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After Noticing These 30 Things Americans Do In Movies, People Are Wondering Whether They Do Them In Real Life
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Americans have long been exporting their pop culture to the world. With TV shows and movies being among the most consumed global American exports, it's no surprise that US actors and directors are recognized all around the globe. However, for all of us non-Americans out there, sometimes the silver screens get us all dazed and confused. Do American people really drink from those red plastic cups at parties? Do they really wear shoes inside their houses? Is homecoming really such a big thing as movies make it out to be?
But we're gonna need a true expert's opinion on the matter—our Bored Panda readers living in the US! So scroll down below to read all the questions that people had about the things they saw on TV and feel free to share your answers!
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Living in a college town I can attest that yes they do. It's all anyone talks about, and the traffic jams are awful. High school football here is just as bad.
I have seen this before, also hard boiled eggs being used, and high tech baby dolls that cry.
I always wondered this as well, I tried it once and its hard to do for me for some reason.
Yes. Here in this college town Homecoming is a major event. Vast crowds, insane traffic, blaring music.
maybe? I live in a place where seeing a taxi is pretty rare, so I wouldn't know.
Note: this post originally had 40 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Did Americans have self-drive cars five decades before the rest of the world? Because in films a driver never seems to look anywhere near the road.
They are filmed in the vehicle while the vehicle is being towed by another vehicle. It allows them to act out the script while being safe from accidents.
you want to know what irks me..?? watching TV/movies and when they get in a car NO-ONE puts on a seat belt..WHY..??
Well, have you never seen Kitt Knight Rider? ♡
Don't hassel the Hoff! :-)
And now I have that theme song in my head....
pretty sure that's dubai or saudi arabia
XD
Dear Panda, you know what would be a refreshing change? Ask why other countries do things that are considered odd, weird, or " hilarious ". I don't know, maybe start with Norway.
I think these lists are predominantly US based because US media is consumed globally. We in Australia don't see much from Norway for eg, so the tropes aren't as ingrained.
I think so too, so the best solution would be to just make a mixed global (or regional) article with questions about stereotypes and so we can all answer with our knowledge and experience, thus learning from one another.
Yeah, but we're all tied of hearing so much about America, aren't we? I remember even as a kid Americanised was an issue. Now it's worse than ever, the behaviours and attitudes we've inherited (or contracted), but kids seem not to realise that they hardly live in Australia anymore. We've experienced a kind of silent takeover. Now we're maybe more spoiled and entitled than they are, maybe partly because we don't shre their burdens.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Or some other arrogant Scandinavian country where they act like everything is perfect but they drink, smoke & suicide themselves more than anyone else.
I'm not Norwegian but I had to check: Norway is 74 on the list of countries with most suicides. USA is 34.
Or are not so arrogant and say "kill themselves" or "commit suicide" to use English correctly.
Perhaps we are more successful and happier and have low suicide rates. Always have. That's an old american myth, created in the era of cold war. Fear of communists (we never were).
Yeah, they drink so much alcohol in Sweden that they make it extra expensive so the state can buy a high place in the happiness index from all the moneyyy.
Why do foreigners expect to find uniformity of thought or behavior in a country full of individuals and people from other places?
Exactly. And, please, people, note how this question doesn't apply exclusively to the USA, this is also a problem directed towards other regions and countries too.
What? Countries and regions work differently most of the time. Some things are common in some places and some are not. So what's the problem in asking if something from movies is a real or common thing? When I see how German people are presented in US movies you people should ask us more lol.
Hahaha, and vice versa (so many questions start with "why do europeans..." "why do asians..." "why do westeners..." etc. etc. We all have our little prejudices and asking questions is a sure-fire way to get rid of them, if you get your answers from the source.
Because it's true. The vast majority of these had answers that confirmed the questions.
Would these be the same ‘foreigners’ who think Americans are weird, odd, crazy, brainwashed, what-have-you for having our schoolchildren say the Pledge of Allegiance every day? I have to admit, the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it’s weird and I’m an American in my 40s.
Idk, I am not from USA, not even near, but all of these things seems pretty normal to me...
@daniel lewis always has a rude comment to share.
Just another troll.
I couldn't help but notice, yes.
Troll. How to get rid of trolls: just downvote, don't answer. they feed with our indignation. They starve with our indiference.
He was especially bitter today.
He's getting stir crazy being stuck in his house.
Yeah, idk if he thinks it’s funny or what but he really needs to stop
I replied to a bunch of these 'cause I'm trying to provide legit answers. Others did so as well. Good luck ya'll. (Full disclosure, I recycled the 'Boston Harbor' joke.)
Movies and TV =/= real life, no matter what country or region you're talking about.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Makes $140 to $180 consistently online work and I got $16894 in one month electronic acting from home..DFG.I am a step by step understudy and work essentially one to two or three hours in my additional time.Everybody will complete that obligation and monline akes extra cash by simply open this link……myhomebusiness2.tk
Ok judging by the pizza icon, I thought these questions were going to be about pizza. They were not, , but I came here to answer pizza questions g----mn it (LOL): YES --- we love pizza and eat a ton of it. God bless Italy. YES --- we fold our large triangular pizza slices down the middle before eating. This is to control the drip of any grease (or to siphon it right into our mouths). YES --- people do eat pizza with their hands, but can also use a knife & fork. To each their own! YES --- we eat pineapple on pizza, but those that do often don't admit it for fear of persecution. YES --- Chicago deep dish is a thing. But it's only good when it is FRESH. If you walk into a pizza place and order a slice, it'll taste bad because it's probably been sitting around and wasn't made especially for you. So if you're gunna deep dish, get a whole pie fresh and made custom. I recommend Lou Malnati's! They ship too :) Thank you for coming to my TedTalk lol
I don't care about persecution! I EAT PINEAPPLE ON PIZZA AND LOVE IT. Feels so good to get that out there! The only thing I found unusual was the pizza being called a pie. This is just a comment - not a criticism please note folks. Call it what you like - just enjoy it. Best pizza I ever had was, perhaps unsurprisingly, in Italy (Lake Garda!) Thank you for the Pizza TedTalk, Foock Auff.
Yay! Finally another pineapple pizza supporter!
I’m not a pineapple pizza person but respect for having this courage
Love pineapple on pizza, here in SA we call it Hawaiian pizza, although it started in Italy.
I love each and every one of you :)
I think it's great for us all to be curious about other country's culture and traditions. What bothers me is when some people start to judge each other for where they come from. Regardless of the seemingly strange things we may do, we were all born where we were born. We didn't put in requests before birth. So we should all celebrate the beauty of our differences and have respect for each other's home no matter where it may be. Because we all love and respect our homelands. And we all deserve respect.
* standing ovation ^ That was beautiful! @bluecustardangel; I appreciate you!
Do Americans really get to have cap and gown graduations right from primary school? Here in nz you only do cap and gown ceremony when graduating tertiary education
What grades are primary? We have kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school.
Primary is the same as elementary, from roughly 5yrs old to 10. Secondary school is high school, and sometimes that's inclusive of middle school years, or you can go to "intermediate" which is essentially middle school. Then tertiary is university, college etc, anything after high school
I don't mean to sound rude, but I thought that a lot of these things were incredibly stupid. I understand that certain things are not common the world over, but most people know that the way a particular place is portrayed on tv is not how it really is. Also, I don't understand how a lot of these things are so weird and mind blowing. I am certain that not everyone in French small towns breaks into song like in Beauty and the Beast. I am certain that not all Germans wear lederhosen everyday. I just wish that the world, especially in these times, could forget all of this stuff and just get along.
I think as American tv is a dominant force in a lot of places, it is essentially the only reference point for American culture for some places and ppl, especially in far off or isolated places like where I am (nz). Most of my pop culture knowledge comes from the Simpsons parodying events etc
The only one not getting along is you right now. These were honest questions that had honest answers. No conflict at all.
Actually, I am not trying to not get along. I just said that some of these questions don't make any sense to me. They may make sense to others, but they didn't to me.
In some countries where there is great education then maybe a lot of these are stupid but there are probably many things Americans believe about other countries that fall into the same category. Also - Lauren Caswell is so right. There is a lot of US TV and much of it depicts a life that is in some ways very different.
You could just Google those things you see on American tv and see from that if they are true.
This comment has been deleted.
My company had some of our coworkers from Denmark working in our office in Indiana not so long ago. One of our coworkers got married and invited the people from Denmark to join us at the reception. Well, they played the Hokey Pokey and the people from Denmark thought we were playing a joke on them. They had never heard or seen such a thing for children in their entire lives. They couldn't believe it.
I just watched a Hokey Pokey video clip and yes, wtf?
What is the Hokey Pokey? I'm familiar with the Hokey Cokey which is a dance (barely) but I don't know a game with a similar name.
‘You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out...’ we played as children.
Ohhh... never heard it called the hokey pokey or tokey before! Funny how things get altered (btw I'm not claiming either one as the original but I expect one version was to start with).
Hokey cokey, tokey and pokey, I've heard it called all three but it references the dance u and Michelle Geiger are talking about (you put ur left hand in, etc). As a side note, I dnt know about other places but in nz hokey pokey is an ice cream flavour (vanilla ice cream with little caramelized sugar bits)
I find the questions a bit stupid. I ha e one very intelligent one though. Do Americans always eat ice cream from the same 10 l. bucket? Because it's freaking disgusting.
Do you mean when you see a character on TV get out a fairly large carton of ice cream and spoon straight from it - typically a women who has been dumped? Sometimes shared with a female room-mate. I've seen that on a number of sitcoms (Friends - the women get a tub for Chandler). I just assumed that it was an exaggeration tbh. The characters in these programmes clearly don't eat that much ice cream!
We actually do share ice cream like that
What? No idea what you're talking about. Unless you mean the bucket they scoop individual scoops from in an ice cream shop which they do in other countries too.
So yeah, it's as bad as we thought.
I used to admire the US. Seventies, eighties. Growing up. Now, I'm just glad I don't live there. What's wrong with you?
Nowhere seems to be getting better these days though - don't you think? Mass consumerism and greed has many downsides.
This comment has been deleted.
Our electoral college.
Exactly. I wouldn't even go there on vacation now.
I'm confused. Is someone trying to persuade you to immigrate? Don't. We'll be fine without you.
Do Americans actually use that yellow pencil for everything? I see those pencils all the time in movies, like when police writing reports and stuff
The standard bulk pencil is yellow. Yes.
Standard HB pencils - the most common type and by the most common brand - in the UK are yellow and black.
Do Americans really go to strip clubs like in the movies ?
Yes nasty ones.
Yeah, but even we know it's a bit creepy. Funner than hell, but creepy.
American strip clubs are nasty with the dollar bills hanging off the girls. It's the biggest turn off ever.
Ok, I thought this was gonna be a fun read, but no. These questions are way too friggin stupid. Like "do Americans really have a salad with dinner".. or "do people really eat pb&j-sandwiches".. And what is meatloaf.. Like REALLY!? You never tried any of those? I saw like 3-4 questions here who were actually good.
Not everyone's had those things. Pb&j's and meatloaf are things that are less common outside of the US. It's like a Swedish person demanding to know why Americans haven't tried Knäckebröd.
Knackebrod....oooohhh...with butter, fish, cabbage....my oma served it....I miss it. It has to be imported here, because no one will make it here. -Dr M
Isn't meatloaf something that exists in various countries? Austrians have faschierter braten, Czechs have sekana, South Africans have bobotie, Brits have haslet.
@ Tor Rolf storm look dude people live in other places and they just wanna know what life is actually like b/c im pretty sure there just lookin fot some mothertruking answers
Have you ever actually left the US, lol? As a Brit who lives there now ALL of these were valid things that I have noticed. No need to be a dick just because you're culturally isolated :)
This thread (and some of the comments) makes me really happy to be a European.
Why is everything super-sized in the US? Food portions are insane and the cars are immense. Also: why do you guys turn the AC in public buildings and offices to Arctic settings?
2 different questions. Super Size is about McDonald's and they started that trend. The AC is on because men wear a wool suit and a jacket so they need to be cooled off. Women always end up feeling cold and have little heaters under the desk and a sweater hung on the back of their chair.
Do Americans really knock on doors instead of ringing the doorbell? Some houses in the movies are so big but no one uses the doorbell
Yes... and it's really really annoying!
Only if the doorbell isn't working.
Isn't assuming all people of a country are a certain way a form of racism? Or doesn't it count when talking about Americans?
Kind of tired of the "I can't believe Americans..." Any one of these could be answered"yes" or "no" I'm 62. Not a football fan. Never had a garbage disposal. Went to one high school homecoming, never at college. Never heard of chicken and waffles. Did grow up saying "Sir" and "Ma'am" and if films are to believed, that equates to students saying"Yes,Miss..." We tend to continue what we grew up saying and doing.
I think that it can safely be said that if it is in a movie, or on t.v., Americans do it. There are always exceptions, but it is like asking the British, do you always curtsey/bow when the Queen walks by, or do you just stand there?! Of course you curtsey/bow when she walks by! What people see actors doing on film and t.v., regardless of country, are every day things that are done. While some may do it, and others don't, it just depends on location, upbringing, and personal preference.
You all think it is weird that we have to pledge allegiance to our country every day since we were 4/5 years old? I thought it was weird. I still think it is weird. If I can't vote then what is the point of my allegiance? Plus, you know if Russia bought me a pony, 4 year old me would have broken that allegiance right quick.
What kind of questions are these?
The kinds of questions you ask if you've never been to America but have seen tropes of on tv your whole life?
Just seems like there should be deeper questions to ask.
This comment has been deleted.
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WHY DO THESE PEOPLE CARE WHAT WE DO OR DO NOT DO THAT IS OUR FUCKING BUSINESS R U ALL THAT FUCKING DUMB AND PATHETIC THAT U JUST FIND STUFF TO FUCKING STEREOTYPE ABOUT? IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER STOP TREATING US LIKE WE ARE ANIMALS IN A ZOO TO BE OBSERVED WE ARE HUMAN FUCKING BEINGS AND WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME!!!!! FUCK OFF!
Dang, it's just for fun.
Stop bombing third world countries to shits.
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Makes $140 to $180 consistently online work and I got $16894 in one month electronic acting from home..fCV.I am a step by step understudy and work essentially one to two or three hours in my additional time.Everybody will complete that obligation and monline akes extra cash by simply open this link……myhomebusiness2.tk
This guy has fewer downvotes than Daniel Lewis
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From the American perspective: where are your public restrooms? Ew.
Behind closed doors.
What does he mean? Is he asking if we have public loos in other countries? Not travelled much I take it.
You made me laugh, @LaughOrNot
Did Americans have self-drive cars five decades before the rest of the world? Because in films a driver never seems to look anywhere near the road.
They are filmed in the vehicle while the vehicle is being towed by another vehicle. It allows them to act out the script while being safe from accidents.
you want to know what irks me..?? watching TV/movies and when they get in a car NO-ONE puts on a seat belt..WHY..??
Well, have you never seen Kitt Knight Rider? ♡
Don't hassel the Hoff! :-)
And now I have that theme song in my head....
pretty sure that's dubai or saudi arabia
XD
Dear Panda, you know what would be a refreshing change? Ask why other countries do things that are considered odd, weird, or " hilarious ". I don't know, maybe start with Norway.
I think these lists are predominantly US based because US media is consumed globally. We in Australia don't see much from Norway for eg, so the tropes aren't as ingrained.
I think so too, so the best solution would be to just make a mixed global (or regional) article with questions about stereotypes and so we can all answer with our knowledge and experience, thus learning from one another.
Yeah, but we're all tied of hearing so much about America, aren't we? I remember even as a kid Americanised was an issue. Now it's worse than ever, the behaviours and attitudes we've inherited (or contracted), but kids seem not to realise that they hardly live in Australia anymore. We've experienced a kind of silent takeover. Now we're maybe more spoiled and entitled than they are, maybe partly because we don't shre their burdens.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Or some other arrogant Scandinavian country where they act like everything is perfect but they drink, smoke & suicide themselves more than anyone else.
I'm not Norwegian but I had to check: Norway is 74 on the list of countries with most suicides. USA is 34.
Or are not so arrogant and say "kill themselves" or "commit suicide" to use English correctly.
Perhaps we are more successful and happier and have low suicide rates. Always have. That's an old american myth, created in the era of cold war. Fear of communists (we never were).
Yeah, they drink so much alcohol in Sweden that they make it extra expensive so the state can buy a high place in the happiness index from all the moneyyy.
Why do foreigners expect to find uniformity of thought or behavior in a country full of individuals and people from other places?
Exactly. And, please, people, note how this question doesn't apply exclusively to the USA, this is also a problem directed towards other regions and countries too.
What? Countries and regions work differently most of the time. Some things are common in some places and some are not. So what's the problem in asking if something from movies is a real or common thing? When I see how German people are presented in US movies you people should ask us more lol.
Hahaha, and vice versa (so many questions start with "why do europeans..." "why do asians..." "why do westeners..." etc. etc. We all have our little prejudices and asking questions is a sure-fire way to get rid of them, if you get your answers from the source.
Because it's true. The vast majority of these had answers that confirmed the questions.
Would these be the same ‘foreigners’ who think Americans are weird, odd, crazy, brainwashed, what-have-you for having our schoolchildren say the Pledge of Allegiance every day? I have to admit, the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it’s weird and I’m an American in my 40s.
Idk, I am not from USA, not even near, but all of these things seems pretty normal to me...
@daniel lewis always has a rude comment to share.
Just another troll.
I couldn't help but notice, yes.
Troll. How to get rid of trolls: just downvote, don't answer. they feed with our indignation. They starve with our indiference.
He was especially bitter today.
He's getting stir crazy being stuck in his house.
Yeah, idk if he thinks it’s funny or what but he really needs to stop
I replied to a bunch of these 'cause I'm trying to provide legit answers. Others did so as well. Good luck ya'll. (Full disclosure, I recycled the 'Boston Harbor' joke.)
Movies and TV =/= real life, no matter what country or region you're talking about.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Makes $140 to $180 consistently online work and I got $16894 in one month electronic acting from home..DFG.I am a step by step understudy and work essentially one to two or three hours in my additional time.Everybody will complete that obligation and monline akes extra cash by simply open this link……myhomebusiness2.tk
Ok judging by the pizza icon, I thought these questions were going to be about pizza. They were not, , but I came here to answer pizza questions g----mn it (LOL): YES --- we love pizza and eat a ton of it. God bless Italy. YES --- we fold our large triangular pizza slices down the middle before eating. This is to control the drip of any grease (or to siphon it right into our mouths). YES --- people do eat pizza with their hands, but can also use a knife & fork. To each their own! YES --- we eat pineapple on pizza, but those that do often don't admit it for fear of persecution. YES --- Chicago deep dish is a thing. But it's only good when it is FRESH. If you walk into a pizza place and order a slice, it'll taste bad because it's probably been sitting around and wasn't made especially for you. So if you're gunna deep dish, get a whole pie fresh and made custom. I recommend Lou Malnati's! They ship too :) Thank you for coming to my TedTalk lol
I don't care about persecution! I EAT PINEAPPLE ON PIZZA AND LOVE IT. Feels so good to get that out there! The only thing I found unusual was the pizza being called a pie. This is just a comment - not a criticism please note folks. Call it what you like - just enjoy it. Best pizza I ever had was, perhaps unsurprisingly, in Italy (Lake Garda!) Thank you for the Pizza TedTalk, Foock Auff.
Yay! Finally another pineapple pizza supporter!
I’m not a pineapple pizza person but respect for having this courage
Love pineapple on pizza, here in SA we call it Hawaiian pizza, although it started in Italy.
I love each and every one of you :)
I think it's great for us all to be curious about other country's culture and traditions. What bothers me is when some people start to judge each other for where they come from. Regardless of the seemingly strange things we may do, we were all born where we were born. We didn't put in requests before birth. So we should all celebrate the beauty of our differences and have respect for each other's home no matter where it may be. Because we all love and respect our homelands. And we all deserve respect.
* standing ovation ^ That was beautiful! @bluecustardangel; I appreciate you!
Do Americans really get to have cap and gown graduations right from primary school? Here in nz you only do cap and gown ceremony when graduating tertiary education
What grades are primary? We have kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school.
Primary is the same as elementary, from roughly 5yrs old to 10. Secondary school is high school, and sometimes that's inclusive of middle school years, or you can go to "intermediate" which is essentially middle school. Then tertiary is university, college etc, anything after high school
I don't mean to sound rude, but I thought that a lot of these things were incredibly stupid. I understand that certain things are not common the world over, but most people know that the way a particular place is portrayed on tv is not how it really is. Also, I don't understand how a lot of these things are so weird and mind blowing. I am certain that not everyone in French small towns breaks into song like in Beauty and the Beast. I am certain that not all Germans wear lederhosen everyday. I just wish that the world, especially in these times, could forget all of this stuff and just get along.
I think as American tv is a dominant force in a lot of places, it is essentially the only reference point for American culture for some places and ppl, especially in far off or isolated places like where I am (nz). Most of my pop culture knowledge comes from the Simpsons parodying events etc
The only one not getting along is you right now. These were honest questions that had honest answers. No conflict at all.
Actually, I am not trying to not get along. I just said that some of these questions don't make any sense to me. They may make sense to others, but they didn't to me.
In some countries where there is great education then maybe a lot of these are stupid but there are probably many things Americans believe about other countries that fall into the same category. Also - Lauren Caswell is so right. There is a lot of US TV and much of it depicts a life that is in some ways very different.
You could just Google those things you see on American tv and see from that if they are true.
This comment has been deleted.
My company had some of our coworkers from Denmark working in our office in Indiana not so long ago. One of our coworkers got married and invited the people from Denmark to join us at the reception. Well, they played the Hokey Pokey and the people from Denmark thought we were playing a joke on them. They had never heard or seen such a thing for children in their entire lives. They couldn't believe it.
I just watched a Hokey Pokey video clip and yes, wtf?
What is the Hokey Pokey? I'm familiar with the Hokey Cokey which is a dance (barely) but I don't know a game with a similar name.
‘You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out...’ we played as children.
Ohhh... never heard it called the hokey pokey or tokey before! Funny how things get altered (btw I'm not claiming either one as the original but I expect one version was to start with).
Hokey cokey, tokey and pokey, I've heard it called all three but it references the dance u and Michelle Geiger are talking about (you put ur left hand in, etc). As a side note, I dnt know about other places but in nz hokey pokey is an ice cream flavour (vanilla ice cream with little caramelized sugar bits)
I find the questions a bit stupid. I ha e one very intelligent one though. Do Americans always eat ice cream from the same 10 l. bucket? Because it's freaking disgusting.
Do you mean when you see a character on TV get out a fairly large carton of ice cream and spoon straight from it - typically a women who has been dumped? Sometimes shared with a female room-mate. I've seen that on a number of sitcoms (Friends - the women get a tub for Chandler). I just assumed that it was an exaggeration tbh. The characters in these programmes clearly don't eat that much ice cream!
We actually do share ice cream like that
What? No idea what you're talking about. Unless you mean the bucket they scoop individual scoops from in an ice cream shop which they do in other countries too.
So yeah, it's as bad as we thought.
I used to admire the US. Seventies, eighties. Growing up. Now, I'm just glad I don't live there. What's wrong with you?
Nowhere seems to be getting better these days though - don't you think? Mass consumerism and greed has many downsides.
This comment has been deleted.
Our electoral college.
Exactly. I wouldn't even go there on vacation now.
I'm confused. Is someone trying to persuade you to immigrate? Don't. We'll be fine without you.
Do Americans actually use that yellow pencil for everything? I see those pencils all the time in movies, like when police writing reports and stuff
The standard bulk pencil is yellow. Yes.
Standard HB pencils - the most common type and by the most common brand - in the UK are yellow and black.
Do Americans really go to strip clubs like in the movies ?
Yes nasty ones.