It may seem like an amazing idea to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve or do something very simple, like cutting in line at a supermarket. But oh boy, if you’re new to the American way of living and have little know-how of how things work over there, you may get into serious trouble.
“What should you never do in the United States?” someone wondered on the Ask Reddit community, and the thread quickly turned into a potentially problem-preventing guide for pinpointing what not to do in the US.
Below we wrapped up some of the most informative and illuminating responses, so if you are planning a trip to America, you may want to read this extra carefully with notes by your side.
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At least in Tennessee you should never say anything unkind about Dolly Parton
Bored Panda reached out to a Tennessee resident and Redditor nicknamed Abe_Fromans_Day_Off who, as a response to this thread, wrote “At least in Tennessee, you should never say anything unkind about Dolly Parton.” His reply went viral, with many people noting that it’s not only in Tennessee where this is the case.
The Redditor said that he mistakenly thought Dolly was admired that way in Tennessee because she's from there. “What I discovered from that thread is that she's revered in other regions of the US, and even in other countries, to the same extent that she is in Tennessee.”
“I think to someone unfamiliar with her,” the Redditor continued, “it's important to know that she's known for her philanthropy, including funding local schools, funding the Moderna COVID vaccine, and the Imagination Library. She is also known as someone who celebrates our heritage in rural Tennessee while valuing and appreciating other cultures and belief systems. So she's just a generous, wholesome, respectful person and everyone loves her.”
Walk on to someone's property without permission, or knowing the owner. It's cool in many places around the world to be able to go wandering through the countryside. It is not cool in the U.S. You might end up getting arrested, held at gunpoint, or shot at if you're really unlucky.
Especially if you see purple paint on a fence post or tree, that means absolutely do not trespass. ETA: In US States with "purple paint laws," the presence of the paint satisfies the legal requirement for "willful or knowing trespass." So the property owner can potentially bring action against you for trespass without the need for any other signage.
Dont underestimate the size of the us. Apparently some people think it can take only a couple hours to go to locations states away.
Disappointing when you want to see Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon in the same weekend!
Get out of the vehicle during a traffic stop. I did not know this, here in Australia we are perfectly OK to get out of the vehicle unless the cop says otherwise.
The Redditor also pointed out that Dolly was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, and “she didn't seem to think she should be there because she's a country singer and doesn't perform rock music. So now in an effort to ‘do something to earn it,’ as she put it, she's working on a full-fledged rock album where she'll sing songs by Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin,” he explained.
When asked if there are any cultural taboos to point out in the state of Tennessee, the Redditor said that it’s hard to do since “we're such a diverse state.” “Nashville in particular is home to people from all over the world. From the bigger cities to the college towns, small cities and rural unincorporated areas in the counties, what is seen as culturally sensitive will vary considerably,” he told us.
Get injured/ sick without insurance. You’re honestly better off just dying.
If a cop pulls you over don't get out of the car, place your hands on the wheel and wait they will come to you.
Engage with someone acting like a crazy person on the road. They might shoot you.
'They might shoot you' The general perception of all Americans by the rest of the World.
Go to Times Square on new years. The experience is so not worth it. Its romanticized for some reason.
Cut in line. I've been in countries (example: Spain) where lines/queues are more of a vague suggestion of who goes first, this is not true if you cut in line in the US. Cutting in line in the US can literally lead to violence.
Tell the people that despite being called "the land of the free" they have less freedoms overall than several countries
Don’t take pictures or record videos of strangers’ children. I’ve had to warn many people coming over from Asia about this. Some have ignored me and it has led to screaming and threats.
Don't illegally use a disabled person parking spot or pass a school bus with its stop sign out.
There is no place on earth where you should use a disabled person parking spot if you are not disabled.....
Try and bribe a police officer
We were just in Egypt and they “tip” police. 🤔 That’s not… that’s not what that is called…
Never leave your sleeping infant / child in a vehicle. This is fairly common in some places across the pond, but it is definitely NOT legal in the US.
Get unintentionally pregnant in a red state.
They want to ban abortion but not bother helping the kids that this ban creates. One look at the foster care system in the US should’ve stopped this movement. One look at the freaking Consititution should have stopped this movement.
Do not run or move fast and unpredictably when stopped by cops.
Not tip at sit down restaurant
Tipping is a con, if nobody tipped then staff would have to be paid properly. Tipping is how owners increase their profits instead of paying a decent wage.
Talk about being atheist at work in The Bible Belt.
After all the Pilgrims were religious fundamentalists who wished to establish a theocracy.
Go to Florida for the beaches and forget about the wildlife.. Black Bears, gators, panthers, hogs, etc
Jaywalk....that s**t is apparently illegal
All my life I've been told it's illegal to jaywalk yet I've never heard of anyone being charged or arrested for doing it.
-Public spitting isn't usually well received.
-The average American does not usually enjoy talking politics, in their frequented public spaces.
-Assume public transport is timely
-Light up a cigarette without knowing local laws, to the space.
Never assume that every business has a public bathroom. And for the ones that do, assuming you can just walk in off the street, use the bathroom and leave.
We know our tax system is dumb. There is no need to mention it.
Don’t try to cheat the IRS. They will f**k your life into oblivion.
Unless you're rich. If you can afford to get away with it, the IRS won't bother, and will go after the poor.
Same in the UK. HMRC (allegedly) 'do deals' with the Elite/Wealthy, but God forbid a lowly, self-employed/subcontracted worker makes even a tiny mistake on a Tax Return. Someone in our Govt 'forgot' to mention £3M and made an 'acceptable offer' when it came to light.
Load More Replies...
Since Trump defunded the IRS they have been understaffed and so tax cheaters have a low risk these days. Biden tried to restore the IRS funding and rehire workers but Republicans have blocked it. They have to protect their rich constituents.
who is staying in america for a vacation long enough to get screwed over by the IRS
Not really & that’s part of the problem. When caught by the IRS for not paying, as long as you have the money plus interest you will not get in trouble. That’s why so many rich people are tax cheats & never go to jail.
Same as anywhere, even make a genuine mistake and you are in for a world of problems and expected to rectify it immediately but on the other hand if it is them that has made the mistake such as charging you more tax than you owe you would be extremely lucky to get a refund in anywhere near a prompt timeframe
Especially if you're poor. If you're rich, you shouldn't have a problem.
We have Self Assessments in the UK- self-employed/Sub Contracted workers).
Load More Replies... The corrupt government must get their pound of your flesh, even if you only have ounces! Then, you have NO SAY in how they use or pocket it!!
Think that you can pee in an empty alley on your way home from the bars. A surprisingly large percentage of my European acquaintances have had to great experience of spending a few hours early morning hours in the drunk tank in various American cities - because it's really not that big of deal in most of Europe.
It's a fine for public intoxication, not for urinating (unless you're not even attempting to be discreet, in which case you're looking at indecent exposure and potential sex offender status)... Which, like jaywalking, is almost never enforced unless you're making a huge public disturbance or nuisance of yourself.
Never [mess] with Floridaman. He will beat you with experience every time.
Don’t talk to your wife about trying New York pizza in arabic on a plane to New York.
And don't write mathematical equations whilst on a plane: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/italian-economist-removed-terrorism/
My really BIG mistake in the USA was driving on the left side of the road. Not recommended. My other big mistake was leaving all my money in Las Vegas.
BoredPanda, why the hell is it that you can write positive listicles about other countries like Japan, yet ever single listicle you copy and paste from Reddit about the US has an extremely negative slant. I’m not even from the US, but the amount of negative listicles you post is truly disturbing and cruel. Do you think it’s alright to constantly bash a country? You are really going to lose a lot of readers. Do you have a quota of "The US is a Cesspool" quota you have to meet each week or you get fired?
Do not go to the touristy locations in the USA. There are a lot of amazing things to see that aren't in a tour book or travel guide. One way to find the best and cheapest places to eat is to ask the locals. I was at a hotel in the downtown area of our city for a conference. Some people from Canada had just gone to a local pizza place for lunch and seemed rather disappointed in the overpriced offerings. So I wrote down at least 4 different restaurants that were better, cheaper and that I knew the hotel shuttle could take them to. I ran into the mother the next day. She thanked me saying that her husband was over the moon with the southern style eatery I recommended. She said that was exactly what her husband wanted. Ask the locals, they'll point you in the right direction. Just keep it on the DL so it doesn't get overcrowded.....
The touristy stuff in the US is the same as it is everywhere else. Overrated, overpriced and not worth the time.
Load More Replies... Hm ... in germany, many of these apply, too. Appearantly, you can be a lot more laid back in contact with the police. But, generally, just peeing somewhere is frowned upon, unless nobody sees it. I once did so, into a drain gutter, because of desperation and my habit to favour wearing dry pants over p**s-soaked ones, at least most of the times, ... and the cops stopped by. "Hey, what you're doing there?" - "Peeing ... couldn't hold in any longer, no bushes nor restrooms around, I just figured this would be the least inappropriate option at hand, ... sorry ..." - "Ok, consider this a warning - don't do that again. Have a nice night! You need help getting home safely, or you're alright?" - the last sentence surprised me ... I mean, I did a very minor offense here, but still something not generally met with happiness. On another occasion, a cop tried to block me from entering the train station because it was "Chaos Days" and I looked "that way", but after explaining that I wanted to ride a train home and wasn't up to any riotery, the other cops waved me through and had a talk with him about how the police is meant to be friendly towards civilians, unless there's a valid reason not to.
Aside from the crappy politicians in charge, the large cities in Texas are fairly liberal and the general population tends to be friendly, open, and curious. Visit Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. Great food, museums, music, and culture. Just not all in one day, ‘cause Dallas is about 5 hours from San Antonio and Austin.
You realize it's not as bad as it sounds, though, right? For most humans it's a livable country. Every place has things wrong with it, but America has become a huge punching bag lately. Most of us here are just normal people trying to live our lives like everyone else and won't kill you on sight. If this was any other country people would want to help instead of punching down on us.
Load More Replies... Pretty much all of these are the same in England and I'm sure a lot of other places...! Most would just be expected of someone
Fairly or unfairly the US certainly has been dumped on. At least I'm fairly certain that a woman can dress the way she wants without being arrested by a bunch of religious fanatics. I think....i hope...
This site literally exists to just bash the USA. We know we stink. We get it. Don't rub our noses in it. We have to LIVE here. Y'all just have to read about it. How bout some terrible articles about Russia, an actual horrible country doing horrible things?
My really BIG mistake in the USA was driving on the left side of the road. Not recommended. My other big mistake was leaving all my money in Las Vegas.
BoredPanda, why the hell is it that you can write positive listicles about other countries like Japan, yet ever single listicle you copy and paste from Reddit about the US has an extremely negative slant. I’m not even from the US, but the amount of negative listicles you post is truly disturbing and cruel. Do you think it’s alright to constantly bash a country? You are really going to lose a lot of readers. Do you have a quota of "The US is a Cesspool" quota you have to meet each week or you get fired?
Do not go to the touristy locations in the USA. There are a lot of amazing things to see that aren't in a tour book or travel guide. One way to find the best and cheapest places to eat is to ask the locals. I was at a hotel in the downtown area of our city for a conference. Some people from Canada had just gone to a local pizza place for lunch and seemed rather disappointed in the overpriced offerings. So I wrote down at least 4 different restaurants that were better, cheaper and that I knew the hotel shuttle could take them to. I ran into the mother the next day. She thanked me saying that her husband was over the moon with the southern style eatery I recommended. She said that was exactly what her husband wanted. Ask the locals, they'll point you in the right direction. Just keep it on the DL so it doesn't get overcrowded.....
The touristy stuff in the US is the same as it is everywhere else. Overrated, overpriced and not worth the time.
Load More Replies... Hm ... in germany, many of these apply, too. Appearantly, you can be a lot more laid back in contact with the police. But, generally, just peeing somewhere is frowned upon, unless nobody sees it. I once did so, into a drain gutter, because of desperation and my habit to favour wearing dry pants over p**s-soaked ones, at least most of the times, ... and the cops stopped by. "Hey, what you're doing there?" - "Peeing ... couldn't hold in any longer, no bushes nor restrooms around, I just figured this would be the least inappropriate option at hand, ... sorry ..." - "Ok, consider this a warning - don't do that again. Have a nice night! You need help getting home safely, or you're alright?" - the last sentence surprised me ... I mean, I did a very minor offense here, but still something not generally met with happiness. On another occasion, a cop tried to block me from entering the train station because it was "Chaos Days" and I looked "that way", but after explaining that I wanted to ride a train home and wasn't up to any riotery, the other cops waved me through and had a talk with him about how the police is meant to be friendly towards civilians, unless there's a valid reason not to.
Aside from the crappy politicians in charge, the large cities in Texas are fairly liberal and the general population tends to be friendly, open, and curious. Visit Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio. Great food, museums, music, and culture. Just not all in one day, ‘cause Dallas is about 5 hours from San Antonio and Austin.
You realize it's not as bad as it sounds, though, right? For most humans it's a livable country. Every place has things wrong with it, but America has become a huge punching bag lately. Most of us here are just normal people trying to live our lives like everyone else and won't kill you on sight. If this was any other country people would want to help instead of punching down on us.
Load More Replies... Pretty much all of these are the same in England and I'm sure a lot of other places...! Most would just be expected of someone
Fairly or unfairly the US certainly has been dumped on. At least I'm fairly certain that a woman can dress the way she wants without being arrested by a bunch of religious fanatics. I think....i hope...
This site literally exists to just bash the USA. We know we stink. We get it. Don't rub our noses in it. We have to LIVE here. Y'all just have to read about it. How bout some terrible articles about Russia, an actual horrible country doing horrible things?
