20 y/old encyclopedias as reference for my homework."
"JFK is president!"- ResplendentAmore
It Got Them Off Shelves...
"Toys in the cereal box"- NightDreamer73
How Sad...
"Fruit bats."
"There used to be a *ton* of them in my neighborhood as a kid and every evening you could look at the sunset as twilight set in and see flocks of bats flying around."
"Apparently, around the time I was in middle school, a fungal disease ravaged the local bat population and they never recovered."
"You never see them anymore."
"Funnily enough though, at the time, a local high school girl had this huge campaign to set up bat feeders to help bolster the local bat population and help them survive the fungal disease by giving them easy access to food."
"Said local girl has since become a federal Park Ranger as an adult and currently works for a state fish and wildlife service."- DoctorWatchamacallit
Now They'll Just Send Them A Text...
"Moms yelling from the front door to their kids to come home for dinner."- sflogicninja
Depending On Your Circle
"People talking about the Bermuda Triangle."- GarconMeansBoyGeorge
Best Not To Give Them Bad Ideas
"Candy Cigarettes."- Mechhammer
They're a dying breed indeed...
"Pay phones and answering machines."- Mondayslasagna
phone call mall GIF by South Park GiphyEven Printers Are Uncommon, Thanks to PDFs...
"Computer paper filled with lightly printed numbers and it had tear-off sides."
"My dad used to bring lots of it home for us kids to draw on."- reverendgrebo
...what were you watching?...
"Quicksand in movies and TV shows."- kzab81
Well That's Poignant
"Fireflies."
'I swear I saw them every year, in our back yard or when we went camping etc."
"Now I never see them no matter where I am, except for a few nights in the summer of '21 after I moved to a new house."
"It was so nice to see them again."- ModernCivilWar
North America Lights GIF by BBC AmericaGiphySadly, Not Because People Started Reading Maps...
"Printing out directions from Map Quest."- Keone_710
To think there was actually a time when we couldn't say "I'll text again when I'm close" and had to ask a friend to record a movie or tv show we wanted to watch.
Simpler times...
Normal isn't always normal. That is just... normal.
You're Caught
Stealing Mike D GIF by Beastie BoysGiphy"Walking through the stolen product alarms at store exits always makes me nervous even though I've never stolen anything in my life."
SchrodingersN**sack
Hello
“Introduce yourself.”
jill_roberts
"In college we had to do so many ice breakers that they lost meaning. I told people my fun fact was that I speak Spanish and then I realized that wasn't that exciting in a college setting since basically everyone there was bilingual. Then I said I can make coffee in eleven different ways."
"But I was always awkward. Once, we had to tell a partner our favorite movie and I said 'Pan's Labyrinth!' And he said, 'Oh I've never seen it!' And I said, 'You should see it, it's good!' And he responded, 'Yeah, I mean it's your favorite movie so I know you think it's good...' And at that moment I was like how is everyone but me so outgoing and why is talking so hard."
waitthissucks
Escape Fail
"Bumping into people I knew in high school."
Previous-Thing-7075
"I moved across an ocean from where I grew up. I was at a pub in London a few years ago, and at the bar someone yells 'OH MY GOD [real name]! Hey! It's John! Hey!' Guy I went to high school with a decade ago in a completely different country at a bar in one of the busiest cities in western Europe. There's no escape."
User Deleted
Tags
"People saying my name while I'm working because I'm wearing a name tag, a lot of people do it to feel more of a connection or whatever, it makes me unbelievably uncomfortable hearing strangers call me by my name without me introducing myself."
Squemishsquash
Hush
Silence Be Quiet GIF by IONGiphy"Having to talk to someone when there's silence. Sometimes I just wanna be around you and chill, or I just don't feel like talking. Doesn't make me sad or anything."
SlideLow
I love silence. Embrace the quiet.
Look Away
Staring The Rock GIF by WWEGiphy"Eye contact that lasts more than a second or two."
-_-Jupiter
Forced
"Interacting with extended family. I rarely see them, so the conversation feels forced. Plus I can't just say anything that's on my mind like I would around good friends, or else I'd risk becoming the topic of family gossip for all the wrong reasons."
DeathSpiral321
"My dad is mad I’m not going to the family reunion. I have completely opposite political, social, and well basically everything opposite of them except our lineage."
Rabies13
“Places I’ve Pooped”
"Pooping anywhere but home."
Spiiccy
"There’s a stupid app called 'Places I’ve Pooped' that let’s you drop a pin on a map everywhere that you take a poop. It helped me be a bit more 'adventurous' about it (if that’s the appropriate word) because it felt like a game I needed to complete. 'All four toilets at the office? Check.'"
Thin-Man
Shut up...
"Dominating the conversation and not letting me have a turn to talk where interrupting is the only way in."
SupremoZanne
"I have this problem in groups, where I have something relevant to add to the conversation and even try to start my sentence where there’s a small gap, but I always get talked over. Then by the time there is a chance for me to speak, they’re onto another subject. I hate it."
chocolate_nutty_cone
Louder
titus andromedon singing GIF by Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtGiphy"People singing in front of me. Like sincerely, unironically singing. I have no idea how to react to it. If a partner ever tried to serenade me I would moonwalk off a bridge."
SliferTheExecProducr
I hate that guy!
"Going to the dentist. Hygiene and self care are important. But sitting in a chair with someone’s hands all over my teeth, silently judging me makes me uncomfortable."
Pearlsofhunny
"From my experience, a lot of the times this can be chalked up to "your dentist sucks". I've had nothing but shitty dentists all my life and it led to me not seeing a dentist for 13 years. Finally caught up to me when I had two root canals come in and I was in immeasurable pain."
"Ended up finding my current dentist and he's a pretty cool dude. If I had known him sooner I might have not been so afraid. Though I still get the anxiety nonetheless, good dentist or bad. Because man. After having two root canals done I still think cavities suck a** and hurt so. much. more. :( "
We1tfunk
Near the Driver
"Here in the Philippines, we ride jeepneys. It's like a long truck with seats facing each other. If you are at the end of the jeep, you have to ask the ones next to you to pass your money or fare till it reach the driver. It's always uncomfortable for me because most times no one even helps and you're jut there reaching out your hand with the money and everyone's ignoring you. That's why even though I only need to drop at a near location, I still try to sit nearest the driver and try to help in accepting the payments because I know how awkward it is to be ignored."
catorched
From Behind...
Following Bounty Hunter GIF by DefyTVGiphy"Sometimes crowds and people driving behind me for too long."
Zoidlord81
"I grew up in a large city and have been followed before. Like very obvious turn by turn through a neighborhood just to exit again following. I would usually pull into an empty parking lot, wait til they got out then speed away. Still freaks me out to this day when I feel like I’m being followed."
3YearGuest
Stop Talking
"Compliments."
slarock12
"I hate complements because I don't know how to respond, do I give a complement back or just say thank you??? An example of me being a dumba**, was when my friend was practising a hair style on me."
"She only tied her hair up in a messy bun, but she kept saying how pretty my hair would be once she's finished. I, stupidly, said her hair was nice as well, she was confused and asked why, because it looked like crap. But it was because she wouldn't stop complimenting me."
FaltyLaptop
Need a Schedule?
"Being asked if I'm busy or if I have plans for the weekend. I hate answering that question, if i say no people assume I owe them my time. If I say yes they try to reschedule me. Just tell me what you want and I'll tell you if it works or not."
MatanteMerlot
"In these situations I always turn in to an idiot that can’t remember or manage his own schedule and say I’ll check with the wife to see what we’ve got going on. It works well since we have small kids and large families so there is always an excuse to be found if I’m not feeling it. I hate this question as well."
Badwolf2013
Look at Me
"I really don't like face timing or video chat of any kind. It just feels really awkward to me."
Silksniper101
"That’s why you gotta go all the way and embrace it. Every time I video chat, I put it below my face at an upward angle to get the ugliest possible angle. And then I hold it there the entire time, only moving it to perhaps catch a frame of my ugly a** cat."
Just-use-your-head
for the last 30 seconds...
"Prolonged eye contact. Even with friends if we are talking and I maintain eye contact for longer than 5-10 seconds I feel weird."
RedditIsNotOurFriend
"I usually find myself staring at people's mouths when they’ve been talking for a while. Then after I realize I’m doing it, I start to wonder if they could tell that I was staring at their mouth while they were talking. Then I realize that I wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying for the last 30 seconds because I got lost in my thoughts about whether or not they knew that I’ve been staring at their mouth while they’ve been talking."
*ick-nipples
Get to Work
Season 3 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Job interviews, it’s so fake."
nova815
"This one takes the cake for me, I never lie through my teeth so earnestly in any scenario except that and it leaves me feeling icky every time, but it also works so I keep being incentivised to do it."
AMasonJar
So many of these things drive me crazy. Uncomfortable is an understatement.
All in one shopping!
"Getting a sausage from a hardware shop."- effjayyelle
Self-sufficient babies.
"To leave the stroller. with the sleeping baby inside it, outside a café, while the mom/dad sits inside, if the weather is good.
"Denmark."
"It's a common thing all over Scandinavia/Scandinavian Peninsula."
"I'm specifically mentioning Denmark because I live here."- Lumisateessa
Don't be fooled by their gaze
"In Vietnam, when you order in places with menus."
"The waiter will stare at you when you chose food."- The-tank-has
Staring Jon Hamm GIF by NETFLIXGiphyMake up your minds!
"Using a puzzling mixture of metric and imperial measurements, for example, measuring cooking ingredients in grams but measuring body weight in stones."- TailsxCream4Eva
A dark sense of humor?
"Some casual Iranian sayings of endearment:"
“'I want to eat your liver'.”
“'I will sacrifice my life for you'.”
“'My stomach is tight for you'.”
“'Wishing your breath to be warm'.”
"Not endearing, but 'dirt on your head' if you are upset with someone, essentially meaning that you should be buried'."- fatdonkey54
Read my lips. No, I'm serious.
"Pointing to a direction with your lips."- The_Crow
Luv U Better Flirting GIF by LL Cool JGiphyA unique, national holiday.
"Celebrating a chubby, mystical, groundhog that can predict the end of winter based on its shadow :o."- Senator_Morgana
Be proud of your home, wherever you go!
"I wouldn't say this is part of my culture, but in both Kenya and India, when you go to the movies they play the national anthem on screen before the trailers and everyone has to stand up."
"I'd been away for so long that I'd completely forgotten this craziness and was visiting my mum, went to watch a movie, everyone stood up and I was so confused until the memories were unlocked."- ArterialSludge
We're all family!
"Addressing strangers using terms used for family members like brother, sister, uncle, aunty, grandpa, etc."
"The most common being brother/sister."
"We have unique words representing all 4 variations of little/big brother/sister."
"And guess what, one day you would be calling a girl 'baini' (little sister), that girl be calling you 'dai' (big brother) and a couple weeks later you are dating each other and ditch the sibling style addressing."
"Then you either call each other by name or come up with nicknames."
"I'm from Nepal."- secCcosMOS
Im Good Fx Networks GIF by Reservation DogsGiphyWorshiping the ground you walk on.
"Touching elders' feet as a greeting and sign of respect."- ScallionUnited192
No restless leg syndrome here!
"Standing while working."
"Bet you’ll never guess where I live."- Th3MysticArcher
Nothing wrong with saving yourself...
"I dunno if it's a culture thing coz some do it, some don't : bride and groom have to tell whether they're virgin or not to the priest / someone who'll perform the wedding...in front of people."
"And they will perform some kind of ritual or some sh*t."
"I wasn't even aware of this thing until a year ago."
"No way in hell I'll do that in future."- calloftheVoid__
Oh My God Reaction GIF by LifetimeGiphyNothing wrong with a little affection
"Men holding hands while walking."- born_of_water
"Brazilians, and most Latin people, are super physical when it comes to showing affecting to everyone."
"Even strangers."
"it’s normal to meet someone and hug them and kiss them in the cheek."
"I was shocked when my best friend, who’s a Canadian, said she never hugs her friends because it’s really weird to do it there."
"LOL."- brazilian-queen
Depending on where you're from...
"The Pledge of Allegiance."- Guska-siilka
Some places are luckier than others
"Constant disasters."
"I thought it was normal until i saw a video talking about how my country is screwed."- thinkwithmorethanone
An effective healthcare system? The Very Thought!
"I love the Dutch healthcare system."
"Went to the doc, everything was arranged."
'No calls, all visible in online environment."
"A message your prescription can be picked up outside the pharmacy with code xxxxx."
"I pick it up from an automat, no need to wait in a line."
"And the next appointment was already made online automatically."
"All free of any charge, love it."- Remseey2907
Health Care GIF by Creative CourageGiphyBidets are due for a comeback.
"Apparently, washing our a** with water."- themachinedoll
Will cash soon be a thing of the past?
"Paying for everything via phone."
"Even some beggars will have a code for people to scan so they can donate."
"Cash is really uncommon nowadays."
"Most people don't carry cash anymore when going shopping except old people."
"We use AliPay/WechatPay in China."- Thetrucksimfan2
Thats quite a variation on "red sauce"...
"Strawberry sauce and pasta."- SakuraSpice
Strawberry GIFGiphyCulture shock is very real, and takes some getting used to.
But rather than gape at things with an open mouth, try thinking about them with an open mind in your new surroundings.
And who knows, you might find yourself bringing these customs back home with you.
Redditor JustPlay94_cryer was curious to learn what jobs or activities members of the Reddit community wouldn't think twice about seeing in the afternoon, but might stop dead in their tracks in the middle of the night, leading them to ask:
"What is normal at 3PM, but terrifying at 3AM?"
Never trust those who travel at night...
"Car pulling into your driveway."- Playful_Beat_6958
Is someone there?
"My google home on max volume saying 'MICROPHONE DISCONNECTED'."
"'MICROPHONE CONECTED'."
"I live alone."- I_Seen_Some_Stuff
At this hour, it can't be good news...
"Breaking news"- the4thtriforce
breaking news GIF by ATTN:GiphyIs everyone trying to get ahead on their commute?
"Having had to flee my home at 2AM due to wildfires, I'd say heavy traffic."
"It's the heavy traffic at 3AM that's terrifying, not the wildfires, which are terrifying no matter what time it is."- BarracudaImpossible4
What are they trying to cover up?
"Digging a hole."- -Imyoshi
This is NOT a drill!
"Tornado Siren Test."
"Guaranteed it's not a test at 3am."- mdkubit
tornado GIFGiphy"I didn't even add the batteries yet..."
"A kid's toy going off in a random room."- just-a-hambone
The can smell danger from a mile away...
"Dog standing at the top of the stairs and barking at something on the main floor."- MedicalArm5689
Better be urgent...
"A phone call from parents/relatives etc."- DeadOnDeparture98
mary kate and ashley 90s GIFIt's all about the context...
"The sound of a branch breaking when you're outside."- binglelemon·
Shouldn't You Be in Bed?
"Child laughter"- Thyhard_moment
Incentive to get chores done.
"The laundry pile in the corner of your room."- Inevitable_Side_6152
"Pile of Clothes."- New-Essay-45
Clothes Drying GIFIs this ever really normal?
"Happened to me at 3pm and 3am."
"Woke up from a nightmare laying on the floor, got scared and I went into the living room to chill a bit and discovered 6 bruises on my legs."
"My legs looked like they were cut with something sharp."
"Looked around my room... nothing..."
"I;m probably going need therapy."- Both-Organization200
Midnight drink of water, maybe?
"Hearing a broken cup."- Realistic-Builder954
Like clockwork?
"Church Bell."
"One time it was damm loud I almost shIt myself,"
"Plus there was child laughting and others crying."
"Scared the shIt out of me."- sampatozzz
Memorial Hall Victory GIF by Bridgewater CollegeGiphyWhen you got the urge...
"Sex on your parents bed."- WiseKibbles
Sensitive to sunlight?
"Seeing people outside."- PsychologyRadiant261·
Amazing the things we wouldn't think twice about in broad daylight, which can scare the living daylights out of us after night falls.
Quite literally, the things that go bump in the night...
We could just leave whenever we wanted to!
"Knowing where your kids are 100% of the time."- bradland
We're all wired up today!
"No one had a computer in their house in 1972."- tcharp01
Buckle up!
"Car seats for children."
"And most of the time we sat in the back seat with no seat belts available."- Rosemoorstreet
"Wearing seatbelts."
"There were no sensors- seatbelt were just shoved out of the way."
"Carding for cigarettes."
"Machines were everywhere for anyone to use."- factchecker8515
buckle up crash test dummies GIF by ADWEEKGiphyIn the old days, we had one chance!
"Watching an entire TV series at a time that's convenient for you."
"VCR's weren't even a thing 50 years ago, so if your favorite show was on Wednesday at 8PM, you were either at home to watch it or you missed out on it forever."- DeathSpiral321
Music on demand!
"Listening to the song you want to where you want to, rather than whatever is playing wherever you are."- jfincher42
GiphyBeing beholden to a landline!
"I am amazed to think about how disconnected we were."
"I could wake up on a Saturday morning and start calling friends."
"It was possible that not a single one picked up the phone and that was that."
"I would be on my own unless I waited a few hours and tried again."
"Also, in my area, the adults in the house almost always answered the phone so you had to get through them to your friends."
“'Hello, is Johnny home?'”
"'Hi this is his mother, what do you want?'”
“'I was wooooondering if he could come out to play'.”
“'Well he’s doing homework right now but I’ll tell him you called'.”
"As a kid, our times were divided between when we were 100% under adult control, which was when we were physically in their presence, and when we were free which was all other time."- Mrmidhoratio
"Asking 'Where are you?' when someone answers their phone."- brontosproximo
Shocked Phone Call GIFGiphyNo wonder they were all so tan...
"Regularly wearing sunscreen."- dixius99
It's amazing to see how much the world has changed in such a relatively short amount of time.
Leaving us to wonder what things will be "normal" 50 years from now, which today the very thought of would make us burst out laughing.