30 Non-Americans Who Tweeted Their Confusion About America
It’s no secret—the rest of the world looks at how peculiar American culture can be and wonders if it’s even real.
‘Cause let’s face it—even if it looks fine for us, that doesn’t mean that having police patrol your school, paying for a ride to the hospital, and calling the toilet “restroom” when we all know very well there ain't nobody going there to have a rest shouldn’t raise a brow for others.
So this time, we are looking at what American things make our fellow non-American friends scratch their heads in simple, yet very spot-on questions below. Our dear American Pandas are also welcome to help separate what’s real, what’s rumors, and what only happens in movies in the comments! And after you're done with this post, check out our previous one with things Americans do that require an explanation for non-Americans.
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But taking off shoes and socks when you come in is nearly as good as taking off your bra.
This honestly genuinely blows my mind...Dont you have to then clean the dirt up????
I never wear shoes in my house. I live on a farm. My shoes are barely allowed to come inside at all. It always leaves me feeling super awkward when I go to someone else's house though. Because I never know what to do. I'm hardwired to take off my shoes, but then am I going to just walk around someone's house in my socks, or worse, bare feet? It's a conundrum.
Where is your farm? My dad was from Nebraska and he always said farmers ( 30's&40's) keep their shoes on until bed. I just grew up with that in my head :) of course I guess that's compared to going barefoot outside :)
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Gah, yes! Some do! Some don't. It's either regional or personal, but I was raised to NEVER wear shoes indoors. Rude, dirty, ick, forget it. My spouse, however, sees no issue with it.
not that again, lol. l know a lot of people in Holland and Belgium who keep their shoes on, only take them off when they are dirty or wet.
We take our shoes off. I don't want outside germs getting inside.
I wear shoes all day. Kind of have to though since my right leg is an inch shorter than the left one so I need a heel lift all time to stop my spine getting messed up.
yes - but i personally dont just cuz my feet feel kinda sweaty and gross after a while. but people like my father keep them on all day just because he has back/hip problems and can't tie his shoes by himself, therefore he doesn't take them off until night
I almost never walk barefoot in my house. I don't have carpet, and when I did, that's what door mats are for.
Ummm.....yes, we do. We don't consider our homes any different than office buildings. Besides, I have a mat just outside the door for removing debris from the bottom of shoes. Don't you?
I've always been a country girl , and rarely wear shoes . We've also always owned dogs .. they don't wear shoes . It's really annoying , but we just clean the floor every day . Feet aren't allowed on the furniture , and we bathe before bed so ...
How many of these people who never wear shoes in the house own cats? Cats have a nasty habit of tracking fecal bacteria all over the floor and just about every other surface they walk on.
Yes and especially when there's a bad storm. My wife was 7 when an F4 tornado hit their home in Channelview, TX on Thanksgiving. You can Google it. The house and the whole street looked like tooth picks. Her mother grabbed her and ran to the tub to take shelter. Neither one of them had shoes on after it hit and had to walk over the debris to the street. So yeah, some of us always wear shoes even inside. And if there's a bad storm at 2am, we sleep in them too.
In Spain people also wear their shoes inside the house. I got used to taking them off when I lived in Hong Kong, and now I think walking inside with shoes is the most unhygienic thing on Earth. I can't understand why so many people still do it.
Because people enjoy fungal infections and stinky feet.
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Oh.... Bone Daddy is just a little tiny troll. For a second there I was like I was thrown off by his comment to my post, but then I saw his other comments to other people.
Yes and so did we Australians, until recently when it became offensive and impolite to do so. Never in my childhood, teens and 20’s was I asked to remove my shoes when visiting any hoise in Australia. Now it’s a different story. Personally I’d rather people wear shoes after wiping them on the door mat than have their smelly feet exposed and stepping on my clean floors.
My husband and try not to wear shoes in the house. We have house slippers that we wear instead.
Non americans at least wear slippers, not the same shoes as outside.
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I sure as hell don't. 🇺🇸
I know a LOT of people in America who only take their shoes off if the shoes are really dirty or muddy. When I returned to America from my first year in Japan, we asked people to take off shoes in our house, particularly because we had a toddler who'd be crawling around on the floor. My older brother ignored the sign and our verbal request saying "I don't take my shoes off for anybody."
Most of my family takes their shoes off at the door. In the Winter there will be a towel on the floor so your shoes/boots don't get the area wet with the melting snow.
Yeah, I live in Texas and my family wears shoes inside. We don't have a place to put our shoes by the door because we have a narrow doorway. My shoes stay in my bedroom. I put them on as soon as I get up and dressed to work out. We also have tile floor. if I'm not wearing shoes I have on socks
I'm American. I take them off in my bedroom. But I get those suckers off as quickly as possible. I do wear sandals tho. Got feet issues. Have to.
Denmark here. Nobody comes inside wearing shoes in our houses! Even at partys We ask first....
Shoes off is for lounging, shoes on means you're getting something accomplished. It also means you own indoor animals.
I'll leave them on for moving days, and sometimes groceries. It's really an argument between maintenance and efficiency, but most Americans I know take off their shoes when they enter the house, except for occasions where the efficiency outweighs the clean up. Socks and slippers fall into the comfort category though, so pretty much anything goes.
Only if it’s a nice occasion with guests over or in someone else’s house.
Depends where you live. In southern Lousiana, you take your shoes off as fast as you can most of the year.
It depends on the where you are. I've lived in various parts of the country, and I noticed when I lived in Washington state, it was customary to take your shoes off upon coming into a person's house. I didn't notice it anywhere else I've lived (California, Colorado, New Jersey and Ohio).
some houses make you take off your shoes at the front door, like my neighbor and a few of my friends
As you may know, Japanese people like me take off their shoes when entering the house. I wonder whether those people who wear the same shoes as they do outside ever think they could be spreading the virus inside the household.
Uhhm yeah. :/ Idk the floor doesn't get that dirty. In my house we take our shoes off if we were out in rain or mud or something, but if we just went to the store or something we don't think about taking shoes off til whenever we don't feel like wearing shoes anymore. Which is admittedly, usually a few minutes after getting home.
I don't know where this comes from because I see it a lot. I guess they must see it on TV. I don't wear shoes in the house and neither do most of the people that I know. The only person that I know that purposefully wears shoes in home was born and raised in the UK.
Southern USA here. I only know one family who removes their shoes inside the house. They're good friends of mine and I forget this every time. They're so gracious about it that I'm usually there for about an hour before I notice that I'm the only one wearing shoes. Also, they're from Haiti.
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I have always walked into the house with shoes / and usually wear them into i go to sleep. now if am laying/or sitting on my bed I take them off...few years ago when I saw this was a weird thing to do, I was like really ??? I thought everyone in the world did that..but what they said made perfect sense..you are tramping in dirt everywhere
Taiwan carries on the ancient Chinese tradition of taking off your shoes when you enter a house. When I tell people Americans wear shoes indoors, they are revolted: how unsanitary! No wonder American feet reek!
I'm American and I think it's gross. I've thought about how many times I may have stood in dry pee in front of a urinal and then drag it into my house with my shoes.
What?! Someone already wrote that?! That person must of read my mind and stole my idea because I thought of it long before bored panda.
Load More Replies... Everyone was asked to remove their shoes in my parents house, they had a basket of slippers but, it was so their hardwood floors didn't get scratched. I only wear shoes or sandals outside. I hate shoes, they make me too hot and are dirty. US
unfortunately they do and it's very weird, i haven't heard of any other places that do that. they put their shoes on the couches and beds too, and they make a mess everywhere. it must be disgusting, i don't know why they do it, dont they track dirt everywhere and get it on the couches you put your feet on?
i do not but some people i know do that is what a door mat is for
My husband does all of the time. I never do. He's worried about stepping on scorpions.
That's why you generally do sit down on the carpet. Or you wash your hardwood floors regularly.
I never walk in my house without shoes! And I don't know a single person who takes their shoes off here in Australia. They must exist I just don't know any. That's what vacuums and mops and mats to wipe your feet on are for.
Yes. Americans are so nasty. I make everyone remove their shoes and if they protest they dont come in or get invited back.
I'm English and my boyfriend wears his shoes in the house because he "doesn't like wearing sock around the house." It's infuriating, especially because he complains about how the place always needs vacuuming. Yeah, no shit.
At my house we personally don't but I know some people who do, such as my grandpa but it's for medical reasons
We have them. They are usually part of the cheerleader squad or dance squad. It is a sports thing. We take sports very seriously.
Even though Americans and Europeans share many things, like commitment to democratic principles, a strategic alliance, and some of the highest standards in the world, there are still some very notable differences between them.
A 2016 study done by Pew Research Center was very revealing in that respect. First of all, it showed that Americans are more likely to believe they control their own destiny.
The research showed that a staggering 57% of Americans disagreed with the statement “Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside our control.” The percentage was higher than in any other European nations polled.
The second interesting thing the Pew poll showed is that “Americans prioritize individual liberty, while Europeans tend to value the role of the state to ensure no one in society is in need.”
When it comes to religion, it turned out that over half in the US (53%) say religion is extremely important in their life, which is nearly double the share with the same view in Poland.
In France, for example, only 14% consider religion a very important aspect of their lives.
How else would you call them? Students wouldn't use the teachers first name.
Some schools are more strict than others and require them. My schools didn't require them. We just excused ourselves and went to the restroom when needed.
No. They don't - at least the schools that I went to and my nieces and nephews don't (they are ages 4 - 17). In the past, students were made to recite the "pledge of allegiance" each morning, but I think this is something that has fallen by the wayside.
Some schools don't allow it, but at the schools I went to we were allowed to. It was fun! You can put magnets, quotes, pictures of loved ones.
What's so unusual with this? I'm Austrian and my children's friends never used my first name.
I think children all over the world have to feel "slightly suicidal" to do this.
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The weird part is that someone would give a rat's ass about Americans microwaving water or how they eat bacon. Apparently no one has the same questions about Russians, Chinese, or even Lithuanians. Give it a rest Panda.
I think it's becase more people around the globe see American movies or TV shows than they see movies made by Russians, Chinese, or Lithuanians.
Rule the world. Good joke.
You'd think if someone watches a person heat their water in the microwave, they'd go, hey that looks easier than what I'm doing, and try it.
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yeah, americans basically rule the world. that's why everybody knows about everything happening in america first before most other things. america is just a big influencer country so we see more american things that anything else
American movies and TV shows are widely seen around the world, which is why they wonder if certain things they see are real or not.
That's because the ability to act in ridiculous ways can be found everywhere, but nobody outside of the states see it as something to be proud of
BP is obsessed with America, Instagram vs real life, and Disney princesses.
And cats, but nobody get tired of those and for good reason.
And also with illustrations about modern society problems.
We have had most of these questions before as well. I know we might not see as much of other countries different cultures but all the more reason to share about questions and answers about them. Please Bored Panda do a different country to the US!
Lucas Good response!
U mad? Boiling water for tea in the microwave is fucking weird
Frankenfrog haha
The price of being famous. Or infamous.
I think Bored Panda is pretty western culture centric, nothing wrong with that, it's just the states is perhaps the biggest influence on western culture.
sorlag110 haha
Because the whole world sees Americans microwaving water on TV and in movies. If my culture aimed to entertain the whole world, I would at least make sure that the characters in my movies don't do absolutely ridiculous and unhealthy things like, for example, microwaving water. It serves no point whatsoever in the movie plot and looks silly.
Excuse me, what is unhealthy about microwaving water? It's heated. And setting a kettle to boil never does much for any plot I ever saw. I happen to have a kettle ready to put on the boil at any given moment, but there are many who heat water in the microwave for a quick cuppa.
I would venture to say not very many homes have a kettle to boil water unless they are tea drinkers. We are a coffee culture for the most part. I microwaved waved water yesterday for a rare cup of tea.
Deborah Chapman love
half of those things are also done in europe and south america.....
i thought so too, it's not just americans. it happens most places. like the pb & j, and prom
Do Americans actually have that violent bullying culture at schools, with football players and cheer leaders on the social top and geeks on the bottom? Or senior students bullying first-graders? Please, tell me it's all a movie thing!
It's not as openly expressed as in movies, but unfortunately yes. Bullying is a huge problem. Most schools "anti-bullying programs" are some posters and maybe a talk about how bullying is bad every month or so. I remember in seventh grade I was just the kid everyone hated for no reason. It got pretty bad and I was already dealing with some stuff that comes with growing up, but I know the bullying was a huge part of it. I know of lots of other kids who have had to deal with bullying too. It's really sad, but the whole social cliques and bullying thing is very real.
If you believe t.v. English boarding schools are even worse and it's taken for granted.
Never mind movies, there's enough in the news about that. But boarding schools everywhere tend to have the same problems.
It used to be that way, but luckily nowadays our social tiers are topped SJWs and LGBTQIA activists. Strangely enough, the switch from physical bullying to psychological bullying has not really reduced the number of suicides or school shootings. That said, when I was a youth long ago, bullies of all types were soon ganged up on by people who refused to take the abuse anymore, and quite often by brave individuals who stood up for themselves.
Jim Ellington good
It's a movie thing. Bullying exists somewhat but most groups leave each other alone. My kids just finished high school, and similar to when I was in school, you didn't really interact with popular kids unless you were in their group, and they didn't pay attention to non popular kids.
Are you implying that this is just an American thing? That's just nonsense, humans are the same everywhere and bullying is universal.
Tv is not reality
No, it's for real. Not in every school, of course, but it does happen.
Michael Capriola Jr. good
A senior bullying a first grader would be ridiculous. An 18-year old vs a 7-year old? No.
Movies exaggerate it quite a bit.
its not sorry to say
It's not!
Yes. It's common in all cultures. There will be cliques. THere will be Alphas. There will be victims. Is it as "bad" as the movies? Probably not *everywhere*, all the time, but... Yeah. It's real.