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Someone Asks “What’s An Obvious Sign That Someone Is American?” And 30 People Don’t Hold Back
Sometimes all it takes is a second to guess where a person is from, be it their looks, their accent, their behavior, or something else that gives it away. Often affected by customs, cultural norms, or widespread behaviors, they tend to do things they might not even realize are representative of their home; but for people around them, they are pretty clear telltale signs.
Redditor u/Frosty-Ad3575 recently turned to the ‘Ask Reddit’ community, seeking to learn what things people consider obvious signs that someone is American. Netizens’ answers covered everything from the way people stand to how they greet each other, among other things, so scroll down to find them and see what might give away that a person comes from the United States.
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#2
Claiming to be of a certain nationality (e.g. Irish), but can't even locate the eponymous country on a map.
#3
They'll use any form of measurement other than metric. Freedoms per eagle is a popular one.
#4
They assume everyone knows about american geography, politics, news etc. but they know nothing about any other country.
#6
Referring to 'Europe' as if it were a country.
#7
I'm Canadian and the biggest giveaway to me that someone is American is simply in their spelling. For example, we would spell it "the colour grey", and Americans would spell it "the color gray." We use paycheque instead of paycheck, and neighbour instead of neighbor. Our vernacular is very British.
Random Jackass 1 year ago
The bald eagles told us the U's were superfluous, so we just ran with it.
#8
Talking about the extortionate cost of healthcare and the struggles of navigating the health insurance system.
Cyber Returns 1 year ago
The tax alternative to pay for national health care is not only cheaper but also means you can't get ripped off by insurance companies for the same level of care. It also stops pharmaceutical companies from price gouging
#10
When I lived in Estonia, a local once told me that if anybody smiled and said hello unsolicited on the street they knew “that person was either drunk, crazy or an American.”
I laughed and said, “In this case, it might be all three!”
#12
Anything under 4 hours is “close by”.
jayhitter:
Everything is Europe is around the corner if you're from the US. I can drive the whole day and not leave my state but in Europe I can pass through 4 countries in that same time frame.
WindySwede 1 year ago
Me thinking in Swedish 🤔 maybe 4h across, but not lengthwise.. Then 23h by car
#13
As an American man, I’ve been told repeatedly by European and Asian friends that we simply take up space (not by being fat) as though we’re entitled to it. Men in other countries apparently don’t claim the same personal space we do.
#15
Apparently the CIA trains American agents to not lean on things if they go undercover in foreign countries because Americans lean on anything they can while standing around.
#17
I was in Germany this past summer and I realized smiling at everyone you make eye contact with is very American. When I went to London on the same trip they seemed less weirded out by it but would awkwardly return the smile.
I was taught to always start with a disarming smile. Never realized it was American.
TCW Sam Vimes 1 year ago
The casual openess and friendliness of US citizens is one of the positive traits we could learn something from
#18
Immediately asking someone what they do for a living when meeting them. Our jobs and work are our entire identity.
#19
To me - it is the habit of choosing convenience over all else (note that my observations are mostly of people who consider themselves middle class). Small example - if you need to wipe down your kitchen counter, Americans always reach for a paper product while back in India, it would always be a cloth towel. Reason for Indians to use cloth - it is reusable and hence, economical. Americans using paper - it is more convenient. Transport - wait a half hour extra for train or drive... the Americans in my group always chose to drive and the Europeans and Asians chose public transit. Lunch at work - most Americans in my group but lunch every day, even if it is a simple deli sandwich. Most non- Americans bring homemade lunches. Now I don't make value judgement about how people spend their money but the way they gravitate towards convenience first and only then consider finances, environmental impact, etc.
MadMonkey 1 year ago
This is not a defense, but an observation as an American living somewhere in Europe. Americans will take public transit when they can (sometimes), but it's considered a lesser mode of transportation for ... I don't know why, frankly. Also, the US was built, from the 40's on, to be accessible to cars. Public transport in local or regional areas was never something the governments on any level invested in or even thought was necessary. More highways = everybody gets where they want to go to them. So now the US is stuck with an infrastructure that is largely built around cars and there are ZERO plans to make trains, trams, anything like a national and local grid of public transport like those that exist in the Netherlands or several other European countries. I fly home sometimes and think, "Oh, I'll just get the train that runs from airport to home town...oh yeah, those don't exist here."
#20
At least in Finland, I find them as quite friendly, easy to get with and genuine. They aren't afraid to ask questions if it is not clear to them and say the things that matter. Of course shoes, laughter and the way they carry themselves without thinking much about what others would say.
Shannon Hawks 1 year ago
That's cos Finland is one of the best places to live with great people also
#21
In the touristy cafe-restaurant I worked at:
1. If they asked me for the nicest spot we had
2. If they asked me my recommendation without seeing the menu first
3. I would walk to the table, and they would say right away "hey how are you doing?". This one threw me off a lot at first. Why is this person asking me how I'm doing?? I'm just there to take the order. I got used to it, and I think they found my awkwardness to it cute.
4. They would ask my name when I greeted them and took their order
NB I'm Northern European
Cynthia Wilson 1 year ago
Here in Portugal everyone is greeted with "Bom dia! Tudo bem," basically "Hello! How are things?" I find that Americans do not do it as often.
#22
Americans outside America will often claim that people are Scottish-ing or Italian-ing wrong because their great great great grandfather came from Scotland/Italy. I have been corrected on my Scottishness by an American who claimed direct descent from a famous Scot who had no children. On the other hand I also find Americans to be incredibly open and friendly and kind and generous. US tourists seems to be of two opposite types.
The Doom Song 1 year ago
I was born in Scotland, and I grew up in Australia. I like to refer to myself as Australian coz I've been here my whole life.
#23
I was told, "Americans carry water bottles around like they're worried they'll never have access to clean water ever again."
#25
I’m half Italian and my biggest pet peeve with American culture is Americans are averse to walking
Inb4 “American cities aren’t walkable”. That’s true to a point, but Americans a big country. There are still walkable places and even in the instance where something is, people prefer to drive. I used to walk 30 minutes to class from home and people thought I was crazy.
I also used to be an Uber driver. Many people I picked up were college students that didn’t want to make the 10-15 minute walk from the off campus dorms. I’ve had friends ask to drive to places that are only 10 minute walks. It’s kind of pathetic.
Lame Llama 1 year ago
Once again depends on Where's they are from. My friends from NYC are still not big on driving after living in Europe for years.
#26
They cut their food, then switch the fork to their right hand and put the left under the table while eating.
XL shirt on an average guy (6 ft 172 lbs / 1.82m 78 kg) also trousers with enough room for another person.
#28
Good taste in music, intolerance of monarchy, and near cult-like worship of pizza.
#29
Expecting to drive to everything.
WindySwede 1 year ago
well, without sidewalks, bike lanes and the strange zoning laws this is just the common thing?
#30
Baseball cap... even on an infant riding in a pram.
The Doom Song 1 year ago
Here in Australia plenty of people wear baseball caps. It's not an American thing guys
#31
Everyone is ignoring what OP actually asked and giving subtle signs that someone is American. Here's an obvious one: they have an American accent.
#33
Some of the coolest friends I have but damn do they use time to express distance like oh I am 10 minutes away from you and they mean driving not walking nor biking which annoyed the hell out of me at first.
Meilin Kai 1 year ago
Because 5 miles of highway and 5 miles of inner city have a huge time difference.
#34
I’m from Ireland, we get a lot of American tourists and you can spot them a mile away. It’s not just clothes but their demeanour. Everything is “awesome.”
Geoffrey Mason 1 year ago
Well, in fairness, we're in a foreign country. Everything really is awesome.
#36
They ask for a side of Ranch.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
This American hates ranch dressing. Vinaigrette all the way. I thought I hated salad, no I just hate ranch and grew up in the USA.
#38
My friend went to Germany recently, and what people said about Americans is you can spot them a mile away because they’re the ones wearing pajamas in public. Apparently in other countries, at least Germany, they dress a little more formal and in less baggy clothes than we do in America.
helen anderson 1 year ago
I'm American and I think it looks bad to wear PJ'S in public. You can't take 2 mins to put on jeans to run to the store? I never understood why the public needs to see your Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer pj's?
#41
Walking and eating. Ain't nobody in America got time to just eat, gotta be doing something else too or you're wasting time.
Kevin Snyder 1 year ago
No other countries have markets with street food? You don't know what you're missing.
#42
Ironically enough, Americans are the least bigoted people and are the most hospitable of any culture. The only caveat is that they are often taken advantage of and things can turn to s**t pretty quickly. Also, everyone trolls Americans for having as much love and respect for their own country and culture as anyone else has for their own countries and cultures. It’s almost as sensitive as talking about politics and religion.
#43
Going to a nice restaurant, the theatre, opera, and people wearing long shorts, sneakers, and getting told they can't come in. (Seen it happen loads of times). In Florence (Italy), in a local restaurant renowned for their tripe dishes. The loud American table asked for gluten free pasta, all ordered cokes, and didn't like any of the (amazing) food. One of the parties walked out crying because the waiter was "rude." S**t like that.
BrownTabby 1 year ago
In New Zealand I go to nice restaurants in long shorts and sneakers and get let in. :) We don’t take ourselves too seriously here.
#44
My high school French teacher (who was born in France and grew up there, in Germany, and in Italy) gave us a whole list. Here are the ones I remember: Americans in foreign countries always walk around looking up at everything, whereas most locals and non-American tourists spend more time looking down. In short, as she put it, "Americans always walk around like you deserve to be there." Americans also wear sneakers everywhere, whereas other people often wear shoes. Same for t-shirts when others would wear something with a collar. There's also the whole shoes-in-the-house thing, which is also a dead giveaway. Most Americans will try English first before switching to the local language. This annoys a lot of people who otherwise know English but need a second to readjust in their minds, at which point the American has moved on to garbled guidebook phrases. She never said anything about leaning on things, from what I remember, but in college there was an Australian exchange student living in our dorm. He made fun of us for that a lot. But by the end of the semester, he was doing it too.
Donkey boi 1 year ago
Americans look up, because the architecture is different and they are seeing something new. Locals already know what the buildings and vaulted ceilings look like so don't need to look up. It has nothing to do with 'walk around like you deserve to be there'. As for the sneakers/trainers, they are exploring somewhere new! Let them have comfortable foot wear. I wore trainers in the states, boots in Costa Rica, and wellies in Yorkshire.
#45
Americans in Asia (where I live) have an unmistakable and utterly misplaced air of entitlement that has to be seen to be believed. If you've never witnessed main character syndrome up close then take a holiday to Asia and observe Americans in action.
#46
This is American tourists in Europe focused. They tend to look like they're either: 1. Preparing for survival in the wilderness despite being in the middle of a big city: bucket hat, sunglasses, bigger backpacks, shorts, running shoes, big water bottle, visible bottle of sunscreen somewhere etc. and so do their kids. 2. Trying a little too hard with dressing like what they think the fashion of the country is (stereotypical example beret and stripes in France). European tourists tend to dress more classy-casual/like they're just going for a regular everyday walk through the city. What gives away a European tourist (in Europe, at least) is usually just the camera. And beside the frequently mentioned loudness everywhere and being overly friendly, also: - downing their coffee in a café in 3.7 seconds and moving on unlike most Europeans that properly sit down and enjoy it - their kids always seem to be wilding around and needing more discipline to stay by their parents side - the childlike excitement they have when using public transport (especially buses for some reason) like it's a modern wonder they've never seen or experienced before - always looking like they're in a hurry.
VioletHunter 1 year ago (edited)
Now I'm imagining some tourist casually walking around in a beret and striped shirt, holding a baguette, trying to blend in with the natives. 🤣
#47
They don't realize just how beautiful America's landscape is. They travel all over the world to see beautiful far away places but meanwhile, in their backyard, they have breathtaking areas. Talk to any American and the last place they wanna travel is around America, one of the most beautiful places on earth. HOW DO THEY NOT KNOW?
#48
Americans will bus their own fast food table. In other countries, people will leave their trash.
grotesqueer 1 year ago
I don't know what these "other countries" are, but I can tell you Finland isn't one of them.
#49
How they pronounce Arab names. You might be asking this goes for most Native english speaking places BUT compare places like London which has a very prominent Muslim (and by default Arab names) population to say.....a town in Arizona. I say this because I had just watched an episode of a lawyer show, and they had to defend a client who's from Iraq, so they were also talking to friends and family with clear Arabic names, and they essentially butchered nearly every single one of their names with American vowels.
What do you think ?
Emma S 1 year ago (edited)
Stop attacking Americans. It's not funny anymore and has gone past a joke into blantant xenophobia. Yes, there are people there who act entitled and lack understanding of other cultures, but those people exist in every country in the world. I'm British and can confirm they certainly exist here as well. Some British people still act very entitled in Europe. I saw people getting upset at Schipol airport because they had to wait in the bigger queue when going through immigration like they didn't vote for it.
Tams21 1 year ago
I totally agree, BP is starting to cross an ugly line with with these constant articles about the US.
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sofacushionfort 1 year ago
Thank you, all non-USA pandas who respond to these articles with nuance, reason and actual empirical knowledge of the topic
LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
I'm originally from the United Kingdom and I find listicles like this just flat out cruel. I actually just wrote a note to BoredPanda letting them know that they are alienating their reader base and ruining the integrity of this site with cruel listicles like this. They'll probably never read it though because they couldn't care less about their readers.
Load More Replies...
Emma S 1 year ago (edited)
Stop attacking Americans. It's not funny anymore and has gone past a joke into blantant xenophobia. Yes, there are people there who act entitled and lack understanding of other cultures, but those people exist in every country in the world. I'm British and can confirm they certainly exist here as well. Some British people still act very entitled in Europe. I saw people getting upset at Schipol airport because they had to wait in the bigger queue when going through immigration like they didn't vote for it.
Tams21 1 year ago
I totally agree, BP is starting to cross an ugly line with with these constant articles about the US.
Load More Replies... sofacushionfort 1 year ago
Thank you, all non-USA pandas who respond to these articles with nuance, reason and actual empirical knowledge of the topic
LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
I'm originally from the United Kingdom and I find listicles like this just flat out cruel. I actually just wrote a note to BoredPanda letting them know that they are alienating their reader base and ruining the integrity of this site with cruel listicles like this. They'll probably never read it though because they couldn't care less about their readers.
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