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Be it in our early youth when we believed that we could run for president or just recently after viewing a touching vid on our social media feed – at some point, everyone has thought about how they'd love to change this big world for the better.

We all know this feeling, all high on motivation and ready to tackle any mountain – however, realistically speaking, you won't be able to “change” anything until others share a similar mentality. 

That said, for it to work, people need to break those generational patterns that do us no good and inspire those who come after us to do things that’ll benefit our society. 

What’s something that needs to stop being passed down the generations?” – this netizen took to one of Reddit’s most thought-provoking communities to ponder about the thing that society should avoid passing down to other generations. The post has managed to receive 25.5K upvotes and 15.7K comments, as well as an array of intriguing and sometimes wacky answers.

More info: Reddit

#1

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Religion, I don't think religion should be forced upon your children, it should be a choice when they grow up.

felixrocket7835 , Ihar Report

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

Exactly what I've done with my kids. I was raised Catholic and had enough of THAT. My children are the first in my entire family tree not to be baptized.

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#2

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Racism

wreckinballbob , Life Matters Report

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

There is one race, the human race. There is very little difference between us all, why hate on one small difference?

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#3

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The notion that "BOYS will be BOYS" and "Lil girls are Princesses."

SilentRunning , Devon Rockola Report

#4

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The "I suffered through it, so you can suffer too" mentality.

thegreatgatsB70 , Matthias Zomer Report

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

If your suffering was that bad you should be doing your best to stop that from ever happening again.

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#5

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The whole 'blood is thicker than water" idea. If people in your family suck, remove them from your lives. Just because you are related doesn't mean you have to put up with them. (This usually only applies for extended family mostly, but can still apply to immediate-family)

AUSpartan37 , Maria Lindsey Content Creator Report

#6

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Making kids hug/kiss/snuggle relatives even if they don’t want to because “grandpa/grandma will have their feelings hurt if you don’t”. Shows kids that their own bodily autonomy is worth less than someone else’s feelings. Also gives them a messed up view of what consent is

_shes_a_jar , Virginia State Parks Report

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And immediately put the kibosh on any relative who decides to force the issue and just grab them for a hug anyway. No f*****g way. We don’t do that s**t anymore. The word No means exactly what it says in the dictionary—-a negative response, answer, or decision—-in other words, a goddamned NO!, and not a yes in disguise. So respect their decision and back the f**k off. If the kid wants to hug you, they’ll let you know by asking you first.

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#7

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The whole narrative that because someone is older they deserve blind respect and obedience

jazzraccoon , JoshBerglund19 Report

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TheAquarius1978
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bullllll waste. I respect the ones that respect me, i don't care your age, your Race, your gender, your religion, your sexual pregerences i don't give a flying f**k about any of those things, you respect me, i respect you

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#8

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group This damn cookie jar, I told my gram it creeps me out.

Barbarossabros , slgckgc Report

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#9

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group ‘i was beat and i turned out fine’

no you clearly didn’t, because you’ve grown up thinking hitting little children is an acceptable form of discipline

V1V1IDREAM , Leah Kelley Report

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

The idea that it's acceptable to physically harm the smallest and most vulnerable (both physically and mentally) when you think about it, is a bit out there and we need to evolve past that

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#10

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The idea that a two party system works, and that politicians actually care about you.

GreasyJeff , realdonaldtrump Report

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

As a child I had the brilliant thought that the least experienced, the least knowledgeable person should be made leader, I thought this was a hilarious idea. I have learnt better, see the picture above and realise why this is a bad idea.

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#11

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The idea that one generation is better/had it better than another. Every generation is vastly different and there will always be struggles.

fart_fig_newton , RODNAE Productions Report

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Blanket statements never paint an accurate picture. Every generation has its good and its s**t, whether people, issues, trends, or zeitgeist. It’s just that we tend to put the c**p out of our minds and prefer to remember only the good. You know, rose-colored glasses and all that. We really shouldn’t do that, because the good old days really weren’t good for everyone—-in fact, they were only good for a tiny and very specific group of people. The rest of us got the s**t instead. If we put that kind of context on the past, and remembered it as it actually was, warts and all, instead of as some kind of enchanted—-and superior—-time, we wouldn’t have such animosity between generations.

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#12

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group **Expectations.**

We all have our own goals, desires and dreams.

We shouldn't be expected to:

- Carry a family business
- Marry a certain kind of person
- Attend a particular college
- Earn a specific amount of money
- Live in a certain neighbourhood

Don't let the opinions of older generations - family or not - dictate your life.

YLRESS , The Lazy Artist Gallery Report

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TheAquarius1978
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ahhhh, this is when being the black sheep of the family comes in handy lol, my sister has a PHD, her husband is getting a Masters degree, my brother hás a Masters degree, my sister in law is a doctor, i'm a highschool drop out só my dear family ecpects nothing of me.

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#13

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Yelling and slamming doors , cursing at your children and getting angry at them when you're teaching them things.

indica_crash , Budgeron Bach Report

#14

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The ‘bottle up your emotions manliness’

gareths_neighbour , Inzmam Khan Report

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

The more you bottle up the greater and more destructive the inevitable explosion and break down will be.

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#15

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The “Stay in school, go university, Get a good job, get married & buy a house” mentality is very old school & it’s not easy as people think

unknowninvestorr , GT#2...Off permanently Report

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

Also the notion that you can't be successful without a degree. I've done really well for myself without one by learning a trade, and my husband doesn't even use his degree for his career.

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#16

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The practice of circumcisions...

AndrewE21 , DebMomOf3 Report

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

Never understood parents who want to mutilate their kids genitals for aesthetic reasons. It seems to be very popular in the US but in most other countries it's rare unless it's for medical reasons (or religious)

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#17

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Political affiliation. Think for yourself. Choose for yourself. Not because your parents, grandparents, etc. "have always voted for the ______ party."

Does that party, as they stand today, really represent your values? Will that politician who associates with that party actually vote the way you want them to?

In my area, there are several local politicians who run under the umbrella for a particular party because the vast majority of locals will ALWAYS vote for that party, so the election is effectively set by the primary.

patentmom , Steve Rainwater Report

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#18

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group The idea that what you like to do isn't worth anything

theperksof-being , Cristian Ungureanu Report

#19

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Mental Illness

sparklingshanaya , Alex Green Report

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

This is why I never had children. I have bipolar 1 disorder, just like my mom, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, my great-great grandmother... and at least 2 generations before that. Enough is enough.

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#20

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group At least in my family, the fancy wine glasses. No one ever uses them, everyone keeps them hidden in cupboards because they're too nice to use. They're not even sentimental, someone just picked them up one day and handed them around the family.

DeliciousKoala8290 , Pixabay Report

#21

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Boys having to make the first move.

Iulian_333 , Artem Beliaikin Report

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

I got read the riot act by my mom the times I called a boy on the phone. "Girls don't do those things, let him come to you". Yeah, well, if I waited for a guy to get up the nerve to ask me out it would never happen.

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#22

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Being forced to spend time with distant relatives. It's ok not to be around those that live polar opposite lifestyles than you. I have relatives that will never know where I live and for good reason, yet family is always "you need to keep in touch...." The heck I do!

Exciting_Ad4858 , Ryutaro Tsukata Report

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

(ONCE AGAIN: if you have a GOOD and DECENT family, this is not for you) This Family Narrative that you HAVE to be around these Distant Relatives. No, you do not. You have Free Will of who you want in your life. No one has a right to make you do anything.

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#23

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Debt

WonderWeeble , Keith Cooper Report

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

Screw debt. It is an ever increasing hole that banks help to make worse for those least able to escape.

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#24

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Making your child as your retirement fund.

Substantial_Top_27 , Barry Walker Report

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

A woman my wife worked with said, "who is going to take care of you when you get old?" That was her response to my wife saying she didn't want children. I guess that was only slightly better than, "don't you just want to try one?" Children don't owe parents anything. You did not choose to be born. Children are not free labor, servants, child care, or nursing home.

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#26

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Names. Especially since credit reporting (US) is such a gamble. My husband, father, grandfather…all have mismatched credit information. I didn’t want my son to inherit his dads bad credit reports (better now, but still). I knew this from experience because my mom and I shared a first and last name and had the same address,etc.

Long story short, my husband’s family’s older generations ostracized my son and hated me for a long time.

I apologize for nothing. It was the right decision, and my son has their last name and not mine, and not even a hyphenated last name. Theirs. That’s more than enough respect to their legacy. My husband and I didn’t take the decision lightly, and I’m the only one catching hate for it anyway. Still no regrets.

ChelleDotCom , Heiner Report

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Rose the Cook
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Try tracing your family tree when everyone had a dozen or more kids and each family named one, sometimes two or more if they died young, after gt,gt, gt, gt grandpa!

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#27

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Dangerous advice for pregnancies, babies, and young children.

Most common examples I have seen:
- castor oil for inducing labor
- blankets for sleeping babies (not swaddled)
- rice cereal in bottles (unless doctor advised)
- making your own formula

Survivor's bias is big on why this c**p still gets passed around despite plenty of research proving they aren't safe. A lot of women don't even bother doing any research or taking free classes their healthcare offers that goes over a lot of this!

magicrowantree , Tony Alter Report

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

And enough with the Old Wives Tales about pregnancy. I had severe heartburn and people kept saying the baby would be born with a full head of hair. Bald as an egg. Or that I was carrying low...having a boy. Carried 1 high, 1 low...both girls.

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#28

28 Things That People Should Keep Within Their Own Generation And Not Pass Down, As Shared In This Online Group Baldness. Thanks gramps!

Edit: Glad to hear bald is sexy. Actually been buzzing mine since my early 20s and love it.

StevenTheFancyVance , Joel Kramer Report

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Listen, the first man I ever fell head over heels in love with was balding, a bit older than I was, and had the classic dad bod. But he was kind, gentle, intelligent, witty, and an all around class act—-AND he never felt the need to broadcast any of it for any kind of recognition (he didn’t have to). I was only 22, but to me he was the sexiest man alive, and I was crazy about him. He got a job thousands of miles away, I had my own life and career going, and we lost touch. But to this day, he is the model of a truly wonderful man I compared other men I considered dating to. If they didn’t measure up (and really, it ain’t that damned difficult to be a really good guy, but some never even try), I would break things off. The man I did eventually marry is also balding and has a dad bod, and is another wonderful man like my first love. I wouldn’t have married him if he wasn’t. So don’t obsess about thinning hair and concentrate on your intrinsic qualities instead. They are what will make you attractive, not your hairline.

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