Recently, Reddit user RetR0-Danger posed the question, "What is something that is widely normalized but is actually really fucked up?" to the folks over at askreddit. And let's just say the responses were painful, sad, and relatable. Check it out:
1."Poor care of 'beginner' pets like goldfish, hamsters, leopard geckos, etc."
2."Getting puppies for Christmas just to rehome them a couple of months later (i.e. dump them at shelters)."
3."Zero tolerance in schools. Protects the bully and harms the innocent."
4."Parents posting their children’s entire lives on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and treating them as accessories instead of people. Imagine the horror stories we’ll probably hear from these 'kidfluencers' in 10–20 years' time."
5."Having to pay for vision and dental insurance in addition to health insurance. Last time I checked, your eyeballs and teeth were part of your body and should be considered under medical insurance."
6."Zero expectations of privacy. We're all expected to behave like we could be recorded at any time, and we wonder why everyone has anxiety now."
7."South Africa specific answer — having your electricity switched off for several hours a day. This can range from two to eight hours a day. We just organize our lives around it like it isn't a thing 'cause we've been doing it for 16 years now."
8."Side hustles to get by; fuck, if you're working full-time, you should be able to get by."
9."Working 40+ hours a week to make enough money to still be in poverty."
10."Working yourself to death."
11."Phone use while behind the wheel. Every trip out is a death roulette game. I see someone nearly drift into my lane all the time."
12."Expecting people to be contactable 24/7 and acting like someone is rude if they don’t respond relatively promptly. Back when the main form of contact was calls, it was deemed relatively normal for people to not answer as they were busy or not home, therefore it was so much easier to switch off and enjoy other things. Now, it’s expected that people are connected to everyone all the time, and if you try to disconnect from that a bit, it can almost get you socially ostracized. You can relate it to workplaces as well and the rise of employers basically expecting workers to be contactable 24/7."
13."The amount of sugar we consume and give our kids."
14."Filming strangers without their knowledge or consent and posting it online for millions to see."
15."Trying to guilt the consumer into thinking that they are the ones who can really make a difference with recycling, when 98% of all waste is industrial, retail, and restaurant, and none of them are big on recycling if they do it at all."
16."The amount of plastic we use. It's absolutely insane."
17."Driving drunk/high among teens. People my age (18) often mention it in passing like it’s no big deal, and then I’m treated like a wet blanket for making a thing out of it. No, Kevin, you don’t 'drive better high,' you’re just selfish."
18."Corporate crimes having almost no consequences."
19."Delivery drivers and waitresses having their wages determined by customers and not their employers. AKA living off of tips while employers don't pay enough."
20."Most gynecological procedures, as they often don’t allow anesthetics and can be downright barbaric. Women get screwed when it comes to healthcare."
21."Doctors dismissing severe period symptoms because it’s ‘normal.' If you are vomiting, cannot move from pain, and passing out from blood loss, they don’t really care and usually just give you a slightly better pain medicine like naproxen, which does fuck all, and then tell you to get over yourself. If you had these symptoms and did not have periods, you’d be admitted into the hospital on the spot."
22."This is coming from my (a woman’s) point of view, but being expected to spend hundreds of dollars on someone else’s wedding. Between buying the dress, nails, makeup, hair, shoes, bridal shower gift, bachelorette party, wedding gift, time off of work, etc., it’s just a lot!! I understand you are celebrating someone you are close with, but today people can barely afford to pay their bills!!! So, a shoutout to the people who want all of these extravagant things for their weddings and are willing to cover all of the cost of said things!!"
23."Restaurants and grocery stores throwing away mass quantities of good, edible food and not being allowed to donate it."
24."The cost of medical coverage in the US. The insurance, copays, deductibles you have to meet — all of it. It’s so insane how much it costs to even have a baby in the US."
25."Forcing mothers to go back to work when their babies are, like, fresh from the womb. It’s barbaric and cruel."
26."Child beauty pageants."
27."Having toddlers scroll TikTok so they shut up. Hell, every human under 12 shouldn't be anywhere near."
28."Viral cringe/freakout videos, especially of minors. I was a super weird kid, and thank god I grew up before social media and smartphones were a thing. I don't know how I'd ever get over my 'spazziest' moments being seen and ridiculed by millions of people."
29."Predatory gaming companies making billions off of micro transactions."
