13 Things We Did in Public That Would Be Considered Odd Now
Remember the good old days when certain behaviors were completely normal in public? Times have definitely changed, and many things we once did without a second thought would now raise eyebrows or even get you strange looks.
Social norms evolve with technology and cultural shifts, turning yesterday’s ordinary actions into today’s social faux pas.
1. Smoking Everywhere
Lighting up in restaurants, airplanes, and even hospital waiting rooms was once standard practice. I still remember my uncle puffing away during family dinners at our favorite diner, ashing into those tiny metal trays on every table.
Nobody batted an eye when smoke filled indoor spaces. Now, such behavior would not only violate laws in most places but would likely trigger public outrage and possibly a swift escort to the exit.
2. Calling Collect
Standing at a payphone, desperately feeding quarters or shouting “It’s me, pick me up!” during the name recording of a collect call to avoid charges. Those transparent phone booths were communication lifelines before cell phones ruled our lives.
The strategic collect call—speaking quickly during the “Who’s calling?” prompt—was practically an art form for teenagers. Today, this penny-pinching tactic would seem absurdly complicated compared to sending a quick text.
3. Writing Checks at the Grocery Store
Remember the collective groan from everyone in line when someone pulled out their checkbook? The meticulous process of writing the amount, signing with flourish, and showing ID while impatient shoppers shuffled behind you.
As a teenager, I felt so grown-up getting my first checkbook. Now, whipping out a personal check at Target would make you look like you’ve time-traveled from 1995, while digital payment users tap their phones impatiently.
4. Using Paper Maps
Unfolding gigantic paper maps on your car hood or struggling to refold them correctly was once a normal part of road trips. That distinctive crinkling sound announced to everyone that you were officially lost.
My family’s glove compartment overflowed with dog-eared maps from various states. Today, watching someone navigate with a paper map instead of Google would seem charmingly vintage at best, and hopelessly technologically backward at worst.
5. Memorizing Phone Numbers
Rattling off your best friend’s seven-digit number from memory was a basic life skill. Phone books and personal address books were treasure troves of essential connections, carefully maintained and updated.
Quiz me today on my wife’s number and I’d probably fail! The mental math of remembering dozens of phone numbers has been outsourced to our devices. Reciting numbers from memory now seems like showing off an unusual party trick rather than everyday behavior.
6. Carrying Photos in Your Wallet
Plastic photo inserts in wallets were prime real estate for pictures of loved ones. Those creased, well-worn photos that you’d proudly display when given the slightest opportunity were conversation starters.
My grandfather’s wallet bulged with family photos, each with a story attached. Nowadays, pulling out physical photos instead of swiping through your phone gallery would seem oddly formal and planned, like you’re deliberately avoiding technology.
7. Leaving Kids Alone in Cars
Parents routinely left children waiting in parked cars while they ran errands. Keys in the ignition, windows cracked, with a stern “Don’t touch anything” as their only safety protocol.
Summer afternoons spent waiting in hot cars playing with radio dials are a distinct childhood memory for many of us born before 1990. Such behavior today could result in concerned citizens breaking your window, viral social media shaming, or even child protective services involvement.
8. Hitchhiking as Transportation
Thumbing a ride was once a legitimate way to get around. College students regularly hitchhiked home for holidays, and picking up strangers wasn’t considered particularly dangerous—just a normal part of road culture.
My mom still tells stories about hitchhiking to concerts in the 70s. The idea of standing roadside with your thumb out now seems incredibly risky. Both drivers and hitchhikers would be viewed with extreme suspicion in our stranger-danger society.
9. Calling Without Texting First
Ringing someone’s phone without warning was standard communication protocol. The sudden jangling of a landline was expected, not an anxiety-inducing surprise as it often is today.
Phone calls happened whenever the caller decided, not when mutually agreed upon via text. Now, an unexpected call might be interpreted as an emergency. “Is everything okay?” is often the first thing people ask when answering an unscheduled call from friends.
10. Letting Kids Roam Unsupervised
Children once vanished after breakfast with the only instruction being “be home by dinner.” Neighborhoods were full of free-range kids playing without adult supervision, checking in only when hungry or injured.
My summer days were spent exploring creek beds and building forts in vacant lots. Today’s parents practicing this hands-off approach might face judgment or even legal consequences.
The expectation of constant adult supervision has completely transformed childhood freedom.
11. Sharing One Earphone
Before Bluetooth speakers and streaming, music-loving friends would share earbuds to enjoy a new song together. One person took the left ear, another the right, heads awkwardly tilted together in a strange dance of shared listening.
My best friend and I mastered walking in perfect sync while sharing headphones. This intimate audio-sharing would now seem unnecessarily complicated and slightly unhygienic compared to simply connecting multiple devices or using a portable speaker.
12. Reading Physical Newspapers in Public
The morning commute once featured the distinctive rustling of newspaper pages and the skilled art of folding broadsheets without elbowing fellow passengers. Newspapers were everywhere—at breakfast tables, park benches, and waiting rooms.
My grandfather’s ritual of spreading the Sunday paper across the entire kitchen table seems archaic now. Reading a physical newspaper in public today makes you look like either a deliberate technophobe or someone making a statement about old-school media consumption.
13. Recording TV Shows on VHS Tapes
Programming VCRs required technical prowess and precise timing. The living room often featured towers of labeled VHS tapes with favorite shows and movies, carefully curated over years of recording.
Finding someone had taped over your favorite episode was a household tragedy! The elaborate planning required to capture content would seem absurdly labor-intensive in today’s on-demand streaming world, where virtually everything is available at the tap of a screen.