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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.
… which is a shame because we really need proper journalism… the kind that seeks to uncover and lay bare the truth.
Journalism ideally should be: Report truth and reserve opinions and judgements for the readers/viewers and the op-ed page. Now it seems there is little separation between facts and opinions and only a token consideration for opposing views. This is why journalists are disrespected, they disrespect the views of half the audience.
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Yes, journalism as a profession lost all respect once journalists started spinning news to agree with their agenda, both on the right and on the left.
I believe journalism lost respect once the news went to 24 hours. That's a lot of time they have to fill up, so they began filling it up with opinions. Not good.
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They do! Usually, that's what they do. the media-concerns that pay them create the news.
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Yes but too often these days what passes for "journalism" is actually opinion and has no journalistic integrity and does not include facts at all ... looking at you TUCKER "JUST ASKING QUESTIONS" F*****G CARLSON
Yeah having network news sensationalize everything just for ratings, has made it so journalism which is supposed to be done with by getting the truth and with integrity, seems like a joke now.
If there is any one of these professions which dug its own grave, it's journalism.
Back then, journalists were people who could risk their life to find out the truth, not some asshat with a computer. It could also be the paparazzo that ruined it
IT'S STILL THAT WAY! Damn it, those words make me so sad. There's journalists all over the world - the real ones, who go out there looking for the truth - and they put themselves in danger and STILL do it. In Mexico, they are murdered like we slap down flies and in Russia, they get put in prison or pushed out of a window or "accidentally die". Don't just dismiss journalists because some paparazzi label themselves the same.
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And sites like this is a major reason why. You too can be a ‘writer’ by posting from other websites verbatim, often without attribution and with absolutely zero input. Used to be called plagiarism, now there are entire websites based on the idea.
Well so many journalists have forgotten objectivity so this one I agree. Hurray for the ones still trying to tell things without bias though.
Just report the news! I cannot stand opinions from news anchors. This is why no one trusts the media.
They are often not journalists, though. They basically get the job as "news anchor" because they look good on camera.
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Well, there is still journalism practiced as it should be, but it has shrunk a great deal under the growth of talking heads just seeking hits or viewers at the expense of information and truth.
Most "newspapers" seem to use freelancing wannabes and influencers and advertorial writers rather than actual journalists. The problem is that journalism requires research and confirmed facts and multiple sources, all of which take time. the news industry has become one that relies on whoever reports first, which involves zero research, zero confirmation of facts and usually one or fewer sources. So the solution is to stop spending time on gossip sites and start supporting real journalism.
Exactly! Go out there and buy a reliable newspaper - or create an online-subscription if that's more convenient! :-) (I have a subscription to real-paper. I don't always agree with everything they say but overall, you can see the quality not just in the subjects, the way things get reported but also in the way they use words. Language is powerful.
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I think it's due three reasons. A lot (maybe mostly) is due to political posturing by political leaders and some to a "kill the messenger' attitude that many people have. Some... SOME... of the loss of respect is on journalists. Not all... not most. Some situations, like when 60 Minutes rigged auto rollovers because they couldn't reproduce the results they claimed would happen naturally, are a reason why. Then there's the fact that a lot of journalists are less than politically objective and not shy about their leanings. TMI! As long as I get the facts and not just selective ones, I don't care about your opinion. It's not needed.
Well - as long as I get the facts, foremost, I can live with some opinion. Journalists are people, too. If they wouldn't have one, I'd be a bit wary. But opinion-pieces should be clearly labeled as such.
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Much good news is behind paywalls, but you can get first rate journalism for less than the price of Netflix or Hulu. There are free and legitimate sources (Reuters, NPR), but generally, you get what you pay for. If you get all your news from CNN/Fox/YouTube, then you deserve your ignorance. Unfortunately, we are all paying the price for this ignorance. Also, don't confuse journalists with talking heads.
the main reason? Editorials. Opinions have no place in journalism.
Of course, it has! It's almost impossible to trust any news due to selective reporting, biased reporting, political agendas, affiliation, etc.News used to just be reported, and ALL of it without any video or photo editing that misrepresents to fit an agenda and drive an opinion.
Because you have real people on the streets taking raw unedited videos and pictures and posting it. The media/journalists aren’t trusted anymore.
So why didn't you post an image of a CNN Reporter. Your liberal a$$ had no problem showing an image of Trump for the #1 spot. Figures.
It's still an important and dangerous job in some places on earth. A group of castless women started a paper, and after being threatened, beaten, ignored, they started to become recognised, and through their exposés of how bad things are in the villages, and how ignored and badly treated ordinary people are by officials they finally got things done. A village got electricity, another a proper road, a woman who was raped a number of times got justice.
Because now it's not about truth. Journalists stepped over lines to uncover the dirty truth. Today it's just a bunch of jackoffs coming up with bogus clickbait headlines or spewing literal disinformation for views. It's pathetic. The media has become useless if you want useful information.
Ronald Reagan's FCC abolished the "Fairness Doctrine of 1949" which required both sides' opinions to be reported. Basically, this was so that viewers or readers could make up their own minds from the facts presented in the media. Factual journalism died that day.
Because it no longer represents truth and justice ... it represents the highest bidder
I think every municipality should have to set money aside to help fund their local news. The municipality should also have no say in what the journalists can and can't publish as long as they have proof. Aka no meddling. I believe it would pay for itself by essentially paying journalists accountable to their community to find and expose corruption, so the law can take the criminals to task. Versus having to wait years and years for embezzlement to come to light.
This! THis, so much this. Yeah, there are a few bad journalists who fake stories or who get too opinionated (although as long as it's clearly marked as an opinion, comments do have its place in newspapers,) There's also those that work for shady papers (*cough* Bild-Zeitung *cough* ) but overall, the profession is still the same as it used to. But open hate and disregard towards journalists (who are not equivalent to "media") did a lot of damage. As can be seen in this comment-section. Just recently, there's been MAJOR stories printed by several newspapers internationally about the tax-evasions of the rich, the secret bank-accounts in Switzerland and offshore-money. A whole conglomerate of journalists worked together to find the puzzle-pieces, to shield their sources and to hammer down facts so they can present them in a way that can not disputed (unless you dispute facts in general). But alas... Thousands of people don't even know about it because they don't care and cry about how /tb
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Well, they USED TO report facts. And before everyone thinks they're clever with replying with the whole "Fox News! Fox News!" (which I don't even watch/listen to/read), let's give a shout out to CNN, who is hiring a new news chief (because apparently NOONE at CNN can keep it in their pants) sees the desperate need to get rid of the huge and obvious liberal slant. https://www.axios.com/cnn-chris-licht-liberal-partisanship-31511ffe-747f-45c3-88dd-026ecf535224.html
A good portion is due to all the social media "stars" and bloggers that believe their unresearched and unfounded opinions is journalism. The portion of the public that cannot tell the difference ruined it for real, trained journalists.
paparazzi, fake news, opinion sites pretending to be news sites, ...
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Trump destroyed journalism by saying "Fake News" to everything that wasn't flattering to his gargantuan ego.
Because they sold their soul and integrity, for fake headlines and news.
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.
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.
