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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.
Yeah, this is an American misconception. When living in Bavaria I remember reading about an American tourist being arrested in the middle of Nürnberg for walking around naked, thinking that was OK in Germany.
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This is because the USA was founded by puritans. It’s not just nudity; it’s weird types of nudity we’ve progressed to. For example: every part of a woman’s breast can be shown off EXCEPT the nipple. Men? Fully topless; no problem. It’s so stupid that people have taken to cutting out photos of men’s nipples and applying them to women’s bodies in photos or in real life to make the point that it’s a sexist & arbitrary law. Then there’s the fear of sex. Americans are so afraid of sex that most conversation about sex is treated like perversion, a faux pas, “edgy”, etc, or it has to be a joke. So many Americans don’t learn about sex, and what they do learn comes from pornography, which isn’t real sex (it’s performance). Then there’s the double-standard on who’s allowed to talk about & have sex: women are supposed to be “chaste”. Yes, this has been changing over the last few decades but most of it is still present in some form. There’s so much sexual repression in the USA.
Idk if you're in the US, but if so, do you remember "nipplegate" that happened during the Super Bowl, and Justin Timberlake ripped part of Janet Jackson's top during their performance & for a second, Jackson's nipple shield was exposed. Her career was basically ruined after that, but nothing like that happened to him(career wise).
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And yet the conservatives in America literally can't keep their noses out of other people's private parts. They are nasty creepers.
This is kinda ironic considering the Cuomo scandal lol.
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I was very naive and stepped in to a sauma in an all female gym in the US naked only to find all the girls there in bathingsuits.
Well, this is only partially true - I'm pretty sure you can't walk around a public park without pants (sunbathing topless is mostly fine though) and full nudity on beaches is usually restricted to certain areas.
I have seen quite a few naked people in parks in Berlin, in Tiergarten or the one closer to my home.
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No! You can't walk around naked in Germany, be naked in parks and swim naked! It's just not true! There are designated areas at beaches or nude beaches. Also the being naked in sauna thing is true
As someone that lived in 5 different European countries and grew up in Switzerland... I have to say that Americans seem to think we all go around mostly naked when that´s not really the case at all. I have never seen naked people just wandering in the streets in Germany for instance. But yeah most people dont really care if you see them naked either and you go naked in saunas with complete strangers. Although in Southern European countries showing your vulva/penis would be considered indecent exposure in most places and they dont really do saunas while completely naked in my experience. Being topless tough is quite acceptable everywhere albeit not that common from what I´ve seen.
In Southern Europe saunas aren't needed since there's natural Summer. They exist in some gyms but there isn't a sauna culture. However, nobody will care if you show your boobs or your butt on the beach, for example, and there are also nude places (beaches, campings, villages, ...) where you can walk fully naked.
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Much less in Latin culture countries. In France it is illegal to be naked in public and people are generally more reluctant to show their body around.
Well if I appeared naked anywhere- the hysterical laughter would be thunderous!
Americans will gladly show you breasts to sell a car or a burger but you can get in trouble with the law for showing a woman breastfeeding on the cover of a family magasine that has a breastfeeding special that month (actually happened a while back, the magasine had to publish a letter saying how sorry they were to have shown something so sexual...). They are the biggest producers of pornography on the planet and yet have some of the worst laws about sexuality and pedophilia and think sexual education is bad... How f****d up or hypocrite do you have to be
A broad generalisation. This sounds like German people are naked all the time, everywhere. But yes, nakedness in America seems to be a very big deal. If you compare American films to European films - American films have no problem with violence, but a very limited acceptance of naked skin. Generally speaking, in European films, it's the other way around.
Also breastfeeding in public; you can do it anywhere and no-one pays any attention. I did this when I lived in the Netherlands; breastfed on demand at stations, airports, trains, planes, benches, IKEA, restaurants. I never covered up either, always felt too hot. It was SO liberating.
If you do that in Sweden and someone complains about you doing it, it will turn in to quite a spectacle. Usually cause people look down on those complaining not the other way around.
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That statement is just not correct this way.. sorry. Lol, people will think germans walk around naked whereever they like .. rofl
This goes only for designated areas (FKK), please don't come here and walk around with your d**k hanging out, you will get arrested.
I once was in a German sauna, naked, and an American mother with two children came in - all in bathing suits. It ended up making ME very uncomfortable, because they gave me the feeling that I was inappropriate.
Ok, this one genuinely surprised me, but it does actually make a lot of sense. Some things are only considered bad because we treat them as such.
Well clearly I live in the wrong place. I find nothing perverted, embarrassing, shameful nor sexual about just plain nudity.
If you’re going to say this, consider why there’s a general law about indecency. The law focuses on genitals and it started (supposedly) with exposure to children. Genitals being exposed to children. Simply inappropriate.
It is a far healthier attitude if you grow up with it. A problem if you live where it is not. A bit like sex education. The countries that accept it as healthy have far less of the problems that grow out of ignorance. Kids don't get into trouble by trying to learn on their own about the mysteries their parents seem to know too little about.
In North America, being caught urinating outside, even if hidden, can get you put on the sex offender list.
Which is totally appropriate (until they reach a certain age)
Load More Replies... Well, it is designated nudes' areas to be clear, but if you take a leak somewhere in nature, you won't be charged for indecent exposure or something. A roadside piss, every european has taken ... on a sunday morning, you can even walk across an Autobahn to pee on the mid strip. I did that on the A7, Summer 2001, a dutch guy honked and waved and laughed at me.
In America if someone can see your penis while pissing you go to jail and get labeled as someone who committed indecent exposure.
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I was visiting a public beach in Germany with my daughter and she was at one point playing in the sand naked (she was 3years old). A life guard approached me and asked me to put a slip or something on her- because they had complaints about some man watching the children. Of course I did- and was pissed about this. Because of some creep my child had to wear a bathing suit. So, I can confirm the comments- it's not normal to walk around naked in Germany
What wasn't normal was the creep. Three year olds should be able to be naked on beaches. Unfortunately creeps exist too.
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I remember a note in Time magazine, at the time of a football World Cup (the real football, not the rugby for armored pussies; and a real world cup, not only USA & Canada), informing US readers not to be shocked to see nude people in some parks in München...
Although, to be fair, you sometimes do have a few Neanderthals among them, staring at women (or some men). That#s why only truly embraced FKK once I was old, fat and flabby.
Oh no I read that as "to be fair, you sometimes do have a few people from the Netherlands among them..."
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Government bureaucracies should have no say in what people wear. If you're a danger to yourself by not wearing shoes in Sub-Zero weather, then perhaps you need to be referred for protective care. Other than that, let's get over ourselves. We're all naked underneath those silly clothes we buy and wear.
WHAT??? I live in California, and you are not allowed to enter anywhere public without a shirt, male or female. If you are nude, or even wearing clothes too revealing, you are usually fined, or told to leave. Security hunts you down. I can’t believe this is normal in other places!!
I dont believe the statement. I've never seen or heard of that I. Germany although I never went to spas.
Not here. It's not allowed to go naked if you are older then a small toddler. And even then only in your garden or pool. Bare chested for men in a very hot day might be scorned
Maybe not so popular outside as people think,but indoors I have seen thousands of naked people in front of their clothes lockers changing,in the shower everyone is naked clearly...and if you took your top off at the pool, no one would really mind. It has however become a problem since the influx of muslims from the middle east and Asia has been going on sadly...
Also, it's not healthy to sit on shared spaces with no barrier to bodily fluids.
You use a sheet of paper/plastic cover thing under your butt at public saunas here in Finland. A linen towel at private ones usually. And you shover before sauna. Other than sauna I don't remember seeing naked people outside other than swimming at secluded areas maybe. At a student party thing one guy took off his clothes at park and ran around but it was frowned upon. I wouldn't want people sitting around the house with their bare butts either. At public people might have sat on the ground or kids kept their shoes on the bus seats or whatever so I usually just take the jeans off when I come home. And the shoes of course :)
Load More Replies... Americans are puritanical idiots about the body and sex. That's why we hippies tried to break the taboos and make sex more acceptable in the 1960s.
Europe is a little more free with their nudity but usually for children below the age of 6, it isn't sexual in any way
It may be sharing way TOO much here but here goes... I think it would be weird/inappropriate/very awkward to go nekkid ANYWHERE public! I'll keep my privates private from the creepy creepers and voyeurs of the world! My pet peeve in terms of what constitutes nekkid is a bit paradoxical though. Here in the US, nipples showing on women are a no no, no matter the size of mammary behind said nippie. As a woman who has been in the skeeter bite AND ahem, enhanced boobage sides of this coin, I have a big problem with man nipples being ok in places where a girly nip cannot!!! My skeeter bite boobies were the same size or even smaller than a guy's peck muscles. My nipples were/are prettier and so NOT hairy compared to a topless guy!!!! I've seen plenty of moobies and their respective hairy nips that rival the size of my store bought melons.🤢 In this woke new world where we have to make things fair for all, WHY CAN'T MY BOOBS BE WELCOME WHERE MOOBS ARE!? If I wanted to... OR SINCE GENDER CAN
BE WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE ANYMORE (you do you, I'm gonna do me), WHY AREN'T ALL NIPPLES REQUIRED TO HIDE THEMSELVES LEST THE BEHOLDER BE UNSURE OF THE FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF THE TEAT IN QUESTION!?!?🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 If ability to lactate is the only line drawn between who's allowed to bare or not, I see a legal shitstorm for someone with the time and money to fight for equal rights for ALL nipples. Can I show off mine if I identify as male?? If I wanted to do that, but I don't... And what about those who have been disfigured chestically from breast cancer? Guys can suffer that as well and end up boobless and therefore nipless... Can the nipless enjoy the same bare up there priveleges? 🤔 I would much rather see man nips covered as a blanket rule unless you look like Jason Mamoa in Aquaman! Then PLEASE bless us with your godlike nubins so that we may imagine going "tune in Tokyo" on them!😍But if it's good for the gander, the genderless and the 'it' geese, it should be ok for the lady geese!
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My father had a German exchange student when he lived with his parents. Our family became friends with him and he comes to visit a couple times each year with his family. He has a daughter, she was about 3 or 4 at the time. We went to a lake and she just started stripping down, fully naked. Nobody thought it was super weird because she was a toddler, but they still explained that where they live it is not weird to be naked when you are swimming. I see a lot of comment about how this is not normal, so I don't know if this is across all of Germany but this is where they lived. They lived in Ravensburger, is this normal?
How can a naked body not be normal? What's "normal", anyway. I grew up on a nudist beach. It was a big thing in 70s and 80s. It depends on what suits the individual. In general I'd say, babies and toddlers are totally innocent and should be allowed to be exactly that. Let them run around naked, be it in Ravensburg or Hamburg. As you grow older, you may want to cover up.
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So, according to the comments, this statement is NOT true. Hmmm . . .
Wouldn’t work here in Australia because you would be sunburnt in a trice. Think of all the melanomas and skin cancers!
We were on a rivercruise in Europe and while travelling through Germany, went past a riverbank beach, which had quite a few nudists enjoying the sunshine. Happily waved to the passengers and naturally, we waved back.
Yeah...Saunas....I remember when I joined a German gym off post and went in the sauna for the first time. A bit of culture shock I must admit. I got used to it fast since everyone was comfortable, but that first couple of minutes was a bit "what am I doing" ish.
You want to do that in the US, you need to go to designated nudist areas, can't just do it anywhere.
Understood, very progressive and natural. But Germany also thought it was natural to try to take over the world...twice. So they might be crazy.
America thinks nudity is bad and sexual cuz they have an underground sex cult and everyone is embarrassed of being a part of it low-key so they take it out on our 'rights' to be human😂
I just told my wife that apparently it is normal in Europe to be naked and we should comply. Tried helping her take her clothes off. My head now hurts!
You can always look the other way, no one goes walking around fully nude.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 🙄
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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.
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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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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
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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)
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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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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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