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In an attempt to start an interesting discussion, Reddit user tycooperaow posted a question on r/AskReddit: "What is clearly a scam but Americans have been conditioned to believe that it is 'normal?'" And they succeeded. Even though the post has received 4.6K upvotes (far fewer than some of the most popular ones on the subreddit), it has accumulated over 5.5K comments. Non-Americans started sharing their take on the US, testing the definition of the word 'scam', and all the replies paint a pretty good picture of the way the rest of the world sees the country.

#1

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Tipping restaurant servers so the owners of the restaurant don’t have to pay them a living wage.

Mean_Increase_ , Jinx! Report

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Brandy Grote
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Decades ago, restaurant workers were paid "regular" wages, and got tips. A single mother could feed 3 kids AND buy a small house with those tips. Greedy restaurant owners hated the idea of their workers getting "money for nothing" (except busting their butts!) and changed the laws so the workers are paid obscenely low wages and then have to share their tips with EVERYONE employed at the restaurant whether they bust tail or not. It's disgusting. Especially because "tipping is optional", but those workers don't get their wages supplemented if diners don't tip!

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Tycooperaow came up with the idea for the question after noticing a similar tweet gain decent notoriety on Twitter. "My sister notified me of this by sending me a link to a video on TikTok in which someone did a react video about the subject matter. My sister and I jokingly started talking about this subject and discussed all the things we Americans interact with on a daily basis that is actually pretty scummy," the told Bored Panda. "As I read through the comments on this TikTok video, many people stated their frustration. I proposed the same question again on Reddit for the sole purpose to ignite a thought-provoking discussion where people can share their opinions and give more personal insight on this matter. I knew this was a perfect place to study this situation more and learn from people who experience certain things that I can be aware of in the future. So that's what sparked me to ask the question!"

#2

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Megachurches are literal scams. They make a lot of money, saying it's for the church, then they buy 12 mansions.

SteelWarrior- , Jennifer Morrow Report

Once the first couple hundred post replies came in, tycooperaow started reading and responding to as many as they could, asking people to further expand on their ideas to "get an overarching grasp of just how much stuff is wired into our everyday life that takes advantage of people." At that point, tycooperaow began thinking that there are a lot of fundamental problems that the culture of the US has.

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"I am a US resident, and reading through the Redditors' comments I could tell that numerous people made it abundantly clear they felt strongly and passionately about these current issues that we have been conditioned into just accepting as normal. The majority of the responses were politically related issues as there's a strong distaste for the current government, but there were other answers that spoke about businesses socially engineering the public to perpetually buy a product that they ultimately have full control over."

As an example, tycooperaow mentioned De Beers and how they own nearly the entire diamond supply and push forth aggressive advertising, telling people they can't start a marriage without a diamond ring.

#3

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Americans thinking that medical procedures are actually that expensive. Fun fact: In a normal country, you don't pay tens of thousands of dollars.

punsexual_disaster , Navy Medicine Report

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Mike Crow
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Two things. 1) Citizens in most other developed countries don’t have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket as Universal Healthcare provides. 2) Americans hospitals are businesses so they will try to charge more if they can.

kathinka avatar
Katinka Min
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But Our Health insurances don't pay these prices either. The price of what a public insurance will pay for docotrs and hospitals is fixed and since most people are publily insured, that is what they can charge. it created a two tier system - with private patients getting fancier care (and being ripped off, more often) - but is has put a lid on prices. Yes, yes, oh-so terrible socialism, where being poor isn't a death setnence.

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Ozacoter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have many illneses and luckily I was born in Europe so I can afford doctors. I have a hospital insurance that costs 120E a year plus my normal insurance (that is very cheap). I recently had surgery and spent the night in the hospital (in a comfortable double bed room). I paid 109E for the whole procedure (surgery, anesthesia, bed, food etc). So in total (counting the insurance) I paid less than 300 euros for my surgery. I am so extremely sad for all the women in my same situation in USA that either can afford the same surgery or get bankrupted because of it.

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IlovemydogShilo
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the UK you don’t pay at all. Thank God for the NHS.

steve-woodward avatar
Steve
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is NOT true. The NHS is NOT free, You pay a fixed percentage of your income according to your income category, ranging from 2% for low income to 12% of your income, which is capped at around £4100 PER Month ($5500 per month). In addition, your employer ( or govt. if you are on benefits pays an additional levy of between 0 and 12% of your income including on bonus’s and expenses. Only those in full time education are free...

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Luther von Wolfen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know someone who needed oral surgery. She was from the Philippines. She flew to the Philippines, with her husband and two kids, visited family, got the dental work done - and it was cheaper than just doing the dental work in the US.

agilbertheron avatar
Allison Gilbert-Heron
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Socialist Canadian here, thank you Canada for free health care and 100$ per year prescriptions since I am a senior! now if only dental was included!

bluemom2017 avatar
Pamela Blue
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well Allison - not exactly "free." We pay for it with our taxes all our working lives. However, I never minded paying it, as I have no issue in helping people get health care who wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. It makes for a much healthier and happier populace. I'm 70 now, and am very healthy and have been all my life, due to yearly health visits to my doctor (and my genes, I suppose. LOL), but my taxes have paid for health care for many poor people, I should think. I'm glad for that.

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Maddie Star ⭐
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dreadful, it's disgusting that if you can't afford to pay your heath insurance you're basically treated like trash and put out on the street. . I refer back to another post "American is the greatest country in the world" . I personally would alter the word country to another c word.

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Alexis draskinis
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

US Healthcare Options in a nutshell: Option 1: get insurance. Pay so much, monthly, for insurance that you cant afford to actually get treatments or pay co-pays & therefore pay a lot for literally nothing... Option 2: dont get insurance. Get laughed out of every dr's office because they dont think you can pay (and you probably cant)... Option 3: go to ER. Pay 3x the amount (which you already cant afford) you would've if a reg dr had just treated you... Option 4: just suffer through it because you know you are the only one you gives a s**t about you & your health... I've ended at option 4 more times than i'd like to admit, regardless of what my insurance circumstances were.

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Option 5: Book a vacation to Europe, get medical treatment, spend a few months to recover and return to the US having saved enough to buy a mansion.

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Tiffany Marie
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have no insurance and it sucks. I rarely go to the DR. Unless I'm dying. Can't even get the mental health help I need.

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Xio in California
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our preemie son's bill for his first three days in the NICU: over $10k. He went home almost 4 months later. 24 years later and he's still unaware we declared bankruptcy because we just couldn't keep up with bills 3 years later. Thanks to President Obama, he's still in our insurance while in college, and he can't be denied coverage for his many preexisting conditions. We still pay a pretty penny for his coverage, but we have no choice. He cannot afford to go without coverage (due to an average of 2-3 emergency brain surgeries per year). I would give anything for "socialist" health coverage.

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Carolina Fernández González
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Colombia here, my mom spend 2 months in the hospital because she had a cerebral ischemia and a stroke a week after the ischemia. I had to pay 200usd when she was discharged because she was my beneficiary, If she was the owner of the "insurance" (because is not really an insurance) she would had to pay $0. Of course it wasnt the best hospital and she had to share the room with other person. I pay about 50usd monthly for that "insurance" and they charge depending on your income. It is mandatory for all of us the country to pay this service. So if a poor country like mine can do it why not in America? I don't get it.... Instead of that you have to pay thousands for a trip to the ER......

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Péter Rózsahegyi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Hungary you have to pay 18.5% of your gross salary (or HUF 8000 = USD 27.5!!! if you don't have an official job or U are a tourist, etc.) to get almost everything free of additional charge: general healthcare, ER with transportation, obstetricy, dental, vaccination, etc.). Extreme sport injuries, aesthetic operations (if not related to a medical condition), non-mandatory vaccinations and drugs for extremely are illnesses are excluded.

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Zophra
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not a Trump fan, but I did see something perusing the news. Did he just enact something that makes medicals services show the true cost of treatments, etc. Does anyone know more on this?

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rgr8
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in America and I most certainly do think it is expensive

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Franc Esca
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A common misconception. Medicines equal AND surgery IS expensive. It is SUBSIDIZED by our tax money in the EU and in some other nations across the world. Go to Albania, where you often have to bribe staff and pay for mattresses and medicine yourself and you'll see the true cost of medicine. Private hospitals ofc make money from routine and non routine services, it also gives more attention to the patient and better conditions to the workers. It is expensive, that's why the whole population has to pay a small part of forever.

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N G
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How dare we suggest that universal health care (or however it works in the rest of the civilised world) is better than the way the Americans do it? /s but only just. Healthcare is a massive hot button topic.

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Stanley Judd
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a full-time benefitted RN in San Francisco. My base pay rate is $100.64/hr. I have barely an associate's degree. I'm fine with what hospitals charge.

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Suzanne Haigh
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most inhabitants of civilised countries do not need medical insurance

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Philly Bob Squires
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

$500 in hospital for two Tylenol... excuse me... generic tylenol... acetaminophen. ($6.00 for 500 of them at CVS) Scam!

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A Lemon
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think that fact would fall in the category ‘fun, depressing facts’

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Chlorophyll
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yes. also... uhm billing a mother for breastfeeding! For letting -her- breastfeed -her- own child after birth? This should have gone viral so much that people would have taken the bill and calculated with hyper-calculators how much this hospital thinks this mothers' breast milk is worth per each single drop. And THEN maybe ask why they think the mother is owned by them as long as she still is in their room. So that they feel entitled to bill her. Someone recently told me slavery is still in the constitution in the USA, it is still embedded there. This amendment is still not entirely finished. Society needs to start getting get rid of derivations, emanations, reflected forms of something that is still an underlying, still not overcome part of its culture. Up until today.

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B Jones
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We know it's a scam but our politicians are bought and paid for It's obvious in many ways. Oh this procedure is 500.00 cash. wait you have insurance? It costs 1500.00 but we negotiate with your insurance and they brought it down to 1000.00 You only have to pay half yourself...500.00 So you pay insurance and the cash price Of course if you were a politician then your healthcare would be free...go figure

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Aayse
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

and it is weird that they think their country is great, I mean help me out here please, why don't you guys do something about it? It is your right to have proper health care, your government is capable of and responsible for providing that. That is why you pay tax right?

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Nadine
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah... I'll always remember when I was offered optional septoplasty to correct my deviated nose. I went for it and spent two nights at the hospital. When I was set to go home, I was given an informative sheet explaining the cost of the procedure. It was 1800 euros and I didn't have to pay a cent because Spanish healthcare took care of everything. :-)

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Anne
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A broken arm in other developed countries will cost you about 3000 dollar. (xray, setting, plaster) . I saw a US bill for a similarly broken arm.. 50.000 dollar. I don't think our nurses, doctors etc make less money. Machinery is the same.. So.. y'all are being screwed over..

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Paul Zelf
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

USA has such a f****d up system it is sad. What's even more sad is that the majority has no idea how f****d up that system is!

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Salty Old Woman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We know this isn't normal. Stop assuming we're stupid. We're not stupid, our government is greedy and corrupt.

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Missy Moo Moo
Community Member
3 years ago

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No actually your taxes pay for it, health care isn't free unless everybody who works there were volunteers, utilities were gifted and land/buildings were donated

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MarcusandJana Millard
Community Member
3 years ago

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Kevin Donegan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a home in Mexico where I spend the winter months ... Health care is reasonably priced for the average person.

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Rosie Hamilton
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do you have two homes then? If so, are you really an average person? No criticism, genuinely curious. Sounds very nice and good for you if so.

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Gregg Stevens
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The bigger scam is all the people saying that healthcare is free, forgetting what taxes are. I'm not at all defending the US healthcare system but I do find it strange the amount of people saying their healthcare is free in other countries, when it isn't.

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TM McKeny
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact, you can wait over a year to get a colonoscopy, which you can schedule and have taken within a week in America.

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Carrie de Luka
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My partner needed one, in UK, same week. Fun fact, some 'facts' aren't facts.

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GirlFriday
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What most other countries do not understand about the US healthcare system is this: doctors and hospitals are sued constantly. Because of that, they must carry millions of dollars in malpractice insurance. Most of the costs for the doctors go to cover their insurance premiums. My SIL is a physician that doesn't perform surgery and her malpractice insurance premiums are about $40,000 per year.

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ProfessionalTimeWaster
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Medical transcription is a billion dollar industry, only because of US system of healthcare. I think most of the money is spent on middlemen.

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Ripley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe, but they still wouldn't cost as much as they do in the US. Someone worked out that they could fly to Spain, live there for 6 months, pay cash for an operation, and fly home again for less than that op would cost in the States. Healthcare costs there are beyond belief.

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Megan Flanagan
Community Member
3 years ago

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Little known fact, there are tons of low to no income people getting treatment for nothing in the US. You can often see them clogging up the ER because they refuse to get a family doctor

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Full of Giggles
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s not a fact. It’s ignorance. They’re not refusing to see a family doctor. The problem is they don’t have insurance and therefore, cannot afford to see one. An office visit requires payment up front and they can refuse treatment if you can’t afford to pay. A public hospital cannot refuse treatment to anyone for any reason.

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Anna Te
Community Member
3 years ago

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Actually, your insurance pays. Medical procedures are expensive.

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Lxm
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I required neurosurgery. Didn't have insurance. Spent 9 nights in hospital, 5 in HDU. Cost me a whole zero dollars. Edit: obviously not in America

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Tycooperaow would answer their own question by saying that a 'scam' that affected them personally the most comes from modern-day universities. "Many people in the post already covered everything there is to say about the barrier of entry of schooling and its relation to the future financial sustainability for the average person. It's very dissatisfying that even at the age of 14 public schools practically brainwash students by stating 'if they don't go to college or the military they end up as bums or delinquents.' Why should students get into thousands of dollars of student debt when [so many] of them do not have the right financial literacy to properly manage even $1,000 if it was gifted to them at 18. This issue itself I feel that places our country more at a financial disadvantage than it claims."

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#4

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies "America is the greatest country in the world."

Forimdema19 , cloudbuilding Report

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Kevin Donegan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you've ever traveled outside the United States (and, sadly, only a small percentage have), you will quickly find out that the United States is not the greatest country in the world.

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It's a chain reaction, the op said. "If you get into debt at 18 and get out of college at 21-22 then you have to put off buying a home, buying a car, and establishing assets. This slows down the economy. Heaven forbids if you have medical problems. If you can't pay, then you to go bankrupt. I can't tell you how many people resort to crowdfunding options just to pay for medical expenses. I don't think people should need to result to use GoFundMe as a health coverage option, nor use lottery tickets as a retirement plan. This is why we see such a transformative push for financial literacy among teens and young adults. It's the reason why eCommerce, Cryptocurrency, Forex, Social Media Marketing, Content Creation, etc.. are so idolized in our generation because the traditional methods essentially disbar proper progression. Sometimes it's not because people do it out of luxury, but do it out of necessity."

#5

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Somehow, a person who works 65 hours a week at a minimum-wage job just to pay the rent "isn't working hard enough". At the same time, an executive whose "work" boils down to signing a few forms, making a couple of phone calls, collecting investment payouts, and playing golf is considered "a hardworking American".

demo1318 , Dan McWeeney Report

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Helen Haley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Right name, connections, or education and you can get through life with good money and almost no actual work.

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"Lastly, the thing I would like to leave off with is that there are a lot of people who face challenges with our (if you live in the US) country and it will take some fixing," tycooperaow added. "I wish and motivate everyone to do not be afraid to speak on troubling topics. We have the power to change the narrative of how things are running regardless of how prominent they may seem. For example, once I started to learn about blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, this fundamentally shifted my view on governance and how something that seems so insignificant can have a huge impact. People have the power to do what is best, it all starts with just asking the right questions."

#6

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Healthcare, all the way. All those heartfelt stories on people who raised 100,000 for their neighbors surgery, and it's great, but no one seems to question why that was necessary in the first place. The person in question has insurance and they're still struggling to pay for this procedure?

Even worst if it's life-threatening. People have to make GoFundMe's, petition, all kinds of stuff. To have the basic right to not have to go broke when you see a doctor.

Sexcalator , Presidencia de la Repúblic of Mexica Report

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Bacony Cakes
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's working how it's supposed to, it just isn't designed to benefit the patient.

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#7

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies The idea that you need to work endless hours and never have time off.

There are plenty of countries where people work reasonable hours, have five-week summer vacations and the economies don't fall apart.

You are not lazy if you don't eat at your desk or while driving.

Pontus_Pilates , Luke Jones Report

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Julie C Rose
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love using the “...other countries manage it though?” argument on businesses. New Zealand has a terrible sick leave allowance so our progressive party poked Jacinda with a stick about it and she agreed to up it. She’s coddling the effing HELL out of the businesses but a bunch of them are still like “How are we supposed to survive if we give our employees a less pitiful amount of sick leave?!?!” And I’m like “the same way companies in other countries do it?”

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#8

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies College Tuition. Being in debt for thousands of dollars as a young adult just starting their life

Naweezy , 401(K) 2012 Report

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Helen Haley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Any job over minimum wage now requires a college degree. Even for an interview. The exceptions are few.

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#9

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Getting limited days worth of annual leave per year and then being encouraged not to use it.

vietcong420 , RichardBH Report

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Ceredwyn Ealanta
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Employers like this fail with diminishing returns. Their employees are too exhausted to work efficiently, and unable to come up with good policies to increase efficiency. You end up with people doing four hours worth of work in a twelve hour day because they're just too broken for more.

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#10

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Millionaires/Billionaires are just like you and me, who just worked harder than everybody else.

JasperDyne , Keith Cooper Report

#11

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Lawmakers allowed to invest in the stock market.

tripster72 , Andreas Poike Report

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Tabitha L
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Totally f****d up. Should be a blind trust. The way lawmakers sold off stocks and bought others after coronavirus briefings in February is disgusting. Looking at you Kelly Loeffler. Gross.

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#12

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies "If you're not 15 minutes early, you're late."
B*tch, that adds up to 65 hours a year you should have paid me for. That is 8 full days of work.

StanePantsen , kenkwsiu Report

#13

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies The two party system

hoosyourdaddyo , Hillary Report

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Nicolas Pilot
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its literally only one party at the top of the heirachy, devided in two, to give you the illusion of having a choice

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#14

Working 50+ hours a week to barely make ends meet, no health care, and no future but you're 'free' so it's worth it.

That_Trapper_guy Report

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Liz Tynne
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is America in a nutshell. People who think hard work matters aren't being objective. The hardest workers make the fewest dollars, and they're desperately praying for the day when their "American Dream" finally begins. It's incredibly demoralizing.

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#15

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Trickle-down economics.

Frigguggi , wikipedia Report

#16

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Really expensive funerals. People are charged astronomically high prices at a time when grief means they’re not prepared to make sound decisions.

Altrano , Eugene Peretz Report

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Pamela24
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Highly recommend the Youtube channel "Ask a mortician" to learn more - Caitlyn Doughty there offers some great education and information (and fun, too!).

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#17

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Advertising medicine. Seriously what the hell?

ShwingMAN13 , Open Grid Scheduler Report

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Julie C Rose
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For some reason, New Zealand is the only other country that does it. Even though we have effing public healthcare. For what it’s worth, I always just kind of assumed that everyone finds those ads as boring and annoying as I do.

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#18

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies College text books, you pay $400 for a book because you have to have the newest version that’s rarely changed much, and the school might offer you $40 and sell it for $150 used

ArtyParty0848 , wohnai Report

#19

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies The price for healthcare in America. For the love of God just travel overseas and compare, like, to any country in the world... And then realize how big of a rip-off it is in America. And it's all insurance companies fault.

MakubeXGold , Mads Bødker Report

#20

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Your cellphone plans. In my country, I pay €20 for unlimited calls, SMS, and data. I work in phone sales, and whenever I speak to an American, they cannot believe how cheap our plans are compared to what they pay

deccytag , Jacqui Brown Report

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Full of Giggles
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on your provider. I pay $35 for unlimited everything on two devices.

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#21

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies The pledge of allegiance was actually an advertisement to sell flags.

Gremlin0011 , E Photos Report

#22

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Tax Filing

For the majority of wage earners, the IRS can easily determine how much you owe and tell you, or tell you what you're owed in a refund. It's simple.

That they don't do so is only because tax preparation companies lobby lawmakers to keep the system as it is. Tax preparation companies only exist because they are legally allowed, middle men. They are slow, complicated, costly, and the opposite of free market efficiency.

johnydeformed , Motaz Altahir Report

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Julie C Rose
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It frustrates the HELL out of me when Americans blame their schools and say “Schools should teach kids how to do taxes!” Or, and hear me out here, the IRS could do what New Zealand does and calculate that stuff themselves. Even as a nonstandard worker who does have to do a tax return, it’s a short process where I just fill in how much money I made that year and set my provisional tax for the following year.

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#23

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Health insurance. Studied abroad in France for a year. When I went to the hospital for urinary retention due to an infection and had to spend the night. The only thing I had to pay for was the antibiotics they gave me to take home for a week which was about $10 for 7 pills. Ours is a joke.

THExBEARxJEW , 1662222 Report

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Dave P
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

when you are a foreign student, you pay a fee to your American health provider for overseas care, then the Euro hospitals bill the heck out of it because they love American re-embursments. In fact they jump americans ahead of all the lines and give higher care, especially in places like france, because they want the American Insurance money.

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#24

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Politicians talk about the need for healthcare, but create legislation for healthcare insurance.

Those are not the same things. In fact, the latter actually is a barrier to the former.

WatchTheBoom , Parentingupstream Report

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cybermerlin2000
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stop the insurers completely and replace them with Private Healthcare. It's almost the same thing only cheaper, and you're guaranteed to get help paying for your medical costs. Better still, use some of the tax millions being frivolously wasted on falsely overly inflated costs for mundane things, and you could fund a free at access public health service.

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#25

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies 'Overdraft protection,' which actually allows the bank to charge you when you use a debit card, instead of just declining the transaction.

rainbowcadillac Report

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Helen Haley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never understood overdraft fees or overdraft protection. Money isn't there, just decline. It is all done electronically, not like they're paying someone to look at each and every transaction to approve or deny. Money there? Transaction goes through. No money, no transaction.

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#26

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies The push that 'college is for everyone!' Also, you aren’t able to default on your student loans, so banks will give them to anyone. Coincidentally, society started telling people that they should all go to college, no matter their situation, right after passing the bill that made student loans impossible to hide from.

jude802 , COD Newsroom Report

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natie marie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I could have started doing the job I do now, 3 years earlier without debt had I not gone to uni. and I have friends who finished school at 18 and now own houses and are very comfortable. Uni is not the only way to succeed.

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#27

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Rent To Own products. (Rent-A-Center, Aarons, Conns, etc..) You end up paying triple or quadruple the value of the product for virtually no other benefit than you'd get if you just saved a little money and bought the product out-right.

bloomfaith , Mr. Blue MauMau Report

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Helen Haley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everyone knows this is a scam. If people are resorting to rent to own, it is generally because they don't have a better option. If it takes you 3 years to save up for a bed, that is three years sleeping on the floor. Not really conducive to getting the sleep needed to work the 3 jobs you need.

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#28

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Paying thousands of dollars for basic dental work

ReapeR_ahhh , Aiko, Thomas & Juliette Report

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Missy Moo Moo
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I paid $10000 for a front tooth implant in Australia. $2k to have the broken tooth removed, $800 for the fake tooth, $5k for the metal implant (surgery, hospital, anesthetist), $700 for the new fake tooth plate, $2k for the new tooth

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#30

Identity theft. The bank fails to properly vet someone they gave money to, and now it's your problem.

You did nothing, the bank made a mistake. How is that your problem?

And look at credit monitoring companies, they claim they can detect fraud on your credit report. Yet, credit monitoring companies and credit reporting companies are one and the same -- literally the same company. So the real message is "pay us and we will not make false reports about you in our credit reports, we have the ability to detect falsehoods, but will only do so if you pay us". There should be a clear case of libel here. The credit reporting companies often report things that they reasonably know to be false.

Buttons840 Report

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Brandy Grote
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Use credit unions. Don't just use the 1st bank you find. Get the best deal for your life. Every credit union we've used has bent over backwards to help us with fraud.

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#31

The war on drugs. Cheap informal pharmacopeia is what's left for anyone who can't afford or access doctors, psychiatric help, or prescription meds. Rehab for the privileged, prison for the rest. Political talking points, to get us riled up. A gray market with selective enforcement, like gambling and prostitution. Employment in the Informal Sector. Employment, asset seizure, bribery, and extortion opportunity for cynical Enforcers. Prohibition 2.0.

WanderersEndgame Report

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Julie C Rose
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

New Zealand is godawful about drugs too. Our organisation that helps addicts is absolutely furious about it.

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#32

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Commercialized medication.

fklavernl , Paolo Gamba Report

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#33

For profit health insurance. We still pay for other people's healthcare, we just do it in a much more bloated and expensive way than universal healthcare.

sprucetrap1987 Report

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Kevin Donegan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a good friend who works in the insurance industry. Every year their entire work group goes somewhere (Hawaii, Mexico) for a week all paid by the company. I'm guessing for 50 people it probably comes up to $150,000 (airfare, accommodations, etc.). When I explain to her that their trip is paid for on the backs of people/companies paying their insurance coverage premiums. She's adamant that it's paid for out of the her boss' "profit" for the company. There are million examples like this that inflates the cost of health insurance. And, speaking of the boss' profit, he lives in a multi-million dollar home and drives a Maserati. Capitalism is good to point ... until it leads to gross excess and severe income disparity.

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#34

Water bottles

Cost less than a cent to fill.

ItsPronouncedTribe Report

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Anne Reid
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What really needs to be addressed is that not every place in the US has drinkable water. Where I live in Florida, I’m ok. My friends less than a mile away? Their water is so heavily chlorinated that you might as well drink from a swimming pool. No water filter to date has been able to overcome it. Of course, that’s nothing compared to Flint, Michigan.

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#35

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies 90% of ads you see in social media. Hair fruit gummies do not help your hair.

ThatGirlNo1Knows , icethim Report

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Katrina B.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

First off, that's B12 which does other things, and you do need B vitamins. The one you're thinking of is biotin which has shown mixed results in helping in human bodies.

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#36

Prescription eye glasses. They should be maybe $100 tops but we pay multiple times that for them.

BaconReceptacle Report

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Bill
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This because of that Italian company that has a complete monopoly onthe industry.

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#37

Insurance. Sure it works as intended, but it could be non-profit so rates are cheaper and rebates are given, not so someone can get filthy rich. All the unused money at the end of the year should go back to the insured, not the insurer less a fair wage.

hesitantmaneatingcat Report

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Kevin Donegan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a good friend who works in the insurance industry. Every year their entire work group goes somewhere (Hawaii, Mexico) for a week all paid by the company. I'm guessing for 50 people it probably comes up to $150,000 (airfare, accommodations, etc.). When I explain to her that their trip is paid for on the backs of people/companies paying their insurance coverage premiums. She's adamant that it's paid for out of the her boss' "profit" for the company. There are million examples like this that inflates the cost of health insurance. And, speaking of the boss' profit, he lives in a multi-million dollar home and drives a Maserati. Capitalism is good to point ... until it leads to gross excess and severe income disparity.

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#38

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Car dealerships. They're literally just middle-man functions that do nothing more than raise the cost of the 'good' and produce taxation for the government on multiple levels of the transactions involved in purchasing a car through the third party.

AdultReasoning , Brian Timmermeister Report

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Mimi777
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Buying a car from a dealership was a huge mistake. I will never do it again. I was young and dumb and should have taken my dad’s advice.

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#39

Person Asks Non-Americans To Share "Scams" That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies Greeting cards cost like $5!

ItsPronouncedTribe , Honou Report

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Tabitha L
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can get them for $0.99. But you can also find $7.99 cards. Or more. Depends on what you want to spend.

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