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“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers)
We currently have jobs that didn't exist 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. In fact, by one popular estimate, around 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in a career that's not even on our radar yet.
Interested in the changes of the labor market, Redditor u/jaysmith007 asked other platform users last week, "What profession was once highly respected, but is now a complete joke?"
And people gave plenty of examples. From flight attendants to nurses, continue scrolling to check out those that have received the most upvotes.
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Teaching. They get completely s**t on by the kids and the parents.
Absolutely. Sometimes parents meddle too much in their child's school life. It's ok to supervise what your child's been doing and whatnot, but for god's sake let the teachers handle how and what they teach in class. And I get it, there are some wacko teachers and they need a constant reminder of their job, but there are really good ones who have become so frustrated with all the nags! As if the school's pressure and the workload wasn't enough :(
Nursing. Long hours, hard work, front line workers for dealing with annoying ass and insane people, the definition of “I don’t get paid enough for this s**t!” Edit: thank you for the awards! My first ones :)
Farmers. Agriculture used to be something everyone had to do. Now people don't give a second thought about where there food comes from.
Journalist. It used to be a respected and necessary career, now, for more than one reason, it's lost almost all the respect it had.
Philosopher. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Now if someone tells you they are a philosopher you probably assume they don’t have a job and do a lot of drugs.
Police, you would have to be crazy to join the force right now.
And the crazy people are joining, which is why police are disrespected.
Priest for obvious reasons
They(the Catholic Church)did it to themselves by sweeping things under the rug and paying hush money for decades.
It's most evident and thankfully now talked about when it comes to the Catholic Church, but they're by far not the only ones.
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To be honest, priests used to enjoy a lot more respect than they deserved, and they still do. That's exactly what allowed them to hide the pedophilia for so long even though it wasn't that hidden to begin with. In most cases, a lot of people knew, but said nothing because that was a priest. They are human beings like other people, but are often treated with more respect and as if they were wiser than other people, just because they are priests.
Religious careers were never really trustworthy, messing with money and their own rules has been happening since the middle ages... Now that bubble defeniteky burst
Except that the church covered for the bad ones -- moved them to new locations where they could find new children to victimize. That makes them just as bad, if not worse. It would be different if all the offenders had been sent off to a 'special' monastery where they could never hurt anyone again, but no....
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Is priest considered a profession ? No jokes and no sarcasms ... just a genuine and pure question
No, professionals have regular supervision. These people don’t. Which is why they get to go off the rails so quickly and no one does anything.
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Priests, particularly Catholic ones have totally lost any moral authority they ever had to me. How they can possibly object the things like abortion after their own behaviour as individuals and as a church is totally beyond me.
I hate that this is on the list, but I get it. Any group where sexual predators would have an "in", they'll flock to. Priests, Pastors, Reverends, etc. Instead of kicking them out and holding them accountable for prosecution, they bury it. Same with schools, Boy/Girl Scouts, sports coaches, etc. Instead of weeding out the freaks, tossing them to the wolves for prosecution, they always say "No, no..." I don't get it. WEED. THEM. OUT. Toss them out, same with cops, firemen, etc. Get them out, weed your own fu*cking ranks.
An nuns, in my primary school they were the biggest bullies of young children. We were told they were the brides of Jesus, but is seemed being a bride but never having a honeymoon turned them mean.
A lot of people are going to say the Catholic Church, but well their right, we need to remember that this has happened in all religions. Those who are meant to be our shepherds have betrayed us.
Attended catholic school for 12 years - I have to say I was never very trusting of the priests or even teachers. It was like the more religious they were the worse they were to be around, the nastier they treated the kids. I wasn't in the slightest surprised when all the abuse allegations were in the news, I felt like it was something everyone knew about already. I've always disliked the religious part of school, never once believed any of it even in my youngest years, I always thought the idea was so far fetched and illogical and not one person has been able to convince me otherwise - I have two superpowers, resistance to religious ideas and addictions of any kind - maybe they're somehow related
Spending obscene amounts of money on pageantry and cathedrals then complaining that the parishioners don't tithe enough for support for the poor. I have no pity for them.
It's an archaic habit anyway. Who in their right mind still thinks that a god exists, or that the fables in "holy" books actually are true??
Religions are pyramid schemes. Also the Catholick crutch is a crime syndicate
To be clear. A Christian pastor is not the same as a Catholic father.
If you are going to sell snake oil for a living then you have to expect society to treat you with the contempt that you deserve. This goes way beyond the child abuse and clergy having affairs, it’s paying no taxes, it’s controlling minds with negative opinions, it’s stopping women from having control of their own bodies, it’s condemning others, it’s lack of compassion or not standing up against corrupt politicians, oh yeah, there’s that snake oil thing too, there’s no god.
Priest, and general clergymen, got a lot more respect, influence and authority for centuries in a straight row. The undeserved respect towards religion seems to start to disappear ... where we should at least leave out the mistake of not respecting people who believe, but the belief itself, is not owed any respect just for being a belief ... at best, a belief (a principle of ethics or so) that just relies on logic and information from this world, OTOH, does deserve respect ... but, making people disobey their rules, be them religious or secular, isn't ok in itself. It may be acceptable if it is to prevent suffering or death, though...
The whole priest pedo thing is only catholics. I know an orthodox guy. He's married and not a pedo, and they do not have that problem. He is well-respected. It depends I think on denomination. Personally, I think they're a bunch of liars making money off creduluous people, but they're quite quaint in the same way as the british royals. I mind them far less than charismatic preachers because at least real priests actually bother to get a theology degree, not just wake up one day and decide that the used car salesman gig isn't what it's cracked up to be, and that spouting b******t about jesus will be more profitable.
No, at least for the evangelic Lutherans in Germany I can sadly confidently say that they have similar issues and handled it just as poorly. Maybe not as widespread but it still exists and it's harmful for victims of these preachers to be ignored.
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I am an atheist, but I loathe atheists like you. So ignorant. So rude. So unread. You're embarrassing.
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My aunt crushed it as a travel agent in the '80s/'90s. The internet totally blindsided her
If you can get a really good one that does their research they are worth so much. Sadly most of them just book easy stuff so you might was well do it yourself.
Lawyer.
I’m one and I’ve already heard all the jokes, thanks.
In the 19th century it really was a position of prestige. In the mid-20th century it meant Atticus Finch.
Now it’s just the equivalent of ambulance chaser in the minds of most people. And it’s too bad, because when you actually need one, you see what they genuinely do.
News media, regardless of their "slant." We've gone from Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite to talking heads and sound bites. Kids today won't believe that back in the day somebody came on TV or the radio and told you the who, what, where, when, why and how- and you were expected to make your own mind about it. Yes, there were editorial/opinion sections, but they were separate from the news reporting. And "journalistic integrity" is filed away somewhere with buggy whips and vacuum tubes.
Tucker Carlson is the the embodiment of what wrong with the news
Human Resources.
I get it, the protect the company and not the employee, but over the last 20 years that scale has tipped so far that modern HR practices are barely legal and usually unethical.
Critic, for the most part. It used to be that to be taken seriously as a critic, you had to have some accomplishments in the field you were critiquing, to show that your opinion on the subject was worth some value. Somewhere along the way, the position devolved to "any as***le with an opinion is a critic". It has fallen even further in the internet age, with "critics" giving obviously stupid "hot takes" just so their name can be spread out among the media.
No professions seem to be respected these days. Respect went away roughly 10-15 years ago.
School principal. Teachers who fail in the classroom flee to administration because they're too heavily invested to quit and start a new career. Of those, the ones with high ambition, low self-awareness, and weak personal character tend to fail upwards by parroting trendy buzzwords and supporting failed pedagogy. You'll meet the odd unicorn, but most principals are incompetent at everything except camouflaging their incompetence behind buzzwords and task-offloading.
Chef. My dad was a chef and in his day you could have your pick of jobs. Literally walk out of a restaurant and into another by the end of the day. People respected them and allowed creative and financial freedom. Now I work as a chef and I constantly have to answer to people ( managers, waitresses etc ) who have absolutely 0 culinary experience. The pay is sh**ty, the hours are ridiculous it's about 3 decades behind in terms of workers rights. This goes double for smaller places like non-chain bars and restaurants. They know that theirs always another chef looking for a new gig and often have no problems treating chefs like absolute dogs**t.
Air hostess- Once the symbol of glamor now its like a joke
Spinster. In the middle ages, it was a respected career which could keep a woman financially independent and secure. She worked damn hard and had to be physically strong and good with money. And a spinster could choose to be in a relationship, but it wasn't imperative for her survival. Nowadays it's just become a term for middle aged or older single women and the fact it used to be a respected job title has been all but forgotten.
They were called spinsters because they worked spinning wool, if anyone's confused.
I wanted to say politician but they have always been hated the more I think about it
Do royals count? They were once honorable leaders, now either dictators or useless fools
President of russia
There's a difference between being respected and towing the company line, for fear of being shot. 🤔
For me personally, doctor. I used to hold them in high regard until I started working with them. Most are lazy, greedy and do not know a single thing outside of medicine. Some don't even know medicine!
I only respect a doctor if they show respect for me. I'll acknowledge their expertise, I'm not questioning that. As soon as they try to tell me what I'm able to sense in my body or what my life is like with a disability they can piss off. I don't know what life is like in their body why assume they know what it's like in mine? Keeping me as healthy as possible is a mutual endeavour. Respect goes both ways.
Musicians that played dynamite saxophone solos in rock and roll songs.
Elevator attendants. Once revered engineers capable of lifting humans hundreds of feet in the air. Now a comedic relic of a by gone era.
This is the only one on the list that actually fits the descriptoin of this list.
Optician. Back in the day, if you were an old-school Optician you knew absolutely everything about complicated prescription issues, making glasses, grinding lenses, manufacturing a complete set of glasses yourself from your own lab in the back of the store. Nowadays it’s mostly 20 yr old idiots who take a cr**py little express program to certify themselves as ‘Opticians’ , but all orders are sent to an outside lab to be made. If you have a problem with your glasses, 90% of these ‘opticians’ have no idea how to solve your problem. It’s also now essentially just a glorified salesperson job.
Source: Im an ex-optician who’s biggest mistake in life so far was wasting years on that sh**ty low-paying “career”
Translators used to be members of royal courts, but are now full-on taken advantage of by agencies who know nothing about the industry, but hold all the clients. They often expect people with B.A.s, M.A.s, multiple certifications, and decades of experience to work for very low pay
Or people who think google is a capable translator and just want you to tweak what google shat out a little for pennies.
My friends Dad was a pretty successful ad salesman for yellowpages. After no one needed phone books anymore and he cheated on his wife and had 2 divorces, and bought a purple harley with a dragon on it, he then became a seller of funeral packages...
Alchemist
Note: this post originally had 59 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I'm a painter (went to school, study hard the old masters, learnt the antique methods of making paints and varnishes from scratch), and every time I tell anyone I'm a painter they ask me "yeah, but I mean, what's your job? Painting it's just a hobby" 🙃
They forgot to say: stockbrokers (aka gamblers), and bankers (aka robbers).
I've seen alot of posts where you s**t on anyone who made smart life choices.
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In reference to the optician...you don't even see him/her anymore! At my last eye doctor appointment, she was on a TV screen asking me questions. Had to have the glasses remade 3 times!
Watchmakers? Once every house had at least one wall beautiful hung or floor standing clock and people weared mechanical wrist or pocket watchea that required regular tune ups and repairing services. Then came the Swatch-era when these watches became a plastic piese of sheet. Now everyone look at their mobile phones if they want to know the time. Watches became a part of fashion outfit and they go out of style before they would need any maintenance. Source: I learnt to be a watchmaker but left my profession long time ago for coding.
Many professions left out. I'll just add a doctor, because everybody seems to be a self-taught internet doctor nowadays.
Avtar Chauhan:- The TV Newscaster of any international channel! I strongly recommend the status & qualitative public standing.
Journalism was often a crappy profession. There was really only a very short period of time when ethics were a big deal and journalism was seen as noble. the rest of its history was like it is now: mainly pandering in order to get the biggest market share to make profits for the people who owned the media outlets. Check out early newspapers if you don't believe me.
I'm a painter (went to school, study hard the old masters, learnt the antique methods of making paints and varnishes from scratch), and every time I tell anyone I'm a painter they ask me "yeah, but I mean, what's your job? Painting it's just a hobby" 🙃
They forgot to say: stockbrokers (aka gamblers), and bankers (aka robbers).
I've seen alot of posts where you s**t on anyone who made smart life choices.
Load More Replies... In reference to the optician...you don't even see him/her anymore! At my last eye doctor appointment, she was on a TV screen asking me questions. Had to have the glasses remade 3 times!
Watchmakers? Once every house had at least one wall beautiful hung or floor standing clock and people weared mechanical wrist or pocket watchea that required regular tune ups and repairing services. Then came the Swatch-era when these watches became a plastic piese of sheet. Now everyone look at their mobile phones if they want to know the time. Watches became a part of fashion outfit and they go out of style before they would need any maintenance. Source: I learnt to be a watchmaker but left my profession long time ago for coding.
Many professions left out. I'll just add a doctor, because everybody seems to be a self-taught internet doctor nowadays.
Avtar Chauhan:- The TV Newscaster of any international channel! I strongly recommend the status & qualitative public standing.
Journalism was often a crappy profession. There was really only a very short period of time when ethics were a big deal and journalism was seen as noble. the rest of its history was like it is now: mainly pandering in order to get the biggest market share to make profits for the people who owned the media outlets. Check out early newspapers if you don't believe me.
