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The United States—the land of the free. The home of the brave. And the nation of some very peculiar habits, according to the internet. Other countries in the world are confused by some of the things that Americans do. Like calling tuna “tuna fish” and putting too much cheese on everything. I find it endearing, others find it strange.

Bored Panda has collected some of the best tweets that show how confused foreigners are at what some Americans do. Scroll down and upvote your faves. And be sure to check out our previous post about Europeans who shared what problems are too American for them to grasp.

Culture clashes are nothing new. After all, if every country and culture were the same, there’d be no point in leaving your home, right? (Spoiler warning: due to the coronavirus pandemic, you shouldn’t be leaving your home either way.) Benny Lewis, founder of the Fluent in 3 Months blog, spent 4 years living in the US and has some gripes about the culture. Including how Americans are too politically correct while at the same time they think that everything is “awesome.”

#1

Things-Americans-Do

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European other
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It makes sense to start with the day, but I guess it's what you get used to

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Prince Maroochy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We choose from a lot more at first, eventually narrowing it down to two and choosing from them.

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According to Benny from Ireland, Europeans traveling around the US will find a lot of things weird. Like the fact that Americans smile way too much and it’s difficult to know when they mean it and when they’re smiling out of reflex.

Another thing that Benny found very unusual is something a lot of people complain about when they arrive in the US. Yup, you guessed it—tipping! “I really think tipping as a means of waitresses and others earning the vast majority of their living is ridiculous. If I have to pay, say 15% anyway, then include it in the bill! It's not a bloody tip if it's mandatory!” Benny expressed his opinion. Some of us can agree that mandatory tipping is sneaky and that servers should earn a decent wage that isn’t based on tips.

“Why not tip everyone who you interact with in some way—bus drivers, or leave money on your trash can for the garbage man? It's inconsistent, and waiters, hairdressers, and taxi drivers should just charge us what needs to be charged,” Benny writes in his blog.

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#4

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Kaisu
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This also goes for strict gun laws. Why do Americans think strict gun laws won't work in their country when it works in literally all other developed countries?

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#5

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Thomas brennan
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As an irish person I dont mind it, it is nice for people to be proud of their heritage. What I do mind is when they ask do I know paddy mcsomething from donegal. I know Ireland's small but we don't all live in one village. Oh and the accent impersonations are damn annoying...although in my experience the English are the worst for imitating accents.

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Alan Green
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The other day when they announced America now has the highest C19 infections of any country an american in the comments said "BS, I'm sure Europe has more". Seems some Americans think Europe is a country.

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He also has issues with how in some parts of America prices aren’t what they seem because the tax isn’t included to make the cost seem lower than it really is.

Of course, taxing is different in different states, but this doesn’t excuse corporations from printing up different product costs for each state. Or, as Benny puts it, “We have the same product sold across many European countries and somehow someone in the company found the time to punch numbers into a $1 calculator in advance to tell people how much they are actually paying.”

#7

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Foxxy (The Original)
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why was fahrenheit even invented? The metric system just makes so much more sense. Freezing point is 0C and boiling point is 100C. A litre is 1000millilitres, 100 centimetres is 1 metre etc.

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#8

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Petra Schaap
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

thats not just American. I think it depends on the person. I have local friends who do and local friends who dont, and American friends who do and dont.

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#9

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Just Carmen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know about other Americans, but at our house, we just call it TUNA.

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But before you start thinking that all Europeans have it out for the US, Benny also mentions some awesome things about Americans. For example, nobody can deny that Americans have an incredible work ethic and how open-minded and diverse most of the country is. It’s a country with plenty of positives, peppered with a whole lot of bizarreness.

#10

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Colin Bayler
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because you don't need a bloody scale to measure grams. All you need is a simple cup with lines. DUH!

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Just Carmen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well actually, most of the time we say that we don't give a s**t, so.....

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Stimpy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I tried changing it to "the poopery" but people won't listen to me

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#13

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Carol Lewis
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think that, nor have I ever thought that. I don't know anyone who does. Where did you even come up with that nonsense.

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#14

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Mette Olsen Douglas
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think I know anybody who lives like they have free healthcare - quite the opposite actually. "Is it truly bad enough to go see a doctor or can we survive without going"? Nobody want those bills that follows a doctors visit!!

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#15

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Kaisu
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some Americans also love making fun of people who speak English with a foreign accent, when they themselves can only speak one language

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#16

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Brick
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anything to not use the metric system whats next: glazed donuts per bald eagle who knows

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#17

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Winston Smith
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hear it said at least 3 different ways depending on what news channel you watch

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Bill
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because educators didn't want parents to think E meant "Excellent"

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Christoph Lindemann
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you add just one line to an F it becomes an E. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the reason why there is no E.

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Monika Nagyova
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At my university we used to have A to E and Fx for fail. Fx cannot be made into an E.

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Johnny Farnen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because our education system is modeled for an agrarian society....food and farm products are graded the same way... and "F" is not a grade. It only indicates failure. (One can actually "pass" with a "D")

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Brandon Collinsworth
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We don't actually get F grades, they didn't actually skip E. It isn't our fault that the word Fail starts with an F

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Martti Laurson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is normal that you have 5 steps. Like a lot of other countries. Fail (F) is enough. Or E would be Exceptional fail or Extra fail?

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Alberto
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Many countries grade out of 10 or 20. In Italy, at the university, you get grades out of 110

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Kathy Baylis
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was in school, they tried the ABCDE grading, back when report card grades were handwritten on the forms. Then they found out just how easily an E can become a B with patience, a steady hand, and a matching ink color...

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ROSSELAIRA EUGENIE CRUZ
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A = Awesome! B = Boring, but okay. C = Congratulations! You're mediocre! D = Dumb*ss F = Fun! You FAILED.

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Catalina Chavez
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because people who get Es are Secretly terminated , shh don’t tell anybody 🤫

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Maggie
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So that kids can realize the fullness of their failure

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Id row
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because F means Fail. What do you want to do, add insult to injury by giving them an Extreme fail? Way to rub it in, lol. Parent: "Why did you give my snowflake an E?" Teacher: "Besides getting every answer wrong, he also spelled his name wrong. He thought Tim was spelled with a 6."

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Monika Nagyova
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3 years ago

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Cynthia Doyle
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The better question is why do we use the grade scale that goes along with those letters — 0-60 is failing, but there are only ten percentage points between all the others

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C Black
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because "F" means "Fail" and "E" means "excellent" and since "D" falls before the grade of "F," it would be unwise to have an "excellent" grade inbetween "almost failing (D)" and completely failing (F.)

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Christine
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because A-D are graduated degrees of how well you are doing and F stands for 'Fail'

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Kathy Smith
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We Americans have wondered this, too! Hmm, maybe because it’d be too easy to change an F to an E.

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Darling McKee
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Colleges use E. But up till then F is used to drill in the idea of Failing so you won’t

rjgardneruk avatar
European other
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think that was the grading system they used when I did school exams in England it may be the same now.

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castor troy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

because thats as far as their tiny brains can handle the alphabet

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Jeri Moore
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m still trying to figure out how 50s and 60s are acceptable in some places. And I didn’t receive Es in elementary school when being graded on behavior.

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Jayne Kyra
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We do the same at universities here (middle Europe), only that F is Fx instead.

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Blackheart
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We do. Some subjects, especially in primary grades, give U-unsatisfactory, N-needs improvement, S-satisfactory, and E-excellent. E would be confused as excellent in an A B C D F system

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Elaine Mattingly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good point. That's just plaine stupid. The dummy who wrote it didn't know the alphabet. I also think it's cruel to grade that way.

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Path of Totality
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait, then how are people graded in other places? Is it with a number scale? Do they use E?

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Logan Colee
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3 years ago

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Karin Jansen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had an American tell me that whether you get an A or an F depends on your classmates. The top percentile for instance gets the highest grades, if you scored lower than the rest of your class you get an F. So it depends on the curve. Is this always the case? It seemed so weird to me! You should just hope to be in class with a bunch of dummies in order to be a straight A student?

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#21

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Chewie Baron
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't get me started on how Americans pronounce 'mirror'. They miss out the 'o' and say "mirrrrr". Madness!

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#22

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Foxxy (The Original)
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

High school was pretty much the worst time in my life. My daughter is going through it now and I wish I could just fast forward her outta there.

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C Black
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Americans get MAD? Rather they probably just don't know which sport you're speaking of. In America, football and soccer are two different sports. That's probably why they don't know what you're talking about. As for being "mad..." I doubt they are mad about it, LOL.

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Marcellus the Third
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah but then you also have 'drinks halls' in germany with liquor, beer, water, soda... Why? Also you're ignoring the "dry county" thing where within one state many counties may sell absolutely zero alcohol and the next does.

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Anne
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are handy when you bring cooked food to a meeting/people etc.

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