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Most men can be fathers, but it takes special effort to be called a dad. And a rad dad? Well, that's just a next-level accomplishment in the dad community.

Instagram page Rad Dad posts memes about stereotypical upper-middle-class American dads, e.g. Middle-aged dad who refreshes himself with a can of cold beer after mowing the lawn in his New Balance sneakers. The fact that they are described as rad and not cool or lit adds to the homage for today's middle-aged dads, as it is '80s slang, the decade when many of them were youngsters. Bored Panda selected the pinnacle Rad Dad TM memes from the page for you to chuckle at.

More info: Instagram | middleclassfancy

The page has merchandise: their designs of t-shirts, marble grey sweaters, and caps masterfully capture the style of rad dads and since they are illustrated with stuff like grills and embroidered New Balance sneakers, the whole apparel becomes super meta. Middle Class Fancy, the company that sells the merch, has its own meme page we recently wrote about. Middle Class Fancy and Rad Dad content sometimes overlap, as many of these dads do cookouts in their back yards, suggesting they are middle class.

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Ryan Deschanel
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It totally sounds like the plot of a bad movie that could exist.

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Older dads of today might have noticed that not only is their youth slang back in right now, but fashion too. It seems that gen Z and alpha kids have found and brought back their dads' clothes from the eighties and nineties in secondhand stores, got bowl or mullet hairstyles, and started vlogging. Or flooded the streets, creating flashbacks into their youth for these rad dads. Just try to imagine a 55-year-old today teaching their son how to keep their mullet pristine or what bomber jacket goes with which basketball shoes.

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Interestingly, the style of rad dads is not tied to a specific decade or generation so strictly. It appears that many dads just develop the same sense of casualwear style as they turn middle aged and these trends haven't changed much for over two decades now, much like middle-aged women cutting their hair short.

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Vicky Z
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In a parallel universe a seal dad is wishing happy birthday to his kid too (right)

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Scagsy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what a Legend looks like. (Yes, with a capital 'L' - he's that good).

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With anything English slang, the authoritative source of explanation is user contribution-driven Urban Dictionary. Here is the top explanation of a "Rad dad": "1. any dad who spends quality time with his kid as much as possible. 2. dads who surf, skate, snowboard or any extreme activity and teach their kids. 3. dads with long hair, mohawks or body piercings and dont give a shite what anybody else thinks."

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Requiem
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Im a people watcher and have done loss prevention and can see two people at different ends of a store and know whos together and who isnt.

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What makes dads rad for you? Do these stereotypes apply to dads in your culture? What elements of dad culture have you adopted? Is it starting to take double chin selfies with a great view of salt and pepper nose hair? Growing a beer belly over the quarantine's baby boom? Share in the comments below, let's make it a safe space for rad dads.

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Manndy Fisher
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Buhahaha, the literal translation from other languages is always brilliant!

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Scagsy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When they close the bar back up they are literally causing a fence.

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iblowsheep
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yeah but by that age it;s more likely they have done something to deserve the torture.

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Kevin Erdős–Bacon
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, don't argue about who's going home - revel in being on the same wavelength!

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Manndy Fisher
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You forgot left in random places glasses with vodka so kid would think it was a water

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California Jones
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Been there. 🙄 Then he told me I was being lazy, I just needed to focus, and eventually I was just useless. Wonder why I have a panic attack when I see equations, and failed algebra...?

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Monic Krugell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

and then phone their wives about everything that they actually needed in their bags for the day

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Jessica Rabbit
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This made me laugh really hard. My husband and I have always liked to BBQ, but once he turned 35 we got a smoker and have been into it since hahaha

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Manndy Fisher
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And now if you will be lucky to get house like this you won't be able to afford family or shoes..

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Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nah, Peggy had a number of sidelines, I'm sure. That's The Bundy Residence from Married With Children.

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J. Normal
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL - no he couldn't ( lived in that area at that time). His car was the only realistic part of it.

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An Co
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, no. TV is not real. By 1980, that could not happen. It could have happened anytime before 1972, but after that real estate got expensive. Almost every single living arrangement displayed on TV from 1980 on could NOT be afforded by the people that are supposed to live there. NYC apartments are just the best example of it.

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Jaguarundi
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just like this is a fantasy in real life, the TV show using this house was "Married: With Children".

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jk nbt
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this is because of the fed printing worthless fiat money. Every dollar bill they pay the mint to print dilutes the true value of the dollar in your wallet by 50%. It takes earning an MBA in finance from Wharton or Harvard for them to clue you in to this insider information or to figure it out for yourself...

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Laura Mende (Human)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am a simple person. I see Bundy residence, I like. (And got the melody stuck in my head, THANKS!) 😂😂😂

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Amy Sadler
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are no shoe shops in my town, they dont wear shoes in my town...

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yellowphantom
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe if you lived in some tiny town far from the coasts or deep in the south. If you lived in large metro areas like DC., even back then, you both had to work to afford most houses and still pay bills. It was the "greatest" and "silent" generations who got the one earner lifestyle. My father-in-law (WW II vet) had a $100 a month mortgage on a house he bought in the 60's that was worth $500,000 by the 90's. All the people my age living in his neighborhood were 2 earner couples paying $3000 mortgages who could barely afford to have one kid.

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Finola Cat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like trickle down economy actually turned incomes down into tiny trickles....

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Emma B
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Move to Memphis. We are shrinking so fast because of things like crime a house like that is renting for about $1000 a month in some neighborhoods. We actually just recently thought about buying a nice four-bedroom for $50,000. But, nah, we are moving out of Tennessee in the next year or two. Cheap prices can't make up for a population full of bigots, criminals, and hillbillies.

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Ann Turner-Drevalas
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

we bought our house in "86 & a shoe salesman couldn't afford a house like that back then.

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Todd Eldridge
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course they didn't do take out every night, they brought lunch to work, only had 1 car, watched free TV, and wore the same clothes for years. Choices.

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iblowsheep
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2 years ago

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No they couldn't. That was a TV show. it was made up.

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Monic Krugell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

lol - I could feel the uncomforted need for someone to wake up, but the want for them to stay asleep.....

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Scagsy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Almost true. You have to include cops and firemen. Maybe even a builder.

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iblowsheep
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

HOLY S**T. I do not want to know how much money that dude spent that day.

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