Thanks for the archive link.
And to your question, It was _never_ customary. It's weird, it's not okay, it's brainwashing, plain and simple. I'm a US citizen, our history is rooted in defeating monarchies and kings. I feel as though this is a rewiring of people's brain by mass media. There are _no_ tsar/czar/tzar/csar in a democracy, period. Full stop.
