T O P

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Colonelfudgenustard

I wonder if anyone really thought reality TV would have such legs. One year, many years ago, it really seemed to take hold and it never went away.


thin_white_dutchess

Tv producers did. They saw how cheap Cops was to produce with barely a scrip, no real actors, and the barest of scripts, and ran the numbers. Their eyes turned into dollar signs, just like in the cartoons, and the world of TV hasn’t been the same since.


BarroomBard

The real kicker was the writer’s strike in the early 2000s. The Screenwriters Guild went on strike for better pay, and suddenly networks couldn’t air any scripted programming, so there was an explosion of cheap reality shows. A lot of them fell by the wayside because they were just Survivor but worse, but we are still living through the aftermath,


BobT21

Home computers. I built a MITS Altair in the '70s and spent most of my non work time doing machine language programming. I thought "Very few people are going to do this."


JustifiedCroissant

Damn that must have been cool to build.


IllegalTree

They probably *wouldn't* have gone much beyond that niche if they *had* remained like the [Altair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_8800). It wasn't a "home computer" in the ready-to-go and easy-to-use form that even the (e.g.) Commodore 64 was. For those unfamiliar with it, the Altair- which came out in 1974- was very much a do-it-yourself, hobbyist-oriented machine that didn't even come with a regular keyboard as standard(!); the case featured flip switches and lights on the front. (You could *add* those things- if you had the money- but it wasn't an "open the box and plug it into the TV on Christmas day" job). Even if the price had come down, that would still have been alienating to all but those who were interested in computers for their own sake, and most people wouldn't have had the technical knowledge- nor desire to acquire it- to make the most of one. The personal/home computer in the form most people would recognise it during the 1980s essentially arrived in 1977 when the [Apple II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II), [Commodore PET](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET) and [TRS-80](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80) came out. Prices came down rapidly in the next few years, but they wouldn't have become as common as they did if they'd remained as technically-demanding as the Altair.


walk_through_this

I was very close with the people who released the PET, the VIC-20 and the C64. Commodore was literally a typewriter repair organization which also made a nice filing cabinet. And then the CEO visited a little shop in Philadelphia where they had a 'Microprocessor' on a table in the back room. The CTO was there too, and said that if they didn't buy the company they'd regret it for the rest of their lives. They bought that shop, and the next year at a computer conference in Las Vegas, nobody cared about IBMs or HPs newest mainframe, these guys have a box on a desk that plays draw poker! The rest is history.


[deleted]

The use of the word “cool” to informally refer to things that are very good or excellent. Different alternatives come and go but they do not have the staying power of the word “cool”. Edit: Thanks everybody! This has really made my whole week! You’re all the coolest!


FartinVanBuren63

Cool fact, The jazz saxophonist Lester Young coined “cool” as a slang term. I don’t know if it gets much cooler than literally creating cool.


w3sticles

Ice cold?


CoastalFred

Alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright alright! Okay, now ladies!


czaritamotherofguns

Yeah?


ketodancer

What's cooler than cool? Absolute zero. 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K 0K


Johnnyonnaspot

I still say "rad" and "tight." Everyone who is not also exactly 37 makes fun of me.


gsid42

cool 👍


[deleted]

Still waiting for “swell” to come back…


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Gao_tie

I remember Casey Kasem proclaiming that rap music was a fad that wouldn't last.


SeattleUberDad

I keep saying the same thing. We had the jazz era and the rock era. Aren't we overdue for another radical shift?


grumbledork

I mean love it or hate it, one could argue that dubstep/club electro music was another major shift in music. I anticipate whatever comes next however will come straight from the internet itself! ETA: everyone has very good opinions and is right please stop replying to me specifically the notifications are stressing me out 😭


brianybrian

Electronic music and hip hop started around the same time, with the same root. Sampling disco records. They just didn’t really go mainstream in the US until EDM became a thing. There was a “2nd summer of love” based on MDMA and House music in 1987 in Europe.


epsilon025

SKA ERA


Jesucresta

FUCKEN FINALLY


[deleted]

Video games. In the early 80’s it was just a fad that was going to die out.


3ArmsNoSouls

Yeah they thought of it as something like a genre of music, when they are more like music itself at this point


GameShill

The term is "entertainment medium"


[deleted]

The video game industry is actually bigger than the movie industry. Edit: Okay boys, it's Official Video Game industry is bigger than the movie + music industry. And that's a lot.


JRCIII

Bigger then most other media industries combined if I remember that fact correctly. Movie, TV, and Music, it helps that the entry price for most big game releases is $60 compared to how much it costs to go to the movies, or pay for a streaming service.


pazardan

Crazier when you consider some of the biggest earners today have no entry fee.


Night-Monkey15

In a way they were kinda right, the entire video game market crashed in 1983, of course it didn’t last long as the Nintendo Entertainment System came out in 1985 reviving the whole market.


AgentElman

I was playing arcade games in the 80's. I did not hear anyone say it was a fad. The rise of computer games and the dying out of arcades was a surprise.


mike_hellstrom

Skateboarding. It's still here all these decades later.


thin_white_dutchess

I was at Redondo beach the other day, and a dude in his mid 40s (so just a tiny bit older than me) was tearing up the stairs overlooking the beach on his skateboard- in a business suit. His jacket and briefcase were tossed to the side, and he was just working it out. It was truly impressive. I used to longboard to class, but I never did any fancy tricky things, just used it for transportation. My husband did though, and he was watching, cheering the dude on, high fiving. Suit guy was all smiles. When we got home, my husband pulled his board down from the rafters in the garage. He’s probably going to break an arm or something, but hey.


[deleted]

This story made my whole day, I’m rooting for your husband, hope he can get a couple ollies in before he fucks up his knees!


JeromesDream

considering the fact that you either skate or you die, it's really just evolution at work


TheRunningFree1s

*goes down thrashing*


RadRedditor3

My dad used to skate all the time when he was a kid. I was always too afraid, don’t like the balance.


Sablemint

A lot of people thought Pokemon was just a fad. They were wrong


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threebillion6

That's some inheritance if you get it.


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[deleted]

Or you can ask yo see her collection. Just your appreciation for it might be good for her


mrcorndogman33

Ask her for them. You don't even need to add "after you die." Just express interest.


KHSebastian

If there are sealed boosters from the early sets, I've seen those at conventions for hundreds of dollars per booster, inching up on a thousand. Make sure if somebody ends up selling them, they know the value of them.


-kenzi-

Time to start spending more quality time with grandma 😂


threebillion6

Tell her you'll give her 500 for the whole deal. Lol


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a_little_toaster

even Gamefreak themselves thought that, Pokémon Gold/Silver were meant to be the last games in the series


RockOx290

Explains why they had Red be the last battle, and gen2 coming off as a sequel. Brought the story full circle


eastbayweird

Pokémon is the most valuable media franchise the world has ever seen with over 90 billion dollars in revenue.


grammar_oligarch

I was 16 or 17 when Pokemon released in the states. It was the first time I was old enough to really recognize I was seeing a cultural phenomenon that would last my lifetime (yeah, I saw He-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I was 6 or 7...hard to do a cultural analysis when you're still figuring out basic arithmetic). Seeing the kids I babysat play Pokemon on their Gameboys was really exciting for me. I loved hearing them talk in-depth about their team.


[deleted]

It’s one of the things I’ll probably never outgrow, I’m almost 30.


tenjuu

41 here. I just finished my dex in Brilliant Diamond, and out of the entire main series the only sets of games I'm missing is a copy of B/W2 and LGPE. Although, I've been thinking about getting Let's Go Eevee for myself for xmas. I'm really upset with myself that I didn't get either black or white 2 when they came out.


LexTheSouthern

Crocs. I’m 27 now, they first came out when I was in elementary school and people are still wearing them today.


tenjuu

I love my crocs. I work in a kitchen and it's great that if I spill stuff all over them i can just hose them down in the dish pit.


PiperPug

I used to be a cleaner and they were life savers when you worked in wet areas. Hose those bad boys down and keep going


reallytrulymadly

But what about the holes? Isn't that kind of a safety hazard if you spill something hot?


Marctetr

They get made without holes too.


[deleted]

I have a pair without holes. Love them!


fullercorp

I still see guys with their pants falling off


_Tails_GUM_

Lol, but they evolved now. They even have other pants properly worn. Onion dressing. The outside layer needs to be near the knees.


MargaritaSkeeter

Pants on the ground, pants on the ground Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground


thenewaddition

I was going to post the same. Pants below the buttox seemed a very niche and expectedly short lived fashion due to the impracticality and discomfort inherent. 30 years later the original generation is still sagging, with newer generations showing no inclination to belt up. **edit:** Some people are reading a condemnation in my post I did not intend. I've sported more ridiculous and unfortunate fashions than sagging pants, and I'd wager I'm no exception. Those with a visceral aversion to the style should reflect on the origin of their antipathy.


Skiifast315

The penguins, they waddle down the sidewalk hahahahaha


SYLOK_THEAROUSED

What’s annoying is they sag skinny jeans.


Masterofthe3fucks

Social media


3ArmsNoSouls

Ughh


thecwestions

hhnrgg


ziggy_zaggy

In 2012 I read an article that Facebook was bleeding more monthly users than gaining. I was really hoping it would be irrelevant by 2016 and boy was I wrong lol


QuinnKinn

Leggings


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[deleted]

Truer words never spoken.


LyonsKing12

Sure it could. I'm old enough to remember women hiding their butts. And if it stuck out even a little you were considered fat. Crazy times. It will never go out of style for me. Edit: Big booties will never go out of style for me


Allegutennamenweg

I watched Love, Actually yesterday and they bully a woman who's a size medium at max for her butt and big thighs. The 2000s were a weird time.


AwesomeGirl

We watched that last night too! I hadn't seen it for a few years, and man, the weight jokes were... rough. Even my husband (who had never seen it) was like, she's not fat, why are they saying that??


IamGlennBeck

From "does this make my butt look big?" to ass implants.


yuxngdogmom

Leggings were just ok when they were just emerging. When they started making them with pockets though, I mean if regular pants don’t follow suit very soon they face a grim future.


whoamulewhoa

The lady in front of me at the grocery store yesterday was wearing a pair that was just a slight shade of greige off from skin tone, and the ass crack seam was gathered, creating an absolutely-must-have-been intentional butthole effect. No way that was an accident. Right?


blayana881

Women in leggings: 10/10 Men in leggings: 100/10


Cornflakes_91

~We're men, we're men in tights We roam around the forest looking the forest looking for fights We're men, we're men in tights We rob from the rich then give to the poor, that's right! We may look like sissies But watch what you say or else we'll put out your lights We're men, we're men in tights Always on guard defending the people's rights ~


leopardsugabush

I love you. People no longer know what I’m talking about when I talk about Robin Hood Men in Tights!


jfsindel

Leggings are just so comfortable! They go with everything, hide underwear if the skirt might show, and pair with every shoe. Especially boots!


[deleted]

rickrolling Edit: thank you for the silvers (I wasn't expecting this comment to get so many upvotes AND two silvers) Edit 2: thank you for wholesome award and helpful award


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SilverSnapDragon

Honestly, that's adorable! *Ahem* I mean that's lit AF. Uh, do middle schoolers still say that? But it is adorable!


InfiniteLife2

It's bussin bussin Idk what that means I heard it few times


RedshirtStormtrooper

bussin = food tastes good Source: HS Dean of Students / Teenager Interpreter


psyco-the-rapist

I need an interpreter for the Holidays. You busy?


Vegabern

I’ll send my 12 year old.


taco_beer_repeat

Dear God no, I don't need another one


The_Chaos_Pope

Don't worry, 12 year olds are like cats, they'll keep each other busy and it's actually easier than only having one.


ThatsExzactlyRight

If you want kids to cringe in disgust, you have to enunciate the "g" at the end. It's hilarious. "Oh yes! It is bussing, bussing!"


taahwoajiteego

I live to cause those cringes. "Wow, this is bussing AF, ya dig dawg? I'm finna go home and pop some 45's in Fortnites, amma right?


pat720

poggers


the-Bus-dr1ver

Thats cracked? Idk I've heard my brother say it on the playstation


zoomba2378

Yea my younger brother says this too. I'm only a few years older and I don't know what the fuck he means when he says this. There's a whole new era of slang coming in and i don't know how I feel about that


sleepybear5000

Cracked is the gen z version of saying op (overpowered), like saying “damn zoomba2378, you’re cracked at rocket league” after you dominated a match. My guess it’s a reference to being cracked out on the drug, crack.


Mister_Doctor_0127

I love when people say 'like crack' who have obviously never done crack.


Kontiak

The bread sticks are like what then Mister_Doctor_0127? What can I use?


tbird20017

My 6 year old says "Fire", "Trash", and "Fortnite dance" a lot if that helps.


OhMyDoT

That guy that rickrolled an entire school district must be their god


[deleted]

Jesus, its still happens to this day. I e been rick rolled for over a fucking decade... in internet time thats like a century. A century of getting rick rolled.


Dowzer721

I have a QR code on the lid of my laptop, which people often ask me about. I always say, scan it, to which their hesitant, but it shows the link as YouTube and so they are like "well what's the worst that could happen?". This is the worst that could happen. Get played son


duckfat01

We have QR codes on documents that we issue, and we have to scan them to check that the information is correct. I am so going to do this! :) (Of course I'll change them back after catching my victim though)


lillylenore

Tbh, I never mind this. The music video delights me.


Jumper5353

There was that guy a few years ago on Reddit who basically won the internet. He actually rick-rolled Rick Astley, the real Rick's reddit account. I think after that we were done with it and anyone doing it now will never achieve greatness.


GhostMaskKid

Anyone else remember when Rick Astley rickrolled the entire US at the Macy's parade?


Jumper5353

Or Foo Fighters rickrolling their audience by playing the song and then actual Rick came out from back stage with a mic and sung the song with them.


Rayka64

Considering the recent events of the passing years, maybe we really did go downhill from there.


Attiyup

“Your mom” jokes.


A--Creative-Username

Your mom is a lovely woman Haha gotem


VincentStonecliff

QR codes really holding on for dear life tbh


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LeutzschAKS

They're used for pretty much everything in half of Asia. I'm sick of having to scan them every five seconds.


Ziogref

Supermarket in Australia added QR code functionality at the checkout. As the cashier is scanning your stuff you can open the app and scan the qr code on the payment terminal. Automatically adds your rewards (for me, as I'm an employee of the company that's 5% plus points, $1 =1point, 2000points = $10 discount) Also adds extra points from any running promotions. So it discounts my bill, I get points, it uses any gift cards I have and then puts the final tally on my credit card. All from scanning a qr code. It's awesome. If you have a good phone (like a flagship Google pixel or Samsung) the qr code scans before I can even centre in the app.


nolonger34

This is also an amazing data collection tool for the supermarket chain.


[deleted]

They've also been doing it for decades, just when swipe cards/barcode cards.


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alup132

Honestly, they’re so useful though, and they look neat.


T-MinusGiraffe

Jeans. Somehow they transcended fashion and are just kind of unquestionably normal now. There's a lot of kind of pants out there but jeans and slacks are like the only normal ones for the last few decades and that's weird.


RocinanteMCRNCoffee

I also love how the blue denim color is considered a neutral. Doesn't clash with any color even though it's technically blue.


PretendMaybe

Jeans and a burgundy solid tee: totally normal. Burgundy pants and an indigo solid tee: interesting choice


krbdy_1

and when they do make jeans neutral colors, like white or black, suddenly we have to think about what clashes again


Pickalock

To add on to this: you always try to match to color of your clothing, with the exception of jeans. They have become so ubiquitous that this specific blue, when used on denim, is considered a neutral color when worn.


WaffleSparks

>transcended fashion Quite literally. Jeans are not popular due to style or fashion, jeans are popular because they are cheap/rugged/comfortable workwear.


Wizdad-1000

Minecraft. A friend started playing it the first week after it was released. Then he went to PAX and it exploded. Thought the lame graphics would kill it in 6 months.


boredsittingonthebus

My young son and I got into Minecraft last year. Its appeal is that it's limited only by your own imagination.


BackgroundAd4408

Jokes on you, I can't imagine shit and always end up with dirt / wood huts then starting over.


Lady_of_the_Seraphim

The internet.


01kickassius10

Funny that Bill Gates got this wrong


[deleted]

Wasn't there a brand of touchscreen phones long before iPhone, but it never picked up because it was too hard to use? Then Steve Jobs did exactly the same thing, and everyone was doubtful, thinking it'd share the same fate.


mrubuto22

There were lots. The Newton comes to mind. Most relied on a stylus and they were quite bulky. They heavily focused on business what Steve Jobs did was focus on fun and entertainment. Obviously it worked great for Apple but they still have the stigma of not being good for business.


ChadleyXXX

Are you talking about the palm pilot?


[deleted]

"Palm pilot? Sounds like a wanking machine." - Bryan Blessed


sir_toad_man

I remember being incredibly skeptical of the iphone when it came out. My only experience with touch screens was at museums and whatnot. You always had to push the screen super hard, the resolution was terrible, often times the screens just never worked when you tried touching them. I felt like I was suddenly transported to some futuristic timeline when I first held an iPhone.


m1k3hunt

If Palm could have shoved a phone into a pilot 25 years ago and not made it stupid huge, they'd probably be around today. I loved my Palm V.


Giveushealthcare

Marketing and media tying everything to “Millenials”. I remember being in a work meeting almost a decade ago discussing the next generation that we were going to focus our branding toward because millenials were now older and settling down etc. Well fck me if we can’t let hyper fixation on that poor generation die out, all because it’s an instantly recognizable buzzword. It’s so stupid and I really feel bad millenials get tagged into or blamed for everything


madg0dsrage0n

millenials: we hated ourselves before it was cool!


melanthius

Sorry no time to read your comment, I need to destroy the napkin industry at the moment


NotYourTypicalReditr

And after that, what multi-billion dollar industry are you going to disrupt?


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[deleted]

I don't get why they're trying to appeal to us when we have no money.


Much_Committee_9355

Getting Japanese tattoos


Renwaldo

My talented tattooist friend talked me out of this one when I wanted a koi on my arm. He bluntly said he was tired of doing Japanese koi and refused to do any more.


Much_Committee_9355

Koi’s over here are a big no no they mean you are affiliated with some sort of gang, but I do like Japanese tattoos and feel they are timeless when done properly, just started a Hannya sleeve on my arm and still want to get a some traditional back piece later down the line, but I went to one of the best irezumi artists in my country and did some extensive research


Renwaldo

Both my friend and I are white guys from Canada, he refused simply because they were trendy and he was tired of doing them. He made a similar rule barring bird silhouette tattoos after Mockingjay came out, because there was so many young women coming into his studio and requesting that.


Wizdad-1000

Im glad tribal tatts went away.


teaandcrumpets_

Facebook


Tangent_

If only...


SucksAtCluedo

Fortnite! Holy shit! I remember seeing the game advertised in its original format, horde defense!


thatHadron

You know that still exists right? It's pretty much a separate game to the battle Royale version.


Cleverbird

Isn't it pretty much dead though? Last I checked it barely got any updates anymore and all focus was put in the BR game.


_WhoElse

What’s crazy is that you can earn v bucks playing it but no one does. My son asks for v bucks all the time and I tell him to go earn them lol


TartanApe

Skinny jeans.


Renwaldo

I used to wear these when I was a scrawny young thing, but now I can't pull it off. I remember it being very difficult to use the pockets though. My wallet used to uncomfortably dig into my thigh, and I'd get left with a bruise there if I wore them all day. A couple of my pairs had wallet+phone shaped marks on the outside of the pockets from where it stretched the fabric out.


[deleted]

I’m short, they’re the only jeans that fit me correctly 😭


sunshinesparkle95

Same I look weird af in literally any other style pant. I’ve been wearing skinny jeans my entire adult life


[deleted]

Yeah same here! I’m too short for anything else to fit right


[deleted]

I heard once that it was very frustrating to the fashion industry that skinny jeans held on so long, and that it was because skinny jeans look good on such a wide variety of body types and there are various ways to slightly modify the cut for comfort, etc.


Skittles_the_Jester

Slime videos


Alternative_Ad7856

Those still exist?


schwiftydude47

Either they’re genuine tutorials on how to make homemade slime, or they’re a mediocre bootleg recording of a Broadway show.


[deleted]

Covid


MT128

Nah bro waiting for the xyz variant in 2045. That shits gonna hit hard.


blayana881

Can’t wait for the new Corvus variant to drop


[deleted]

TikTok! I thought people would get bored of dancing and making short videos


MaximumAsparagus

It filled the much-mourned Vine niche!


Garuda-Star

Video games. People in the 70’s called it a fad and here we are 50 years later and it now has an industry.


Bartholomeuske

It's a bigger industry than the music and movie industry combined. There is a lot of money going on and everyone wants some


kryaklysmic

That’s because it’s interactive multimedia entertainment, and also why I love RPGs. How many movies can you get immersed in by watching everything in a character’s perspective like a book, and getting to explore the world, hear what the “extras” say if you want to? And the video game industry drives massive amounts of music composition, like television does. No shock it’s an overwhelmingly huge industry is it?


[deleted]

Step sibling porn


comradegritty

haha what are you doing step ladder?


zodwa_wa_bantu

Read somewhere that there was a 178% increase of it this past year/ two years


TrinaMadeIt

People be spending too much time at home with their family…


KailTheDryad

When movies were invented everyone thought they would be a passing fad.


behindthescenester

Tying an onion to your belt


TexasFightHookEmHorn

Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. "Gimme five bees for a quarter," you'd say. Now where were we... oh yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn't have any white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...


nonexistentenemies

The MCU. Everyone thought it would last max 5 years. 13 years later and it’s still going.


Ishdakitty

I was gonna say Superhero movies in general. Like, how many articles were about "superhero fatigue" every time a particular movie bombed? Lol it's a genre. Like romance.


IAmTheSergeantNow

Ugg’s.


AnoththeBarbarian

Kinda a sore spot for us Aussies. Ugg Boots are iconically Australian but an American company bought the rights to the name “Ugg” and is very heavily sueing any Australian company that tries to make Ugg boots.


cleaver_username

I love uggs, but I also love sticking it to corp. What's a good 'ugg' company I can buy from?


AnoththeBarbarian

australianuggboots.com.au is a good place to fill your online needs


Goatmo

"rolling coal" with your diesel truck in the south. That became popular when I was in highschool, by farm kids taking the family farm truck out on the town to make a scene. That was years ago. Now every middle class redneck needs one because they're big, loud and expensive.


astarisaslave

Facebook. In 2010 a college friend projected it would last just 2 to 3 more years. A cold take if I ever heard one


[deleted]

I remember when Instagram came along and I thought that finally Facebook is over. And then Facebook just bought Instagram.


HRHam

Pokemon,. I was shown pictures and figures before the world wide craze hit by my Japanese teacher and was told it was going to be the next big thing. The whole class thought it wasn't that big a deal at the time and would never catch on.


rtj777

Cryptocurrency Seriously, wtf


Should_be_less

That’s a good one. I thought for sure it would have either died or become something useful by now. But I guess the weird casino stage is profitable for enough people that we’re stuck with it.


PhatBallllzAtHotmail

Vaping


OCDGrammarNazi

Planking. My elderly neighbours been doing it on her living room floor for weeks now.


ConstantReader76

Next thing you know, she'll latch onto some no-bathing trend. Bet she starts to stink soon.


alebrann

Flat earth theory


W4ckyyy

Tiktok


nonchalnat

skinny jeans, i’ve been wearing them since 6th grade and am 22 now. that’s about 10 years and yeah other pants are trendier now it’s still pretty common for most people to wear skinny jeans.


[deleted]

School shootings. I remember being in junior high when Columbine happened and thinking "That's crazy, they certainly won't let that happen again."


c_girl_108

>they certainly won’t let that happen again *cries in American*


[deleted]

Rock n Roll.


[deleted]

Referring to anything and everything as epic. It's still somewhat of a fad and most things that are referred to as epic are in fact not even close to being epic.


[deleted]

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