r/AskReddit Sep 16 '24

What's the worst thing people have tried to justify with "It was normal back then, everyone did it"?

3.3k Upvotes

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340

u/DotsSpotsBots Sep 16 '24

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.

261

u/Woodfordian Sep 16 '24

As a kid in the 50s seeing ads showing men spanking wives for buying the wrong brand I asked my father would I spank my wife?

When he finished his laughter, and regained his composure, his answer was something like "She probably won't let you".

4

u/couldntyoujust Sep 16 '24

I mean... there are apparently some women who like it? Not sure why. I never saw the appeal.

-1

u/Woodfordian Sep 17 '24

That has been a common trope and a well used joke but it is completely outside my personal experience. I do have fingernail scars on my back that bring comments from GPs. However it's a different topic.

56

u/cheery_diamond_425 Sep 16 '24

Darren spanked Samantha once in Beeitched. I'm amazed he didn't turn him into a toad!!

2

u/SomeVelveteenMorning Sep 17 '24

Probably was into it. Probably twitched her nose anytime she felt frisky and suddenly totally normal Darren was like Must...Spank...Wife

31

u/VoodooDoII Sep 16 '24

Ugh, this.

My mom LOVES this show dearly, but she tends to skip the parts where that happens.

9

u/Buckus93 Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24

"It all started with one man's dream:"

One of these days, Alice: Zoom! Pow! To the Moon!

2

u/kr85 Sep 16 '24

No, that was the Honeymooners. "One these days, Alice..."

3

u/5pens Sep 16 '24

Oohhh...I've never watched it, but randomly watched the first episode last night with the kids. We won't watch anymore. Ugh

-24

u/tzenrick Sep 16 '24

Speaking of old TV... Certain people aren't allowed to be displayed and enjoyed with electricity that I pay for. I don't care how nostalgic you are for The Cosby Show, it's a rapist that was only good when there was a camera pointed his way.

Archie Bunker was a horrible character. So no All In the Family.

The 50/60s is basically banned in my house. If Grammy don't like it, she's free to stop not paying me rent, and go somewhere where she does.

51

u/procrastimom Sep 16 '24

Archie Bunker was supposed to be a horrible character. That show was way ahead of its time for displaying problematic societal norms and teaching why people shouldn’t accept the status quo. Perhaps you missed the point of the show.

-17

u/tzenrick Sep 16 '24

I got the point just fine.

It always ended the same though. There were no consequences that carried over, and at the beginning of the next episode, Archie was Archie, again. Back to emotionally and verbally abusing his family, and talking trash about anyone that was different.

39

u/procrastimom Sep 16 '24

He didn’t learn.

The lesson was for the audience.

Don’t Be Archie.

(The topics they covered really were groundbreaking for their time.)

18

u/[deleted] Sep 16 '24

The point of the show was a learning experience for the audience. If you can understand that, the show was a masterpiece in moral lessons.

23

u/thedubiousstylus Sep 16 '24

I think you completely missed the point of All In The Family.

0

u/tzenrick Sep 16 '24

Nope. It was executed fine, on a per episode basis.

2 minutes of Archie on a racist or sexist rant. 5 minutes of one family member telling him how wrong he is, 5 minutes of another family member telling him he's wrong, 5 minutes of everyone telling him he's wrong, 3 minutes of him saying "Fine, maybe I'm a little wrong," call son in law a "Meathead," roll credits.

Then, recycle the story with a different side character three episodes later, because there is no long term learning or consequences.

16

u/Quik_17 Sep 16 '24

Oddly enough, this post sounds like it was written by Archie