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People Share 30 Things That They Think Are Normal In Europe But Horrific In America
We often read of things that are totally normal in America but look super crazy to the rest of the world. Like free refills, medical debts, the sheer portion sizes, you name it. But hey, the place and time is everything when it comes to which things we view as typical and which ones raise our brows.
So this time, we are setting our eyes on Europe and the weird customs, things, and manners people in its 44 countries have that look totally crazy to Americans. “What's considered normal in Europe but horrific in America?” someone asked on AskReddit, and 12.7k comments followed.
We picked some of the most telling and thought-provoking responses that prove European countries are also home to a bunch of weirdos!
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Old things. Houses especially. "Someone died in this house" yeah no s**t Sherlock, this house has been here more than your country
The metric system
Favorite metric system quote is by Josh Bazell. “In metric, one milliliter of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade—which is 1 percent of the difference between its freezing point and its boiling point. ... Whereas in the American system, the answer to ‘How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water?’ is ‘Go f**k yourself,’ because you can’t directly relate any of those quantities.”
Taking the bus. There is so much stigma around public transport in the US, especially busses, and in Europe it's just a totally normal way to get around because nobody wants to deal with driving and parking in a big city.
Also from an employer's perspective: 25+ vacation days minimum for all employees and unlimited sick days. The absolute horror.
Songs with swear words being broadcasted on the radio, or swear words not being covered with a beep tone on tv. It’s always felt weird to me that Americans are all about being free and freedom of speech but then again they are scared of some stupid words.
Pro union laws. Pro worker labour laws. Mandatory paid vacation days (including fines for companies if the workers don't take their vacation days or get them payed out. They NEED to actually leave work legally for around 25 days per year).
Letting kids go to school or walk around the neighborhood by themselves without supervision.
A Dutch family moved to the USA and their kids went to school on their bikes like they always do, after a while the police showed up on their doorstep and child protective services letting them know they’re being irresponsible and to not do that again.
Mailman doesnt leave packages unattended on your porch. He eather gives you it on the doorstep or you go get it at the post office. Much less infureating than getting it stolen or thrown accros your yard by a mailman...
I don't know if this would horrify Americans as I've never heard it discussed, but where I live in Europe (Luxembourg), voting is mandatory and you can get fined for not voting in an election. You can still spoil your ballot, so you don't have to decide between lesser evils if you don't want to, but you have to make the effort to go to the polling station or submit a postal vote. It guarantees a high voter turnout and by extension more representative elections, coupled with a proportional voting system so we're not locked into a two-party mess like the UK or the US - not that it's without its issues of course, but I think it's an improvement.
Being expected to know another language other than English.
At least in Germany, nudity. No one cares if you're naked, no one thinks you're a sex offender, no one thinks it's even sexual to be naked unless you're actively having sex, and no one makes it weird.
You can be naked in public parks to soak up sun, on beaches, swim naked in lakes. Saunas are all naked, mixed sex areas in spas and saunas are naked with no issues and in general, it's just not an issue.
At least where I live in Germany it’s NOT usual to be naked in parks or bathing naked in crowded places, except they’re designated as nude areas. Topless is tolerated in most urban parks, if you don’t Walk around. Otherwise it’s a "Public nuisance", which is an administrative offense and is punished by a penalty fee.
From what I’ve heard, allowing retail workers to sit. I’ve heard it’s regular for people to be sitting in Europe as cashiers, but in the us it is seen as lazy. Only store I know of that allows it is Aldi and that’s because it helps their cashiering metrics.
Absolutely not. It’s another type of class warfare in the USA.
Load More Replies...The last sentence should be a wake up call for American management: “it helps their cashiering metrics”. Yes! People whose feet aren’t killing them because they’ve been forced to stand for hours on end actually do better work. What a f*****g amazing concept. Heads up, American business schools, you sociopathic m***********s! Time to add a class in Humane and Ethical Employee Management.
In Europe it isn't only regular but mandatory. Workers have the right to sit!
Only in some shops are till staff standing and that's because they are only behind the till for short periods such as in a department store where they are walking around and doing other things.
Load More Replies...So they´re supposed to just stand in the same place for the entire shift??? Seriously? That would be torture for me... I´m able to walk for a long while but to just stand on my feet in the same place for hours is the recipe for getting severe lower back pain.
Just for the sake of not looking lazy... this is ridiculous!
Load More Replies...Also Aldi is German...they do seem to treat workers a whole lot better in Germany.
Despite being seen as low class market and cheap they are on the upper end when it comes to retail employers
Load More Replies...To put things into perspective, a form of torture adopted by the Nazis in their concentration camps was to force people to stand in one spot for hours at a time.
Happens in Canada too... For me, personally, when an employer doesn't alloy his employees to sit, it's a red flag and I get the F*****K away from there. In my experience, it means management is toxic as anthrax.
I'm an American and I really wish more places would let cashiers sit. I feel awful for them every time I go in the store.
Load More Replies...The picture is from Norway, and yes, of course they're allowed to sit. They can also stand up whenever they feel like it, as it is beneficial for your body to change positions every now and then.
u guys over there really like treating lower class jobs as servants huh? standing all day long sucks for your veins and can cause multiple helath issues (which again is another problem)
See in America you live to work and not work to live I hear people bragging about working 50-90 hours a week or people bragging cause they go to work sick real conversation dude: man I had a bad cold or the flu last week Me: so you went to the hospital or you stayed home and self medicate Dude: no I went to work I'm not no b**ch I'm a man Me: no you stupid cause you put others at risk to make a man who cares so less about you he let you stay a work
I get the impression when somebody only works 40 hours a week and is lucky to be earning enough from that job to live on they get bored at weekends and in the evenings because everyone else they know is working their second job or doing overtime so they can't hang out with them.
Load More Replies...So you call it lazy? We call it ergonomic. Because we are...after all....humans. And humans can have backpain and pain in legs and feet after prolonged standing still behind a counter.
I agree that this is horrible. I've also worked places in America where you were not allowed to read while you were on the clock. I got written up for reading a newspaper article while waiting for a delivery. And some cashiering jobs do not allow an actual lunch break; you just have to grab a bite when you can (but you can't sit down to eat). It's horrible!
Aletta Jacobs, the first female doctor in The Netherlands, saw a lot of young woman who worked as cashiers in her practice with leg, joint and back problems. Because of her there is a law you are obligated to give cashiers a chair of some kind so they can sit. This was somewhere in the 1880's.
A few years ago Aldi got into a bit of negative media coverage in Germany, for treating their workers poorly. As far as I am informed they are still not very popular as an employer. By german standards of course
That tells something about the other groceries in the USA.
Load More Replies...When I was at college I worked part time at a local co-op.. it was seen as lazy there too so no chairs allowed although they had one on the shop floor because of a pregnant employee ..a member of staff sat on it every time the pregnant employee wasn't working and in the end got sacked! ...she lost her job for sitting down working a 9 hour shift .. it's just stupid ! I was in my early 20s and it is hell standing for that long trust me.
This is terrible... poor people. It's not about laziness, it's about health.
Almost every single one in the United States of America...
Load More Replies...I dont see it as lazy I see it as the manager treating his workers like humans
I don’t get to sit at my job. It would be really nice, though. I have feet problems and they get sore easily. I can’t work more than four hours without lasting pain.
I would go back to work as a cashier if I could sit. I can't stand for long periods of time the way I could when I was younger.
That's my dilemma, all I've ever done is retail, but I can't do the standing anymore, and I won't- I will sit the f*** down if my body is experiencing discomfort, life is too short, they can wake up to what is right or they can fire me- I say that knowing my livelihood doesn't depend on said job, I don't know how people do it, and what's more, they shouldn't have to...
Load More Replies...Remember seeing a very pregnant woman standing at the cash register in a supermarket in the States. Felt awful for her.
Also having retail workers take all sorts of abuse. Make a mess of the store, let your demon child break stuff or yell at the cashier in Europe and you're out before you can blink twice. With a ban to boot
I have seen a black man give awful abuse to a white till girl, no one dare saying anything because it would be "racist" This is the only time I have seen definite worker abuse
Load More Replies...Aldi is a German i.e. European store, of course, they would follow European custom for the cashier to sit.
I worked, in the US, in retail several years ago when I fractured one foot and severely sprained the other. I was in a situation where I couldn't afford to take off work for 12 weeks while they healed. My boss would not allow me a stool to sit on until most of the people I worked with weighed in with their dissatisfaction with management and in support of me. I got a stool after standing for nearly 2 weeks on two bum feet. That was about 5 years ago and the employees who are still there, not me, still talk about it as a sore spot with the management.
Brainwashing. It was all over the TV a few years ago about how sitting is bad for your health so you should have a standing desk and stand at it for hours at a time instead. Then history was rewritten about how people lived before the Second World War and that there was only one armchair instead of a three piece suite in the living room so everyone apart from the man of the house stood all the time. What poppycock. There would have been two arm chairs and probably stools or hard chairs to sit on as well..
Load More Replies...I think everyone who stands constantly for their jobs, should have the option of sitting down. Think baricoseveins and haemorrhoids!
Is it lazy to work smarter? Why stand if you might as well can sit.. I have a hard time standing still, my shoulders and neck starts to hurt really bad.
Yup, had to get a Drs note so that I could sit behind a counter. Standing all day in one spot had me to where I could hardly walk after a couple of hrs. I have a large leg discrepancy which causes all sorts of issues but even if I didn't, standing in one spot is horrendous and bad longer term. BUT that is exactly the circumstances here. It's disturbing what we allow in regards to employment, among many other things.
Load More Replies...Sitting would probably help lots of metrics if measures were taken of the results.
i had to quit my job as a cashier because i'm hypermobile and standing in one place for four hours was leaving me with crippling pain in my legs the next day. it was a bad job anyway, we weren't allowed to have water at the register, we always had to "look busy" if we weren't helping someone (idk about you but if i see a cashier wiping down the belt, i assume they're closing and don't want to deal with me).
I had to get a Drs note to be able to sit at my retail cosmetic counter, which I found to be ridiculous and degrading having to get "permission." I could barely walk by the time I left for home.
Lazy? You're telling groceries. Why the hell do you have to stand to do that? All cashiers sit in the UK unless you're in a small shop and your job is till and other things m
No no no. Aldi wants you to sit because they like making it LOOK like they're kinder to their cashier's but in reality they want you to trip and die and crack your head on the stupid tile floors when you have to get up every 20 seconds to do other jobs and NO YOU CANT JUST STAND, HOW UNGRATEFUL OF YOU TO NOT WANT THE CHAIR WEVE SO LOVINGLY FORCED UPON YOU!!
For sure the flaggers on road construction need to have a stool they can perch on. It's just terrible to be out there in the Sun and rain and not even be able to perch. Sitting would not impair their flag work at all and it would certainly be easier on their bodies.
I worked in retail from my early to mid 20s and even if no one was in the store I still couldn't sit down. Lazy.
I work at a mall in the US, and one day my coworker and I looked across the food court and saw a cashier at another food place sitting down as he worked. We spent a solid minute looking at this guy and thinking how lucky he was that he didn't have to stay on his feet all day... and then he came around to the other side of the counter. He was in a WHEELCHAIR. We were complaining to each other being jealous of someone in a wheelchair.
I always hear managers tell the employees “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” I was always told this if I was seen leaning against the counter for even a second.
We have an elderly lady who works for my store and she asked us recently if she could use and stool and I said of course. I won’t tell someone they can’t sit. We have chairs from the office that we bring out of someone really wants it.
Only several cashiers are sitting. Others are running around. Poor guys.
I don't know if it's changed since but, when I was working in a casino, we had a 15 minute break every hour. If there was an important punter who wanted us to stay, we were asked if we minded doing a bit longer at the table and the punter was told that we could only stay a certain amount of time. Shop workers also had the right to sit for 15 minutes per hour. A chair would be behind the counter and we would take turns sitting down. Of course, if it was very busy, we didn't have time to sit.
Ugh I wish. In the US there is a saying in all restaurants, retail, etc.: If you have time to lean, you have time to clean. I have a nice job now in an office and I still get paranoid when I don't have a customer/call that I'm going to get in trouble for not actively doing work.
What happens jf you bring your own stool? Is management going to drop by every hour of your shift and fire you?
I wasn't "allowed" to sit on a stool for my job until I got a doctor's note stating I had sciatica. I was at least 6 months into a difficult pregnancy.
It's more that it's considered unprofessional. Why? I have no friggin idea. It's just stupid.
Depends on the retailers, where I work in England, a chair would just get in the way and is only used for pregnant staff. We have joined up tills and a small space, so we barely have rooms for baskets.
where i work, casheirs are allowed bar stools that cant be seen from the other side of the desk
"From what I’ve heard" pretty much sums this up. Right up there with "many people are saying..."
I live in the UK and I've visited France. In both places cashiers have seats and can choose to use them (and most do) but some do also choose to stand. It's their choice though.
Load More Replies...The US way is a worse way of doing things (if it's true). Expecting people to stand all day is not good for them, and being uncomfortable makes you less productive. In the UK (and France, when I've visited) cashiers can sit or stand or change from one to the other as they see fit. How can having the choice be regarded as a bad thing?
Load More Replies...sitting is the new smoking! if you want your workers to die, have them sit all day
If you want them to get all kinds of chronic joint and back issues, make them stand all day
Load More Replies...The number of rooms in the description of apartments. 1 room in the US usually means 1 bedroom, a living room ,and separate kitchen. Was shocked when I realized it means everything inside one room in most European countries
In the UK we normally describe properties as 1 bed, 2 bed etc. and give a separate count of other rooms. Studio is normally used to describe rooms of mixed use. So a 1 bed studio apartment will normally be a combined kitchen, living and sleeping space with a separate bath- or shower-room.
Not being super patriotic.
I love being Scottish, I love living here, the people (mostly), the accepting and open culture, the sarcastic swearing humour, that we can take the piss out of ourselves - but I don't feel the need to fly a flag on my doorstep or cover myself in Scottish symbols and scream about my freedom and rights and chant some verse every morning - im sure there are plenty of Americans who also think that the stereotypical over the top patriotic American is as odd as outsiders do - but they do tend to be the loudest
Long paid parental leaves and month long holidays (vacations).
Fun fact: These are all things that Unions achieved and next the government made them law. Some Americans would go bat shyte crazy over that. "The government has no right to force 25 mandatory vacation days on me!!!!"
Oh man... europe has so many different countries. Something that is completely normal where I live could be frowned upon as soon as I cross the next border. But in general we tip for good service, not bc we have to. A rude waitress won't get tipped by me. Also we usually remove our shoes before we enter a home. And yep, "free" healthcare.
Absolutely, what's acceptable in Spain wouldn't fly in Denmark and vice versa. All countries have their own cultures. The first time, years before the internet through reading American magazines, I came across 'Europe' being referred to as a homogeneous whole I was extremely confused. I was also highly entertained by all the adverts stating 'Everyone in Europe is using this product' for something I'd never seen in my life.
Not giving your debit/credit card to your server but doing it yourself
It prevents them from copying you card information and using them to commit fraud by buying stuff online with your creditcard information. In fact I think we ought to memorise the control numbers on the back of the card and then remove them for the card. Having them there is like writing the pin code on the card with a marker, it is just making abuse way too easy.
Sitting a foot away from a complete stranger and then completely ignoring them.
Americans get so bend out of shape over naked children running around the beach.
On every beach in Bulgaria I've been, naked children is the norm, women sunbathing in monokini is considered absolutely normal, while naked men are okay only in the nude sections of the beaches. And every beach has a nude section.
Not enrolling your kid in extracurricular activities. In Europe, some kids are enrolled in a sport or club and the older ones are mostly responsible for getting there and figuring out their schedule. In America, some parents are so obsessed with kids sports that the whole family's existence revolves around it, or they get judgemental when they hear that a kid isn't involved in any sports or clubs.
Almost every car having a manual transmission. when i visited ukraine, i only saw rich people with automatic cars
Charging for water at a restaurant.
In Norway you'll get tap water when you ask for water, and that's free.
Bidets? I was born and raised in the US and I think they're efficient and far more hygienic than TP, but apparently most other dudes in this country think it's gay to clean up after your business is done lol
The only really gay thing I know is falling in love with someone of the same gender as yourself. If cleaning your ass after you've been to the toilet is 'gay' to you, you have some real issues.
In Germany, looking for a apartment doesn't automatically mean it will come 100% with a kitchen. 90% they don't have them in and you have to buy them yourself.
That's one of the most stupid things in Germany. The kitchen should belong to the apartment.
Underage drinking seems more of a crime in the US - in most cases of a kid is caught with alcohol in the UK it's just confiscated and poured away. Strictly speaking the age you can drink alcohol is really low as well, so long as you're home with a parent I think it's like 5/6. When you're in a restaurant you're also allowed low percentage alcohol like cider with a meal so long as you're with an adult.
Doesn't apply to every european country, but prison sentences are a lot shorter. Life in prison without parole is extremely rare and many countries do not have such sentences. For example the maximum sentence here in Finland is called "Life in prison" but the avarage time spent in prison before release is 13-14 years for them.
I disagree with this as well. For small crimes (like dealing weed) their prison sentences should be short and focus on rehabilitation. But for major crimes they should be extremely long. Not “I gang raped a minor and got 13 years of prison and I will do 8”. You destroy a life, you should pay more than that.
Having an electric kettle.
This one comes up a lot on these lists. I use an electric kettle at home and at work. They are readily available at home goods stores in the US. I think they are not as foreign as it is imagined, they just aren’t a household staple, mostly because more people prefer coffee than tea in the US. I am an avid tea drinker myself, so I equipped my house accordingly.
Paying for bathrooms.
I am happy to pay for a bathroom if it is clean. The free toilets on the highway are mostly more than disgusting.
Being completely naked in a sauna (mixed men and women)
As a Czech person, my American wife was blown away that we let kids in pubs or bars.
Men on scooters. Apparently here in the USA I get made fun of... What?!! Even Mexico and London dudes on scooters is normal
Leaving your baby to sleep in a stroller outside. Be it at home on the balcony/garden or outside a restaurant.
Uh, where do I start? German here, living in the US. How about TV tax? I bet americans would go bonkers over it lol. I mean, so do Germans, but - wait for it, it's a classic - "what can you do?"
Some countries in Europe have church taxes (the state collects money through the taxation system and hands a slice of it over to the national church) and/or state-paid clergy.
The amount of people who still smoke. Especially smoking in restaurants restaurants. Nothing like sitting in a beautiful cafe and having someone at the table next to you light up just as your food arrives.
Also putting tobacco in weed.
Gotta say that "things normal in Europe" means you take more than 40 very different countries together. Example; The Netherlands doesn't have bagged milk at all, we don't allow underage drinking in the general sense and we don't leave kids in strollers outside. We're one of the few countries that use diseases as swear words, though :)
The same could be said for the United States. People love to generalize Americans, but the truth is we're vastly different from one another. I notice a lot of ignorance from Europeans about the differences in Americans. Like someone made a southern Texas joke towards me and I had to explain I'm from the east coast. It seems like they forget how big America really is.
Load More Replies...As an european who spend so much time in the states I just can't see the US as one country... there are so much differences depending on where you are... and I'm so just tired of those meaningless comparison...
This is even more true for Europe. They are lumping 40 different countries into this comparison.
Load More Replies...About half of these are just cultural differences that aren't "Horrific" one way or the other, and some even reflect badly on the Europeans, not to mention the whole "not all of Europe, but n a few places..." thing. So basically, the author is full of s**t.
I am not sure that anyone in the US finds these things “horrific.” I assume no Americans were consulted in the creation of this list? Bull fighting… this is an example of something horrific…
Yeah. It's awful. I think it's only parts of Spain though. (I could be wrong) not the kind of thing I want to google.
Load More Replies...One "European" concept I wish the US would embrace is free college/university!
Yup. It's very freeing not having to save up for my son's university.
Load More Replies...Yea. I mean… it’s just sad. All the other nations target America. But I’m used to it.
Load More Replies...One thing in North America I question is why women’s breasts are considered illegal. I suspect it has to do with the Puritan roots of NA but why does the USA love guns and violence (especially on tv, movies and video games) but as soon as a woman’s breasts are visible everyone throws a fit?
I like my guns, because I use it for hunting. Not for the sport of it, but because in my part of the US, groceries are pretty expensive, and good paying jobs that can support your family are few and far between. But god forbid women decide to go without even a bra 🙄
Load More Replies...So often articles like these seem based on stereotypes and Stupid American stories taken as fact. They also feel mean spirited.
Yet another post by someone who's never been to the US and doesn't actually know any Americans.
Definitely true. But considering there's so many untrue statements about Europe too it's easy to come to this conclusion. It's all or mostly just b******t.
Load More Replies...This is full of a lot of stereotypes, exaggeration, and people who have never gone to the US. It was cool to learn more about 'Europe'. (Europe is a bunch of different countries and cultures, you can't just group them all together like they did the United States.)
Yes. Sadly there's a bunch of people who lump together all European countries and people tend to lump together all of the US states too. European countries differ. Sometimes very much and sometimes less. And I know it's the same with many states in the US. Never hurt to learn though, which is why I ended up here. ;D
Load More Replies...I don't see anything horrific except for the hateful disdain expressed toward Americans.
Americans can be pretty damn disdainful of whole groups of people, it's the driving force behind much of our politics.
Load More Replies...The problem is that Americans are stereotyped by The politics of rural areas predominant primarily in the south and midwest even though that only makes up at a relatively small percentage of the total population. However that gets blown out of proportion because the American political system ensures a disproportionate amount of power to those areas. On the flipside Europeans are stereotyped based on the population of its large cities. But of course if anybody does just a little bit of investigation they will see that rural America and rural Europe are very similar (why do you think Brexit happened?) American cities and European cities are also very similar. Even more extreme many of the countries of Eastern Europe are considerably more conservative than even the most conservative parts of America.
I'm a bus driver. Taking a bus in America is not horrific, thank you very much.
It depends on where you live. My experience with buses in Atlanta was fine. My experiences with the buses in Alaska was awful!
Load More Replies...Looks like Americans aren't as "free" as they think they are and as they would like the World to see them.
So much content on BP is Europe vs USA. Like f**k off already... we don’t need any more division and hatred in the world
Agreed. I wonder why it is like that though? Maybe the states is a soft target for some reason.
Load More Replies...Please stop viewing Europe as one country. It's a group of very different countries, with different culture, different history, different languages, different customs, different way of life. European countries are NOT like US states, they don't really have nearly as much in common. And while they're a group and share a currency now (and it's only been 20 years) and all that, you cannot group all European countries and treat them like they're all the same. Enough of this, please.
Not all european countries are members of the eu though. But I agree, most european countries have many differences.
Load More Replies...So many of these are not even close to true. Someone is watching too many movies.
I have to wonder why these kinds of generalizations are only acceptable about Americans/America. Many of these would largely depend on where you live in America
This entire post generalizes the entirety of Europe as well. Most of these examples absolutely do not apply for the majority of countries in Europe.
Load More Replies...A lot of the things on this list isn’t true. Downvote me if you want.
definitely another bored panda Stigma induced post for both Europe and America. though it definitely likes to stir up hate in a lot of different forms of these stigmas of Europe and America I think it could have potential of having some fun conversations if delt right...*if* being key because for this Panda, that can't happen in heaven or hell it seems...this Boredpanda loves to just dump loads on America usually which really frustrates me. and this time had a bonus with Europe in it.
For those who misspell America, it just goes to prove you Europeans are a bunch of snotty little pricks.
The author simply revealed their ignorance. It’s embarrassing to see someone actually wrote this truly fact-anemic tripe. I will give one example. The “public purchase and consumption of alcohol” is illegal until age 21. However in 45 states, on private property, with parental consent children may consume any alcohol they wish. The drinking age in this case can go down to 12. The government limited public drinking but preserved parents rights to teach their children to drink responsibility. In America, on private property, one can enjoy a beer or 100 proof whiskey with their child…if they desire. Most parents choose to wait. A simple google search would do you well.
The only thing I would find horrific that is done in many parts of Europe is leaving your baby outside a shop in their stroller. I know its quite common in some places, (lived in many different European countries growing up). But if I saw that in America I would start freaking out lol. Cops would immediately be called by someone, it would be a whole thing.
Not saying ALL americans are patriotic. Although I myself would never feel the same need to defend my country like some (again not all) americans do here. Maybe I'm missing something, it's probably not a bad thing to defend your country. I just never get the urge to defend my country. Is that weird? I hope I am not offending anyone by asking this.
I have a home on 10 acres that is very remote no bus would come there. I also require a lot of tools to do my job and could not take them on the bus. I have never been shot nor have I shot anyone though I do enjoy match shooting g and own many firearms. I guess Europe has zero child molesters and kids are never abducted over there. We do have crime and kids can be abducted so to allow your kids to roam freely is negligent. Plus they might crash on their bike or be hit by a car. I don't know of any kids that are not involved in some kind of extra curriculum activity and I have never been charged for water. It is illegal in Arizona to not provide water if requested. We smile to be pleasant unlike Europeans.
First of all as an America has plenty of issues I will admit. We aren't perfect like you Europeans. Everyone I know removes their shoes when entering a home. Some may keep shoes by the door that are only worn indoors as they have foot problems and shoes provide comfort. To each there own but I have no desire to see old wrinkled sweaty testicle, or gray public hair or any public hair, sagging breasts or stretch marks that make it look like a person was mauled by a tiger. Fish belly white rolls of fat or even a naked super model naked. I took Spanish for 4 years in high school as a foreign language was required. As a business owner employees are given paid vacations, paid sick days, paid holidays and we are a Construction Company when an employees partner has a baby they get 3 days off to help the new mother and baby settle in paid. If the spouse can't handle a newborn after that then they shouldn't have had a kid. So many people abuse sick days though and screw over coworkers
I really take offense with the whole if u can't handle a new born after 3 days u shouldn't of had one. There can be literally hundreds of reasons a new mom needs help after delivering a child she could have had a c-section or a difficult birth the child could had birth defects or other issues that were unforeseen. The child could have colic there could be other siblings in the home and they are not adjusting to the new arrival there's also postpartum depression like I said literally hundreds of things and to judge a person after only three days and saying they shouldn't have had one what are they going to do put the child back because that's about how much sense your post made
Load More Replies...This is simply showing differences... one could just as easily say this is "European bashing" if you decide that the American side of the difference is the preferred version. (and in some of these cases, that would be an easy argument)
Load More Replies...Usa is like a fourth cousin twice removed of European countries that had the guts to jump over the wall to go see the world and so they evolved in their own way . And it doesn't seem so problematic to me. I love both.
So...pointing out differences means you're hating the country? Got it. Are there any other conditions other than patriotic paranoia you want to tell us about?
Load More Replies...Gotta say that "things normal in Europe" means you take more than 40 very different countries together. Example; The Netherlands doesn't have bagged milk at all, we don't allow underage drinking in the general sense and we don't leave kids in strollers outside. We're one of the few countries that use diseases as swear words, though :)
The same could be said for the United States. People love to generalize Americans, but the truth is we're vastly different from one another. I notice a lot of ignorance from Europeans about the differences in Americans. Like someone made a southern Texas joke towards me and I had to explain I'm from the east coast. It seems like they forget how big America really is.
Load More Replies...As an european who spend so much time in the states I just can't see the US as one country... there are so much differences depending on where you are... and I'm so just tired of those meaningless comparison...
This is even more true for Europe. They are lumping 40 different countries into this comparison.
Load More Replies...About half of these are just cultural differences that aren't "Horrific" one way or the other, and some even reflect badly on the Europeans, not to mention the whole "not all of Europe, but n a few places..." thing. So basically, the author is full of s**t.
I am not sure that anyone in the US finds these things “horrific.” I assume no Americans were consulted in the creation of this list? Bull fighting… this is an example of something horrific…
Yeah. It's awful. I think it's only parts of Spain though. (I could be wrong) not the kind of thing I want to google.
Load More Replies...One "European" concept I wish the US would embrace is free college/university!
Yup. It's very freeing not having to save up for my son's university.
Load More Replies...Yea. I mean… it’s just sad. All the other nations target America. But I’m used to it.
Load More Replies...One thing in North America I question is why women’s breasts are considered illegal. I suspect it has to do with the Puritan roots of NA but why does the USA love guns and violence (especially on tv, movies and video games) but as soon as a woman’s breasts are visible everyone throws a fit?
I like my guns, because I use it for hunting. Not for the sport of it, but because in my part of the US, groceries are pretty expensive, and good paying jobs that can support your family are few and far between. But god forbid women decide to go without even a bra 🙄
Load More Replies...So often articles like these seem based on stereotypes and Stupid American stories taken as fact. They also feel mean spirited.
Yet another post by someone who's never been to the US and doesn't actually know any Americans.
Definitely true. But considering there's so many untrue statements about Europe too it's easy to come to this conclusion. It's all or mostly just b******t.
Load More Replies...This is full of a lot of stereotypes, exaggeration, and people who have never gone to the US. It was cool to learn more about 'Europe'. (Europe is a bunch of different countries and cultures, you can't just group them all together like they did the United States.)
Yes. Sadly there's a bunch of people who lump together all European countries and people tend to lump together all of the US states too. European countries differ. Sometimes very much and sometimes less. And I know it's the same with many states in the US. Never hurt to learn though, which is why I ended up here. ;D
Load More Replies...I don't see anything horrific except for the hateful disdain expressed toward Americans.
Americans can be pretty damn disdainful of whole groups of people, it's the driving force behind much of our politics.
Load More Replies...The problem is that Americans are stereotyped by The politics of rural areas predominant primarily in the south and midwest even though that only makes up at a relatively small percentage of the total population. However that gets blown out of proportion because the American political system ensures a disproportionate amount of power to those areas. On the flipside Europeans are stereotyped based on the population of its large cities. But of course if anybody does just a little bit of investigation they will see that rural America and rural Europe are very similar (why do you think Brexit happened?) American cities and European cities are also very similar. Even more extreme many of the countries of Eastern Europe are considerably more conservative than even the most conservative parts of America.
I'm a bus driver. Taking a bus in America is not horrific, thank you very much.
It depends on where you live. My experience with buses in Atlanta was fine. My experiences with the buses in Alaska was awful!
Load More Replies...Looks like Americans aren't as "free" as they think they are and as they would like the World to see them.
So much content on BP is Europe vs USA. Like f**k off already... we don’t need any more division and hatred in the world
Agreed. I wonder why it is like that though? Maybe the states is a soft target for some reason.
Load More Replies...Please stop viewing Europe as one country. It's a group of very different countries, with different culture, different history, different languages, different customs, different way of life. European countries are NOT like US states, they don't really have nearly as much in common. And while they're a group and share a currency now (and it's only been 20 years) and all that, you cannot group all European countries and treat them like they're all the same. Enough of this, please.
Not all european countries are members of the eu though. But I agree, most european countries have many differences.
Load More Replies...So many of these are not even close to true. Someone is watching too many movies.
I have to wonder why these kinds of generalizations are only acceptable about Americans/America. Many of these would largely depend on where you live in America
This entire post generalizes the entirety of Europe as well. Most of these examples absolutely do not apply for the majority of countries in Europe.
Load More Replies...A lot of the things on this list isn’t true. Downvote me if you want.
definitely another bored panda Stigma induced post for both Europe and America. though it definitely likes to stir up hate in a lot of different forms of these stigmas of Europe and America I think it could have potential of having some fun conversations if delt right...*if* being key because for this Panda, that can't happen in heaven or hell it seems...this Boredpanda loves to just dump loads on America usually which really frustrates me. and this time had a bonus with Europe in it.
For those who misspell America, it just goes to prove you Europeans are a bunch of snotty little pricks.
The author simply revealed their ignorance. It’s embarrassing to see someone actually wrote this truly fact-anemic tripe. I will give one example. The “public purchase and consumption of alcohol” is illegal until age 21. However in 45 states, on private property, with parental consent children may consume any alcohol they wish. The drinking age in this case can go down to 12. The government limited public drinking but preserved parents rights to teach their children to drink responsibility. In America, on private property, one can enjoy a beer or 100 proof whiskey with their child…if they desire. Most parents choose to wait. A simple google search would do you well.
The only thing I would find horrific that is done in many parts of Europe is leaving your baby outside a shop in their stroller. I know its quite common in some places, (lived in many different European countries growing up). But if I saw that in America I would start freaking out lol. Cops would immediately be called by someone, it would be a whole thing.
Not saying ALL americans are patriotic. Although I myself would never feel the same need to defend my country like some (again not all) americans do here. Maybe I'm missing something, it's probably not a bad thing to defend your country. I just never get the urge to defend my country. Is that weird? I hope I am not offending anyone by asking this.
I have a home on 10 acres that is very remote no bus would come there. I also require a lot of tools to do my job and could not take them on the bus. I have never been shot nor have I shot anyone though I do enjoy match shooting g and own many firearms. I guess Europe has zero child molesters and kids are never abducted over there. We do have crime and kids can be abducted so to allow your kids to roam freely is negligent. Plus they might crash on their bike or be hit by a car. I don't know of any kids that are not involved in some kind of extra curriculum activity and I have never been charged for water. It is illegal in Arizona to not provide water if requested. We smile to be pleasant unlike Europeans.
First of all as an America has plenty of issues I will admit. We aren't perfect like you Europeans. Everyone I know removes their shoes when entering a home. Some may keep shoes by the door that are only worn indoors as they have foot problems and shoes provide comfort. To each there own but I have no desire to see old wrinkled sweaty testicle, or gray public hair or any public hair, sagging breasts or stretch marks that make it look like a person was mauled by a tiger. Fish belly white rolls of fat or even a naked super model naked. I took Spanish for 4 years in high school as a foreign language was required. As a business owner employees are given paid vacations, paid sick days, paid holidays and we are a Construction Company when an employees partner has a baby they get 3 days off to help the new mother and baby settle in paid. If the spouse can't handle a newborn after that then they shouldn't have had a kid. So many people abuse sick days though and screw over coworkers
I really take offense with the whole if u can't handle a new born after 3 days u shouldn't of had one. There can be literally hundreds of reasons a new mom needs help after delivering a child she could have had a c-section or a difficult birth the child could had birth defects or other issues that were unforeseen. The child could have colic there could be other siblings in the home and they are not adjusting to the new arrival there's also postpartum depression like I said literally hundreds of things and to judge a person after only three days and saying they shouldn't have had one what are they going to do put the child back because that's about how much sense your post made
Load More Replies...This is simply showing differences... one could just as easily say this is "European bashing" if you decide that the American side of the difference is the preferred version. (and in some of these cases, that would be an easy argument)
Load More Replies...Usa is like a fourth cousin twice removed of European countries that had the guts to jump over the wall to go see the world and so they evolved in their own way . And it doesn't seem so problematic to me. I love both.
So...pointing out differences means you're hating the country? Got it. Are there any other conditions other than patriotic paranoia you want to tell us about?
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