Society Norms You Don’t Follow

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]Somebody on Reddit asked a question that has the internet cracking up right now.

[00:00:04]The question was, what societal norm did did you decide to stop following? And apparently people are done pretending. And I love this already, Ricky, because some of these rules we follow really don't even make sense no more. We just do what everybody else do. Exactly. Like, who sat us down and decided all this stuff in the first place? Because some people are finally saying, "Nah, I'm good."

[00:00:29]>> [laughter] >> All right, Alfredis. Here's some of the funniest responses. One person said, "I stopped eating three meals a day at standard times. I just eat when I'm actually hungry." Another was, "We skipped the expensive wedding and bought a house instead."

[00:00:43]Now, now that's practical, but but, you know, why not start off your new life together with something that will be, you know, whole value versus uh something that lasts a couple of hours.

[00:00:54]Gary, you need to listen to that. And these weddings are ridiculously expensive now. So, this one though might start a debate.

[00:01:00]>> Somebody said, "My husband and I sleep in separate bedrooms and we get the best sleep ever."

[00:01:06]Yeah, but I'm not there to sleep. I mean, if the husband's snoring, go ahead. If he's snoring or not, if you married this person for who they are, not because they're snoring. So, you should I mean, sleep is important, but I mean, I would love to have somebody snoring next to me, you know, so they snore me to death.

[00:01:19]>> Oh, Gary.

[00:01:21]That's that's real romantic. Oh.

[00:01:24]Then over there, I'm pitiful.

[00:01:26]Booty-eating James over there snoring >> [laughter] >> in my open mouth.

[00:01:29]Yep. He ashy.

[00:01:31]Come on.

[00:01:33]Toenails ain't clipped. Oh my god.

[00:01:35]>> Ain't took a bath or nothing. You don't care to do it. Oh. No, because that's love. It's like snoring is I like snoring.

[00:01:41]>> it's unconditional, right, Gary? That's Thank you, Bre. That's right. Now, this one fall deep, y'all. A person said they sit on the train with no phone, no AirPods, just staring out the window because boredom is actually enriching.

[00:01:55]So true. Now, that sounds peaceful, and I really have forgotten how to just sit still. Now, um 5 seconds without stimulation and [laughter] people start itching. Yeah, it's true. It's true. I don't know.

[00:02:07]>> Okay. I know one person who may agree with this. One man proudly admitted, "I sit down when I pee because I stand all day, and that's my time." Yes, ma'am.

[00:02:20]>> [laughter] >> I admit it. I've been doing it for a long time because, I mean, it's very tiresome to stand up, you know, at a urinal and stuff, and I don't like it, too.

[00:02:29]This is um we're talking about Let me get back >> That was a time limit. It's real quick, Gary, right? No, it ain't that quick.

[00:02:33]But, this is the deal about um here. I do not like the sound of pee.

[00:02:38]Okay. Well, we don't want to hear that.

[00:02:40]But, why But, but, but we tired of uh uh you running running in there in the bathroom. Stand up and just stand up and use the bathroom.

[00:02:47]>> quicker. It's quicker. It's not that damn much quicker. You weren't on You weren't on the baseball, little league football team, or nothing.

[00:02:54]You've been like this your whole life.

[00:02:56]Okay.

[00:02:57]And it's just like when I can't use I don't use the restroom in the morning until I get in the shower. I love for the water to hit me, and when you have a nice >> Oh my god.

[00:03:05]Oh my god. You admit that on the radio.

[00:03:08]>> [laughter] >> And you walk around with all them expensive clothes on, making videos every day. And And this This is what you doing. You going to let the people let the people know. Hey, now what I really want to say, uh when I'm when I'm driving out of town or traveling out of town, I don't have to watch TV or have any music playing. I love a nice quiet ride looking at the trees for hours. Yes.

[00:03:30]>> For hours. And then, you know, sometimes when I get off the air, I'll go down into the lobby and sit at that little booth because radio is chaos, and sometimes I just need to compartmentalize. I need a little bit of quiet time to myself before I go get in the car and get in traffic again. Yeah.

[00:03:46]I just I just can't do back-to-back chaos. I have to have quiet time to get my mind ready for the next chaos, if you know what I need radio, honey. time.

[00:03:54]radio, honey. I got to cry, honey. So, I need the radio. I need music.

[00:03:58]Y'all know what I don't do anymore?

[00:04:00]What? It may be weird.

[00:04:01]I don't wear bras. Screw it.

[00:04:04]Well, ain't no I mean I'm sure you I mean I might wear a sports bra, but I'm not wearing real bras anymore. Like who said we have to wear bras? Right. Yeah, I understand.

[00:04:13]>> I'm tiny. I mean I'm kind of small anyway, but I'm just saying I'm like little bitty. Little bitty committee?

[00:04:19]Yes, I am. I'm I'm not I'm not doing it anymore. I mean you wear a bra cuz you probably don't need it, but That's true.

[00:04:26]Hey. That's kind of Super Dave saying you can just put a couple of paper towels [laughter] up there.

[00:04:31]You know what?

[00:04:32]>> But I tell you what, I don't I don't eat after 3:30. Oh, same. 3:30?

[00:04:37]>> Can't sleep.

[00:04:38]I do not eat after 3:30 or or 4:00 because and I when when I went to the doctor, he said I lost about 9 lb.

[00:04:46]>> lose weight and you can sleep better.

[00:04:48]I'm the same way. I will not I won't eat.

[00:04:50]>> your bottle of water and eat you some eat you some peanuts or something or bottle of water and and take the sleep aid and go to bed 3:30? That's cuz you go to bed at 7:00. Yeah, I do I actually go to bed at 7:30, like but but but that eating at night, I can't I just can't eat at night. Now, I do it on a Friday if I don't have to be up early that next morning. That's good. You know what I'm saying? That's good, but that's too early cuz we can't go to bed Some of us can't go to bed till 10:00, 11:00. Thank you. Me. You know what you're doing unintentionally?

[00:05:19]>> moving around, though?

[00:05:20]You as as Hold on. Hold on. Let's see what they're saying. Let's see what they're saying. Hold on. Hold on. One second. Good morning.

[00:05:25]My name is Tracy. I'm calling from Florida. And the rule that I stopped following is just [music] don't answer your phone until you got my number changed. And guess what? It didn't even change at all. I'm Terry calling from Orlando. One societal norm I stopped following is speaking positive about people because they're dead. Some dead folk left a lot of dirt that has to be discussed on this planet. All right, my name is Teresa and I am from Marshall, Texas and one rule I stopped following is allowing people to have more than one chance with me. I don't fool with people that fool with people that I don't fool with. People that don't know nothing and think they do.

[00:06:08]Hey, look, uh y'all hit us up r i c k e y what's one societal norm uh you stopped following because clearly people are out here making their own rules right now. Hit us up at 8669 r i c k e y. We're going to take more of your phone calls on the other side. Ricky Smiley Morning Show. All right, so this morning we're talking about Reddit uh you know, a Reddit thread that has people thinking uh rethinking life. What are societal norms that you are are are not doing anymore? What is it? And I love this Ricky because it's like everybody just collectively agreed, yeah, I ain't doing that no more. And somebody said uh I stopped feeling guilty for not being productive every second of the day. Right. Yeah, and that that's a big one right there. But we have um we've turned resting into something people feel bad about. That's crazy.

[00:07:00]Yeah. Can't take a nap without like, "What are you doing napping?" What are you the nap police? What?

[00:07:05]>> [laughter] >> You know, like when you take a nap and people are like, "Taking a nap." Don't be the nap police. You the nap just a po?

[00:07:11]Okay. Okay, here's another one. Here's another one. I stopped answering every call immediately. If it's important, they'll text. Yeah, I don't I don't like that. Call me.

[00:07:20]I don't like that. I don't. Just text me. Yeah. I'm a I'm a I'm a bottom line type of guy.

[00:07:27]Text me what you need and get you know, that gets you right to the point so I get have a solution for you. And if I have to pick up and call you then I can call you. And it let me know what you want to talk about so I'm not being put on the spot. Sometimes when you call people you don't know what you're walking into.

[00:07:42]You know what I'm saying? So so text exactly what you need so I can help you.

[00:07:48]Yeah. You know what I'm saying? You might it might just be a $30 hey send me a cash app request for $30 or whatever.

[00:07:53]But I don't want to hear the backstory as to why you need the $30 cuz I got other stuff that I'm dealing with. Let me just give you the $30 so I can go on it. You know what I'm saying? So yeah it it it it it'd be a lot that uh uh here is like Gary what's one of yours?

[00:08:10]Well I don't really have that many but I do know who y'all talking about this text uh I don't like texting. I'd rather you call me >> we know. and tell me and stuff like this stuff all that till you got to text a whole doggone dissertation and stuff and I don't have time to be doing all that.

[00:08:24]You know you could just text me short and then I'll I'll you know give me a chance to call you back at you know on when I can. I don't like to call people cuz I feel like I'm bothering them. Like I like well you might be in the middle of something so I don't like to call people. You call It's so small but like sometimes if I'm driving I can't text. I don't know how to do the text talk real good. You know I might press that microphone or whatever but if I'm driving that's that's only time I pick up the phone because if I'm driving Yeah. or whatever. You know what I'm Wait I got one y'all. I got one. This one got the people talking and it's simple but powerful. I stopped apologizing for saying no. Yeah. And you got to tell them about it you don't even or or my ex-girlfriend >> I can't do that for you. Like my bad like I wish I could but I can't. They'll get mad somebody get mad at you for only answering the question that they asked.

[00:09:10][laughter] Right. Right. Think about it.

[00:09:13]They get mad at you only for answering their question. And we say sorry.

[00:09:18]Yeah I I don't it's just not well got to train them not even ask. Yeah. How about how about how about it my I ain't going to ask me you ask me. I don't know what I'm doing.

[00:09:27]>> [laughter] >> Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

[00:09:30]Got got them trained to know not to ask or whatever. You know what I'm saying?

[00:09:33]I'll save it. Save that ask for when you have a real need or real emergency, but don't be asking just to be asking.

[00:09:40]That's all That's another thing I I think we're saying. Let's go to the phones. Good morning. Shelly from Florida. I don't go to funerals anymore.

[00:09:47]That's for the That's for Funerals are also overpriced and uh it's for you know, it's a social thing for for Good morning. This is Vincent from Orlando and let me tell you, I have stopped showing up to places to where I've not been invited and I have stopped accepting last minute invitations. If you wanted to be there, you would have invited me from the beginning. Hi, my name is Erica. I'm calling from um Birmingham, Alabama and one societal norm that I'm ending is not letting have my not let my kids have a say on certain topics.

[00:10:21]Um I feel like as adults, we just tell kids no because I say so and that's how they grow up to be adults and not make rational decisions. This is Cadillac D's calling in from Orlando and I stopped believing in being with one woman. Fellas, we need two. Now, I'm talking about What up, fellas? Roxanne, I'm calling from Richmond, Virginia. I stopped when when when people be calling me and they be on the phone like 45 minutes to hour and I want to get off, I just tell them let me call them back cuz my doctor called her. Yeah, this Keith from Tampa. I stopped using restaurant utensils. I use to go silverware. Mhm.

[00:10:58]I just want to know why everybody in Orlando, everybody that's listening to Star 94 mad at me. I I didn't laugh when that lady ran into them drums.

[00:11:07]I didn't laugh.

[00:11:10]Now I'm Now I'm going to hell just because it was the pastor's mama, but if it's anybody else in the church who uh hobbled around, ran into the drums, it wouldn't have been a problem except the fact that it's the pastor's mother, everybody mad at me. And then everybody at the church looked at me to see if I was going to laugh before they laugh.

[00:11:29]>> [laughter] >> And I'm trying I'm sitting there with a straight face and that I think it probably made it worse. It did.

[00:11:34]>> [laughter] >> I turned around and made eye contact with her, and everybody was looking at me. And that's the problem.

[00:11:40]>> was invited. It was a pastor's anniversary, and she ran into the drums.

[00:11:44]But I it wasn't the fact that she ran into the drums. It's the way the drummer got up before before it she got to him.

[00:11:51]No, it was your face. It was your face how you looked when you turned around, cuz I could see that dumbass face right there.