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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.
Its the easiest reference for us and a football field is 100yards or 300 feet or 91.44 meters.
We say goodbye, or something like it. It's an idiosyncrasy of script writing, not Americans.
This is especially true in small towns. The largest parking lot in town is the local teen hangout
Because Americans have been sold the lie (mostly by Nestle, thank you!) that bottled water is better than tap water in some way. In truth most of the bottled water IS tap water.
I guess it depends. My family and friends only do photoshoots for weddings, 18th birthdays (girls), 21st birthdays (boys), or someone's first birthday.
It's ground meat with binders like egg and breadcrumbs, and can also have minced onions and peppers (capsicum), and seasonings that's all mixed together and baked in a loaf pan in the oven. Most people make it with just ground beef, but when I was little in the 70s, in our home it was made with ground beef, pork, and veal, and we had it maybe once a month with homemade mashed potatoes and brown gravy, and a green vegetable. I don't eat meatloaf now. It's not horrible, it's just not my first choice for comfort food.
In the big cities, all you need to do is raise your arm on a busy street. I've lived in NYC almost 30 years now, and no one yells "TAXI!" here. I grew up in a smaller town, though, and in the smaller places, you pretty much have to call a taxi in advance. I never flagged a cab until I moved to NYC.
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.
It would also be nice if someone answered these questions instead of just complaining about it being 'American bashing'. America exports a lot of tv and movies to other countries, so of course there will be questions about them. I think these are legitimate things people would like answered because they don't have the opportunity to travel there. I really don't think they are meant to be insulting.
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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.
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.
It would also be nice if someone answered these questions instead of just complaining about it being 'American bashing'. America exports a lot of tv and movies to other countries, so of course there will be questions about them. I think these are legitimate things people would like answered because they don't have the opportunity to travel there. I really don't think they are meant to be insulting.
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.