It’s pretty fascinating how quickly things can become outdated in this day and age.
It seems like we’re moving at hyper speed and it can be a little difficult to keep up. Especially when it comes to trying to give people advice.
What advice is now outdated and doesn’t apply to folks anymore?
Here’s what folks on AskReddit had to say.
1. The good old days.
“Be Kind, Please Rewind!
My kids saw a picture of a VHS tape and had no idea what it was.”
2. Be very careful.
“It’s not advised to square dance on your period.
One of my favorite videos from the 1940s on advice for girls and puberty: The Story of Menstruation (1946).”
3. Whatever, Mom.
“”Nobody’s going to pay you to stare at a computer screen all day.”
My Mom – 1996 (dawn of the Internet).”
4. All of these!
“Regularly clean the ball and rollers on your mouse.
If the picture on your computer monitor is discolored or distorted, try pressing the degausser button.
Make sure to keep spare change on you for the pay phone. Just in case.
If a high school student has a pager, he’s probably a drug dealer. (Yes they actually told us this at my high school.)”
5. What to expect…
“Disclaimer: I was given a “what to expect when you’re expecting” book printed in the early/mid 1970s.
up to 5 glasses of wine a day are safe, at least 2 are recommended.
up to 4 hard alcoholic beverages a week are okay
snowsuits in car seats to keep babies warm in the car.
Breastfeeding is okay but formula is better because it’s “scientifically” better and breastfeeding should only be done if you’re not able to afford formula -up to 2oz water beginning at 8 weeks (maybe 6?)
up to 1/2 pack of cigarettes a day is okay
glorified the “husband stitch”
too much cardio (more than 20 mins of mild to moderate exercise a day) or actual hard exercise at all increases stillbirth and SIDS afterwards.”
6. Hard to get.
“”If you’re into a guy, play hard-to-get! Boys love a challenge!”
I always knew that advice was horrible toxic bulls**t in my teens but thought I was just “easy” or sl**ty for not wanting to play games with any guy I liked.
Turns out I was just a normal functioning human being that wanted to have an actual conversation with someone I might want to date.”
7. Weird to think about.
“Only use the Internet after 6 because it’s free then.
This was mid 2000s and with the phone company we had we only used the Internet after 6:00pm, so bizarre to think about that now.”
8. Check the Yellow Pages.
“My grandma told me to find out where a restaurant is, look up their phone number in the yellow pages and call to ask for directions.”
9. Dangerous.
“When you get near the end of pregnancy, the baby will move less because “they run out of room.”
So outdated and dangerous.
Any change in normal movements or reduction in movements should be checked out ASAP by a midwife or doctor.”
10. Do they still exist?
“When on vacation it’s unsafe to carry cash; use travelers checks instead.
American Express travelers checks- “Don’t Leave home without them!””
11. Probably shouldn’t do that.
“The week before I left for college, my dad bought a cheap electric etcher.
He etched my social security number on my TV and bike and a couple other things.
That way if they were stolen and recovered I could prove they were mine.
Probably not done today.”
12. Grandma’s “medicine”
“My grandma was advised to drink Guinness when pregnant because it’s iron rich and she was a little anemic.
She wanted it in her last year of her life, and took great pleasure in reminding us that she needed her ‘medicinal’ Guinness.”
13. Just in case.
“Always keep a quarter on you in case you need to make a call.”
14. Are you on the phone?
“If you want to use the internet, make sure no one is using the landline.”
15. Not these days.
“Show up at the office with a resume and don’t leave until you get an interview..”
16. Long gone.
“To pay for college, just work part-time at a restaurant waiting tables!
When my dad was in college in the 1970s, he paid for his tuition, expenses, car, and spending money for the entire year with a summer job at the meat packing plant that my grandpa got him.”
17. Can’t wait around for it.
“When people say “Just be patient and love will find a way” was said in a time when people were outside a lot more.
Nowadays someone can go to work and go home and sit at their computer every day for years without ever being even close to finding someone.
I think nowadays you have to go out of your way to find someone. Or at the very least go out of your bubble and be social.”
18. Might be the problem.
“If the baby won’t stop crying check to make sure the diaper pin is not sticking him.”
19. Now it’s history!
“You need to learn to write in cursive or nobody will take you seriously and you won’t get good grades on your assignments in college.
By 2010 when I went to college, virtually all of my assignments, including most tests, were digital, and even the few handwritten exams allowed regular print.”
20. Interesting.
“My Grandma: “Don’t drink water after eating fruit or you’ll get sick”
Apparently this comes from a time when people drank from wells. The sugar from the fruit would allow bacteria from the water to ferment in the stomach.
Not a problem with modern water supplies.”
21. Gramps was wrong.
“Grandpas are always like “I pestered her and followed her around for months and months even though she told me to go away until she finally went out with me, and we’ve been married 50 years this month”
Yeah, don’t do that.”
22. Ouch.
“I remember my teachers telling me “don’t study these new trendy subjects at university like media, video editing, tech etc. You should focus on traditional subjects like literature, History, and so on”.
15 years after graduating with my BA and MA in English lit, I now work minimum wage in a shop.”
23. It’s me again!
“If you want to show a company how interested you are in a position, keep checking back.
Don’t let them forget you.”
24. Times have changed.
“After I graduated with a degree in computer science, my 75 year old aunt told me to get a job at a factory sweeping the floor and work my way up to management.
I just said okay instead of explaining to her that it hasn’t worked that way since 1970.”
25. Bad behavior.
“Given to young girls: ‘that boy is being mean to you because he has a crush on you.’
Nope.
That boy is just being a d**khead and that behavior is not a good thing.”
26. You better eat all of it!
“Finish your plate.
I just teach my kids to stop eating when they feel enough.
No need to stuff their faces with more food just because of whatever.”
Now we want to hear from you.
In the comments, tell us what advice you think is outdated these days?
Thanks in advance!