Top Stories

People Share Which Traditions We Should Let Die Out

We are totally at a crossroads of being.

Boomers and Millennials are fighting to be heard on all stages of life. The old must go out and the new must come in. The struggle for power and to be heard is astronomical.

Some things we are trying to be heard on? Which traditions need to become things of the past, of course.


u/stupidrobots asked:

What really needs to go away but still exists only because of "tradition"?

Here were some of the answers.

Doctor Butcher Baker Spy

Giphy

Not sure if this happens elsewhere but in the UK, you lose your title as a Doctor when you become a surgeon because historically surgeons were butchers and barbers rather than qualified health professionals.

I know you shouldn't be a doctor if your only goal is to achieve that title but after all those years in medical school and surgical training (which is really long too), losing your title as a doctor for no reason other than history is pretty dumb.

Omarmanutd

The Capitalism Of Death

The traditional funeral with embalming the corpse and viewing it.

And the zillion dollar industry built around embalming / viewing corpses.

my_future_wife

I told my wife to have me incinerated and crushed into a diamond which would be fitted to the hilt of a sword, so I can possess the person holding it.

SZMatheson

Repulsive

Bride kidnapping. In Kyrgyzstan, there's a plethora of forced marriages that women don't consent to. If a man wants a woman, he can get a group of his buddies to kidnap her and she's basically forced to marry him. Brutal.

serbiascoper420

For The Animals

Shark fin soup. Where they cut off the fins of thousands of sharks a year only to discard the shark back into the water to bleed out. The soup is a tradition in parts of Asia.

kydwykkydd

Why Make Us Do Math

Maybe not "tradition", but not including tax in prices and needing to tip. I was in Australia recently and the price they say is the price you pay. The price seems higher but if you remember that it includes taxes and tip it's actually about the same.

judgingyouquietly

Ewwwwwwww

Before we got married, my wife's mother continued to demand that she wear an apron in the ceremony over her wedding dress. This was to signify her new role as a housewife, and to allow a place for men to put money in exchange for dances. Both of these reasons made both my wife and I feel skeevy. MIL claimed it was a tradition from Poland (whether this is true or not I'm not actually sure) and that it was demanded of us during the wedding. So we just eloped at the courthouse and avoided the drama.

SolPope

Vulnerability As Strength

The stigma against expressing your feelings (especially if they're negative, and ESPECIALLY if you're a guy) and the idea that seeking help for mental or emotional problems is weakness. This might not be as prominent as it once was, since people have become more aware and accepting of mental health issues, but I have to wonder how much less suffering there would be if people didn't feel like they had to bottle up their feelings all the time and "tough it out".

SquidleyStudios

The Ice Is Thicker Now

That thing at the beginning of the semester where you go around and say something about yourself. It never bothered me too much, but it was clear that half the class was having a panic attack. And, absolutely no one learned anything or "broke any ice."

Literally no point outside making a bunch of people uncomfortable.

LovableContrarian

Things That Have No Worth

Most of the diamond industry. Especially on engagement and wedding rings. We can produce diamonds in a lab that are indistinguishable from ones that formed underground.

JesusIsMyZoloft

Bye Bye Toxic Family!

Giphy

That family is so important that if they treat you like sh!t you can't cut them out of your life (Since everyone seems to be focused on a quote where literally no one knows the origin instead of the actual belief that needs to 'go away').
The belief that 'blood is thicker than water.' No. If your family is toxic, boot them out of your life.

Vrgom20

People Explain What They Bought With Their First-Ever Paycheck

Reddit user MisterChiTown92 asked: 'What did you buy with your first ever work paycheck?'

Person fanning out wad of $100 bills
Alexander Mils/Unsplash

Working a first job is an important part of growing up.

Whether it's working a paper route (do kids even do this anymore?) or working at a video rental store (do those even exist anymore?) first-ever part-time jobs establish important life values and lessons to the youth.

Also, there's nothing that validates accomplishment at a young age more than being able to buy something with their hard-earned money.

Curious to hear examples of this, Redditor MisterChiTown92 asked:

"What did you buy with your first ever work paycheck?"

These generous Redditors found value in paying it forward.

Dinner's On Me

"It was 1976, I was making a whopping $2.50/hour at age 16 (20 cents higher than minimum wage, and it was an office job so I wasn't on my feet all day)....my family didn't have a lot of money (which is why I started working while in the 11th grade), so with my first paycheck I took my Mom and brothers out to dinner at Big Boy. I remember being all proud to say 'Get whatever you want, even the combo meal and a milkshake, it's on me."'

– Ouisch

Dinner Miscalculation

"I took my mom out to a fancy French restaurant. I had no idea how much it was going to cost, then plus tip, I didn’t even have enough! So she had to help me pay the rest. My mom still joke about that from time to time when we go out with the family."

"That was almost 25 yrs ago, damn time flew by."

– jonwtc

Gift For Mom

"I bought my mother a beautiful shawl. I never saw her wear it but it was in with her things when she died nearly 50 years later."

– WakingOwl1

These Redditors got to reward themselves with the things they enjoy most.

Creating Memories

"About twenty bucks of my first paper route earnings, for the pizza buffet and soft drinks, and some arcade games, with my best friend."

"While the shape I've been in has varied over the years, I've kept that stamina I built up hauling around damn near my weight in newsprint. For long endurance rides, hikes with a loaded-up pack, and running."

– ArmsForPeace84

Brand New Kicks

"I was 14 and got a job as a bus boy at a local BBQ joint. With my first check, I went and bought myself a pair of blue/brown Airwalk shoes. I remember how cool it felt to be able to buy something for myself and not have to ask my parents."

– johnnybmagic

Scoring Big Time

"A Playstation 2. Excellent buy, kept it for a over decade before buying an Xbox One."

– Birdo-the-Besto

"It was an Xbox 360 for me. Loved that console."

– HabeLinkin

"Still have a modded PS2. Had a hard drive with games on it too. It still turns on last I checked, I wonder if the hard drive still works..."

–DubaU

A Timeless Treasure

"My family owned a construction business, and my father had me on site for as long as I could remember. I don't remember the first thing I ever bought with what he paid me, but I remember the first thing I set out to buy and had to work for weeks to get the money for. It was a Lego castle set. $49. I'm almost 50 now, and I still have it."

– Spodson

Naughty Pleasures

"lol I bought a candy g-string so I could eat it off of my girlfriend while she was wearing it, and a black cowboy hat with spikes on it from Hot Topic hahaha"

dirtydickmf

Some recalled having to prioritize taking care of business over indulgences.

The Necessities

"gasoline and insurance to continue to be able to go to work."

– TurpitudeSnuggery

"I remember getting my first paycheck being so proud of it and my stepfather goes wow you don't have enough for gas. How are you getting to work for the next two weeks? Made me realize I needed to work more."

"I should also put in here that this was my first on the books paycheck. Made it feel a little different."

– truelydorky

Saving Up For Wheels

"Used to mow lawns and do odd jobs for cash when I was a kid. When I got my first 'real' paycheck that I had to cash at a bank, I saved every penny for several months until I bought my first car at age 16."

"Had zero expenses back then, which made it easy to save money. Fun memory."

– YupHio

Building A Wardrobe

"Clothes."

"I had to start working at the age of 12 because my parents could no longer afford to buy clothes for me."

– Opposite-Purpose365

I worked at a video game store in the mall when I was 15.

I was miserable being stuck behind a counter in a tiny corner store with hardly any adequate air circulation. Working with a personality-clashing co-worker didn't help things either.

But when I got my first paycheck, I remember thinking it was a major milestone and reward for enduring the unpleasant work conditions.

I used my first-ever earnings on a denim jacket from the Gap at the mall where I worked. I wore that stone-washed jacket with pride at school for years.

What was your most prized purchase from your first paycheck?

man and woman at wedding with balloons
Álvaro CvG on Unsplash

Weddings are built up to be magical events heralding a happily ever after for the newly minted spouses.

But like any major life event, a lot can go wrong.

Weather, illness, natural disasters, relationship drama, family squabbles... you name it and someone, somewhere has seen it at a wedding.

Keep reading...Show less
assorted items at antique shop
Christelle BOURGEOIS on Unsplash

Growing up we used a can opener, toaster and hand mixer that my Mother received as wedding gifts. She was married in 1966 and those small appliances were still working well into the 1990s.

When Mum sold her house and downsized, she decided to get new small appliances that matched. The old but still functioning ones were avocado green, stainless and harvest gold.

Since then I've gone through countless electric can openers, toasters and hand mixers and none worked as well or as long as those ones from the 1960s.

The ones with moving parts don't have the same power as the old ones and the toasters all lose heating coils in just a few years.

My complaints about small appliances are mirrored by many.

Keep reading...Show less
well-dressed woman holding shopping bags
freestocks on Unsplash

Money is tight for many people.

But sometimes paying more is better than pinching pennies.

Keep reading...Show less