"Flight Attendants Were Once The Pillar Of Glamour," And 14 Other Careers That Have Gone From Highly Respected To Somewhat Disrespected
BuzzFeed
4 min read
On Friday, Reddit user u/jaysmith007 asked, "What profession was once highly respected, but is now a complete joke?" People gave examples of jobs that used to be highly regarded in society, but now — well — aren't anymore. These jobs have become obsolete, distorted, or disrespected.
(Obviously, these responses don't reflect my or BuzzFeed's opinion.)
Here's what they said:
1."My friend's dad was a pretty successful ad salesman for Yellow Pages. No one needs a phone book anymore."
2."Milkman — now they are just joked about as 'everyone's secret father.'"
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3."Critic, for the most part. It used to be that — in order to be taken seriously as a critic — you had to have some accomplishments in the field you were critiquing to show that your opinion on the subject was worth some value. Somewhere along the way, the position devolved to 'any asshole with an opinion is a critic.' It has fallen even further in the internet age, with 'critics' giving obviously stupid 'hot takes' just so their name can be spread out among the media."
4."My aunt crushed it as a travel agent in the '80s/'90s. The internet totally blindsided her."
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5."Chef. My dad was a chef, and in his day, you could have your pick of jobs. Literally, walk out of a restaurant and into another by the end of the day. People respected them and allowed creative and financial freedom. Now, I work as a chef and constantly have to answer to people — managers, waitresses, people who have absolutely zero culinary experience. The pay is shitty, the hours are ridiculous, and it's about three decades behind in terms of workers' rights."
6."Air hostess. Once a symbol of glamor, it’s now a joke. I’ve been one for 14 years, and even in that short amount for time, I’ve seen quite a change in the level of respect. When I started, it was, 'Oh that’s so cool,' to now it’s like, 'Wow, that really sucks.' I still love it (most days), but yeah."
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7."Philosopher. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Now, if someone tells you they are a philosopher, people assume they don’t have a job and do a lot of drugs."
8."Optician. Back in the day, if you were an old-school optician, you knew absolutely everything about complicated prescription issues, making glasses, grinding lenses, manufacturing a complete set of glasses yourself from your own lab in the back of the store. Nowadays, it’s mostly 20 year-olds who take a little express program to certify themselves as 'Opticians,' but all orders are sent to an outside lab to be made."
9."Elevator attendants. Once revered engineers capable of lifting humans hundreds of feet in the air. Now, a comedic relic of a bygone era."
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10."Lawyer. I’m one, and I’ve already heard all the jokes, thanks. In the 19th century, it really was a position of prestige. In the mid-20th century, it meant Atticus Finch. Now, it’s just the equivalent of ambulance chaser in the minds of most people. And it’s too bad, because when you actually need one, you see what they genuinely do."
11."Clowns were once seen as funny and entertaining for parties, but now everyone is terrified of them."
12."Translators used to be members of royal courts, but are now full-on taken advantage of by agencies who know nothing about the industry, but hold all the clients. They often expect people with B.A.s, M.A.s, multiple certifications, and decades of experience to work for very low pay."
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