Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Professions That Were Highly Respected But Are Now A Complete Joke

People Break Down The Professions That Were Highly Respected But Are Now A Complete Joke
Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Do you ever sit back and ponder just how much the world has changed?

It's astonishing. Things we thought we'd never be able to live without are now obsolete.

Does anyone even own a cassette tape anymore?

Do we still have home landlines?

If I call 411... do people still answer? And what about all of the jobs that went along with them?

If anyone is answering at 411, now they're basically looked at as a failed telemarketer.

So many jobs that were seen as thriving and a legacy have really taken a hit.

Everything from bus drivers to pilots and waiters.

Why is society so disrespectful?


Redditor jaysmith007 wanted to talk about the careers that used to be lauded that are now a big laugh.

They asked:

"What profession was once highly respected, but is now a complete joke?"

Salespeople have really taken a hit. Car dealers use to be revered, now we know they're thieves trying to fleece us. I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean.

LOUDER

"The town crier."

GengarIsLife

"We actually have one where I live, he appointed himself in the early 90s and still “announces” town events while wearing a silly hat and ringing a bell. It’s kind of amazing."

bandi53

Giphy

Pages

"My friend's 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."

DarTouiee

Bye Guys

"Milkman, now they are just everyones secret father."

TheAngloLithuanian

"The mailman had taken over that responsibility. Now we've got the Uber Eats people doing that in the 21st century."

adsarelies

"Milkmen are still a thing! They just are more truckers than like the 50’s style milkman everyone thinks of. My family has a long line of milkmen (yes yes hilarious) who deliver milk commercially like to grocery stores etc. But my grandfather started out as the traditional 'delivers milk to your house type.'"

ida_klein

Opinions are like...

"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 a**hole 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."

FDRockAtWork

Torture

"Teaching. They get completely crapped on by the kids and the parents."

LCCyncity

Giphy

I feel so bad for teachers. They deserve all of our support.

Hippie

"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."

Dr_Ugs

Giphy

World Planner

" Travel agent."

drunkqueen

"Travel agents are still worth it if you live in a non major city. They can book multiple non associated airlines on one ticket, something you can't do yourself. If you book two different airlines yourself, and the first flight is late, your second flight will be cancelled and you'll lose your money. Travel agent can just rebook you."

turniphat

Zero Experience

"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 dogsh*t."

BanditSurvivalist

Fabulous Air

"Air hostess- Once the symbol of glamor now it's like a joke."

peoplecallmedude797

"I’ve been flying for 14 years and even in that short amount for time, I’ve seen quite a change in the level of respect. When I started it was 'oh that’s so cool' to now it’s like, 'wow that really sucks.' I still love it (most days) but yea."

Sky_hostess

Fallen Gods

"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."

Dovahnime

Giphy

Walter Cronkite must be turning over in his grave. We need our principled journalists now more than ever.


Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.


More from Trending/best-of-reddit

James Blunt; Nicki Minaj
Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

James Blunt Playfully Roasts Nicki Minaj After She Shares Uplifting Message To Her Fans

Nicki Minaj is once again going viral on X, but for once it's for something positive instead of, say, spreading conspiracy theories or dragging Cardi B.

And even fellow musician James Blunt is getting in on the phone.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Cuomo; Screenshot from Cuomo campaign's "Criminals for Mamdani" video
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Cuomo For Mayor

Andrew Cuomo Slammed After Campaign Posts Racist AI Video Of 'Criminals For Zohran Mamdani'

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was criticized after his official social media pages shared—then quickly deleted—an AI-generated campaign ad depicting "Criminals for Zohran Mamdani," his democratic socialist opponent.

Mamdani handily defeated Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary in June, sparking racist and Islamophobic backlash from right-wingers who've claimed his policies would "destroy" the city. The latest polls show Mamdani has a double-digit lead over Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, who is facing calls to drop out.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Stephen Miller discussing Robert De Niro
Fox News

Stephen Miller Claims Robert De Niro Has Only Made 'Flops' For Past 30 Years—And Here Come The Receipts

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller had people rolling their eyes after he lashed out at actor Robert De Niro and claimed the legendary performer—the recipient of two Academy Awards and scores of other prizes over a more than 50-year career—has only made "flops" for the past 30 years.

On Sunday, De Niro, a vocal critic of the Trump administration, called Miller "a Nazi," adding that Miller is "Jewish and he should be ashamed of himself.”

Keep ReadingShow less
A man holding a transparent umbrella on a boardwalk in a city
Person with umbrella overlooks city skyline by water
Photo by John Licas on Unsplash

People Share Purchases Under $20 That Made Their Lives Way Easier

Sometimes, in an effort to improve our lives in some capacity requires us to make a significant dent in our bank account.

Even though it might be yogurt for dinner for a few weeks after, we still feel good about our expensive purchases when we see the difference a high-powered washing machine makes, or feel the cool air from our upgraded air conditioner.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @matterneuroscience's Instagram video
@matterneuroscience/Instagram

Man Goes Viral After 3D-Printing A 6-Pound Phone Case To Combat Screen Addiction

Many Millennials will remember back in the nineties as the last of the "latchkey kids" who were prominently babysat by their televisions, and the commercials that rolled out, made popular on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, promoting kids to go play outside instead of watching TV all day.

Now in 2025, videos on Instagram and TikTok encouraging people to "pause their scroll" and to "put down their phones" are becoming more common and popular, because people are realizing how detrimental our increasing screen time is to our emotional, physical, and psychological health.

Keep ReadingShow less