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Sports? The Royal Family? Joe Rogan? 15 things people can’t believe adults take seriously.

"Sports. I get it. It's entertainment. But calm down. You aren't on the team."

via Daveynin/Flickr and Do512/Flickr

Should adults take sports or Joe Rogan so seriously?

When we take a look at humanity, there are countless things we take seriously, that may not matter in the grand scheme of things. Many of us also have a soft spot for ideas that aren’t exactly scientific.

No one is perfect, and it's okay for us to take pleasure in being invested in some forms of inconsequential entertainment simply because they are fun. The trouble comes when people waste their lives and resources on ridiculous things that do more harm than good.

The key idea is that no one is immune from taking something seriously that others may think is a waste of time. But, to each their own or vive la différence as the French put it.

A Redditor who goes by the username Hogw33d asked the AskReddit forum, “What is something you can't believe real grownup people take seriously?” Many people responded that they don’t understand how some people can invest so much time and energy into things they deem frivolous.

The list was a great way for some to vent but it also provides a solid skeptics guide to some of the pitfalls we may unwillingly fall into in life.

Here are 15 things people “can’t believe” that “real grownup people take seriously.”

​1. Community theater

"This is niche but community theatre. The DRAMA among grown adults is insane, worse than when I was in high school. Like yall, we are singing and dancing and wearing silly costumes. It’s not that serious." — MediocreVideo1893

2. MLMs (multi-level marketing)

"I just don't understand how people keep falling for it. They always think that there's a difference. It's all the same pyramid scheme y'all." — IsItTurkeyNeckorDick

"I think we should take them way more seriously. They can do massive damage to a person's financial and mental health. We need to stop treating them as a cute thing that naive people get sucked into, and ban them for the scam they are." — Hydro123456

3. Flat Earthers

"I think it actually started as a sort of debating society. Just for people to practice and become better at rhetoric. But, they actually convinced some people and now, this is what we have." — Addicus

"There’s one of those apocryphal quotes that goes along the lines of, 'Any group of people that get their laughs pretending to be idiots is bound to be taken over by actual idiots who think they’ve found good company." — RilohKeen

4. Social media outrage

"Social media in general. Too many people believe every clickbait headline or buy into whatever trend is taking over. Feels like people can't self soothe and need the validation or something, it's just weird." — Cynn13

"'Outrage over Z' 'People slam Y' And it's only like a few people on Twitter or Reddit and they present it as some huge backlash or major issue lol." — Sclubadubdub

"The political news channels do almost nothing other than this. They tell viewers the other party is outraged about something that you never find a real person outraged by and create culture wars that no one is actually fighting." — Herbdontana

5. Reality TV

"It's all fake, too. An acquaintance of mine works at a major studio. Those shows are all scripted and fake." — SpaceMoneky3301967

6. Sports fans

"People take being a fan of a sport (or team) way too seriously, imo. I promise you don't need to riot because 'your team' lost." — AdmirableProgress743

"My husband works himself into such a state over something he can't control and is, imo, of absolutely no consequence to his life. He's toned it down because I told him the screaming and cursing terrorize me and our daughter. But he stews and mutters obscenities." — Complex_Yam_5390

7. Scientology

"Might as well just say every religion. They're all coocoo bonkers." — JenniferC1714

8. Gossip

"Gossip in general. I live in a small town and it is maddening how people here are so serious about it. It's not light fun chatting, it's all SCANDAL and we need to take ACTION. I swear a lot of people's problems would be immediately solved if they just stopped giving a sh*t what everyone else does (to an extent)." — Buffalopantry

9. Facebook

"My mom will literally call me up if I didn't like a recent post of hers. There have been a few times where she asked why I didn't like every photo she just posted. It's maddening. I've also had periods of deactivating my fb only for my mom to guilt me into reactivating it." — Zealousideal_Mix6771

10. Billionaire 'geniuses'

"Elon Musk and other billionaire 'geniuses.' People are pretty freaking gullible." — GladysSchwartz23

"Most average people don’t realize that being incredibly smart doesn’t automatically mean you are good at doing things like running a large company. They tend to assume people at the top must be there based on merit. In reality, there are some massively stupid people running huge companies, and there some brilliant people who are shoveling shit for a living." — Captcha_Trampstamp

11. The royal family

"I have a news app on my phone and no matter how much I tweak my interest to avoid any gossip BS I still get "Breaking News! Some insignificant bullshit about the Royals". It's not news, it's not interesting, stop reporting this utter drivel." — Sclubadubdub

12. Religion

“The creator of the universe impregnated a virgin, only to deliberately kill the child 30 years later, to save people from…himself.” — Opteryx5

"I grew up figuring everyone was just roleplaying and was shocked to learn religion is taken seriously by many people. It was a real eye-opener for someone who grew up in a secular environment." — Kilterboard_addict

13. Vaccine skeptics

"I work in medicine and am starting to get really worried about the vaccine skepticism. It used to be a little more rare, so I would counsel, they spout incorrect information, I tell give a little retort/response, and then move on because time is tight. But now it’s happening so often that I’m working way harder to persuade because I feel a strong obligation to fight all the bullshit info that has obviously taken hold." — KellyNJames

14. Loud exhaust systems on cars

"As someone who lives next to traffic lights and can hear all y'all shi**y music and loud exhausts all day... I approve this message." — Rainbow-Singbird

15. Joe Rogan

"The whole 'I’m just an idiot don’t pay any attention to what I say' schtick doesn’t really work anymore." — FoucaultsPrudendum

"It was great when he had a guest that was in academia, like a physicist or something. I would skip over most of the comedy buddy circle jerks he would host. Then when COVID happened I had to stop entirely. He fully went off the deep end then. Still, he introduced me to Dan Carlin's work, for which I am very grateful." — Xczechir

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John Oliver predicted Meghan Markle's future challenges with the Royal Family back in 2018

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John Oliver is known for his biting political commentary and smart comedy, but some of his best takes have emerged in casual conversation.

In February of 2018, Oliver joined Stephen Colbert on The Late Show and discussed the pending nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were married a few months later. When asked if he was excited about the wedding, Oliver gave a candid response that turned out to be remarkably prescient.

First, he said that he was not, in fact, excited about the wedding. Surprised, Colbert pointed out that Harry was marrying an American and Oliver had married an American, and asked if he had any advice for Harry. Instead, Oliver spoke of his sympathy for Meghan Markle.

"I would not blame her if she pulled out of this at the last minute," he said. "I don't think you need to have just seen the pilot episode of 'The Crown' to get a basic sense she might be marrying into a family that could cause her some emotional complications."

Colbert said, "But this generation seems like nice people, right? They're all nice now, right?"

"Yyyyyeah," Oliver responded. "I mean, they're an emotionally stunted group of fundamentally flawed people doing a silly pseudo-job. That's what she's marrying into. So I hope she likes it. It's going to be weird for her."

"I would not marry into the Royal Family," he added. "I'm a commoner, I would not be welcome—especially after what I've just said," he laughed.

Colbert and Oliver chatted joked about how Oliver's potential knighthood was now off the table, then Oliver shared his thoughts on the displays of reverence people show to the crown.

"It's just weird to kneel in front of another adult. It's odd. I know that historically you read and you see people kneeling down and kissing the ring, but it's a bit strange. It's an odd thing to still have."

Oliver's statements echo what many people feel about the monarchy—that it's an archaic institution that has outlived whatever relevance and usefulness it may have once had. Then again, the royal tradition is a powerful force in the U.K. and Queen Elizabeth is genuinely beloved—even by Harry and Meghan who are making headlines for sharing the issues they've had with the Royal Family as an institution (in addition to specific members they refused to name). Some love the pomp and the pagaentry and are willing to turn a blind eye to the problematic history that goes along with it.

It will be interesting to see what changes if and when Charles—who does not carry the "beloved" mantle of his mother—ascends to the throne. Will people lose some of the love and respect they have for the crown now? Will generations who have only known Queen Elizabeth as monarch view the entire institution differently in her absence? Naturally, the changing of a monarch has always been a transition, but society has changed a lot since 1953, when Elizabeth became queen. People may not be as forgiving of the faults of the Royal Family without its sweet, stalwart matriarch at the helm.

Since John Oliver nailed the Meghan Markle situation so accurately, perhaps his view of the monarchy will also be seen as a self-evident truth someday. Guess we'll see.

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Princess Diana said strong women are seen as a threat. Meghan and Oprah prove they are.

Ava DuVerney/Twitter, @theMoneyCoach/Twitter (CBS)

Like millions of others, I tuned in last night to watch Oprah Winfrey's interview with (former) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Although watching "The Crown" has admittedly piqued my curiosity about the Royal Family, I've never had any particular interest in following the drama in real life. As inconsequential as the un-royaling of Harry and Meghan is to me personally, it's a historically and socially significant development.

The story touches so many hot buttons at once—power, wealth, tradition, sexism, racism, colonialism, family drama, freedom, security, and the media. But as I sat and watched the first hour of just Oprah and Meghan Markle talking, I was struck by the simple significance of what I was seeing.

Here were two Black women, one who had battled sexism and racism in her industry and broke countless barriers to create her own empire, and one who has battled racism and sexism to protect her babies, whose royal lineage can be traced back through 1,200 years of rule over the British Empire. And the conversation these women were having had the power to take down—or at least do real damage to—one of the longest-standing monarchies in the world.

Whoa.

It's not that I have some desire to take down the Queen—both Harry and Meghan were very clear that Queen Elizabeth has been good to them—but the institution of the monarchy and the various branches of that institution are steeped in colonialism, racism, and sexism that has long been glossed over in the name of reverence and respect for royalty. What force could possibly make a dent in such an institution?

Apparently, Meghan Markle. But she's not doing it alone.

As Oprah asked her about the things we're all curious about, I thought with awe about the generations of Black women who had fought and endured in order for these two women to be sitting there, alone in front of the cameras, with the wrapt attention of millions. That history was palpable throughout the interview.



When Harry joined in, backing up what Meghan said and sharing his own perspective as a lifelong member of the Royal Family, another woman entered the picture. One thing that came through most clearly in the joint interview was that Harry is so his mother's son.

Princess Diana rocked the royal boat by not conforming to what the palace wanted her to be when she was married to Prince Charles. She stood up for herself, and though much of the world loved her for it, the hounding of the paparazzi and the lack of support from the Royal Family was incredibly difficult.

"I think every strong woman in history has had to walk down a similar path," Diana said. "And I think it's the strength that causes the confusion and the fear. Why is she strong? Where does she get it from? Where is she taking it? Where is she going to use it?"

Diana's butler has pointed out how similar Meghan is to Diana in personality, going so far as to say he thinks the two would have clashed if Diana were still alive because they are both strong, independent women. He said that similarity is what drew Harry to Meghan. And now Harry has given Meghan the support and defense that his mother never got from the Royal Family.

Diana set the stage for that. She left money for each of her sons in her will—despite the fact that they were royals and would financially always be taken care of—which Harry says enabled the couple to pay for security for their family after the Royal Family cut off security following their stepping back from senior Royal Family member duties.

"I think she saw it coming." Harry said. "I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process."

So we have a strong woman who isn't willing to put up with the constant attacks from the British press, who bravely asked for help when she became suicidal, and who walked away from the bullshit when it became clear that a long-standing institution wasn't going to change.

We have a strong woman who built her own platform and offered this couple the opportunity to share their story on the world stage.

We have a strong woman who raised a son to celebrate strong women and who had the wisdom to prepare him for something she sensed but couldn't exactly foresee.

What I saw in that interview was the power of three women calling one of the most powerful institutions in the world to account, and the entire world listening to them. That's exactly the disruption of the status quo that such institutions have always feared. That's the threat that strong women actually pose. And it's a glorious thing to witness.

The whole interview is worth watching. If you missed it, you can watch the whole thing for free on the CBS website here.

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Prince Harry and Prince William just shot down rumors about 'bullying' Meghan Markle

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At times, media coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship has been unfair, mean, and even downright racist. The couple has hinted that inflammatory media coverage is part of the reason why they're stepping down as senior royals. But just because they're removing themselves from the family doesn't mean the pounding in the press is going away anytime soon. Prince Harry just called out the Times of London for publishing a "potentially harmful" story about "Megxit." This is why we can't have nice things.

The Times of London reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle felt pushed out of the family by an unfriendly and unwelcoming Prince William and Duchess Kate. The report insinuated that Prince William had a "bullying attitude," pitting the brothers against each other.

RELATED: Meghan Markle made sure freckles weren't airbrushed out of her guest-edited Vogue cover

Prince Harry and Prince William issued a joint statement saying reports Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are leaving the royal family because of "bullying" are false. "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge," the statement said. They went as far as to call the report "offensive and potentially harmful" because of its "use of inflammatory language."

Prince Harry and Markle are currently involved in a lawsuit against several British publications for their coverage of Markle. "Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son," Prince Harry said. "There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been."

RELATED: Meghan Markle delivers powerful speech on gender-based violence in South Africa: 'I am here with you as a woman of color and as your sister'

In a documentary about how harmful the British press was towards the Sussexes, Markle told ITV reporter Tom Bradby she was unprepared for how scathing the press would be. "Look, any woman when they're — especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging, and then when you have a newborn" Markle said in the interview, "it's a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed."


The good news is that the Queen is supportive of the soon-to-be former royals' decision. "My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family," the Queen said in a statement. "Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family."

Prince Harry and Markle have also outlined the changes in how they plan to deal with the media, hopefully changes for the better.

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