The United States and European countries sometimes feel worlds apart. And it’s a natural thing for different nations to develop unique cultures, systems, and institutions. But once you start traveling a bit more broadly, you start comparing your destinations. Each place has its upsides and downsides, but the differences can be striking at times.
Redditor u/TREE__FR0G, an aspiring herpetologist, asked people to share the things that are completely normal in most places in Europe but would seem very strange to someone living in the US. Scroll down to see what the internet thinks are the biggest differences between Europe and the US.
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Providing healthcare to sick people without bankrupting them.
If anyone tells you how difficult Universal Health Care is to do, remind them that only 35/36 of the largest economies can make it work.
Prices already includes taxes
Should be this way everywhere, so no one's surprised by the full cost. I know what is taxable and how much tax where I live, but not where I travel.
Nudeness.
No, we don't all walk around naked all day.
Yes, we have nude beaches. Yes, on most regular lakes where people go swimming, you most likely see their little kids running around nekkid. Yes, most saunas are "nude only". Yes, you see boobs, a*s and penis on TV (like, if there's a movie and the situation "demands" it). Yes, we have sex education where they use books with images of naked humans in school.
It's just a body. And no, nude doesn't mean "sex!!1!".
A major peculiar aspect of life in the States is the existing tipping culture. As we’ve explained on Bored Panda recently, one of the issues with the way the culture exists in its current form is that it tricks some consumers into paying more than they planned to. In essence, Americans are falling victim to tip inflation or tipflation.
As a result, some customers might decide to boycott some chains or local restaurants, preferring to go elsewhere, where they feel less pressure to tip extremely generously. If tipping is mandatory, it’s not really tipping, now is it? It’s just a hidden tax—one that might not be reflected in the menu.
I’m a project manager in the US and it baffles me that my European team gets an entire month off in the summer.
I’m over here saving my vacation days incase I get sick.
dd/mm/yyyy
SO sensible and completely logical. Also, meters, kilometers, degrees Celcius. It is just plain stupid that the US clings to imperial when nearly all the rest of the world is on metric!
Another big issue for many Americans living in the US is the abhorrent healthcare system. It’s not just a question of opinion, though. The system is very inefficient, incredibly expensive, and markedly worse than in other developed nations. It’s a major issue that ought to be solved.
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation explains how the US spends more on healthcare per person than other wealthy countries around the world. This came to an average of $12,555 per person in 2022, the highest among developed nations. The second-highest spending was recorded in Switzerland, standing at $8,049 per person. Now compare that to the average for OECD countries (excluding the US) which is $6,414 per capita.
Walkable cities
Portland, Oregon, Boston Massachusetts, New York City. There are a few who have it figured out. The rest of the country is living in the dark ages if Mid 20th century car centered life.
Meanwhile, Germany spent $8,011 per person on healthcare in 2022. The Netherlands spent $7,358, Belgium clocked in at $6,600, France stood at $6,517, and Sweden shelled out $6,438 per person. Ireland spent $6,047, slightly below the OECD average. As did the United Kingdom ($5,493 per person) and Italy (merely $4,291 per person).
All in all, healthcare prices in the US are roughly twice as big as the average. However, this does not mean that Americans get healthcare that is ‘twice as good.’ There’s an issue with how these funds are utilized. For one, there’s a lack of competition between hospitals, which has led to administrative waste and inefficiencies in the entire system.
taking an ambulance without a worry in the world
I'm pretty sure anyone taking an ambulance ride has at least one thing to be worried about
Online bank transfers. Americans get all excited over stuff like Venmo but I can send money to anyone via my online banking app for free.
Cashiers having chairs
Cashiers in the US stand all day? I had no idea. What do the trade unions have to say about this?
“The United States spends over $900 per person on administrative costs—four times more than the average of other wealthy countries and about the same as we spend on preventive or long-term healthcare,” the Foundation notes.
Furthermore, the American healthcare system leads to worse health outcomes (e.g. life expectancy, unmanaged diabetes) than in other wealthy countries.
6 weeks vacation
Okay - it should say "Up to" etc. - the timeframe differs greatly between the regions, thee workplaces, the disablement status, the age, the experience, the time of your employment....
The hugest mindf**k for me is the maternity leave. An entire, paid year?! I get that they can channel more money into that stuff since the US has military needs paid for, but that’s still pretty impressive.
The issue isn’t the US’s military budget, although this is higher than is typical in Europe. The issue is that US government is hamstrung by ‘conservatives’ who are simply misogynists who won’t recognise that maternity leave is hugely beneficial for mother and child, and that supporting mothers results in better long-term economic outcomes.
Go to the grocery store on your bicycle.
Walking from shop to shop in the city centre.
I live in Portland, Oregon and haven't driven a car in almost 20 years. I have a dedicated shopping bike I use one a week and all winter. It's the bike with fenders. I can carry two shopping bags home at a time and that's how I control my spending.
Taking your own shopping bag(s) to the supermarket.
Totally normalized in all European countries as far as I know. Or buy a (firm) shopping bag at the store if you don't have one with you.
All those plastic bags in US stores, so small that it can only hold two cans of milk so you see customers with a dozen plastic bags for their groceries.. unthinkable in Europe.
Europeans HAVE to. It's banned to give out those small bags
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Plastic bags aren't legal in some US states anymore (mine included). So yeah, we all bring our own.
I live in Maine, no plastic bags here. The target bags are really nice for only $.05, the Walmart bags are only a little better $.75. Though there's now a real issue of people picking up orders being given an excessive number of bags and no way to recycle them.
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In Canada, where I live, plastic bags no longer exist. You must bring your own bags.
They go really nicely with the bottles of spaghettiOs
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I live in Oregon, US, I take laundry baskets to the store (in the trunk of my car!) so I can just load the groceries into the baskets then carry those into the house. Saves the bags.
Stores in my area have spare boxes (from unpacked stock) for customer use. Handy in case anyone forgets their own bag.
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This is changing. I just went grocery shopping yesterday with my own bags. Laws vary by state / municipality but there is a general trend towards less single use plastic. Local law is they can no longer give plastic bags out for free and the ones they sell have to be reusable. I have a large mesh beach bag I've used for years and several cheap plastic ones I got from Walmart and Winco that I have used several times so far. There is still thinner single use bags for bulk foods and some produce. We (USA) are behind many other countries in this regard but I am happy to see the changes happening.
We do this in California. By law stores have to charge you for plastic bags to discourage use. I’d be fine if they got rid of them completely.
They did in CT, they're not even available anymore. If you need a bag, most stores have paper bags. But everyone i see are using the cloth bags.
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The paper bags are just as bad. Plus, most places charge for them now. They're just another way for businesses to make a profit off of you, while making garbage that our broken recycling system can't and won't handle.
Umm, I moved to the US for a job and I see plenty of people take their own bags. Some stores don’t even offer plastic bags as they are illegal.
Supermarkets are forbidden to sell plastic bags in germany. They are only allowed to sell you paper bags or "firm" reusable bags.
Especially since stores now charge per bag But the bags are much sturdier than in the past. You can reuse them. And I can get a LOT more than '2 cans of milk' in them. We have jugs of milk over here. 1\2 gallon and 1 gallon.
This is changing in the US. More stores are either requiring customers to bring their own bags, or the store has switched back to paper bags.
I love using my own bags....especially the insulated ones for frozen and refrigerated items!
This is was fairly common a lot of places up until the pandemic. In my area, you couldn't use your own bags at the peak of covid, so we got out of the habit. There are some cities that have actually banned plastic bags entirely.
I've got a shopping trolley, it can carry a case of bottled ale and 6 bottles of wine, sorted.
I lived in Austin, Texas and we take our own grocery bags shopping. Been doing that for years.
All large retailers in Canada have stopped using plastic bags. Some stores are offering paper bags, however most places require you to bring your own.
I have been using cloth shopping bags for many, many years. When I did use plastic bags, it was because of “save the trees” action that was going on, I found it a good idea! Recycle everything became the popular thing. I used the plastic bags to line my small kitchen can(not anymore). The trash company began to give us cans meant just for yard waste(including meat bones, food scraps and such) My small kitchen can now only gets plastic wrappers, etc. I recycle everything I can. If it is not trash or “recycle “, I take it to a charity in hope of someone else being able to use it.
It's becoming more common as stores are banning plastic bags and charging for paper ones.
I keep shopping bags by the door and a few in the car. I am 6 miles (10km) from the nearest supermarket because we have food deserts here, even if I live in a very well-to-do area.
This is true. It was easy to stop people using them. They made people PAY for those plastic bags. So we started to use cloth bags just like my grandmother did few decades ago. I still use her old bags and those are my favourites :)
Many cities and counties are banning the one time use plastic grocery bags. I havent seen any in stores in a few years. I hope it continues to spread.
Two cans of milk? 1. Why is your milk in cans and 2. Why can your plastic bags only hold two of them? Lol
This must be an old list. It's pretty standard to take your own bags where I live
This is becoming a law here in my area. You can still get plastic bags, but must pay extra for them. We're slowly switching to reusable bags.
Canada here. Loads of people do this, unless they need the crappy plastic ones to use as bin-liners.
We used to have large firm paper bags that were recyclable. Then we were told to switch to plastic to save the environment. (Obviously didn't work out to well.)
I began using fabric shopping bags with the advent of Covid. Difficult if you are disabled, but still doable. I speak from experience.
I'm an American. Our household does use the reusable grocery bags, but we don't have enough of them to always cover our full grocery store trips, so we usually end up with at least a few plastic ones every trip, but that's okay for us, cuz we have several small trashcans that those bags are perfectly sized for.
In my hometown they charge 10 cents extra for every paper bag used. Most of us said "nuts to that! I'll just re-use the same paper bag... oh. Wait a minute, I've been had."
We don't use plastic bags in Colorado. Well, probably some still do, and they have to pay for them too!
Until recently you couldn’t get reusable shopping bags in the states for less than several dollars apiece. Now that plastics are the issue du jour, you can get them for 50¢ apiece at walmart.
This one really depends on where you live. I have been bringing my own bags for decades.
We just lost our plastic bags from the supermarkets last year and I can not stand having to remember to bring my own bags to the store, half the time I forget. I used the hell out of those plastic bags, too, they didn't go to waste. But now I have about 300 reusable bags that I don't know what to do with and can't use the way I used to use the plastic ones at home. Every time I place an order for pickup, I get about 10 more. Also saw a news report on how people are inundated with the reusable ones now.
California has mandated that if you use a bag from the grocery store you pay for it every time for a very long time and it adds up so most California insurance reusable bags and in parts of California that's been going on over 10 years
I guess it's a state by state thing in the US but in New York, stores no longer offer plastic bags, and some are making paper bags harder to get too
My car boot is full of bags for life. Yet I still have to do the park the full trolley and dash to car detour to get a bag. This Wednesday just gone, park the car up, get the trolley token and then mother pipes up that she’s left her shopping list at home. Drive back home, pick up list, drive back down, park up again, spend 5 minutes arguing over where the trolley token is, eventually start shopping. I don’t like Wednesdays.
It may be a cliché, but brown paper bags with no handles? Right, that's going to work for a family's shopping.
I try to bring my own bags ..you know how many times I've been told to leave them at the register or implied that I was going to steal? Idiots
Depends where you live. In New York we have to use reusable bags and plastic bags are rare to come by; typically only in restaurants and PetSmart have plastic; maybe small convenience stores too
Do you have to pay for carrier bags in the US? Ours are at least 10p per bag at all shops.
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I have bought three usable shopping totes for when I go grocery shopping. Prefer it that way. I can get more groceries in the totes than I can in plastic bags. When I go grocery shopping, I still see majority of people using plastic bags. Never seen a another person using a shopping tote yet.
Most of stores offer canvas bags or paper bags, but you can still buy plastic bags (from recycles plastic, or at least they say so)
This is also very common in the US. And every store carries them at checkout in case you bought more than anticipated.
I live in the US, most, if not all stores have done away with plastic bags. Its now bring your own bags.
Ehhhh. In Norway you get plastic bags at the till. some people do bring their own nets but most people dispose of trash in grocery-plasticbags. You do have to pay a fair bit for those bags as of a new law of taxation now, so it might be changing.
TBH, I thought Americans use paper bags (as seen on TV, lol)? Morrisons deliver using paper bags, but most of the other supermarkets either deliver loose in trays they empty, or use plastic bags and then collect/refund them (Ocado). As for visiting supermarkets, many take their own 'life' bags or fold up ones as seen above, and quite a few only sell Life bags or hessian ones at the cashier stands.
Depends on sate, most places ban plastic bags so you'll have to bring your own unless you pay for a paper or tote bag
Bought a *firm* grocery bag at a shop in London for 70p (R12.60 at the time). Figured it would last. Hah. The handle broke the next time I used it.
im still traumatized by the crazy amount of plastic bags that came with my friends shopping in Walmart. They even bagged the gallon of juice/drink/something that had a convenient handle O_O
Again Oregon is the exception not the rule but we banned plastic bags about a decade ago.
Maybe if you had thicker and larger bags in the US. What they call plastic bags there is thin like the produce bags we use in Germany.
Not wearing shoes in our homes.
I'm from the Netherlands and most people I know don't mind if you wear shoes in their homes. It's a personal choice, not a cultural thing.
Mayo with french fries.
I’m in the US but have cousins in Holland. They introduced me to to this years ago and it’s pretty awesome.
Coalition governments
YES!!! Seriously I am so sick of a two party system! Democrats and Republicans BOTH suck! How did we get stuck with this BS?
Work Life Balance
Going to Europe and then coming back to Texas and visiting our corporate offices in Dublin, London, Paris.
Yes the European working hours are different. But it seems there’s more of a balance and respect for personal time and medical time or absence. Vs in America working yourself to the bone.
Also the absence of Tipping, and availability of metro and being able to conveniently walk where you need to get to. 1 mile in Europe feels shorter than the 1 mile walk in USA hahaha sidewalk availability and lack of parks to cut through etc.
This is very noticeable. Most Europeans have a far greater respect of the life part of the Work Life balance, and so this is seen reflected in cultural norms and often laws. (For example, try to go shopping in Germany on a Sunday or see the consequences of non-emergency work-related 'phone calls outside standard office hours.)
trains
We have trains. Yeah, this country is backward as f**k but we have goddamned trains.
The right to roam.
It's glorious to be able to hike across private land when you grow up used to signs saying "Trespassers will be shot."
Unlocked phones.
When I lived in the US it was hard for me to get around the idea that I couldn't use the phone that I bought with AT&T with a SIM card from T-Mobile. In Europe I interchange my SIM cards with zero problems. I can even change my provider and keep the same number and of course the same phone.
You can get your phone unlocked if you've finished paying it off
Legally enshrined right to online privacy
I'm curious how this differs from eu legislation. For example, the app store must clearly state how data is collected and how it is used. Sites can be prohibited from collecting data and the use of cookies can be adjusted manually. Apps can be denied access to, for example, the camera, messages or gallery if you want.
Roundabouts. They're like the rotary phones of the road - Americans look at them in utter confusion and wonder where to dial.
Biking, public transportation, walking in the city, basically not living life centered around driving a car.
The United States has an extremely low population density. When you live 25 miles from the nearest Walmart and there's nothing in between except corn and soybean fields, you need a car.
Mandatory recycling
E-government, being able to do 99% of the things needed online.
This one is also not true. It depends on the country. Some countries in Europe are still very, very bureaucratic
More people are day drinking in Europe than I have ever seen in America.
Please come visit us on the West Coast. Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and LA know how to day drink.
Inter country travel. I don't even live on the main European land mass. I live on a European island. But I can fly to most European countries in under four hours. And it's not a million euro to do so.
Having your washing machine in your kitchen.
European houses are small, often no room to incorporate separate laundry room.
Paying to use a toilet.
"The Committee to End Pay Toilets in America, or CEPTIA, was a 1970s grass-roots political organization which was one of the main forces behind the elimination of pay toilets in many American cities and states." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_End_Pay_Toilets_in_America
Well, in some countries, having a monarchy (UK, Denmark + the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Leichtenstein, Monaco, technically also Andorra and Vatican City) or even a quasi-monarchy (Romania, Serbia, where the monarchies have a sort-of-official role while still being a Republic).
Also, having a religion tax (which you can opt out of if you formally leave the Church or other religious organisation if there's an option for it to go to a non-Christian one), in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Spain (as a choice of where your tax goes, doesn't change the overall amount) and some cantons of Switzerland. And having a particular state or established Church (England, Scotland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Iceland) or national/"people's" Church (Sweden, Norway).
Electric kettles.
Again, I’ve seen a lot of electric kettles in the Us, I even have one
being able to tilt open your windows
in usa your windows only open like doors, i couldnt imagibe living in a house lacking such basic features as tilting open the top of the window
Not really an unknown concept but letting cats go outside and roam around. It's just the norm in the UK.
A majority of veterinarians in the UK now recommend keeping cats indoors. Also,the UK does not have coyotes...who would just as soon kill your cat than look at it.
I am european and this is getting quiet boring. There's nothing new in this articles and our american friens pretty much know what their country is lacking. No need to check if they still remember it... You know it is called bullying to constantly put someone down?! Can we please have more posts that show the good and beautiful sides of america? I know there is a lot to cover.
Agreed, I’m European too and it’s always the same weekly ‘Americans do it wrong’ post. That’s probably enough now.
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is it Monthly? I thought it was biweekly but I am known to be wrong quite often.
Load More Replies... Reposting the same hatred again, Bored Panda? How many times are you going to recycle the b******t?
OK, the US has major shortcomings. But why is there never a featured post that bashes Russia? Or China?
honeslty bashing Russia is being done just fine. Just not here. I've shat in cleaner outhouses than all of Russia.
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Kettles, trains, cars yup all there. Just another repeat of the usual Xenophobic b******t. I'm going to start reporting these threads because frankly they are just stupid. We know we have issues here. Its not news, no one is teaching us anything we don't already have thorough self awareness of. Politely put, European countries are also highly dysfunctional in their own ways. worry about whats in your own borders. I mean Victor Orban is far from a progressive, future forward leader. Macron and Schultz and their back channel Putin relationship. S**t, Merkel was basically the main supporter of Putin from the 90s. Thanks Mutti! Y'all are ready to s**t on the USA for our problems yet you all have let Russia chip pieces of your countries away and do nothing about it. Transnistria, Kaliningrad, S Ossetia, etc. Get your own house in order or help us. Jonas Grinevičius, Pushing xenophobic content is not your best look. bring back cat pics.
They don't have that in all Europe right now, either. Muslims are terrified for their kids in Scandinavia.
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This is like the thirtieth post bashing America. I'm wondering if a hardcore USA hater is writing these. We KNOW our country is terrible. But maybe once in awhile highlight some good things? Even Russia has at least one good thing (pretty buildings).
our country is not terrible. Yes it has issues but it is not terrible
Load More Replies... Oh great. Another America sucks article. Haven't had one of these in almost 3 days. Gaps in bathroom stalls? Really?
Well for a website supposedly dedicated to showing such things as beautiful pictures, cute cartoons and loveable animals, BP sure has made a hard turn into bullying and vitriol, and starting arguments amongst normally nice people. I've seen a lot of the original people who came for the fun. completely leave the site, never to be heard from again. I think that's a shame.
I see a double standard in all these ever present US bashing posts. Any of us could be banned at a moments notice for a comment that other people or the BP censors don't like, but BP itself is engaging in bullying by belittling the US constantly. I think by now even countries other than the US are getting sick of it.
Just what I needed… yet another article on European civilization vs American barbarism. And yet I’m the fool for reading it and getting bothered by things with which I often agree…
So many of these are myths or outright not realizing the US is larger than their tiny country. When you live 80 miles from your job, you need a car. Our cities are walkable and have good public transportation. Which is great if you live and work in the city. But not everyone does.
American with family in Europe. UK and EU alike. The world is not as different as this post wants people to believe. Some of the most walkable cities I've seen are in the US, and some of them are in Europe. Violence is not exclusive ot the US. Poverty, either. Could the US do better? Yes. However, that doesn't mean there's no wrongs elsewhere, so please, just find a real topic or re-post kitten and puppy pictures.
I think a notable accomplishment has been made here. The first time in history a comparison between Europe and America, and not one mention of the metric system versus the imperial system! 😂
I guess it has been a week or two since the boring, beaten to death topic of xenophobic Europeans pointing out the glaringly obvious issues with the USA that they have nothing to do with... P**s off BP with the nonsense.
Can we just stop treating Europe like it's one country? It isn't! All of these vary a lot from country to country. For instance, I'm Greek, and probably half of those (maybe more) are not the norm in Greece. Things are not even the same in each US state, and they all belong in the same country.
I agree that these articles dissing the US are bullying and divisive. I teach international students and one of the first things I talk to them about is being respectful of other people's countries and cultures. I would feel awful if I came here every week to read hate about my country.
And every country has its issues, but .... I've been downvoted nearly to oblivion for simply saying that fact, so I apologize in advance. It's basiaclly BP's "thing" now to make sure everyone worships Europe, even Russia, and never mention anything unifying other than "Europe vs US".
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And the other way around. It's much easier to start your business and earn money with lots of opportunities, and less bureaucracy.
Okay here we go 😛 1). Don't rinse the fries before baking them, that's a big no no... 2) You cook them a first time around 140 Celsius, not for long they shouldn't get color yet. Then dry them a little with household paper and let them cool down completely 3) when you're ready for dinner you cook them again around 180 Celsius 😉🤗 and indeed .. no veggie oil 😅
One thing I got from this is that millions of Americans know nothing about parts of the US that they've never seen, and are as willing as Europeans to make invalid generalizations about the US
It's extremely obvious that many Europeans think they know things about Americans, but they are clearly clueless.
They forgot to add PATERNITY leave! In other words, the father can take off work to take cafe of a baby instead. In Sweden, we also have sick days for kids. Basically a parent can stay at home to take care of a small child and be covered for 80% of their salary-
Place I worked at had paternity leave. Six weeks, but better than nothing. Obviously wasn't a minimum wage place.
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I am european and this is getting quiet boring. There's nothing new in this articles and our american friens pretty much know what their country is lacking. No need to check if they still remember it... You know it is called bullying to constantly put someone down?! Can we please have more posts that show the good and beautiful sides of america? I know there is a lot to cover.
Agreed, I’m European too and it’s always the same weekly ‘Americans do it wrong’ post. That’s probably enough now.
Load More Replies... is it Monthly? I thought it was biweekly but I am known to be wrong quite often.
Load More Replies... Reposting the same hatred again, Bored Panda? How many times are you going to recycle the b******t?
OK, the US has major shortcomings. But why is there never a featured post that bashes Russia? Or China?
honeslty bashing Russia is being done just fine. Just not here. I've shat in cleaner outhouses than all of Russia.
Load More Replies... Kettles, trains, cars yup all there. Just another repeat of the usual Xenophobic b******t. I'm going to start reporting these threads because frankly they are just stupid. We know we have issues here. Its not news, no one is teaching us anything we don't already have thorough self awareness of. Politely put, European countries are also highly dysfunctional in their own ways. worry about whats in your own borders. I mean Victor Orban is far from a progressive, future forward leader. Macron and Schultz and their back channel Putin relationship. S**t, Merkel was basically the main supporter of Putin from the 90s. Thanks Mutti! Y'all are ready to s**t on the USA for our problems yet you all have let Russia chip pieces of your countries away and do nothing about it. Transnistria, Kaliningrad, S Ossetia, etc. Get your own house in order or help us. Jonas Grinevičius, Pushing xenophobic content is not your best look. bring back cat pics.
They don't have that in all Europe right now, either. Muslims are terrified for their kids in Scandinavia.
Load More Replies... This is like the thirtieth post bashing America. I'm wondering if a hardcore USA hater is writing these. We KNOW our country is terrible. But maybe once in awhile highlight some good things? Even Russia has at least one good thing (pretty buildings).
our country is not terrible. Yes it has issues but it is not terrible
Load More Replies... Oh great. Another America sucks article. Haven't had one of these in almost 3 days. Gaps in bathroom stalls? Really?
Well for a website supposedly dedicated to showing such things as beautiful pictures, cute cartoons and loveable animals, BP sure has made a hard turn into bullying and vitriol, and starting arguments amongst normally nice people. I've seen a lot of the original people who came for the fun. completely leave the site, never to be heard from again. I think that's a shame.
I see a double standard in all these ever present US bashing posts. Any of us could be banned at a moments notice for a comment that other people or the BP censors don't like, but BP itself is engaging in bullying by belittling the US constantly. I think by now even countries other than the US are getting sick of it.
Just what I needed… yet another article on European civilization vs American barbarism. And yet I’m the fool for reading it and getting bothered by things with which I often agree…
So many of these are myths or outright not realizing the US is larger than their tiny country. When you live 80 miles from your job, you need a car. Our cities are walkable and have good public transportation. Which is great if you live and work in the city. But not everyone does.
American with family in Europe. UK and EU alike. The world is not as different as this post wants people to believe. Some of the most walkable cities I've seen are in the US, and some of them are in Europe. Violence is not exclusive ot the US. Poverty, either. Could the US do better? Yes. However, that doesn't mean there's no wrongs elsewhere, so please, just find a real topic or re-post kitten and puppy pictures.
I think a notable accomplishment has been made here. The first time in history a comparison between Europe and America, and not one mention of the metric system versus the imperial system! 😂
I guess it has been a week or two since the boring, beaten to death topic of xenophobic Europeans pointing out the glaringly obvious issues with the USA that they have nothing to do with... P**s off BP with the nonsense.
Can we just stop treating Europe like it's one country? It isn't! All of these vary a lot from country to country. For instance, I'm Greek, and probably half of those (maybe more) are not the norm in Greece. Things are not even the same in each US state, and they all belong in the same country.
I agree that these articles dissing the US are bullying and divisive. I teach international students and one of the first things I talk to them about is being respectful of other people's countries and cultures. I would feel awful if I came here every week to read hate about my country.
And every country has its issues, but .... I've been downvoted nearly to oblivion for simply saying that fact, so I apologize in advance. It's basiaclly BP's "thing" now to make sure everyone worships Europe, even Russia, and never mention anything unifying other than "Europe vs US".
Load More Replies... And the other way around. It's much easier to start your business and earn money with lots of opportunities, and less bureaucracy.
Okay here we go 😛 1). Don't rinse the fries before baking them, that's a big no no... 2) You cook them a first time around 140 Celsius, not for long they shouldn't get color yet. Then dry them a little with household paper and let them cool down completely 3) when you're ready for dinner you cook them again around 180 Celsius 😉🤗 and indeed .. no veggie oil 😅
One thing I got from this is that millions of Americans know nothing about parts of the US that they've never seen, and are as willing as Europeans to make invalid generalizations about the US
It's extremely obvious that many Europeans think they know things about Americans, but they are clearly clueless.
They forgot to add PATERNITY leave! In other words, the father can take off work to take cafe of a baby instead. In Sweden, we also have sick days for kids. Basically a parent can stay at home to take care of a small child and be covered for 80% of their salary-
Place I worked at had paternity leave. Six weeks, but better than nothing. Obviously wasn't a minimum wage place.
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