21 Normal Practices In 2024 That Were The Epitome Of "Rude" Back When, Whether Or Not You Even Stopped To Think About It

As technology and the rest of the world evolve, societal rules follow. Recently, redditor u/ChillwithRon asked the older adults of the Reddit community what common practices people do nowadays that wouldn't fly in the past because they were considered rude. Here are some of the now-normalized things people do that you might not have thought twice about:

1. "Wearing hats indoors. Not going to lie, it still bugs me."

2. "Back then, it was very rare to question the authority of teachers. I often read stories from teachers and am kind of shocked by how students treat their teachers these days. Also, back then, parents rarely intervened if their kid was disciplined or received a low grade. According to teachers, parents get livid when their darling, special angel is reprimanded in any way."

— u/saopaulodreaming

3. "Wearing pajamas out of the house."

4. "I raised my kids not to use, wear, eat, or spend their gifts before writing a thank you note. It seems acceptable nowadays to thank people in person or with a shared post/photo/text. I've accepted that. I have relatives who don't even acknowledge that they'd received the gift, let alone appreciate it. That is not cool."

— u/holdonwhileipoop

5. "People who bring their pets everywhere and anywhere. Sometimes, they'll stick one of those service dog vests on them, but it is often very obvious that they are pets and not service dogs ."

6. "Calling grownups by their first names."

— u/AwwAnl-4355

7. "It was rude not to hug and kiss all your family members, even ones you didn't know. Now, it's acceptable not to force kids to hug and kiss family members, and I'm so glad for that."

8. "The word 'fuck' used to be the taboo of taboos and was reserved for only the most expletive-worthy occasion. It's everywhere now."

— u/thenletskeepdancing

9. "People pulling into a driveway and blowing their horn, expecting you to come out to them. That was NOT the way I was brought up. If you went to someone's house, you'd get out of the car, go to the front door, ring the doorbell or knock, and politely wait."

10. "Cursing — and cursing around children."

— u/PickleNutsauce

11. "Being loud in a waiting room. When I was a kid, you sat there quietly and read Highlights or something. Adults literally whispered when they spoke. Now, people put their phones on speaker on full volume and talk loudly, as if they're at a party or something."

12. "Not greeting your friend's parents when you go to their house."

— u/abbys_alibi

13. "Talking at the library. When I was younger, libraries were well-established as places for peace and quiet. Now, people talk regularly and even listen to music on their phones without headphones."

14. "This doesn't seem to just be an online thing, but when I was a kid, it was considered rude to try and psychoanalyze strangers. People feel ridiculously comfortable doing that now."

— u/Current_Poster

15. "Not dressing appropriately for airplanes. I understand wanting to be comfortable, but some of the shit people wear...it's a plane, not your bedroom."

16. "The 'not responding' thing has gotten bad. It's so disrespectful and treated as okay behavior now. Like, my friend didn't respond to me for four months and acted like it was all good after. No, you can't ghost me or give me the silent treatment for months and expect me to be friends with you still."

— u/tyrannosaurusrizz

17. "There was a time when people wouldn't even think of asking someone if their hair color, nails, or boobs were real. In recent years, I've heard people ask complete strangers if they'd had surgery done, and I just cannot accept that as a normal social interaction."

18. "Using the word 'pee' was just something juveniles did in the locker room; you'd never hear grownups use that word. Yeah, I may be old, but the word makes me bristle. Why not just say, 'I need to use the bathroom?'"

— u/Basic_Incident4621

19. "Not giving up your seat on a bus for an older person or person with a disability. People would've chastised somebody who didn't do that 40 years ago."

20. "Offering one's opinion without being asked for it. When I was younger, people kept their opinions to themselves and didn't say anything unless someone else asked, 'What do you think?' Now, people feel entitled to spout their opinions on unasked subjects. And God help you if you disagree."

— u/RustBucket59

21. Lastly: "In the analog days, there was no expectation that everyone would be right by their phone 24/7 and willing to pick it up at any time. Now, it's considered rude to not immediately respond to calls, texts, direct messages, etc. It doesn't matter if you're in the bathroom, mowing the lawn, having sex, cleaning up pet puke, attending the ballet, or at a nice dinner. Sorry, but if you couldn't reach me in the analog days, you won't be able to reach me now unless I expect your call. Anyone who thinks that's rude isn't someone I want dealings with."

I honestly can't stand when someone is on speakerphone in a public setting. Like, why do you need to have that conversation in the middle of a coffee shop so loudly?! If you're an older adult, what are some societal rules that are now accepted that would've been looked down on in the past? Let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using this form!