Europeans Reveal Their 40 Most “WTF” Moments From Visiting America In This Viral Thread
When it comes to one’s perspective on individualism, free expression, government, religion, and morality, Europeans and Americans are worlds apart, according to Pew Center. But to really grasp some of these cultural differences, you don’t need to look far.
Think of red Solo cups, free refills, air conditioning, and something as simple as bulk shopping. Now think of Europe, for example, France, where daily trips to local grocers for fresh produce are common, and Italy, where air conditioning is a rare sight unless it’s in hotels meant for tourists.
So when someone put up a question “Europeans who’ve visited the US, what made you go 'What The Heck'?” on Reddit, people had a lot to share about their experiences. 33.8k comments later, the answers are in right below, and it will surely put some much-loved all-American things into a very different European perspective.
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Was staying with the nicest family ever. They worked extremely long hours and lived in the suburbs. I wanted to cook for them as a surprise and set out to the store on foot, with an empty backpack for the groceries. Had to walk along the curb of, and then cross, an 8 lane highway to get to the store. Had to stop a really really old man from bagging the groceries. Then was stopped by police on the way back. They were very friendly, just wanted to know where my car had broken down. Ended up explaining to me that there was basically zero infrastructure for walking out in the burbs. They took me home. On the way, I saw a sign "gas 99 cents a gallon, Bud's Xmas Gift to the Community", blew my dad's mind when I told him later. Got home, thanked the nice officers, made a vegetable casserole. When my wonderful host family came home, they were blown away but also extremely worried. All in all, I would say that no matter how crazy America may be or seem, Americans make up for all of it. They are some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I have ever met.
The cheerful, smiling faces on a medication TV add while the voice over mentioned that death is a possible side effect.
Roadside billboards scattered along the interstates in the South.
Billboard # 1: JESUS
Billboard # 2: PORN AND BOOZE, NEXT EXIT
Billboard # 3: GUNS! GUNS! GUNS!
To find out more about what it’s really like for a European to move to the US for studies and life, Bored Panda reached out to New York-based filmmaker and video producer at NYL Studio 51 Ieva Lukauskaite. Ieva, who spent her school days in Lithuania before immigrating to the US, said that as a European living in the US, she has noticed a lot of cultural differences, some good and some bad.
“The thing that perplexes me the most is the lack of selectiveness and authenticity when it comes to creative education. Everybody knows the United States as the land of Hollywood and legendary cinema; however, when it comes to teaching cinematic art, it falls short.”
Having obtained her BFA at a respectable American art college, Ieva said she was surprised by the curriculum and the mix of students. “A creative portfolio or any proof of your creative process is optional to get in, all you need is decent grades from high school. Of course, that attracts a colorful assortment of students, like the guy in my Intro to Film class who told me that he chose to study film because he was 'bad at math.'"
Especially as a bloody introverted Finnish person (stereotypes kicking in) it was terrifying how people had a ton of chitchat and were really talkative. Wished me a good day and asked about useless stuff
DON'T TALK TO ME PLEASE I AM NOT QUALIFIED FOR THIS
The political ads on TV that do not promote but instead demonize candidates!
“So and so is a devil from hell that will eat your newborn for breakfast if you vote for them! Don’t do it if you love America!” Scary music and black and white footage included. Weird, very weird.
. . . And we HATE those ads SO much but they don't stop until the election.
Was on an exchange. 2 most memorable questions were "Can you see the moon in Europe" and "Do you have Pizza in Europe". Something else I'll never forget was the map of Europe in the school I went to which still showed the country of Yugoslavia (which doesnt exist anymore) and all the borders were messed up. A map IN THE SCHOOL.
However, Ieva believes that some higher education establishments may have low standards on purpose. “With the ridiculously high tuition costs, they gain quite a bit of profit cycling through misguided students who go through the years switching majors, repeating classes, or dropping out altogether,” she commented.
Another big difference that surprised the NY-based producer was that in US film education, you are taught more technical trade than an art subject. “The focus is on what kind of software you can use and which equipment you can name and operate. This is not necessarily a negative difference because most students will never get to be very creative in their future careers anyway.”
With all that being said, Ieva concluded that American film education is more focused on future employability through technical skills instead of abstract concepts like inspiration or unique story building. “The approach does usually result in a better-paying job than in Europe,” Ieva concluded.
The amount of obese people. Obese people riding electric scooters at shopping places. Being handicapped because you are obese.
You don’t really see the type of morbid obesity in a lot of other parts of the world that you do here. Those other countries have the same illnesses and diseases we do so it’s really down to a matter of lifestyle, including eating habits, not diseases that’s causing the obesity.
-Everyone drives everywhere
-Toilet bowl has a lot of water
-Toilet stalls have large gaps
-Portion sizes in restaurants are huge
-Advertising anti-depressants etc. drugs on tv and billboards
-Bumper sticker politics
-Liquor stores everywhere
-Jesus everywhere
-Lot of homeless people
-Most people have manners and are friendly
Went there as a german soldier on a semi work related trip, wearing uniform. The sheer number and the way people thanked me for my service (apparently as a german I qualify for this by extension), gave me discounts or even stuff for free (Starbucks) was astonishing. In germany, the public treats its servicemen with what one federal president called "a friendly non-interest". The US showed me a different world... But I also gotta admit that it was frightening to a certain degree. It feels like... a bit too much of everything. Too much admiration, too much trust in what the uniform stands for, too much "automatic repetition" of the phrases and as a result too little normality. Still a memorable and enjoyable one-time experience
There are huge amounts of patriotism behind this. Americans are normally told that we need soldiers and constant military action, otherwise we would be speaking Chinese and slaving away to an emperor/dictator. Frankly speaking, police and judges do more every day to protect our livelihood, but it's just not as "heroic" as our image of soldiers.
Almost all food tastes sweet, including bread.
Yup. Subway sells bread in the Netherlands but due to the sugar content it is taxed as cake! And therefore has a higher tax. Bread is considered staple food, cake luxury food.
The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas absolutely blew my mind. The fact that outside it they have what looks like a scale for use on a farm, but for weighing people, and if they weigh over 350lbs they eat for free, was horrendous and it took me ages to get my English mind around it.
I ate a blue slurpee ice-drink thing in a theme park and three hours later, I kid you not, I did a VIBRANTLY BLUE [POOP].
No food in Europe has ever contained an ingredient that made my [poop] come out blue.
That made me go go "WTF" - I was WTFing so hard that eleven years later I still remember that blue [poop].
Thanks America! Fond memories...
Went to L.A. a week last year for work.
Things like portion sizes, the average weight of people, quality of food and commercials etc. are just what I thought they would be. But the surprises for me:
1. I do know the modeled Los Santos in GTA from L.A. but I didn't realise how well they did it. People talk and behave basically the same way. The sound, the light, the landscape, the frickin RADIO! I thought a big part of it was just exaggeration. Nope! This was actually kind of fun, driving around looking at things going "oh wow this is where that thing happened in the game". Awesome!
2. There are a lot of homeless people and you can tell a lot of them are sick and/or have psychological problems. This sure doesn't remove any of my prejudice about american healthcare and social security...
3. The extreme differences between neighbourhoods that are right next to each other. Sure, I understand why one street might have houses that look nice and are well taken care of and another not so much. But why is there a difference in how well paved the road is? Why is the "poor" street in such decay with lots of potholes and the "rich" street so clean and free from pot holes? Aren't things like fixing the roads the responsibility of the city? Mind boggling that they care more about rich neighbourhoods and the poor ones. If they did that so blatantly back here there'd be some things and a big fan involved.
Generally the social class differences are of a magnitude I've never seen before. Honestly I thought the things I heard before where somewhat exaggerated. I was wrong. And it is right in front of you basically all of the time! Really really sad to see.
Generally speaking, this is why city folk tend towards liberal/welfare views: They see it every day. Even if you keep your head forward and just continue your role in your social standing, you'll still see it. Living in rural areas separates people from the variety, diversity and disparity of individuals in our country.
French married to a US citizen here. The one thing that surprised me most, apart from the portion sizes and the overload of sugar eveywhere that everyone mentions, is the convenience culture.
As long as you have a car, you can go buy anything and everything at virtually any time of day or night. And, oh, the amount of stuff you can have delivered at your place in less than an hour ! The workers do not seem to enjoy such a huge quality of life. Who would, if they had to work the 2am-12pm shift in a fast food place for minimum wage ?
On top of that, one other thing is how people are proud of working themselves to death, picking up all the overtime they can and not sleeping. Some of them have to to make ends meet, but most I know do not need the overtime and could use it to catch up on sleep, but don't. Instead, they drink coffee... It seems like companies managed to make the people link personal worth and pride to how much one works. Not the quality of it or the enjoyment of the job, but simply the amount of hours.
On the first day of our US roadtrip we stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant south of San Francisco. When we tried to pay the waiter told us that another customer that just had left paid for our meals and whished us a nice trip.
WTF, who does that. So nice! Totally made my day and honestly the whole vacation.
I live in San Francisco and I am so pleased to know that. Most of us here really do love visitors from other places and I am so proud to know that my neighbors welcomed you and treated you so well!
Tax not included in the price tag. It's...weird!
It's bad enough for normal retail items. Then there are dozens of industries which have carved out their own special "fees". Hotels will add a "room tax" and "city tax" on top of "sales tax"; Restaurants require a tip as if the service is an optional extra; car dealerships will add maintenance and destination fees, etc. The bottom line is: there is no way to pay the advertised price and get the advertised item.
It’ a minor thing, but everyone asking “how are you” without wanting to know the answer.
The worst part is when you ask someone, 'How's it going?' and then the start to tell you.
Flags everywhere. Not just in front of people's homes, but in front of everything. I even saw a US flag in front of a supermarket. WTF.
Ads for prescription medicines. Like what the actual hell.
This is where anti vaxxer were born... The Americans all think they know better because ads have made it seem so. They start telling doctors which medication they want since they saw it on tv
Extreme air conditioning — like fridge temperature inside.
I thought the gap in bathroom stall doors was a myth until I visited the US. Didn’t get privacy for my five-day stay. How do you s**t when someone can look you in the eye?!
Seeing an 80 year old woman working behind the register at a supermarket
Overall, I don't think you can generalize that either. It certainly also depends on the attitude to work. Some people don't see work as work, but as a purpose in life and even necessary for life. Especially in old age, for many people it means staying alive if they still have a purpose in life. If someone feels fit enough and enjoys it, then I don't see the problem there. I think we also have to get away from the idea that old age has to mean retirement. For example, I would also like to work into old age. It's a different matter when someone is frail and ill, but has to work because otherwise they have no basis for living. As I said, you can't and shouldn't generalize.
The general weirdness surrounding alcohol. Us Brits went for a drink at lunchtime once and our American friends were referring us to AA
I mean in my home country the alchool is allowed to 18+ costumers and America to 21+
The choices of cereal at the breakfast in the hotel all had at least 20% sugar.
Was there a law that almost banned food companies to use cartoon characters in snacks for advertisment to children?
Australian here.
I did a lot of hiking in America around Cali and the south west. My first comment is how amazing your national parks are, backed up by an organised park service. I haven’t seen camp sites in Australia half as organised as yours.
Second was how cheap food is! as i was road tripping I originally planned to cook for myself out the back of my van. But honestly it was cheaper to eat at Denny’s, where I only had to hit breakfast and dinner and I was set for the day - the portion sizes were huge.
Third. Wtf is with your toilets! They are filled to the brim with water, and your poo just sorta floats around until you flush where it then goes around in circles until it goes down the drain. My first few poops in your great nation was really unsettling. But I got used to it by the end.
Fourth. The disparity between rich and poor. Like you see it in Australia a between suburbs bit - but it was just so pronounced in America.
When in Boston someone realised we were British and came over to have a conversation:
"Oh my god, I have a friend in England. She lives in London. Do you know her?"
Hmm, there are 9 million people who live in London, and 65 million in the UK. The chance of me knowing one individual is quite remote!
The amount of homeless people. People straight-up walking past an elderly woman living on the streets to get to the 7-Eleven.
When I was in the U.S. for the first time, I was also very surprised by the incredible number of homeless people. But what I saw much... fascinating (in a sad way) is that many of these homeless people are actually veterans. A country that pretends to be so patriotic that no house facade can be left without a flag, and where soldiers are clearly revered. Apparently, this veneration only lasts until the soldiers are back home or no longer in service. In conversations I then had to learn that these people often return home with e.g. PTSD or physical problems, and they are only rudimentarily supported, if at all. For me, none of this fits together. Estimates range from 300,000 to 500,000 homeless veterans. I still can't wrap my head around that discrepancy today.
I saw a woman put sugar in her coke at Ihop for breakfast. I've been told that's gross even for other Americans.
Indoors feels colder than being naked in the winter
Yeah I never got this. Why set the temp to like 18 degrees celcius if it's 35 outside. Set it to 25 or something. That's still a 10 degree difference. which is huge!
Went to Mc Donalds and ordered what i always order. But it tasted completely different. And fanta was just weird orange juice Syrup.
McDonald's fries in the UK have 3 ingredients - potato, oil, salt (sometimes a tiny amount of dextrose). McDonald's fries in the USA have 14 ingredients.
The sheer size of the place is amazing. Each state is its own little country. I lived there for 7 years and visited some different places, and each time I crossed a state line it was like crossing a border in Europe — everything was different again.
Part of why we’re “uncultured.” You can vacation here forever and see tons of different things but still be in America. Of course it’s not nearly the same as international travel, and of course as the years go by, things in the US have become more homogeneous and lame.
How low down the toilets are compared to here in the UK. Went to sit on one, dropped as I thought I'd missed the darned thing then felt like I'd broken my ass on impact. It's like missing the bottom step of the stairs, but even worse.
I never noticed a big difference when I was in Europe. But, I think the holes in the floor in Korea would freak this person out.
During my first visit, I was astonished at the number of small airports and incredible number of small aircraft. So much freedom to fly across a vast country. Amazing.
That’s a really interesting perspective that I have never heard anyone say before. Thank you for that!
Tipping being obligatory, whether it was good service or not.
The federally-mandated minimum wage for servers is maybe 15% of a living wage -often just enough to cover income taxes. This allows the restaurant industry to effectively outsource labor costs. The diner pays the restaurant for the food, and pays the server separately for the service. It's a horrible system, and income varies widely from business to business according to the clientele. But until the system is changed, tip your server!
Movies set in New York prepare you for everything except the smell of [poop].
It doesn't even smell that bad....I mean here and there but it's not like you have to walk around holding your breath
I was going to count the number of American flags I saw on my two weeks in Florida.
I gave up on the ride from Miami Airport to South Beach.
I am probably going to get down voted, but I think it’s good to be proud of who you are and where you’re from. I don’t like it when we turn that healthy enthusiasm into boastful nonsense, but I think all of us should be proud of ourselves, our families and our communities.
Jay walking and the lack of pavement/sidewalk on many roads. I found it so hard to just get from one place to another.
As I Brit watching US tv/movies I always wondered what "Jay walking" meant. We have no such thing over here. When I found out I was like "You can get arrested for crossing a road??" Mind blown. How are you supposed to walk anywhere? I guess you can't. Another reason they have an obesity problem.
1. You guys do not seem to have have touch and go card payment systems. A lot of places still rely on signatures.
2. Almost all food tastes sweet, including bread.
3. Credit history anywhere outside of the US isn’t considered “real” and will not hep prove you’re a real person when you want to open a bank account.
I've heard some crazy stories in Suze Orman show about "my mom opened a credit card in my name and didn't pay".........isn't there checks and balances in place?
Perfect strangers asking me how I am doing.
Note: this post originally had 79 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
The strangest thing to me (which most visitors would not see) is having to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag every day as a student (13 years of your life). To me, it's like being forced to read your marriage vows to your spouse every morning, or read the company guidelines to your boss at the beginning of every workday. Looking back, it feels very cultish, and I would be curious how many other countries require daily repetition of your pledge.
I don’t think we even have a pledge in Australia. Although when someone gets approved citizenship they have to take an oath. But that is it, we don’t really sing the national anthem either. I personally don’t know ANYONE that knows the second verse of our national anthem lol.
Few days late to the party but the national anthem is pretty common at school assemblies and before sporting events in Australia. Agree on the pledge though, never heard of anything like that here.
I do! I do! I was in the school choir and we had to know it and unlike long division, that bit of learning never left me.
Neither do I. None of US do. But that makes me bad, because I'm American, and that makes US bad, and because we don't, and that makes me worse, according to BP. Uh. sorry. LOL
This reminded me :) In elementary school they would play "Oh Canada" over the PA system and us kids would sing along. In High School they would play all sorts of different renditions and we just had to listen to it while getting stuff out of our locker before first period. It was kind of nice in retrospect but at the time we were like "Ugh again" typical teenagers
I hate the pledge. I agree it’s totally cultish.
Children from my country are required to salute the flag and sing the National Anthem once a week during the School Assembly, kinda like a 1-thousand-people choir. But we don't have an abundant of flags everywhere, just public buildings. Most kids just follow along (or scream along) though, since it's a very difficult song with quite a few high notes. Nowadays more are switching to pre-recorded audios though. But other than that, nothing else.
Yeah I really hate it hahaha.
I've never heard of any country doing this at all. Not even the ones you'd immediately think of either..
I actually tried to look it up and it seems many countries have a pledge which is only used once in a lifetime when an immigrant is obtaining citizenship, which seems normal; the same as signing any contract.
I don´t know ANY OTHER country to have a pledge...
Wait... They do that there? The countries I know that did that are/were dictatorships... That's scary
As an American, I don't know the last time I said the Pledge of Allegiance. I'd probably have to look it up to remember it and it isn't very long either. Of course, I don't know the national anthem either. And I'm from the middle of the country where apparently it's a big thing. It really isn't.
I guess its the same as singing the national anthem in Canada, maybe its just paying some respects to your country or something
Even in India we have say a pledge, every single day of school alternating between 3 different languages. We even raised our right hand horizontally during. I find it weird that people would find it weird to pledge allegiance to your own country!
Why should we have to pledge allegiance to a country we were born in? I didn't choose to be born in the country so why should I be expected to lay down my life to protect it? It's especially disturbing that they expect children who don't understand most of what they're saying to recite it like parrots.
I completely agree Wendillon. There is no way I would give my life to protect my country. And to be honest I would be extremely pissed if any of my kids signed up for the military. In the end that would be there choice but I wouldn’t be happy about it. I even told my hubby that he ever enlisted (which he wouldn’t anyway), that I would walk away from him.
What you're describing makes sense in the context of the caste system. You are born into a role and the most valuable life is learning to respect that role in society and thus respect the society overall, is that right? In more liberal societies we place emphasis on individual choice and critical thought. For the British it is especially common to travel to several other countries in one's lifetime and even find a new home - this doesn't mean they don't love their old home, it just means that they aren't 'pledged' to it. A person does not choose where they are born, so why should we be required to make a commitment to something that we never agreed to in the first place? I think there are a lot of things to really love about India, but consider another country or upbringing - should a person be expected to live and die for their country if that country is a dictatorship (North Korea), if their country changes (Crimea, Yugoslavia), or if they are unwelcome there (Uighur, Rohingya)?
People can choose to fight for their country, that is their prerogative, just as it is my right not choose not to. So we will have to agree to disagree. I am aware of the sacrifices those people make but that was their choice. Maybe not in some countries where the choice is out of their hands but it is mostly choice. I love where I live but I wouldn’t sacrifice myself for it, that’s for sure. If that makes me privileged then so be it. And your comment about I didn’t choose my parents so why should I love them is true. Just because they are your parents doesn’t mean you have to love them, especially if they are abusive, neglectful, or narcissistic etc.
ProfessionalTimeWaster how is that privileged?
@Troux - Your opinion about India is largely based on some prejudiced documentaries. India's armed forces have people of all castes and religion. For majority of people, caste is only useful for looking for alliance and yet inter-caste marriages happen everyday. You can find people of different castes in all kinds of jobs. And Indians migrate to different countries too, without losing love for home country. When you say Britishers travel - every state in India is like a country of Europe. India is a huge country. I am upper middle class woman and I don't even have enough money and time to see even all states of India. India is largely family oriented. Loving our country to us doesn't feel like dictatorship - it feels like loving our family. When you say "A person does not choose where they are born, so why should we be required to make a commitment to something that we never agreed to in the first place?"....feels like "I didn't choose my parents, so why should I love them?"
Foxxy, there are men and women in uniforms (incl police) staying far away from their families, not being able to be there for their loved ones, not be able to celebrate festivals....just so that you can have a good night's sleep. It's a privileged statement as you are not only not aware of their sacrifices or don't appreciate it, but you have the privilege to not appreciate what your country provides for you. You can only appreciate shade if you have sunburn from hot sun. Love for your country cannot be shoved into a person like communist states shove "love for their leader"...but you question the very notion that someone can actually feel pride in allegiance for one's country. Saying that you can die for your country is a lot easier and that's why we see our heroes in men and women in uniform and thank them for their bravery and sacrifices. It baffles me that such a simple feeling can be beyond people's understanding.
@Wendillion - I don't know why you feel that way, but I have no problem in laying down my life for my country. We recited like parrots, sure....but we don't mind it and despite thousand problems, are proud of our country. I fail to understand your sentiments.
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@Foxxy - That's one of the most privileged statements I've ever heard.
Does this really need to be covered once a month?
And it's always the same stuff. Portion (and people) sizes, gaps in bathroom doors, tipping, drug ads, driving everywhere.
I'm not an American, but even I have to roll my eyes so far back into my head when I see yet another "Cultured Europeans are shocked and astounded by their slovenly, uncouth American Neighbours" listacle. While I understand the fascination with these articles (they are easy to compile and get a lot of clicks), it is always the same thing every single month or week. It just seems kind of mean-spirited.
Indian here and I feel bad for some Americans because of theis article. You may not like their customs but they are fine for them.
this made me snort I'm sorry lol "Cultured Europeans are shocked and astounded by their slovenly, uncouth American Neighbours" LMFAO
*sigh*, The Yellow Teletubby like
hosang1337 easy
LOL, good to know it's not just US, LLBK.
Apparently, yes? I always read them to dispell myths. (Just because something happened to someone one time somewhere in the US, that doesn't make it universal.) I can't think of anything I found "weird" when visiting another country. Oh, yes, I have one. When driving in Canada, if you put on your turn signal to change lanes, the person in the other lane will slow down to let you in. Every time!!!
I’ve never paid to use the bathroom in the US but I have in Europe. I hated paying for the toilet when I was a poor college student. And having to pay for water in restaurants.
I think it must be something mandatory in Pandas mission statement. They're kinda getting a little desperate now though. Slurpees? Floating poo? Apparently they're easily shocked in culturally perfect Lithuania.
Let’s do UK, India, South Africa etc etc versions. I love the explanations in comments and sharing of experiences.
Lili Octopus no
It's a really useful topic to put things into perspective for both Americans and foreigners, but yeah it's getting a little excessive!
This seems to be one of the latest Bored Panda "go to". Lets talk about how America is weird or messed up. It feels like there has been one or two of these a week as of late.
We're a pretty easy target these days :/
I'm actually starting to miss the re-imagined Disney Princess posts...
Lol shh they will start making them again XD
Well lets face it, America is pretty weird ATM, especially with that orange turd tying to pull off an uprising
Just saw an AskReddit post (where BP gets most of their stuff) on 'positive things' experienced in America. Let's see if it gets any responses - maybe they can use some of them here!
America is literally the most patriotic country on the planet... a few posts that say "America is strange" is probably a good thing. Seriously... "positive things" about America are pounded into every kid's skull constantly from the day they are born. I guess it happens so much you don't even notice anymore.
The strangest thing to me (which most visitors would not see) is having to recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag every day as a student (13 years of your life). To me, it's like being forced to read your marriage vows to your spouse every morning, or read the company guidelines to your boss at the beginning of every workday. Looking back, it feels very cultish, and I would be curious how many other countries require daily repetition of your pledge.
I don’t think we even have a pledge in Australia. Although when someone gets approved citizenship they have to take an oath. But that is it, we don’t really sing the national anthem either. I personally don’t know ANYONE that knows the second verse of our national anthem lol.
Few days late to the party but the national anthem is pretty common at school assemblies and before sporting events in Australia. Agree on the pledge though, never heard of anything like that here.
I do! I do! I was in the school choir and we had to know it and unlike long division, that bit of learning never left me.
Neither do I. None of US do. But that makes me bad, because I'm American, and that makes US bad, and because we don't, and that makes me worse, according to BP. Uh. sorry. LOL
This reminded me :) In elementary school they would play "Oh Canada" over the PA system and us kids would sing along. In High School they would play all sorts of different renditions and we just had to listen to it while getting stuff out of our locker before first period. It was kind of nice in retrospect but at the time we were like "Ugh again" typical teenagers
I hate the pledge. I agree it’s totally cultish.
Children from my country are required to salute the flag and sing the National Anthem once a week during the School Assembly, kinda like a 1-thousand-people choir. But we don't have an abundant of flags everywhere, just public buildings. Most kids just follow along (or scream along) though, since it's a very difficult song with quite a few high notes. Nowadays more are switching to pre-recorded audios though. But other than that, nothing else.
Yeah I really hate it hahaha.
I've never heard of any country doing this at all. Not even the ones you'd immediately think of either..
I actually tried to look it up and it seems many countries have a pledge which is only used once in a lifetime when an immigrant is obtaining citizenship, which seems normal; the same as signing any contract.
I don´t know ANY OTHER country to have a pledge...
Wait... They do that there? The countries I know that did that are/were dictatorships... That's scary
As an American, I don't know the last time I said the Pledge of Allegiance. I'd probably have to look it up to remember it and it isn't very long either. Of course, I don't know the national anthem either. And I'm from the middle of the country where apparently it's a big thing. It really isn't.
I guess its the same as singing the national anthem in Canada, maybe its just paying some respects to your country or something
Even in India we have say a pledge, every single day of school alternating between 3 different languages. We even raised our right hand horizontally during. I find it weird that people would find it weird to pledge allegiance to your own country!
Why should we have to pledge allegiance to a country we were born in? I didn't choose to be born in the country so why should I be expected to lay down my life to protect it? It's especially disturbing that they expect children who don't understand most of what they're saying to recite it like parrots.
I completely agree Wendillon. There is no way I would give my life to protect my country. And to be honest I would be extremely pissed if any of my kids signed up for the military. In the end that would be there choice but I wouldn’t be happy about it. I even told my hubby that he ever enlisted (which he wouldn’t anyway), that I would walk away from him.
What you're describing makes sense in the context of the caste system. You are born into a role and the most valuable life is learning to respect that role in society and thus respect the society overall, is that right? In more liberal societies we place emphasis on individual choice and critical thought. For the British it is especially common to travel to several other countries in one's lifetime and even find a new home - this doesn't mean they don't love their old home, it just means that they aren't 'pledged' to it. A person does not choose where they are born, so why should we be required to make a commitment to something that we never agreed to in the first place? I think there are a lot of things to really love about India, but consider another country or upbringing - should a person be expected to live and die for their country if that country is a dictatorship (North Korea), if their country changes (Crimea, Yugoslavia), or if they are unwelcome there (Uighur, Rohingya)?
People can choose to fight for their country, that is their prerogative, just as it is my right not choose not to. So we will have to agree to disagree. I am aware of the sacrifices those people make but that was their choice. Maybe not in some countries where the choice is out of their hands but it is mostly choice. I love where I live but I wouldn’t sacrifice myself for it, that’s for sure. If that makes me privileged then so be it. And your comment about I didn’t choose my parents so why should I love them is true. Just because they are your parents doesn’t mean you have to love them, especially if they are abusive, neglectful, or narcissistic etc.
ProfessionalTimeWaster how is that privileged?
@Troux - Your opinion about India is largely based on some prejudiced documentaries. India's armed forces have people of all castes and religion. For majority of people, caste is only useful for looking for alliance and yet inter-caste marriages happen everyday. You can find people of different castes in all kinds of jobs. And Indians migrate to different countries too, without losing love for home country. When you say Britishers travel - every state in India is like a country of Europe. India is a huge country. I am upper middle class woman and I don't even have enough money and time to see even all states of India. India is largely family oriented. Loving our country to us doesn't feel like dictatorship - it feels like loving our family. When you say "A person does not choose where they are born, so why should we be required to make a commitment to something that we never agreed to in the first place?"....feels like "I didn't choose my parents, so why should I love them?"
Foxxy, there are men and women in uniforms (incl police) staying far away from their families, not being able to be there for their loved ones, not be able to celebrate festivals....just so that you can have a good night's sleep. It's a privileged statement as you are not only not aware of their sacrifices or don't appreciate it, but you have the privilege to not appreciate what your country provides for you. You can only appreciate shade if you have sunburn from hot sun. Love for your country cannot be shoved into a person like communist states shove "love for their leader"...but you question the very notion that someone can actually feel pride in allegiance for one's country. Saying that you can die for your country is a lot easier and that's why we see our heroes in men and women in uniform and thank them for their bravery and sacrifices. It baffles me that such a simple feeling can be beyond people's understanding.
@Wendillion - I don't know why you feel that way, but I have no problem in laying down my life for my country. We recited like parrots, sure....but we don't mind it and despite thousand problems, are proud of our country. I fail to understand your sentiments.
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@Foxxy - That's one of the most privileged statements I've ever heard.
Does this really need to be covered once a month?
And it's always the same stuff. Portion (and people) sizes, gaps in bathroom doors, tipping, drug ads, driving everywhere.
I'm not an American, but even I have to roll my eyes so far back into my head when I see yet another "Cultured Europeans are shocked and astounded by their slovenly, uncouth American Neighbours" listacle. While I understand the fascination with these articles (they are easy to compile and get a lot of clicks), it is always the same thing every single month or week. It just seems kind of mean-spirited.
Indian here and I feel bad for some Americans because of theis article. You may not like their customs but they are fine for them.
this made me snort I'm sorry lol "Cultured Europeans are shocked and astounded by their slovenly, uncouth American Neighbours" LMFAO
*sigh*, The Yellow Teletubby like
hosang1337 easy
LOL, good to know it's not just US, LLBK.
Apparently, yes? I always read them to dispell myths. (Just because something happened to someone one time somewhere in the US, that doesn't make it universal.) I can't think of anything I found "weird" when visiting another country. Oh, yes, I have one. When driving in Canada, if you put on your turn signal to change lanes, the person in the other lane will slow down to let you in. Every time!!!
I’ve never paid to use the bathroom in the US but I have in Europe. I hated paying for the toilet when I was a poor college student. And having to pay for water in restaurants.
I think it must be something mandatory in Pandas mission statement. They're kinda getting a little desperate now though. Slurpees? Floating poo? Apparently they're easily shocked in culturally perfect Lithuania.
Let’s do UK, India, South Africa etc etc versions. I love the explanations in comments and sharing of experiences.
Lili Octopus no
It's a really useful topic to put things into perspective for both Americans and foreigners, but yeah it's getting a little excessive!
This seems to be one of the latest Bored Panda "go to". Lets talk about how America is weird or messed up. It feels like there has been one or two of these a week as of late.
We're a pretty easy target these days :/
I'm actually starting to miss the re-imagined Disney Princess posts...
Lol shh they will start making them again XD
Well lets face it, America is pretty weird ATM, especially with that orange turd tying to pull off an uprising
Just saw an AskReddit post (where BP gets most of their stuff) on 'positive things' experienced in America. Let's see if it gets any responses - maybe they can use some of them here!
America is literally the most patriotic country on the planet... a few posts that say "America is strange" is probably a good thing. Seriously... "positive things" about America are pounded into every kid's skull constantly from the day they are born. I guess it happens so much you don't even notice anymore.