Ready to feel a bit mad? The world throws away around 1.3 billion tons of perfectly edible food every single year. That’s almost half a trillion worth of items destroyed, which, to add insult to injury, produces over 10% of global greenhouse gases.
Someone asked “What is something that is normalized in society when in reality it is horrific?” and people shared their best examples. So get comfortable as you scroll through, prepare to shake your head, upvote the worst ones and be sure to share your own examples in the comments below.
#1
Your pug cannot breathe properly. Your poodle has joint pain. You are promoting genetic mutations that cause unbearable suffering to animals because you think its cute.
You drag them around, keep them in tiny apartments and make yourself the center of their lives to the point that they have anxiety every time you leave for work, you do this to validate yourself and yet you are not treating them with the respect they deserve.
Find a healthy breed, give it a home with space, and companions, ideally outside of a cramped noisy city, raise it properly and respect it as sentient being, or don’t have a dog.
#2
Sneering at single mothers instead of the deadbeat dads.
I’m childfree myself, but this infuriates me.
#3
Worshipping billionaires as some kind of genius self-made men when they are mostly the reflection of what’s worst about modern society.
#4
Destruction of unsold or unused goods. I’ve watched some documentaries about it and talked to people who worked at such jobs.
A warehouse full of unsold TVs, computers and other such items – scheduled for destruction. An excavator comes and squishes it, throws everything into trucks and off to the landfill. Friend asked if he could take a TV but the other guy just pointed at guards and told him not to even try.
Unsold shoes, all perfectly fine and wearable. Saw a documentary of trucks full of branded shoes leaving them at landfills. I believe they cut them open in beforehand so no one could take any for themselves.
Food thrown away after the day.
I’ve read articles of bakeries giving stuff they’d usually throw, for free to homeless. They get hefty fines for that.
I know brands will do it to keep the price up. But how is it for the enviroment? I bet it’s way more ridiculous than my plastic straw.
#5
Denial of medical care because of inability to pay
#6
The fact that we possess the medical technology for people to die painlessly (and at the time and manner of their choice) and yet there’s some sort of taboo to try to legalize it. I understand why but it is what it is.
#7
That everyone and anyone should procreate. It affects another person’s life who can’t consent to it. If you can’t give a child a good life you shouldn’t have children, as they have rights too.
#8
Watching or recording as people are being hurt or dying. Instead of someone acting to help you see everyone pulling out their cell phone or walking away. Obviously there are times where helping might [be dangerous] so I understand someone not jumping in at those points. Last year there was a IG post showing this exact scenario.
There was security footage of a man whose wife died in a car accident. While he was on his knees crying and holding her hand people were walking up behind him and taking pics and video. This man is having the worst day of his life and people are taking video to post online. Somewhere society stopped caring about others and it is horrific.
#9
Not horrific, but I hate that drinking alcohol is so normalized that people think something bad happened or something is wrong with you if you don’t drink.
#10
Male victims of domestic violence. A lot of people just think it’s funny.
#11
Referring to humans as illegals and then treating them as if they aren’t humans and as if you yourself haven’t benefited from immigration even your existence is partly somewhere down your bloodline the result of immigration. The us and them mentality disgusts me.
#12
People not caring about the poor. Thinking they got where they are because they’re lazy, or d**g addicts. In reality, if we made some poor choices we could be in the exact same position.
#13
Women getting iud’s without legit pain meds. F****n barbaric.
#14
In the USA, tying health care to your work / ability to produce at a high level.
Health insurance is not even offered at lower-paying jobs.
#15
Child brides, are mortifying to me. I remember one time there was this three year old girl getting married off to a 36 year old man. I thought how horrible to myself and aloud. A guy at work thought I would be comforted by the fact that her husband shouldn’t have [intercourse] with her until she was of age. I wasn’t because it’s not guaranteed he won’t consummate the marriage with his toddler bride just because it’s frowned upon.
#16
Religion and the indoctrination of children and vulnerable populations (poor, sick, incarcerated, etc)
#17
Forcing kids to show physical affection to anyone.
#18
For-profit medicine. Doctors don’t have to work for free, but selling stock shares based on people seeking medical help is absolutely unethical.
#19
Well, normalized in the USA at least – Declawing your cats
#20
In the us ?
criminalizing not only being homeless, but *helping* people who are homeless. feeding or housing or even just providing respite.
#21
The abuse of animals in the horse and dog racing business. So many d***s and injuries causing death to innocent animals. Then an abundance of non productive animals to get rid of.
#22
The payday lending industry.
Giving out loans at completely unreasonable interest rates to the people least likely to be able to pay them back, leading them further down a path to misery is an evil business model, and that regulators seem so willing to look the other way is disappointing if not surprising.
#23
Paying taxes to a government that doesn’t keep you healthy, educated, and provide **guaranteed** security in retirement after spending a lifetime supporting said government.
#24
Nudging females to have kids when they clearly don’t want them.
#25
The way medication is advertised in the US directly to the consumer. “Ask your doctor about….”
#26
Lunch debts in schools.
#27
Treating addicts like they deserve to die
#28
IMO, TV series being made of a serial [criminal]/ evil person being glamorized, played by some hot actor, and dramatized so that people become sort of “fans” of the real life person. Bonus points if not much sympathy or perspective is shown for the direct families/friends impacted by the actions of said evil person.
#29
Circumcision (when they’re babies and not due to medical reasons).
#30
Forcing autistic people to hide who they are, because how other people sees you is more important that your own mental health. This leads to anxiety, low self esteem, depression, and s*****e being much more common in the autistic community.
#31
Housing as a commodity/investment rather than a basic need / shelter.
People need shelter to survive, and suitable shelter is a prerequisite to starting families or just not suffering without access to a basic human need in general.
Imagine if we started limiting access to drinking water and started hoarding to sell it for what the highest bidders are willing to take, even if it leaves behind a large chunk of our society. Imagine ensuring that a majority of people are unable to afford enough water if they were to have kids, just so investors can continue to make a bigger buck in the future. Imagine if we encouraged buying off any remaining available water, allowed corporations to hoard it, and encouraged people to hoard it as a means of storing their wealth, and as their retirement nest egg.
#32
Application fees for apartments
#33
That 99% of processed foods have added sugar to help for profit companies to feed addictions
#34
The chicken industry is pretty horrific. I eat chicken. But yeah when you really read about it it is sick. Billions of chickens born every year only to be forced to lay eggs for their life or slaughtered after a few days or weeks.
#35
Deaths by motor vehicle. +1 million people worldwide every year
Note: this post originally had 47 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.