Can you think of an example of something that has been considered controversial but, in your opinion, shouldn’t be? Some examples that come to mind are public breastfeeding and food preferences such as gluten-free. A Reddit user recently asked, “What are some things that are controversial but shouldn’t be?” These were the top responses.
1. Just Saying No
One user shared that simply saying no instead of “coming up with an excuse” is essential. Another user stated that providing an excuse allows “them to argue why you should do the thing they are asking.” A third added that often, an explanation is taken “not a polite courtesy but rather the start of a negotiation.”
2. Talking About Wage or Salary
One Redditor said that discussing your salary or wage, they said, “People who make fun of you for your income aren’t worth your time, and sharing income can help everyone involved to make more.”
3. The Dunning-Kruger Effect
Another popular contribution was the “Dunning-Kruger effect.” They said, “Expert opinion combined with social media, has led to the concept that an untrained person’s opinion is equal to an expert’s knowledge because they are equally as loud now.”
4. Women’s Menstruation
One contributor said menstruation, “It’s still taboo to even talk about in most countries.” Another Redditor replied in agreement to say, “It’s something that happens to half of the human population every month!”
5. Changing Your Opinion Should Be Celebrated
One response was to say, “Changing your opinion when presented with new information. It doesn’t help that people known to have had a different view in the past are called by their detractors.”
Another Redditor added, “That’s not what hypocrisy is; you must favor something in some instances and against it in others, depending on how it benefits you, to be a hypocrite. But does that stop them? No.”
6. Saying You Don’t Like Something
Another contributor shared, “Saying you don’t like something, and everyone just about bites your head off.”
They continued, “It happens a lot on food questions here. It’s annoying. Someone will say they don’t like mushrooms, and the next ten replies will be, ‘But have you tried’ “Bro, you need to cook them like…” “Mushrooms are good, dude. Here’s my grandma’s recipe.”
7. Sex Education
One contribution said, “Sexual education for young adults and teens. Maybe even younger.
When you say sex ed, people assume I’m saying teach kids how to do it. No. I’m saying teach children what consent is, so they know to say no to the creepy uncle or babysitter that tries something.”
“Teach them the names of their body parts so if God forbid something were to happen to them, they can name what happened and get that sicko behind bars,” added another.
8. Men Voicing Emotions
“We’re either too closed off or too emotional,” one man commented.
Another said, “It’s freaking hard to try and teach emotional health at home!! I’ve got three boys (14, 7, and 6), and trying to teach them how to handle big feelings in a good way is hard when everything around them is saying the opposite. But big emotions aren’t bad if they’re handled appropriately.”
9. Respecting Others People’s Jobs
“Respecting people in ‘dirty’ or ‘lower’ jobs,” one shared. “I’m a custodian, and for years I worked in schools.
The teachers who were nice/respectful to us often got comments from their coworkers asking why they did that, especially when they did simple things to help us out, like pulling the trash for us when we were highly short-handed or picking up all the big trash off the floor daily.”
The post Social Taboos: Controversial Behaviours That We Think Shouldn’t Be Controversial first appeared on LoveLists.
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For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.