When we talk about the US, we usually mention its healthcare issues, gun violence, or racism, but the country is not all bad. So, to balance things out, we thought it would be a good idea to look at one Reddit post that went viral just a couple of days ago.
Created by user u/jenzredz, it asked people the question: "What does America get right?" And judging by the upvotes and comments, quite a lot, apparently. So continue scrolling and take a look at all the nice things both locals and tourists had to say about this unique patch of land!
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Canadian here.
My near universal experience with Americans is that they are generous and helpful. Many would give someone the shirt off their backs if asked.
Collectively, y'all are crazy, but individually, the best people I've ever met.
You could say the idea for the post came to u/jenzredz quite gradually. "I was perusing Reddit and had come across a r/AskReddit about things Americans do that is weird," they told Bored Panda. "I like to read those because it's interesting to get an outsider's perspective on America and Americans. However, lately, I had come across quite a few 'weird things Americans do' or 'dumb things America does' and the like. I had also been reading several articles lately about American politics, which can be a depressing pastime. I decided to see what does America actually do right."
"I posed the question ... thinking I'd get a few answers, some uplifting but mostly snarky or 'nothing.' I was astounded at the response I got! Both in number and positivity. I even got a few messages telling me thank you. That they had been thinking and feeling the same way I had and was getting pretty down about being from America. That was a great feeling! Knowing others were feeling the same way I was and that I was able to brighten their day!"
If we're talking the U.S, their National Park system is good. They were the first to sorta do it and got the rest of the world into it too.
NASA. Even with all the government and political bullsh*t, it's still taking great strides in taking humanity forward, but more importantly they focus a LOT on educating the common folks during missions.
I love that all the information and pictures and everything NASA produces are publicly accessible for free, and not even under copyright. I'm not even American but NASA had a great role in creating interest in me about Space and Astronomy when I was growing up.
Listing 101 great things about the United States, Fortune's editors mentioned many of the things that we see in this Reddit thread. From athletes, musicians, social activists to domestic beer, Fender, and NASA, they touched upon many subjects too.
After going through all of the comments under their post, u/jenzredz learned they "take for granted several things so many people around the world don't have access to or aren't allowed to experience, or at least not to the level we in America do."
"For instance, I didn't realize National and State Parks aren't really a thing in other countries. I thought everyone had those! Also our libraries and interstate systems. Again, I thought that was pretty universal. The most interesting thing is our First Amendment right to speak against our government. I was unaware how much of a privilege and to what degree of freedom we have to speak against our government and politicians. However, the thing I noticed the absolute most was the comments about our food! Our food diversity, availability, cost, etc. I had no idea we were pretty much the only country in the world to do bbq!," the Redditor explained.
All of this made u/jenzredz realize that Americans are doing much better than they give themselves credit for.
Wandering hype people.
You never know when it will happen, but at some unexpected moment in America, someone is hyping someone up. Usually, this is performed by complete and total strangers.
Some dude pulls off wrapping a particularly full burrito? Person ordering it will point it out to the (completely unrelated) customer behind them and say something like “This guy’s got this burrito on lockdown!”
You order three extra shots of espresso at the coffee shop? “Oh, you’ve got this now, the day is YOURS”
Rest stop at 2AM playing some light gun game while your friend takes a dump? “Oh, there they go! F*ck those robbers up! Do it! Yeaaaaah!”
Wandering hype people exist everywhere in America. They celebrate small and large things. Americans genuinely love watching someone win, even if there’s no competition. From a half court buzzer beaters to having exact change, we feel this weird camaraderie when we share a moment of victory. Makes me think we’ve got a shot.
Barbecue. I’m Canadian and we’ll barbecue year round but they call that grilling, I’m talking American barbecue. F*ck me up with that brisket you’ve been smoking all week Uncle Sam. Hell yes.
However, there is data that suggests life in America might be getting worse. The General Social Survey, one of the longest-running and most highly regarded public opinion research projects in the nation, reports that on a scale of 1 to 3, where 1 represents "not too happy" and 3 means "very happy," Americans on average give themselves a 2.18 — a hair above "pretty happy."
That might sound good but it's actually a significant decline from the nation's peak happiness, as measured by the survey, of the early 1990s. The change is driven by the number of people who say they’re not too happy — 13 percent in 2018 vs. 8 percent in 1990. That's a more than a 50 percent increase.
This country has remarkable natural beauty. The national park system was a good idea even if it's underfunded and overcrowded now. In Colorado search and rescue is free and that is a very good thing. We also do craft beer well.
The Blues. The Blues influenced everyone from Elvis, to The Beatles, to the Stones. It's a music of hardship and pain. And while it's rooted in the darkest time of our country, it's one of the most unifying forms of music ever created.
The public library system - in my county alone we have over 10 different libraries with transfers between them so there’s a vast selection of movies, books, magazines etc
I don't think this is only a usa thing. Most western countries have good public libraries. EDIT this thread is about USA getting things right. So YES, they get this right too! I have to watch myself posting and sounding like a cow so to all you Americans here: I really like you and the USA is full of good stuff and nice people. So there !!!
I love the American experience. I live in DFW and I don’t take it for granted. There’s Japanese revolving sushi bars; Russian bath houses; Korean super markets; Mexican foods; Italian markets. Globalization is alive and well. It’s my favorite thing about America.
The ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act*. America is really accessible compared to many of if not most other places. I consider myself able bodied and I travel a lot. When I do, I’m reminded how special the ADA is. And as an able bodied person I’m also aware that designing things for everyone makes them better for everyone.
The United States adopts more children than the rest of the world combined.
Freedom of speech and press. Many people don't appreciate that the reason America seems to have so many problems is largely that the problems get exposed and discussed whether the government likes it or not. Many countries that seem more orderly seem that way because the government controls information flow.
Turning Halloween into an all ages celebration. The kids get to Trick or Treat. The adults throw their own parties. Everyone gets to dress up and have fun. I love driving and walking through neighborhoods and seeing people who have gone crazy decorating their lawns and houses with horror decorations. Some even turn their places in "haunted houses" that people could go through while they Trick or Treat. It's even fun when you go into regular stores like Target and they get into the spirit by playing scary theme music on the PA. "Thriller" always seems to be playing somewhere
Your entertainment industry is second to none and absolutely light years ahead of all other nations.
In terms of ‘content’ the states is in a class of their own
Burgers. Like, each one is better than the next. I'm not talking McDonalds or Burger King, I'm talking burgers in bars. No other country I've been to comes close.
Public lands and access to them. Everyone is mentioning the National Park system, which is the crown jewel, but our wilderness areas, national forests, BLM lands, state and local parks, protected coastal areas and the roads that connect them all are truly amazing. We may not all be able to afford a cabin in the mountains or a house on the beach, but with a car and a tent we can all enjoy those places no matter what your income.
Oregon takes it a step further than most states: all beaches have been declared public property. So nobody can privatize any stretch of the coastline or any lake!
School buses, i've always thought it was odd that in the US, a nation who prides itself on not having things like a national health service, that there is a bus service which picks up kids for free to to ensure they get to school.
In the UK kids use regular buses to get to school, and it makes them very overcrowded and messy and annoying for other people trying to use the bus at the same time
That is unless somebody is going to tell me school buses only exist in the Simpsons or got phased out in the 90's or something depressing.
Where I live in the US there is zero public transportation so school bus is the only option to get to school. I also live in a rural area so the closest school I ever went to was still over 5 miles away.
Yeah, I grew up in an area that only had a single K-8th school. Had to be bussed to another town for 9-12. Wouldn’t have been possible with public transport.
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I wish we had school buses like the US, would be much more convenient that's for sure.
I didn't realize y'all didn't have school buses at all. I just thought they were different colors than ours, hence the obsession with the black and yellow busses we have.
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Yep, I'll give them this one! I know they are not the only country to do it, but credit where credit is due!
I think in the UK, while we don't have official school buses, it's down to the local authority as to how they handle children in more rural areas. For primary school we had coaches provided and then in secondary school it was taxis. We were on a farm out in the sticks. The weird thing is, like a lot of farm children, we could all drive before we were teens! Just not allowed on the roads.. bah! 😡
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School buses are a godsend. It's often 10km or more to a school in rural areas, and without a bus, you don't get there, b/c it's too much for a parent to be transport unless you're wealthy, and most of us aren't!
Free?! All my schools, we had to pay for bus tokens to ride the school bus. Maybe it depends on the school district.
Lol sometimes free. We lost the school busses to the magnets schools when I was a senior. It was either pay or switch schools. I switched schools.
Load More Replies... In other countries it's safe for the kids to walk or bicycle to and from school. And for kids who can't do that we have public transport that actually functions and leaves and arrives on time.
I upvoted this but smaller country, smaller problems
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The US has real school buses, and they are free. Partly because of the desegregation laws that bused black students to white schools. Right now we are having problems finding and paying people to drive the buses.
Just got a text from my daughters' school letting me know 2 buses are down due to driver shortages. So definitely can confirm.
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Yeah in Aus there are buses only for school kids, it's really useful.
In America the school buses are same ones used to transport prisoners just different colour. Makes you really think.
It's not a bus "service", it's a paid contractor. Here in Maryland, the city typically uses the existing MTA and the counties use a contracted bus.
We have common public transport which ist very good because people dont have to rely on cars. Its better for the environment. But schoolbuses would be an improvement. Safer for kids
UK, or at least Scotland.......or at least Perth, Scotland, has school buses for pupils from rural areas. City kids get public transport, car driven or walk.
School bus yellow can only be used on busses being used to transport kids for public schools so they really stand out in traffic.
school buses still exist, and I HATED them as a kid. the bus I would take was a mix of elementary, middle, and high school students. so much cussing.
I used to ride bike 15 km (over 9 miles) to school every day. No school buses here. Would have been nice if we had them.
I would trade those yellow Twinkies for an appropriate public transit system any day.
FYI in my district we have to pay for the bus and its a really difficult thing to pay for and my income is just high enough that I don't get reduced or free bus
I would never want my child on a public bus at a young age that would terrify me
In Australia in some states I guess ? We do not have different buses for school buses but the buses are for school kids only before and after school and then turn into regular public transport, so if you miss the many buses available that are school only you jump on a public one and use your free bus pass. They are/were called School Specials, and when we got out of school there would be about 20 of them going in different directions to take us on the route that best got us home they also used public bus stops for getting on and off.
In the UK we had a normal bus dedicated to certain bus stops for students and it wasn't free. It was the same for buses on the way home and if students got out of hand and cause trouble then the bus driver just turned around aand went back to school, kicked us off the bus and we had to walk home. This was year 2000-2007.
they are "free" in the sense that everyone pays school taxes and bus costs are covered by those
I grew up in the UK and got to school on a bus for pupils that wasn’t a public bus, so did the rest of my school. So the middle paragraph isn’t entirely true. May have been a countryside/small town/non-city thing. They weren’t yellow school buses but more like coaches (not branded/marked as school buses).
Australia there are free school buses as well (at least where I live in NSW). I thought that all countries did this?
The one and only taxi service in my county in PA was shut down a couple months into the pandemic. We have no public transportation. It’s mostly only in cities or college towns
I knew a gentleman in a small town that inherited a lot of land and had several good business in this small town. He wasn’t hurting for money and when the town didn’t have a bus driver to get the kids to school he started driving the bus himself. For free! He passed away a few years ago but he was a special person
Lololol Nope. We still have buses 🚌 and if all goes according to plan (🙄) they will have seatbelts next year. Fingers crossed. 😄
If it were not for school buses kids would be forced to stay home in rural areas.
it is a real thing! a very common way to get to school. and they are yellow too :) they are free, there are many, and lots of people ride them. it's not a pass or card, you don't have to reserve a spot. the bus comes by, you get on. (make sure it's got the right number on it though or you might not end up at the right school/ neighborhood)
And the busses are painted a special shade of yellow that is ONLY allowed to be used for school busses, making sure that they are unmistakable.
In many European contries there is a widespread an good public transportation system thus making the school bus system a school bus system redundant
I think theses schools buses existes in the country and the suburbs but not in the towns ! We have the same system for free too in France.
Afterwards if you are lucky to go to university you are paying for the rest of your life student loans.
Because majority of UK school children live within a 15min journey of their school, sometimes by foot. Americans live MILES from their schools and need specified buses to get there. I'd rather travel public transport as a child and learn how to wander in the world independently, than being chauffeured to school everyday with no personal responsibility. This is why majority of US children are lost idiots who can't fend for themselves or figure anything out. Stop bubble wrapping them.
Apparently no one has ever been on one of these? ‘Safety risks’ is the slogan here. These buses are as comfortable as walking.
Giving in times of need, I think. The government always cocks things up, but when awful stuff happens somewhere, average Americans want to help. Horrific volcanic disaster in the Caribbean? Just hours later, people are texting in donations to rescue and recovery efforts. Hurricane Katrina? Cajun Navy shows up to help. Earthquake and famine in Haiti? You have musicians Pomplamoose figuring out how to get goats to people in need. While there are always exceptions, I think average Americans - paycheck to paycheck, truck driving, weekend football, everyday Americans - want to help when and where they can.
Thats my Impression too. The average people in the US are kind and compassionate. Politics and Jeff Bezos do not represent Americans.
Convenience. I love going to Europe. But every time I go I miss the convenience of America. Grocery stores have everything you could want. 80 different cereals or potato chips? We got it. It's 2 am and I want pancakes? How about a burger? Well the diner down the road from me has it. Within a few miles of my house I can get chinese, jamaican, pizza, korean, sushi, bbq, mexican, indian, thai, etc. Maybe I want to go shopping at 10 pm and buy a toaster. Well wal-mart and target are open.
I admire the simplicity in some countries since places tend to close earlier. Especially on sunday. But here you can get what you want, when you want. I take it for granted until I travel overseas.
Scientific research especially medical research. USA arguably has the best research facilities in general which attracts the brightest people from all over the planet. So many opportunities too for scientists to advance their career not just in research institutions but also in a ton of life sciences/biotech industries. BUT it’s sad that with all these knowledge we don’t have a universal healthcare system and not everybody can access the fruit of these research.
Arguably is the word! While true that the U.S has the highest rate of new drugs and medical devices getting approved (by their own governmental regulators), this is a distorted fact as it includes the same medication multiple times under different brand names. They also include in the list all those products you see on late night infomercials that "boost health and wellbeing" such as vibrators for your feet, facial hair trimmers and so on. The countries leading the way in terms of Innovation are (in order) Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, THEN the United States. Interesting side fact: The Dutch company Philips has invented more medical devices that any other company in history combined, however it always gives away the credit when the devices were inspired/made using other peoples research.
THEME PARKS!! There are so many to choose from besides just Disney and Universal and the few I've been to have been fantastic.
Here in NZ we have one theme park with ONE rollercoaster and it's the Corkscrew (AKA baby's first rollercoaster)
You want ROLLER COASTERS? Come to Ohio. Cedar Point in Sandusky on Lake Erie is the BEST!!!
Handicap Accessible Buildings
Is this not common in other countries? In Australia it is the law the have disability access to pretty much all buildings (except private residences).
The Interstate. Imagine the Autobahn but scaled up to an entire continent. It is one of the safest and least congested road systems in the world and has easily been one of the single biggest contributions to America's success. The simple fact you can drive from New York to LA in relative comfort on flat, paved roads is insane outside the US. It's like driving from Moscow to Madrid, except you drive mostly in straight lines and at high speeds with almost no risk of accidents, and the few that occur are often not deadly. There is a gas station and convenience store every few miles, a restaurant every few miles, a rest place every few miles.
It's funny too. The interstate served a double purpose at it's creation...connections between states to foster travel...emergency landing strips for planes. President Eisenhower was a visionary.
LGBT protection. I don't believe it's perfect or without its flaws, but in comparison to where my extended family is from (Eastern Europe), I feel much safer recently outing myself here then I ever would where the rest of my family lives. At least here in the states I don't have to worry as much about possibly being fired, ridiculed, assaulted, 'corrected' or killed if other people know about me being a lesbian.
America really fosters entrepreneurial spirit. So many new ideas and businesses and risks being taken. It's not a coincidence why so many of the new great companies come from America.
I think the enterpreneurial spirit is a cool thing too, I feel Americans think different about making mistakes and start over. Also seems they like to see others succeed
Diversity (hard to believe if you’re American, but for real, very few countries handle it as well), the National Park Service, and attracting the world’s best and brightest.
Whilst they may have diversity, doesn't mean that the diversity is widely accepted.
Public restrooms and drinking fountains. In NZ, you're lucky to have a public toilet within a block of you if you're downtown. In the US, every shop has one.
Not every shop. Many will only let you use their restroom if you are a customer (i.e. you need to buy something), but there are many public restrooms available. You can also thank the ADA for that.
Note: this post originally had 58 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
To all the people commenting on how most of the benefits are easily to be found in other countries: If something is good it is still praiseworthy, no matter if it‘s unique or not. The US has beautiful landscapes, friendly people and superb customer service. I also love how different each state is from the other.
I love how the comments to this post are proving your point 100%.
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The post is called "Things America gets right" not "Things America is #1 at." Not to say I wholeheartedly agree with all of them, but it is an important distinction.
Right? The things said here aren't excluding anyone.
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Damn dude, came here for a shred of positivity and the comments on each entry are just filled with contratians bashing America anyways with their 'Um, Akshually, America Is Worse Than X'. Y'all ever let yourselves be okay with anything? I know America ain't perfect but it isn't literal hell.
Calm down everybody! It's things America does right, not things nobody else does right! We know other places in the world are great, Lord knows there's an article about how horrible America is every other day, just let us have a minute without every single comment being negative. And I agree with the barbecue one, that smoked meat is to die for!
It's cute how people who hate American exceptionalism then preach European exceptionalism. Every nation/region has its good, its bad, its ugly. So can't we be happy to see some good?
If toxic anti-Americanism was electricity these comments could power a small city.
Here's an idea for you Europeans who can't wait to U.S-bash: unless you've actually lived IN the U.S. (more than one state) for a significant amount of time, visited our National Parks, tried to understand our culture and history, maybe you should just STFU. I'm the first one to point out all of the negatives about the U.S., but I've traveled to dozens of countries, and yes, there are many wonderful things about the U.S., just like there are wonderful things about many countries. So sorry if that hurts your feelings, Europeans.
I love how this post is basically saying, "we know the U.S. sucks really bad, and you Americans are still the worst, but we'll let you have something 'good' just this one time. Just to prove how nice we at BP really are". Yeah no. This article was actually very condescending. How about you just stop talking about us at all? There's more to the world that the US anyway. You don't need to mention us 24/7. We really live in your minds rent free don't we?
"We really live in your minds rent free don't we?" - truer words were never expressed on a BP post about the U.S.
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I think a neutral post like this could be good for a while. Not america-hating, not patriotic, just in the middle
This whole post is a bunch of crap talking. You guys need to stop politicizing every post and stop being so negative. I could find something incredibly wrong with every country on the planet, so stop acting like the US is some horrible place and everywhere else is great.
Wow, this site really hates Americans. Even in a thread about things they do well, (well mind you, not THE GREATEST!!!) the comment section is filled with people spewing verbal diarrhea about how awful it is, or that other countries do that too.
It used to be more relevant before the digital age, but I always appreciated the efficiency of the postal service as well.
This thread lead to some of the most exhausting debates where no one looked awesome.
Why is everyone commenting on how bad America is and arguing with the submissions? Can't we just appreciate some of these things (in what is supposed to be a positive post) without having to poo-poo it? Cant we just be nice for a change?
I'm gonna get downvoted probably but I feel that lots of things in this list are things that originate from America because it's considered an important thing to have at your disposal in America, such as convenience and professional sports.
Telling how some "pandas" just don't want to hear *anything* good about the US, isn't it...?
I can't imagine a place without free public restrooms and access to free water. If I was somewhere and really had to go but they denied me unless I paid, I believe I'd just pop a squat right there. It's a human need, not want, need; and should be a human right.
I’m done with this biased, woke, anti-anyone-who-believes-differently-from-you website. Somehow, even posts with initially positive overtone about something totally different get turned into a “let’s talk crap about the US” campaign. Yes, things need to change AROUND THE WORLD. But we also need to be positive. We need to love. I’m done. In the words of Eric Cartman, “screw you guys, I’m going home.” Y’all have ruined BP for me.
While the food posts and a few of the humanitarian ones are true, heck they are all good, the fact is that the US is on a fast track to minority rule and ending a lot of this (not the food). Our “conservatives” have seen pseudo-democracy at work (Hungary) in terms of rights for LGBT, POC, immigrants and women and they are absolutely in love with it. This also goes for all public funding for literally anything from space exploration to the parks to the libraries. Please, come visit us while you still can, you will be amazed, over-fed, treated well (mostly) and possibly appalled at a few things, but that’s travel, no?
I think one of the most important things that did not get mentioned is American Foreign Aid. Our government gives huge amounts of money, food, medicines, etc. to other countries all around the world. We also host thousands of foreign college students, who then return to their respective home countries with the knowledge and cultural experiences to help transform their societies.
Well, I stopped reading halfway through. I'm American and I'm used to seeing the US get bashed on BP - many times rightfully so. There's a lot of really terrible stuff going on here, has been for decades really, and the few, noisy ones who trumpet "America! Freedom!", etc. make us all look like we're the same, insufferable buffoon. However, I saw this post as maybe a little light of positivity. You know, a way to highlight a few things we may not suck at. But no. A constant barrage of hateful, judgmental condescension designed to shut down even a pinprick of happiness. Beware, negative commenters, that your unbridled cynicism doesn't turn you into the very people you seem to hate.
The US does have a good functional infrastructure. I marvel at things like electricity, bridges, good highways, warm houses in the winter, cool houses in the summer, running water, indoor plumbing, the internet, well-stocked stores,. (my list could get long)
Make fun of them but they are very kind, europeans on the other hand...
He wanted to make America great again, but the America-popularity made a downfall because of that president. A lot of people are hating the USA because of the wars in Afganistan and Iraq, and the previous president. Before all that it was (worldwide) the big dream to travel to the USA, now it is just a country like so many others.
Not sure if hell will freeze or if we will have to prepare for 25 articles about how USA is bad.
To be honest I think a lot of this list of things is stuff americans invented or actively accelerated or promoted, which got spread globally in the 20th century due to their level of influence. That's not saying it's good or bad, just that their influence is in fact massive (hence the last post about 'living rent free'). That being said, some of these things definitely are not "things they got right" but rather "things that are convenient". Fast food being the particularly dubious claim. Anyway, my suggestion for the OP would be to travel more. Lots of countries "get things right". For example, Australia has better gun laws. South Africa has a better constitution. Europe has more interesting cuisine. Greece invented democracy. Etc etc. There are good and bad things about every country. This list is just a bit on the flag waving side.
Maybe because it wasn't supposed to be a competition. It was only supposed to be about some of the goodness of the USA and y'all ruined it with your racist nay-saying in the comments 😒 😤
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It's good Americans can finally get a positive post about their country
You USA haters can come back and rightfully say, "Told you so!" if Trump is reelected as president.
"American Exceptionalism" is a major thing. There is no end of propaganda saying "we are number 1!!!!!". so I don't know why this thread is needed. Sure there have been posts on this site that go on about how America is different, and some with trash talk about American health care etc... but that's a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of "pro-America' propaganda out there.
Why is it bad to point out good things in America? Nothing in this post says "only America" or "America First/Best".
Load More Replies... BP produces a self-congratulatory post for those who are wilfully ignorant of the reality of life. Most of these opinions are based in propaganda and / or a lack or knowledge. The U.S. is a great country that has a glorious history and a population that deserves to be celebrated, of course it has a dark underbelly (which country doesn’t?), but this post demonstrates how unaware many are of the rest of the world. This could’ve been a post that was crammed with human achievements and it could have shown the beautiful side of the U.S.. Instead it was put together with zero interest in facts and no self-awareness, just a desire to pat itself on the back and to reinforce the ‘America is the greatest country’ approach.
Except that not a single one of these entries states that America does any of this stuff better, just that it does it well. You really have that much of a problem with national parks and cheeseburgers? Apparently, a lot do.
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No one said they aren't found elsewhere. At all. No one even implied that.
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What do any of these have to do with how the rest of the world functions??? They're about how the US functions. Most of them make no claims about anywhere else in the world but the US. And please don't start with the consumerism BS when I'm sure you typed this inane comment on your smartphone. Consumerism is a problem in all developed nations. It's why we're all collectively making the world unlivable.
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I don't agree with some of the things on this list here either, but you are just being negative for the sake of negativity. And I think you don't actually know what you are talking about.
Load More Replies... To all the people commenting on how most of the benefits are easily to be found in other countries: If something is good it is still praiseworthy, no matter if it‘s unique or not. The US has beautiful landscapes, friendly people and superb customer service. I also love how different each state is from the other.
I love how the comments to this post are proving your point 100%.
Load More Replies... The post is called "Things America gets right" not "Things America is #1 at." Not to say I wholeheartedly agree with all of them, but it is an important distinction.
Right? The things said here aren't excluding anyone.
Load More Replies... Damn dude, came here for a shred of positivity and the comments on each entry are just filled with contratians bashing America anyways with their 'Um, Akshually, America Is Worse Than X'. Y'all ever let yourselves be okay with anything? I know America ain't perfect but it isn't literal hell.
Calm down everybody! It's things America does right, not things nobody else does right! We know other places in the world are great, Lord knows there's an article about how horrible America is every other day, just let us have a minute without every single comment being negative. And I agree with the barbecue one, that smoked meat is to die for!
It's cute how people who hate American exceptionalism then preach European exceptionalism. Every nation/region has its good, its bad, its ugly. So can't we be happy to see some good?
If toxic anti-Americanism was electricity these comments could power a small city.
Here's an idea for you Europeans who can't wait to U.S-bash: unless you've actually lived IN the U.S. (more than one state) for a significant amount of time, visited our National Parks, tried to understand our culture and history, maybe you should just STFU. I'm the first one to point out all of the negatives about the U.S., but I've traveled to dozens of countries, and yes, there are many wonderful things about the U.S., just like there are wonderful things about many countries. So sorry if that hurts your feelings, Europeans.
I love how this post is basically saying, "we know the U.S. sucks really bad, and you Americans are still the worst, but we'll let you have something 'good' just this one time. Just to prove how nice we at BP really are". Yeah no. This article was actually very condescending. How about you just stop talking about us at all? There's more to the world that the US anyway. You don't need to mention us 24/7. We really live in your minds rent free don't we?
"We really live in your minds rent free don't we?" - truer words were never expressed on a BP post about the U.S.
Load More Replies... I think a neutral post like this could be good for a while. Not america-hating, not patriotic, just in the middle
This whole post is a bunch of crap talking. You guys need to stop politicizing every post and stop being so negative. I could find something incredibly wrong with every country on the planet, so stop acting like the US is some horrible place and everywhere else is great.
Wow, this site really hates Americans. Even in a thread about things they do well, (well mind you, not THE GREATEST!!!) the comment section is filled with people spewing verbal diarrhea about how awful it is, or that other countries do that too.
It used to be more relevant before the digital age, but I always appreciated the efficiency of the postal service as well.
This thread lead to some of the most exhausting debates where no one looked awesome.
Why is everyone commenting on how bad America is and arguing with the submissions? Can't we just appreciate some of these things (in what is supposed to be a positive post) without having to poo-poo it? Cant we just be nice for a change?
I'm gonna get downvoted probably but I feel that lots of things in this list are things that originate from America because it's considered an important thing to have at your disposal in America, such as convenience and professional sports.
Telling how some "pandas" just don't want to hear *anything* good about the US, isn't it...?
I can't imagine a place without free public restrooms and access to free water. If I was somewhere and really had to go but they denied me unless I paid, I believe I'd just pop a squat right there. It's a human need, not want, need; and should be a human right.
I’m done with this biased, woke, anti-anyone-who-believes-differently-from-you website. Somehow, even posts with initially positive overtone about something totally different get turned into a “let’s talk crap about the US” campaign. Yes, things need to change AROUND THE WORLD. But we also need to be positive. We need to love. I’m done. In the words of Eric Cartman, “screw you guys, I’m going home.” Y’all have ruined BP for me.
While the food posts and a few of the humanitarian ones are true, heck they are all good, the fact is that the US is on a fast track to minority rule and ending a lot of this (not the food). Our “conservatives” have seen pseudo-democracy at work (Hungary) in terms of rights for LGBT, POC, immigrants and women and they are absolutely in love with it. This also goes for all public funding for literally anything from space exploration to the parks to the libraries. Please, come visit us while you still can, you will be amazed, over-fed, treated well (mostly) and possibly appalled at a few things, but that’s travel, no?
I think one of the most important things that did not get mentioned is American Foreign Aid. Our government gives huge amounts of money, food, medicines, etc. to other countries all around the world. We also host thousands of foreign college students, who then return to their respective home countries with the knowledge and cultural experiences to help transform their societies.
Well, I stopped reading halfway through. I'm American and I'm used to seeing the US get bashed on BP - many times rightfully so. There's a lot of really terrible stuff going on here, has been for decades really, and the few, noisy ones who trumpet "America! Freedom!", etc. make us all look like we're the same, insufferable buffoon. However, I saw this post as maybe a little light of positivity. You know, a way to highlight a few things we may not suck at. But no. A constant barrage of hateful, judgmental condescension designed to shut down even a pinprick of happiness. Beware, negative commenters, that your unbridled cynicism doesn't turn you into the very people you seem to hate.
The US does have a good functional infrastructure. I marvel at things like electricity, bridges, good highways, warm houses in the winter, cool houses in the summer, running water, indoor plumbing, the internet, well-stocked stores,. (my list could get long)
Make fun of them but they are very kind, europeans on the other hand...
He wanted to make America great again, but the America-popularity made a downfall because of that president. A lot of people are hating the USA because of the wars in Afganistan and Iraq, and the previous president. Before all that it was (worldwide) the big dream to travel to the USA, now it is just a country like so many others.
Not sure if hell will freeze or if we will have to prepare for 25 articles about how USA is bad.
To be honest I think a lot of this list of things is stuff americans invented or actively accelerated or promoted, which got spread globally in the 20th century due to their level of influence. That's not saying it's good or bad, just that their influence is in fact massive (hence the last post about 'living rent free'). That being said, some of these things definitely are not "things they got right" but rather "things that are convenient". Fast food being the particularly dubious claim. Anyway, my suggestion for the OP would be to travel more. Lots of countries "get things right". For example, Australia has better gun laws. South Africa has a better constitution. Europe has more interesting cuisine. Greece invented democracy. Etc etc. There are good and bad things about every country. This list is just a bit on the flag waving side.
Maybe because it wasn't supposed to be a competition. It was only supposed to be about some of the goodness of the USA and y'all ruined it with your racist nay-saying in the comments 😒 😤
Load More Replies... It's good Americans can finally get a positive post about their country
You USA haters can come back and rightfully say, "Told you so!" if Trump is reelected as president.
"American Exceptionalism" is a major thing. There is no end of propaganda saying "we are number 1!!!!!". so I don't know why this thread is needed. Sure there have been posts on this site that go on about how America is different, and some with trash talk about American health care etc... but that's a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of "pro-America' propaganda out there.
Why is it bad to point out good things in America? Nothing in this post says "only America" or "America First/Best".
Load More Replies... BP produces a self-congratulatory post for those who are wilfully ignorant of the reality of life. Most of these opinions are based in propaganda and / or a lack or knowledge. The U.S. is a great country that has a glorious history and a population that deserves to be celebrated, of course it has a dark underbelly (which country doesn’t?), but this post demonstrates how unaware many are of the rest of the world. This could’ve been a post that was crammed with human achievements and it could have shown the beautiful side of the U.S.. Instead it was put together with zero interest in facts and no self-awareness, just a desire to pat itself on the back and to reinforce the ‘America is the greatest country’ approach.
Except that not a single one of these entries states that America does any of this stuff better, just that it does it well. You really have that much of a problem with national parks and cheeseburgers? Apparently, a lot do.
Load More Replies... No one said they aren't found elsewhere. At all. No one even implied that.
Load More Replies... What do any of these have to do with how the rest of the world functions??? They're about how the US functions. Most of them make no claims about anywhere else in the world but the US. And please don't start with the consumerism BS when I'm sure you typed this inane comment on your smartphone. Consumerism is a problem in all developed nations. It's why we're all collectively making the world unlivable.
Load More Replies... I don't agree with some of the things on this list here either, but you are just being negative for the sake of negativity. And I think you don't actually know what you are talking about.
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