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For many people, one of the most fascinating things about traveling is getting acquainted with different cultures. Whether they evoke a culture shock or are surprisingly similar to what one is used to, it’s always interesting to see how people elsewhere live.
Those who’ve traveled rather far from home know that one rule often applies – the bigger the distance, the larger the differences. Take the US and Europe, for instance; roughly 5423 kilometers—or almost 3370 miles—apart, measuring the distance between New York and Lisbon, just as an example, the two places might feel like two different worlds, and not only because of the language or the currency used.
The cultural differences between the US and Europe were recently discussed by members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community, after one user asked them about things in the US that seem totally normal to Americans, but difficult for Europeans to wrap their heads around. Quite a few netizens shared their thoughts, so if you’re curious to see what things they pointed to, scroll down to find their answers on the list below.
Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Dr. Erika Doss, a historian of American art and culture, and Edith O'Donnell, Distinguished Chair in Art History at the University of Texas at Dallas.
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Culture shock can happen anywhere, even when visiting a neighboring country. But nowadays, people can be exposed to different cultures even without having to leave home.
Talking about cultural differences, Dr. Erika Doss, a historian of American art and culture, noted that cultural diversity is much more interesting, even inspiring, than cultural monotony. “Think of food diversity,” she suggested, adding that she’s sharing her thoughts from an American’s perspective. “Few people eat the same thing every day and Americans love how their palate has dramatically enlarged in recent years—Pad Thai! Tacos! Falafel! Kimchi!
“Still, many Americans fear difference when it is represented by religion, race, and politics that they don’t share and don’t understand. Global eating is ok but global sovereignty is rejected,” the expert noted.
#4
To me, the fact that the tax isnt included in the price in a gorcery store. The price i see shall be the price i pay. I ain't doing extra math.
#5
Holding bake sales to pay for your kid’s chemotherapy. This is unheard of in all civilized countries.
According to Dr. Doss, there are many factors that shape each and every culture. “Contemporary American culture, or the culture of the United States, is shaped by class, money, race, region, and mythology – as in, which American myths people believe in, such as the founding of the nation (why, by whom, and for whom), who won the Civil War (and who lost, and why it was fought), the conquest of the American West, the idea that hard work leads to success, and so on.”
The expert added that the way American culture is nowadays was also significantly influenced by media, especially social media.
#6
"I know I should have this concerning medical issue examined by a doctor, but I can't afford it, so I won't.".
#8
The contradiction between:
* Thinking The US is the best country ever, and that everybody wants to move there.
* Associating themselves so strongly with countries they've never been to because they have ancestors from there.
Many people see exposure to different cultures as a positive. And for a reason! Immersing yourself into an environment or a culture yet unexplored can lead to discovering new tastes, smells, views, sounds, and much more.
“Think music,” Dr. Doss suggested, talking about how acquainting oneself with different cultures can benefit a person. “Global influences have infinitely enriched the American sound.”
#9
Free and accessible toilets everywhere, diaper changing stations in men’s rooms, ADA…some things America does very well.
#11
How few vacation days the average worker has/uses. In most of Europe the minimum is 25 days.
The expert added that Americans—as well as people from other countries—could really benefit from global travel. Some studies suggest that living in and adapting to a new country is linked with improved creativity. In addition to that, it can be linked to a happy and full tummy, as for many people, one of the best things about traveling and getting acquainted with different cultures is food.
Some sources suggest that in 2023, the global culinary tourism market size was estimated at $11.5 billion dollars, thanks to consumers spending on travel and tourism and thanks to their desire to try locally sourced products and explore new cultures through food.
#16
They will let you die to protect medical industry profits. In Europe ambulances, hospitals, and doctors, are a public service. When I needed to see a doctor in England I just walked in and asked to see one. They got me in, even though I was 240 miles from home, and I left with a prescription and a letter for my doctor to update his records. No bill. The very idea of a medical bill for seeing a doctor is foreign. I used to think it was a mistake in American TV and movies.
#17
As a Brit married to an American and working in the US here are my findings about things that are different. I love the US dearly so please don’t think I’m being mean.
- in general Americans don’t know anything like as much about our countries as we know about theirs. We know what a 401k is. What Medicare is. What an Ivy League school is. Probably can name most of the states. Then you’ll talk to an American and they’ll not know Wales exists.
- job security. To lose my job 5 years in would be quite a process, would mean I would need to be made redundant and given a severance package or given multiple written and verbal notices that I wasn’t doing what I’m supposed to before I was let go. If I want to leave I need to give several months notice. I’m the us you can get fired for fun, and even in senior roles only need to give a couple of weeks.
- it is one country, but the differences between New York, Alabama, Montana, and Miami are in my opinion more that uk to Denmark, Germany, France. It’s a MASSIVE country, phiysically and culturally.
- In the UK having the English or British flag on your house basically means you’re a racist. Or very into the royal family. Or both.
- Not having a car in some states means you basically can’t go anywhere. I live in one of the world’s biggest cities and I don’t have a car, but in LA I was screwed.
- Commercials for d***s are insane, talking about “moderate to severe ulcerative colitis” in the same way as a new car blows my mind
- Politics is a lot more front and centre in the US. Politicians in the UK are seen as faintly ridiculous
- the hustle culture of the US is admirable but difficult to wrap my head round. When we are not at work or on holiday, we are gone. In the US my colleagues are always always on call, and even if on vacation will get on calls or answer emails. Most of my US colleagues just don’t take holiday. I get in trouble if I DON’T take all my minimum 28 days.
- The 2nd amendment is something brits will never understand. I get the irony of that statement given what it was put there for in the first place.
- Americans think nothing of a 3 or 4 hour drive even making the return journey the same day. This would not be attempted in the uk without a couple of days in between. An hour commute is brutal for a Brit
- I don’t have scientific data. But Americans ALWAYS seem to be carrying a drink. Always.
- Tumble driers and washing machines are vastly superior in the US
- As are sandwiches. Bread is better in the UK though
- Americans have this idea that service is really good there, which is absolutely not my experience. Yes of course I tip, and tip well, I just think overall the service I get tends to be speed over everything
- I am jealous of the “welcome home ma’am” my wife gets at immigration. We do not get that in the uk.
- most brits aren’t scared of the police in the slightest, and they are generally trusted. Obvs ymmv here but there’s less of a ACAB mentality
- Generalising, but the casual confidence Americans have is very unusual to us. The idea of just striking up a conversation with a stranger in the uk is a terrifying one.
#18
The absence of sidewalks. And the absence of a walkable city center that is not just one mall.
#19
Churches. Every little town in the South seems have as many churches as houses. And people like to show and tell how super religious they are. Also, the US version of Christianity is weird - so much End Times and Old Testament horror.
#20
The absolute emptiness of wilderness areas. We were on a week hike and ran into a Frenchman hiking the other way who had been living on a packet of soy beans for the three days since he began his hike. Based on his European hiking experiences, he had planned to buy food when passing through villages or by farms throughout each day. He was like, "Where are the farmers? Where are the sheep? Where are the villages?"
We let him know that in the US, when the trails ran though wilderness, national parks, national forests, or even state parks that there was nothing there. He could go days without happening across civilization. We fed him a good meal and gave him enough supplies to get him the few days to the next place to get supplies, so it turned out okay for him. He simply couldn't comprehend the vast emptiness of it all.
#24
Adverts for d***s and lawyers.
TV advert 1:
Heres a d**g you should take
TV advert 2:
Were you wrongfully prescribed D**g X? Sue them.
#28
My partner lived in London. Whenever he'd visit, the garbage disposal would freak him out lol. He'd flip the switch to see what it would do and then jump back when it turned on.
Also he was horrified that I didn't own a kettle.
#29
I think one of the things I see on reddit is how most non-Americans and even some don't realize how absolutely tiered our healthcare system truly is. There is no safety net for basic healthcare, but also some really amazing out of this world care/coverage in some cases. It's 100% dependent upon where you work which is very different from other countries.
My first child, my wife and I paid $0 for the entire duration of her pregnancy and labor. Her healthcare at the time covered pregnancy to its fullest. Her monthly premiums were maybe 100ish at the time.
My second child, she changed jobs and jumped onto my insurance. We were paying $120 a month in premiums for the whole family and the pregnancy + labor cost us probably 500-600 dollars tops.
Currently at yet a different job, we are paying closer to $700 dollars a month for the whole family. Recently one of my children had a really bad infection that required us going into the ER, getting rushed to the local children's hospital and staying there for a week and a half with some intense medication and a small procedure. It ended up costing us 1.2k for the whole thing.
I have friends who pay 1.2 - 1.3k a month for their premiums and their plan covers just about nothing. And if they have a serious health incident like the one my daughter went through, they would be 10's of thousands in debt overnight.
It's absolutely a tiered system in the US when it comes to basic healthcare. And because it is tied to your employment, it's one of the reasons some people might not leave jobs for a long time. Coverage is different from business to business.
#30
My husband (German) gets shocked every time we go to the US when we drive through a suburb and very few houses have fences or bushes around their homes. He always comments on the lack, saying, “Everything’s so open. I don’t understand why no one has hedges.” 🤷♀️.
#31
The US is big. Texas is the size of France. North Carolina is bigger than England. It's 1900 miles from Paris to Moscow; if you start at NYC, 1900 will get you just past Denver.
#32
You can have your employment terminated at any time, for almost any (or no) reason, without notice, without compensation, and full loss of healthcare.
It's called "at-will employment".
There are precious few protections or exceptions to this, and many times, those "laws" are blatantly ignored even if they are violated. "If you don't like it, sue me." And then begins a 3 to 10 year ordeal that may not yield any results.
#33
Man, I’ll never forget the first time I saw an American ad for… I think it was an anti depressant… I heard the end of the ad “may cause compulsive gambling…”
w h a t.
#35
As a European: the amount of time spent in cars that you are ok with. For some people it's literally more than three hours per day. Can't fathom how that's OK for some people. No hate, I just don't get it.
#36
1. AC in homes
2. Flying for 6 hours and never leaving the “mainland” part of the country
3. Going on 10+ hour roadtrips
4. Our national parks being truly wild and k*lling people who don’t respect them.
#37
As a European: what the hell a "sophomore" is, and why you expect us to know. Just use people's ages please.
#38
Wild animals that can k*ll you.
In Europe, predators capable of doing a person harm have for the most part been wiped out. But taking a walk through wilderness or just rural areas in the US could lead to a confrontation with a rattlesnake, gator, bear, mountain lion, or a pack of wolves.
Aussies handle it just fine though.
#43
The concept of unlimited refills on drinks at restaurants. Europeans probably think we're all constantly hydrating at the expense of our bladders.
#44
Grocery purchasing is so different. I told my German friend that I have probably 3-4 weeks of food on hand all the time (he asked because of a storm). He thought that was nuts and asked where I stored it. I then described a pantry and a deep freezer and he was dumbfounded. But these things are super common in the U.S. outside of cities like NY. .
#45
Grown men wearing baseball caps everywhere. You can be in a nice restaurant and some guy will be wearing a backwards cap at the table.
#48
The insanity that police officers in the US can "arrest" your money. If you travel with cash or valuables the police can confiscate it under pretense the money is intended to be used illegally. Strait up theft.
#49
When I lived in the US in the 80s & 90s (I’m from Germany) I was a flight attendant and to me it was funny at first that you’ll fly 6 hours across one country and many time zones and don’t have to exchange currency and the language remains the same.
That was way before the Euro and when you went a few hours by car and were in another European country with a different currency and language and border where you had to show your ID.
#50
That we don’t care about soccer.
Every other country in the world goes crazy over the World Cup… Most Americans couldn’t tell you what country it’s being held in - even if it was in America.
Nobody gives a s**t.
#51
- Medical bills bankruptcy.
- US dentists are nice/kind.
- Having to “do/pay” taxes— vs just having everything taken out.
- No/few paid vacation days
- clothes dryers
- How large the US is, how big everything is (homes, washing machines, cars, portions, etc).
#55
So many good answers and contradictions. To me the US is crazy.
But I really like your bar culture. Once you’re finally old enough to go in - people go to bars to chat to random people and not just to try and sleeze and pick up. It was refreshing - had so many great chats!
#56
The fact that we have crazy bad natural disasters yearly. I don't think Europeans understand how deadly some of our natural disasters are, how frequent they are, and how much that shapes our culture. .
#57
Of those that haven’t been mentioned:
Buying food, home goods, furniture, toiletries, lawn care/gardening supplies, sporting goods, craft items, and electronics all under one roof with one check out line.
Unless you want booze, in which case it varies wildly based on location!
Water line in toilets.
Yellow school buses really are that common.
No one cares what you’re wearing. .
#58
As an Australian I thought the toilet was going to overflow when I flushed it and Power outlets had no on switch and light switches were off for on and on for off
Also how many accents I heard.
What do you think ?
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