“What Are Americans Not Ready To Hear?”: 40 People Share Honest Answers

We reached out to Swansonite456 on Reddit to hear what inspired them to start this conversation in the first place and if they are American or a curious observer. "I am Hispanic American, and the reason I asked this question is because I wondered what Americans and other nationalities think of us," they shared. "Since sometimes on TV and through the media we take a poke at other people's cultures with stereotypes."

We also asked if they thought these responses apply solely to the United States, or if they could relate to other countries as well. "I think some of the political answers apply to the United States," they told Bored Panda.

I was also curious if they thought that the United States was not ready to hear those answers or if it was more of the US government that wouldn't be ready. "I think the government isn't ready to hear those answers and neither are Americans due to the fact that America seems so divided right now," they shared.

We also asked Swansonite456 if any of the responses to their questions particularly resonated with them. "My favorite one is the [C word] because that’s hilarious, since it’s like a way to say pal," they noted. It is true that in the UK and Australia that word is used much more casually than in the United States, where I would recommend that no one ever say it in a public place (or ever!).

Overall, they don't have a negative view about Americans, though. "All and all Americans aren’t that bad, it's just the politics," they told Bored Panda. "Plus, I feel like we are a little self-centered." They also noted that the work life balance, maternity leave, and healthcare are much better in many other countries, but again, that's not the average person's fault.

As an American myself, I have to say that there were many things I never questioned about the United States until I started living in other countries. The restroom stalls not extending all the way to the floor and having wide gaps, for example. It’s something I was used to, so I did not realize that most other countries figure out a way around that until someone else pointed it out to me. And while we’re on the topic of bathrooms, I had seen very few that actually indicate from the outside whether it is locked or unlocked before moving to Europe. Those are pretty brilliant as well.

When it come to this list of “things Americans aren’t ready to hear”, these might all be things you have, in fact, heard before. However, they are just some food for thought about things my fellow American pandas might never have realized or questioned before, or things that don’t necessarily need to be that way. You have every right to disagree with these responses, but please be respectful in the comments. We love our American pandas, and we know they don't all believe in these ideas or support things like not having paid maternity leave. As you'll see, some of the responses on this list should be more directed towards the American government than the American people. 

One thing that Americans are often mocked for is not understanding Celsius and the metric system. And I will admit, especially if we plan to travel at all or conduct any international business, we certainly should know these systems. So many people around the world make an effort to learn English to communicate with people from other countries, so the least we can do is learn what someone is talking about when they say, “It’s about 2 kilometers away from here,” or “It’s so hot! It’s 32 degrees!”

So let’s start with the metric system: why doesn’t the United States use it? Well, it all comes down to where it came from. The metric system was an extremely innovative system developed in France in 1790 to help streamline commerce, decrease fraud and clear up any confusion that came from not having one standard system of measurement. And while the French system was intended to be something all countries around the world could adopt, the United States decided not to adopt the metric system because when it was created, it was based on a portion of French land. Since then, it has become too much of a hassle for Americans to begin switching over. So at this point, the US might not ever transition to the metric system. I will point out that we do learn it in school, but as with anything, if you don’t use it frequently, it’s very easy to become unfamiliar with the system. 

Now, when it comes to why Americans usually don’t understand Celsius temperatures, let me first note that there was a time where much of the world used Fahrenheit. It was developed in 1686 by German scientist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who was inducted into the British Royal Society in 1724. As Britain conquered many parts of the globe during the 18th and 19th centuries, Fahrenheit became the standard in many places. It didn’t last for long though, as in 1742, Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius created, you guessed it, the Celsius system. This was integrated into the metric system around 1790, allowing it to spread quickly across the globe. Over time, virtually every British colony transitioned to using the metric system and Celsius, but clearly, the United States did not get the message.  

The United States actually became very close to transitioning to the metric system, as in 1975, Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act. But the flaw in this act was that it made metrication voluntary, rather than compulsory, so the general public was not on board with this change. "Motorists rebelled at the idea of highway signs in kilometers, weather watchers blanched at the notion of reading a forecast in Celsius, and consumers balked at the prospect of buying poultry by the kilogram," Jason Zengerle writes in Mother Jones.

By 1982, President Reagan completely scrapped the Metric Board, virtually ensuring that the US would never switch over to using the metric system or Celsius. And while it has been seen as too expensive and too much effort to switch over now, it really would make more sense in the long run. American education could teach only one system of measurement and temperature, and companies would no longer have to produce two separate products: one for American markets and one for international markets. Plus, we would all sound a lot smarter when talking to our international friends if we knew exactly what 2 meters or 14 degrees Celsius meant… 

Another topic that many people who are not from the United States mentioned is the idea of a work life balance. This concept is foreign to many Americans, as we are often told to equate our worth as a human to our productivity. We are used to not having help from the government, in terms of paid maternity/paternity leave, paid holidays, and paid and/or unlimited sick days. But it really does not have to be that way. In Canada, for example, new mothers are given a minimum of 16 weeks of maternity leave paid, with an optional 35 weeks paid leave. In Sweden, mothers are given a minimum of 12 paid weeks of maternity leave, and in the United Kingdom, new mothers are given 39 paid weeks off. It just seems like if the United States really cared about its citizens, it would not try to make their lives harder by providing 0 paid weeks of maternity leave.   

Similar to how the United States does not provide paid weeks off for new parents, it has no legal requirements for providing paid holidays either. Now, if you work a full-time job, you might have benefits like paid time off, but it probably is not very many days. On average, American workers are provided about 10 paid vacation days per year, or two weeks of work. However, those days are typically accumulated over time. So until an employee has worked at their job for 12 full months, they will not actually have 10 days yet. To put that into perspective, workers in Sweden are entitled to 25 full days of vacation per year, regardless of the type of work they do. I'm sure the American government has heard that one, but maybe they should start listening to how they can implement a similar system to allow their workers some much deserved time off.

While it might be easy to comment on all of the issues the United States faces as an outsider, it’s important to remember that most of the citizens are aware of these problems. According to a 2021 report from the Pew Research Center, the top issues Americans note to be big problems in the nation are the affordability of healthcare, the federal budget deficit, violent crime, illegal immigration, gun violence, the pandemic, racism, economic inequality, unemployment, climate change, and the quality of public K-12 schools. You may not personally agree that all of those issues are comparable, but it’s just a reminder that Americans know what is happening. They don’t enjoy paying exorbitant hospital bills or fearing that their children will be subjected to a school shooting. Unfortunately, it can be a long and arduous process trying to change the systems.  

Whether you believe that the United States is the best country in the world or you would never want to visit, we hope this list has been some interesting food for thought for you. Keep upvoting the posts you resonate with, and then let us know how you feel about this topic in the comments. And then if you want to check out another Bored Panda article featuring the things the United States does particularly well, you can find that story right here.