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“What’s The Worst Thing People Have Tried To Justify With ‘It Was Normal Back Then’?” (40 Answers)
Times are constantly changing. In the majority of the world, women have way more opportunities than they did a century ago, and the technological advancements we've seen in recent decades are mind-blowing. But at the same time, saving up enough to purchase a home is nearly impossible for many young people today, even if their parents had no issues buying a house in their twenties. We all seem to be living in a completely different world than our grandparents had when they were young, but one of the best changes we’ve seen is a decreased tolerance for toxic behavior.
Redditors have been calling out the worst actions that they’ve heard people attempt to justify by noting how common they were in the past, so we’ve gathered some of their thoughts below. From tactics parents used to discipline their little ones to casually driving home after a few beers, be sure to upvote the behaviors that you’re glad have finally become stigmatized!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I pointed out that the Mayan and Aztecs' child sacrifice practices weren't any less barbaric because they happened a long time ago, and I got downvoted to hell here.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago (edited)
Yup, mentioning atrocities commited outside of european cultures in a respectful way isn't well received on the internet.
RELATED:
#2
How many witches were burned at the stake during the salem witch trials?
None. There’s no such things as witches, they burned innocent girls and women. Awful.
FreeTheUnicorn 1 year ago
No one was burned at the stake in Salem. 19 hangings, one man pressed to death. More than 180 accused were not killed. Many were toetured. It's a stain on our history but so get your facts right.
#3
Open sexual harassment, unwanted touching, SA, etc against secretaries, female assistants, etc by their bosses. Woman were supposed to just grin and bear it.
#6
The way some people treated pets. Leaving them outside. Hitting them.
WindySwede 1 year ago
Talking about shooting cats just to prove they are real men.. no you are not, you are covering up some inside insecurity and feel you have to prove you are a real man to cover it up! 🤨🤕
#7
Spousal r*pe. It was legal up until 1983 in Canada. It wasn’t until 1993 that it became illegal in ALL of the US; prior to that it was only illegal in 3 as of 1975. I’ve heard some men reminisce about the days when they didn’t need consent from their wives. I’ve even heard women condemn other women for having the “nerve” to ever deny their husbands sex. It’s disgusting.
#10
Definitely slavery, not just because it's a horrible thing to justify but also because people try to justify it *so often*.
One of the most popular lies in America is the lie that the so-called "founding fathers" can't be judged for owning slaves because that was accepted practice back then. In fact, the judge in the British Somerset case called slavery an "odious institution" in 1772: well before the US constitution was written. The abolition movement was very much in full swing in the anglosphere at the time. The Somerset ruling banned slavery in the British Isles in 1772. Canada banned slavery in 1793.
And yet Americans persist in pretending that slavery was widely accepted with no concerns at the time of the country's founding, just because they don't want to admit that the US founding fathers were bad people. They have their very own mythology, complete with heroes and villains, and they will not tolerate harsh criticism of those heroes.
GettingCereal 1 year ago
There was also a major push to get abolition into the constitution, but the southern states threw such a hissy fit that the rest caved.
#11
Just yesterday i had someone try telling me they regretted taking the covid vaccine and that "back than no one took vaccines".
I replied with "and people got polio".
#12
"My parents whipped my butt and screamed at me. I turned out fine."
Umm... no you didnt. You need therapy, boundaries, and a healthier friend group.
Miranda Veracruz de la Joya Cardenal 1 year ago
If you think child abuse was acceptable, you didn't turn it fine
#13
Open misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace. I’m a 64 yo professional woman and the behavior of some my male colleagues and superiors was horrible. And no one batted an eye.
#14
Forced marriage.
WindySwede 1 year ago
An scientific education and sexual education should be mandatory for everyone, all over the world! Let go of old s**t!
#15
Adult musicians sleeping with puberty-aged groupies. Guarantee every single one of your faves did it or was in a band with someone who did.
#16
Throwing rocks at Ruby Bridges.
Weirdo with Internet 1 year ago
These people are still alive! This wasn't that long ago and even if it was, still wouldn't justify throwing rocks and insults at a child
#17
Genital mutilation of children.
Not Who You Think 1 year ago (edited)
"It's a cultural/religious thing." Maybe you need to take a step back and really pay attention to what you're saying.
#18
Automatically needing to respect your elders (and anyone older than you) just because it's the 'right' thing to do, not because they deserve your respect or did anything to earn it, but just because.
Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein 1 year ago
As Tony Benn said, you should respect everyone, until they give you good reason not to.
#19
All forms of bullying. It looked cool from people in high school according to my classmates. Now some of my classmates were now gone due to bullying. It’s not cool.
#20
Genociding Native Americans.
#21
Horrific mistreatment of disabled people. It’s still not great on a general global scale, but at least we don’t get left in the woods as infants or stuck in freak shows to entertain the masses.
WindySwede 1 year ago (edited)
And even just women who be "out of order"? Edit: like put in asylum for being anything her husband/dad didn't want to?
#22
Ownership and the subservience of women. "Back in my day the women didn't vote or work, they waited on their knees for the husband to come home with a hot meal in one hand a strong drink in the other" along with a litany of other female slave fantasies men have of modern women.
WindySwede 1 year ago
That is also a thing in the bible, if someone hurt a women so she miscarriages, they are supposed to pay money to her spouse or otherwise her father. That is nothing in the line of being an independent individual!
#23
Lynching black people for failing to show the proper deference to a white man on the street.
#24
Smoking everywhere--even hospitals.
Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein 1 year ago
We were doing a good job of limiting smoking areas, but now vaping is taking its place with a vengeance. I regularly see (smell them first) people sneaking a vape inside restaurants. It's illegal and it ruins my meal out. Just selfish w4nkers.
#25
My grandma was telling us about some random stuff about her life as a kid, the usual, and then she dropped that her neighbor would give her a quarter to see her underwear? when she was like 5-6? wild s**t
also cheating on your spouse .
Not Who You Think 1 year ago
The 25 cents for a little girls underwear peek is truly awful, but I love how "cheating on your spouse" was kind of added as an afterthought.
#26
Listening to stories from older colleagues there is so much stuff that was considered standard practice that would give Health and Safety an aneurysm these days. S**t like handling asbestos with zero protective equipment, even after people started realizing how bad it was for your health! Or guys working with natural gas lighting up a ciggie on the job site and it being perfectly fine because "we're not smoking near where people are working with gas at the moment".
Marianne 1 year ago
My family are farmers. 20 years ago, a person would be ridiculed for wearing safety goggles or a face mask while harvesting potatoes. While on the machine, you're exposed to huge amounts of dust that gets into your face. I have asthma and couldn't stand it on dry days. Protective gear just wasn't an option.
#27
Hazing, overworking and basically bullying new employees. C**p like “it’s character building” or “well, I had to do it”. I think people perpetuate this nonsense because they are basically trying to get some sort of revenge.
#28
Gay jokes. Go watch movies from the 80's & 90's. Or just watch "Friends," there were cheap gay gags in basically every episode. .
#29
I take care of a 95 year old woman with dementia who had a black lab as a child. The dogs name was “n**ger”. She sometimes talks about her dog and calls it by name, and everyone reacts how you’d expect, and she always says, “He needed a name! A dog needs a name!”
Not sure if it quite fits this thread, but I was reminded of it so I shared.
Ace 1 year ago (edited)
Yeah, this one is a little out of place because although that term and the one it's derived from could have an insulting meaning if used in a certain context it was also commonly used in this way, perhaps much more outside the US, just because it means "black", ,with absolutely zero implied reference to people with that skin colour. Some people still get upset when they see "négro" used in languages like Spanish where that is literally all it means.
Eric Tapril 1 year ago (edited)
Literally not true. The n-word, although derived from words that just mean the colour black, has itself never been anything other than a derogatory term for a black person. Don't invent justifications for racial slurs.
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Auntriarch 1 year ago
I remember my nan saying dark brown sewing thread used to be called that, now it's called chocolate brown. See, it's not that hard
El Dee 1 year ago
I remember when young in school we had textbooks that referred to the 'N-word' The context was in the same way as 'a girl has ten oranges and a boy has four, how many are there altogether' typa thing except using the N-word instead of boy/girl. Kinda 'casual' racism. Of course language changes. That was the word used when referring to black people specifically. Of course the word was more used as an insult and 'spat out' hence our teacher asking us to score the word out in our text books. Adults at the time would have called that 'woke' if the term existed. Each new word becomes used insultingly and the terminology must be changed. Human nature is awful, we are deeply vile and racist at heart..
Forrest Hobbs 1 year ago
The term "woke" in the sense of "being aware of violent racism" was coined in the 1930s by Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, possibly inspired by Marcus Garvey's writings in the 1920s. It's been extended to cover not just violent racism but other forms of social injustice. People who like racism and other forms of social injustice seem to use the term "woke" as an insult for anything they personally dislike. "Woke" has been around a long time...
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Samsquatch & Monko 1 year ago
One of my friend’s relatives currently has a dog with that name (so that’s why me and my other friends keep having to stop him from comparing the colours of the sand in the sandbox…)
YaMaOnToast 1 year ago
Common name back then for a dog. I was taken aback visiting a country house in the UK and they had gravestones for their pets. That was 1
Gavin Johnson 1 year ago
Wing Commander Guy Gibson, VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar. One of the most distinguished pilots of WWII owned a black Labrador, it was 617 Squadrons lucky mascot. Its name was used as the code word to indicate that the Möhne Dam had been successfully breached by 617 Squadren. On the day of the raid his dog was hit by a car and killed, no one in the squadron was told as it would’ve had an impact on the whole operation. N was buried at midnight as the dambusters raid was being undertaken, his grave is still outside R.A.F. Scampton. The R.A.F. removed his name from the gravestone in 2020 as it was deemed offensive. Times move, history has recorded the name of the dog but we don’t have to be held hostage by the word, we can see how offensive it is, we are able to drop the word and move forward.
Forrest Hobbs 1 year ago (edited)
Not sure why someone posting a bit of factual history gets downvoted. FWIW, Aldous Huxley uses the n-word in one of his novels (Chrome Yellow) - in a cringingly condescending sort of way. Way back when here in the UK, the n-word seems not have been meant *nastily*. We had (and have) other racistly insulting words.
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Lila Allen 1 year ago
And yet everyone is ok with the team being Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins. So I guess we are ok with racial slurs as long as it's just the ones against Native Americans
CCLoos 1 year ago
They are the Washington Commanders now. But the Chiefs are still the Chiefs, grossly.
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Margaret Shannon 1 year ago
I still see beads described as “flesh” colored. They're a beige-peach shed unsuitable for depicting the complexion of lots of people. Why not just call them “peachy-beige?”
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Antony Aston 1 year ago
Back in the 70s N****r was also a common nickname for anyone called Nigel.
#30
Hitting a spouse. My favorite tv show of all time is “I Love Lucy” and I have such a hard time watching Ricky put Lucy over his knee. Makes my stomach turn.
Pencil McGovern 1 year ago
"POW! Right in the kisser!" -Ralph Kramden to his wife, Alice, in about every episode of "The Honeymooners"
#31
Maybe riding around in the open bed of a pickup truck all over town and highways when I was a kid in the 70s.
#32
Cat calling. Honestly can’t remember a time it was okay, but I’m always confused when guys try to justify themselves with “it’s just a comment. It’s always been like this” when I (a woman) get upset. Like I know my a*s is amazing but keep it to yourself, you know?
Apachebathmat 1 year ago
“Thank you for attending our wedding today, I knew Wayne was the one when he shouted ‘WHHHHHHOOOOOA B***H, TIDDIES ON FIRE’ out the window of a speeding car”
#33
My friend quite seriously told me she didn’t understand the issue with Bill Cosby because quaaludes were all the rage and this is just how it used to be for women around men. Never thought I’d see myself storming out of a Los
Angeles McDonald’s in anger but sure enough it did indeed happen.
Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein 1 year ago (edited)
Had to read that twice to confirm the friend was indeed a woman. Talk about brainwashed! (Spelling edit)
#34
Not back then, but in the present.
I have heard from a relative that pregnancies of indigenous children in my country are normal because it is "part of their culture".
penguino (they/them) 1 year ago
The comments here are weird y’all can go look for yourself-but also, wtf? Kids shouldn’t be pregnant. Period.
#35
Drinking and driving. Every adult over 60 wants me to understand why those were the good ol days.
#36
Enforced poverty.
Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein 1 year ago
This has always been a popular policy amongst capitalists - without poor people, nobody would work for sh1t wages in their dangerous factories.
#37
Racism.
Urbangirlatl 1 year ago
I think I understand where Strings is coming from. When the CEO of Barilla pasta made a neg comment about including LGBT in their ads, I thought something along the lines of "thanks for letting me know where you stand so I can buy your competitor's product". It's not endorsing hate speech, but it's how we know we are dealing with @-holes.
#39
"When I was starting out, our bosses abused us 10 times as badly as what you get pampered with, you don't know how good you got it".
#40
Smoking at 12.
#41
Eugenics.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
You might be surprised just how many people are still in favor of some form of eugenics. You see what is outwardly a mild version of it on these boards all the time. A comment like "There should be some sort of test for people who want to be parents." or "People with [insert name of illness here] shouldn't be having children." These comments are not generally condemned.
#42
Doctors did not appreciate being told to wash their hands before touching a patient once upon a time.
Jane Jayne Jain Jeign Jein 1 year ago
I don't think anyone is saying we should go back to this.
#43
Circumcision.
Not Who You Think 1 year ago
If you truly believe that there's a higher power, then why would you want to alter their creation?
#44
Doctors getting female patients to undress to listen to their heart. I was 20 and had to strip off for this male specialist to be a perve. Lots of other instances with a doctor at my clinic when I was 15 - 16 being a creep.
Eric Tapril 1 year ago
In medical notes before patient had access, the acronym TUBE on a female patient's notes stood for "totally unnecessary breast examination".
#45
Taking my social security number and taking loans out when I was a toddler but not my brother or half sister. When I confronted my mom about it, she said everyone else was doing it. Um no, most people aren’t stealing one of their children’s identities selectively and then taking hundreds of thousands in loans out. Lolz.
What do you think ?
UKGrandad 1 year ago
*Note to the usual suspects: please read what I'm about to say for understanding before downvoting it. Thank you* We can all feel morally superior to our ancestors because we know better these days, right? However, how many of us stop to consider which practices we think are morally and legally sound today may, in the future, see us as soundly condemned as we condemn past generations? What do we shrug off as perfectly normal that might make our descend scream 'WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING'?
Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
Some people knew better back then too, but the others didn't listen to them.
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Fun Size 1 year ago
A lot of them are still happening, yes, but at least they're no longer considered normal or acceptable by society at large.
Load More Replies... CK 1 year ago
Of course none of those things are justified; however, we shouldn't give ourselves as individuals any credit for not going along with child sacrifice and slavery in a society where that isn't normalized. The sad truth is that it is incredibly statistically unlikely that you wouldn't have gone along with those things if you had been born in a previous generation. And if you want to prove to yourself that you would have been the one to oppose the brutality? Defy the socially accepted cruelty that's happening now. Fight to end all slavery in the world, to give disabled people all reasonable accommodations with dignity, and to get food and healthcare to all who need it.
Lola Donathan 1 year ago
My grandma had a man show himself to her one day when she was a kid and all my great grandma said was"oh I'm sorry sweetie,but you know,that's just how men are". SERIOUSLY!?
CK 1 year ago
I hate how men engaging in predatory behavior is "boys will be boys" but women wearing comfortable clothes that don't cover everything is "slutty" to the old fashioned worldview.
Load More Replies... Damned_Cat 1 year ago
I love old movies and television, but it's so cringe when I see how they used to make it a humorous plot point when a married man chased women or cheated on his wife. At the same time, any woman who dared to even call attention to herself was an evil harlot.
BravePanda 1 year ago
I used to be sexually harassed in high school in a daily basis because I had big breasts. Boys would hold my arms and hands behind my back, so other boys could oogle. I couldn't be alone after school because I would get cornered by a boy wanting "just to touch." It happened daily during and after school, on campus. It was the 90s.
Justbecause 1 year ago
Not using pain relief for many medical procedures because 'it doesn't actually hurt' or 'they wont remember it'. Pain relief is cheap and readily available it should be used when medical/veterinary procedures are done.
Justbecause 1 year ago
Aboriginal Australians were not considered human until the 70s. They were considered native animals and were treated as such. Many people still think its ok the treat Aboriginal people like this. Australia isnt the only country to treat original people as less than human.
UKGrandad 1 year ago
*Note to the usual suspects: please read what I'm about to say for understanding before downvoting it. Thank you* We can all feel morally superior to our ancestors because we know better these days, right? However, how many of us stop to consider which practices we think are morally and legally sound today may, in the future, see us as soundly condemned as we condemn past generations? What do we shrug off as perfectly normal that might make our descend scream 'WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING'?
Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
Some people knew better back then too, but the others didn't listen to them.
Load More Replies... Fun Size 1 year ago
A lot of them are still happening, yes, but at least they're no longer considered normal or acceptable by society at large.
Load More Replies... CK 1 year ago
Of course none of those things are justified; however, we shouldn't give ourselves as individuals any credit for not going along with child sacrifice and slavery in a society where that isn't normalized. The sad truth is that it is incredibly statistically unlikely that you wouldn't have gone along with those things if you had been born in a previous generation. And if you want to prove to yourself that you would have been the one to oppose the brutality? Defy the socially accepted cruelty that's happening now. Fight to end all slavery in the world, to give disabled people all reasonable accommodations with dignity, and to get food and healthcare to all who need it.
Lola Donathan 1 year ago
My grandma had a man show himself to her one day when she was a kid and all my great grandma said was"oh I'm sorry sweetie,but you know,that's just how men are". SERIOUSLY!?
CK 1 year ago
I hate how men engaging in predatory behavior is "boys will be boys" but women wearing comfortable clothes that don't cover everything is "slutty" to the old fashioned worldview.
Load More Replies... Damned_Cat 1 year ago
I love old movies and television, but it's so cringe when I see how they used to make it a humorous plot point when a married man chased women or cheated on his wife. At the same time, any woman who dared to even call attention to herself was an evil harlot.
BravePanda 1 year ago
I used to be sexually harassed in high school in a daily basis because I had big breasts. Boys would hold my arms and hands behind my back, so other boys could oogle. I couldn't be alone after school because I would get cornered by a boy wanting "just to touch." It happened daily during and after school, on campus. It was the 90s.
Justbecause 1 year ago
Not using pain relief for many medical procedures because 'it doesn't actually hurt' or 'they wont remember it'. Pain relief is cheap and readily available it should be used when medical/veterinary procedures are done.
Justbecause 1 year ago
Aboriginal Australians were not considered human until the 70s. They were considered native animals and were treated as such. Many people still think its ok the treat Aboriginal people like this. Australia isnt the only country to treat original people as less than human.
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