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Americans Are Sharing Things They Wish The US Would Learn From Other Countries, And Here Are 30 Insightful Answers
What better way to broaden your worldview than by traveling? Being able to experience new social norms and customs that might be miles away from what you're used to sounds like a great way to get some new perspectives. Perhaps just because things have always been a certain way, doesn't mean it's necessarily the best?
One Redditor asked US citizens what they think the US could adopt from other countries, and people had a lot to say. It's clever to check out how other systems work once in a while, and these folks noticed some huge gaps that the US needs to jump.
From mundane things like shoes in the house, to the whole tax system, people were eager to share where they think the US is lacking. Bored Panda selected the best submissions on what Americans could learn from other countries. Upvote your favorites, and don't be shy to share your opinion in the comments below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
No tipping. But actually having a good salary for waiters not to mention, health insurance, paid vacation.
Torben Møller-Nielsen 2 years ago
In Denmark waiters are paid a decent wage, so you only give a tip if the service has been extraordinary.
Ace 2 years ago
Same in any civilised country. Being a waiter is a respected profession in Switzerland for example.
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Alyssa 2 years ago
I would hate to live somewhere I have to tip. I want to order my food/drink, pay for it, enjoy it, say thank you, then leave. I’m not here to pay your employees - that’s your job as the employer
Id row 2 years ago
A while back, tipping wasn't a big deal. You tipped wait staff, taxis and food delivery a moderate amount and the system worked. Now with how out of control tipping culture is, I don't even want to utilize any kind of service because EVERYONE expects to be tipped now. And they'll chase you down if it's not at least 30%.
Oh Gosh 2 years ago
Dear Lord please make this a thing. Everybody in the US wants a tip now. Make your own bowl of yogurt at the yogurt shop but the cashier wants a tip for checking you out?! Wtf? Absolutely not. And you see this everywhere for people doing the simplest things. Knowing good and well they aren't getting paid what waitstaff at a sit-down restaurant are getting paid. Seriously infuriates me.
Trophy Husband 2 years ago
I read an article the other day about a tip option at self checkout! I think that AI has decided to cash in on this. But seriously, a culture where tips are expected is bad, mkay!
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Jilly 2 years ago
Best kept secret- servers and bartenders in the US make more than minimum wage. I loved working as a server in an expensive city( Chicago) in my 20s . I’d died of boredom having a 9-5 job. You’d work hard and make a boatload of money( cash) and the next time you can relax and go home early. So much flexibility as well which is why all my coworkers were actors and artists. Fit
Anett Szondra 2 years ago
That's your experience. What about a lady in her 50's, kids, husband, in a small town cafe? Not everyone who works in catering ia an unemployed actor you know. That's true for the rest of the world
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StrangeOne 2 years ago
Even in Canada the tipping expectations are trickling in. We don't like the direction it's going, either.
RELATED:
#2
Including taxes in prices.
Loverboy 2 years ago
I hate this. If I'm going to buy something, tell me how much it actually costs instead of showing me your filthy lies.
Kathrin Pukowsky 2 years ago
It's been explained to me that it's because the amount of sales tax is different from state to state. Which still doesn't make sense because when you go to a physical shop, you are going to buy the product in that establishment, in the state it's in. So I see no reson why the shop can't put the price + tax on the price tag.
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liam newton-harding 2 years ago
For those saying that different States, and different Counties have different Sales Taxes...great...Except computers, and label printers have been an actual thing for decades now. Computers are just calculators. Do not tell the rest of us that Home Depot, Walmart, Price Chopper can not mark the products they sell with the actual prices you pay, at the checkout.
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago
I'm a Canadian and I'm so used to this that I never considered this til I traveled.
Brenda 2 years ago
And every city/county/state has different tax rates. Loved VAT when I was in England! Makes so much more sense
N Miller 2 years ago
It's mathematically easier now it's 20% too. Back when it was 17.5% it was soooo much harder to do in your head. (It was also briefly 10%)
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🇺🇦 PrincessPatton 🇺🇦 2 years ago
In my country, you must sell at the price you list for the product. If you charge customers more than this, you could be fined and, if you repeatedly violate it, the authorities could even close your shop.
Chris Sprucefield 2 years ago
In EU, for consumers, it is a legal requirement to display the correct and final prices on the shelf / product in that the consumer can easily see the cost of an item. Many (most) places also has this requirement to display menus on the outside with pricing.
#3
When I was in Austria and Germany, I walked my ass off everyday because I could. The streets were safe with designated pedestrian areas. I ate tons of food and drank tons of beer and I still lost weight. If American cities were more pedestrian friendly, we wouldn't have the obesity epidemic we have now. Well, maybe we would anyway - because, cr**py processed food with mystery chemicals in it.
Kristiina 2 years ago
I understand that the distances are big and that's why car is necessary. But in the big cities and areas close to them should have pedestrian walk aways and bike lanes.
Tams21 2 years ago
A lot of it is just the design of the cities and public transport. Many US cities are specifically designed around the use of cars and having one is essential whereas you can easily live in many European cities without one.
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Saint Tim the Godless 2 years ago
"But but but if you're walking that cuts into your energy for WORK!?! Why aren't you at your desk?" - Elon Musk
Somebodys grandmother 2 years ago (edited)
That is why I can't get my head around all the cars in US... somehow i know there is distance... But parking-lots at schools... it really confuse me! I walk, take public transport, use a bike etc. US and cars are confusing...
The Short Lady 2 years ago
The lack of amenities, shops, etc., even sidewalks, in suburbs is a problem.
N Miller 2 years ago
One of the reasons why I was so fascinated by Times Square (and why I'm looking forward to visiting again next month), is that it's pedestrianised so much. It's awesome. I get that it's hated for being tourist-y, but for just being able to walk around and move in fresh air, it's wonderful.
Seadog 2 years ago
The food. Yes, the amount of c**p companies put in our food is appalling. People from other countries often get sick if they eat most of our food because of all the unneeded c**p that's in it. Walking? Based on some posts I've read by people from other countries while visiting the US, the problem is our out of control crime. It's simply not safe to walk anywhere in most our major cities. Our panty wasted judicial system is primarily to blame. The perps have more rights than the victims. Bring back drawing and quartering for violent crimes and watch how fast things change.
Scott Rackley 2 years ago
I don't think you understand. The reason European cities are pedestrian friendly is the lack of street crime, much more so than any design.
Nolgoth 2 years ago
Most European cities are older than the USA has been around and were designed to be walked. They generally kept that design to modern times. Cities in the US eventually were designed specifically for cars, can probably blame henry ford for that.
Somebodys grandmother 2 years ago (edited)
Yes... and No! Many big cities has been ruined først in the 70ies and then in ths last 20 years. We need more homes... så out with the old - in with the new and VERY UGLY
Load More Replies... #4
I like how in Japan the schools basically have the kids clean up after themselves and take care of their school. They don't have janitors and children serve their peers lunch, too. Plus, their lunches always look amazing compared to the highly processed foods my child gets here. My son and I pick up trash around our area. The middle school by us is always covered in trash. Give some responsibility and respect to our planet.
Erufue 2 years ago
i wouldnt really say japan respect the planet... sure, everything is so nice and tidy, but their enormous use of plastics and cans, non-existence of animal rights and general lack of eco thinking pretty shocked me.
RavenTheCat 2 years ago
they seriously abuse animals and honestly having thousands of vending machines the common populus doesnt even use? yeah im justm aking the same points you are i agree x3
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Robin Roper 2 years ago
Culturally, Japan is about "group," vs the culture in the US is about "individual." There is a big difference about how this plays out.
David 2 years ago
Some of this was a thing in US schools in the 50s / 60s. My older friend and I both remember classroom cleanup. We had janitors but stuff like cleaning the blackboard and taking the erasers outside to clean off, lining up desks / putting chairs on top to make it easier for the janitor. Stuff like that. And there wasn't too much litter to pick up because back then we didn't throw it all over the school. We didn't serve our own food. We had lunch ladies. Queue Adam Sandler - Lunchlady land. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY14zcUM9SI
StrangeOne 2 years ago
Of course it wouldn't take jobs away from janitors. It would allow janitors more time to take care of the other maintenance around the schools than constantly having to clean up after student's messes. It would take the cooperation of parents, as parents need to teach their kids at a young age how to clean and give them that expectation they have a responsibility to help out. This is what Japanese parents instill in their kids, and that's why it works well in Japan. In North America, with parents feeling the need to pick up after their kids all the time it would be frustrating for teachers to make kids clean up at school.
Pride Bean️ 2 years ago
We should all take care of our community and respect it. We only get one life and one planet!
Chexmy Licks🇯🇵 2 years ago
most japanese are littering now, you can see trashes in every walk you see sometimes,they could be on the floor, under something or above something. Yes japan is nice. But its slowly changing, most japanese people blame the foreigners because of the trashes. while on the other hand, they were also the one whos doing it, and now most of the foreigners dont throw their trash away everywhere unlike other japanese people. They can be racist because they think they are better than every countries or nationality ( im looking at you entitled old people) most of them tbh but hey visit japan if u want to and enjoy!
LokisLilButterknife 2 years ago (edited)
Japan is a truly amazing country, however, there is so much pressure on young people to succeed. I remember reading about teens suffering from burnout and depression due to the incredibly difficult college entrance exams. They also have a very brutal work culture as well. I truly hope that is changing though with the younger generations.
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KittyGaming 2 years ago
I love Japan for a bunch of things but this is amazing I go to private school and we still don't do this.
Marno C. 2 years ago
As a teacher, I love the idea of the kids all preparing, eating, and cleaning up from lunch together. The food tends to be of better quality, the kids try new things if they are involved in the preparation, and it promotes good manners. All around, it just builds better life skills. I've been at a school where this was done vs. schools where there is a mix of brown bags/ lunch program, and the differences in nutrition, food wastage, and overall attitude is night and day.
#5
Adding to this, guaranteed annual paid vacation days for everyone, period. The EU guarantees FOUR CALENDAR WEEKS. Some other countries have more. US has ZERO.
Sandra Gleeson 2 years ago
Australia has 3weeks at Christmas, 1week at Easter and many paid public holidays, we even take 4 days off in November because of a horse race, frickin awesome:)
More! 2 years ago
Australian here, we do not take four days off for a horse race. Also only public holidays are a given at Christmas time. You get four weeks leave a year and take it when you want, if it suits your employer of course. They can deny your selected dates.
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Mikkel Sørensen 2 years ago
In Denmark we have 6 weeks paid vacation plus a bunch of bank holidays. Also, we have 12 months paid maternity leave, shared by both parents. Bonus info, we get paid to go to school.
Phero 2 years ago
Also we pay a lot of tax, because we are a decent society, that does not allow too much inequality, and strives for equal opportunities for everybody.
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Lisa Onitnelot 2 years ago
i don't know where people think Americans don't get vacation days. i got 2 months vacation. my sister gets days by the hours she works. same for mailpersons. my friend retired 2 years (paid vacation days)early from the days she acquired. this comment is so far fetched.
Ruth 2 years ago
I agree. Most people get around 10 payed holidays for things like Labor Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Good Friday. Then they also have around a week of sick days plus weeks of vacation with amount determined by how long you’ve been with the company. Maternity leave benefits are usually good also.
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Laugh or not 2 years ago
Addendum : four weeks is the minimum, many countries have more ; public holidays don't count in those four weeks ; sick leave doesn't count either, or bereavement or parental leave.
Somebodys grandmother 2 years ago
Denmark: 6 weeks, 2 days off when your child is sick etc.....
Ouzodaki 2 years ago
I’ve got 25 paid days yearly (that’s the minimum according to the Swedish “Semesterlag” [Vacation Law] plus the ones I might have saved. However, unions can in agreement with employers expand the amount of paid days. 31 or 32 is very common here. However, the law is imperative and states the minimum of days. (Of course, you won’t get 25 paid days for e.g. 2023 if you start working today, May 22. It will give you roughly 16 paid days. (In average 2 paid per month). But you still have the right to 25 days off, but in this case ~10 would be unpaid. Suck on that 🇺🇸
Ouzodaki 2 years ago
Yeah! Soon you will have to pay the employer to work there. 😆
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Strahd Ivarius 2 years ago
just try to work in May when you are in France... so many "out of office" replies...
Tim Nicebutdim 2 years ago
I've got 16 days holiday left this year, that's after 2 weeks in Portugal and a week in Reykjavik, mind you 5 of them are rolled over from last year.
#6
Finland has recently ended homelessness via just allowing people to live in small apartments without any preconditions and 4/5 make their way back to a stable life
it's also cheaper then allowing people to be homeless
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago
I'm all for supporting the homeless but wonder how it's cheaper to house them than not? (Even if it's more costly I support)
Caro Caro 2 years ago
I'm no expert but I think the homeless maybe need more healthcare bc they can't properly feed themselves and of course, there's the weather (cold) so homeless people need shelter anyway in the winter. If they can't get shelter and warmth, they will end up in hospital. Once in a small apartment they might find a job, become financially stable and their mental health will be better. Stuff like that.
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USMCFelicia 2 years ago
Just wanted to point out that many people tie homelessness with substance abuse all the time but for many homeless people this is not the case. People become homeless for a multitude of reasons whether it be job loss and decreased income, mental health, divorce, loss of a spouse, ect. With inflation as high as it is right now homelessness is increasingly by the minute. Many mid- lower income families just can no longer afford to live in a home, especially with all the rent increases in many areas. So now these people are out in the streets which is a difficult and harsh environment to survive in. A lot of homeless people didn't have any diagnosed mental illnesses or a drug/alcohol problem prior to becoming homeless but the longer they are out on the streets the chances of developing them increases greatly. Try and put yourself in their place and look at things from another perspective.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago
Someone in a home doesn't require a $100K a year police officer to drive them off the warm grate in front of a store where they sleep every day to keep from freezing to death. Someone in a home isn't going to the ER every week because they have borderline heatstroke/frostbite and using $5k worth of resources every time because they can go inside to escape the climate. Its cheaper to provide someone a home than pay to keep them in prison. Someone with a home doesn't end up in prison after stabbing someone trying to steal their only coat. That coat is hanging in a closet. Someone with a home eats cheaper than the soup kitchen because they have place to store their groceries and a stove to cook it on. A soup kitchen is still eating out. Someone with a home has an address they can use to get mental health aid or apply for a job. Someone with a home can spend their day looking for that job instead of begging so they can get a $100 a night hotel room ($3k a month).
Heather Gomez 2 years ago
Watched a great video about this on YouTube. The philosophy is that people can't fix anything else in their lives until they have stable housing. It's super expensive of course, but still cheaper than homelessness, and allows people to live in dignity. Sounds like a win to me.
Saint Tim the Godless 2 years ago
In America we have lots of golf course and clergy property that should be seized to house people. What a waste.
Kayjunmoon 2 years ago
Places like NZ should be able to get rid of homelessness too. Small population and yet huge homeless problem proportionally.
Wicked Moon216 2 years ago
I wonder how they got this to work. I know quite a few people that work with the homeless, and a significant amount of them refuse to go into housing. I’m guessing that maybe it has to do with rules,like maybe they have to submit to drug testing or maybe there are curfew times. I also wonder how those apartments don’t end up trashed because *some* homeless have drug/alcohol problems or have significant mental illness that would cause them to not take care of the place. I’m all for *genuinely* helping these people because most of them ended up homeless from something really bad happening in their life. No one deserves that.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
It's because of all the rules; they're no longer treated like humans and are given stringent rules. And those places don't end up trashes as often because the drug addictions and mental health issues aren't allowed to keep going and going until that person's brain has liquified.
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David H 2 years ago
there are places in the US that solved the problem (like one of the suburbs of Austin), they just cannot use any federal funds bc once you use federal funds, you have to go through a whole list of conditions and costs. It is why on average it takes 500k to house one homesless person (the Austin Suburb does it for 35 a person). In my city of NYC we spend 800k per housing unit for homeless because of our additional regulations. Our homeless "solutions" are not there to house homeless to to benefit special intererst groups that get very rich off of homeless. The amount of multi-millionaires in that industry is staggering
#7
A prison system that focuses on rehabilitation instead of punishment. Many countries have been successful with this saving literally billions of dollars and cutting down on crime.
Melissa 2 years ago
But then we wouldn't have all that wonderful slave labor from poor people and minorities to line the pockets of private prison corporations! Please note the sarcasm, I have to joke about it or I'll go mad.
Jill Rhodry 2 years ago
Not just slave labour - there's no profit if someone's rehabilitated. Actually, they should get a bonus when a prisoner doesn't return to prison for say 3 or 5 years.
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René Sauer 2 years ago
Depends on the crime, I guess. Murderers and pedophiles for example can rot in deepest pits for all I care.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
If someone murdered a pedophile, what would be your position there?
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Moezzzz 2 years ago
We have too many "for profit" prisons, which seems illegal to me (I know it's not, but it should be). This is why so many people are against capital punishment, because our legal system is absolute sh*t, and who knows how many innocent people are sitting in jail because they can't afford a good lawyer or because the police were desperate to pin the crime on anyone, so as to calm the public. Every year, I get more and more fed up with this country.
JelliTate 2 years ago
They do not want to “save” this money from the prison systems. They want to make it because most prisons are privatized and have minimum capacities that have to be reached or else the government pays the prison for the cells not filled!! They want to fill these prisons with as many black or brown people as they can so that they make more money and so that they keep helping to destroy those families.
#8
More than two political parties.
kate ! 2 years ago
yes ik this person knows there are more than 2 political parties
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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
OMFG YES! Please! The two party system is killing the USA. We're looking at a Trump vs. Biden rematch next year and NOBODY is happy about it. The closest I've ever seen was in '92 when H. Ross Perot got almost 20% of the popular. He didn't get any electoral votes because the Electoral College is a broken archaism leftover from the 18th century.
Jeremy James 2 years ago
I think some form of ranked choice voting would be the solution here. So you could vote for a third party candidate without worrying about fracturing your primary party's vote and handing an election to the opposition.
Jeremy Bayer 2 years ago
I really wish we did ranked voting in the US. It would also help more moderate candidates instead of candidates being so extreme.
Load More Replies... Saint Tim the Godless 2 years ago (edited)
Even when there are more than 2 parties, our flawed voting system mathematically favors the major ones - or, worse, usually helps the loonies win. We need ranked choice voting.
#9
Decent healthcare that isn't tied to your job. Other countries all over the world have figured out different ways to do this, so why can't we? (I know, corporations own politicians)
I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing it would destabilize a bunch of industries in the near term. But I wonder if long-term, it would create so much new innovation since people would be unafraid to lose their health benefits to leave their stable but s****y corporate jobs to start new ventures.
Sandra Gleeson 2 years ago
In Australia healthcare is paid for by our taxes, we are taxed heavily for this. In Australia we are pretty much taxed heavily for everything, the only people who seem to get away with not paying a lot of taxes are politicians
Ariom Dahl 2 years ago
And we (Aussies) seldom have to worry about becoming bankrupt paying for medical care.
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Tams21 2 years ago
What is often missing in debates about this in the US is the positive effect on the economy universal healthcare has. Sick people can't work, they can't pay taxes they can't contribute. The sooner they are healthy again (like actually healthy, not just on meds), the sooner they get back to it and at their highest productivity.
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
The NHS is a wonderful thing...or it would be if it were run properly. But at least in the UK, if you can find a doctor or hospital, you don't have to worry about paying for it.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
In America, some people are imprisoned in jobs because they can't afford to lose the health insurance they get at the job. This is one of the reasons the American plutocracy doesn't want a national health care system.
Jacob B. 2 years ago
Many corporations would like to have single payer. The cost of maintaining a or several plans, re-evaluating them every few years, wondering if their benefits were enough to attract good employee's, etc. would make their life much easier as they would all have the same plan, pay the same amount, don't have to have HR review waste its time on reviewing new contracts, etc. It's low wage companies, large franchise owners, mom and pop, places that don't want it. As they know if they raise prices to cover it, they have to make a choice, take a smaller profit or lose some customer base.
Jennifer Clayton 2 years ago
Corporations can choose single payer anytime they want. It just costs more. Don't let them get away with blaming small business when they're the only ones who can afford to change things. I know this because super elite companies with highly paid executives already do this.
Load More Replies... Jay Son 2 years ago
While I agree to the rationale behind this post, I do want to point out that healthcare isn't really tied to a job, anyone can get healthcare, the issue is that it just becomes too expensive for people to pay this themselves at 1500+ USD a month. The cost is ridiculous. As for other countries, while I agree it's still cheaper in the other countries, there are also negatives to find. For example, a large portion of the wages before tax is withheld to pay for the universal healthcare. When you look at the amounts, the difference between the US and the rest becomes smaller. Also, healthcare is often under a lot more stress in those countries with long waits for non-emergency care. When I compare it between my family in the Netherlands and myself here in the US, I'm often seen much quicker, and they often provide better and more preventive care here than there (which is not to say that I wouldn't rather have cheaper healthcare, I'm merely pointing out that both systems have negatives).
K W 2 years ago
In the United stares we all pay more for Healthcare than any of our peer nations so even though people make the "high taxes" argument s a negative for universal Healthcare we are already paying more than the taxes would be. In addition the anecdotal experience with wait times is just that. Many many places in the US experience extreme wait times for specialists, regular docs, and have no same day appointments. We are 3rd to last with our peer nations for same day appointments and only somewhere in the middle for primary care. In addition 1 in 3 adults in the US have reported not being able to see a doctor or fill a prescription because of cost. So other countries with socialized healthcare can see people for immediate needs faster but there might be more of a wait for other appointments because 1/3 of the population isn't skipping medical care they need. And as far as quality of care we rank last ot almost last in most categories including preventable deaths, maternal mortality.
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Highball 2 years ago (edited)
Vote to get it done, but Americans are just not willing to pay for it. Then again Europe pays much of its income in taxes in many different forms so they take home less to make their own decisions on how to spend it, as most goes to fixed household expenses. See Sandra Gleeson below.
Son of Philosoraptor 2 years ago
THIS. Healthcare not tied to employment would empower normal folks tremendously.
#10
Teaching foreign language to young students in public schools (ie 5yrs, k-5) when the propensity to learn language quickly is maximum.
Geoffrey Scott 2 years ago
Seems that with huge spanish speaking countries directly to our (US) south, spanish SHOULD be mandatory.
Thomas Ewing 2 years ago
I received mandatory Spanish lessons in my 7-8th grade years (11-13 age) as an English speaker in California USA, and they did me almost no good. If the lessons had started earlier in life, I'm sure the message would have gotten through. I can order food in a Mexican restaurant OK, though!
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TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago
Here in Germany it's mandatory to learn english in school, with french and spanish being options in secondary schools for average talented and smart people (We have 4 different kinds of secondary schools here)
Couldn't think of a decent name 2 years ago
My school has english then french or latin and then Italien for the one who want to learn another language instead of having chemistry early on. I think it depends on the school which languages you have, but English is mandatory and I think French is mandatory to have as an option.
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Crazy Nailzz 2 years ago
Here in India we have so many languages so kids from non-hindi speaking states learn not only their native language (read, speak and write) but also hindi and English. So, many kids here are well versed in three languages by the time they reach High School.
DeoManus Argentem 2 years ago
I grew up in FL (US), and we all started Spanish in Kindergarten (for me this would have been late 1980s)... I still remember Profesora Josefina! So this must be a district or state thing.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
My mother was born in 1920. When she was in school, they started teaching foreign languages in 3rd grade. She took French all the way through high school. Even though she hadn’t spoken it in 30+ years, it had been drilled deep in her memory. When we went to Montreal, it came tight back to her, and she was the one who guided us around, and had the vast majority of encounters with locals who didn’t speak English. Made me wish that schools still did that. I started school in 1966, and foreign languages weren’t offered until 7th grade—-and you could switch languages if you didn’t like the one you were taking.
Sonia Bailey 2 years ago
My daughter is in a tiny rural primary in Scotland and they teach Mandarin and French!
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Two years of a second language were required for me to graduate high school. I took Spanish because here on the West Coast we have a huge Latino population and it seemed more useful than French. Those were the only two options.
Paul Scheermeijer 2 years ago
Mine son(9) and daighter(7) already speak some basic English. We Laredo
#11
I keep seeing people in the US being charged ridiculous fees to apply for a rental property and then up not being successful in their application. The UK has banned these fees and it seems a much more fair way of doing things.
I'm.Just.A.Girl 2 years ago
It also would be nice to go back to rental caps (or limits ) ....where I live in Washington State I pay almost two grand for a one bedroom apartment.
Zephyr343 2 years ago
Geez. I paid $1000 a month a few years ago for 2 bedroom 2 bathroom in WI. Rent wasn't raised once in the 5 years we were there.
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Carlos Moreno 2 years ago
This happened to me not so long ago. Went to apply for a new complex because it said no credit required. I paid $200 non refundable for the application fee, 2 weeks later, we deny you because of your credit history, so I said to them the website and staff said no credit needed, "oh well based on certain credit history we denied you, but you can apply again and see if it changes". Then have them a bad review for false advertisement on Google maps, and had the audacy to contact me and tell me to remove the post because it was not true. It is a dirty dirty business they play with us.
Brenda 2 years ago
This became prevelent about 10 or so years ago. Even then, it was mostly $15-$25. Now it's at least $50, often much more. And they want 3x rent as your salary!
Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
Actually it began in the 80's. I worked for a property management firm that was huge, they had a $30 app fee back then (87?). It was just a way to jack up the numbers on each individual property. A total scam even then. Thankfully, they became a victim of the real estate bust.
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Ronnie Cutshall 2 years ago
It's actually a scam. If they can get 200 people to pay $60 a apartment, then you can see how it's a scam. There are a tons of these scam across America.
ZombieGirl 2 years ago
I became homeless a long time ago because of those fees. I kept getting denied at every place I applied and eventually couldnt afford to apply anymore. I actually had good credit too and a clean background check. They never gave me reasons for being denied
Glengoolie Blue 2 years ago
I don't see how they can charge your rent in advance with a month's rent down for deposit, and they still run your credit report. They should only be allowed to run your credit report if they're offering you credit.
#12
No big pharma advertising
Philly Bobcat 2 years ago
So, I pay my doctor $250 US per visit but then I have to talk to HIM about so and so drug???
David 2 years ago
If you really pay that much out of pocket consider a nurse practitioner. That's what I did when I had no health insurance but I occasionally needed an antibiotic script for a sinus infection. She could write prescriptions but her office visit price was bout 1/3 of the doctor I used to go to before that when I had insurance. I moved / have insurance so different doctor now but she saved me money I didn't have back then.
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StrangeOne 2 years ago
One ad I saw was this lady getting ready for a night out, meeting her girl friends and going to a club, grabbing a drink and, I think, meeting some guys. She then looks at the camera and says "Do you know my secret? ... I'm using Latrisse." No other explanation. Then another voice comes in "Talk to your doctor about Latrisse." I thought this was birth control, or some sort of plastic surgery. Found out much later in an ad in a restaurant washroom for a plastic surgery business 'Latrisse eyelash extensions'. Could you imagine all the people seeing that ad going to their doctor asking about it and then the doctor having to have that awkward chat with their patient?
PandaPops 2 years ago
5day hospital stay with pneumonia for xrays, iv's and blood work. Guess what didn't cost me a penny. The NHS has its faults but not having to worry about going into debt to pay for a hospital visit is amazing.
Libstak 2 years ago
Same in Australia, long stays and operations for gall bladder sepsis, uterus cancer with every poke, prod and scans, X-rays, mri, blood work, drugs and huge course of antibiotics, 8 days via drip, not a cent out of pocket. Did pay Medicare tax for 30 years though...so worth it.
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 2 years ago
If your doctor doesn't know the right drug for you, then he's not the right doctor for you.
#13
Mandatory paid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
NoIDidn't (She/Her) 2 years ago
OMG yes, some people come back after a baby with no job. Huge problem
Brobro McDuderson 2 years ago
Not true (for the most part), that’s illegal. Some places break the law but it seems rare
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Metalhead Turtle 🇺🇦 2 years ago
Your comment needs more upvotes. Here, take mine.
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Aisling Raye 2 years ago
I wished I could get leave when I found my youngest cat. She was 4 weeks old, I couldn't leave her alone. I used PTO.
2x4b523p 2 years ago (edited)
We get 6 months (more if you have twins, triplets etc.) maternity leave plus up to 4 years parental leave either parent can take, or swap anytime during that time. Your employer must hold your job for up to 3 years of child’s age, regardless when you started your leave (could have been earlier due to high risk pregnancy).
Lisa Onitnelot 2 years ago
i don't believe for one minute that people get 4 years paid time off for having a child.
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Realistic_Lemons (any) 2 years ago
YES!!! My ELA teacher literally just gave birth to a child and has to go back to feed her during her planning period. I don’t know who’s staying home with the baby the rest of the day, but I hope someone is.
Lisa Onitnelot 2 years ago
once again, not true. no we don't get a year off (companies could afford to pay that long), but we get paid time off. my friend had 4 months, some get one month. this is not a nation wide truth.
K W 2 years ago
The only law the US has is that you can take 12 weeks off UNPAID without employer punishment IF you work at a company with more than 50 employees within 75 miles of where you work. You're only eligible if you've worked there for a year. Only 60 percent of the workforce is eligible for it and 25 percent of women who give birth go back to work within 2 weeks because they're either not eligible or can't afford it. Just statistically going back to work before 3 months is associated with higher infant mortality rates. Less than a quarter of workers in private industries have access to PAID maternity leave. Average paid maternity leave offer is 2 months. Average maternity leave for paid and unpaid is 10 weeks. If your friend had 4 months of paid maternity leave she is an exception in access to paid leave and an extreme exception regarding the length of paid leave.
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#14
Remove it being legal for anyone to get paid less than minimum wage so as to rely on tips. No more tips. Just people making their hourly pay doing the job they do, and we pay what it costs, period.
If that means a haircut is $45, well, that's what even the cheapest one comes to anyway, with tip, so let's just have done with the tip economy and pay everyone their full wage, paid by the employer, and the customer pays the set price.
Sandra Gleeson 2 years ago
A haircut in Australia is well over $45, I mean, a packet of cigarettes is $55, a gallon of petrol (we use litres in Australia but I'm making it easier:)is approximately $7.50, my daughter got her hair coloured at the hairdressers, $425, minimum wage in my industry (I work in the building trade) $29 approx per hour, my 19 year old daughter earns $29 an hour, my 25 year old son earns $60 per hour........whilst the amounts seem large, they have to be because everything is extremely expensive
Cathelijne Van 2 years ago
But these are Australian dollars right? Or did you convert to American?
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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Paying less than minimum should be criminal PERIOD. BTW the Federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. However, there are states that pay even less than that for "tipped positions". It shouldn't be legal but it is.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
An aside, the performers in strip clubs don't get paid at all in most places. Just tips. I've been friends with quite a few of them over the years. It's really messed up.
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Dizzie D 2 years ago
I really can't see the US getting rid of the tipping system. Sorry to be blunt but it's an extremely capitalist society and money truly matters, the more the better. I've seen some servers being tipped ridiculous amounts by wealthy people, which has no correlation to the value of the meal and service they just had. They tip them a large amount to be kind or charitable or just showing off. So you seriously think, with some examples of this sort of tipping being excessive, that people will just give that up for a balanced wage across the board?
saturnslipper 2 years ago
If it were a livable wage, like so many other countries, then yes.
Load More Replies... David 2 years ago
Agree with concept but holy c**p at $45 for a men's haircut. Local barbershop I go to (nothing fancy) - basic men's cut is $16 and I get it for 14 due to the senior discount. I expect it is more in downtown Seattle just due to increased overhead. I'm small town.
Linnoff 2 years ago
Around me Supercuts is $20, the barber I go to is $25, and there are plenty that are $40+ (all before tip) The place I used to go about 5 years ago, they're now charging $50.
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Auntriarch 2 years ago
My friend and I had a pedicure with ordinary polish (in Urbana, Illinois), she said she would pay if I paid the tip. $30 for the tip! Where I live it's £18 for the same thing.
#15
At South Korean restaurants, tables have call buttons. You press them when you're ready to order or you need anything. Other than that, the service staff leaves you alone.
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago
In Canada they come regularly until you order then as soon as your food arrives they come back and ask how everything is before you have a chance to try it, then they can't be found when you want to pay and leave
Mojo Flizash 2 years ago
Same here in the States. They only show up when I'm stuffing my maw.
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Keenan Wright 2 years ago
I'd love it if servers in Australia actually gave a s**t.. I'm honestly not directing this at everyone, there's still good servers.. but customer service has really gone down the shitter at a lot of places.. this is where i feel like the incentive of earning tips or 'tip' culture that the US has can encourage staff to provide a better service in hopes of larger tips, where servers here know they'll be paid their hourly wage no matter what.. BUT... I also think it sucks that they're usually on such low wages in the US that they require tips to survive.. :( One evil is worse i guess
Toni Ahlgren 2 years ago
I never ever ask vocally how is the food. I make eye contact, do a friendly questioning face with a smile and raising my eyebrows and they give a nod of approval.
MurderMittens 2 years ago
The last time i went to a korean restaurant (in Atlanta, GA), our food was served by a robot.
Bill Clinton 2 years ago
Also in London, Ontario sushi place (well, partly anyway). https://www.168sushibuffet.com/
Load More Replies... Dizzie D 2 years ago
No need to tip then as they are not hovering around seeing to your every whim?. This is counterproductive to the tipping culture.
Mary Bricklin 2 years ago
Then the tipping culture needs to end. It's incredibly stupid expecting customers to cover the difference in servers wages. I've been a waitress before and it was ridiculous trying to get good tips from people.
Load More Replies... #16
When I went to Canada this summer I was amazed that there were recycle and compost bins everywhere. It was to the point that I almost didn't throw anything in the actual garbage the entire trip. Time to step up your game America.
Brenda 2 years ago (edited)
Out subdivision recycles, but if you put the wrong things in your recycle box, they don't pick it up. I try to use a lot of recyclable items for my crafting. Just made 20mo grandson alphabet, number, color, and shape magnets using soda boxes. Cut in 2x2 squares, glued 10 pieces together, painted and sealed, attached magnets. He LOVES them!
Wicked Moon216 2 years ago
When I lived in Illinois, recycling was free with your garbage pickup, but everywhere else I have lived it’s SO expensive to have recycling picked up! Where I live now it’s more expensive than my garbage, so I don’t do it. I feel HORRIBLE about it, but I have to make cuts somewhere to pay out-of-pocket for my health insurance.
Load More Replies... TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago
In Germany we currently have 4 bins for organic, plastic, paper and all the other stuff
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
We only have three in my council area in Australia- garden waste, recycling and waste, but other councils are brining in compost and separate recycling for paper and plastic.
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Hiram's Friend 2 years ago
I live in Arizona and you are wrong. Maybe your town doesn't.
Load More Replies... Highball 2 years ago (edited)
It's expensive, we in the U.S. made a great effort, then backed off. Some places may still be going at it. People do not do a good job of self-sorting, and then there are different types of plastic to be sorted, etc. The goods recycled good do not return much and so it all has to be covered by taxes and we know where that goes. I see some places around us that have three containers in front of their house, (they never leave the street, so beautiful) and the truck just dumps them all in the same truck and it goes in the landfill. Where my sister lives they used to have inspectors go around and make sure you sorted your garbage right, if you didn't, a ticket. Wow, what a job!
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
Our small town USED to have nice large recycling bins in the side lot of a shopping center. Couple months ago they took them away, so the town no longer has a recycling drop-off for glass, plastic, and cardboard. Oh, and the local garbage collector does not offer recycling boxes for home pickup. F*****g sucks.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
What that means to say is the republican states in the US need to step up their recycling game instead of believing the Earth is hear for our destruction and nothing we do has genuinely Earthly consequences.
#17
Universal school lunches. It is embarrassing that we do not have folks cooking lunches for students from scratch, and that it is not provided for free to all students. You want to bring your own lunch? Great, but you can also have the free hot lunch that looks homemade, not pizza squares, canned veggies and a slice of a fruit and 3 oz of milk. Kids shouldn't be going into debt for lunch. We're probably wealthy enough that our food waste alone would be sufficient to, if captured magically, to feed every kid in the United States three proper meals per day.
Walkable cities.
Above ground monorail systems.
David 2 years ago
I was on the board of a food charity for about six years. The amount of food that grocery stores throw away is staggering. In part due to US food safety laws. In bigger part due to US shoppers are super picky so if any fruit or veggie has a minor blem they will pass on it. The amount of waste is just painful to see.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
Regardless of food safety laws, grocery stores in the US CAN donate "expired" food to pantries; they choose not to because it requires a little extra work, which would cost them money.
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Bobert Robertson 2 years ago
Serious question, if cities were walkable would you need a monorail?
Trophy Husband 2 years ago
I've traveled a bit in the US. Most cities are walkable (new York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami) but only big cities. Everything else is spread out too much. San Diego, fort Lauderdale, Orlando, etc. If I want to walk to Costco, it would take me all day (30 minute drive). The problem isn't that big cities don't exist, the problem is that people who don't live in them wish that they did. I'm happy I don't live in one, and there lack of walkability is a trade-off that I am okay with.
The Short Lady 2 years ago
Providing school breakfast and lunch results in much better educational outcomes, per research I've read.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
Well we don't want to spoil the kids 🙄 (ridiculous nonsense politicians have actually said here)
#18
A better tax system. IE the government gives you a number and you pay it, no guess work.
Crazy Nailzz 2 years ago
I thought USA is such a great country but reading all these and something as simple as taxes makes me realise maybe it is not as great as they make it look like. You are missing on so many points and to me it seems like your citizens are money making machines for the 1% and close to getting bankrupt with one wrong step....
Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
Finnish system in a nutshell: You give the tax officials a ballpark of how much you're gonna make that year; They send your company's payroll the tax percentages which are automatically deducted from your income and deposited as taxes; after the end of the year your taxes are counted and compared to how much you actually made during the year and finally the tax office sends you either a bill to pay the missing taxes or what's more fun, a letter telling you how much they're gonna give you back in overpaid taxes and when it's gonna get to your account. A lot of people purposefully overestimate their income a bit to get the returns
Tobias Reaper 2 years ago
in the UK its automatically deducted from our wages so we don't have to worry about it only exception is if you are self employed then you have to do it yourself
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Our country takes the tax before paying your salary. If you think it was too much you submit a return to claim money back. Otherwise you just submit a return with no claim and fill in the amounts reflected on a form you get each year that tells you what to fill in where. I'd like this latter part to be scrapped. I mean, waht's the point of filling in a return if you know you were taxed correctly?
Michael Bond 2 years ago
Believe me, the 1% is not uniquely American. The divide between the rich and everyone else is world wide issue. Also, in the U.S., unless you're self employed, taxes are withheld from your pay by the employer and sent to the government. All of the other deductions, credits, etc., are not mandatory, if you don't want to reduce your taxes don't itemize and don't take the standard deduction. And there you go, the government gave you a number and you paid it. Happy now?
PetPotato 2 years ago (edited)
It takes me like one minute to do my taxes. Log in to an app, click a confirm button. (Edit: I live in Sweden, my point is that like the post says there are ways to make taxes super simple.)
bob cameron 2 years ago
There certainly can be a case made for a flat rate tax system. Those who can afford income and tax advisors pay far less percentage than the average working stiff.
#19
Not having huge gaps in bathroom stalls from any other country in the world please. Why do we as americans put up with this? I'm tired of making eye contact with strangers while s******g in public.
David 2 years ago
I loved a unisex setup I used in Japan. (I think, small chance it was Korea). Open area is for hand washing. Also a pee trough on back wall. The stalls had walls/doors floor to ceiling. Appropriate since they were squat toilets. But when a person goes into a stall it is basically like a private room. So nobody watching you potty - but saves space with shared sinks. And of course it totally sidesteps the "which bathroom is okay to use" problem because everyone uses the same one.
Tucker Cahooter 2 years ago
If the gap is at the bottom as in the picture, how on earth are people making eye contact with OP??
StrangeOne 2 years ago
It's bad in some places in Canada, too. I passed by this one stall. I noticed it wasn't hard to see a lady sitting on the toilet and there was a mirror in front of the stall that could be seen outside the washroom. I've mentioned this to the mall a few times. Seems they don't care about people's privacy. It's all about product protection.
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago (edited)
Canada too... I always tear a length of tp off and shove it in the cracks
Gandalf the Pink 2 years ago
In Sweden, stalls is an uncommon thing altogether. Public restrooms are usually rooms with full doors into smaller individual bathrooms.
Roan The Demon Kitty 2 years ago
still better than some of the toilets in China that have no doors at all, but yea, I get this
#20
In Japan there is a service that you can call 24hrs/day that will come with 2 drivers 1 car. One driver drives you and your car home, the other follows in their car to pick up the driver that took you home with your car. No DUI ect. Its actually really affordable there. No need to get an uber home that night then an uber back the next day when you are hung over only to find out you have a million parking tickets or your car got towed.
David 2 years ago
That's nice. Better to not take the car in the first place but sometimes plans change and you don't know it will be that way.
Sarah 2 years ago
See even though the more obvious answer is to not drive...I feel like this service would greatly benefit women. If the drivers were heavily vetted and checked, it would be much safer than some creep in a taxi for both there and back journeys and also someone's there to make sure you got home okay.
Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
There’s a service that has a person arrive with a petrol powered moped in a bag, they throw that in the back or boot or trunk or whatever you call it, they drive you home, take the bike out of the bag and off they scoot. 😀
StrangeOne 2 years ago
That sounds.... like a set up to have your car stolen. And who's responsible if the hired driver wrecks your car?
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
Not hard to prevent, proper vetting of who can be employed by the service and responsibility falls on the company providing the service. They can source insurance cover. The biggest problem I see with a service like this is it really only works well in areas with high population density. In spread out cities like a lot of Australia or the US it'd likely cost a fortune.
Load More Replies... saturnslipper 2 years ago
I like the idea of this n the surface but the low cost of the drive back service would seem to encourage more drinking. Isn't there a major problem with drinking too often/getting drunk in Japan? In the US my friends and family very rarely go out to drink. We may have a glass with a meal, but we don't go out for the purpose of drinking alcohol. In many videos about life in Japan (on Youtube), over drinking and drinking often appear to be a very common thing to do, especially after work in Japan. Just wondering.
Perfumista Perfumista 2 years ago
Given that getting totally potted after work with your colleagues is a way of life, this is very important.
#21
The train system from Japan. The US public transportation is lacking.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
The US public transportation system is lacking because everything is rigged for fossil fuel companies to make moolah.
Candi Cabaniss 2 years ago
That is not the only reason. We are larger. Our cities are laid out.
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Brenda 2 years ago
Yes, it is. The Houston area is massive, but Metro (our bus system) doesn't even cover 1/4 of it. There are many areas you can't even get to by bus. London had an awesome bus/train/underground system. You can get anywhere in the country with a 6 zone pass. It was amazing!
Wicked Moon216 2 years ago
I live outside Nashville, and there are always great events going on, but there is no where to park and traffic is always a nightmare, so I never go. If they had subway systems or an “EL” like in Chicago, it would cut the traffic WAY down and it would be so much easier! I don’t think they can actually build subways here because Nashville and surrounding areas sit on so much limestone that most houses don’t have basements because it’s too difficult to dig up.
Load More Replies... Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
We used to have better, widely available, and ELECTRIC city transportation, but it was removed and replaced by dirty, stinky, wasteful buses. The auto industry, in cahoots with the fossil fuel companies, made large cities a deal if they ripped up their electric trolley tracks and switched to buses. Then there was the great white flight from the cities to the suburbs, which in many cities meant a commute by car, either to the office or the the commuter train station—-especially in places like New York, an island with limited space for parking. Hell, and driving too! Look at San Francisco’s trolley system, for example. It’s not only a tourist attraction, it’s also used by people who live in town for their daily commute to and from work. Proof that the extensive pre-WWII trolley systems F*****g WORKED, and the switch to buses was entirely unnecessary. Additionally, travel by train greatly diminished, as people turned to cars, so we no longer have the cross country travel by train that we used to. Personally, I would rather take my vacation by train, and see the country without having to worry about traffic, other drivers f*****g up, finding gas stations, finding a place to eat, finding a place to stay, none of it. Because it’s all right there on the train. Might take longer to go cross country, and you can only stop where the train stops, but how nice to let someone ELSE worry about the driving!
Old Roadie 2 years ago (edited)
Hundreds of rural towns failed when the Amtrak 'budget cuts' of the late 60s cut them off from civilization by closing depots. Many of those towns were built because of train service. One had a yearly celebration of Emancipation where attendees came from all across America, another had all the homes purchased from Sears Catalog and delivered by train. All were farm communities that relied on trains to move their stock from abattoirs to buyers. Each relied on supplies delivered by train. Entire network of towns connected to Kansas City or even as far as St. Louis ...all failed. I took a cross country trip in March... out by plane, return by train. Chicago airport suuuuuucks. People were surly. Chicago train station? AMAZING people, first class service. I'll never fly again. Trains are the best and the views were spectacular. Imagine seeing moose loping beside the track, or bear just watching the world go by. It was great.
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Whizzle Pop 2 years ago
To think, even 70 years ago the US had a fully functioning inter-continental passenger railway system. 100 years ago it was running passenger trains at 100mph between major cities- no slower than continental Europe. It had a network of local railroad branch lines, inter-urban suburban passenger services, a national railroad-based package delivery company, the lot. All dismantled once the jet came along.
Old Roadie 2 years ago
Car manufacturers and dealers were behind much of that. My hometown area in SoCal was devastated when the dealerships convinced politicians to ditch the rail system so people forced to buy cars.
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Pheebs 2 years ago
The issue with public transportation in the US is the line where it goes from federal government, to state government, to city government responsibility. The federal government will offer monetary support to assist with such projects (by way of the FTA), but it’s up to the state level on whether they actually want to foot the rest of the bill. Plus each state has differing needs for transit. I live in a state with a lot of urban sprawl (lots of useless/unused space between cities due to difficult to develop land), where we’re heavily dependent on cars to move between locations. We have a limited cross-city mass transportation infrastructure, and a state government that has had little desire to expand that. I would love a metro/fast rail system that would allow people to commute to bigger cities 80+ miles away easily. Those same cities, which are the closest for decent tech wages, are 2 hours one way on a good day, 3 on a crappy day.
RedCorvette 2 years ago
The transportation system here in Washington State is for job creation not serving the riding public. Buses takes 30 minutes to an hour to get to the station and if you missed one then you’re screwed.
Horosho Bodka 2 years ago
Actually, the US Auto manufacturers worked hard to kill off any kind of public transportation. They also introduced jaywalking laws, as in most cities streets were heavily used by pedestrians, there weren't a lot of sidewalks. Profit at all and any costs to the general public.
Thatkamloopsguy 2 years ago
Japan told the U.S. government they would give them the plans for their high speed rail system for free.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 years ago
Inter-city public transit is nonexistent here. Greyhound and Amtrak are both private companies. We literally have nothing here.
Seadog 2 years ago
That's because every time an improvement is proposed, too many eco, tree hugger freaks start boohooing about every little twig and ant that'll be displaced. In my area people would rather see the entire town and county fail than allow a single interstate to be built. This day and time, big business locates where there's interstate access, they're not coming to a town 30 miles from the closest major highway.
#22
Taking your shoes off when entering the inside.
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago (edited)
Lol this is certainly an American thing and i don't understand at all why you would want to wear your shoes indoors. It's dirty and so much more comfortable without shoes anyway
Helena 2 years ago
My feet are messed up, and the insole and shoe are vastly more comfortable than slippers or bare feet. Also, I own pets, and no matter what you do, they will occasionally leave messes that I don't want to be alerted to by bare feet.
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Synsepalum 2 years ago
This American immediately takes off her shoes upon entering the house. I also change my clothes.
StrangeOne 2 years ago
lol I also change out of my clothes and into my jammies or a tank and soft pants/shorts. Jeans are for outside and working.
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Rachknits 2 years ago
I understand why people do this but our avoidance of dirt is one of the reasons allergies and crazy immune system malfunctions are increasing. Not that long ago it wasn't uncommon to share our living spaces with farm animals. We need a balance between hygiene and developing healthy bacterial resistance.
StrangeOne 2 years ago
It's not about keeping germs out. It's about keeping the debris and noticeable dirt out of the house. If you live in a place that has snow, mud, sand, gravel, salt on the roads and sidewalks you don't want to bring that into your home. It will eventually destroy any flooring.
Load More Replies... Kayjunmoon 2 years ago
This picture makes me feel uncomfortable. Shoes on indoor furniture, shoes inside that have been outside. Frankly it is unhygienic.
Moezzzz 2 years ago
So, when I was a kid, I had a friend whose mom would yell at us to take our shoes off when we walked inside. We never did that at home and at the time, I thought it was weird. But when I got older, I realized how weird it really was to NOT take your dirty "street shoes" off when you walk into the house. Now, I have a small area at my front door to leave my tennis shoes at and another pair that I wear only inside or in the backyard- no where else. Feels weird to wear my "work shoes" inside. Also, kinda gross considering I work at a medical clinic.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Meh, I see the benefits of both options. Where I live it really just depends on the homeowner. I don't wear shoes at home because I don't like wearing shoes if I can avoid it, but when I visit friends I generally keep them on unless asked not to. It helps when their houses are cold!
Karis Ravenhill 2 years ago
i used to feel this way before moving to USA. Then I realized with how expensive the shoes are here, people tended to wear the same pair day in and day out without giving them a rest to dry out. It meant anytime they kicked off their shoes there was this nauseating smell of old sweat. I quickly learned not to ever ask someone to take their shoes off so I didn't have to deal with the smell.
#23
keep public spaces clean and tidy like in japan. that is all.
Erufue 2 years ago
i really wish my country would ban smoking on the street. butts and horrible smell everywhere.
Dasha 2 years ago
People still smoke in restaurants where I live (it’s illegal) it’s disgusting I wish people would stop
Load More Replies... MurderMittens 2 years ago
My country allows sick people to live on the street in front of businesses, even pooping in public.
David 2 years ago
YES. Have been to Japan. Did not see the trash / graffiti we have here. Graffiti exist - like in Tokyo but at least when I was in Japan everything is generally cleaner than here. Singapore was pretty clean too as I recall.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago (edited)
It doesn't make sense to compare countries with dynasty rulings to a "democratic" republic.
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Deborah Rubin 2 years ago
So many people are talking about Japan, why don't they move there? Or just try to make things better here.
#24
Swedish drinking laws. If I remember correctly, you can purchase alcohol below 5% at age 18, and be served liquor is bars (so the bartender can control the amount being served.) Seems like a smarter way to introduce kids to alcohol rather than opening the flood gates at 21.
David 2 years ago
I have always hated the hypocrisy / inconsistency between when you are mature enough to drive - 16, sign legal contracts / die in the military - 18, and smoke or drink - 21. Drive a car to the recruiting center, join the military and kill other human beings / maybe get blown up. But don't you dare buy a cigarette.
gotham-panda 2 years ago
The reason the military sign up age is so low, is they want to get you to sign your life away for X amount of years before you're old enough to realize what a terrible idea that is. Older, more mature people have already invested in their lives and don't want to go off and (possibly) die. Only the very young are naive (or desperate) enough to do it, and young enough to feel like death can't happen to them. If they didn't get them young, there wouldn't *be* a military. And then who would fight in all those wars?
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Ace 2 years ago
It's always been 18 for any/all alcohol in the UK, many European countries allow beer and cider from 16. The 21 year age limit in the US, when you allow children to drive 2-ton killing machines from age 16, is beyond my understanding.
David 2 years ago
I agree it's out of whack. I've been driving since I was 12. LOL! Some of it a lot more than 2 tons. But I was a farm boy and most of it wasn't on the roads.
Load More Replies... René Sauer 2 years ago
In germany you are allowed to drink lighter stuff (beer and Wine) as early as 14, with parental consent and supervision. then with 16 you are allowed to buy it on your own.
Killashandra Lux 2 years ago
Same in Luxembourg. And spirits from 18. And no one makes much fuss about it...
Load More Replies... Brenda 2 years ago
Age was 19 in Houston in 1984-1986. They changed it back to 21 2 months before I turned 21. Illegal drinking went DOWN during this time. No idea why they changed it back
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
They changed it back because the federal government said they wouldn't give money towards things like interstate highways, unless their age program worked.
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KnightOwl 2 years ago
The legal age in the UK is 18 but a huge % of the British population starts drinking way earlier. Most of us start around 13-14 (or even earlier!) The idea of not drinking until 21 seems particularly crazy to me as I actually quit drinking alcohol at 21!
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
In Australia it is similar. When I was 19/20 myself and most of my peers were 'over drinking' by 19. Like, we would still drink a few when we were out, but very little binge drinking once you got over the rebellious feeling!
Load More Replies... Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
Or at least go back to beer and wine at 18, and hard liquor at 21—the way it was when I was young (I hit 18 right when they split it, because up until then it was everything at 18).
Pheebs 2 years ago
So, purchase/consumption in public is restricted to 21 in the states. That same law does not apply to at home. Only 5 states in the US (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and West Virginia) explicitly deny kids drinking - the others allow it if it’s in a private residence, and under family consent/supervision. There are also religious and medical exemptions. Ultimately, it’s up to the family to parent the kids and remove the forbidden fruit aspect of alcohol.
#25
Widely available artisan bread at affordable prices
Cheese Lover™ 2 years ago
Where I live you can get the best artisan bread ever in a supermarket. Plus we have mini bakeries in some grocery stores that make amazing bread and other baked goods and sell them for a couple euros at most
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
Where I live (and in a lot of places) « artisan bread in a supermarket » makes no sense at all. (Good) bread is made by a baker in a bakery, period.
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Lori T Wisconsin 2 years ago
American mass produced bread contains loads of sugar. Bread should not be sweet.
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
We just call it Bread. The stuff from the US we call American toast (yes even if it isn‘t toasted. Toasted it would be called toasted toast, but in German of course)
Kayjunmoon 2 years ago
What you call ‘artisan bread’ is normal in Southern Europe. In my village we have 4 bakeries, cake shop run by a pastry chef, 5 butchers , 4 pharmacies a chocolate shop, 4 places that sell hand made ice cream in summer, 2 delicatessen and 8 greengrocers selling products from around the town. Our population is 4000.
sturmwesen 2 years ago
artisan, or decent? I can buy a loaf of bread so good you can eat it without anything or just butter
Hollerfloozy 2 years ago
Spent some time in Denmark, I loved the breads.. actual packaged bread was kinda ew, but no one really ever bought it anyway, everyone ate fresh baked bread.. It was lovely.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I think that is what has attributed to my folic acid levels decreasing. Bread has to be sold with added folic acid, but regular flour doesn't. Not sure, but it's the only thing I could think of, because I was baking bread more often.
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censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Most supermarkets in SA in big cities have freshly made "artisan" bread. Except we're so used to it, we just call it bread.
#26
Safe bicycle infrastructure
Trisec 2 years ago
Bicyclist actually obeying traffic laws and using bike lines that they begged for and then don't use.
Benita Valdez 2 years ago
I was so pissed off the other day as I was driving through my residential suburb because a guy on a bike was just riding and ignoring all the stop signs. Like seriously, someone could have easily hit them, having the right of way, because this douche didn't even slow down at the stop signs and there were plenty of blind spots that would've made a car driver not responsible for the cyclist getting hit
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Tim Gearing 2 years ago (edited)
This picture is NOT safe bicycle infrastructure. I’ve read that Belgians call it a murder lane. I think that is an apt description
StrangeOne 2 years ago
We have these in Winnipeg, too. Shared by buses, cabs and turning traffic who still view cyclists using those lanes as burdens.
Load More Replies... Seadog 2 years ago
Kind of like those obnoxious scooters that are everywhere now. I was talking to a trooper about them and they hate them because most of the time the people on them lost their driver privileges because they couldn't obey the laws to begin with, putting them on scooters doesn't change that.
Russell Bowman 2 years ago
Don't you know American bicyclists are immortal and color blind (ie red and green)
Stephanie Barr 2 years ago
Where I learned to drive (in the US), they are entitled to a lane in the road, just like you and are restricted by the same laws.
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#27
Amsterdam. Knew they biked, but didn’t expected multi-level bike parking lots every mile. Jesus christ I loved it there.
Louisa Johnson 2 years ago
I have just come back but did not do any sight seeing as the client my husband is a carer for wanted to go to the red light district every day. The first day we split up I want off with my baby but due to having sarcoidosis and ME the walking we done left me bed bound the following day with my feet elevated. Anyway this is the only tourist thing that was done, my husband his client and a friend who tagged along took the baby out for a canal cruise. The guide was really informative apparently and had said that every year they remove about 15 thousand bikes from the rivers and canals in the city. I thought it was a great fact because I love facts. But I really hope these bikes are recycled and turned in to more bikes because they are everywhere you look. I want to go back soon as I missed so much I wanted to see
SalamanderPanda 2 years ago
Went off on a bit of a tangent there, are you sure it was your husbands client that wanted the visit the red light district 😂😂😇
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Temporary Dork 2 years ago
In Amsterdam, having your bike stolen once a year is a given. We still ride.
Load More Replies... #28
Siesta. Nothing seems more civilized than everyone taking a nap from 12 until 3ish in the afternoon. Then working until 6-7. And eating dinner at 8 or 9
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago
This seems like a waste of a day to me. I'd rather finish work 3 hours earlier in the day to have that time back with my family instead of napping and stretching out my work day
François Carré 2 years ago
Siesta is not a waste of time if it allows you to rest enough to enjoy the rest of the day. Even if you finish work a bit later you can have a good dinner, spend time with your family or friends or watch a movie instead of feeling so tired you just want to go to bed.
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Sandra Gleeson 2 years ago
Yeah, no thanks, we run a demolition company and work starts at 430am and finishes 4pm, can't nap on a building site
Christine Caluori 2 years ago
Siesta's were taken in countries where it was simply to hot to work out doors in the middle of the day
Kayjunmoon 2 years ago
This is exactly what we do in Southern Europe but our main meal is lunch. Also we go to bed after midnight (in summer way after midnight) and most non food shops don’t open much before 10 in the morning.
David 2 years ago
I'll never forget walking around Spain and wondering why all the shops closed. I vaguely knew of siestas from tv and such but first time I'd seen it in practice. And I think I didn't realize that just about everyone did it.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
I'd always forget about siesta and then try to stop for water or a snack and...*doh* everything's closed.
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Niki B 2 years ago
I live in a very hot country in Western Europe. Somewhere from middle June to October, from 12 a.m to 4 p.m life practically stops. many shops are closed, there are few people on the street. but after five, life begins to boil again, shops are open until 9-10 pm and people sit late in cafes and pubs. but our mornings are not easy xdxd
Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
I would definitely like an option for a nap after lunch even though my country isn't siesta friendly either. For an hour or two after eating I'm basically doing a food coma while trying to work and it's not good for productivity. A 2 hour lunch break where the extra 1½ hours will be compensated by working later or coming in early would be the dream
#29
When I went to Japan. When I ordered from food from any type of chain that is also in USA like McDonald's, Denny's, Burger King, it looked like the picture on the menu or the commercial. It was truly bizzare. Like in the USA if you get a bigmac it looks nothing like the picture or in the commercials. When You get a big mac in japan...it looks like the one in the picture. Its like somebody back there was painstakingly putting that burger together perfectly.
Bobert Robertson 2 years ago
Japan seems to take pride in everything they do. Amazing country and people
Friday Van-Defoe 2 years ago
They take pride in assaulting women on trains too
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Horosho Bodka 2 years ago
Japan has some very strict laws about food appearance on packaging, and they are enforced. In the US laws are only for the commoners and "the rabble" peasants.
RavenTheCat 2 years ago
thats because american fast food chains treat their staff like actual garbage so theres no care
General Anaesthesia 2 years ago
Maybe Truth-in-Advertising laws? "The Act prohibits any form of improper labeling with exaggerated or false labeling that misleads consumers about the nature or quality of a product. The Consumer Affairs Agency can demand documentation of a rational basis for labeling that makes claims of superior quality etc."
Josie Jones 2 years ago
Went to Japan and still ate McDonald's is the most American thing lol loser
#30
Fika, Swedish break for coffee and light socializing.
Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
Is fika guaranteed by law during the work day like we have the two coffee breaks? And is the cake or other sweets when someone has a birthday, there's something else to celebrate or someone brought back some from a holiday? Hälsningar från Confused Finn
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Gandalf the Pink 2 years ago
For the introverted and socially awkward, fika also gives you a moment to just drink a hot beverage for yourself and take a little pause from socializing ❤️
Adapting to new environments becomes smoother when you have a sense of the unwritten rules that govern everyday life in another country.
For a deeper dive into how locals view foreign visitors and the importance of cultural sensitivity, you might find it helpful to explore perspectives from those who emphasize the value of respecting social norms abroad, as discussed in essential travel etiquette advice.
#31
Would be nice to also eliminate the fees foster parents pay for general registration, classes and social services related to fostering or adoption.
And also eliminate trying to recoup costs by billing parents whose children have been placed in foster care.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
Where the fúck does this supposedly happen?!? Billing the biological parents? The US has a LOT of things wrong but don't try to pin this insane idea on us, this is NOT in the US.
JMil 2 years ago
This is wildly inaccurate. Unfortunately adoption is crazy expensive, yes. But the foster care system is nothing like this. The government subsidizes foster parents to the point that it is taken advantage of (people fostering a mess of children because they get a check for each one and there is limited oversight into where that money goes). Recouping costs from parents? Get out of here. To all non-US citizens and US citizens alike, this is horse sh*t.
Brenda 2 years ago
Foster parents must go through classes to make sure they are prepared to foster kids, that they understand how the system works, the resources available for the kids and them. I don't think the parents of children placed in foster care are billed. At least, I've never heard of that (I could be wrong, though). The biological parents should only have so much time to correct whatever behavior caused them to lose their children in the first place. After that, those children should be eligible for adoption. Some kids stay in the system because parents refuse to relinquish their rights, but they never change their behavior either.
Adam S 2 years ago
Wait, you get your kids taken off you THEN get charged for them being looked after?! 🤯
René Sauer 2 years ago
How would the foster system work, then? They need money to pay the workers who process the papers, maintain facilities like offices and places for the kids to stay and so on.
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
It would work perfectly if our government focused our tax dollars on civil services rather than building up an already absurdly large military.
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#32
Volksmarches from Germany. Walk 10 kilometers through beautiful surroundings (usually chosen to show off the best scenery of a city or town in the countryside), stopping for snacks along the way if you want. ETA: I forgot to add it’s an organized event with hundreds of people.
#33
Australia has an extremely sustainable agriculture formula that we could adopt.
freakingbee is going offline 2 years ago
why did i think the image was a carpet and a wood floor
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Really? I would say we have far too much monoculture, though thing are improving.
#34
Bidets
Crazy Nailzz 2 years ago
You dont have Bidets???? How do you wash your..... or you just wipe it with a paper and walk through the day with a dirty.... OMG
Toffee's girl 2 years ago
We have moist toilet paper in the UK - just like a baby wipe (and sometimes cheaper than moist TP) so no dirty butt holes here 🍑
Load More Replies... David 2 years ago
I am actually happy to see them becoming more of a thing around here. Not common, but at least now the toilet mounted ones are often sold in places like Costco and Home Depot. I saw my first bidet in a Beverly Hills hotel in 1984. A bidet and a phone in the bathroom seemed quite swanky. But I was in my 20s and had never seen one before.
Jennifer Clayton 2 years ago
Omg, it cleans your weasel hole. Mine has a heated seat and warm water, but you enjoy the stone age my crusty friend.
Load More Replies... #35
After living in Finland for four months - saunas in every house!
Suzie Alto 2 years ago
My family is Finnish. And I grew up in the UP of Michigan. Both sets of grandparents had a wood sauna and then when they built their new homes after moving off their farms they had saunas built in the basement. I grew up with a sauna in the basement. I so wish I had one where I live now
#36
There's this little Iranian tradition called tarof. To tarof is to make the most generous offer that you can afford to make to another person when you are at their service. When you have a guest, you offer only the best. The best drinks, the best food, the couch you normally sit on, and the cleanest bathroom to use. But tarof extends beyond formal occasions. When you go out to lunch or dinner with a buddy or a circle of friends, you pay for the bill. To clarify, you try to pay for the bill, because Iranian-Americans fight to the death for the chance to deliver the most profound gesture of generosity. It can get ugly and sneaky sometimes - some people call in and offer a credit card number to the staff before their party even arrives. For some people, it's only that - a gesture. Just a part of the culture to accept, a means of flaunting one's wealth and the generosity that is only expected to come with it. For others, however, it's an act of kindness to show that you'll go out of your way to make someone's day and make them feel well in any way possible. Personally, I think it becomes a bit silly at times, but I think it brings a nice attitude to helping others and being a good friend/relative/partner/person.
#37
I'd rather not make this about Health Care or "freedom of speech" since I feel like this is the inevitable route some will take. But I've been living in "Europe" for close to a decade and here are some more lighthearted ones. US can learn from Europe: Having an alcoholic beverage during lunch is not a sign of degeneracy. I was the prudish American that thought it was unprofessional/faux pas to have a beer/wine during lunch. People here do it all the time, even in work situations. Which is ironic because in the U.S I was basically pounding drinks at 8 AM (Tailgating at football games) during the weekends. Work life balance as mandatory/employee's rights. Not as a "perk" for working at XYZ Company. Plat du Jours. Sure there are restaurants that have Lunch Specials, but not to the level here. On that note. Eating an actual meal for lunch (and being given the time to do so). Example, I had a steak+fries for lunch as the plat du jour yesterday. Came with a salad as an appetizer. Even had a glass of wine, and a coffee afterwards. My coworkes/bosses wouldn't bat an eye. There are fantastic music/movies/t.v shows being produced abroad. Being on Netflix doesn't mean it's good. It just means... it's on Netflix. Being a courteous driver is beneficial for all. (For example: Drivers in Switzerland actually zipper when merging from a closed lane unto the open lane. In the U.S it's usually Mad Max Fury Road...) Europe can learn from the US: The pros of having a "relationship" with your neighbors far outweighs the cons. Wish people were a bit more open to it. Then again, I'm in Switzerland, where people think calling the police on your neighbors is completely acceptable. Gatekeeping some stuff is pointless. My biggest gripe being Sports team fandom. The whole "plastic fan" is hilariously dumb to me. Like me saying you can't be a fan of Jay-Z's music unless you're from Brooklyn, so go support your "local rapper" instead you f'in plastic! (Note: This is changing) Ethnic food is fantastic. Support your local ethnic food restaurants instead of fusion/pan- places probably run by non-immigrants. As much as people blame "Americans" for things like the European Super League, there are aspects of American Sports culture/model that are far better (and hence more successful) than the European model. (Note: That's not to say I'm in favor of the ESL). Chat with strangers. It's not a scam or suspectful at all. Sometimes I genuinely want to know if you recommend something to eat/drink/do.
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
We have more general drinking because we don't all carry guns. I can't imagine how problematic it would be for 16 year olds in America to drink and get into arguments - there would be no-one left. Here it's usually no worse than a punch-up.
gerard julien 2 years ago
USA is a COUNTRY, EUROPE is a CONTINENT. There are, at present, 44 countries in EUROPE, according to the UN. Europe has about 225 indigenous languages.
René Sauer 2 years ago
Aspects of american sports culture? *lol* I couldn´t care less about stuff like that, be it european or american
What do you think ?
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
FYI: These are not universal, either in or outside the US. Humanity plus corporate greed plus local/regional/national preferences mean any of these can apply anywhere, anytime. If you don't tip in Latin America, btw, be prepared for a *very* bad time. So.... yeah, not even tuesday and here we go. Geez, BP, take a weekend off... or just block everyone from the US from using BP since our nation sucks so much. I understand that's a very progressive/s/ thing to do. (For those wondering: See: News: Montana bans Tiktok)
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Agreed. South Africa has a lot of the above problems as well. We have a tipping culture, and if you want quality anything you pay. We do have free education and public healthcare but the quality is abyssmal so most people pay for private suppliers.
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Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
This isn’t an attack on the U.S., unless you make it one. These are ideas from around several countries that may improve lives in the U.S., some areas, some communities, some cities may not benefit from them, to think that one idea or system would work across a nation as huge and varied as the U.S. is optimistic to say the least, but look at the system that is in place now and see if it could be improved by importing some ideas that work elsewhere. If you are offended that’s your issue, offence is taken, not given. The U.S. has exported some great ideas, be confident enough to admit that others may have ideas that would improve your nation, none of us live in a perfect country.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
And aren't the answers being given by Americans who have been to Europe and seen where changes can be made?
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Brobro McDuderson 2 years ago
Maybe we’ll get lucky and get :eek: 2 closed-minded, US-slamming posts this week. *Fingers-crossed*
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Junebugjump! 2 years ago
It's staggering how little we get for the amount of taxes we pay. In Europe and Asia, ordinary people are not subsidizing the wealthy and enterprises who are not paying their taxes.
Scott Rackley 2 years ago
German traffic education, laws, and penalties. German regulation of automobiles. Yeah, gimme that.
Speedgoat 2 years ago
4 weeks of vacation would be great and all, but I go bonkers after one week.
TigerLily 2 years ago
It's not 4 weeks in a row, you arrange them during the year as you wish and can according to your work schedule / organisation with the colleagues. I have 8 weeks paid, and take them throughout the year so as to do max 15 days in a row, otherwise I'd go bonkers as well.
Load More Replies... Jennifer Clayton 2 years ago
So you're against the US adapting good ideas from other countries? That's all this list was. And most of our ideas originate elsewhere. This is a global age. Stop being a snowflake, we're not perfect.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
FYI: These are not universal, either in or outside the US. Humanity plus corporate greed plus local/regional/national preferences mean any of these can apply anywhere, anytime. If you don't tip in Latin America, btw, be prepared for a *very* bad time. So.... yeah, not even tuesday and here we go. Geez, BP, take a weekend off... or just block everyone from the US from using BP since our nation sucks so much. I understand that's a very progressive/s/ thing to do. (For those wondering: See: News: Montana bans Tiktok)
censorshipsucks 2 years ago
Agreed. South Africa has a lot of the above problems as well. We have a tipping culture, and if you want quality anything you pay. We do have free education and public healthcare but the quality is abyssmal so most people pay for private suppliers.
Load More Replies... Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
This isn’t an attack on the U.S., unless you make it one. These are ideas from around several countries that may improve lives in the U.S., some areas, some communities, some cities may not benefit from them, to think that one idea or system would work across a nation as huge and varied as the U.S. is optimistic to say the least, but look at the system that is in place now and see if it could be improved by importing some ideas that work elsewhere. If you are offended that’s your issue, offence is taken, not given. The U.S. has exported some great ideas, be confident enough to admit that others may have ideas that would improve your nation, none of us live in a perfect country.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
And aren't the answers being given by Americans who have been to Europe and seen where changes can be made?
Load More Replies... Brobro McDuderson 2 years ago
Maybe we’ll get lucky and get :eek: 2 closed-minded, US-slamming posts this week. *Fingers-crossed*
Load More Replies... Junebugjump! 2 years ago
It's staggering how little we get for the amount of taxes we pay. In Europe and Asia, ordinary people are not subsidizing the wealthy and enterprises who are not paying their taxes.
Scott Rackley 2 years ago
German traffic education, laws, and penalties. German regulation of automobiles. Yeah, gimme that.
Speedgoat 2 years ago
4 weeks of vacation would be great and all, but I go bonkers after one week.
TigerLily 2 years ago
It's not 4 weeks in a row, you arrange them during the year as you wish and can according to your work schedule / organisation with the colleagues. I have 8 weeks paid, and take them throughout the year so as to do max 15 days in a row, otherwise I'd go bonkers as well.
Load More Replies... Jennifer Clayton 2 years ago
So you're against the US adapting good ideas from other countries? That's all this list was. And most of our ideas originate elsewhere. This is a global age. Stop being a snowflake, we're not perfect.
Load More Replies... You May Like 131 Well-Known Quotes About Patriotism Someone Asked, "What's An Incredibly American Thing Americans Don't Realize Is American?", Here Are 68 Of The Most Accurate Answers
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