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A day barely goes by on the Internet without Europeans and Americans having some lighthearted debate about their differences. A meme format was even created specifically for this purpose, called ‘The American/European Mind Can’t Comprehend This,’ that frequently resurfaces, sparking discussions between both sides of the pond over and over again. The memes have been making the rounds again, particularly poking fun at Americans, and our team at Bored Panda gathered them in one list for your entertainment. Scroll down to find them below, and don’t forget to let us know your opinions on these debates in the comments!
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#3
troufaki13 4 weeks ago
You should try one from a bakery where they bake all their bread at the back 😋🤤
The meme ‘The American Mind Can’t Comprehend This’ was born in late September of 2023 after Europeans flipped the joke on Americans who started ‘The European Mind Can’t Comprehend This’ meme in late July of 2023.
It all started when one X user shared a post of a Google Maps screenshot showing the time it takes to travel from New York City to Los Angeles by car (41 hours!) and captioned it ‘The European Mind Can’t Comprehend This.’ This image went viral and has amassed almost 31 million views, bringing a new meme format to life.
#5
Na Schi 4 weeks ago
If this is the German Nutri-Score it is almost useless, as the political process to determine how food will get rated was not science- but instead absolutely lobby-ridden. One example I remember was the justification for it being the way it is, that otherwise a banana would get an E rating due to its (natural!) sugar content - completely neglecting that fresh food don't get a rating. So it is possible to have a fatty/salt-loaded pizza was a score of B, as it compares this pizza only to other pizzas/comparable food types. And when it has less fat/salt than the others (which still can be too much for a healthy diet) it gets a good rating 😡
Of course, the Europeans couldn’t help themselves and answered back with their own version of ‘The American Mind Can’t Comprehend This’ joke. The earliest example of this is an image showing a common German-style window being opened. Over two years, the post has amassed over 164,000 views.
Just recently, the meme was given a breath of new life when user @CigsMake shared an X post showing friends smoking and enjoying their drinks in a Spanish outdoor cafe and bar. The image went even more viral than the original one, amassing over 82.3 million views and 105,000 likes, as the meme continued to reach more people.
The post poked fun at the fact that Americans tend to be so caught up in their work that they don’t spend as much time enjoying being outside with their friends and family as Europeans, which quite a few commenters had a bone to pick with.
#11
Multa Nocte 4 weeks ago
The post office in my village in France has hours like this. It was a change (from the US), but then I just drive to the next village which is only about 8 km from here and they have different hours.
Then, Americans couldn’t help but joke back (all in good fun!) by editing the photo to be darker, referencing the electricity outage that occurred in Spain and Portugal, which left people without Internet access for many hours.
#14
Rick Murray 4 weeks ago
The European mind can't comprehend going to a website, not being spammed by "we take your privacy seriously" pop-ups that involve finding where "Legitimate interest" is hidden to turn off a few dozen options to then manage to get to the site you wanted......only for it to then pop up something saying that you must either accept all of the invasive tracking or pay us. F'k that noise, the modern web is an absolute sh*tshow.
Also, on a recent but separate occasion, a British user shared a photo of a terraced, redbrick house with a caption, "Incredible to think that many Americans will look at this photo and think ‘poverty,’" that also garnered a lot of netizens’ attention since it pointed out another surprising difference between Americans and Europeans.
#18
Terrace houses are a common sight in the UK, as they were built during the Industrial Revolution to house the growing city population. Since they are connected to each other and look completely the same, some might see it as a sign of poverty. However, under the post, the opinions on the topic seemed to be very divided.
#21
Colleen Glim 4 weeks ago
I don’t comprehend it either. Is this a bus/train schedule of some form?
There are plenty of examples of Europeans and Americans poking fun at each other, back and forth, over and over again. The last one we’re going to mention today, as we think it deserves more recognition, is a tweet by an American saying, “Europeans be like ‘time to go to the grocery store for the fifth time this week.’” It clearly references stereotypical differences in grocery shopping schedules between both sides of the pond.
#23
And i was like WTF!! 4 weeks ago
I cant comprehend this, charging for tap water, and i am European. In my country we dont do that
#24
Naturally, the Europeans joked back, adding a picturesque walkway of a park covered in autumn leaves, saying, “Meanwhile, this is the 5 min walk to the grocery store… the American mind can’t comprehend.” The interaction overall received 15 million views, which just proves how invested and enthusiastic Americans and Europeans are in keeping each other on their toes.
#26
Damned_Cat 4 weeks ago
That's called Mettbrochen. It's fresh raw minced beef and onion on pumpernickel. My German mother and grandma used to eat it all the time.
#27
#31
#36
MalayDragon 4 weeks ago
Australian here... I comprehend the milk in a bag, my only question is why?
#38
winterwidow87 4 weeks ago
For context the 1st of May is International Workers Day in many countries and you get a day off of work (if you have to work on that day you get paid more because it's considered a Holiday). I think in the USA it's celebrated in September so it's not that they can't comprehend it, they just celebrate it on a different day.
#41
Matthew Savestheworld 4 weeks ago
Well I guess this is a winner. MY American mind does not see anything unusual
#42
Colleen Glim 4 weeks ago
Are those horrible push button taps? If they are, I don’t want to comprehend it. Especially in a shower
#45
Annik Perrot 4 weeks ago
Poire au vin. Whole pealed pear cooked in a mixture of red wine, sugar and spice (mostly cinnamon and clove).
#49
WindySwede 4 weeks ago
Even the Swedish commentor was wondering what they where doing here! 😅🤔
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What do you think ?
Susie Elle 4 weeks ago
To be honest, there's a lot our European minds can't comprehend about the US either (good and cool things). I'd love to visit, the US is such a vibe. Maybe in the future :)
Johnnynatfan 4 weeks ago
Wait until Trump is out of office. Not that most Americans would not be welcoming to you because they will but the idiot agents at customs are acting like dickheads now to tourists.
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Susie Elle 4 weeks ago
To be honest, there's a lot our European minds can't comprehend about the US either (good and cool things). I'd love to visit, the US is such a vibe. Maybe in the future :)
Johnnynatfan 4 weeks ago
Wait until Trump is out of office. Not that most Americans would not be welcoming to you because they will but the idiot agents at customs are acting like dickheads now to tourists.
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