30 Things That Used To Be Normal In Society But Are Illegal Now

So, several days ago, a Redditor by the nickname of u/90sVib3z approached the AskReddit community with a question: what's something that's illegal now, but used to be perfectly normal?

It didn’t take long for the question to take off and for answers to come pouring in. As of this listicle, the thread has 6,400 upvotes (94% of them positive) and has generated over 8,200 comments, either answering the question or discussing it.

Much of the thread deals with answers that tie in with dangerous things—either physically and directly, or more passively and more long-term. At least health-wise. You know, being able to buy dynamite at the store, smoking among minors, lead paint, stuff like that.

But some suggested societal issues that could more likely be attributed to morality and ethics. It was things like public executions, guns in schools, child labor laws, that sort of thing. Humanity used to live in wild times.

The first bit is probably self explanatory, right? Many, if not all laws are often written in blood or at the very least based on experience. Morality, on the other hand, is a whole different issue.

A study of the human brain suggests that morality isn’t merely a cultural construct. It’s also based on evolutionary factors, passed on from our ancestors, hard-wiring us to think in terms of cooperation and smooth social interactions.

An interesting thing to note about morality in humans is that there are several locations within our brains that play a role in forming a sense of morality and ethics.

Without getting super nerdy, each part of the brain plays a role in handling things like understanding the intentions of others, being aware of how our body feels, managing self-control and intelligence, tackling emotional reactions, among other things. Each of these building blocks play a role in how we handle morality and immorality.

And while evolution is the basis, it doesn’t mean that morality is set in stone. Culture and social influences have an impact on what we think is right and wrong. This has allowed people to come to decisions to frown upon second-hand smoking. This also led to many human rights movements that have since then made tons of progress to care for each other more than we used to. Because remember, from a natural standpoint, we’re social beings.

It is this that has pushed us as a species to form our own definitions of morality through interacting with those around us. The power of reason and intelligence in humans is what allows us to have an idea of what morality is and how to navigate it. Through reason, we reach new heights in things like empathy for others, forming bonds and communities. If anything, for survival, but there is potential for caring just because it’s the right thing to do and life is precious.