People Are Calling Out Grown Adults Who Never Learned These Basic Everyday Skills And Social Norms, And Honestly, I Need More Of This Energy

Somehow, we live in a world where people can program all their lights in their home with their voice, order sushi from their watch, and create viral TikToks in under a minute. And yet, there are still grown adults who don’t know how to sit quietly through a movie at the movie theater or boil water without googling it!!! TBH, the contrast between knowing how to function in modern society and everyday cluelessness is honestly kind of mind-blowing.

Recently, redditor Mirukuyobi wanted to know what everyday skills people are surprised others don’t know or follow when they asked: “What’s a basic skill you’re shocked some adults still don’t know?”

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From not being able to do basic math to not knowing how to read a room, the responses people gave made it clear that common sense isn’t always…well, common. Below are the top and best comments:

1.“Spatial awareness while in public.”

—knownbymymiddlename

2.“Knowing when to admit they’re wrong.”

—LieSad9714

“I have a coworker who is older than me and whenever he is wrong about something, others who have been doing the job way longer than him try to explain to him what he’s doing wrong and what he should be doing, but he always says stuff like, ‘Hmm, maybe, maybe, but that doesn’t make sense, and I think that’s wrong.’ Like he’s telling them that what they’re saying is wrong. He’s been in that position for almost a whole year and he still doesn’t get it. It’s so annoying.”

—None

3.“Basic reading comprehension.”

—screechypete

“Especially in the office, where more and more communication is via email. I can’t tell you how many times I send out an email and get replies back asking questions that are very clearly already answered in my original email. It’s constant and very frustrating/time-wasting.”

—ChicagoBILLSfan138

4.“Reading a room. Like, how are you 35 and still telling inappropriate jokes at work potlucks?”

—Ok_Meeting_9083

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5.“How to find the answers to googlable questions.”

—slightlyinsanitied

“The number of people I have seen on the local Facebook Groups asking things like ‘What time does the doctor’s office close?’ when the answer is literally a google or a phone call away is quite worrying.”

—PurahsHero

6.“Basic math.”

—KanarYa4LYfe

“I always remember that screenshot of a Facebook poll to solve something like: ‘3+3×3= ?’ And a huge majority of people answered ’85.’ Like…how?”

—Daemonicvs_77

7.“Merging onto a highway. Entirely too many people just slowly drive down the ramp into traffic. For the love of God, people, you need to accelerate hard and get to speed as early as possible and match the flow of traffic!”

—steeeevorino

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8.“Using turn signals. It’s not rocket science, folks!”

—Ashamed-Dot3574

“Even those that do signal often seem to miss the point. If you only start signaling when you’re already almost stopped next to a driveway, I’ll have figured it out myself, thanks.”

—HendrikJU

9.“The difference between a fact and an opinion. It shocks me the number of adults that I run into who think that because something is said it’s a ‘fact,’ or that someone’s opinion on something is somehow written in stone, is staggering.”

—krackshot302

10.“Emotional intelligence.”

—North-Ship-6332

“This one makes sense to me, considering how attachment works and how many f’d up people have kids.”

—WhisperingButtholer

11.“Using basic features on their phones.”

—themashedrat

12.“Empathy, shocking lack of it in some adults.”

—Common-Ad6470

“Selfishness and ‘main character’ behavior often come along with this, too, in my experience. Some people are willfully un-empathetic, like they know what they’re doing is cruel or hurtful, and they just wave it off because in their mind, they are the only one in the world who matters. Or they celebrate it because they revel in misfortune and the suffering of others.”

—Xordanus

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13.“Critical thinking. Don’t just take what that Facebook article says for gospel. No, Bruce Willis isn’t dead yet, as far as I know. Just check what you’re reading.”

—ladycattington

“I’d take regular thinking these days.”

—MisoClean

14.“Patience. Absolutely no reason to run that red light, speed excessively, scream at people, and stress about the small things. That’s when you’ll end up injuring yourself and/or others. I was a paramedic for 8 years, and it was wild the accidents we saw from people being stressed. Just take a deep breath. That 3–5 seconds you might save by speeding or running that light could make your life or someone else’s life a lot worse.”

—Alert_Umpire_2879

15.“How to behave towards someone who’s experiencing grief, how to tell the truth without being hurtful, and being mindful of others’ feelings.”

—elefanteholandes

16.“How to count money back. It baffles me. It is rare that anyone faces and fronts their bills, and 80% can’t count back change. 😕”

—Designing1166

“Or calculating change. Had someone mistakenly hit the exact change button, and had to call the manager over because the register didn’t calculate the change. The manager pulled out a calculator. I said that it should be $1.17, and when they confirmed that number, they both looked at me as though I had just cast a magic spell.”

—MWSin

17.And lastly, “That an influencer might give them incorrect information. I work with a kid who thinks the cops can’t pull him over unless he commits a crime in front of them, and he therefore does not need insurance. (Where I live, drivers are required to carry liability insurance at a minimum.)”

—3batsinahousecoat

You can read the original thread on Reddit.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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