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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

hesthehabit Report

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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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#3

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Montberte Report

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

As an fellow Irish person the only issue I have with is is actually trying to explain you were actually born in Ireland and not just "I'm irish" Also paused a second before my reply when I read your name as it was my great Grandad's name. Thank you for bringing his memory to me in such odd times, made me smile.

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

I think it has to do with the fact that America is a really big melting pot. Nobody really has 100% "American" ancestry, unless your Native American. We find pride in the places we can trace our heritage to because it gives us something to be proud of. I think America is still too young of a country, settled by people from all over, to be considered a heritage. My grandma came up from Australia, to the exact town I was raised in. The woman who was sent to Australia was from Spain, she stole sheets and was sent to a colony for the crime. She's my family's beginning in Australia, and I find that fascinating.My great-great-grandfather came over to the Seattle area from overseas (I can't remember exactly where from). He and his brother split off one keeping the last name Venglar, and one changing it to Wenglar. I've gotten to meet Wenglars that are very distant relatives and again, it's fascinating.So I'm American, but I'm the product of many immigrants. I'd rather identify with them.

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

This is true. I just answered my US Census online and they asked my ethnicity. American was not an option. No joke. So I put 'other', and wrote in that "white" is not an ethnicity.

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

Ancestry in America is more a matter of trivia or curiosity. We have no little history ourselves, we like to reach back to countries with deeper roots. Most people here generally only consider (or even know) their ancestry from their parents' parents. So, since my mom's was Polish and my Dad's was English and Irish, I'd say I was 1/2 Polish, 1/4 English, 1/4 Irish -- but, of course, the reality is so much more complex. I've been tracing back the English sector as far as I can or to the year 1000, whichever comes first and in that span, my "English" ancestors are from every country in the UK, all of western Europe, a couple Scandinavian countries, and some Eastern European ones too. And, funny, although my paternal grandmother was 100 percent Irish, I only got the tiniest bit of Irish in my DNA test! Slightly more than the aunt's cousin's best friend's toenail but not a lot more!

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

I guess because we sent our DNA into 23andMe AND MyHeritage, and they both came back with the same conclusive results: Half Irish, Some British, Some German, and a tiny bit of Syrian. That's why.

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

Many white Americans are 3rd or 4th generation immigrants. many if those immigrants came from Ireland.

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

My ancestry DNA test came back as 57% Irish and I am super proud to say I'm more then half Irish but I also came back English so I'm mixed just like every other American besides Native American peoples. Not all Americans are ignorant enough to ask stupid questions about a relative that may still live in Ireland or try to speak with an Irish accent. My grandmother never lost her accent till the day she died and lived in America for over 50 yrs, she never "faked" her brogue and I loved listening to her speak.

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

Funny story, I did a DNA test and came back 22% Irish. I don't know where in my history this person was but he was 100% Irish and is may be great-grandfather. I'm African American so you can go figure on that one but I find it's hilarious. I didn't expect this or was aware at all that this was the case.

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

Maybe they consider themselves "part" Irish (or German or French etc.) because their ancestors came from those countries. I'm not quite sure what's so difficult to comprehend...

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

Being a country of Immigrants everyone has pride where their family came from, whether 30 years ago or 300 years ago. It is a form of Heritage because outside of Native Americans, we all came from someone else.

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kitty_player 03
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so true! That goes along with ''I'm part native american! OMG!'' Yeah, just because a buzzfeed quiz says you're like 2% native american doesn't mean you are, Karen.

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

My grandmother was from Ireland and my mother's side is Irish, Scottish and English, so yeah, I consider myself Irish among other heritages. Why do people see white people and think they have no heritage? Any person of color has heritage that gets celebrated, but not white people for some reason. This is racist af.

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What's In Your Head?
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, being Irish IS something to be proud of. XD I know I am. My grandfather was 100% Irish, so I'm guilty of this too. I'm not an American, though...

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

Because my grandmas side of the family is straight from Ireland & papa's side is straight from Germany. It's reversed on the other side of my family. So I am 50/50. That's why....

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I Just Changed My Name
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If your mother is 100% Irish, then you are half Irish. Just like any other part of the world

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

America is full of Americans who identify as Irish or Italian or German or whatever. I was quite surprised to discover that people identify as a nationality when they have no actual proof of that heritage, they don't speak the language, they've never been to that country and they know nothing about the culture.

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

I consider myself part Irish because my grandfather was an Irishman. That's why we have red hair in our family.

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

Most of us don't. ?? There are a lot of nationalities that we share, most of us of Irish heritage are few and far between.

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Junebug04
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have always live in America, but I have done several of the dna tracking tests and I am 43% Scottish, and 36% Irish. So it does get pretty annoying when ppl say they're this, that, and the other, when in reality that's just a bunch of bs. This question really was a legitimate one

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

I don't consider myself Irish, think Guinness tastes like mud and don't give a rat's a*s about St Patrick's day. Happy now?

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

We need an identity. It’s like a mongrel who, if it could think, would kind of envy a pure breed

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

My Grandmother is full Irish..my Grandfather is full Swedish. But I consider myself a mutt. Would I like to have full Irish Citizenship or full Swedish Citizenship...Hell yeah!!

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

As someone who knows very little about my ancestry (yay! Adoption!), I hold onto any little glimpse of my lineage I can grab. I am super proud of the fact I have Irish somewhere in my bloodline. As a whole, people hang on to what makes them "them". I think it's cool everyone wants to be part Irish, you got something people want! But that's just my two cents :)

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

On the 2020 (US) census form, if you respond with "white" as your race, you have to then tell them which European country you're ancestors were from. So frustrating!

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Aubrey Passey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because we care more about our ancestors then the rest of the world

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

My half brother is CLEAR Irish, he's strawberry blond with a BRIGHT RED NATURAL BEARD. It cracks me up!

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

We don't. We consider ourselves half-Irish if one of our parents happens to be full Irish.

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

The same if you are Australian. Usually it's do you know Paul Hogan, like wtf, why would Paul Hogan know me?

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

They do because it is better than being called a mongrel with no real known ancestry. The Irish went there so they borrowed it. Simple.

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

Yeah I guess we are. But in America we’ve got so many accents, so maybe they’re not impersonating you guys sometimes

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

America is filled With a variety of people from different nationalities & races.

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JustJJ
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3 years ago

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

Half Irish? Because their father and his parents and their parents before them and so on ... were all Irish.

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

LOL I am 25% Irish, according to my ancestry, and I am not offended at all. Well-spoken!

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

Maybe I have been sheltered but I have never heard someone from the US claim to be half irish. That is including social media, family and acquaintances or the tv and media. Is this really a thing?

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

Yes it's really a thing. Americans claim to be Irish if their great great uncle happened to be one third Irish

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

Most Americans I know are also convinced that they're decended from some celtic aristocracy and have a castle.

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Colin Bayler
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3 years ago

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If we hadn't taken in so many of your starving ancestors during the potato famine, we might be calling ourselves half something else.

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

If it wasn't for the British, we wouldn't have had a potato famine!! And if we never went there, America wouldn't have half the buildings... have a good day sir and stay safe ;)

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#6

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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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ASXPJESSICA Report

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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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#11

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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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#12

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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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imwafflingg Report

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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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#20

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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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#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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#23

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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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#24

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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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#26

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#28

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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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#29

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