“Flags Everywhere”: Foreigners Share The Most Bizarre Things They Noticed While Visiting The U.S.
Interview With ExpertWhen you visit a new place or country, you naturally have certain expectations. Maybe it’s from movies, viral videos, or things you've heard from others. But sometimes, reality turns out to be completely different—and even a little bizarre.
Recently, someone online asked, "Non-Americans who have been to the US: What is the weirdest thing about America that Americans don’t realize is weird?" The responses poured in, and let’s just say—outsiders notice some very peculiar things about life in the U.S. Keep scrolling to see what had them scratching their heads!

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Allowing convicted felons who know nothing about politics, to be president not just once, but twice.
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups" -George Carlin predicting the MAGAt cult...
I'm very sad that George is gone, but also in a way glad, because he would have spontaneously combusted over the current state of things...
Load More Replies...I think the USA is also the only "democracy" where the president is immune from prosecution from crimes. This, more than anything else, is mind blowing to me. If the president is above the law, than what is the law? It is merely what he says it is. It's like, L'etat c'est moi. In most democracies, this is not the case. The head of state is subject to the rule of law. If they violate that law they are subject to prosecution. Presidents and Prime Ministers have been arrested and sentenced to prison for abuse of power. But the US president can literally murder a baby and claim it as an official act, and it's totally fine. Nutzo
"Well you see, David, when the president does it that means that it is not illegal"- Ex-president Richard "I Am Not A Crook" Nixon, (Republican, naturally) 1977 in interview with David Frost.
Load More Replies...I think the reason that Europeans don't understand this is due to the fact that they are better educated than Americans. Statistics show that Americans fall below Europeans in multiple studies. We're rapidly becoming a nation of uneducated and willfully ignorant citizens, and this is the result when a government downgrades it's educational system.
There are many reasons I'm happy to be Canadian but Trump is in the top 3 (the others are our laws around women's and LGBTQIA+ rights and our health care system). And I'm even more grateful since he came out with his bulls*t around making us the 51st state. Good luck with that d*ckface, it'll never happen. Edit for grammar.
Americans are gaslit to believe that they live in the "Land of the Free" and celebrate Independence Day whilst not realising that they are - in fact - NOT free and are slaves.
No free healthcare.
A weird, weird, WEIRD obsession with guns.
Being underpaid in jobs because they have to rely on tips.
School shootings are "normalised" with drills in school.
Believing they are the centre of the universe.
And calling a "bottom" a "fanny" - because fanny means something VERY different in the UK.
Having an education system that included the study of other countries and cultures may raise awareness.
Soon to have no education system, just a series of privately and state managed schools that can teach whatever they want (or not teach).
Load More Replies...Mandatory health insurance costing upwards of $500 per month is just beyond bizarre. Medicare levy in Australia is somewhere around 1500 a year, i dont know anymore as im not working to be fair right now given im caring for mum.
Mandatory health insurance in the US ended in 2017.
Load More Replies...This post is everything that those of us not from America have observed.
Why are f***y packs called f***y packs? You wear them on your belly (or even higher), not on your bottom or vagina, so neither definition makes sense.
Because they rest of top of your f***y (why is butt censored if it's the F word?)
Load More Replies...Regarding the last item, the Brits have a valid point. The American slang for buttocks came about in the 1920's, whereas the UK slang for vulva has been in use since 1879. It's most like derived from John Cleland's scandalous novel "F***y Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure" (1748).
I haven;t heard the word 'f***y' for a rearend since my grandmother and her siblings in the 70s....they were all born from 1905-1923.
It appeared as such in the song "Earache my Eye" by Cheech and Chong in 1974.
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The fusion between Christianity and nationalism (or politics in general). American version of Christianity (some of them) seems like the complete opposite of what Jesus actually taught. Or if not opposite, it's just something else that's still absurd.
Yep, Republican Jesus is the complete opposite of the Biblical Jesus.
Nationalist Christians (NatCs) woud crucify Him if He returned today.
Load More Replies...The Baptist ayatollahs have worked for years to tear down the wall of separation between church and state.
Megachurches and their leaders being millionaires. That already says it all
Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Load More Replies...ITYF that most versions of Christianity (and Islam, come to think of it) throughout history bear little ressemblance to the actual teachings of Christ as depicted in the Bible. Somehow all the stuff about being nice to each other gets hidden by the righteous desire to kill anyone who doesn't want to believe in the same things that they do.
I'm no expert, but doesn't Christianity preach that people should be kind to others and forgive people who wronged them?
Unless they don't believe exactly what you believe, then it's fine to smite them. The bible is just a prop and the preachings are just things to ignore for nationalist christian zealots.
Load More Replies...CINOs Christian in Name Only. That's what we have in America, and what is driving the conservative agenda. I could almost accept it if there were valid reasoning, but CINOs cherry-pick their book for passages that suit their anti-christ agenda. And their interpretations are most definitely anti-Jesus.
We all have a certain vision of America—the land of opportunity, big dreams, and even bigger everything. Whether it’s social media or stories from friends, many of us form expectations about what life in the U.S. might be like before ever setting foot there. But reality often comes with a few surprises.
Beyond the things we assume, there are certain everyday aspects of American life that are completely normal to locals but seem unusual to outsiders. These cultural quirks are so ingrained in daily life that Americans might not even realize they stand out to the rest of the world.
As someone from the US who has been living outside the US for about 2 years now, the sense of entitlement. No one owes you anything. Minor inconveniences are not a violation of your rights. The number of adults pitching toddler temper tantrums is absurd. I didn’t realize how big a part of my life that was until I moved and noticed nearly immediately that that’s not how people do things elsewhere.
There is massive entitlement among those who are used to having everything they want. But those they have always taken from are demanding fair compensation. This makes the entitled feel threatened and attack the abused for "feeling entitled to fair treatment". Now the entitled want to "make America great again" for the entitled by doubling down on the abuse.
"Those who are accustomed to privilege often believe that equality is oppression." - Howard Brenneman
Load More Replies...I live in South Africa (yes, I'm white, no, nobody is trying to kill white people) and I've seen someone throw a temper tantrum *once* in a shop in my entire life. ONCE.
I live in Germany. And I also saw someone throw a temper tantrum. And I work in gastronomy. Also, the guy wasn't german. (It was rush hour, with me alone in the kitchen, and he had to wait 40 minutes, the waitress told him the wait time. And he chosed to behave like a toddler at exactly 39 minutes, when his food was already on the pass ready to be served. We were like, whatever-than-you-are-going-to-sleep-hungry. The waitress liked very much the penne with shrimps).
Load More Replies...I highly doubt studies have been done, and this is probably my narrow view based on being an American, but I just don't think non-Americans whinge as much about how life's not fair. Exactly! Life's not fair, so stop whinging, and get on with it to the best of your ability. And stop blaming others for your failings, because you are NOT entitled despite what you may think.
This has been caused by society tolerating these "big babies" and placing the feelings of the individual above the common good. People do what they are allowed to do. Make the punishment bad enough and people will stop doing bad things. Bring back drawing and quartering for violent crimes and watch how fast those crimes drop. The death penalty should be neither painless or humane. Only in America does the perp have rights while the victim(s) have none.
That mothers can’t take up to a year off to be with their infants
No paternity leave, no maternity leave and unless you have VERY good insurance, not all the (exorbitant) costs covered either and kicked out of hospital next day.
Load More Replies...The Right is surprisingly even handed on the question of birth. They punish those who don't want to have children by trying to restricting abortion and birth control. They punish those who do want to have children by denying parental leave for both mother and father and health care for mother and child.
Between poor health insurance, high mortality rates, and a lack of any real maternity leave, conservatives are insisting on Americans having more babies. It's like being forced to bake a cake without flour and sugar.
Like nothing happened? Oh dear, the drama of it all. Most employers like here, in the UK have staged return from maternity leave whereby after my nine months of maternity leave I went back to the office first part time to allow to adjust and catch up to any changes. It's really not that big a deal, have you never heard of a sabbatical?
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The level of homelessnes was like nothing I’ve seen in any other western country. Very obvious mental health problems among those homeless. It was so jarring to me to see a homeless person with a piece of cardboard which said that she had cancer and needed money for treatment. To think that ANYONE had cancer and couldn’t get treatment is inhuman. Some might say that she only told that story to get money, doesn’t matter - the fact that it’s a real possibility is the punch in the guts.
That's all on the medical insurance companies and the US politicians they own outright.
It's on the people who voted for those politicians.
Load More Replies...That's because any social safety net is seen as communism. While it's proven that the countries that have them, have the happiest people
Communism and socialism bad/s But apparently dictatorships are the way to go!
Load More Replies...Yup. If you can't make someone a profit, your life has no value and you are sentenced to death. Literally.
Didn't Reagan close down mental wards instead of fixing what was wrong with mental care? That was quite a disaster. Just like the stigma that needing some mental help meant you were weak, untrustworthy or just crazy. Instead the US allowed the population to be over medicated with antidepressants and similar. Not saying those can't help people, but they shouldn't be your first stop and only stop for healing.
The Ronald did indeed do that. One of his many crimes.
Load More Replies...If the US government can't even provide medical and housing for its veterans they sent into questionable wars that they designed, why would anyone expect them to care for any citizen without a substantial bank account.
Ha I have a decent job and insurance and it would still be crazy expensive to get treatment for cancer. 10k deductible then they cover 80% after that.
Dont forget lifetime limits. The insurance says " i will pay up to 1 million dollars in treatment. That is the most I will ever pay for you. After that, no more insurance, ever"
Load More Replies...People here in the US get divorced so that one of them can keep the house because of medical bills
For instance, portion sizes in the U.S. are famously large. Fast food meals, restaurant servings, and even soft drink sizes can be shockingly big compared to what you’d get in other countries.
While a "large" drink in some places might be 500ml, in the U.S., it’s not uncommon to see people casually sipping from a full liter cup.
Tax system. Like, if something is advertised on the shelf as $6 it should be that… right? No. Not in the US.
I hate this. And how it varies so much by state or even county sometimes.
Amen. Try taking a road trip through several states, numerous counties...
Load More Replies...Just walk 1.6 kilometers in an American's shoes.
Load More Replies...I remember when the Goods & Services Tax (GST) was introduced in Australia there was a lot of worry about how it would work and how we would notice it every time we bought something, but we don't, because it's built in to the shelf price. The transition was easy.
That is exactly why US has the system it does. The shopkeepers didnt wsnt the blame for the higher prices, so you pay the tax separate do you know how much the stste is getting.
Load More Replies...Even Europe, including non EU counties are even more alike with this. Yes, all different rates but at least we all have prices including them
I've never had a problem paying taxes because I understand that spreading the wealth is necessary to improve infrastructure and people's lives. What I do object to is the sneaky way the US collects taxes (aforementioned sales tax) and how our government wastes so much of it due to inefficiency. What especially galls me is how the ultra-rich citizens and corporations don't pay their fair share.
The real problem with sales taxes, GST, etc. is that they are all regressive taxes on the poor.
Taxes pay for different things here. That's why it varies even in counties. Federal government is hands off when it comes to states taxing for transit, roadways, police etc. We do vote when these are brought up. Florida has no state income tax, but we pay federal income tax. Yes it is confusing and dumb.
As an American that left.
The sugar that’s in all the food
It's not real sugar most of the time, it's that High Fructose Corn Syrup garbage usually.
Fructose Corn Syrup is also called glucose–fructose syrup. Fructose and glucose are both sugars, so it is REAL sugar, youst pretty cheap one. Cane sugar btw is a a disaccharide, composed of glucose and fructose subunits. Z Fructose tastes sweeter and seems to be not very good for the body. Glucose seems to be the best stuff for energy!
Load More Replies...It's not just the sugar and corn syrup, it's all the questionable chemicals that combine to make our foods a slow-form poison. And the FDA continues to allow it.
The corn used to produce the corn syrup is GMO and heavily sprayed with glyphosate.
Load More Replies...Sugar? HFCS? how about the fact that there are many things in foods here that are banned in most of the remained of the world. I read somewhere that people coming to America are advised to not eat any fast food and to be careful what they do eat and from where. Simply because of all the additives. It will make them sick.
i became truly aware of this when i spent 6 wks in europe & could actually taste flavours in food other than sugar & could enjoy bread because it didn't taste like cookie dough. & when i came back i started really monitoring sugar content. & many manufacterers have gotten the memo & are making sure that the sugar is either greatly reduced or that no sugar is even added. i mean, why do you even have to add any sugar to an apple pie or a cherry pie?
Majority globally banned additives, colours, GMO, multi messed with un-natural fats,
Not based on science unfortunately. Many of those bans are all because people fear things they don't understand.
Load More Replies...Maybe RFK can fix that. Give hime a chance He's starting with dyes and food colorings, etc
Flag worshipping. It's like an idolatrous cult
I’ve never understood why we have to have the U.S. flag every—fvcking—where. At government facilities, yes. But at supermarkets? Churches? Sports stadiums? I know what country I’m in. I’m not under the delusion that I suddenly got teleported to Scotland or somewhere.
The pledge of allegiance. It gets creepier when you find out the original didn't demand pledging to God. It's the slow takeover by the Christian Taliban.
I haven’t said the pledge or sung the anthem in years. I refuse.
Load More Replies...You know what countries do this? I tell you: dictatorships. North Korea is doing this in the present too. Eastern- european countries weres doing this till 1989, under communist dictatorships. Russia is doing this nowadays in a lower level.
Load More Replies...I believe it's due to the average Americans inate insecurity. It's something for them to cling too, a bit like a favorite teddy bear.
If we didn't have the millions of flags flapping in the breeze, adorning people and buildings, there is the very distinct possibility people would forget what country they're in. We are an incredibly stupid nation.
Where I live if there are loads of flags around an area it's a warning not to go in there as it's dodgy af and nationalist. Any flag is a red flag...went past an area like that recently and they had a Trump flag flying high, in Ireland, they must still be using lead paint in the houses in that estate.
Burning is considered the correct and respectful way to dispose of a worn-out flag. Are you saying it shouldn't be? Is it that kind of "funny?"
Load More Replies...My daughter (UK) worked as a camp councillor at a summer camp in Minnesota. There were a lot of international councillors there: Australians, Germans, Scandinavians . . They had the normal (for the US) flag raising and lowering events but one American woman screamed abuse at them for not pledging allegiance to the flag. She said it was "unpatriotic"!
Many online have joked about the enormous soda sizes available in American shops and movie theaters. It’s something locals don’t think twice about, but for visitors, seeing people carry around bucket-sized drinks can be quite amusing.
So many things but that the reaction to a bad situation, even minor, is to sue someone. That’s a horrible obsession with money.
Crazy big portions. Having a gun being more important than the lives of children.
The lack of interest in the rest of the world.
Lack of protection for employees and lack of annual leave.
Right now, I'd say the Americans are very interested in the rest of the world, for all the wrong reasons.
The orange menace wants to rule the world..............
Load More Replies...I noticed the horrible obsession with money years ago. A person will be telling a story about something unrelated to money but will throw in how much it cost to go somewhere or buy something. Like, who cares? No wonder capitalism has thrived there unchecked when all everyone does is obsess over money.
The meglomania and talking as so superior to the world. Ive never understood why american voters blame one side or the other for the state of wars in the world....you have no say, its not your country or leadership starting and stopping wars in other parts of the world, it is the will of the countries in those regions, influence only goes so far but its not Bidens fault for instance that over 30 years of struggle post USSR has led to Ukraines troubles today, that on the power struggles of that region fgs.
While this is true, it's also true that our government has a long history of meddling in other countries' affairs, both blatantly and covertly. So, to be fair, it's hard to tell when we are to blame for other people's problems and when we're not.
Load More Replies...Yup, America's obsession with lawsuits sucks. Too many lawyers...
Not a lawyer here. But that's not the issue (or at least the fact that there are too many lawyers is not the cause, but a symptom). The issue is that because there is no other mechanism for redress, the courts are utilized to make people whole. If you are injured in a store, now you have a medical bill to pay. Even just getting stitches can cost thousands of dollars without insurance. And if you DO have insurance, often the insurance policy will file a lawsuit, or force you to file a law suit, in order to be reimbursed. Same goes for many other scenarios that in most developed countries would not require legal intervention. Think unions, government healthcare, disability programs, etc. There are always frivolous cases that get headlines, but most of those cases end up being dismissed, or thrown out on appeal.
Load More Replies...Sadly, suing someone is the only chance many Americans have at any sort of financial security.
Not only is the US a litigious society, we elected the king of litigious suits running the government. It's not even a question of money in many instances, but pride in a legal justification the litigious party is right. How else can one become obese without out-sized portions and addictive junk food? Americans don't care about children. They're more concerned with eggs and aborted babies. Once they become children, the boredom sets in and it's time to play with guns. When you live in "the greatest country ever in history" there's little interest or concern about others. Employees is merely a fancy term for modern-day slaves. And who would give slaves a decent salary or annual leave? This is America. Don't catch you slippin' now.
I think if they weren't being extorted daily and held hostage by their totally screwed up lack-of-health-care system, maybe they wouldn't be so money-grubbing in every other part of their lives. If they felt safe, they wouldn't have to find creative ways to redirect money to themselves at the slightest perceived reason to clutch their pearls.
Personally, I've always been interested in learning about other countries. Some fascinate me more than others of course. I've wanted to visit Pripyat for many years now and was on the brink of buying plane tickets in 2020 when air travel went to hell. But I've recently been told by a Ukrainian that I dodged a bullet, that Americans weren't particularly welcome there since 2014.
The pledge of allegiance. Very cultish for a country to do.
Massachusetts is the only state that doesn't force students to recite this jingoistic cräp because it discriminates against non-believing students and violates the guarantee of equal rights contained in the Massachusetts Constitution. BTW, the whole "god" portion was inserted in 1954 under Eisenhower to prove Americans were a moral people, unlike the atheistic heathens in the Soviet Union. Americans still continue to hate and distrust atheists no matter what country they reside.
It's voluntary in NH for students, too. But when did anyone from MA think of us heathens ;-)
Load More Replies...*confidently say, btw BP should add comment editing
Load More Replies...And what is so pronounced about those who demand adherence to pledging is the obvious tendency for them to be acting like fascists! In most countries, you are believed to be a citizen who supports the country unless you act otherwise. In the USA, they elect people who resemble autocratic fascists, be they WWII fascists or current Russian autocrats.
It's a weird thing to be sure, especially since there is a mention of god in it. I think Europeans don't really understand what a throw away thing it is, and that it's not something students really take seriously. It's just one more thing you have to do in school, where you're already doing a bunch of meaningless things.
I see what you mean but it certainly instills that this is normal. It's like an advertisement, every single day. Some of it will definitely stick, even if students think it won't
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The fact that Americans can buy a gun at Walmart, but not a Kinder Surprise chocolate egg.
Prime example of stupid double standards. Banning a chocolate egg because of safety but Pete from 1 block away can just buy a gun
Or that fire department raffles might have a rifle as the top prize, especially when the FD is adjacent to the high school. As an additional problem, why do fire departments need to have raffles to buy their equipment?
In a truly twisted sense, this is hilarious. In 1938, the US prohibited the sale of confectionary items containing "non-nutritive objects" (the plastic toy). And here we are today, being allowed to consume great quantities of processed and ultra-processed foods linked to an increase risk for cancer. The plastic toy can be spat out, but not the hideous ingredients our government allows in our food.
Walmart doesn't sell guns anymore, and very little choice in ammo. Air rifles and air pistols yes, but not actual firearms. We don't have background checks.
Okay, not. Walmart, but 100% Bass pro-shop at the outlet mall. That's where I bought my shotgun, the outlet mall. 🤷🏻♂️
Load More Replies...sigh...half rigt. This misunderstanding keeps happening. You CAN buy a kinder suprise chocalate egg. ITs just a different version that meets the regulations against non edible objects inside food. The gun thing though... yeah that is totally true
To get more insight, we spoke to Alessa Grund, a German PhD student in software engineering who spent a semester in Washington State as an exchange student. She shared some of the biggest cultural differences she noticed during her stay.
“Cashiers often make small talk with you while checking out,” she said. “At first, I didn’t know how to respond. Back home in Munich, we usually just pay and leave.”
Weird political system (voting - how can you become President when the majority of voters doesn’t want you?, archaic pol party system, limited knowledge of party programs, limited ability to vote for policies).
The electoral college should have been abolished a century agao. It should all be strictly popular vote.
We would need 38 states to ratify such a constitutional amendment. There are more than 12 small states benfiting from the imbalance (not to mention red states) who would never vote for it.
Load More Replies...Well about the President, you do need a majority, in each state. People forget we are Union of 50 semi-Independent States that are united in a Federal Republic. Each State has its own laws, own courts, own military (my state of NY is one of the few that has its own Navy, though it hasnt deployed to war since 1898). In fact, states can refuse to extradite criminals to other states and more. That is why we have a system where each state votes on their own for who they want to be president, and then each state is given a appropriation of delegates to the national level based on their population. People outside (and even inside) the US forget this, the US is 50 countries within 1 country, and you need to win states to get their delegates. A National Popular vote would not work in this system, and does not exist as a result. Also the 2 party system came around by accident, and other countries are defacto 2 party systems.
The number one choice that Americans make during every presidential election is to not vote. This ties in with the fact that 54% of American read below the 6th grade level.
Yes! you need to exercise your democratic right to vote, especially now that you have an oligarchy. Never take the right to vote for granted.
Load More Replies...It's called democracy. Don't you know anything. Heck, we've been invading countries for decades talking it up. You must live in a country we haven't invaded yet. Be patient because we'll bring you our home-grown American democracy as soon as we get rid of all these pesky immigrants and their kids.
Yeah the electoral college is antiquated but it allows our vocal minority to stay in power and we can't get the massive majority required to change it because the Republicans would be voting against their own self interest. If we instituted a popular vote it would be extremely uncommon for this country to elect a conservative. Most Americans are not the conservative nuts we're painted as. Those people just happen to be very loud and unfortunately they are more consistent voters. We hate then too.
Look up "gerrymandering"; it explains a lot about their electoral system.
That is for congress seat district lines, that plays no role in a state-wide vote for president.
Load More Replies...The system was set up by wealthy landowners, so it has some potholes that need to be filled. The electoral college that officially decides who wins the presidency based on who wins the state electoral votes was set up to benefit southern wealthy landowners and it still does benefit the wealthy in southern states. It needs to be axed, but you will not see DOGE going after that!
They are proud to be uneducated. Not kidding. Actually proud to not know basic things.
100% true in many areas of the US. They elected someone who committed 4 felonies and other crimes to overthrow our democracy, so can't really deny it.
But when I say this I'm down voted! I think Trump and Musk are in cahoots to destabilize the United States government by eliminating Federal Jobs/the amount of people up to date and in the know, and further divide and crush the spirits of American citizens by causing us financial distress by slapping tariffs on everything!!
Load More Replies...Isaac Asimov -- American -- (1980): “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
George Bernard Shaw - the "100% American" is 99% idiot.
Load More Replies...Also the Trumpian aim to ban the Dept of Education and defund skills is to increase the numbers of uneducated, who will continue to elect the wrong people
A fact is to a MAGA what a crucifix is to a vampire. (Unrelated - it just occured to me why vampires have to vote by mail.)
Hence the term "willfully ignorant" that's become popular thanks to the popularity of MAGAts.
Yeah this makes many Americans crazy too. I face it in my own family. People embrace anti intellectualism because they have gotten the idea that education is something specifically of the elites who are out of touch with the common man. So they take pride in not being educated and claim some home grown country boy "common sense" But of course that meand that the misunderstand massive amounts of the world areound them and disregard expertise.
On the other hand I bet they are loyal churchgoers and have a vast knowledge of scriptures
Load More Replies...US elected someone with 4 felony charges of attempting to overthrow an election (and many other charges). They refused to look at evidence because they were proud to follow opinion. So yes, dangerous, but here we are.
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Starbucks coffee is truly, truly awful
This totally and completely. My coworker disagreed with me on this so I asked her to try any Starbucks order black, no sugar, no creams, no syrups, etc. Her reaction, "yuck, it tastes like burnt rubber!" Starbucks drinks are just coffee-ish desserts. If your coffee doesn't taste good black, all the flavorings and sweeteners are just covering up the bad flavor.
Yeah, they burn the hell out of their beans. There are some really good coffee places in the US though. But Starbucks is like the McDonalds of coffee. You don't go their expecting quality. You go there to get a frappa-half-calf-caramel-dodad that costs $25 and has 4000 calories.
Load More Replies...Just because these liquid desserts are made in the vicinity of coffee beans, they are no more coffee than an espresso martini is a coffee. Americans are addicted to sugar, and they'll get it any way possible.
Luckily there's lot of good coffee available for those of us who actually like coffee.
Maybe, but has nothing to do with real coffee. It's just some dessert with coffee in it. If you buy like a dessert, okay, but Starbucks has no good coffee. Which is strange, because they are also selling beans (at least in Germany), and their light-medium rosted beans are quite enjoyable. Not the wow-I-never-tasted-something-so-good-like-this level, but also not so shít, what are they selling from the same beans in their shops.
Load More Replies...and so RIDICULOUSLY expensive! even if i was rich, i couldn't justify paying so much for so much sugar!
Oily coffee and rip your gut up no mater how much sugar and cream and flavering to cover it up
Another thing that stood out to her was the healthcare system. “Coming from Europe, I was shocked at how expensive medical care is in the U.S. In Germany, almost everything is covered by insurance. Also, many medicines that require a prescription back home are easily available over the counter here.”
The culture around the military - thanking them for their service as soon as you find out they’re in the the military, the perks they get such as boarding planes first, all these random discounts…
It's because rather than provide us with medical care unless we fight them tooth and nail, letting so many of us become homeless while fighting the VA, etc., we get thanked for our service and discounts at some places. woot.
They don’t even provide veterans with much in the way of medical care
Load More Replies...To be fair, our government doesn't take care of veterans in the way it should, so I certainly don't mind people and businesses trying to make up some of the difference with perks. The reverence and almost religiosity is inappropriate though.
I have heard some soldiers saying they don't like being thanked for their service because it can take them back to a bad head space. Our veterans are treated like s**t in this country by our government after they return. They have to fight to get basic care, its disgusting. The government don't take care of them so the people do. That is a flaw in their veteran programs and healthcare and not with a business that chooses to help them. Ya dig?
Load More Replies..."Thank you for your service" conveys exactly the same benefits as "thoughts and prayers".
I have NEVER thanked a veteran for their service. Military service isn't compulsory (yet) and enlistment was a choice. Lots of kids I went to school with enlisted, and none of them did it because they felt compelled by some moral, altruistic need. In most cases, kids enlist because college is expensive, entry level jobs pay nothing and getting started in the US as a young adult is brutal. But the military fandom thing has just gotten completely out of control.
There is nothing inherently wrong with perks for the military: they are the ones who don't get to run when explosive hardware is coming their way. It doesn't mean though that you can't have good health care and a good benefits system as well for civilians aswell as veterans. There is a glaring difference between the USA and Europe and that is their history. Ours is riddles with revolutions, wars and atrocities, empires have come and gone and that has shaped the way we think. Our history is very different and that explains why we have an, admittely, elaborate system of checks and balances. No company here would get away with selling toxic candy the way they do in the US for example. For a country that advertises itself as the land of the free the people have surprisingly little to say about their own lives.
The United States is in or behind the scenes in practically every war.
they really fetishize the military I am not saying they don't deserve recognition if they do something. But thanking them for their service or getting special treatment for just existing is a bit much why not do this for doctors or firefighters or retails workers sanitation workers they all contribute daily than someone who is in the military that doesnt do anything all day unless they are deployed to a war zone
The pharmaceutical advertisements. Very strange.
US Big Pharma spends more on advertisements than research currently. Pure insanity.
They also spend huge amounts to buy politicians.................
Load More Replies...Yeah, these are weird. They're also really indicative of other issues going on in the country. A few years back there was an ad for a laxative made for people who are addicted to opioids, and it was shown during the superbowl -- which has the biggest commercial audience and cost to the advertiser. How many people have to be addicted to opioids like heroin, oxy and fentanyl to make this cost effective? Millions.
they try to make as much money as possible before they get hit with endless class action lawsuits. & even if they have to pay out millions & millions, they have still made a profit. & they get to deduct the court damages they pay.
We have pharmaceutical ads here in NZ too, but it’s not (I’m guessing) as bad as in the US???
People who take a fun DNA test and then identify as an Italian. Or Greek. Or German. Or African, whatever it means. Africa is a continent, not a country. While the only language they speak is English, the only nationality they've got is that of the US and they have never lived anywhere else but the US. You are American, deal with it.
I am a Viking American. I feel the call of the longboat and the desire to pillage.
Those who went viking spent most of their lives in subsistence farming - the raiding was just a way to get money so they could get a better farm, some fancy gear, and maybe some slaves to do the hard work for them (etc).
Load More Replies...I for one wish I wasn’t American. If only my ancestors had stayed in Europe.
I think the Ukrainian side of my family wouldn't have made it past the Holodomor. Or the Irish side might not have made it through the Irish potato famine.
Load More Replies...What is wrong with being curious about or proud of your ancestry? My great grandmother came to the states as a child. Her family was German and Russia. I grew up with a lot of German and Russian food, traditions, etc. I also lived in Germany for 3 years as a teen. I feel a strong connection with Germany and am proud of my heritage. I know I'm not German but my great grandmother was and that isn't so long ago.
Theyre not saying theres anything wrong with that. The complaint is americans saying theyre german despite having zero real connection to the culture
Load More Replies...Calling myself American seems unfair and disrespectful to native Americans though. I’m just an international bum, or squatter.
I think this has to do with the fact that the U.S. is a young nation compared to the rest of the world. But yeah I think it is a little weird but people want to know about their heritage even if they never visited the country.
Australia is considerably younger, and we dont do this
Load More Replies...I had this discussion several years back with an American absolutely not getting that a black person born in Basingstoke was just "British".
Load More Replies...These seems unnecessarily angry. Why are we lumping together all Americans like this?
Maybe they are angry because elected politicians from the US are going out of their way to p**s off the rest of the world. It can be really difficult to differentiate between the politics and the individual people of an aggressive country. I don't think the Germans in general was very popular in the 1930', and the Russians are not very popular at the moment.
Load More Replies...Going by my list of ancestors, I can't call myself one thing at all because at last count I had ancestors from 15 different European countries, one African country and one Asian country. I'm just a "white South African". I identify as African (yes, it's possible to be "African"), not because I was born in Africa, "but because Africa was born in me".
I must be Martian-American. Because people keep asking me "What planet are you from, guy?"
The ads are weird, because they are depicting North Americans as being like this. People are generally curious about their ancestry. It may be different in other countries, where born citizens are welcomed and introduced in their nation's traditions and cultures stemming centuries, or millenniums. Whereas in North America, the long living Indigenous natives have been telling us to "f**k off", basically, and "go back to where you came from" to local, born non-status North Americans. Our countries are relatively young compared to many around the world, and the journey to get where our nations are now, and the identity associated with our histories is being carefully treaded and not something to revere enough. For ex. Canada is in the midst of rectifying and reconciliating with the Indigenous for the past injustices and cruelty. In the USA, they have their own messes to address if they want to move forward. Sure, there's some traditions but those were brought over from other nations.
StrangeOne: 🤣 Oh boy - I can smell the white nationalist lies from thousands of miles away. The indigenous Americans long ago accepted that they were going to have to share the land with more recent immigrants. They're not telling anyone to "go back to where you came from". That's what US white nationalists are saying to recent non-white immigrants.
Load More Replies...Public transportation was another surprise. “It’s not that great,” she admitted. “In Germany, trains and buses are reliable and widely used. In the U.S., people mostly rely on cars, and public transport options aren’t as extensive or convenient.”
Exceptionalism. You're not special. People don't want to be you, or like you. As much as it seems, this isn't the 1920's post world war.
I highly doubt Brass Pocket was intended to be an off-book American national anthem, but the lyrics fit: 'Cause I gonna make you see / There's nobody else here, no one like me / I'm special (special) / So special (special) / I gotta have some of your attention, give it to me...
Sign from my classroom, "You are unique, just like everyone else."
Maga is stupid as much as woke is stupid. They are the "antibodies" of each other. And meanwhile they are destroying the soul of a country like a cancer. You guys Should stop taking sides at the extremes and find all the little things that makes you unique and equal, and get back together more in the center far from those loonies!
but my teacher gave me 5 gold stars even tho i got most of the answers wrongish!!!
But we haven't bashed everything in the US yet! There's so much more to do, it's really quite exhausting but we'll do our best.
Load More Replies...We don't hate you!!! When I visited Austin, the people there were the loveliest, sweetest people I have ever met!! We are just disgusted by your choice of president.
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Going to bankrupt because of medical bills. E.g. in Finland max annual for prescription d***s is ~600 €. Same goes to hospital fees. If you have no money social security pays even that.
Hardly the fault of the poor. However voting for those who keep you like that IS their fault.
Won’t matter soon enough when President Musk and his toady Trump do away with Medicare. Medicaid and social security.
Load More Replies...We get free prescriptions over the age of 60 in the UK. Of course all those who work pay national insurance to cover it, but it's a nice bonus later in life.
In England, maybe. But in Scotland, we don't pay anything for them, no matter your age.
Load More Replies...FYI for any Americans that unfortunately has to deal with the hospital, they do not advertise this but there are many programs to lower bills or have them taken care of by their charity systems. My husband got an 11k bill for a night in the hospital (partially collapsed lung) and I googled my butt off and found this program. Because he worked but didn't have insurance, they paid the whole bill. This isn't enough in our system, but it may help someone who doesn't know
In my younger days, I had several false IDs that I would use for specific instances. One being the local ER. Go ahead suckers, try and find me for that bill.
Portion sizes! My family could order one meal and share and be satisfied at the end. The average drink size is around 1l, we buy 1l bottles of soda to share among 3 or 4 people.
This is so true. As an American, I will usually take my leftovers home from dining out because it feeds me for 2-3 more meals.
I'm a chef in Germany. I always know, when we have guests from USA. They are always complaining about portions. Mind you, we are a bistro-style restaurant, so not some degustation-menü wannabe fine dining.
Load More Replies...I got into a huge argument with Americans about this on FB. I can't remember the exact topic, but I was relating a time I took my kid to Mongos Grill in Winnipeg, MB, a semi sit down restaurant, and you get a menu and drinks by a server, and go up to get your food dished at an open flame grill pit. A server told us how big the portions of these bowls are, and that we'd be likely to leave with leftovers. I said to my daughter we could share a bowl. The server said sharing was against their policy, and if they caught us sharing we would get charged double. Sharing a plate has rarely ever been a problem anywhere else at Canadian restaurants we've been to. But because in the USA it's practically forbidden, some Americans lost their s**t that anywhere else this would be unusual and weird, said we're "entitled", a word abusively over-used, and "cheap" because I refuse to haul around extra containers while shopping after and pay for more food than we would eat. ( Mongos Grill is a Canadian company, I just learned.) ( I had to reiterate so it wasn't so long-winded and fit in one comment box.)
"Sharing is against their policy" - there's arrogance for you.
Load More Replies...I recently signed up for the food delivery service that sends meals to cook and wow, my eyes were opened at the tiny bits of food. It's correct serving sizes and I was blown away at how much easier it was to handle correct portions while cooking. I actually enjoyed cooking again. Now I sit down to each lunch or order food and I can see what the rest of the world was talking about. A single American food serving should feed about 2 or 3 people. It really is sooo much food.
I often find left-overs are spoiled after one day, especially if it's fries or a salad. The food is prepped and cooked to be eaten right away. If you have other things to do, don't drive and take public transit, you don't want to be carrying extra bags and containers. Also, if restaurants are serving that much excess in food, if they cut down on the portions they could save themselves more money and lower the menu prices. Maybe even afford to pay their staff a living wage.
Load More Replies...Honestly, I don’t know when double-patty hamburgers became standard. Way too much, at least for me. Crazy portions.
I never order double burgers or even 1/2 lb burgers. I just don’t need that much protein or fat.
Load More Replies...OMG this! I went for breakfast in SanFran and ordered pancakes. At home I'd be served something I could eat. But I was served a portion that would have fed 8 and was then told off for not eating it all! (I ate about an 8th.) But this really pisssed me off and I said no wonder you are all so fucckingg fat. Rude of me, but then Americans are also so rude.
How absolutely commercialised literally everything is, every single thing is about making money
You should make money to live, not live to make money. In the US we do not have an option.
This is the Root of all the other issues. IT was not always this way in the US, but it has been so for decades and EVERYTHING that is wrong is either caused by it or perpetuated by it
Predatory capitalism. A system completely out of balance. Capitalism itself can be a beneficial thing if it would focus on the needs and well-being of the people...
So in other countrys a business in not in business to make money??????????
Ever heard of a non-profit organisation? No? Thought not.
Load More Replies...Neither the USSR nor China has ever been communist. Authoritarian yes. "Corporations are people too", in fact they're the only people that count, definitely.
Load More Replies...She also noticed a stark difference in food. “Drinks and desserts were way sweeter than I expected. I gained three kilos in just a few months,” she laughed.
“But one thing I found really nice was that restaurants give you free water—that’s not common in Germany!”
open carry states where everyone has guns on them, visibly, it’s so weird. and the blatant racism, mostly in red states
Most states allow open carry, I think I've seen 3 people openly carry in my life. I think the OP must've spent time in the south. The south is the cradle of racism and slavery, and it's not really gone away. People don't realize that businesses that use K's instead of C's (Like Kountry Kitchen) are being cutesy. No, the opposite. Those K's were there to identify it as a business that supports the KKK
I don’t live in an open carry state so I just assume everyone has a concealed weapon.
I live in a open carry state. It's very rare I see someone carrying. I think it's over generalized.
I have said it before. They still think they're in the wild west. Absolutely ridiculous. It's time to grow up and act like responsible adults and not some spoilt child who shoots someone just because they looked at you the wrong way. I believe that America used to be a really great country. But now. Now it's toppling and crumbling like the proverbial deck of cards. Corruption from within. I'm not American but I can see from the outside what's happening and am very sad to see it. Just like the Roman Empire. How the mighty fall.
Ajo AZ was one of these till the mine was closed down. spanish speakers Native americans had to be in by 10: And no blacks allowed at all durring late hours. I am so glad when I moved here that was not the case. I moved here in the 90's and it is generally a very nice town now. For everyone.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR TOILET STALLS? Why is the bottom so high off the ground? Why are there gaps everywhere? I do not want to make eye contact in a toilet. I would rather use a squat toilet than US gap-stalls.
To answer the question, the bottom is that way because of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements. The requirement is 12 to 18 inches from floor to panel or door. This is put in place because if someone has a medical event inside the stall, first responders can quite easily simply slide under the door without having to try to break it down (and with some stall construction types, breaking it isn't an option), to render first aid. The side gaps are down to how the stalls are constructed, as there needs to be a clearance for them to operate properly.
You can simply put in hinges that can be lifted off and the door completely removed like most of the rest of the world?
Load More Replies...The majority of public loo locks in Australia can be opened from the outside in an emergency. Seems a lot simpler than someone having to slide under the door.
"first responders can quite easily simply slide under the door" - you have to be a limbo dancer to be a first responder? Or is it that the second responders are lying on the floor laughing ?
Not all stalls are like the image. I've used floor to ceiling doors. They're usually in nicer bathrooms. Heavily used areas are built cheaper because of the need to replace them more often. More traffic creates having to make repairs and it's faster than having something fancy. Businesses here are cheap. That's the short answer.
Well, well, well. Sounds to me like OP is from a very unfriendly country, because who doesn't want to make eye contact with strangers while on the toilet. And if they'd prefer to squat, again American toilets are there for you since the seats are usually drenched with urine.
In the UK, you're told to "Mind the gap". In the US you're expected to look away.
I think "Mind the gap" is in railway stations with curved platforms, but never mind ...
Load More Replies...That's not as bad as when I lived there for a few years in the early '70s .... some cubicles didn't even have doors !
unhealthy obsession with “”celebrities””
No argument here. The US obsession with "celebrities" is unhealthy to say the least. It directly feeds the "influencer" mindlessness...
Yes, it is, but I don't think it's any more prevalent among Americans than anywhere else, is it?
Load More Replies...So is the UK. Half the "news" in certain poor quality newspapers (I'm looking at you, Daily Mail) is about what some "celebrity" did or wore or...
The UK has more paparazzi and tabloid than we do. Y'all obsessed with the Windsors.
North Americans are more obsessed with the Windsors than the Brits are.
Load More Replies...Why can't we have an unhealthy obsession with scientists, doctors, and educators, people who actually improve our lives rather than people who merely entertaining us? But what is even worse, is how many people are obsessed with influencers!! These people are whack-o's.
So in the soccer countrys they dont have riots if their team loses??????
We certainly used to have a problem with football (soccer) violence here in the UK. It has pretty much gone away now - there will always be the odd drunken scuffle but the organised riots are thankfully a thing of the past and soccer is back to being a much more family event.
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Food waste , actually just general waste and excess.
This is a worldwide issue, but yes America is terrible at it too. Fresh water is plentiful where I am and I think about that as I run the tap waiting for the hot water. There are people in the world that would love that clean water going down the drain.
No, America is worse. They are aware it's an issue but choose to ignore it, like climate change.
Load More Replies...Not hard to find the statistics that show that the US is the absolute world leader in waste and pollution.
Load More Replies...Every country has its unique quirks, and the U.S. is no exception. Some things might be surprising, some amusing, and some even frustrating. But at the end of the day, these little differences make traveling and experiencing new cultures so fascinating. Which of these stood out to you the most? Let us know!
Racism:
Everyone is described as white; black; Latino; of colour etc. etc. It’s endemic and pervasive.
No other country does that.
Does it happen to the same extent? Literally every form I fill out asks my race. Like, why does my cell phone provider need to know that?
One reason would be to gather statistics for marketing purposes. It's harder to exploit a minority if you don't know where to find them.
Load More Replies...I don't know any other country except the US which requires you to put someone's race/ethnicity on their birth certificate. Here in the UK, you can always opt out of being classified by so-called "race", and in any case when ethnicity is used as a classifier, we get more fine-grained than "white" (to take one example). https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups/
Load More Replies...Hmmm… the only issue I take with this is that this makes it sound like no other country has racism. That’s not true at all. When I met people from Germany, they were convinced that people from Turkey were uneducated and less. When I went to Azerbaijan, the same sentiment existed. Humanity typically doesn’t like something that’s “other” or different. Every country deals with this type of injustice.
Perhaps no other country describes individuals by race, but that doesn't deter racism within their borders. It may not be specifically racism, but ethnic discrimination is pervasive globally.
I remember having to check a box asking about my ethnicity back in the 90s when I was an au pair in the US andchecking into a hotel. I had never in my life been asked that before and although my English was pretty good I couldn't figure out which box to check (I'm white and the word 'caucasian' meant nothing to me, the Caucasus being a mountain region in russia and me definitely not russian)
We still do that in South Africa, but as more of a descriptor of a person than a category. (Though we do still have to fill in our 'race' for demographics purposes on some forms.) Trevor Noah does some good stand-up about the differences in culture between our various ethnic groups, and it's hilarious. At least we can laugh at ourselves.
No. In NZ, that is optional. You don't have to disclose, ethnicity or gender.
Load More Replies...Yea who are the ones wanting hiring to be based on race and gender? Who are the ones wanting to have separate national anthem? The US liberals are the ones bending over backwards to divide us by race and gender, their entire platform is identity politics.
That you’re dismantling your own democracy over the price of eggs
A HUGE portion of people did not choose this and are disgusted/horrified.
You haven't chosen but not you live in a national capitalist fascism 2.0.
Load More Replies...Not true. Anyone who lived during the Reagan presidency knows that's when it began. His trickle-down economics, a concept that no bonafide economist supported, fed the rich and punished the poor. And never, ever forget how his War on D***s was a cover to supply Black and Brown communities with crack, which was a cover to populate private prisons with slave labor. This present dismantling of democracy doesn't have a damn thing to do with eggs. This has been the devious plan all along. Get rid of democracy, shrink the government to nothing, and privatize everything. And the Dems are still too afraid to call a spade a spade.
if everyone had voted who was eligible to vote, things may have turned out differently. but the republicoño states did lots & lots of voter roll purges, & the trump-appointed judges & the trump-appointed supreme court justices who ensure a neocoño majority, they approved that. the putin picked urine soaked orange cockroach won by a pretty slim majority, not by a landslidw. & the republicoños in their mad power grab are claiming a mandate they do not have.
Number one choice people make during presidential elections is to not vote
Of course, if it weren't so serious, I am positively giddy over the disappointment that the "Orange God" has not helped this. now it's "It's gonna take a while".
LOL I have to laugh at this because there’s not a d**n thing I can do about it.
The small people (ordinary folks) are worried about prices, but they do not have the intellect to understand fascism when it puts its orange face in front of them. Bottom line: They were told that Trump would bring prices down in order to get their vote. Reality: Trump's and Musk's actions have done nothing to bring down prices and, in fact, their actions have RAISED PRICES! MAGA is a con.
Roll forward three months and Trump and Musk are screaming abuse at each other! I love it when a plan to dominate the world falls flat on its face.
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Food deserts – Only fast food, no fresh groceries.
For those who don't know what a food desert is, it means an area, about the size of a mid to large district in a city, where there is a lack of grocery stores, particularly affordable grocery stores. For ex. Winnipeg has a food desert in it's city core, where there is a large demographic of low income earners and homeless. There is one Giant Tiger grocery store on Ellice, and there's a more expensive market at The Forks. The only other options are the pricey restaurants, bars, cafes and lounges that are not affordable to many of the residence in that area. This results in inaccessibility for basic necessities, high theft rates and other crime.
Mostly accurate... This results in inaccessibility for basic necessities DUE TO high theft rates and other crime.
Load More Replies...I live in a food desert while disabled with no car, it's a pain in the a*s.
Load More Replies...I assume that's a joke. Fast food costs considerably more than the things I buy in the shops.
Load More Replies...In the Boston neighborhood I live in, there is one, over-priced grocery store and numerous bodegas that have limited selections. But stand anywhere and swing your arms and you'll hit a fast food joint.
Producers understand what triggers feelings of happiness and well-being in humans since the days of Paleo-life: SUGAR, FATS, SALT. Since cane sugar was replaced with HF corn syrup, producers can make things CHEAP that contain 1-3 or those items and are, thus, addicting to people's taste buds.
the food deserts only offer food desserts... as for produce, what is that?
These food "deserts" tend to be in the inner cities, often the poorest communities.
Load More Replies...Obesity.
Hand in hand with sugary junk food, car culture and being paid poorly (yes I know that's 3 hands). All part of the same problem.
additives in general that are banned most of the world over.
Load More Replies...It's not just the food, it's reliance on driving and convenience. Also the lack of affordable accessibility to healthcare treatments and physiotherapy for the disabled. I see it in Canada, too, and people just laugh and stare, thinking that's all overeating and laziness.
American food is designed for shelf stability and maximized calories per pound. It started when food had to travel months across the continent. We just didn't change with the times.
Here in NZ, although we are but a small country, , we could give the US a run for their money when it comes to obesity.
Nah. Ministry of Health, NZ: "The general practice data from HealthStat, the proportion of adults who are obese was unchanged between 2020/21 and 2021/22. Projecting this trend forward from the 2020/21 NZHS suggests that the prevalence of obesity in New Zealand adults has remained at around 34% in 2021/22." National Institute of Health, US: "Nearly 1 in 3 adults (30.7%) are overweight. More than 1 in 3 men (34.1%) and more than 1 in 4 women (27.5%) are overweight. More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity (including severe obesity)."
Load More Replies...The less money you have, the more c**p food (super high in unhealthy calories) is all that you can afford.
When I go grocery shopping I see people filling their cart with unhealthy processed foods. You choose what to eat. You choose what to cook. Make your own meals and you control what you eat.
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tax not being included in the advertised price.
Sorry, but this is nowhere close to as bad as the insane American tipping culture.
Load More Replies...Tax should be part of the advertised price. Servers make more than they would get paid hourly by getting tips.
This was something that totally threw me on my first visit to the States as I had no idea it was a thing. I almost had an argument with a cashier in NY when they asked me for more money than the advertised price, thought they were trying to con me 😂 My bad, I should have probably did my research a bit better before visiting (but in my defence something like this existing never even occurred to me). It is strange though. I know different states have different taxes but surely it can't be that hard to just include it in the overall advertised price because you end up paying anyway regardless.
Yeah, like we need foreigners pointing this out every chance they get. It's a royal pain in the butt for us, trust me.
That can still be calculated by the businesses in the particular state and posted as the ticketed price, its no excuse.
Load More Replies...astounding consumerism.
Obsessive, all-encompassing consumerism. Every part of life gets made into a transaction. It’s dehumanizing.
Astounding is correct. Disposable items designed to be thrown in the landfill. People are bored so they shop as if surrounding themselves with the latest styles/tech is going to make them happy.
While true, the USA is on a whole different level. The rest of the world are noobs in it compared to the USA
Load More Replies...The lack of news from abroad.
We can get news from abroad. We just have to search for it. I really like Al Jazeera and BBC.
Was called a terrorist by a Fox obsessed coworker. I suggested he balance it out with NPR. PBS, Al Jazeera...."Al Jazeera! You're a terrorist!" No Charlie, I'm not, but what I AM is informed with all points of view. He did it in front of our payroll and AP/AR person. Every so often I send them an e-mail.."still not a terrorist".
Load More Replies...I subscribe to the AP, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera. It's long past the time when you could rely on American news outlets to report factual news.
To be fair, we have very little news from abroad (except for disasters and wars) on Australian commercial 'news'. To get more world news you have to go to the non-commercial stations. Like Australia, I imagine there is plenty of world news for those who wish to see it, just the common masses don't care to.
Yeah I was mystified by the lack of news coverage from around the world.
Very bad or non-existent public transport.
Not an accident. A century ago Los Angeles had an extensive public transportation system. It was was bought up and destroyed - by oil and auto companies.
Yeah, but the main issue with mass public transport is how it curtails your individual freedoms. It's un-American. Better to go down in a personal vehicle, gagging in a toxic atmosphere, than being in a herd.
Not so different in rural France. It's such an issue that there's such a thing as a "voiture sans permis". It's a toy car that can only do 45kph top (that's about 28mph) and is legally counted as a quad bike. Because I was born before 1988, I am totally allowed to drive one with no licence and never having driven anything on the roads before. Well, it's been five years. Maybe I'll get around to taking driving lessons? But then I pretty much only go to work and back, about 6500km a year (it's 25km round trip).
This is also a problem in Canada too, there are transit deserts in Canadian cities. People who live in those transit deserts have poor bus service and have to deal with long wait times and lengthy commutes. Areas that are undeserved by transit often get overlooked.
Agreed. We live in a city of 1M+ and our transit system is so bad it can take 2 hours to travel what would be 20 minutes in a car.
Load More Replies...In Indianapolis IN theybare putting a new bus line in and my understandig is that people are up in arms about it. Some people complain about no public transport and when a city does decide to put public transportation in, other people complain about it. Can't win.
Because USA people were destroying actual cities to build highways? And in a 5.000-20.000 pop village/small town you have 0 chance for public transportation. Don't take New York, San Francisco or Chicago as an example for your whole country. Those are the exceptions not the average.
Load More Replies...The obsession with 200 year old laws that are clearly outdated.
The right to bear arms? Or the right to wear bare arms? Or the right to arm bears?
No, I disagree. Had the Founders been aware of auto/semiauto weapons, the 2nd would look MUCH different. As for the section of the 1st that deals with religion, it was masterful. Every God is worthy, and completely unimportant in how we conduct our daily business. They weren't dopes, over the long period of history they KNEW tying religion up with governance does not go well.
this is the problem with the 2nd amendment it was made when guns fired once a minute they had no idea that guns would be able to fire hundreds of rounds a minute like you said it would have been much different.
Load More Replies...Outdated laws survive because they serve outdated people.
I'll bet this person doesn't know about the Blue laws (Sunday laws) that are currently on the books in 28 states. As for the US Constitution, the Founding Fathers designed it for updates as times changed via a formal amendment process. Judges, politicians, and others who insist on constitutional originalism are essentially giving the finger to the Founding Father's intentions (and still consider themselves true patriots!).
Does slagging off the queen or king, publicly, still carry the death penalty in England? Or was John Lydon just exaggerating?
Was Johnny Rotten exaggerating? Oooh, that's a hard one, let me think... Anyway, no, the myth that treason still carries the death penalty is just that, a myth, because the law does not need to be revoked since the death penalty was abolished. For everything. Anyway, "slagging off" the monarch would never have been treasonous.
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When leaving a store, an employee said “God bless you.” Freaking weird.
This would really annoy me. It's deeply offensive to assume their god is the same as mine.
Some de-deify it by saying "Have a blessed day." Like that's up to me.
Chances are I'd reply with a string of vulgarities. Keep your religious beliefs to yourself, and don't assume I agree with your delulu views.
Your bread tastes like cake, it's disgusting. Your food in general tastes awful.
Weird, weird angry responses. Especially these generalizations about food. Damn!
The point here is what most people can AFFORD. Obesity, in dietary terms, is malnutrition. Many Americans can only afford the cheap nasty food which is full of sugar.
Load More Replies...Not the $10/loaf freshly baked bread from the bakery counter/aisle. But for most of us the plastic packaged stuff is more economical.
It's disgusting because processed and ultra-processed foods are made up of chemicals in a lab.
I don't get this. Even Walmart has 30 kinds of bread. We don't all eat Wonderbread.
Ok I'll give you the bread thing, and fast food, and all the junk food. But the US has some amazing cuisine! In particular (but not limited to) the southern states.
Outside of BBQ and corn, most cuisine in the US didnt originate here. Even Cajun cooking comes from the Caribbean.
Load More Replies...imperial system
Before Canada caught up with the RoTW beer was served in 10 oz (or half pint) glasses as opposed to the US 8 oz ones. Americans venturing north of the border were surprised they'd get drunk quicker. Mind you it didn't help that Canadian beers actually had alcohol in them. Bud Lite FFS.
Load More Replies...I'm an avid foodie, and I love trying out recipes from other countries. I live in a country that uses Metric measurements, as is most of the world, and have no problem with the odd Imperial recipe, after all I was brought up with it! But I'm afraid American recipes absolutely bamboozle me. Because they're neither one thing nor the other. I still can't work out how much the standard American cup measures, and what on earth is a stick of butter's weight??
As someone in a job where I often have to estimate measurements quickly, I find the imperial system is much easier to estimate with. An arm span is a fathom or 6 feet, hand to center of chest is 3 feet, forearm is roughly a foot. Much easier to estimate quickly in imperial.
My daughter has an arm span of 64 inches . . she's 5' 4" tall. Besides who's foot are we talking about? A Mesopotamian foot was 11.0238 inches. A Greek foot was 12.1 inches; a Roman foot measured in at 11.7 inches and so on.
Load More Replies...Random User, here in the UK we stick to SI - except... And the exceptions are hang-overs from the recent past. Don't criticise a culture unless you take the trouble to understand it. Medical records are kept in SI units, but because us middle aged folk grew up with parents who used only Imperial until metrication, plenty of us still think of height and weight of people in Imperial units. It's just how it goes. We still have beer and milk in pints, by the way, but petrol's been in litres for decades. It works well enough. Meanwhile, the US system is actually mad. Behind the scenes, everything in the US is done in SI units - all "customary" units are defined in terms of SI units. All US engineering is done in SI units. The FDA has re-defined the US fluid ounce to be exactly 30ml for food packaging, so you get metric sizes expressed in fluid ounces. US customary units are pretty much just for marketing purposes these days. Don't call us mad before taking a long, hard look at yourself.
Load More Replies...Flags in the front yard.
I just assume, like with Australia and England etc, it helps identify racists, but maybe that's not the case there.
That’s how I use it. I consider U.S. flags on personal property to be a warning label.
Load More Replies...I do not fly a flag in my front yard because I believe that all my neighbors can find their way home without being reminded which country they live in.
Especially the black American flag (color, not race), the "Don't Tread On Me", the Confederate battle flag (which was not the flag of the Confederacy), and others of their ilk.
Oh, I wish they were limited to the front yards, but unfortunately they are everywhere.
Motorcycling with no mandatory helmets – Legal in many states.
Just hope that they are organ donors. My mom is a retired ER nurse and saw some horrific motorcycle accidents.
All the people I knew who rode motorbikes when I was younger, have stopped completely because they lost so many mates.
Load More Replies...Motorcyclist here… not just helmets, but gear in general. Boots, jackets etc. ATTGATT… All The Gear All The time. On a motorcycle you are extremely vulnerable. You need to do everything you can to mitigate that. Oh and in PA they rescinded the helmet law, which makes even less sense than never having one.
Even in Ireland, which does not exactly have a hot climate, I've seen people riding motorcycles in shorts and a T-shirt.
Load More Replies...i have seen people on motorcycles pull over at the south carolina state line to take their helmets off ( south carolina is the closest state to me that doesnt have a helmet law) i persoanally think anyone who would ride a motorcycle without a helmet is an idiot
But we also need those emergency room beds available for people who need them for reasons other than their own idiocy.
Load More Replies...I was so surprised by this! Considering that you have to pay into healthcare, and even then it sounds like your contributions aren't enough to actually cover the cost of healthcare, I could not believe how many people I saw not on a motorcycle without a helmet
Retired paramedic- We all pay for your stupidity if you are injured or brain dead. And those half A*S nazi helmets aren’t much better than no helmet
Load More Replies... I’m a Singaporean.
Many people from 🇺🇸 assume people who are Sinitic-looking were born in China.
By this logic, can I assume that every white person from 🇺🇸 was born in Europe? No. A person’s phenotype doesn’t equate to one’s nationality.
Interesting. In the US it's a racist trope in tv and movies to think that every asian is from China. On the west coast, we have people from all over Asia. I can't imagine assuming a nationality based on race here. I think the people the OP has dealt with may be very sheltered wherever they are from.
The west coast doesn't represent America. Don't you remember the news reports of Asian people of various nationalities being attacked, beaten, and killed because they were Chinese and gave us Covid? Same attitude when Indians were mistaken for Muslims and also attacked and beaten after 9/11. Most Americans are insular morons.
Load More Replies...I'm guessing this is because that is what the majority of migrants are, or at least in the past. In Australia, we get people from all over Asia immigrating here and you get used to knowing which groups are common in each area, for example there are mostly Chinese in Box Hill. It doesn't excuse people from not learning about, or even being curious of, the different people they interact with, but I think that would be where it comes from.
Assuming the two groups resemble each other (as the OP seems to imply), the population ratio of China to Singapore makes the assumption of Chinese much more probabilistically reasonable than the ratio of European whites to non-European whites does for European. But numbers aside, why make assumptions you don't have to? Asking is always more reliable - and more interesting.
But most Americans are 20% Italian, 70% Irish, 120% African, 54% Russian, and 200% full of s**t.
Yellow pages full of lawyers. Pharmaceutical adverts. Tipping. The fact you deny the average citizen healthcare, education, housing, pensions etc unless they pay through the nose, but you know people need it, which is why it's offered to the military for free. It's a way to keep people enlisting. You're all quite loud. Your food is sooooooo full of additives and preservatives. You drive everywhere. Gun culture.
Step stool for getting the stuff way up on the shelves...
Load More Replies...The politician (my apologies, I don’t remember who) that was against student loan forgiveness for the specifically stated reason that then who will fight in our military was such an enlightening moment for a lot of people. Unfortunately, as you can tell by our politics, even the people it is designed to apply to didn’t get it. That’s America baby!
America is very big. Some people live in rural areas but work in cities so they have to drive or live in a small town and to get to any major store you have to drive 20+ minutes. Yes, us US citizens drive a lot because we have to.
Love the call back to the antiquated Yellow Pages, but I get OP's drift and agree wholeheartedly.
Gun culture? Only people that watch the news believe in gun culture. We all don't go walking around waving guns. I own one yes. Does anybody know I own one no. Why do I own one. For when this country goes to hell in a hand basket
It is lucky for Europe and Canada that the US has a good military that can protect us from Russia and China. We sure are not paying for that. (I'm Canadian)
People are so loud. I don’t want to be forced to listen to your entire conversation in a restaurant. I’m just trying to understand my partner.
If you're blasting a speaker phone in public, that should give me license to slap it out of your hand and throw it down a sewer.
Worldwide. Posh UK schoolkids are the worst. They want to bellow their rubbish across buses, cinemas, wherever. Horrible.
Properly posh UK school kids are in boarding schools so not out and about bellowing.
Load More Replies...How is this a uniquely American thing in any way whatsoever?
My work lunchroom is deafening. When I make personal calls I have to apologize constantly lol.
Load More Replies...So most of these posts have seemed valid to me but I have to disagree with this one. I certainly wouldn’t say this is unique to the US or even that Americans are the main culprits.
Wearing outdoor shoes indoors and stepping on furniture (like sofas) whilst wearing them. Maybe it’s just me, but outside shoes don’t belong inside.
Rick James on Eddie Murphy's brand new suede couches.
Load More Replies...Who is standing on furniture ? Try making some civilized friends.
No idea why anyone would think this of Americans, or any other nationality for that matter.
Yeah this one is bs. It's just alot in movies but Ive yet to come across an American that confirms it
Your culture may differ from my culture. I know, it's mind-blowing, just deal with it.
Your house, your rules. Just don't try it anywhere else.
Load More Replies...I wear my shoes inside. Do you have any idea how many nasty things afflict the feet? Keep your shoes on chez moi. It's easy enough to mop the floor every so often. And if I ever see anybody climbing on the furniture, they can expect the aforementioned mop to be used in an improvised proctology.
The complete lack of environmental awareness: hotel rooms with air conditioning at minus ten degrees Celsius because Karen can't sleep with the room temperature, big cars running all day, ice in the drinks (and to produce all that ice will consume an absurd amount of energy), giant appliances that consume a lot of electricity...
"Minus 10 degrees Celsius" is 14 degrees Fahrenheit, not something anyone would choose. Not even something a hotel air conditioner could achieve, probably.
i am sure it was meant sarcastlically, as was the name karen...
Load More Replies...This is more of a regional thing. When I was younger, I was dumbfounded that the majority of the places I was looking to stay in the Pacific Northwest and even other areas of the country didn’t have ac. Then I realized they didn’t need it. Couldn’t survive in the gulf states without it.
My kid lives in PDX. They've found out recently that they did in fact need it. Absolutely *brutal* summers, for which the people of Portland were sorely unprepared.
Load More Replies...Who ever made this post should be forced to live in a hotel in Florida with no air conditioning.
Wait is ice in drinks not a thing in most of the world? I'm genuinely curious I'm just a dumb american who hasn't travelled much and is used to ice in drinks lol
I lived in Germany, climate change is happening and you're gonna want an AC. In fact you'll need one.
There are recommended environmentally friendly limits though. In Australia we are advised to set it no lower than 23c in summer.
Load More Replies...OP doesn't seem to realize that when we're on the precipice of total annihilation, a group of scientists will save us. I think that's the plan. I could be wrong. It could be Musk saving us by sending us to Mars. I just don't know.
I feel like most americans, like even the leftwinged, are way too patriotic.
Just the ones gaming the system and those they have brainwashed with fear
Progressive here, which is further left than liberals, and without a patriotic drop of blood in my veins. I love the country - literally the land, but I've always hated the government, the racist patriots, and the back-stabbing NIMBY liberals.
Patriotism is not about what you like about your country. Patriotism is about what you're willing to do for it.
Just an attempt here, can't speak for OP. I think that generally people on the left of the political spectrum are more critical of their own country than on the right. In the US (once again in general) there's more of a national pride across the board than I've seen in other countries, regardless of political orientation. Yes there is criticism but also still a lot of "we are an example to the world, everyone looks up to us and wants to be like us".
Load More Replies...The food is purely poison. And everyone just normalizes it. It’s so weird to not be able to purchase fresh produce because of the inconsistencies and dyes all over the shelves 🤢 literally could smell and as before if purchased TASTE their chemical, additives, etc. 😭
Fresh food is a privilege in the US. Mostly because our infrastructure is designed to be as spread out as possible.
Where are you going that you can't buy fresh produce? What are "inconsistencies and dyes" that are all over the shelves? Maybe not shop at a gas station or convenience store? Fresh produce is one of the things in the US that is readily available in most actual grocery stores.
What you call fresh produce is actually chock full of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and has no flavor. The apples and tomatoes look picture perfect but have no smell, at least not the ones in most grocery stores. When you hold up a good apple to your nose, it should have a sweet floral smell; in the US - nothing but wax. Small, organic food suppliers are the exception.
Load More Replies...I've lived in the US for 10 years and can confirm. The only good food I've had was organic stuff from Whole Foods or farmers markets, all of which was crazy expensive.
Everyone normalizes it because that’s all they’ve had all their lives so it’s…normal.
Calling their country “America” when that is the name of a continent, not a country.
We don't call South Americans Americans. Canadians are not referred to as solely Americans. North Americans and South Americans is acceptable for those in the North or South America. We don't call Mexicans Americans, either. Mexicans seem to always get ignored in that argument, too. But I guess they have a richer, unique cultural base to truly set themselves apart from the USA and Canada, and the USA is not looking to annex Mexico. Calling Canadians Americans, especially in these times, is an insult and may be considered a threat, depending on the context. It's like calling Ukrainians Russians or "Little Russians". Yes, some actually do that.
This is beyond stupid. It's North America and South America. Those are the two continents. The United States of America is shortened to America, just like every single other country on the planet. The People's Republic of China is called China. The Portuguese Republic is called Portugal...and so on, and so on.
In the 1700s the various European Powers starting calling it America, and us Americans and we ran with it. Blame the Royal Courts of UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Prussia, Poland, HRE, and others for that. Even the Ottomans adopted this by the 1800s. We did not invent this, Europe did.
It's not going to be a problem for much longer, soon it will simply be Merica
Load More Replies...Stop pretending it's just us that call ourselves American. When I traveled to South America I was asked if I was American. When I traveled to Europe I was asked if I was an American. Calling people from the US American is universal.
This one gets my goat. Would *you* want to go around rattling off "the United States of America" all the time? "America" is just one of the many ways it's shortened, and plenty of other cultures and languages shorten it the same way.
In Poland we call your country Stany=States. So the rest of the world can do the same. You can be simply called Staters 😉
Load More Replies...Reading the comments, this is stupid. Americans didn't name themselves Americans. EUROPEANS NAMED AMERICANS AMERICANS. That's what they called people from the US in the 18th century when it was the only actual country on the continent. So please keep crying Europeans, you did this, not us.
Actually, the continent is called North America. The country is the United States of America. So Americans is easier to say than United Statesians.
The French have an adjective états-unien, but I'm not sure how much it's used.
Load More Replies...I think this is worldwide. When someone says America, I assume they mean United States of America, not the continent
Well technically (and that's what this is about, being technical) there is no 'America' continent. There's only North America and South America.
States. And the need to always name them after their hood. Have you ever heard anyone saying: I am from Paris, France? From Naples, Italy? Exactly!
Oh, geez. You would be confused if I said I was from London but never been to England.
We have a nice London in Ontario. And a Paris. and several other European city-names. Berlin changed to Kitchener because of WW1.
Load More Replies...There are cities with the same name in multiple states, not to mention of you are from a smaller town that no one has heard of. I've lived in the UK for years and when people ask where I grew up I just say Indiana, because I've yet to meet anyone who would know Fort Wayne. I backpacked years ago and most people say they are from Germany or the Netherlands, they don't specify the city.
Uh, not exactly at all as I have met many, many tourists who identified their city and/or region as well as their country on numerous occasions. It's called getting acquainted...
That must be due to the fact that they have many towns with the same name in different states. Just think of how many Springfields they have.
I'm from Aurora CO prior to the Orange Putrescence claiming we are overrun by Venezuelan gangs, have you heard of it? Probably not so I say I'm from Denver CO so y'all have some idea where I live.
I am saddened by the fact that Americans don't seem to realise there was a York, a Paris, a Naples, before they got their hands on the names.
I have to disagree with this based primarily on the fact that the US is a very large place, larger than Europe. Individual states have many political, cultural, and ethnic variances, so a specific town/city can define someone within a state. Example, Chicago is a blue city in a red state.
Not travelling. On a trip to the States a few years back we met people who had never been out of their state nevermind the country
Okay, let's just talk distance and context here. A trip in the UK that lasts four hours, can potentially see a person entering two different countries. In my home state, a trip of four hours, will barely get me outside the city limits. The nation is MASSIVE when compared to Europe. Hell, some states are large enough to hold four or five entire European nations, if you average out their total area.
Exactly, the U.S. is almost as large as the whole of Europe. Even then, up to 76% of Americans have traveled internationally at least once as compared to 2/3 (66%) of Europeans. And to stay true to scale, around 89% of Americans have traveled out of state (many of which are larger than European countries). And according to this study, only 11.7% of trips that Europeans take abroad are outside the continent, and 7.2% outside the EU. (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_statistics_-_top_destinations)
Load More Replies...Furthermore, not everyone can afford to travel. So many of these are absolute snobbery. They’re criticizing Americans for being too poor to have good food or healthcare and also for being too poor to travel. It’s all ridiculous over-generalizing.
Would the poster like to buy me a ticket to London and pay for my food and lodging while there? No?
Load More Replies...The 27 countries that make up the E.U account for about 60% the land area of the U.S. If you were to drive from NY to Los Angeles, maintaining a speed of 100 KPH, it would take 50 hours. Driving time across Texas' longest highway takes 11 hours. (picture shows texas overlayed across Europe) Comparatively, London to Moscow would take 30 hours, covering about 60% as much distance. Houston to Budapest, requires about 12 hours of flight time, $1500+ for a roundtrip ticket for ONE person in economy and that's with an itinerary that includes MULTIPLE layovers, which take the actual travel time up to 20 hours. Sound good? But as a fun aside, the US sees about 10 million tourists (out of 449 million) traveling from Europe each year, while Europe sees 20 million tourists (out of 335 million) traveling from the U.S each year. Screenshot...2e-png.jpg
Are you familiar with poverty? Because it’s pervasive in the US.
This can be said about Canadians, too. Unlike much smaller countries that don't have much diversity in culture and scenery, you could spend your life exploring either the USA or Canada, and still not have seen everything the country has to offer. It's expensive, and may take more than a weekend to take a trip somewhere to make it worthwhile for the cost and planning.
It took me 14 hours to drive through Texas on Interstate 10; about 900 miles.
This is another thing Euros don't get. Our country is about the size of their continent. My state is about twice the size of the UK, with about 10% of the population, if not less; and it's not even a big state. Where do you want us to go to that's not a trans-oceanic pay through the nose trip? Our options are Canada, US and Mexico for the most part. If you looked at pure kilometers traveled, I would bet the average American has traveled more than the average European. It's not unusual for people to commute 100km one way, 200km roundtrip to go to work every day. When I lived in Nevada I had to 300km round trip 4 times a week for work. How far do you go? Do you think there's public transport for a 100km commute?
If an American wants to go to an exotic land, baffling and foreign to all his experiences, he can stay in the US and just visit Florida.
I have travelled to every eastern US state and California. Would love to travel abroad, but unfortunately our currency in other places is too expensive. That's why others travel here and find it weird. By that same token though, every state has something to offer if you spend time in it. I don't wanna hit four countries in one day using a train and not remember being there.
I'm English. I've travelled extensively in Europe & a little bit globally. I spent two years in Japan. However, all my visits to the USA felt like bizarre out of body experiences compared to the rest of the world. Never before have I wondered, "How?", "What?, or "Why?" quite so often...
Wish living here was like an out of body experience! Unfortunately it’s a very visceral and physical experience that is becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
i am an american & have lived in the us most of my life. but i grew up on the border, & we would enter mexico almost every day to do some shopping, & as a kid i vacationed in mexico, almost every year, spending two months. i also visited relatives in canada, & have spent a month in australia & traveled a lot in europe. & have have had foreign born friends most of my life. & i am bilingual, & through a weird family circumstance during the 1950s polio epidemic i was briefly raised by my grandparents who spoke spanish. from the age of abt two to four i mostly spoke spanish. but kids are sponges, & i went back to my family on the border where everyone was bilingual & i soaked up english quickly. it helped that my dad was an english teacher. so i have always had a bifurcated perspective, growing up on the border of california & baja california, & from the earliest age i learned to see the smart things & the absurd things & the dangerously stupid things in both cultures.
Gender problem.
It's those damn old white men in power that do this to the rest of us.
VERY old. VERY white. VERY male. I forget who, but a British mp in their early 70s once said “I am too old to be a politician in the UK, but too young to be one in the US”.
Load More Replies...It's sad. Those who invented gender are getting bent out of shape no one wants to use it. This identity crisis is literally something they forced on everyone.
It's amazing how badly wrong some people can be. No-one "invented" gender. The concept was observed. There are people getting bent out of shape because they can't cope with old concepts that they'd been ignorant of until recently. That sort of person is now in charge in the US, and they're busy erasing the word "women", because apparently it's radical gender ideology. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/15/trump-banning-words-women
Load More Replies...My guy, there aren't even only 2 sexes. Intersex people exist, and the clown in charge of the US is trying to deny reality because of hatred.
Load More Replies...Walking feels weird. You cant walk to many places. If u dont have a car u r stuck or depending on buses. Everything is far. Sometimes theres not even sidewalks. Young people hardly ever look at you. Mind your business never felt more real. They dont really care much about people from other nations. Food portions are too big and they are spoiled(food waste here should be a crime). Energy seems free, so much stuff on, consuming energy needlessly. So the impact of their carbon foot print is huge.
True. Even in gun states where everyone has a gun, people stand by and watch crime/shooting/assault/trafficking instead of being a "good guy with a gun". Sustainability is a dirty word here and no one realizes it simply means having more tomorrow than today.
Energy seems free?? WHAT??? Do you mean that people use it AS IF it’s free?
Why do you want young people to look at you? That seems odd. And why should anyone care more about you because you're from another nation? Yes, we're a large country. Much bigger than yours and we're all spread out due to that. Not sure why Euros feel they are entitled to public transportation everywhere here. Major metro areas have great public transportation for the most part. Small town and suburbs don't. Yes, our energy seems free. It's very cheap in most areas, much cheaper than yours anyway. In some places this is dirty and has a big footprint. Other places, not at all. My energy comes from a dam, like most places on the west coast. There really is no carbon footprint there and I'm paying for the infrastructure only. Yours is likely coal powered, and you have a huge footprint and are paying for the coal.
I live on a one-block street. The eastern half of the block has sidewalks. The western half does not. No one know why.
...food from other nations? I don't think this person has visited a large city...
I spent the better part of a decade living in Suburban Houston. A city that is essentially one giant strip mall with sub-divisions branching off of it (look up FM1960 in houston) I walked everywhere, and it was a conscious choice to do so....I haven't driven a car since i was 20 years old, nearly 22 years ago at this point. It's 100% doable, it's just not as "easy" and most people are lazy.
I was an exchange student back in '05 and what really confused me was how people were sooo freaking superficial.
The US defines personal value as what you can offer others. It is why we let poor people die in the streets.
Probably the rate of sugar consumption
I love that there’s NO Americans here arguing this one lmao 😂 well…yet
No argument necessary. Too much HFCS in all the processed food in the US.
Load More Replies...Yeah, they add it to everything and much more than is necessary. It fvcks up your pallette. You only notice it if you stop sugar entirely for a while and then it's difficult to eat a lot of things. I like Coke, but can maybe stand a can or 2 a month because it's so sweet now. Kool-Aid drink mix wants a cup of sugar added. I add a 1/4 cup and it's barely bearable. People don't realize how much sugar they're eating.
Showerheads fixed in walls, ridiculous amount of water in toilet bowls
I liked that in UK there wasn't as much water in the toilet. Deep bowl and no spray back.
One can buy a fixture to make the shower head adjustable, water in toilet bowls can be adjusted by twisting the screw that holds the the bulb in the tank.
No, that may adjust the amount delivered in a flush, but the shape of the S bend determines the amount remaining in the bowl.
Load More Replies...And if it isn't the best that OP can come up with? Just one of many, maybe?
Load More Replies...Tell that to all the people who work three jobs and still live off tips
Load More Replies... Chlorinated tap water. At home in Germany I drink only tap water and am horrified. about the sheer mass of plastic waste as you're forced to buy bottled water.
And many other things others have mentioned here.
I live in the US and refill 5 gallon jugs. My parents live in the countryside and have their own well.
We're a big country with many water sources, so you can't judge one locality against the entire country. In Las Vegas you have to buy bottled water if you want clean drinking water. The water in SoCal tastes absolutely terrible. Many places have to chlorinate the water to keep it clean, others don't. It all varies
EU tap water has chlorine too....at slightly lower levels. It's a purifying agent. 97.32% of the US has clean water at the tap (compared to 96.82% in the EU) with a few glaring exceptions due to crumbling infrastructure, no one is forced to drink bottled water....people are just entitled and lazy. And while the U.S does consume 50 billion single use plastic bottles each year.....the EU isn't that far behind, clocking in at 46 billion.
Allowable chlorine levels in the US are much higher than much of the world and yes, in most places (that I've been tom at least) the water does taste awful, such that I would always buy bottled water even to make coffee in a hotel room.
Load More Replies...Wha? You think that having a decent water supply makes him "entitled"? I think perhaps that word doesn't mean what you think it means.
Load More Replies...Everything. Y’all need to travel to Europe and see how different things are
Beyond stupid. And i dont know that anyone outside the US that uses the term 'y'all' so I suspect this is self-baiting....
Have you read about poverty and wealth distribution and vacation time in the US?
The distance from LA to NY is the same as London to Syria. Yall need to travel to Syria and see how different things are.
Dumbest comment ever. Everything is going to be different in every country you visit, whether or not it is in Europe.
Let me rephrase it then. Different AND BETTER
Load More Replies...In huge traffic: waiting at a green light and NO ONE uses their car horn to force you to drive - it's awkwardly silent. I heard it's because people are afraid that the driver has a *pew pew* in his car.
OP has obviously not visiting any US city during traffic whatsoever.
Is it illegal to use your horn in non-emergency situations like it is in Australia. I never honk in that situation because that is not the purpose for the horn (though of course there are millions of people who do, even though they know it's illegal).
How to say you've never actually been in the US in traffic without actually saying you've never been in the US and in traffic. People honk all the time. I can believe someone may be scared to honk, but by far that's a minority and I bet those people are afraid of a lot of other things too. I bet they won't flash their headlights at a car with the lights off because they think they're going to be killed in a gang initiation too lol. Maybe where you live people are constantly honking, but people honk here too, maybe just not as much because it's seen as being rude a*s behavior.
Erm, you haven't driven in Boston? If you're not moving in the same nanosecond the light turns green...
Sidewalks often are literally sidewalks and are not dedicated footways separate from the road and wide enough to comfortably fit two-three people.
Maybe only in some very rural areas, but not at all true in cities of any size.
Have you visited much of the rest of the world, OP? Anywhere historic and crucially, narrow? Not everywhere has massive plazas!
Come visit the Netherlands and see how well sidewalks fit in narrow spaces.
Load More Replies...That in a lot of the country there are two reactions, real friendly or threatening your life.
Some places are not unfriendly and they don't care if you die. Large parts of the US are just apathetic.
Very obvious based on the results of the last election............
Load More Replies...Not just threatening your life. One group of people accidentally turned into someone's property, realised they were in the wrong place, turned around and were leaving only for the property owner to come out of his house shooting. He shot a poor girl in the passenger seat of a vehicle and she passed away.
Nobody putting the handbrakes on when they park their cars. The handbrake is there, almost none of them use it. They’re just not taught to do it.
I take it that's a flat place thing? I can't imagine that working on the hills in places like San Francisco
It's not a thing at all. The most basic driver's education for parking a car is to set the emergency (hand) brake . Especially if you're driving a manual transmission.
Load More Replies...The default transmission is automatic where you can't remove the ignition key without it being in Park mode, which effectively locks the wheels to the engine. The "parking brake" has for years often not been hand-operated like in the picture anyway,, but by a foot pedal (nowhere near the gas and brake) in many cars. Yes, they are taught to use it, but they're lazy, so... (I often don't apply it either when driving an auto, so not judging).
Parking brakes are almost all hand-operated - I've never seen one that's been worked by a foot pedal. At least, that's how it is in the UK - where are your observations from, Ace?
Load More Replies...I always thought it was an emergency break. I don't even notice or see them in cars anymore.
Cars all have a secondary braking system separate to the normal driving braking system. It's been a legal requirement pretty much everywhere since before my parents were born. And that secondary braking system is almost always the parking brake - you can't rely on your automatic transmission's "park" setting to stop your car moving.
Load More Replies...Must be a location thing because I have never known ANYONE to use the parking brake in my area of the US
Load More Replies...Calling themselves Americans and ignoring everyone one else that is born in the same continent. Stateunidians
This again. The people of South America are free to call themselves South Americans. The people of North America are free to call themselves North Americans. It is not our fault that the founders of our country named it after the American continents.
The official name of the United States is "United States of America". So, in fact, they are Americans.
Again, the continent is called North America, not America. And it wouldn't be Stateunidians, it would Unitedstatesians. The US was the first western nation in North America. Europe actually started calling us Americans before there was Mexicand or Canadians. So, don't blame us.
I call them "US citizens" or "people from the US" and that's that.
So America is not North America. North America is not America. North America is the continent comprised of 23 countries. The three largest are the Dominion of Canada, the United Mexican States and the United States of America. The Dominion of Canada is commonly called Canada (and its citizens are called Canadians). The United Mexican States is commonly called Mexico (and its citizens are called Mexicans). The United States of America is commonly called America (and its citizens are called Americans). Basic enough for you?
Load More Replies...Separate bills at restaurant… how come you can’t ? If we are a group of 20 in Canada we can all have a single billing for the same table
Same in CH, it's really common to ay individually, but often that just means the waiter walking round the table taking payments from each one in turn and deducting it from the total rather than producing separate bills for each one. It works because nobody would dream of lying about what they ordered.
You lot have barely even discovered the wireless payment machine. I don’t need to hand my credit card to the server to pay
Load More Replies...Roads that are absolute death traps: 45 mph limit and drivers make unprotected left turns across 3 lanes to get into a driveway.
There are bad roads and death traps all around the world. Travel and you will find this out yourself.
US roads are really rather dangerous compared to many other countries - on a par with Mexico, and terribly dangerous compared to Sweden. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate
Load More Replies...Depends on the state. I have been to over 30 states, Texas is the worst. They actively try to run you off the road if you do not have a Texas license plate.
What you get when you can get a licence at 16yo after being taught by mommy and daddy. Wtf did you guys expect to be the outcome?
The infrastructure in general is poor as well. Traffic lights on the other side of the crossing for example. Crossings with 4 stop signs.
Pffffftttt I lived in Germany and drove all over the EU, I've seen how Europeans drive. Shush.
US drivers are on average worse than those in most developed countries - look at the list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate. When the Italians are that much safer, you have to think a bit.
Load More Replies...One of the biggest chains (Walmart) doesn’t take Apple Pay. I was ASTOUNDED. I hadn’t even seen my debit card for years. Had to check what my PIN was.
That and guess what, not everyone on this planet has an Apple! Or could care less about Apple Pay, or Walmart for that matter as well.
Load More Replies...i know very few places that take apple pay and know no one who uses it
Surely not? Even Farmers Markets and little pop up stalls take Apple Pay
This is well known. Walmart has so far refused to allow Apple Pay because they want people to use Walmart Pay instead.
Load More Replies...These sorts of divisive lists are dangerous. Outraged blanket-statements and overgeneralizing about the population of an extremely varied country isn’t making anyone look good and certainly not helping anything globally or here. If BP dislikes the US so much, stop courting us for ad views and referrals to cheap, mass-produced Amazon products.
Come on, BP, do a list like this about the UK. We're capable of taking the mickey out of ourselves.
Load More Replies...To be fair, I have no doubt the BP editors are working on the list “52 Egregious Things About Lithuania: Interview with the Expert.” RIGHT? No. Okay. Just let me know which state has the sailboat sail-sized pizza slices.
Load More Replies...I don't think most of these are things Americans don't find weird. They have heard time and again about their healthcare, the sugar in food, tax not included on ticket etc.
I've seen a hundred articles on BP about things that are different about the US, when are we gonna get articles about what's different about Belgium, or Venezuela, or Thailand, or any other country? What's BP's obsession with bashing the US? This is getting so repetitive and boring.
Funny I only see this reply from hard line right wing Americans who think its their way or the highway. No room for other opinions even though you love free speech
Load More Replies...No One should be judged by the worst people or things in their country. Not everyone wants to walk around with a gun on their hip, we hate the tipping culture too, our big orange ape in the white house disgusts a great many of us (and we are just hoping he doesn't get us all nuked before he leaves office), and I won't even go into how much we hate our healthcare system. Not everyone in our country is "the worst." Just like everyone in other countries are not the worst of who lives there. We know our problems, BP, you don't have to keep reminding us of them.
I'm American and while this post is eye opening its also comforting. As a minority I don't feel attacked, the truth about this country should be known. Yes, I've lived in other countries and have always been proud of my country. But other nations are amazing and have a economic advantage. Like getting a pair of glasses for $30 or the cost of fruits and vegetables less than the cost of meat, walkable cities, accessible education. The us is no longer a world leader. People are suffering under the weight of the 1%. These lists aren't derisive, they are a warning from onlookers of the things to come that should alarm every American. We are the land if the free, a home of the brave. The WH and SCOTUS has too much power.
These sorts of divisive lists are dangerous. Outraged blanket-statements and overgeneralizing about the population of an extremely varied country isn’t making anyone look good and certainly not helping anything globally or here. If BP dislikes the US so much, stop courting us for ad views and referrals to cheap, mass-produced Amazon products.
Come on, BP, do a list like this about the UK. We're capable of taking the mickey out of ourselves.
Load More Replies...To be fair, I have no doubt the BP editors are working on the list “52 Egregious Things About Lithuania: Interview with the Expert.” RIGHT? No. Okay. Just let me know which state has the sailboat sail-sized pizza slices.
Load More Replies...I don't think most of these are things Americans don't find weird. They have heard time and again about their healthcare, the sugar in food, tax not included on ticket etc.
I've seen a hundred articles on BP about things that are different about the US, when are we gonna get articles about what's different about Belgium, or Venezuela, or Thailand, or any other country? What's BP's obsession with bashing the US? This is getting so repetitive and boring.
Funny I only see this reply from hard line right wing Americans who think its their way or the highway. No room for other opinions even though you love free speech
Load More Replies...No One should be judged by the worst people or things in their country. Not everyone wants to walk around with a gun on their hip, we hate the tipping culture too, our big orange ape in the white house disgusts a great many of us (and we are just hoping he doesn't get us all nuked before he leaves office), and I won't even go into how much we hate our healthcare system. Not everyone in our country is "the worst." Just like everyone in other countries are not the worst of who lives there. We know our problems, BP, you don't have to keep reminding us of them.
I'm American and while this post is eye opening its also comforting. As a minority I don't feel attacked, the truth about this country should be known. Yes, I've lived in other countries and have always been proud of my country. But other nations are amazing and have a economic advantage. Like getting a pair of glasses for $30 or the cost of fruits and vegetables less than the cost of meat, walkable cities, accessible education. The us is no longer a world leader. People are suffering under the weight of the 1%. These lists aren't derisive, they are a warning from onlookers of the things to come that should alarm every American. We are the land if the free, a home of the brave. The WH and SCOTUS has too much power.
