r/HonestHotTakes

I grew up in a house where dinner was dinner. You ate what was in front of you or you went to bed hungry, and nobody sat down to negotiate with a 6 year old about broccoli.

Now I have friends cooking three separate meals every night because one kid only eats beige food and the other one "doesn't do sauce". Then they tell me that's just how he is, like it arrived with him. He is SEVEN. He did not come out of the womb with opinions about pesto.

Before anyone starts, yes, ARFID is real and sensory stuff is real and if your kid has an actual diagnosis then obviously none of this is aimed at you. My cousin has a boy who genuinely cannot handle anything wet and they have been working with a feeding therapist for 2 years. That is a different thing and everyone knows it is.

I'm talking about the kids who eat everything at their grandmother's house and then get home and suddenly can't. That is not a palate. That is a kid who worked out that holding out for 20 minutes gets him chicken nuggets, because it does, every damn time.

You are allowed to just make one dinner.

Despite how big of a deal it seems to be to a few very specific people.. it doesn't matter. there aren't currently any actual Trans women in pro sports and there likely won't be.

Politicians just want their names in your mind for midterms.

If you're genuinely one of the people getting angry about "men in women's sports", youre falling for astroturfing and need to think more before you get enraged about things.

I saw a post go viral on tiktok (2.3M views in less than a week) of a nontraditional student moving into university housing. He was still young (28) but people in the comments said nontraditional students should not be allowed to live in dorms.

I personally think this is a closed-minded sentiment. I understand an older student may not be the “normal” college roommate, but I’ve known people who have lovely experiences with them. I also think any nontraditional student moving into university accommodation knows what they’re getting and might actually be more accepting than traditional students.

For example, my friend shared a suite (kitchen+bathroom+living room) with a woman in her 60s who was going back to school. If he came home late from a night out, she’d wake up early to make him a big breakfast, then ask him all about his night out. She wasn’t judgmental at all, she just genuinely enjoyed his stories.

I also remember an older woman from when I was in undergrad looking for a suite mate. She would post on the class Facebook and seemed really nervous about getting random suite mates and them not liking her :( I’d estimate she was in her 50s and she said she used a CPAP machine, but was otherwise quiet. She apologized for the machine being a little noisy, but said that in return, she didn’t mind having roommates that have people over in the common areas late at night. I feel like this is a really fair trade.

Edit: I also think building intergenerational bonds is important. It can help all of us be more accepting of each other and not just think every old person is a “evil boomer” or every young person is just a “screenager.”

I see thread after thread here popping up and every single one is undeniably cringe. Probably the cringiest subreddit and I’ve been lurking on Reddit for near a decade. People here don’t use the sub for anything intellectually interesting or presenting with logical reasoning. It’s just the sound of children who were never taught to grow up. And if you’re grown adults, you should be ashamed of the stuff you put out there.

I don't care what anyone says. It is never justified. It is always mean-spirited and unbecoming, and I despise how comfortable people are in this age of the internet with throwing around that word. No matter how progressive people claim to be, no matter how much "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" people say, and no matter how much "looks aren't everything" people throw out, when the chips are down and people need a quick insult to cut someone, we all see what gets thrown around first. Frankly, it seems like the only difference between people acting like you're decent looking and them calling you ugly is how much they like you and how angry you've made them. It should not be this way.

As people, we're more than what we look like, and I'm tired of people cutting each other down by making fun of something that we don't control. We don't control our faces. We don't control our physical disabilities or deformities. It's a lottery, full stop. And before people comment "wElL aCtUaLlY pEoPlE dO CoNtRoL tHeIr WeIgHt", I refuse to subscribe to this toxic ideology that a person being fat or obese makes them less worthy of basic human decency. I'm over it, and everyone who makes fun of fat people, anorexic people, paraplegic people, or any kind of person with a physical impairment or simply any person who looks different on the basis of that difference is an asshole to me. I stand on that.

As a society, we need to relearn the concept of disagreements based on ideas/art without resorting to physical insults. If you don't like a person's music, a person's online content, a person's art, or a person's opinion, be an adult and critique it without invoking the word "ugly" with regard to physical appearance. The shit that's been said about Audrey Hobert's physical appearance in the past few days has been reprehensible and shameful. I don't care if you haven't seen it personally; that does not erase that it's been said and that Audrey is at risk of seeing the things that people have said about her. The way people have come to publicly talk about other human beings in such cruel ways is disgusting and appalling.

I will never change my opinion on this. It is never okay to call other people ugly, never okay to make fun of physical traits that people cannot control, never okay to deny people basic human decency because of what they look like. Never. I really don't like that this is even a hot take, but here we are.

Full honesty, I am someone who has said stuff like this all the time and used it as cope. The fact is, no one really thinks that you need to be a 10/10 looking guy with a perfect body and a 6 figures salary to get a girlfriend. And the hypergamy shit is not a real thing the way people talk about. A lot of time its just normal college stuff with a hot guy who sleeps around a lot sleeping with some average girls as well and they use that as an excuse. And when they talk about girls who say they want chad or whatever, it's a little hypocritical since a lot of those same guys are thirsting over top 10% of women while they are average or below average looking. A lot of this stuff is because these guys don't actually give a shit about a relationship and have never really talked to a girl to have any reason to care about a woman beyond her body, so they really just want to sleep around and fuck a bunch of girls, but don't have the confidence/resources/looks to do that stuff. And when they would actually have to do the stuff that one does in a relationship, they don't care. They treat it like a job, and the sex as a paycheck they are working for. (assuming they have even been in a relationship)

And the number one reason behind all of this, is just that a lot of guys are scared to ask people out, which is fair. Theres a lot of risk, theres a lot to loose, and theres reasons to be scared and not want to do it. Personally, I could never ask someone out because the idea of loving someone who doesn't love me at all is awful. And this is the reason you really only see this in men. Is because the underlying issue is a fear of approaching/lack of confidence, which is something that women don't have to have since they are (generally) the ones getting approached. If women had to approach as much as men did and the oness was on them, all these things that guys say would be said by the women.

In a perfect world this wouldn't happen because women approached guys like guys approach women, and when people do get asked out they are nice to them in responce, and just say no. And yes, I know that some guys don't stop and are crazy, but i got friends that have been rejected in awful ways (Snapchat stories, mocked by all her friends, ostricized and laughed at over it) and they are just normal duded who were kind when they approached. Honestly, I don't think theres anything that can fix this, but if yall got ideas feel free to drop em down below.

I know that kissing children on the lips is a normal thing in some families and cultures, so I don’t think it’s inherently inappropriate. This isn’t about whether or not it is appropriate. But love my child more than anything and still don’t want their mouth anywhere near me. I think id rather lick the sidewalk.

A destination wedding invite is asking somebody for 1,500 to 4,000 dollars and most of the annual leave they get in a year. Ask away, people say yes all the time and have a great time doing it. But I have now watched 3 separate people decide their friends "didn't show up for them" when those friends had 12 days of PTO, a car payment and 2 other weddings that same summer.

What was anyone supposed to do there, remortgage?

And nobody ever says the real thing out loud. You never once hear "it was too expensive for them." You hear "I just thought you'd make more of an effort," and the effort in question is four figures and a week off work.

So have your destination wedding. You have picked the location over some of the guest list and that is a completely fair trade to make. You just don't get to be quietly pissed off at people about it for the next 2 years.

Commonly passed down by generations of EITHER dead-broke and/or hopeless individuals OR ultra wealthy people who’ve faced difficulties that monetary means couldn’t possibly lead to a desired outcome (aging, death, mental problems).

Money is a tool necessary for survival and a healthy evolution, therefore I’d categorise it up there with the existential needs such as water, food and clean air.

Having more water reserve doesn’t make you happier, for you can only use so much of it before your essential needs are met. But having extra gallons stored somewhere safely would definitely be calming for the psyche to enable the brain to direct its CPU towards other important events that might actually give life a fucking meaning instead of riding oneself to oblivion on rollercoaster of the endless Agony.

(this applies to finances split either way btw, even 70/30 depending on who makes more) but anyways

i wish people would stop glamorizing the idea of a life of doing nothing at home all day and relying on a man to provide financially for you. you should ALWAYS have a backup plan and your OWN finances. it doesn’t matter how much you love or trust someone, people and life are unpredictable and you cannot rely on someone else for everything! that lifestyle does not seem glamorous to me at all. i hate the idea of having to ask my partner for money so i can leave the house to go shopping, and that also opens up the door to financial control or abuse. i would feel so much more secure knowing that not only are my bills paid but i also have my own money that i can spend on my own volition

There are certain health issues that some women genuinely only feel comfortable discussing or being examined for by another woman. It’s not about thinking male doctors are automatically bad or incapable, it’s about comfort, vulnerability, embarrassment, past experiences, and just being able to relax enough to actually explain what’s going on.

And honestly, I think a lot of us, myself included, have avoided going to the doctor because we didn’t feel comfortable seeing a male doctor for certain things. We’ll put it off, convince ourselves it’s probably fine, and only go when it becomes serious enough that we can’t ignore it anymore.

Obviously emergencies are different, but healthcare shouldn’t have to reach the emergency stage before someone feels comfortable enough to seek help.

Having a few women available every day wouldn’t solve everything, but it could make a massive difference for patients who otherwise might avoid care altogether. Sometimes feeling safe and comfortable enough to talk openly is the difference between getting something checked early and ignoring it until it becomes a much bigger problem.

Men don't have to put off seeing a doctor for male-specific problems because most clinics have male doctors on staff, and sometimes the entire staff is male. So why should women have to sit out of getting care simply because we’re not comfortable discussing certain issues with a male doctor? Also, its uncomfortable having your parts be inspected by a male if you're female.

Maybe that shouldn’t be considered a luxury in healthcare.

When I had sex ed, (which was a 20 minute lecture from the pe teacher in middle school) the boys were taken out so the girls could be taught about women's bodies, and then the girls were taken out so the boys could learn about men's bodies. Everyone i know was taught like this. Shouldn't they just learn about both genders? I feel like men especially are very undereducated about women's bodies. (Once meet an adult man who thought a woman peed and bled out of one hole-)

I’ve seen this phrase used to justify child marriage at 12/13/14 up till 18, which is obviously very very wrong. But even in more ordinary instances…

The average age to get a first period would be about 12. Telling a 12 year old, even if you frame it as something good and exciting, that she’s “a woman now,” is..concerning. 12 is still very much a child, you don’t need to drill into the poor girl’s head that she’s an adult.

You can say “you’re becoming a woman/adult/grown up” but framing it in the present tense is weird.

You’re essentially telling her her childhood is over and that she must starting acting a certain way, which isn’t ideal.

Plus a lot of people forget that after you get your first period, you still grow physically for years after. I was tiny when I got mine and grew considerably a lot up until 18 from all directions lol.

Maybe I’m deeping it too much, but hearing it really does trigger cringe 😬

i feel like this shouldn’t be a hot take but it seems like every time someone comes online and says something to this effect, the pitchforks and torches come out and people scream eugenics. i do not believe that anybody should be forcibly sterilized or that the government should have a say in who can and cannot reproduce. however, if you are aware that you are the carrier for a condition that will drastically decrease your child’s quality of life and you choose to have a child regardless, you are selfish and cruel. there are so many other ways to fulfill the desire for parenthood (fostering, adoption) that don’t create more suffering

In plenty of places outside the US, an 18 year old dating a 20, 21, 22, or 23 year old, or someone older barely registers as noteworthy. They’re all adults, often in the same university/work/social circles/church, and nobody is sitting there calculating the age gap like it’s a federal investigation.

Obviously context matters, and “they’re both adults” doesn’t magically make every relationship healthy. Yet this healthy/unhealthy thing applies to all relationships. But the way some Americans talk about a 18-19 & 20+ relationship like it’s automatically predatory is genuinely not a universal cultural norm.

I am 18/19 and dating someone whos 22/23 and the only people who think this is weird are Americans online.

The rest of the world did not get the memo that a four year age gap after 18 is supposed to be an emergency.

I've seen this happen so many times. I'll just give my own personal story so that you can understand it better.

I told a therapist that I wanted to take my own life, and they said "you shouldn't do it because you'd make your family depressed". I told them they didn't care about me and called me a disappointment to my face multiple times, but they just responded with "you don't know, deep down they might love you".

I stopped seeing them after that. That was the stupidest reason to not kill myself I've ever heard. I've told them a ton of stories about stuff my family has done to me in the past, yet they still believe they love me.

Every time someone says they want to kill themselves on the suicidewatch subreddit, I always see the same three responses. "You have people who would miss you", "don't use a permanent solution for a temporary problem" and "you have so much to live for". Those reasons don't apply to everyone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not supporting suicide at all. But you can't give them reasons not to if you don't know anything about their lives.

A common argument against abortion is that you need to “take responsibility” for your actions.
Raising a child is not the only way to take responsibility. It is not always the responsible decision to raise a child.

People say if your mature enough to have sex you can deal with the consequences. Having sex doesnt make someone mature. Its a lot more likely that immature people will accidentally make a baby than mature people who are ready to have a baby.

I think you should be able to control your body and try to experience pleasure within it. Life’s hard. Orgasms make it a tiny bit easier.

“I’ve got to be mindful not to scare women because I’m a big, burly guy with tattoos and a huge beard.”

“My husband’s a big, burly guy and even HE cried watching Toy Story 3.”

“I’m a big burly guy and you bet your ass I’ll wear a tiara and have a tea party with my 6 year old daughter!”

They always use the adjective “burly” lol. I’m sorry but I refuse to believe there are that many Sons of Anarchy looking dudes on this platform.

Edit: even though I did say men also deserve men only spaces, but some of you don’t read the entire post…

YES MEN SHOULD HAVE MEN ONLY SPACES IF THEY WISH. MAKE THEM, ADVERTISE THEM. If they’re not in high demand, that’s now women’s fault (as some people somehow managed to suggest).

Just saw an angry comment section of some men who said women shouldn’t get to choose where they sit. This was a response from an airline choosing to let women have the option to sit next to other women only.

One time in class I said I’d love to start a women only business. All the girls loved it and cheered. Some of the boys in the class, however, got very pressed or rolled their eyes in disbelief. Even the male teacher said, “but…why?! That’s so strange hahahahah” when, no… it isn’t.

Women only gyms are also often shamed.

I don’t know what there is to be annoyed about at all honestly. I feel like some men feel entitled to women and their presence, or they find it absolutely absurd that women would want to avoid potential staring and/or harassment. By all means go ahead and make only men spaces, I personally wouldn’t care.

Just don’t understand why there’s certain men who get so annoyed lol. It doesn’t affect you.