What things do you find odd that are considered normal in your society/culture?

[BrucesBarAndGrill]

This is inspired by a conversation I was having earlier that I found interesting.

The thing that sparked the conversation was that I said I thought it was odd how adults are expected to share beds and on the flip side of that how parents who co-sleep with their children are seen as doing something odd or different to the accepted norm. I can't understand why it's seen as normal to put a baby/small child to bed on their own in a different room while adults, who don't have the same need of protection and care, share a bed in a different room.

I assume that other people must think about things like this aswell and I was wondering what social/cultural norms felt strange to you?

Father Christmas. I don’t get why we lie to our kids and pretend a man is watching their behaviour while he gets all the credit for sorting the presents! Also parents’ uptight attitude towards keeping the secret.. if your child is ten and still believes I think it’s time to have a word

Full English breakfast

Football hooliganism. A small number of other countries' fans have it too, but most don't (for any sport) and Brits invented it.

Girls getting their faces all puffed out with fillers and frozen with botox, at an age when they're naturally plump & smooth 😕

Being drunk in public - absolutely raging drunk. I think maybe Australians do this too, but nobody else does! To be fair, I've had many excessive nights out in my time and it is fun. But it is pretty strange to normalise hordes of people losing control of themselves every Friday and Saturday night.

Full English breakfast can stay, though!

Being expected to know all about celebrities' lives and being able to recognise them. If you don't know intimate details of completely inconsequential strangers' lives you're considered odd. To have whole rounds of table quizzes on the topic, the same way you would have about geography or literature. Crazy.

Lmao. England invented football but have not substantially altered human nature by inventing hooliganism. You think e.g. the Ancient Romans who supported the various factiones in chariot racing at the Circus Maximum turned up to give their team a genteel clap and to call, "Jolly bad luck, old man. The best man won on the day. Now, who's for tiffin?"

People's zealot-like faith in systems that are clearly failing, like the NHS, the BBC. If you point out any flaws you are an unbeliever, a demon who is secretly working to destroy them.

People who believe anything the TV says, from the baldest government propaganda to contrived reality show bullshit.

The utter frenzy about Christmas. The 3 month long obsession with getting matching pyjamas, matching initialled stockings, ensuring equal size gift piles(???) and the chronic booking of Christmas parties and trips to see Santa in 8 different shopping centres. Its overwhelming, how do people cope with the chaos?

P.s, I really like Christmas, gift giving and tradition Church events but I find modern Christmas knackering.

I live in Denmark. Don't get me wrong, im very happy with my life, but confirmation absolutely baffles me. Oh it's tradition they say, neatly sidestepping that it's based on force and that you had very few rights historically if you weren't a member. The amount of money and attention is frankly obscene, and btw none of them seem to have any grasp of scripture. I've been here nearly 20 years and I still struggle with it.

Apparently it’s normal to be in uproar that i eat with my knife in my left hand. I find this uproar odd.

Banter and people where people have a back and forth constantly taking the piss out of one another. I'd find it exhausting, like being back at school. I couldn't be around people who are constantly like that and you can't ever have a sincere or serious conversation with.

Humour is a wonderful part of British culture but I'm not into banter.

The celebration of being thick and uneducated. Which other countries in the world bully those who try hard at school?

Why do you think that is unique to the UK?

I won't mention what culture I am referring to but I find it odd that people ask very personal questions really bluntly e g. How much money do you earn? Are you losing weight? Does your husband treat you well? What's that on your face?

I am very British in that I wouldn't dream of asking anything like that. It feels rude to me but is perfectly normal for my relatives abroad who feel that sharing such information forms a close bond. It doesn't!

The recent obsession with 'colonialism' and 'decolonisation' - particularly in universities. The British empire was a long time ago and people of working age today are not responsible for it.
Many countries colonised other countries - not just European countries- but somehow that's ignored. The Vikings get a free pass despite being violent invaders - if a (probably inaccurate) DNA test claims you have 'Viking ancestors' there's a high chance that means one of your female ancestors was raped by a Viking. Somehow that's a fun fact but we all have to pretend to be sad about Victorians behaving badly in Africa, whilst ignoring current wars between modern African countries. The British Empire is long dead and none of it has anything to do with me.

I also find it odd that adults want to share a bed with another adult but we expect children to be in bed alone.

also find it odd that in 2025 in places with access to plentiful food that people eat animals. Not even so much from an ethical point of view , but just seems really unappealing to me to eat parts of a dead animal’s body . Meat eaters are the majority though so I do know that it is ME that is odd here and not them, so don’t come for me 🫣

I’m Irish and atheist. I have great difficulty in understanding why pretty much everyone here baptises their children Catholic yet never brings them to Mass.

Multi generational households don't seem to be the norm in the UK. I believe it was different before the industrial revolution, and will perhaps re-emerge in places as housing costs and the price of living continue to soar.

It is a foreign idea to me to put my elderly relatives or disabled dd in a care home, when we will likely move somewhere big enough for all of us, and maybe children's partners and dc too when they grow up if they choose. Not only would I not trust their care to strangers when everyone in the family can muck in, but I've seen a friend nearly bankrupt to pay for the care of her mother.

I'm not judging anyone that does, I can see why it makes sense with how the average family is set apart in the UK. It will just always seem strange to me.

In the UK the only things that I don't understand is why we treat our young people so bad from a political perspective & this ties in but our distorted housing market. So many think these two things are normal.

I've never seen it discussed as being a problem elsewhere. Perhaps it is. I know it's a problem in this country though.

I've certainly seen it discussed as an issue in US movies and Australian TV.

The drinking culture.

I don’t mean nobody should drink but I know people who just won’t go to an event if they can’t drink alcohol, which just seems bizarre to me.

Linked to this is the whole parents need wine time because of the kids… it’s actually pretty dark when you think on it.

I am in Scotland ; sectarian rivalry in football, or indeed sectarianism in any part of life.

Admittedly I am from Aberdeenshire, and we are a godless bunch, so it is bemusing to watch Rangers/Celtic , Hibs/ Hearts fans , letting their ‘religious’ background affect their allegiance to a football team. Or indeed their attitude to other people. The Glaswegians like their reputation for friendliness, but not apparently , in foitball.

For me, getting married in a Church when you are not remotely Christian, don't go to Sunday services etc. See also- getting your child christened.

So many of my friends have got married in a Church and then also had their children christened but I have never ever seen or heard of them ever going to church at any other time.

Yeah the "humaniation" of NHS. I don't know how else to say it. Some people talk about NHS like it's a philanthropist person you must love with all the many flaws rather than a aystem that is supoosed to work for them.
Aa immigrant it is baffling sometimes when comparing it to where I grew up - Medical staff are respected, the system is separate to them so one can critise it. Here I saw people react "so you hate nurses" when people critise NHS. Even the messaging during covid was very much pushing it. My family had "stay home, save lives, support our medical staff" vs "stay home, save lives, protect NHS"
If that makes sense.

I think that's more baffling than popularity of mushy peas to me 😁

We did this.

It’s more about cultural heritage than Christianity for me. We also donate to church repair fundraising for the same reason. Any kind of event like a wedding brings funds into the Church too, often much needed funds.

A fair few traditions adopted by Christianity predate it, so it’s not too far afield people wanting to continue the tradition of church use even if they aren’t so devout.