There are many American values that people don’t follow anymore and they are on the brink of extinction. Which values are we talking about? You’ll find 18 of them in this article.
Stepping off the sidewalk
Back in the day, if a woman was walking on the sidewalk towards a man, he would momentarily step off of the sidewalk to give her more room to pass. Men don’t act in this way anymore and the tradition of stepping off the sidewalk has all but vanished.
Spending time together
According to The Independent, “the typical family only spends just six hours together each week.” American families used to put a lot of emphasis on spending time together. But this has changed and in our modern society, families are spending less time together than ever before.
Casually wearing suits and ties
The older generation is used to dressing up for every occasion. Our grandparents would wear a suit and tie every time they left the house. But people dress more casually now, and the tradition of dressing up to leave the house has almost completely disappeared.
Wearing hats
Wearing dress hats for special occasions is something that is becoming less and less common at weddings and parties in U.S. culture. In the past, a person would never leave the house without a hat on. Now, hats are no longer a part of a person’s everyday look.
Wearing gloves
Our grandparents would wear gloves for driving and as part of their everyday outfit. Driving gloves have become a thing of the past and wearing gloves every day is not something that anyone does anymore unless the weather calls for it. These traditions are almost completely dead.
Giving up seats
Statistics from New York City Transit show that “the subway has a daily ridership of approximately 3.2 million and [the] bus has a daily ridership of 1.4 million.” It’s almost unheard of now for a person who rides on the subway or on the bus to give up their seat for a woman unless they are in need.
Sidewalk sides
Another tradition that has almost completely left American culture is having separate sides of the sidewalk for men and women. In the past, a man would walk on the outside of the sidewalk to protect a woman from the dangers of ongoing traffic. No one does this anymore.
Wearing skirts and dresses
Not too long ago, acceptable attire for a woman was a dress or a skirt. Things have changed and women are commonly seen wearing pants. Women do still wear dresses and skirts, but this is a lot less common than it was before. This is especially the case for the younger generation.
Holding doors
Another American tradition that is definitely fading is holding doors open for women and strangers. In the past, a man would always hold a door open for a woman to pass through first. This hardly happens anymore and holding the door open for a stranger is almost non-existent.
Pulling out chairs
A survey completed by Self says that people “typically go on one or two dates per month.” A man will hardly ever hold out a chair for a woman to sit down on a date like people used to do in the past. Pulling out chairs for a woman to sit down is becoming something very rare in modern American society.
Holding car doors
Not too long ago, a man would always open the car door for a woman and help her in and out of the car by holding her hand. This tradition doesn’t exist anymore and women open their own car doors and get in and out of cars without any help.
Working men
In times past, the man of the house would be the primary breadwinner, and the women would stay home to look after the house and the children. This has completely changed, and many women now work and look after the home and the children. Women now have additional roles in the family.
Baking from scratch
Not too long ago, people used to make everything they wanted to eat from scratch. Cakes were always homemade. Nowadays, it’s so much easier and often cheaper to buy cakes from a store than to spend time making them at home. Not many people bake anymore.
Spending evenings together
Before the invention of televisions, people used to spend time in the evenings together. They would read, play musical instruments, and spend time talking and playing together. This doesn’t happen anymore and families are growing apart. Families can be in the same room but separated by modern technology.
Walking behind a woman
The Cambridge Dictionary defines chivalry as “very polite, honest, and kind behaviour, especially by men towards women.” In the past, this behavior included walking behind a woman. Men don’t do this anymore, and they walk in front, behind, or beside women on the sidewalk.
Buying from milk vans
We’ve all seen milk vans in old films, as this used to be the only way to get fresh milk. While milk deliveries are still possible, most people choose to buy their milk from a supermarket or local grocery store, as fresh milk is now widely available.
Walking together
A family with many siblings would often walk together to and from school before school transportation became a thing. Nowadays, children hop on the bus to and from school, so they don’t spend time walking and talking with their siblings each day. Siblings are not as united as they used to be.
Home cooking
Fast food is very cheap and easy to buy. There are fast food places just about everywhere. This entices people to spend money on fast food rather than make something in the kitchen at home. Home cooking is becoming less and less frequent in modern households.
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