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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 6 months 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 6 months 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 6 months 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 6 months 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 6 months 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!! 6 months 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 6 months 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 6 months ago
Australian here... I comprehend the milk in a bag, my only question is why?
#38
winterwidow87 6 months 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 6 months ago
Well I guess this is a winner. MY American mind does not see anything unusual
#42
Colleen Glim 6 months ago
Are those horrible push button taps? If they are, I don’t want to comprehend it. Especially in a shower
#45
Annik Perrot 6 months ago
Poire au vin. Whole pealed pear cooked in a mixture of red wine, sugar and spice (mostly cinnamon and clove).
#46
Michael Largey 6 months ago
‘England and America are two countries separated by a common language’ - G. B. Shaw
#49
WindySwede 6 months ago
Even the Swedish commentor was wondering what they where doing here! 😅🤔
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What do you think ?
Susie Elle 6 months 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 6 months 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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Johnnynatfan 6 months ago
Another list to bash Americans. Half of this list is completely ridiculous. We comprehend bricks? We can’t comprehend what a fortnight is? Come up with something original.
Robin Roper 6 months ago
Just because something isn't common doesn't mean it can't be comprehended. Unfamiliar and incomprehensible aren't the same thing.
Gavin Johnson 6 months ago
Visited the U.S. about 15 years ago, every day of my 14 there I discovered something that was different to my home country of England, weird eh? A different culture having different ways and mindsets. I only scratched a tiny part of the surface, obviously, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We visited a museum that had a mill, it that had been deconstructed in Wigan and then rebuilt inside the museum. We live about an hour away from Wigan and mills are all over our northern towns, we wondered what we’d take apart and move to the U.K., we never really answered that as everything we loved was either scenery or people, neither of which need taking apart or moving! The Americans there loved the old mill and it’s charm, we were slightly underwhelmed by it!
Binny Tutera 6 months ago
As an American, I come here to have a little fun, learn something new. I am not stupid. I am well travelled. I meet wonderful people from other places and they are now friends. I am getting a little tired of the hostility towards Americans. Trump is making us miserable, and you are just kicking us.
Jerome Lenovo 6 months ago
american mind can't comprehend this : 14 trains per day between two minor cities in france, perpignan and grenoble. 14. Per day. Sans-titre...4b-png.jpg 
Igor914624 5 months ago
Why are there lists like this? If every place was the same, then why travel? The differences are what make traveling special. In Europe I got to meet people from all over, and I got to learn from them. I am from Texas, and I got asked how many cows I owned. I am a city boy, and all I know about cows is they make milk and are future steaks. I had a lovely conversation with a man sitting next to me on the flight from Manchester UK to Orlando FLA. We talked about the differences in our countries, and it was all good conversation. I talked about my experiences as an American in the UK, and he asked me questions about Florida. He was taking his family to see Mickey, and he was renting a car. I warned him about the toll booths all over Orlando, and that he needs some way to pay them. Bashing other cultures as not as good as yours is not helpful. Comparing them, learning about other cultures than your own, and teaching others about yours should be the norm.
Tom Wagner 6 months ago
About the worst meme list I've ever seen. 100% inaccurate and so not funny I never even smiled. Even the intended insults were lame (mine are better).
Claudiu Arghir 6 months ago
such articles used to incite america get better, now they look like trying to get europe worse - like small portions, what a glory, indeed.
Rick Murray 6 months ago
Good grief can you stop changing the subject already? It's hard to know what has and hasn't been read when nothing is listed in date order and the subjects change multiple times a day. For a site that wants views and engagement, annoying your readers is kind of a díck move...
WonderWoman 6 months ago
This is one of the stupidest posts. Clearly others don't understand what American's can or cannot comprehend.
Heffalump 6 months ago
I suddenly understand America. They have just one mind...between 350 million people. They each get to use it for a total of 3.5 hours during their entire life. This explains everything.
Lil be lil 6 months ago
When I get up in the morning and punch my face in the mirror and nothing hurts but my fist. I am not proud of being American. I thought about it for more than 3.5 hours, a fortnight and four score and I have been wanting to move to Canada for the last 20 years...
Load More Replies...
cj be like 6 months ago
As an american, I can confirm i did not read this because i wouldnt have understood
Susie Elle 6 months 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 6 months 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.
Load More Replies... Johnnynatfan 6 months ago
Another list to bash Americans. Half of this list is completely ridiculous. We comprehend bricks? We can’t comprehend what a fortnight is? Come up with something original.
Robin Roper 6 months ago
Just because something isn't common doesn't mean it can't be comprehended. Unfamiliar and incomprehensible aren't the same thing.
Gavin Johnson 6 months ago
Visited the U.S. about 15 years ago, every day of my 14 there I discovered something that was different to my home country of England, weird eh? A different culture having different ways and mindsets. I only scratched a tiny part of the surface, obviously, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We visited a museum that had a mill, it that had been deconstructed in Wigan and then rebuilt inside the museum. We live about an hour away from Wigan and mills are all over our northern towns, we wondered what we’d take apart and move to the U.K., we never really answered that as everything we loved was either scenery or people, neither of which need taking apart or moving! The Americans there loved the old mill and it’s charm, we were slightly underwhelmed by it!
Binny Tutera 6 months ago
As an American, I come here to have a little fun, learn something new. I am not stupid. I am well travelled. I meet wonderful people from other places and they are now friends. I am getting a little tired of the hostility towards Americans. Trump is making us miserable, and you are just kicking us.
Jerome Lenovo 6 months ago
american mind can't comprehend this : 14 trains per day between two minor cities in france, perpignan and grenoble. 14. Per day. Sans-titre...4b-png.jpg
Igor914624 5 months ago
Why are there lists like this? If every place was the same, then why travel? The differences are what make traveling special. In Europe I got to meet people from all over, and I got to learn from them. I am from Texas, and I got asked how many cows I owned. I am a city boy, and all I know about cows is they make milk and are future steaks. I had a lovely conversation with a man sitting next to me on the flight from Manchester UK to Orlando FLA. We talked about the differences in our countries, and it was all good conversation. I talked about my experiences as an American in the UK, and he asked me questions about Florida. He was taking his family to see Mickey, and he was renting a car. I warned him about the toll booths all over Orlando, and that he needs some way to pay them. Bashing other cultures as not as good as yours is not helpful. Comparing them, learning about other cultures than your own, and teaching others about yours should be the norm.
Tom Wagner 6 months ago
About the worst meme list I've ever seen. 100% inaccurate and so not funny I never even smiled. Even the intended insults were lame (mine are better).
Claudiu Arghir 6 months ago
such articles used to incite america get better, now they look like trying to get europe worse - like small portions, what a glory, indeed.
Rick Murray 6 months ago
Good grief can you stop changing the subject already? It's hard to know what has and hasn't been read when nothing is listed in date order and the subjects change multiple times a day. For a site that wants views and engagement, annoying your readers is kind of a díck move...
WonderWoman 6 months ago
This is one of the stupidest posts. Clearly others don't understand what American's can or cannot comprehend.
Heffalump 6 months ago
I suddenly understand America. They have just one mind...between 350 million people. They each get to use it for a total of 3.5 hours during their entire life. This explains everything.
Lil be lil 6 months ago
When I get up in the morning and punch my face in the mirror and nothing hurts but my fist. I am not proud of being American. I thought about it for more than 3.5 hours, a fortnight and four score and I have been wanting to move to Canada for the last 20 years...
Load More Replies... cj be like 6 months ago
As an american, I can confirm i did not read this because i wouldnt have understood
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