In every society, there are some things that just make you scratch your head in disbelief even though they're considered "normal" to do.
And, apparently, other people (not just Americans) feel the same way. So when Reddit user u/MEMELORD_JESUSasked the r/AskReddit community, "What’s the weirdest thing society accepts as normal?" a lot of people had opinions on the matter.
The answers range from completely serious to absolutely hilarious, so we gathered some of the best points below.
1."That dead people need pillows in caskets."
2."Working until you're old, greying, and broken — and then using whatever time you have left for all the things you wish you could have done when you were younger."
4."People having kids and trying to vicariously live their lives through them (aka forcing the kids to do things that the parents never got to do, even when the kids show no inclination or have an active dislike for those things.)"
6."Tipping culture in the US. Everyone thinks that it's totally OK for employers not to pay the employees, and the customers are expected to pay extra to pay the employees wages. I don't understand it."
10."The lack of respect for retail staff. People get mad because they’re out of something, like it’s their fault. They tell them they don’t deserve to be paid better, but then bitch and moan when they stand around on their phones doing nothing."
12."As a non-American, I am amazed at their credit score system. As a third-world citizen, credit cards are usually for rich (and slightly less rich) people who have more disposable money than the rest of us and could pay off their debt. The way I see people talk about it is strange and somewhat scary. Everyone should have a card of their own as soon as they become an adult. You should always buy things with it and pay it back to actively build your score. You're basically doomed if you don't have a good score, and living your life peacefully without a card is not an option. Lastly, you'll be seen as an idiot if you know nothing about it."
13."To discourage men from showing any emotions in public because it will make them look weak."
14."I always thought ties are weird. It’s an elongated pentagon shaped cloth we wear in front of our chest when we want to look fancy. Don’t get me wrong, I have like 20 ties, but one day, I had a shower thought about how stupid they are."
16."Alcohol is so normalized but drugs are not. It's so weird. I say this as an alcohol-loving Belgian. Beer is half of our culture, and I'm proud of it, too, but like... that's weird, man."
20."Sexualization of children, especially girls, in general. Dressing like a nun when company came over. Being catcalled by 6th grade. My brothers and dad walked around shirtless with boxers well past puberty. But I had to go put sweatpants over my shorts as a little kid because an uncle was coming over and had to be fully dressed by the time I left my bedroom. Boys wear sideless shirts, but girls get dress coded for too-thin straps."
25."'Feel-good' news stories about how a kid makes a lemonade stand or something to pay for her mom's cancer treatment because no one can afford healthcare in America."
29."Women shaving. I get shaving your legs to wear tights is kind of necessary. And I get trimming body hair to make it look nicer, which isn't any different than having a haircut really. But people think it's abnormal if women don't have shaved legs and underarms and genitals. I just don't understand why making yourself look prepubescent is the default."
33."College. We can’t trust kids to buy beer but we expect them to understand every facet of the outrageous debt they’re taking on? Traditional college kids are exactly that, kids."
