Tradition can bind a culture together, but it can also quietly normalize habits that cost us more than we admit.
Americans love a good tradition, and these rituals give us a sense of shared identity and history, acting as the glue that holds our diverse culture together through generations. However, not every custom passed down is worth keeping, especially when you consider the logical or financial toll. Some of these habits may have outlived their usefulness, becoming more of a collective annoyance than a cherished moment of celebration.
It is time to take a hard look at the practices that drain our bank accounts, endanger our health, or plain irritate us daily. While nostalgia is a powerful drug, it shouldn’t blind us to the reality that some of our national habits are long overdue for a permanent retirement. Here is a look at fifteen American traditions that many folks believe we should finally kick to the curb.
The Daily Pledge of Allegiance
Reciting a loyalty oath every morning in school is a ritual that many other democracies find bizarre and slightly authoritarian. For young children, the words are often just a rhythmic chant devoid of any fundamental understanding or political meaning. Critics suggest that true patriotism comes from civic engagement and education, not from rote memorization of a pledge written over a century ago. It can feel more like indoctrination than a genuine expression of love for one’s country.
The phrase “under God” was added during the Cold War and continues to spark debate about the separation of church and state. Students should be free to explore their national identity without being compelled to recite a pledge daily. Forcing a ritualized declaration of loyalty on six-year-olds seems out of step with the values of a free and thinking society. Maybe we can show our patriotism by being good neighbors instead.
Sales Tax Not on the Tag
Walking into a store and seeing a price tag should tell you exactly how much money you need to hand over at the register. In the U.S., however, we have to do mental gymnastics to add local and state taxes to the sticker price. This lack of upfront pricing is a constant annoyance for both locals and confused tourists who think they have enough cash. It is a system that favors advertised low prices over consumer clarity.
Most other countries include the tax in the shelf price, so what you see is literally what you pay. It streamlines transactions and prevents the surprise of a higher total when you are ringing up your groceries. There is no logical reason we cannot update our labeling to reflect the item’s final cost. It is just another small way the system complicates daily life.
“How Are You?” as a Greeting
We ask “How are you?” to everyone we meet, from the cashier to our boss, but we rarely want an honest answer. It has become a robotic filler phrase, with the only acceptable response being “Good, and you?” regardless of how you actually feel. This creates a culture of superficiality where a scripted exchange of pleasantries replaces genuine connection. It forces people to lie about their day to get through a social interaction.
If you actually start describing your bad back or your stress at work, the other person usually looks panic-stricken and looks for an exit. It would be more honest to say “Hello” or “Good Morning” without the feigned interest in someone’s well-being. We should save the personal questions for times when we actually have the time and empathy to listen. Let’s stop pretending we are conducting a therapy session in the elevator.
Tipping Culture Gone Wild
The pressure to tip has expanded from waitstaff and bartenders to nearly every counter you approach, leaving customers feeling awkward and financially drained. It used to be a reward for excellent service in a sit-down setting, but now digital kiosks spin around to ask for twenty percent just for handing you a muffin. Bankrate found that 63% of Americans have at least one negative view about tipping. This sentiment suggests we are reaching a breaking point where gratitude is replaced by guilt.
Employers have historically shifted the burden of paying a living wage to customers, creating an inconsistent income stream for workers who deserve better stability. Instead of relying on the generosity of strangers to pay rent, many argue that businesses should price their goods to cover fair wages for their staff. This shift would eliminate the confusing social dance at the register and make the cost of goods transparent from the start. Until then, we remain stuck in a system that frustrates everyone involved.
Daylight Saving Time
We spring forward and fall back every year, disrupting our sleep schedules and internal clocks for a practice that offers questionable energy savings in the modern era. The initial reasoning involved giving farmers more daylight or saving candles, but today it mainly just results in a groggy workforce and confused pets. Stanford Medicine reports have shown that this twice-yearly shift does serious harm to our bodies, yet we persist in setting the clock twice a year. It is a collective jet lag that the entire nation voluntarily signs up for.
The health consequences of losing that hour of sleep in March are far more severe than just needing an extra cup of coffee to get through the morning meeting. Studies have linked the transition to a spike in workplace injuries, traffic accidents, and even serious medical emergencies. According to a study cited by the American Heart Association, there is a 24% increase in heart attacks on the Monday following the springtime change. It seems like a high price to pay for a little extra evening sun.
The U.S. Penny
Coins used to carry real value, but the copper-coated penny has become nothing more than a nuisance, weighing down our pockets and jars. Most people spot them on the sidewalk and do not even bother to pick them up because they are essentially worthless in today’s economy. The irony is that we spend millions of taxpayer dollars every year to manufacture a currency that nobody actually wants to use. It is a financial drain that makes zero sense on paper.
The government is literally losing money on every single one of these small coins that rolls off the production line and into your couch cushions. Inflation has rendered the penny obsolete, yet we continue to mint them by the billions for reasons that baffle economists. USAToday reports that the U.S. Mint said that it costs approximately 3.69 cents to produce and distribute a single penny in 2024. That is a tradition of waste that we can definitely afford to lose.
Prescription Drug Commercials
Turn on the television in the United States, and you are bombarded with happy people running through fields while a narrator lists terrifying side effects. We are one of only two countries in the world that allow pharmaceutical companies to market directly to consumers in this aggressive fashion. Critics argue that this drives up the cost of healthcare and encourages patients to ask for brand-name drugs they might not actually need. It turns medicine into a commodity rather than a public service.
The amount of money poured into these advertisements is staggering, diverting funds that could be used for research or to lower prices for patients. Instead of doctors deciding the best course of action based solely on science, they have to manage patient expectations set by slick marketing campaigns. In 2024 alone, the pharmaceutical industry spent a massive $10.1 billion on drug advertising to capture your attention. Maybe it is time to leave the prescribing to the medical professionals.
Gender Reveal Parties
What started as a cute way to cut a cake and share news has morphed into an arms race of explosives, dyed smoke, and dangerous stunts. Social media clout seems to be the driving force, with expectant parents trying to outdo one another with increasingly elaborate and hazardous spectacles. This modern tradition has strayed far from its innocent roots and now poses a genuine threat to public safety and the environment. The celebration of life shouldn’t involve risking others’ lives.
The consequences of these stunts going wrong can be catastrophic, leading to property destruction and massive emergency response costs. One specific event stands out as a grim reminder of why pyrotechnics and dry brush are a terrible combination. A gender reveal device sparked the 2020 El Dorado Fire in California, which burned 22,744 acres and caused millions in damage. It is a high-risk gamble for a reveal that could be an email.
Black Friday Madness
The day after Thanksgiving was once a fun opportunity to grab a few deals, but it has mutated into a contact sport where shoppers trample each other for televisions. We go from expressing gratitude for what we have on Thursday to fighting tooth and nail for cheap electronics on Friday morning. The intense consumerism and manufactured scarcity create a chaotic environment that brings out the absolute worst in human behavior. It is a stark contradiction to the holiday spirit of peace and giving.
Retail workers bear the brunt of this frenzy, often forced to work long hours in hostile conditions instead of enjoying time with their families. The rush to save a few dollars has resulted in genuine physical harm to shoppers and employees alike over the years. Since 2006, the chaotic rush of Black Friday has been linked to 17 deaths and over 125 injuries. Perhaps we should stick to Cyber Monday and stay safe on the couch.
Columbus Day
Honoring Christopher Columbus has become increasingly controversial as more Americans recognize the devastating impact his arrival had on Indigenous populations. The holiday was initially established to celebrate Italian-American heritage, but the figurehead chosen for it carries a legacy of exploitation and violence. Many states and cities have already pivoted to celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead to shift the focus toward resilience and history. It is a move toward a more accurate and inclusive telling of our past.
Keeping the federal holiday as it stands feels to many like a celebration of colonization rather than a moment of national pride. History books are being updated to reflect the whole reality of 1492, and our holidays should likely keep pace with that understanding. Continuing to honor a figure who caused such immense suffering sends the wrong message about who we value as heroes. We can celebrate heritage without glorifying the destruction of civilizations.
The Electoral College
The system for choosing the president is a confusing relic of the 18th century that often leaves most voters feeling unheard. In modern elections, a candidate can win millions more votes than their opponent and still lose the keys to the White House. This winner-take-all approach in most states means that candidates ignore huge swaths of the country to focus on a few swing states. It makes many Americans feel like their ballot is just a suggestion.
Defenders say it protects the interests of smaller states, but opponents argue it violates the core democratic principle of one person, one vote. We have seen multiple elections in recent decades where the popular vote winner was left standing in the cold. The frustration is palpable when the person who earned the most support from the citizenry does not end up leading the nation. It is a complicated puzzle that many think we should solve by simply counting heads.
Unpaid Internships
The idea that young people should work for free to gain “experience” is a barrier that keeps less privileged students out of competitive industries. It assumes that an intern has parents who can pay their rent and buy their groceries while they toil away for zero dollars. This system perpetuates inequality by limiting career-launching opportunities to those who can afford to work for nothing. It is a gatekeeping mechanism disguised as education.
While some laws have tightened around this practice, it remains prevalent in fields like fashion, media, and politics. Real work deserves real pay, regardless of whether the employee is still in college or just starting. Expecting labor without compensation devalues the contribution of young workers and sets a poor precedent for their future employment. If you are doing the job, you should get the check.
Hidden Resort Fees
Booking a hotel room feels like solving a math problem where the variables are hidden until the very last second of the transaction. You think you have found a great rate, only to be hit with a mandatory “destination fee” or “resort charge” upon check-in. These deceptive pricing tactics make it impossible to compare costs accurately and leave travelers feeling scammed before their vacation even starts. It is a bait-and-switch that the hospitality industry has normalized.
The fee often supposedly covers amenities like Wi-Fi or gym access, which many argue should be included in the standard room rate anyway. There is nothing luxurious about being nickel-and-dimed for using the pool or having a towel. Consumers are tired of seeing a price on the screen and paying a completely different amount when the credit card is swiped. Transparency should be the standard, not the exception.
Balloon Releases
Releasing hundreds of helium balloons into the sky is often done to mark a memorial or a celebration, creating a fleeting moment of visual beauty. But the saying “what goes up must come down” applies here with disastrous consequences for wildlife and local ecosystems. Those colorful latex or foil orbs eventually land in forests and oceans, where they are mistaken for food by animals. It is effectively littering on a massive scale, with a celebration attached.
Birds, turtles, and marine life often ingest debris or become tangled in attached ribbons, leading to a slow and painful death. Environmental groups have been pleading for years for people to adopt eco-friendly alternatives, such as planting trees or blowing bubbles. Trading a few seconds of awe for years of environmental damage is no longer a trade-off that makes sense. We can honor a moment without trashing the planet.
Sticker Shock Weddings
The American wedding industry has convinced us that if you do not spend the equivalent of a down payment on a house, you do not love your partner. Couples start their lives together under a mountain of debt to feed steak to distant cousins they haven’t seen in a decade. The pressure to host a Pinterest-perfect event has turned nuptials into a performance rather than a meaningful union. It creates financial stress right at the moment when stability is needed most.
From ten-tier cakes to designer dresses, the expectations have ballooned beyond reason for the average working family. The focus often shifts from the marriage itself to the photogenic quality of the party. With the average wedding cost hovering around $30,000, many are realizing that a smaller, more intimate gathering is the more brilliant move. Love is free, but the open bar certainly is not.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
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