“Not Celebrating A Girl’s First Period”: Woman Shares What She Finds Weird About The Western World
Every culture has their own unique traits, traditions and customs. Depending on where you are from, you might think it’s rude to loudly slurp your soup, use your left hand to point things out or gift someone an odd number of flowers. And while every country has their own way of doing things, there are certain customs that are more common in western cultures and others that are more popular in the east.
If you’ve only lived in one part of the world, as many of us have, you might not be familiar with the customs on the other half of the globe. But as someone who has lived in two very different places, one Twitter user recently started a conversation noting things people in western cultures often do that she finds bizarre. She then invited others to share customs they have observed in western countries, so we’ve gathered some of the most fascinating responses down below.
Let us know in the comments what cultural differences you have observed when visiting other parts of the globe, and then if you’re interested in another Bored Panda article noting fascinating cultural differences from all around the world, check out this story next.
One woman sparked a conversation on Twitter by listing some of the things she finds odd about western cultures
Now, we cannot blanket statement the entire world into two halves, assuming that all western countries are the same and all eastern countries are the same. Even one nation should not be viewed as a monolith. But the tweets featured on this list are simply observations that some individuals have made about cultural differences between where they are from and another place they have visited or lived in. So to help understand where these people are coming from, I consulted Ian Paul’s blog post on his website Psephizo, “Why is Western culture so WEIRD?”
Ian pulls quotes from anthropologist Joseph Henrich’s book The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous and explains how many western ideals are incongruent with how humans historically behaved. “They tend to have certain features in common—an individualistic sense of identity and purpose, weak ties to extended family, a universal sense of morality with guilt as a means of social control, less obedience to elders and tradition, not marrying blood relatives, and more trusting of people outside your own family,” Ian explains.
Many other people then chimed in with the western quirks they have noticed
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In his book, Joseph Henrich describes the “weirdest people in the world” as WEIRD: Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. He notes that these people tend to define themselves by how they view themselves personally, valuing their abilities and aspirations. Whereas a person from an Eastern culture might be more likely to describe themselves in reference to their social relationships. “I’m Sara’s mom” or “John’s father”.
Henrich explains in his book that there is not one way of describing ourselves that is superior, as the WEIRD way may be too individualistic but the alternative, valuing family and community first, might limit individuals and make them feel constrained in their society. Being a WEIRD person is not necessarily a bad thing, as it encourages prosocial behavior and breeds innovation, meritocracy, trust, representative government and even patience and restraint. Henrich cites examples of WEIRD individuals doing things to benefit the greater good, such as donating blood, agreeing not to park illegally, being willing to report their own family members to the police and more.
There is certainly a trade-off to accepting more western ideals. Traditionally, eastern cultures have greater respect for their elders and exhibit more hospitality. Being more involved in a community and less focused on individual needs means people have a greater safety net when they need help. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “it takes a village” before, right? Well, it used to take a village to raise children or run a household. And in some countries, it is seen as perfectly normal for an adult to live with their parents until they get married, even if they are approaching or past 30 years of age. In fact, one study found that 75% of adults in Hong Kong between the ages of 18-35 still live with their parents. This could be due to cultural customs or due to the fact that Hong Kong is one of the world’s most expensive cities, but regardless, these numbers would not be as common in a western nation.
Sometimes, eastern and western countries even have different views on things as simple as communication (or perhaps it’s not so simple). For example, in western cultures people are often expected to say exactly what they mean without having to read between the lines. They may sugarcoat the message a bit to seem more polite, but they don’t often leave much ambiguity or room for interpretation. The opposite is true in some eastern cultures, however. Countries like Japan and China are considered “high-context cultures”, meaning that indirect, non-verbal communication is extremely important. And being straightforward when speaking is often avoided, as to not “lose face”.
Hierarchy is typically viewed differently by people in the east and west as well. Western nations tend to be more egalitarian, promoting independence and individualism. On the other hand, eastern cultures tend to put an emphasis on social structures. Everyone is expected to respect the order of things, especially in the workplace. “A Western employer would like his or her employees to show initiative and show their own personal skills,” Absolute Internship explains on their site. “On the other hand, an Asian leader will focus on collective achievements and will expect his or her employees to respect the hierarchical structure of the company by being loyal to the company and working as a group.”
Punctuality is also valued to varying degrees depending on where you are in the world. It’s important to be on time regardless of where you are, but “on time” might mean something different to everyone. For example, if you’re working in Spain and your day starts at 9am, it might be no big deal to roll in at 9:25am. As long as you make all of your meetings and finish all of your tasks on time, there shouldn’t be any issues. In Japan, on the other hand, being punctual is extremely important. In fact, when trains are delayed, the railway staff will hand out ‘train delay certificates’ that workers can show to their employers if they end up being tardy.
We understand that many of the examples on this list are generalizations, so they may or may not apply to you, regardless of where you are from and where you currently live. But I know we have pandas from all over the world, so please be mindful of that and stay respectful in the comments. Then feel free to let us know down below what other cultural differences you have observed while visiting or living on the other side of the world.
Some people, on the other hand, explained why they disagreed with some of the points made
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Share on FacebookI don't know anyone who goes to bed in their day clothes are shoes on. Where did she even get that from? Also, neutring pets is EXTREMELY important. I will die on that hill. Celebrating a 1st period is super weird. Acknowledging it is fine, but is she talking about throwing a party or something? That seams creepy to me.
I think it's from TV where you see kids sitting on their beds with their normal clothes and shoes on.
Load More Replies...genuine question, why celebrate a girls first period. When i got my first one i was in pain and defo not in the mood to have a celebration for many years of more pain and blood
Yeah, no.. I'm all for being honest and up front about bodily processes but, at 13 I really didn't need my whole family knowing I'd started my period.
Load More Replies...Are these really based on the western world or just the US? Also a lot of them seem inspired by tv and movies rather than based on how people actually live like.
I was also feeling this seems mostly about the US. I guess you could talk about western culture vs eastern, but then these points could not be so specific. Also, most of these ideas come from misunderstanding the backgrounds and details of these cultural differences. (eastern and western)
Load More Replies...WTF is neutering pets weird?!?! Do YOU want to take care of every litter of whatever your pet produces?!?!
They don't take care of them, they just let them walk around. It's pretty bad for strays in those countries. It's why I don't visit a lot of countries, my heart can't take it
Load More Replies...I’m not celebrating the day a girl can become a breeder. That is the root of these traditions. If it was to empower them to make their own choices and acknowledge puberty, I’d think differently. Do we need to celebrate when boys testies fall?
Well said, I agree, it would give the wrong message to the girl. Like, now you've gained value by being able to reproduce.
Load More Replies...Not having kids is a personal choice not a cultural thing mostly
"Africa is not a county". Then proceeded to act as if the entire Northern Hemisphere is the US. Not even the entire US, mind you, as the South is very different than, say, New York, but hey. Honestly, I'm a little bit tired of getting called out for not being educated enough about every single non-white culture and getting treated automatically as the big bad colonizer. My country hasn't colonised jack s**t. I'm not wading knees deep in money. White slaves existed all over Eastern Europe. We have our own cultures and customs.
which country are you from Upupa? I am pretty sure every white country has colonised someone. Even the scandinavians have issues due to their treatment of the Sami.
Load More Replies...And to you, person who doesn't understand not wanting children, guess what? I'd literally rather put my hand in a toaster than ever have kids, because I don't have that instinct. Go figure.
Same here. (Minus the toaster maybe, lol.) I find it very rude when people (not necessarily only people from "eastern" cultures though) who were lucky enough to grow up in a stable family with loving parents just assume it was the case for everyone. Guess what, some people grow up with the horrible impression that their own parents shouldn't have had kids. So they don't want to pass on this mistake, cycle of abuse, etc. Our western societies are very focused on individualism, and that means everyone has to decide for themselves what's right for them personally.
Load More Replies...Celebrating a girl's 1st period is just wrong. It's an intimate and often painful experience, but what grosses me out most is the announcement to the world "hey males, look, this 12 year old kid is now able to get pregnant, yay!" Yikes!
Wonders at people not living with their grandparents, then turns out generational abuse is normal in the culture and just accepted you won't get to decide anything on your own until everyone older than you is dead. I come from a culture like that, some things are better dead.
Whooo! Hold up there poster!! I have major issues with this post!! Cats are a massive problem in Australia! They kill native wildlife! Fixing/dese#ing them means less feral cats! Celebrating a girls first period??? Yeah NO! I am female and if it was going to be a celebration, I would not have told anyone! Some people don't want to have children! It's their right to choose that! My parents live with me so we are a "white, inter generational" family! Guess assimilation can be hard, however us Aussies are pretty welcoming and accept all traditions!
In the US, cats, feral or well-homed, regardless, account for the deaths of about 2 billion birds a year. In Canada, it's about 204M. I used to be a cat owner, and if I ever become one again, it's gonna be an indoor cat, period.
Load More Replies...I lol'd at that one as I sit in my heavily decorated office wearing my halloween shirt contemplating the zombie graveyard I put on every year for the neighbor kids that includes multiple fog machines, several projections, sound machines etc... oh, and the fact that we got married on Halloween lol...
Load More Replies...And celebrating my first period... You realise that has everything to do with a woman being seen as a walking uterus? Announcing to the world she can now be traded in marriage. Unless she is barren, which is also something the whole village will be consulted on. It's called privacy and not being defined by your private parts.
Well, I can't speak for everyone else, but the reason I don't look after my grandparents is because I've had too many disagreements with my family, so I live super far away.
Now if we In the west point out the things strange to us in other cultures (like marrying your child daughter off to a much older man against her will) we get called racist and xenophobic.
I take serious offense to the left handed thing. I understand the reason behind it in some cultures. Lack of things like water being plentiful enough to be used for hand washing leads to the need to be aware of which hand is 'clean'. But that doesn't mean the left hand is inherently bad
it's basically a prejudice against left handed people we got rid of and they didn't and they think we're the weird ones for not having a favourite hand
Load More Replies...Oh, my! Judging westerners just by one country and accusing them not wanting to know other cultures better. And what are you doing? This sounds like judging the western culture to me. I live in Europe and I can tell that some of your prejudices are wrong, like, not taking care of elderly people, leaving toddlers to sleep alone in their room, not changing clothes and shoes when we come home. Maybe learn more about wester customs before you judge us! And what’s wrong when we celebrate halloween or call our relatives by first name?
I agree. Lot of assumptions and lots of variations across the Western world. My sister moved her son into his own room after a few months and they both slept better! Different things work for different people as well.
Load More Replies...Celebrate a period?? She's bleeding not grown and ready to marry like they USED to believe. There's nothing to celebrate about a period, she's maturing, but not about to be sold off in marriage thankfully like old days.
That right hand thing ... you know, if you wash your hands after going to the bathroom it doesn't matter what hand you use. You know ... we're not living in medieval times anymore.
I'm a Malaysian and this is the first time I heard of a culture celebrating first period. Apparently the original poster was not only lumping American culture as the entirerity of Western culture, he is also lumping many of his specific culture into another Asian culture.
So the entire Western world can be generalised into a single entity that does all of these? Please. Don't be so ignorant.
And every person within the western world into the same pot as well. Sheesh. We are not all the same. Just feels like more US bashing to me🤷🏼♀️
Load More Replies..." Weddings that last only one day". WTF Girl? How many days do you want? It would be exhausting over multiple days.
I knew an Indian lady (Tamil), her friends/relatives weddings went on for two or three days, as in one day to gather all family, second day the actual wedding and the following day for the party. I don't know if that's common, just what I've heard from her!
Load More Replies...What I don't understand is considering someone being "rude" for their take on something that is unusual to them. I don't see anything mentioned that was so rude it needed to be called out. Just comparisons and statements of bewilderment and confusion.
I agree with you, BadCat, people are taking this way too seriously. Even if some of her statements are based in misconceptions, the solution is to simply make a correction.
Load More Replies...Cultures are different. Many things are good or bad about many cultures, but most are differences, so we have culture shock and misunderstandings amongst cultures. Trying to impose your culture, religion, government system and such things on other countries and cultures usually doesn't work well and is often wrong. Anyway, trying to understand others, trying to accept them and trying to improve our own cultures is usually for the better.
"Not wanting to have kids" "neutering pets" and "not celebrating periods" are weird?? How can't you wrap your head around the fact that kids are a lot of work and can you bring you to die, so no, not everyone wants one, that neutering pets is very very important cause of all the health risks every time they end up in heat and that celebrating a girl bleeding and a lifelong pain is very creepy even more when they're kids
The celebrating periods thing used to be for advertising the girl and telling the world they are ready to be married off. The worst part of that is that some girls can start periods as early as age 7.
Load More Replies...1st off we do pass things ect wit our left hand cos we wipe our a**e different to other culturals, 2nd i care for a family member who dosnt want to live anywer but there own cozy home, 3rd pride of goin to work when ur sick cos u want to look like a hard worker, how about dont go to work and dont spread ur germs to everyone.
A friend of mine went to india and told me how distusted people were when he ate a sandwish with both hands the fisrt day he ate out.
Load More Replies...Um...me and my Mum helped look after my grandma in her own home until she died at 92. And she wanted to be in her own home. As a 'westerner' I feel it was a great privilege to be able to do that.
Add to that, elder abuse is not unheard of in cultures where people take their parents in
Load More Replies...And also how we sexualize breastfeeding. I know my husband (not a westerner) has reacted on that several times, like how people would shamelessly give him jokes in the lines of "not your boobs anymore *sad face*" (like they ever were "his") and how it's frown upon/sexualized to breastfeed in public, especially older infants/toddlers. He was used to women breastfeeding until toddler age without anyone being bothered by it but here we are in a rush to get breast back to being primary sexual as their "true" purpose (I agree that it's sick).
Ladytron, the interesting thing is that this is relatively recent development in Western cultures. Before formula was widely available in the 1950's, it was considered perfectly normal to breastfeed in public. It isn't as if women stayed home all the time to feed their babies! There are even old pictures on the internet proving that point.
Load More Replies...I 100% agreed with the person who said that if we were to reverse this and talk about 'weird' rituals in other countries , we'd be called racist. Why is this?
Probably because white people have a history of forcing our views on other cultures and acting superior. So I think it is more natural for it to be perceived that way, unfortunately.
Load More Replies...This works both ways. To western people many of the things eastern people seem really strange and backwards.
And likely the reason why both sides would have those perceptions is the lack of understanding the origins of these traditions and their rational, which is based on circumstances and environment.
Load More Replies...U.S. citizen here. I left home to go to university. Then, I moved home. It was supposed to be for further education at a closer university, but then my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia and agoraphobia, and she moved in with my parents, and I. I stopped my plans to work, and help. She passed away, and, well, life happens when you make other plans, so I still live with my parents, and we all coordinate to care for our dog (not a joke), with urinary problems. I'm 39yo...unmarried, with absolutely NO desire to change that fact. So, I wasn't kicked out at 18, my granny was cared for in our house, and I (a family member), do not pay rent. There are 3 other homes in our neighborhood, that I know of, in which the adult children still live with parents. Two homes house a woman, her husband, their daughter, and her girlfriend, and the maternal grandparents live diagonally across the street. Racking up the mythbusting. So, not everything on TV is accurate, or represents the whole country.
Re: "respecting elders" ... I'm lucky in that I get along great with my family, but I've seen enough to know that some elders don't deserve respect. I'm almost 50 and the older I get, the more I'm sure that just being old doesn't make you more worthy. I'm not saying you should be rude to people, but true respect has to be earned.
Absolutely. People muddle courtesy, which should be used freely, and confuse it with respect. I'll be civil, I'll be courteous but people earn respect.
Load More Replies...I don't know if there is an obsession with turning 18 years old, but in my country it is the age when you are legally an adult. So yeah, it's important.
I'm not sure that celebrating a daughter's first period is a thing in that many Eastern cultures? In some countries (in certain communities) you are banished to solitude during the course of your period. Correct me if this is bollocks by all means.
Found this on an Action Aid website "Chhaupadi is an ancient tradition practised in some rural parts of Nepal. It involves banishing people, often young girls, to mud huts or sheds for the duration of their period, or even longer. It is believed they will otherwise bring their family bad luck, or ill health." The Action Aid website for those who might want to read more: https://www.actionaid.org.uk/
Load More Replies...Obviously, the list is long. However, one thing I am puzzled by. How can you NOT use toilet paper? What else do you do??? (And no, I can't afford to have bidet / Japanese toilet installed - after the use of which you'd presumably still have to wipe away the moisture, right?). Hm... the mysteries of cultural habits.
In America you can install attachments to a toilet to turn it into a combination toilet/bidet. And my understanding is that people use towels to dry off, not toilet paper.
Load More Replies...There is nothing wrong with encouraging your kids when they are adults to find their way and figure it out. I am 36 and I remember so many of my acquaintances living with their parents until mid 20's or older and they never seemed to mature. Just kept relying on people and never grew up. Just bc you can support your children indefinitely doesn't mean you should, you are supposed to teach them how to live, how are you going to do that when they never leave. I will also point out that many non-western countries, the kids don't move out until they find someone else and get married...and you wonder why many young men or women seem to rely on their spouses? It's bc they exchanged one parental figure for another. Just my opinions.
You know what is great about the world? The diversity. Every culture is different, there is no perfect or right one. Travel and explore other cultures, But NEVER ever judge them! If you don't like something, then don't do that. If you like something from other culture, then get inspired and change it. And the most important thing while you travel, RESPECT the foreign culture.
Who wears shoes in bed? I live in the US and I've never heard of that. Clothes, too. We wear pajamas, really we do.
I was born in the uk, grew up in and around the Mediterranean and South East Asia and came back to Europe in my late teens and then back to the UK where I am to this day. Moving to each country brought new challenges and experiences based around culture and social practices/graces. As a narly old person reading this post it comes off that the OP may be quite young and/or quite secluded within their new environment as several things listed seem to be US or movie trope centric and much to do with young people.
I'm from SE Asia. Having your first period is not necessarily something to celebrate but it's seen as a rite of passage. My mom didn't celebrate mine. She just acknowledged it and taught me how to take care of myself when I go through my period.
There wer some that I agreed with, but at about half of them I was like "What country did you compare this to? XD"
Celebrating a first period? Meaning congratulations, you’re now an adult and we can get you married off and pocket the huge dowry that we think you’re worth.
Scary when you think about it, because some people start at age 7/8.
Load More Replies...I agree with some of these, like storytelling and believing there is only one god. Others there's a reason for, like neutering.
All western cultures have great religious diversity even if 'western' only refers to the US
Load More Replies...I do think it is irresponsible NOT to neuter pets. Especially the ares where the stray animals are welcome, usually also are pretty populated by them. Wonder how come... And, of course, ANY culture that sees nonhuman animals as inferior, as mere material to be used by them without any compassion is a culture that, being lost, is no loss at all, but a win. Cruelty as a defining feature of your culture isn't the fault of cultures that got beyond that in the journey that is civilization, but identify these as truly inferior. Including the stupid worshippery and sacrifizing and the like - there's a difference between just randomly stating the superiority of one culture, or having a reasonable foundation to identify where it has grown above the state it was in before - not being cruel to animals wasn't considered important in 19th century europe either, but as we got beyond that point, ... also, most cultures not afraid to tell you how close their families are, being a point of supposed supremacy, have no to little issue with abandoning and banning you if you, say, refuse to acknowledge the supremacy of males over females, or dare to doubt the silly stories making up the local religion, generally be curious. A lot of hierarchy and "we don't do evolution here" is in all those cultures. Also, the stupid tale of the noble wild man, living with nature instead of against ... well, they're usually just not enough to make a lasting impact by burning down wood and using the space for agriculture and then move on. If they were enough, they'd make themselves starve before they know, and render themselves unable to do anything sufficient about it. But, yeah, western culture is sooooo flawed (it is, but that's at other points). I call my parents by their fist name. Since always have I done so. They're not just balls and a uterus, they're persons.
Sounds more like a classic case of culture shock. You don't know how long the person has been in that country.
Load More Replies...You should always neuter your pets because that's what a responsible pet owner does. I lived in Europe for a good number of years and I agree with not wearing outside shoes in the house especially in a country like the Netherlands where people don't pick up after their dogs! And unfortunately not everybody has the opportunity to grow up in a happy well-adjusted family with extended family members as a part of their lives. I don't think that cultural thing I think it's just what happens in modern times it's too easy to get married and too difficult to get divorced when it should be the other way around
I'm an atheist myself, but believing there is only one god is kinda the point of any monotheistic religion, isn't it? And by no means is it a western thing.
Last I checked, not wanting to have kids wasn't a "Western culture" thing - it was a personal thing that depended entirely on the individual person regardless of their background. Same with visiting extended family outside of holidays, or whether or not you had your kids pay rent after a certain age or let them live at home after they became legal adults. Here in Australia, it's pretty normal for millenials to be at home well into their mid 20s or later - housing crisis.
But having the OPTION of not having children definitely IS a Western cultural thing, although not exclusive to the West. Many people come from cultures with arranged marriages and no birth control.
Load More Replies...I am an Australian... the country apparently in question....There is a whole lot of inaccuracies and judgements in this post. I don't know ANYONE who goes to bed in shoes and day clothes. Everyone I know has a separate nursey room for day sleeps but they almost all have a cot in the parents room for nights. Most people have nicknames for their siblings. Wisdom teeth are taken out only if they are causing pain or pushing teeth together. I still have two wisdom teeth. Neutering pets is important and letting strays "live their life" begging and suffering on the streets is cruel not to mention horrific for local wildlife. And I don't know anyone who was "kicked out" at 18. Most Aussie kids are desperate to go and be independent and leave home willingly at 18.
Added... I don't think the OP has lived in Australia for very long, or if she has, she hasn't really tried to understand Australian culture.
Load More Replies...When dogs and cats wander around "living their natural lives" in my part of the world, they lose ears and tails to frostbite, get run over on busy roads, and are often prey for urban coyotes. Not to mention, stray dogs can be dangerous when they form packs. Many remote northern communities that don't have easy access to vet clinics sometimes set one day aside for shooting feral dogs, usually after a child has been attacked. People will be warned to keep their pet dogs confined to the house or yard on these days.
OP lost me when she said neutering pets is weird. In AUSTRALIA! Sorry, whatever else they said automaticaclly lost credibility from there, as it speaks for poor education about tje country they live in. But yes, generelly, cultures differ. And so do religions, but there are plenty of rhem that don't accept different gods than theirs. Some of them are currently wrecking havoc amd lives in Nigeria and Afghanistan and all over the globe. It is not a US-Chrisian specific things.
This falls under "Tell me you're racist without saying you're racist." This kind of post written from another national stand point - like say, the obvious target, middle class white USA - would be down voted and flamed so badly it would look like the seventh circle of Hell. Different cultures have different norms - first based on geographical location of that culture, then on its history. And even within the same culture... hell, within the same family... there can be major differences. PS: For the love of animals, neuter your pets!!!!! Where is this poster from? Do strays there live some magical life without strife stress injury abuse hunger fear? So many things wrong with this post - but that to me is the worst because it leads to cruelty to animals.
I don't see this as racist but rather culture shock. Nor would it necessarily be racist if white people expressed some of the same culture shock about other cultures but the difference is that white people historically have forced their ways onto other cultures and acted superior. So it could definitely be SEEN as racist because of that fact.
Load More Replies...Ok, let me get this straight... So OP says it's weird to think Africa is a country, then proceeds to speak of "western cultures" lumping them all together. To me, it's effectively the same as calling Africa a country, isn't it?
Do they lump them all together? I confess it's late, I'm tired and have a dreadful cold but they discuss Western countries and Western cultures as having 'weird to them' aspects and invites others to share what they find weird and people oblige - some 'weird things' could apply quite widely to many countries and cultures and some are quite specific. How is that lumping all cultures together when it's a random list from random people? OP is also not the one that mentions the 'Africa is not a country'.
Load More Replies...Why is it okay for others to rag on the USA all the time? This thread started out as "western world" and ended up targeting the USA. If I tried to do this same kind of article asking about the "eastern world" I'd be called racist or worse. Believe me, those Americans who read BP are totally aware that the United States is not the center of the universe, and we aware of our nation's short-comings. So, BP, please, just stop all the "what's wrong/bad/weird about the United States" articles. They're old news. We already know.
Apart from a few US specific comments, most are not, how is this ragging on the US? A lot of the comments could apply to many countries, many are aspects that happen in Europe and wider. It's also just saying 'weird to them' - yes, there are a couple of comments that could be kinder re the US but they are in the minority. The OP is in Australia so it starts there. Others commenting are from various different countries.
Load More Replies...I would say, that I read a lot of those above statements the way, as if "western" is only the USA. Europe is also western and is very different from the US.
Plus one part of Europe can be very different to another. Too many generalisations made and not just in the above statements, also in the comments here. The West is big!
Load More Replies...I just need to add that whenever an individual bemoans the lack of the "village" to raise their child, it seems really shortsighted and ignorant. Perhaps you are unaware of your family's individual curses. Maybe you were born to a good family who was respectful of boundaries. But when a village raises a child, a village will also punish or discipline the child as they see fit. Most of my parents' generation thinks nothing of hitting/forcibly touching children or stifling them whenever they question what they are told. They have never learned from their own experiences in being abused, and I can't subject a child to that adamant resistance towards growth, therefore I would never leave a child in their custody.
TV TV AND MORE TV. Dogs and cats are not native to most countries. But even in the counties they are native to, they are starving and full of parasites 9/10 of kittens don't live to adulthood even less puppies live as long as cats. So you would prefer all puppies and kittens on the entire planet to suffer their entire tiny short lives to meet your idea of a proper lifestyle. Seems cruel. I was raised by my Granny and my parents together. My oldest daughter was almost 30 when she moved to another country. My youngest was early 20s when she bought a house of her own. My shoes are piled up by the door. I don't get in my bed without a complete shower and different clothes for bed. Teaching girls what they are going through is nothing to be ashamed of and how to take care of themselves is one thing celebrating a child suddenly having the capacity to become pregnant is not cause for celebration. And "no disrespect" but i can't understand cultures where female children are treated no better than female cattle or goats. But hey! At least they are treated better than dogs and cats, left to fend for them selves on the streets. You know, with all due respect.
Screw this list. I'm Not celebrating any child's period. In America that only means that she can be raped and forced to have the child.
It's OK to hand you something with our left hand because we don't wipe our a$$ with our hand because, YES, toilet paper AND a place to wash up. Don't know where you've been using it.
The natural life for a dog, cat, fox, etc is most definitely NOT running wild in Australia.
Celebrating a girl's first period sounds about as awful as celebrating a boy's first successful masturbation.
Any - it's random. Random people saying what they think is a weird western thing which could be anywhere considered 'western'. The OP is in Australia but the other people are from a variety of locations. Some might be more relevant to one country, some are ones they've seen on the telly and might be rather inaccurate! Some I can see apply to a few. It's only people's opinions and not a list of facts.
Load More Replies...Look, every country has their own way of doing things and what may seem weird to them is normal to us and vise versa. The real question is, why does everyone care about what someone else does in their home? I find that weird that other countries are obsessed with western traditions, why do you care and why does it bother you so much? Also, stop believing the western shows you see on your tvs. It's drama, it's comedy, and it's not all true. Ask the average westerner about how they conduct their everyday lives and it will be able to clean up some of the propaganda that you believe. I don't wear my street clothes to bed, or my street shoes around the house, yes we do encourage our kids to leave home at 18 because why in the hell do you still .wanna live with your mom
Because in most cases at home with the family is still the best place. Why do people in a lot of Western Countries develop depressions, burn-outs ect? Because they are learned to work work work , do everything on their own ect... Life is about caring for eachother, being together, enjoying life...
Load More Replies...So many of these are just factually wrong. Most parents do not throw out 18 yr olds as long as they are working or continuing education or both, America is one of the most diverse countries on earth, and I am not "grossed out" by other cultures eating habits. Let stray animals wander around? Because diseases communicable to people and other animals. Baby sleeping in another room-not everyone does. I did and I can tell you why. Baby sleeping the whole night by three months. Me too. `
OP is in Australia and basing her comments on there. Might still be widely inaccurate of course, I wouldn't know. Other comments come from people in various countries. Only a few are US specific. I can see some that apply to other countries.
Load More Replies...1st Gen American born, ( M 54 ) with Sicilian parents. I would agree with dirty shoes in the house, kicking kids out at any age and old folks are taken care of by family; not healthcare. I would add, from my perspective, the food is so simplistic in America. Heck, we ate large amounts of seafood ( coming from an island home ), we rarely ate or ordered out. Good food; not McDonalds. I was expected to protect my three younger sisters at all times irrespective of the consequences to me. Never big on education ( although I was and all three of my daughters and myself are college grads, 1 is still attending, one is already working and one is working on her doctorate ). We worked at a young age. 13 in my case. Paper routes, at the family biz after that. Less activities like scouts and sports. Sundays were for family both nuclear and extended. Less materialistic although we wanted for nothing. Much more frugal yet well off. Don't get me wrong, I love my red, white and blue. Just different.
A lot of these things are only typical for a few Western countries, such as having shoes inside, I think they only do that in the US. And also, strays living their natural lives? Dogs and cats are invasive species, there's no such things as them living naturally as strays. This person clearly isn't aware of that.
I definitely do not want my extended family anywhere near me and my kids. My aunts and uncles are mostly racist hillbillies and my cousins are illiterate. Not a chance would I want them anywhere near.
I find it weird, that the person posting this finds neutering animals weird. It is extremely important since particularly Australia is suffering from their small native species (e.g.: birds) being killed by invasive domestic cats. I love cats, but it is not right that native species become extinct because the number of cats is not regulated by neutering. Grave consequences on the ecosystem.
A lot of these things I have never heard of in western culture (living in the US). I don't wear my shoes inside, the us board of Peds recommend babies sleep in the same room as parents til at least 6 months, no one wears shoes in bed, neutering and spaying pets can actually reduce risk of cancers in pets, and why would I celebrate my periods, just use a pad/tampon and move on with my day.
All of these weird western customs/ideas/practices have made us quite successful.
As of 2022, various cultures have made the individual, the family, or the state the main unit, with an additional this-or-that of materialism vs spiritualism. But we’ve not yet built the right social engine that mixes these like a formula-500 air/fuel/lubricant perfection.
A few things I have to say. 1.- neutering your pets can seriously reduce risk of cancer in that area, also prevents unwanted animal pregnancy which reduces the stray population/ overcrowded animal shelters. 2.- Wisdom teeth are only taken out of they are perceived to create a problem (mine were taken out because they were growing in sideways and would have made my teeth crooked because I have a small mouth) 3.- Celebrating a girls first period is weird and embarrassing. Periods are normal but I was mad that my mom even told my family members, they don't need to know that kinda s**t...it's not like I go announcing to everyone in my life every time I get my period...they don't need to know.
“American Christians”? The entirety of the religion of Christianity believes there is only one God because there is only one God. So does Catholicism and Judaism. It’s not just an American thing. Christianity is a worldwide religion, one of the largest in the world. And if you’re truly following the Bible, you know, as a devoted Christian that there is only on God and the rest another religion has are made by manto represent earthly things. That’s just what I know/have been taught/believe.
I would not celebrate the first period as ( and other ppl said it) it is a sign the girl is now fertile and can be traded in marriage. luckily we are past this beliefs. the girl should get the support she needs, maybe a chocolate and that is it. what we celebrate is birthdays: 10years ( first round age) 12( you can sit in the front seat in car+other similar things) 15 ( you get your ID) 18( officially adult). of course we celebrate every birthday but these are kind of special. no need for a rite of passage anymore
not even going to read all of them as they do not apply to the whole "west". guess what. we do not celebrate halloween as it is an anglo-culture thing, not "western". we do have All saints day though. we go to the cemetery to visit our deceased, lit candles for them, pray in silence, think at them, conteplate memories we have with them, visit our living family members. we do not throw parties. Although US culture is now everywhere and is clashing with the original culture
I’m not sure if some of these are people from America 🤷♀️ If some of them are, please look into everything that VERY wrong with your own country. Most of these are rubbish and if anyone actually does the opposite of what they find odd about westerners, I can’t believe anyone does a lot of these!! If not Americans then sorry. Pissed me off this!!!!
It's a random bunch of people sharing what they, randomly, find weird about western cultures in various western countries. A few comments are about the US but most aren't. Some are rubbish, some inaccurate but based on TV probably, and some are true. I'd not get pissed off about what a lot of random people think - we find their cultures weird in many instances and that's all this is. Weird doesn't necessarily mean wrong, just different.
Load More Replies...Nobody wants to go to work sick. You have to or you get fired. Spaying and neutering stops animals from being killed for over population. There is a reason we have hunting and fishing seasons. People talk about Americans not knowing many cultures, most people in the US will never leave their state. You can't take a drive here in a day or two and end up in another country. We don't HAVE to know about other cultures to be fair. I will never own a passport. No one in my family has a passport. There has never been anyone in my life that has a passport. People who talk about this are from other countries that the culture or the norms are TRAVELING. Traveling is either easy because of a small country or so common that price is not an issue. And honestly I will never be able to pay 300.00 for a passport. That's a lot of money for a tiny book that will never get used.
Well, getting fired for being sick might apply in the US but it doesn't in most western countries. Not sure why so many commenters, as seen in several remarks above, are assuming this is just about the US - quite a few of the 'weird in the west' comments could apply in other countries.
Load More Replies...Sorry, but my kids both slept in the bedroom [because of financial issues] until they at least 3. They still try to crawl into my bed much older because of this. Creating a safe environment with baby monitors in a separate room [ones without an internet connection because eff that] is perfectly fine & I will shame no family for it.
Edit: I'm not sure which country the poster if from! In Australia we don't have a no outside shoe thing (as far as I know!) we mostly get around in thongs (flip flops) or work boots/runners. We also look after our parents!! We may not keep them in our but Ouse but we do look after them.
I'm in the US, we change our clothes to go to bed, my son lived at home until he was 23. All pets absolutely should be neutered, Yeah not leaving bugs that come into my house alone , not sleeping with a spider in my house A Hard Pass about the first period party I was 11 Africa is a continent, grouping people together & saying western culture is that same as saying Africa is one country, North America is made up of two countries & lots of regions I would rather take a bath with a toaster than live with my Mother or Mother in law just because they are old does not mean I have to take care of them, that is why there are 55 and older communities & assisted living with 24 care , I have my own household to support & maintain. The North East US is a two income area no one an stay home to take care of their relatives. Stop making generalizations that because we are from the US we are terrible people & educate yourself about all cultures.
Who is making generalisations about the US? The OP is in Australia and basing it on her experiences there (rightly or wrongly). Then she asks what do others think is weird about western countries, plural (not just the US) and western cultures - any of them. A few comments mention the US specifically but many are applicable to Europe or other Western countries. The West is vast and has a lot of differences across it. There are a lot based on what people have probably seen on TV, that isn't their fault if TV programmes do a terrible job portraying the people of that country. None of it is anything that actually matters - it's just different to them so subjectively feels weird. No idea why people are so bent out of shape, though they do seem easily offended.
Load More Replies...There's a lot to unpack here. TLDR: USA is weird, but a few of us are actually decent, civilized, reasonable folks.
It isn't about the US though. The OP is in Australia. A few comments are based on the US but many could apply to other countries.
Load More Replies...Ammm this is a bit odd and A LOT of this things are now western per se, but more US based
By western, do you mean US? Most of this doesnt ring any bells. We co sleep, dont kick 18yp out etc. The grand parent would hate to live with us, they have their own life and prefer planned social visits. Neutering is good akd stray animals suffer.
OP is in Australia. Commenters are from various and the comments could easily apply to many different countries.
Load More Replies...at least half are in fact typical for USA (and partly Canada through contamination). if some are extending in other parts of the West, they do it as an emulation, like the Halloween. On the other hand, a quarter of OP's observations are impractical in a western environment. While the obsession for planning is a bit overboard and makes the West lose many opportunities, the increased individualism and urban rules made possible the economic growth. It's not tradition against individuality, it's what fits you best without alienating you in the West or drawing you back in the rest. Global warming puts even more pressure, and times will come when, for example, in a year there will be a surplus of pork overall and a deficit of meat in some muslim countries, so the mufti there will have to choose between temporary pork consumption and bugs or hunger. Same with the western consumer whose habits became a bit rigid.
Halloween got taken to the US, it's not an emulation where it's celebrated in other countries. Even trick or treating happened long before the US existed. It was known as 'mumming' in the middle ages.
Load More Replies...…. A lot of these are not „Western culture“, but US culture. In Europe people don‘t wear shoes inside their house, they do not throw out their kids and Babys don‘t sleep all alone in their own room (often enough Babys don‘t even have their own room). And I‘ve never heared of taking out wisdom teeth when they are not hurting.
Just a friendly reminder: Downvotes are not dislikes buttons, they are BAN buttons. If you disagree with someone, reply or do not upvote. If you agree, upvote. If it is filled with profanity or spam, downvote. If it is filled with an opinion other then yours - don't! Keep the discussion going. 5 (or was it 10?) Downvotes will get you banned.
More than half of what's been described here is either only partly true or not even close to being true
Load More Replies...I don't know anyone who goes to bed in their day clothes are shoes on. Where did she even get that from? Also, neutring pets is EXTREMELY important. I will die on that hill. Celebrating a 1st period is super weird. Acknowledging it is fine, but is she talking about throwing a party or something? That seams creepy to me.
I think it's from TV where you see kids sitting on their beds with their normal clothes and shoes on.
Load More Replies...genuine question, why celebrate a girls first period. When i got my first one i was in pain and defo not in the mood to have a celebration for many years of more pain and blood
Yeah, no.. I'm all for being honest and up front about bodily processes but, at 13 I really didn't need my whole family knowing I'd started my period.
Load More Replies...Are these really based on the western world or just the US? Also a lot of them seem inspired by tv and movies rather than based on how people actually live like.
I was also feeling this seems mostly about the US. I guess you could talk about western culture vs eastern, but then these points could not be so specific. Also, most of these ideas come from misunderstanding the backgrounds and details of these cultural differences. (eastern and western)
Load More Replies...WTF is neutering pets weird?!?! Do YOU want to take care of every litter of whatever your pet produces?!?!
They don't take care of them, they just let them walk around. It's pretty bad for strays in those countries. It's why I don't visit a lot of countries, my heart can't take it
Load More Replies...I’m not celebrating the day a girl can become a breeder. That is the root of these traditions. If it was to empower them to make their own choices and acknowledge puberty, I’d think differently. Do we need to celebrate when boys testies fall?
Well said, I agree, it would give the wrong message to the girl. Like, now you've gained value by being able to reproduce.
Load More Replies...Not having kids is a personal choice not a cultural thing mostly
"Africa is not a county". Then proceeded to act as if the entire Northern Hemisphere is the US. Not even the entire US, mind you, as the South is very different than, say, New York, but hey. Honestly, I'm a little bit tired of getting called out for not being educated enough about every single non-white culture and getting treated automatically as the big bad colonizer. My country hasn't colonised jack s**t. I'm not wading knees deep in money. White slaves existed all over Eastern Europe. We have our own cultures and customs.
which country are you from Upupa? I am pretty sure every white country has colonised someone. Even the scandinavians have issues due to their treatment of the Sami.
Load More Replies...And to you, person who doesn't understand not wanting children, guess what? I'd literally rather put my hand in a toaster than ever have kids, because I don't have that instinct. Go figure.
Same here. (Minus the toaster maybe, lol.) I find it very rude when people (not necessarily only people from "eastern" cultures though) who were lucky enough to grow up in a stable family with loving parents just assume it was the case for everyone. Guess what, some people grow up with the horrible impression that their own parents shouldn't have had kids. So they don't want to pass on this mistake, cycle of abuse, etc. Our western societies are very focused on individualism, and that means everyone has to decide for themselves what's right for them personally.
Load More Replies...Celebrating a girl's 1st period is just wrong. It's an intimate and often painful experience, but what grosses me out most is the announcement to the world "hey males, look, this 12 year old kid is now able to get pregnant, yay!" Yikes!
Wonders at people not living with their grandparents, then turns out generational abuse is normal in the culture and just accepted you won't get to decide anything on your own until everyone older than you is dead. I come from a culture like that, some things are better dead.
Whooo! Hold up there poster!! I have major issues with this post!! Cats are a massive problem in Australia! They kill native wildlife! Fixing/dese#ing them means less feral cats! Celebrating a girls first period??? Yeah NO! I am female and if it was going to be a celebration, I would not have told anyone! Some people don't want to have children! It's their right to choose that! My parents live with me so we are a "white, inter generational" family! Guess assimilation can be hard, however us Aussies are pretty welcoming and accept all traditions!
In the US, cats, feral or well-homed, regardless, account for the deaths of about 2 billion birds a year. In Canada, it's about 204M. I used to be a cat owner, and if I ever become one again, it's gonna be an indoor cat, period.
Load More Replies...I lol'd at that one as I sit in my heavily decorated office wearing my halloween shirt contemplating the zombie graveyard I put on every year for the neighbor kids that includes multiple fog machines, several projections, sound machines etc... oh, and the fact that we got married on Halloween lol...
Load More Replies...And celebrating my first period... You realise that has everything to do with a woman being seen as a walking uterus? Announcing to the world she can now be traded in marriage. Unless she is barren, which is also something the whole village will be consulted on. It's called privacy and not being defined by your private parts.
Well, I can't speak for everyone else, but the reason I don't look after my grandparents is because I've had too many disagreements with my family, so I live super far away.
Now if we In the west point out the things strange to us in other cultures (like marrying your child daughter off to a much older man against her will) we get called racist and xenophobic.
I take serious offense to the left handed thing. I understand the reason behind it in some cultures. Lack of things like water being plentiful enough to be used for hand washing leads to the need to be aware of which hand is 'clean'. But that doesn't mean the left hand is inherently bad
it's basically a prejudice against left handed people we got rid of and they didn't and they think we're the weird ones for not having a favourite hand
Load More Replies...Oh, my! Judging westerners just by one country and accusing them not wanting to know other cultures better. And what are you doing? This sounds like judging the western culture to me. I live in Europe and I can tell that some of your prejudices are wrong, like, not taking care of elderly people, leaving toddlers to sleep alone in their room, not changing clothes and shoes when we come home. Maybe learn more about wester customs before you judge us! And what’s wrong when we celebrate halloween or call our relatives by first name?
I agree. Lot of assumptions and lots of variations across the Western world. My sister moved her son into his own room after a few months and they both slept better! Different things work for different people as well.
Load More Replies...Celebrate a period?? She's bleeding not grown and ready to marry like they USED to believe. There's nothing to celebrate about a period, she's maturing, but not about to be sold off in marriage thankfully like old days.
That right hand thing ... you know, if you wash your hands after going to the bathroom it doesn't matter what hand you use. You know ... we're not living in medieval times anymore.
I'm a Malaysian and this is the first time I heard of a culture celebrating first period. Apparently the original poster was not only lumping American culture as the entirerity of Western culture, he is also lumping many of his specific culture into another Asian culture.
So the entire Western world can be generalised into a single entity that does all of these? Please. Don't be so ignorant.
And every person within the western world into the same pot as well. Sheesh. We are not all the same. Just feels like more US bashing to me🤷🏼♀️
Load More Replies..." Weddings that last only one day". WTF Girl? How many days do you want? It would be exhausting over multiple days.
I knew an Indian lady (Tamil), her friends/relatives weddings went on for two or three days, as in one day to gather all family, second day the actual wedding and the following day for the party. I don't know if that's common, just what I've heard from her!
Load More Replies...What I don't understand is considering someone being "rude" for their take on something that is unusual to them. I don't see anything mentioned that was so rude it needed to be called out. Just comparisons and statements of bewilderment and confusion.
I agree with you, BadCat, people are taking this way too seriously. Even if some of her statements are based in misconceptions, the solution is to simply make a correction.
Load More Replies...Cultures are different. Many things are good or bad about many cultures, but most are differences, so we have culture shock and misunderstandings amongst cultures. Trying to impose your culture, religion, government system and such things on other countries and cultures usually doesn't work well and is often wrong. Anyway, trying to understand others, trying to accept them and trying to improve our own cultures is usually for the better.
"Not wanting to have kids" "neutering pets" and "not celebrating periods" are weird?? How can't you wrap your head around the fact that kids are a lot of work and can you bring you to die, so no, not everyone wants one, that neutering pets is very very important cause of all the health risks every time they end up in heat and that celebrating a girl bleeding and a lifelong pain is very creepy even more when they're kids
The celebrating periods thing used to be for advertising the girl and telling the world they are ready to be married off. The worst part of that is that some girls can start periods as early as age 7.
Load More Replies...1st off we do pass things ect wit our left hand cos we wipe our a**e different to other culturals, 2nd i care for a family member who dosnt want to live anywer but there own cozy home, 3rd pride of goin to work when ur sick cos u want to look like a hard worker, how about dont go to work and dont spread ur germs to everyone.
A friend of mine went to india and told me how distusted people were when he ate a sandwish with both hands the fisrt day he ate out.
Load More Replies...Um...me and my Mum helped look after my grandma in her own home until she died at 92. And she wanted to be in her own home. As a 'westerner' I feel it was a great privilege to be able to do that.
Add to that, elder abuse is not unheard of in cultures where people take their parents in
Load More Replies...And also how we sexualize breastfeeding. I know my husband (not a westerner) has reacted on that several times, like how people would shamelessly give him jokes in the lines of "not your boobs anymore *sad face*" (like they ever were "his") and how it's frown upon/sexualized to breastfeed in public, especially older infants/toddlers. He was used to women breastfeeding until toddler age without anyone being bothered by it but here we are in a rush to get breast back to being primary sexual as their "true" purpose (I agree that it's sick).
Ladytron, the interesting thing is that this is relatively recent development in Western cultures. Before formula was widely available in the 1950's, it was considered perfectly normal to breastfeed in public. It isn't as if women stayed home all the time to feed their babies! There are even old pictures on the internet proving that point.
Load More Replies...I 100% agreed with the person who said that if we were to reverse this and talk about 'weird' rituals in other countries , we'd be called racist. Why is this?
Probably because white people have a history of forcing our views on other cultures and acting superior. So I think it is more natural for it to be perceived that way, unfortunately.
Load More Replies...This works both ways. To western people many of the things eastern people seem really strange and backwards.
And likely the reason why both sides would have those perceptions is the lack of understanding the origins of these traditions and their rational, which is based on circumstances and environment.
Load More Replies...U.S. citizen here. I left home to go to university. Then, I moved home. It was supposed to be for further education at a closer university, but then my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia and agoraphobia, and she moved in with my parents, and I. I stopped my plans to work, and help. She passed away, and, well, life happens when you make other plans, so I still live with my parents, and we all coordinate to care for our dog (not a joke), with urinary problems. I'm 39yo...unmarried, with absolutely NO desire to change that fact. So, I wasn't kicked out at 18, my granny was cared for in our house, and I (a family member), do not pay rent. There are 3 other homes in our neighborhood, that I know of, in which the adult children still live with parents. Two homes house a woman, her husband, their daughter, and her girlfriend, and the maternal grandparents live diagonally across the street. Racking up the mythbusting. So, not everything on TV is accurate, or represents the whole country.
Re: "respecting elders" ... I'm lucky in that I get along great with my family, but I've seen enough to know that some elders don't deserve respect. I'm almost 50 and the older I get, the more I'm sure that just being old doesn't make you more worthy. I'm not saying you should be rude to people, but true respect has to be earned.
Absolutely. People muddle courtesy, which should be used freely, and confuse it with respect. I'll be civil, I'll be courteous but people earn respect.
Load More Replies...I don't know if there is an obsession with turning 18 years old, but in my country it is the age when you are legally an adult. So yeah, it's important.
I'm not sure that celebrating a daughter's first period is a thing in that many Eastern cultures? In some countries (in certain communities) you are banished to solitude during the course of your period. Correct me if this is bollocks by all means.
Found this on an Action Aid website "Chhaupadi is an ancient tradition practised in some rural parts of Nepal. It involves banishing people, often young girls, to mud huts or sheds for the duration of their period, or even longer. It is believed they will otherwise bring their family bad luck, or ill health." The Action Aid website for those who might want to read more: https://www.actionaid.org.uk/
Load More Replies...Obviously, the list is long. However, one thing I am puzzled by. How can you NOT use toilet paper? What else do you do??? (And no, I can't afford to have bidet / Japanese toilet installed - after the use of which you'd presumably still have to wipe away the moisture, right?). Hm... the mysteries of cultural habits.
In America you can install attachments to a toilet to turn it into a combination toilet/bidet. And my understanding is that people use towels to dry off, not toilet paper.
Load More Replies...There is nothing wrong with encouraging your kids when they are adults to find their way and figure it out. I am 36 and I remember so many of my acquaintances living with their parents until mid 20's or older and they never seemed to mature. Just kept relying on people and never grew up. Just bc you can support your children indefinitely doesn't mean you should, you are supposed to teach them how to live, how are you going to do that when they never leave. I will also point out that many non-western countries, the kids don't move out until they find someone else and get married...and you wonder why many young men or women seem to rely on their spouses? It's bc they exchanged one parental figure for another. Just my opinions.
You know what is great about the world? The diversity. Every culture is different, there is no perfect or right one. Travel and explore other cultures, But NEVER ever judge them! If you don't like something, then don't do that. If you like something from other culture, then get inspired and change it. And the most important thing while you travel, RESPECT the foreign culture.
Who wears shoes in bed? I live in the US and I've never heard of that. Clothes, too. We wear pajamas, really we do.
I was born in the uk, grew up in and around the Mediterranean and South East Asia and came back to Europe in my late teens and then back to the UK where I am to this day. Moving to each country brought new challenges and experiences based around culture and social practices/graces. As a narly old person reading this post it comes off that the OP may be quite young and/or quite secluded within their new environment as several things listed seem to be US or movie trope centric and much to do with young people.
I'm from SE Asia. Having your first period is not necessarily something to celebrate but it's seen as a rite of passage. My mom didn't celebrate mine. She just acknowledged it and taught me how to take care of myself when I go through my period.
There wer some that I agreed with, but at about half of them I was like "What country did you compare this to? XD"
Celebrating a first period? Meaning congratulations, you’re now an adult and we can get you married off and pocket the huge dowry that we think you’re worth.
Scary when you think about it, because some people start at age 7/8.
Load More Replies...I agree with some of these, like storytelling and believing there is only one god. Others there's a reason for, like neutering.
All western cultures have great religious diversity even if 'western' only refers to the US
Load More Replies...I do think it is irresponsible NOT to neuter pets. Especially the ares where the stray animals are welcome, usually also are pretty populated by them. Wonder how come... And, of course, ANY culture that sees nonhuman animals as inferior, as mere material to be used by them without any compassion is a culture that, being lost, is no loss at all, but a win. Cruelty as a defining feature of your culture isn't the fault of cultures that got beyond that in the journey that is civilization, but identify these as truly inferior. Including the stupid worshippery and sacrifizing and the like - there's a difference between just randomly stating the superiority of one culture, or having a reasonable foundation to identify where it has grown above the state it was in before - not being cruel to animals wasn't considered important in 19th century europe either, but as we got beyond that point, ... also, most cultures not afraid to tell you how close their families are, being a point of supposed supremacy, have no to little issue with abandoning and banning you if you, say, refuse to acknowledge the supremacy of males over females, or dare to doubt the silly stories making up the local religion, generally be curious. A lot of hierarchy and "we don't do evolution here" is in all those cultures. Also, the stupid tale of the noble wild man, living with nature instead of against ... well, they're usually just not enough to make a lasting impact by burning down wood and using the space for agriculture and then move on. If they were enough, they'd make themselves starve before they know, and render themselves unable to do anything sufficient about it. But, yeah, western culture is sooooo flawed (it is, but that's at other points). I call my parents by their fist name. Since always have I done so. They're not just balls and a uterus, they're persons.
Sounds more like a classic case of culture shock. You don't know how long the person has been in that country.
Load More Replies...You should always neuter your pets because that's what a responsible pet owner does. I lived in Europe for a good number of years and I agree with not wearing outside shoes in the house especially in a country like the Netherlands where people don't pick up after their dogs! And unfortunately not everybody has the opportunity to grow up in a happy well-adjusted family with extended family members as a part of their lives. I don't think that cultural thing I think it's just what happens in modern times it's too easy to get married and too difficult to get divorced when it should be the other way around
I'm an atheist myself, but believing there is only one god is kinda the point of any monotheistic religion, isn't it? And by no means is it a western thing.
Last I checked, not wanting to have kids wasn't a "Western culture" thing - it was a personal thing that depended entirely on the individual person regardless of their background. Same with visiting extended family outside of holidays, or whether or not you had your kids pay rent after a certain age or let them live at home after they became legal adults. Here in Australia, it's pretty normal for millenials to be at home well into their mid 20s or later - housing crisis.
But having the OPTION of not having children definitely IS a Western cultural thing, although not exclusive to the West. Many people come from cultures with arranged marriages and no birth control.
Load More Replies...I am an Australian... the country apparently in question....There is a whole lot of inaccuracies and judgements in this post. I don't know ANYONE who goes to bed in shoes and day clothes. Everyone I know has a separate nursey room for day sleeps but they almost all have a cot in the parents room for nights. Most people have nicknames for their siblings. Wisdom teeth are taken out only if they are causing pain or pushing teeth together. I still have two wisdom teeth. Neutering pets is important and letting strays "live their life" begging and suffering on the streets is cruel not to mention horrific for local wildlife. And I don't know anyone who was "kicked out" at 18. Most Aussie kids are desperate to go and be independent and leave home willingly at 18.
Added... I don't think the OP has lived in Australia for very long, or if she has, she hasn't really tried to understand Australian culture.
Load More Replies...When dogs and cats wander around "living their natural lives" in my part of the world, they lose ears and tails to frostbite, get run over on busy roads, and are often prey for urban coyotes. Not to mention, stray dogs can be dangerous when they form packs. Many remote northern communities that don't have easy access to vet clinics sometimes set one day aside for shooting feral dogs, usually after a child has been attacked. People will be warned to keep their pet dogs confined to the house or yard on these days.
OP lost me when she said neutering pets is weird. In AUSTRALIA! Sorry, whatever else they said automaticaclly lost credibility from there, as it speaks for poor education about tje country they live in. But yes, generelly, cultures differ. And so do religions, but there are plenty of rhem that don't accept different gods than theirs. Some of them are currently wrecking havoc amd lives in Nigeria and Afghanistan and all over the globe. It is not a US-Chrisian specific things.
This falls under "Tell me you're racist without saying you're racist." This kind of post written from another national stand point - like say, the obvious target, middle class white USA - would be down voted and flamed so badly it would look like the seventh circle of Hell. Different cultures have different norms - first based on geographical location of that culture, then on its history. And even within the same culture... hell, within the same family... there can be major differences. PS: For the love of animals, neuter your pets!!!!! Where is this poster from? Do strays there live some magical life without strife stress injury abuse hunger fear? So many things wrong with this post - but that to me is the worst because it leads to cruelty to animals.
I don't see this as racist but rather culture shock. Nor would it necessarily be racist if white people expressed some of the same culture shock about other cultures but the difference is that white people historically have forced their ways onto other cultures and acted superior. So it could definitely be SEEN as racist because of that fact.
Load More Replies...Ok, let me get this straight... So OP says it's weird to think Africa is a country, then proceeds to speak of "western cultures" lumping them all together. To me, it's effectively the same as calling Africa a country, isn't it?
Do they lump them all together? I confess it's late, I'm tired and have a dreadful cold but they discuss Western countries and Western cultures as having 'weird to them' aspects and invites others to share what they find weird and people oblige - some 'weird things' could apply quite widely to many countries and cultures and some are quite specific. How is that lumping all cultures together when it's a random list from random people? OP is also not the one that mentions the 'Africa is not a country'.
Load More Replies...Why is it okay for others to rag on the USA all the time? This thread started out as "western world" and ended up targeting the USA. If I tried to do this same kind of article asking about the "eastern world" I'd be called racist or worse. Believe me, those Americans who read BP are totally aware that the United States is not the center of the universe, and we aware of our nation's short-comings. So, BP, please, just stop all the "what's wrong/bad/weird about the United States" articles. They're old news. We already know.
Apart from a few US specific comments, most are not, how is this ragging on the US? A lot of the comments could apply to many countries, many are aspects that happen in Europe and wider. It's also just saying 'weird to them' - yes, there are a couple of comments that could be kinder re the US but they are in the minority. The OP is in Australia so it starts there. Others commenting are from various different countries.
Load More Replies...I would say, that I read a lot of those above statements the way, as if "western" is only the USA. Europe is also western and is very different from the US.
Plus one part of Europe can be very different to another. Too many generalisations made and not just in the above statements, also in the comments here. The West is big!
Load More Replies...I just need to add that whenever an individual bemoans the lack of the "village" to raise their child, it seems really shortsighted and ignorant. Perhaps you are unaware of your family's individual curses. Maybe you were born to a good family who was respectful of boundaries. But when a village raises a child, a village will also punish or discipline the child as they see fit. Most of my parents' generation thinks nothing of hitting/forcibly touching children or stifling them whenever they question what they are told. They have never learned from their own experiences in being abused, and I can't subject a child to that adamant resistance towards growth, therefore I would never leave a child in their custody.
TV TV AND MORE TV. Dogs and cats are not native to most countries. But even in the counties they are native to, they are starving and full of parasites 9/10 of kittens don't live to adulthood even less puppies live as long as cats. So you would prefer all puppies and kittens on the entire planet to suffer their entire tiny short lives to meet your idea of a proper lifestyle. Seems cruel. I was raised by my Granny and my parents together. My oldest daughter was almost 30 when she moved to another country. My youngest was early 20s when she bought a house of her own. My shoes are piled up by the door. I don't get in my bed without a complete shower and different clothes for bed. Teaching girls what they are going through is nothing to be ashamed of and how to take care of themselves is one thing celebrating a child suddenly having the capacity to become pregnant is not cause for celebration. And "no disrespect" but i can't understand cultures where female children are treated no better than female cattle or goats. But hey! At least they are treated better than dogs and cats, left to fend for them selves on the streets. You know, with all due respect.
Screw this list. I'm Not celebrating any child's period. In America that only means that she can be raped and forced to have the child.
It's OK to hand you something with our left hand because we don't wipe our a$$ with our hand because, YES, toilet paper AND a place to wash up. Don't know where you've been using it.
The natural life for a dog, cat, fox, etc is most definitely NOT running wild in Australia.
Celebrating a girl's first period sounds about as awful as celebrating a boy's first successful masturbation.
Any - it's random. Random people saying what they think is a weird western thing which could be anywhere considered 'western'. The OP is in Australia but the other people are from a variety of locations. Some might be more relevant to one country, some are ones they've seen on the telly and might be rather inaccurate! Some I can see apply to a few. It's only people's opinions and not a list of facts.
Load More Replies...Look, every country has their own way of doing things and what may seem weird to them is normal to us and vise versa. The real question is, why does everyone care about what someone else does in their home? I find that weird that other countries are obsessed with western traditions, why do you care and why does it bother you so much? Also, stop believing the western shows you see on your tvs. It's drama, it's comedy, and it's not all true. Ask the average westerner about how they conduct their everyday lives and it will be able to clean up some of the propaganda that you believe. I don't wear my street clothes to bed, or my street shoes around the house, yes we do encourage our kids to leave home at 18 because why in the hell do you still .wanna live with your mom
Because in most cases at home with the family is still the best place. Why do people in a lot of Western Countries develop depressions, burn-outs ect? Because they are learned to work work work , do everything on their own ect... Life is about caring for eachother, being together, enjoying life...
Load More Replies...So many of these are just factually wrong. Most parents do not throw out 18 yr olds as long as they are working or continuing education or both, America is one of the most diverse countries on earth, and I am not "grossed out" by other cultures eating habits. Let stray animals wander around? Because diseases communicable to people and other animals. Baby sleeping in another room-not everyone does. I did and I can tell you why. Baby sleeping the whole night by three months. Me too. `
OP is in Australia and basing her comments on there. Might still be widely inaccurate of course, I wouldn't know. Other comments come from people in various countries. Only a few are US specific. I can see some that apply to other countries.
Load More Replies...1st Gen American born, ( M 54 ) with Sicilian parents. I would agree with dirty shoes in the house, kicking kids out at any age and old folks are taken care of by family; not healthcare. I would add, from my perspective, the food is so simplistic in America. Heck, we ate large amounts of seafood ( coming from an island home ), we rarely ate or ordered out. Good food; not McDonalds. I was expected to protect my three younger sisters at all times irrespective of the consequences to me. Never big on education ( although I was and all three of my daughters and myself are college grads, 1 is still attending, one is already working and one is working on her doctorate ). We worked at a young age. 13 in my case. Paper routes, at the family biz after that. Less activities like scouts and sports. Sundays were for family both nuclear and extended. Less materialistic although we wanted for nothing. Much more frugal yet well off. Don't get me wrong, I love my red, white and blue. Just different.
A lot of these things are only typical for a few Western countries, such as having shoes inside, I think they only do that in the US. And also, strays living their natural lives? Dogs and cats are invasive species, there's no such things as them living naturally as strays. This person clearly isn't aware of that.
I definitely do not want my extended family anywhere near me and my kids. My aunts and uncles are mostly racist hillbillies and my cousins are illiterate. Not a chance would I want them anywhere near.
I find it weird, that the person posting this finds neutering animals weird. It is extremely important since particularly Australia is suffering from their small native species (e.g.: birds) being killed by invasive domestic cats. I love cats, but it is not right that native species become extinct because the number of cats is not regulated by neutering. Grave consequences on the ecosystem.
A lot of these things I have never heard of in western culture (living in the US). I don't wear my shoes inside, the us board of Peds recommend babies sleep in the same room as parents til at least 6 months, no one wears shoes in bed, neutering and spaying pets can actually reduce risk of cancers in pets, and why would I celebrate my periods, just use a pad/tampon and move on with my day.
All of these weird western customs/ideas/practices have made us quite successful.
As of 2022, various cultures have made the individual, the family, or the state the main unit, with an additional this-or-that of materialism vs spiritualism. But we’ve not yet built the right social engine that mixes these like a formula-500 air/fuel/lubricant perfection.
A few things I have to say. 1.- neutering your pets can seriously reduce risk of cancer in that area, also prevents unwanted animal pregnancy which reduces the stray population/ overcrowded animal shelters. 2.- Wisdom teeth are only taken out of they are perceived to create a problem (mine were taken out because they were growing in sideways and would have made my teeth crooked because I have a small mouth) 3.- Celebrating a girls first period is weird and embarrassing. Periods are normal but I was mad that my mom even told my family members, they don't need to know that kinda s**t...it's not like I go announcing to everyone in my life every time I get my period...they don't need to know.
“American Christians”? The entirety of the religion of Christianity believes there is only one God because there is only one God. So does Catholicism and Judaism. It’s not just an American thing. Christianity is a worldwide religion, one of the largest in the world. And if you’re truly following the Bible, you know, as a devoted Christian that there is only on God and the rest another religion has are made by manto represent earthly things. That’s just what I know/have been taught/believe.
I would not celebrate the first period as ( and other ppl said it) it is a sign the girl is now fertile and can be traded in marriage. luckily we are past this beliefs. the girl should get the support she needs, maybe a chocolate and that is it. what we celebrate is birthdays: 10years ( first round age) 12( you can sit in the front seat in car+other similar things) 15 ( you get your ID) 18( officially adult). of course we celebrate every birthday but these are kind of special. no need for a rite of passage anymore
not even going to read all of them as they do not apply to the whole "west". guess what. we do not celebrate halloween as it is an anglo-culture thing, not "western". we do have All saints day though. we go to the cemetery to visit our deceased, lit candles for them, pray in silence, think at them, conteplate memories we have with them, visit our living family members. we do not throw parties. Although US culture is now everywhere and is clashing with the original culture
I’m not sure if some of these are people from America 🤷♀️ If some of them are, please look into everything that VERY wrong with your own country. Most of these are rubbish and if anyone actually does the opposite of what they find odd about westerners, I can’t believe anyone does a lot of these!! If not Americans then sorry. Pissed me off this!!!!
It's a random bunch of people sharing what they, randomly, find weird about western cultures in various western countries. A few comments are about the US but most aren't. Some are rubbish, some inaccurate but based on TV probably, and some are true. I'd not get pissed off about what a lot of random people think - we find their cultures weird in many instances and that's all this is. Weird doesn't necessarily mean wrong, just different.
Load More Replies...Nobody wants to go to work sick. You have to or you get fired. Spaying and neutering stops animals from being killed for over population. There is a reason we have hunting and fishing seasons. People talk about Americans not knowing many cultures, most people in the US will never leave their state. You can't take a drive here in a day or two and end up in another country. We don't HAVE to know about other cultures to be fair. I will never own a passport. No one in my family has a passport. There has never been anyone in my life that has a passport. People who talk about this are from other countries that the culture or the norms are TRAVELING. Traveling is either easy because of a small country or so common that price is not an issue. And honestly I will never be able to pay 300.00 for a passport. That's a lot of money for a tiny book that will never get used.
Well, getting fired for being sick might apply in the US but it doesn't in most western countries. Not sure why so many commenters, as seen in several remarks above, are assuming this is just about the US - quite a few of the 'weird in the west' comments could apply in other countries.
Load More Replies...Sorry, but my kids both slept in the bedroom [because of financial issues] until they at least 3. They still try to crawl into my bed much older because of this. Creating a safe environment with baby monitors in a separate room [ones without an internet connection because eff that] is perfectly fine & I will shame no family for it.
Edit: I'm not sure which country the poster if from! In Australia we don't have a no outside shoe thing (as far as I know!) we mostly get around in thongs (flip flops) or work boots/runners. We also look after our parents!! We may not keep them in our but Ouse but we do look after them.
I'm in the US, we change our clothes to go to bed, my son lived at home until he was 23. All pets absolutely should be neutered, Yeah not leaving bugs that come into my house alone , not sleeping with a spider in my house A Hard Pass about the first period party I was 11 Africa is a continent, grouping people together & saying western culture is that same as saying Africa is one country, North America is made up of two countries & lots of regions I would rather take a bath with a toaster than live with my Mother or Mother in law just because they are old does not mean I have to take care of them, that is why there are 55 and older communities & assisted living with 24 care , I have my own household to support & maintain. The North East US is a two income area no one an stay home to take care of their relatives. Stop making generalizations that because we are from the US we are terrible people & educate yourself about all cultures.
Who is making generalisations about the US? The OP is in Australia and basing it on her experiences there (rightly or wrongly). Then she asks what do others think is weird about western countries, plural (not just the US) and western cultures - any of them. A few comments mention the US specifically but many are applicable to Europe or other Western countries. The West is vast and has a lot of differences across it. There are a lot based on what people have probably seen on TV, that isn't their fault if TV programmes do a terrible job portraying the people of that country. None of it is anything that actually matters - it's just different to them so subjectively feels weird. No idea why people are so bent out of shape, though they do seem easily offended.
Load More Replies...There's a lot to unpack here. TLDR: USA is weird, but a few of us are actually decent, civilized, reasonable folks.
It isn't about the US though. The OP is in Australia. A few comments are based on the US but many could apply to other countries.
Load More Replies...Ammm this is a bit odd and A LOT of this things are now western per se, but more US based
By western, do you mean US? Most of this doesnt ring any bells. We co sleep, dont kick 18yp out etc. The grand parent would hate to live with us, they have their own life and prefer planned social visits. Neutering is good akd stray animals suffer.
OP is in Australia. Commenters are from various and the comments could easily apply to many different countries.
Load More Replies...at least half are in fact typical for USA (and partly Canada through contamination). if some are extending in other parts of the West, they do it as an emulation, like the Halloween. On the other hand, a quarter of OP's observations are impractical in a western environment. While the obsession for planning is a bit overboard and makes the West lose many opportunities, the increased individualism and urban rules made possible the economic growth. It's not tradition against individuality, it's what fits you best without alienating you in the West or drawing you back in the rest. Global warming puts even more pressure, and times will come when, for example, in a year there will be a surplus of pork overall and a deficit of meat in some muslim countries, so the mufti there will have to choose between temporary pork consumption and bugs or hunger. Same with the western consumer whose habits became a bit rigid.
Halloween got taken to the US, it's not an emulation where it's celebrated in other countries. Even trick or treating happened long before the US existed. It was known as 'mumming' in the middle ages.
Load More Replies...…. A lot of these are not „Western culture“, but US culture. In Europe people don‘t wear shoes inside their house, they do not throw out their kids and Babys don‘t sleep all alone in their own room (often enough Babys don‘t even have their own room). And I‘ve never heared of taking out wisdom teeth when they are not hurting.
Just a friendly reminder: Downvotes are not dislikes buttons, they are BAN buttons. If you disagree with someone, reply or do not upvote. If you agree, upvote. If it is filled with profanity or spam, downvote. If it is filled with an opinion other then yours - don't! Keep the discussion going. 5 (or was it 10?) Downvotes will get you banned.
More than half of what's been described here is either only partly true or not even close to being true
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