30 Things Americans Can’t Seem To Live Without, As Observed By Non-Americans

Definitely NOT. Every country has there issues but for a western country the US has some serious big issues that aren't as prevalent in other western countries.

This one is mostly laid at the feet of fox 'news'.

Not just medical debt, but serious debt of many kinds. Everything paid on credit or loan, and people working just to pay interest while being "1 paycheck from the street" while the government will not help you if you get in financial or medical trouble, are hungry or face eviction.

I am English and I am ashamed of MY country's sense of superiority and a denial of the truth of their own history. Especially concerning the slave trade and the way they treated the Irish during the Irish famine.

The fact that even their fast food is worse... there is this show on youtube where they compare Uk and US fast foods from the same brand. example: chips in the UK have potatoes, vegetable oil, salt... in the US, it has 11 other ingredients.

I mean, this flag site is probably a memorial/grave to veterans so yeah, this specific picture might be a tad offensive. However, as an American, I really don't understand why everyone is so obsessed with American flags. Although uh I'll take that flag over,,, certain,,, other flags that show up in the south :(

omg yes, this is terrible. I've been here over five years and I still can't get used to it. :"My god, the temperature is over 100? are we FRYING TO DEATH??"

My friends are always confused when I tell them how there isn't any public transport in most of the US. They didn't understand why Uber was doing so well in the US, well thats why. You need a car to get anywhere and most people can't afford one

And on t-shirts. If I wear a t-shirt with a graphic on it, it’s a band name or beer merch (because I get those free from work lol)

That is not all of us, just the loud ones. You really only see the loud ones.

Yes, ew. I'm American and I hate consumer culture so much.

You're screwed even if you get sick with it.

Maybe I am just privileged coz I could never live in a unit or apartment. I don't need 2 living rooms though. Just an extra room to clean lol.

The history of the US is steeped in race/culture/sex atrocities. I think it is an attempt at over correction.

I think that is just a world wide issue

Some say that the USA is a culture of war rooted within a widespread ethos that uses military force in pursuit of self-interests. The truth is however that the USA has been continuously at war since the earliest days of its existence as a nation and the political, economic, cultural, and moral costs and consequences of war have reduced the USA's moral authority, political stability, and economic viability. Way out? I don´t know the right answer. Perhaps the USA must establish itself as a “culture of peace” by pursuing a new set of cultural ethoses.

Yeah, nobody but America listens to partisan news?...I call BS

(Not) a fun fact: The USA consumes more energy each year for air conditioning than the rest of the world combined, and in fact more electricity for cooling than the entire continent of Africa uses for ALL purposes.

Deep friers are pretty standard in Belgian households: we love our fries :)

Caffeine. It is the only reason any of us are awake. We don't take vacations, and our sleep patterns suck. Ergo, caffeine obsession.

I have never heard the word Garburator before and uh wow I like it much better than garbage disposal.

I think both of these systems are equally arbitrary. That's why scientists use Kelvin.

The system is an issue, first car I bought was told no credit score, aka living within your means was a red flag and I'd need a cosigner.

I am 35 years old and don't have a single credit card and I do well without one. For some people, it's just more confusing.

You can't make big purchases without having credit. Most hotels won't accept a debit card and if you pay cash, they still want a credit card on file. Credit reports in the US are the most f**ked up things I've ever experienced. If you have great credit, you can get a lower APR rate than everyone else. If you're trying to build credit or repair credit, companies charge you the highest interest rates possible (24% - 28%). If you apply for a card or apply to make a large purchase, your credit score goes down - even if you don't get the card or make the purchase!. It's just because someone checked your score! Just checked it!! Ridiculous!

Two words: credit score

I have a card with a relatively low interest rate (9%) it is easier than making sure you have the cash or worrying that there is not enough money in your checking account at that moment. I do use my debit card if I am somewhere I trust.

People always look at my husband & I like we're freaks because we got rid of all our credit cards. Well - the car's paid off & we've got the equivalent of 5 months household expenses in savings (and my husband contributes the maximum to his 401k), so I'd say who's the smarter one?

That is the way everywhere seems to be going/gone these days.

Only time I ever needed a credit card was for renting a car. Other than that always used debit card.

GenX was raised on credit. We were taught to spend, spend, spend, you can just pay it back later. My husband was moving up in his career and we were spending to the point of calculating minimum payments based on income because that's what we were taught and we didn't really think it through. We hit hard times and all those debts were suddenly terrifying. We faced bankruptcy. I sold everything we didn't need and still couldn't put anything remotely close to a dent in that debt. My dad generously swooped in and saved us. I never had credit card debt again. I do use a credit card, but I used it like a debit card. It's safer (a debit card is direct access to your bank account, a credit card isn't, so you can get ahead of false charges easily without losing money) and I have a rewards card, so they pay me to spend my money. I pay the total due every month and don't spend more than I have. The whole system is warped.

Only a few abuse the Credit Cards. Most use them to not carry cash or to deal with the hassle of writing many checks. Most pay off the bill each month, like American Express cards make you do.

Consumption is drilled into us as the best way to achieve happiness. Endless advertisements thrown at us from the time we are 4 year olds. Credit cards are thrown at us too and people think, "I will pay it off with my next paycheck" but with interests it just makes it so incredibly difficult to pay debt down. There is a saying that being poor is expensive and it truly is because we also have the majority of our population living pay check to pay check and have to use their credit cards just to get by and then they are never able to pay their debt off. Endless cycle of building interest on debt costing us far more than the things we initially bought.

You can't rent a car or a hotel room without a credit card... I use my credit card for everything and pay it off each month because I get cash back but I do understand what you are saying...

Credit cards can be the safest option, especially for online shopping. If you use your debit card, the money is gone from your account immediately and, if anything goes wrong, it's very hard to chase. Many credit card companies have protections in place. I got €80 refunded after a vendor turned out to be fraudulent. The credit card company then chased the company for the loss.

These people must live somewhere with a cool climate coz we have ice machines all over the place from petrol stations, supermarkets and bottle-o's etc

Everyone I know uses real plates unless it's a party

Our oligarchs are control freaks who like playing chess with the world.

We'd love to live without loans and debt, but for the majority, if you want a job you need a car which needs a loan. You want a job that pays an almost living wage? You need an education, for an education, you need a loan.

Why are they called "solo cups" ?

Cheddar cheese is a big deal in the UK too. After all it comes from the town of Cheddar in Somerset, England.

I drive a car with manual transmission (I'm in Europe), but I have no problem with automatic transmissions. They just make driving easier and more inclusive. Similarly, IMO there are no brownie points for being able to drive a manual. It's just a car. Drive what works best for you.