It’s only natural that habits and behaviors change over the centuries. But sometimes parents or grandparents used to do things which their children may think is weird or incomprehensible today.
Here are 18 modern taboos that were completely normal back in the day.
Unannounced visits
Since we are overreliant on our phones and they’re our primary form of communication in many ways, unannounced visits have become taboo. For someone to turn up to our house was a normal event back in the day. Often, it was your friend or a relative catching up with you and your family. Now, unannounced visits are deemed surprising and even invasive for people today.
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking used to also be acceptable, for both the driver and the hitchhiker. It made complete sense to hitchhike if you had a long road ahead, and the driver wouldn’t be moving out of their way to help you get to your destination. But now, with an intense fear of strangers, hitchhiking is seen as foolish and dangerous.
Dark and edgy humor
Making fun of anyone or anything can come at a great cost these days, especially in the workplace. However, boomers are used to making jokes about many different subjects, whether it was about class, a demographic, a historical event, and so on. Now, their jokes will be met with surprise and disgust by many people in modern today.
Respect for teachers
Teachers used to have much more respect in the classroom. This is because of their old-school, no-nonsense approach to teaching. There was also a greater level of respect or fear of elders in older society.
Corporal punishment
One reason that teachers and parents have lost a great deal of respect from younger people is how society views corporal punishment. Whether it was a spank or a slap on the wrist, corporal punishment was a way to keep children and younger people from misbehaving. Now that society frowns upon corporal punishment, the level of respect has diminished for teachers, parents, and other figures of authority.
Vans and pickup trucks
Modern society is fascinated with the idea of stranger danger, and a white van or a rustic pickup truck is always viewed as a sign of danger. Whether it is the mystery of the van or the wild country look of the pickup truck, these vehicles are often met with suspicion in today’s society.
Pantsing
Silly friends in particular love to embarrass each other. Pantsing was a common way of humiliating a friend in front of others. But while it was more common back in the day, it could be misinterpreted as an act of sexual assault in today’s society.
Workplace flirting
Workplace flirting was far more common for boomers. While many saw flirting as a harmless act back in the day, it would be considered as emotional cheating today.
Going Helmetless
Whether it was on a small bicycle or an outrageously noisy motorcycle, you very rarely saw helmets being worn back in the day. Now, a child not wearing a helmet on a bicycle would be seen as reckless parenting, and driving a motorbike without a helmet would be greeted with a police stop and a fine.
Sending Kids to the Store
When a parent was busy with a task or just lazy, they often sent their kids to the store. Whether it was to pick up some snacks, drinks, or even cigarettes, it was a common way to get chores done while your child had outdoor time. But doing this today would be seen as reckless and bad parenting.
Drinking Lots of Alcohol
While drinking alcohol is still very common in our society, it is becoming less so especially among young adults. This is especially the case for getting blackout drunk. The rate of young people who drink alcohol has been consistently declining. With new access to health data and a great focus on self-image and fitness, being sober is now considered cool and a feat of great discipline among many groups in society.
Smoking Indoors
Not only was smoking more common back in the day, but people smoked anywhere and everywhere. Whether it was in restaurants, shops, or elsewhere, smoking cigarettes indoors was common and had virtually zero consequences. Doing so today would be met with fines as well as social disgust.
Drinking and Driving
Driving drunk has been and always will be reckless. But having one drink and being under the limit used to be socially acceptable. Today, even having one drink and driving home is met with concern and questions, regardless of whether they’re under the legal limit.
Driving Without a Seatbelt
Parents and even their children used to go without seatbelts. This wasn’t seen as a problem, but today it would be a huge issue. The fine for not wearing a seatbelt in the US can be as much as $200.
Bring Snacks to the Theatre
If you try to be thrifty by bypassing the expensive selection of cinema snacks, not only are you breaking the rules but people will view you as stingy. While saving money and being frugal was always a sign of being mindful of your money, today, people would judge you for being cheap.
Speaking to Strangers in Public
Stranger danger has heightened our sense of awareness and fear of other people. But in a society where mobile phones were not invented, you had no choice but to speak to people in person. Striking conversation with people at the store, in restaurants, or anywhere else was a great way to make friends and stimulate your social side in the age before phones. Today, someone speaking to you may strike concern as you question if there’s an ulterior motive.
Housewives
A natural effect of a developing economy and gender equality is women having better jobs and higher salaries. Housewives were common in older societies, and their role was to look after children and provide food for the working husband. While mothers still stay at home during their maternal leave, the word and role of housewife may be interpreted as derogatory and regressive.
Ignoring Fitness
Going to the gym and working out is more mainstream than ever. But back in the day, you were in the minority if you were a consistent gym goer. Today, people take part in many fitness activities such as running, martial arts, weightlifting, gymnastics, and much more. If you’re one of the few people who don’t exercise, you’re in the minority today.
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