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Going abroad almost always stuns you when you’re suddenly forced to adapt to an entirely new culture. Not to make it sound too simple but things are different elsewhere. [Gasp.] I know. But we tend to underestimate just how different life really is in other countries. And the experience can be truly jaw-dropping for some.
People who went to the United States reported back the weird and hilarious things that they noticed while there, in response to redditor Daleelab’s thread on r/AskEurope. The redditor from the Netherlands wanted to know what the biggest culture shocks were for their fellow site users. And, wow, did they respond in detail.
Their answers paint a very interesting (not to say comical) picture of the United States, from peculiar bathrooms and mega cars to huge drinks and friendly strangers. Check them out below and upvote the answers that made you smile or chuckle. American Pandas, let us know what you think in the comment section. And we can wait for all the Pandas who’ve been to the US to share their own culture shock moments.
The author of the thread, redditor Daleelab, revealed to Bored Panda more about their first trip to the Western United States back in 2014 that inspired their post in the first place. "I was 13 at the time. I presumed the US to be like Europe only bigger. Then when we arrived, it was nothing like Europe, especially the Netherlands. Somehow, I got reminded of that and I wanted to know other people’s experiences going to the US," they said.
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#1
As a German the patriotism is very scarry. I worked in a camp for kids in the woods of North East and the first thing we did in the morning was to gather at the flag and sing the anthem. Every morning! I can't even remember when I sang the Germany anthem the last time?! One time the boys of my group, who were the oldest group in camp, randomly stud up after lunch and started singing the anthem again. All the kids joined in and after they were finished the chanted "USA USA..." And hit on the tables in rythm. I sat there with a guy from South Africa and we both were paralyzed. I guess for someone with a history that made it necessary to reflect critically on patriotism the American patriotism is super scary.
TropicalPanda 4 years ago
we have national anthems and pledges recited in schools in India too everyday.. But that's about it!!
Bow, I’m a Slytherin 4 years ago
I live in the UK and we have NEVER done something like that. Seems crazy to me.
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Daphne 4 years ago
In Holland it is also considered strange behaviour to randomly put up the national flag, except for certain national holidays (like Queensday now Kingsday but that still sounds weird) or a special occasion like getting your highschool diploma. For that occasion you can put up the flag and hang your school backpack on it too. Or for serious matters, half mast to honour the war dead on May 4.
John Montgomery 4 years ago
As an american it's becoming more annoying as I get older too. There's certain people who can't just mind their own business and be as patriotic as they like. They have to make sure everyone is being as patriotic as THEY like. It actually makes me want to be less patriotic.
Virgil Sanders 4 years ago
soo annoying when people try to force their patriotism on people. i hate it when they do that like you live your life and i'll live mine ok? please dont force your beliefs onto me
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Moriarty2 4 years ago
Yes, they have groupthink. I've learned to avoid houses with more than one American flag out front. The people who live there also seem to be the same ones who harass my biracial family. Apparently they don't think we are American enough because we aren't 100% Caucasian...
Load More Replies... Anthony Mann 4 years ago
Flags are EVERYWHERE here in the US. And you can go almost anywhere in the US and start a "USA, USA" chant
Ray Martin 4 years ago
Just take a look at the 14 defining characteristics of fascism. The U.S has ALL of them.
Thorfin Wolfsbane 4 years ago
Being forced to respect the flag and sing the Anthem is about the most Unamerican thing I can think of
RELATED:
#2
Police are the rudest and most aggressive I have experienced anywhere in the world (and I say this as someone who's dealt with some famously prickly regimes). I go up to ask directions and they put their hand on their gun. If I have more than a single question they are basically telling me to back off and move along. I always read about conflicts between American police and citizens; with that attitude, no wonder it's a problem.
MrLoufoque 4 years ago
I was once in California for New Year's eve and had found a driver's license on the ground, so I approached nearby police officers to give it to them so they can get in touch with its owner. They were completely cordial and friendly, so I guess the whole thing is up to everyone's experience...
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
It may depend on the cop - and, sadly, your race.
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Donkey boi 4 years ago
I'm not a fan of the police in general, I find most police services are full of people with a superiority complex. That being said, my personal experience with the police in America has always been pleasant and a few really enjoyable. NYC cop I asked for directions, walked us 2 blocks to a place we could get a free map and drew us directions. In Florida one officer waited and joked with us after our hire car broke down. My favourite was actually a TSA agent, who did his best to reassure me, after a swab test resulted positive for TNT, that there are a number of reasons it can happen and that he didn't think I was a terrorist.
Requiem 4 years ago
I work with police all the time and this is bull s**t. In the US they get that way because of people carrying guns. A lot of them have been shot over traffic stops
Full of Giggles 4 years ago
The unprovoked combative attitude people have towards officers is also a huge problem. So many believe they don’t have to be civil and compliant towards police because of the injustices committed by a portion of other officers. These people go into asshole mode the instant an officer approaches them. Their combative attitude only adds tension and hostility to the interaction. The officer may become more aggressive because they are afraid how the individual may react if things become volatile.
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Anthony Mann 4 years ago (edited)
It's because with so many guns readily accessible and available, the Police are in fear for their lives every day. They are on edge constantly , and ready to react to violence with violence.
Mando 4 years ago
While this may be the case, my dad is a cop. He is amazing and would NEVER do this. Just because one cop is not polite/aggressive doesn’t mean they all are! Yes, aggression is a problem that needs to be solved, but it can also be a stereotype...
Max L. 4 years ago (edited)
What never make the news is that the bad apples are a huge minority. Just because bad apples and bad news sell better on the internet.
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Wilf 4 years ago
They also look absolutely terrifying nowadays too- kitted out like a special ops soldier and driving around in vehicles that probably bought army surplus. I have been travelling to the US for work regularly for over a decade and it amazes me how even in the past 10-15 years or so the American police have transformed themselves into a paramilitary organization. Straight up no kidding, I once saw a police TANK. This wasn't when there was a big event or a riot going on, they were just sat there in a sunny town centre at 2pm in an *actual* tank!
third molar 4 years ago
Never experienced this myself. People have been nice when asked for help. So its probably individual experience and there are other "nicer" countries (not regimes) where i have seen complete asses too.
Dave P 4 years ago
agreed, and the NYPD which is used in the picture is considered one of the friendliest and most helpful.
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Michael Sanders 4 years ago
This sounds more like someone who’s read about the police in America and not actually experienced any interaction at all. There are a lot of terrible examples of bad police behavior, but I’m calling BS on a cop reaching for their gun when you ask for directions.
Bender Bending Rodríguez 4 years ago
I am US citizen. I can say what's said in post isn't BS. Same has been my experience as well. I no longer look at police as they are there to help. BTW I am brown, your mileage may vary depending on your skin tone.
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Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
With a few notable brave exceptions, it seems we’ve recruited cowards and psychopaths into our police force. I say cowards because, instead of observing the situation and deciding whether any force is necessary to deal with it, they just pull up and blindly come out of their cars with both barrels blasting, even if it’s just a kid with a water pistol. The person who immediately reaches for their gun is too stupid to think of another solution. I also say psychopaths for those who aren’t cowards, but who go purposely looking for a reason to shoot someone—-even artificially creating such a situation where it doesn’t otherwise exist. There needs to be an overhaul of the hiring process, which extends to the academy, where cowards and psychopaths are weeded out before they’re allowed to wear the uniform, and after they’re sworn in and working. And when discovered, they should be permanently barred from both possessing weapons, and working in law enforcement anywhere ever again.
Sue User 4 years ago
I wonder how much of it is steroid rage. They mostly seem huge now.
Load More Replies... #3
I witnessed a mother opening several packs of sugar and sprinkle it in their kids Coca Cola. I’m still speechless.
I also can’t comprehend how people think private health insurance is a threat to their freedom or that private prisons could be a good idea.
Lastly, the gap in the toilet doors. WHY
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
WTF, there is already s**t loads of sugar in coke. I don't think that is a normal US thing, probably just some idiotic parent trying to give their kids diabetes. But correct me if I'm wrong though.
Blake Ingram 4 years ago
No, nobody in their right mind would add in sugar to Coke.
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Daniel Marsh 4 years ago
I have NEVER in all my years of living in the U.S. EVER seen someone ADD sugar to coke.
Brian J 4 years ago
I was going to say the same thing. You said it perfectly
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Paul Davis 4 years ago
You witnessed some sick woman doing something completely abnormal and bordering on abuse, and it happened to be in the U.S. Have lived in this country all of my life and this is the first I've ever even heard of anyone doing anything like that.
Lunar Bicycle 4 years ago
That is not a normal thing. In fifty years I’ve never seen another American do that.
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
I read recently that they put the gaps in toilet stalls on purpose to make you uncomfortable so you will spend the minimum amount of time in there.
According to the original poster, Daleelab, the biggest difference between the United States and the Netherlands that they found was how many Americans had an "utter obsession with 'patriotism.'" In the redditor's opinion, too much patriotism can lead to "dangerous nationalism."
They said: "I love the Netherlands and I’m happy to be privileged to live here and to be Dutch. But the nationalism in the US is blinding people to the huge faults in their country anyone could see if not for that nationalism. Another big difference is that almost everyone there is a Christian."
Another thing that Daleelab was shocked to see on their visit to the US was that "people would shoot the 'Welcome to [State]' signs." They also were surprised by the road signs: "Everything on the street was spelled out instead of it being symbols. It’s a sign that says 'one way' while a simple arrow would do fine in Europe."
In an interview with Yale News, Sterling Professor of Political Science, Ian Shapiro, said that the trust in politicians, parties, and democratic institutions has become eroded. The cause of this? The transfer of political power to the grassroots. As such, there has been a rise in divisive and populist politics in the US.
“Many people are concerned about the damage Trump has inflicted on America’s political institutions. What they are missing is that Trump is a product of bad political institutions. The main infirmity is that the United States has very weak political parties. They are weak because they are subject to control by unrepresentative voters on their fringes and those who fund them,” Shapiro said.
#4
Having to say the ”Pledge of allegiance“ every single day, not gonna lie I found that really strange because it kinda gave off North Korea vibes to me, that’s just something that would be unheard of in German schools
Aaron W 4 years ago
American kids have always been taught to worship the flag and the anthem. If only they had been taught to respect democracy and justice instead of superficial symbols.
Christian Bradshaw 4 years ago
If it helps, most of us only do it cause we're supposed to. None of us like it, and most of us kinda just stand there till it's over
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third molar 4 years ago
Once you pledge then does it expire in 24 hrs and need to be re-pledged? So, should we also do marriage vows everyday??
Shaivya Shrivastava 4 years ago
I think marriage vows should be reaffirmed regularly... between the s**t of daily life we forget where it all began ... would be nice to touch base at frequent intervals
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AroAcePanda 4 years ago
pledges for flags are dumb, and if you want to have one so bad, then don't force people to say it!
Shane S 4 years ago
We also had to pledge to the Texas flag when I was in school which to me, is just weird.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
Texas is the only state that was a country.
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Douglas Turner 4 years ago
The best part about it was that I learned the words by listening to the other kids in grade 1 reciting the Pledge. It was until years later that I found out the USofA WASN'T "one nation, invisible".
Paul Davis 4 years ago
I remember that if you refused to say "under God" they would drag you off to the principal's office for paddling.
Big 4 years ago
Maybe a hundred years ago. But this is absolutely unheard of now.
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#5
I saw more obese and morbidly obese people than I ever had seen before in my life. Literally, before I visited NYC, I think I only once or twice saw a morbidly obese person.
Demi Zwaan 4 years ago
My husband was morbidly obese when we went to Blizzcon in 2010 (a convention for gamers). We saw people who needed TWO chairs to sit down. My husband looked tiny compared to a lot of people there. We went to Walmart (cheap store that sells everything) and they sold XL shirts that were bigger than our 5XL for the same price as M/L clothes here. Same with pants. He got multiple new outfits for normal prices that would've cost a fortune here, simply because 'XL' is quite normal in the US.
DamnBecky 4 years ago
I know with women's sizing its not just the fact that Americans are more prone to being obese. But I spent an internship with the Costume Shop at the National Theater in London and the head costumer explained even with actresses (who tended to run underweight) American women were just bigger compared to actresses in the UK. Bigger shoulders, hips, wrists, ankles etc. Its due to the multicultural nature of the people who came here. She used to joke that I would list 10 European countries as my heritage just back a few generations, but you ask the girl from North England where she was from and her family had been in the same town for 400+ years. Genetics are just different. (We 100% have an obesity problem in the US, but its not the only reason why sizing is different. I was TINY when I was in England and still had to size up to fit shoulders and hips.)
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KatHat 4 years ago
When unhealthy food is cheap; when people have to work multiple jobs because minimum wage hasn't changed in over a decade (and have no time to exercise or to cook or to sit on a bus to go to a supermarket selling healthy food); when there are food desserts and people have to buy what's available; when healthcare is seen as a luxury; when public transportation is not invested in... Look further than the people's bodies. This is a CHRONIC lack of care of people by the entire infrastructure of the United States and has been so for decades. Make it impossible to live healthily, and then blame people for where they end up. It's disgusting and heart-breaking.
Anirudh Sharma 4 years ago
Please. The situation is terrible and capitalist greed has definitely made it easier to become morbidly obese. But calling it impossible is a stretch. It's definitely possible to stay in shape, however it would take some annoying sacrifices.
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H G 4 years ago
I personally know quite a few people (I'm American) who hardly cook or don't cook at all. Just eat out all the time. They're all on the bigger side and passing on these habits to their kids. It's sad to see this in our country. Obesity as well as high rates of heart disease, diabetes, ect.
Full of Giggles 4 years ago
So many people eat unhealthy in general. I’ve seen morbidly obese families with cart stuffed full of frozen pizzas, frozen chicken nuggets, TV dinners, cookies, a s**t ton of soda, and more. Rarely will you see fruits, vegetables, and animal protein in their carts. It’s gross.
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Full of Giggles 4 years ago
To be fair, would you want to walk on hot cement on a 115F degree day?
Load More Replies... Honu 4 years ago (edited)
That's something I've seen change drastically in my life time, not so much the number of people but the severity. I'm 50. When I was a kid and probably up to my early adulthood, you certainly did see overweight and obese people frequently. By that I mean people in the BMI 25-35 range. When I'm in Europe, I see plenty of people with that level of overweight, as well. Not as much as the US, but it's still not uncommon. In the US now, I see many more people who are morbidly obese. And some morbidly obese to the point it is limiting their mobility. That, I rarely see in Europe. Also, the number of kids that are overweight or obese has gone up here. There's something seriously awry with our food culture.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 4 years ago
I got morbidly curious and looked up the obesity rate in the United States which is 36.2% for the year 2021. Yikes....
Don't Look 4 years ago
Yup. Morbidly obese country. Processed foods, too much sugar and yet there are meds handed out like candy to help handle those clogged arteries, diabetes and other physical ailments. Losing weight isn’t an option. Apparently. This country is going for the “normal” body type.
#6
The poverty. I had been to the US a lot, but always along the costal cities. Sure, I saw homeless people around LA and New York, but I’ve seen homeless people in Sweden too and figured it probably had to do with addiction or mental illness. Then a couple of years ago I decided to travel across the US. I started in Los Angeles, then Nevada and then just moved on throughout the southern parts of the country. There were places that looked like a third world country. Homes barely holding together, people with dirty clothes, just horrible horrible poverty that I’ve never ever seen in a developed country before.
Aaron W 4 years ago
They adore capitalism though. Sure we have no decent education or healthcare, no food or clothes, but as long as the corporations are making bank we are good.
CP 4 years ago
And many people vote for it to be that way against their own interests. “John Steinbeck once said that socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”
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El Dee 4 years ago
I think the US is only 'notionally' a developed country. There is plenty for the rich but there is no protection for ordinary people to prevent them being mistreated or made destitute. It is a socially backward nation who has convinced its own populace that it's right for the government not to protect them but rather protect the super rich..
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
Yes, it’s our dirty little secret hidden away from where the tourists go. Amazingly those people tend to vote against any measures designed to help them; trained instead to follow the orders of the clergy and the ruling class believing they’ll be rewarded for it in the afterlife.
Tim 4 years ago
I visited DC in the winter about 20 years ago and there were homeless people everywhere. I mean everywhere. It was so sad.
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OhBlahDi OhBlahDa 4 years ago
My cousin always says that the US is a third world country wearing a Gucci belt.
Paul Z. 4 years ago (edited)
The walking dead of Chicago! We were there and the (whatever they were on) s**t and piss covered junkies with that extremely sad shuffle they do (because of completely broken feet) with torn up clothes and no dignity and help! Horrible! Shameful, for a country sporting so many billionaires!
Judit Hajdu 4 years ago
the gap between rich and poor are astonishing, same as in the Republic of Congo which causes a huge tension in the society
Mark H 4 years ago
that's a sad commentary that I can't disagree with ... maybe the exceptionalism that many Americans see our nation with is something of a propaganda brainwashing ... with a small minority of clearly ' haves ' that are comfortable in selling that notion that there is not such inequity and there is such a large underclass and that it really is not such a problem ... that's the dirty secret that they're happy to not be broadcast to the rest of the world and spoil that 'exceptional ' image
The Dutch redditor who created the thread in the first place shared their own experience with going to America for the very first time.
“I went to the US in 2014. We landed in San Francisco and had to rent a car. We thought, ‘We're in America, let's rent a big car.’ So we rented a ‘big’ car. Then we joined the I101 and we were the smallest car on the road... So with our redefined car, we went to the Golden Gate Bridge but we were hungry,” they wrote.
#7
When I was a young child I went on holiday to Florida. I remember going to a museum and seeing a ‘non guns’ sign at the entrance. My mum has to explain to young me that in the US people regularly carried guns around, which blew my mind. Still does today.
స్టీఫెన్ ఆండ్రూ 4 years ago
In almost every developed, first-world nation.
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Pat Salzer 4 years ago
Blows my mind and I'm American. It's also not permitted everywhere in the US.
Xylle Flora 4 years ago
Healthcare for everyone and no college fees are sooo dangerous, but yeah, let's respect the second amendment because you feel "threatened"
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
Actually, the amendments were created when there was no proper police force. Plus not many people own a gun in the US.
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Crazy Dog Lady 4 years ago
As an American it freaks me out. I work in a grocery store and every time I see someone open carry (I live in a no permit for open carry) it takes me a good 15 minutes to recuperate (severely impacts my job efficiency). I don't even mind guns (I go to a range for fun every once in a while) but don't believe people should just walk around with them.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
Wal-Mart??? But that is just like a dept store, not a gun store, do they have to do paperwork to buy the gun?
Load More Replies... #8
The prices. Deals were extreme. Like you would get 12 donuts for the price of 2.5 single ones. I didnt want to overpay for a single donut, but i couldnt eat 12. So i didnt bought anything. Healthy stuff was 2x-3× the price Im used to. Unhealthy stuff was half the price.
Happy_Pandalover 4 years ago
yeah, healthy food is usually more expensive in almost any industrial country. but the price gaps are alot biggere in the us. it makes people with low income buy unhealthy food - exactly what the food industry wants us to do :(... that‘s a problem everywhere though
Giovanna 4 years ago (edited)
Not really, actually. In Italy you can get very good food for a very low price. I'm talking about both supermarket and eating out. Although I think we're really used to cook our own food.
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JennyLaRue 4 years ago
I went there for work and nipped to the supermarket to get some food for breakfast and lunches, and couldn't believe it was $12 for a punnet of strawberries (when they were in season too), other fruit and vegetables were equally as pricey, and then on the other side of the store you couple buy a giant gateaux or two dozen cooked wings for less than $7.
Wendy J Shores 4 years ago
Thus the problem with obesity in this country. Prices for junk food are remarkably lower than fresh produce. Its a very sad thing.
Lynne Harbison 4 years ago
The food is crap there. Come to New Zealand if you want fresh, healthy, well cooked food in restaurants.
Judit Hajdu 4 years ago
unhealthy stuff is cheap but it is garbage, not fit for human consumption
John Baker 4 years ago
That's how they get rid of the leftover stock from the day before. You get 12 stale donuts for the price of 2.5 fresh ones. ;-)
Cybele Spanjaard 4 years ago
And all junk high calorie carb food... sells but ate what cost in the end?
#9
How hard it is to walk in smaller cities. Everything is designed around cars. Want to go to the mall across the street? There’s a 6 lane road, good luck crossing that! If you somehow manage to do it, you still have to cross a gigantic parking lot that is like 10% full.
Aroha 4 years ago
My friend from Finland moved to the States and tried to keep up the habit of walking everywhere. She was regularly stopped by the police, or even worse, very dodgy men would stop their car and offer her a ride. Also some nice people stopped as they thought she needed help! I walk 10km per day, I could not imagine being tied to a car...
Cybele Spanjaard 4 years ago
The fumes from all those vehicles must be gross and the fact to just walk is considered as a suspect.. why??
Marcellus the Third 4 years ago
Chances are a cop comes along for a thorough chat, as you're clearly sus. Good luck trying this while non-white or otherwise 'non-conformist'.
Gitta Landgraf 4 years ago
WANTED TO HAVE A WALK IN FLORIDA/POLICE STOPPED ME/ TOLD ME TO GO BACK TO MY HOTEL
John Baker 4 years ago
It's a lot easier to get across that six lane road if you wait for the light to change...
Anna Harding 4 years ago (edited)
I read about some idiot woman consistently called the police on a teenage girl who would walk her younger sister to the local stores. The police would pick up the kids and not even let them call their parents 😡
“So we stopped at a diner. My brother ordered a burger and a small 7 Up. He got a liter of 7 Up. He wasn't even halfway and the waitress came to ask if he'd like a free refill (!). To quantify the bigness would be an insult of the bigly bigness that is the American lifestyle. Certainly a shock for me,” the redditor shared their experience and just how huge everything seemed once they arrived on the West Coast.
#10
Everything is sugary and sweet. I swear even bread was sugary instead of salty.
Sum Guy 4 years ago
I read an article sometime back that the Irish supreme court ruled that subway bread is too sweet to be classified as bread.
Iggy 4 years ago
There was five times the amount of sugar normally found. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/subway-bread-too-sweet-for-the-irish-tax-authorities-1.4367663
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Annemarie Mattheyse 4 years ago
YES! This!!! We actually bought a bread machine and started baking our own bread rather than eat the sweet stuff from the supermarket. (We previously lived in the Netherlands.)
Pamela Blue 4 years ago
I'm in Canada, and our store-bought bread isn't sweet, but I still make my own sourdough loaves to eat. There is NO sugar at all in those, and they taste wonderful!
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Spring Fisk 4 years ago
When I visited Europe I was surprised that most things were more salty than sweet. That's when I realized that I preferred salty to sweet. We also we walked a lot more and in 2 weeks I lost weight without even thinking about it.
Derek Clark 4 years ago
American chocolate is pretty disgusting, it's butter with cocoa powder and sugar.
Kevin Donegan 4 years ago
Sugar is subsidized by the government ... they should subsidize vegetables.
Lynne Harbison 4 years ago
We met Americans on a train here in New Zealand. I asked what is the best memory they will take home with them. They replied...the food, and the variety of good, healthy breads! I thought they would say our mountain scenery!
#11
Any time I’m in the States I’m always shocked by the amount of homeless people. Especially in San Francisco and Los Angeless.
Hans 4 years ago
Even worse, (mentally) ill homeless people. The lack of universal healthcare and homelessness seem to be closely connected.
Requiem 4 years ago
Canadas homeless is 95% mental health. We have universal healthcare.....
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Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Even more shocking when you find out that, especially in those cities where rents are in the stratosphere, so many of those homeless people are actually employed full time, but don’t make enough to pay rent. In fact, many of them may have had apartments previously, but got priced right out of them when their landlords got greedy, decided to jump on the luxury level rent bandwagon, kicked them and the other modest income tenants out, refurbished all the units, jacked the rent up sky high, and leased to people who may not be one-percenters, but who certainly do make exceedingly high salaries.
Donkey boi 4 years ago
This isn't an 'American' thing, this is an 'any city in the world' thing!
Paul Davis 4 years ago (edited)
We used to have a world-class mental care system, until Ronald Reagan's administration shredded it completely with the excuse mentally ill people are just weak and the money is better given to corporations and billionaires. Now the mentally ill live out on the street. What an improvement!
Nathan Pogorzala 4 years ago (edited)
Then why is Toronto, a fabulous city, absolutely over run? Spoiled teenagers runaway and go to Evergreen because mom and dad wouldn’t buy them an Audi? Comparing TO and NYC, which is bad, is a no contest. TO needs either better awareness, mental health counseling or child services.
Anne Reid 4 years ago
To be fair, a lot of “homeless” in NYC are professional beggars. Tourists usually give them money, not knowing the difference.
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Daphne Williams 4 years ago
There are more in SF and LA because they have very temperate climates that make it easier to survive outdoors.
ERIKA H. 4 years ago
Homelessness is definitely a problem in those cities, but imma bet you were the dowtown areas?
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
Have you checked out the cost of housing in LA or San Francisco? There's your answer!
#12
Obligatory (not-really-but-yes-totally-obligatory) tipping
Samantha Power 4 years ago
Very obligatory, when I lived there an English friend of ours didn't tip well enough and the waiter followed him out into the street and asked if his service was poor. Can't imagine that happening in England. Friends would carry a tip calculator which would show exactly how much to leave.
KatHat 4 years ago
It wouldn't happen in England because wait staff receive a decent wage to start with (not the $2.13 per hour many in the US make) AND have healthcare covered by the NHS. I haven't met a person in the service industry in the US who gets healthcare as a benefit. So the tips are necessary to actually live. Yes, the system is shitty but it's the current system. So of course it's different in England; the whole context is different.
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Trillian 4 years ago
Actually, I hate dining out in the US. You have to remember to add the tax AND the outrageous tips to the prices which are already pretty high. And as soon as you've put the last bit of food in your mouth your waiter will slap the bill on the table and practically shoo you out.
Paul Davis 4 years ago
This is one of many things that changed over the years in the U.S. And it could happen in Europe if you're not careful about letting conservative capitalists take over your government. The idea is that restaurants are able to advertise food for far less than it actually costs. They make the customers pay the waiters' wages directly as a hidden fee. I think everyone should completely refuse to eat at sit-down restaurants until they stop doing this.
Lynne Harbison 4 years ago
Tipping is demeaning. Pay a decent wage and ban it. Here in New Zealand, no tipping, free public toilets, free water in restaurants, you can sit anywhere outside free, unlike the Continent where you pay for EVERYTHING.
El Dee 4 years ago
I was horrified by the fact that employers actually 'assume' a level of tips and reduce the hourly pay accordingly. I don't understand how this is legal, it isn't anywhere else in the world..
Pamela Blue 4 years ago
Because whatever else the US worships, money is at the top of the list. They will do ANYTHING to keep an extra few bucks, even leave their employees on the street, if that's what it takes. Caring about other people's lives isn't on their agenda. The almighty dollar is.
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DKS 001 4 years ago
your tip is what pays the waiter/ress. They get paid way below minimum wage because it is assumed their tips would make up the difference.
Nicole Weymann 4 years ago
I'm too simple minded for that system. I my opinion paying his staff is the employer's job.
Load More Replies... Kim Irving 4 years ago
The problem is, they are paid less because they receive tips, so a lot of wait/kitchen staff depend on them as part of their income.
Plenty of people have heard a lot about American culture without having delved into the culture firsthand because of how prolific movies, TV shows, books, video games, and other forms of media from the US are. So it’s only natural that some individuals have a skewed understanding of how things in American society work, basing a lot of their knowledge on stereotypes.
#13
I went to Miami for a day when I was 11. I was just so shocked and disgusted by the slums, the country acts like they’re so far ahead but their poverty is indescribable. Every country has their poor and underdeveloped areas, but wow man. Miami gave my system a shock.
BusLady 4 years ago
So many people have poorly paying jobs, or they are unemployed, or they live on government assistance (which is not enough to live on). Also, this is usually rental housing owned by slumlords who don't keep the property up. I've lived in some awful places, but I'm at a nice place now.
Wilf 4 years ago
This. When I went to a couple of back-to-back academic conferences a few years back I thought it would be a neat idea to drive between them rather than fly. Drove from Jacksonville to Atlanta. The scale of absolute poverty in the small towns of rural America was genuinely shocking. I have travelled in developing countries that have had better infrastructure. Sure there are rough towns in the UK, but most people live in actual houses. I had no idea millions of Americans live in shacks, cabins and mobile homes. I always thought "wrong side of the tracks" was just an old phrase. I had no idea it was actually true. You cross a railway crossing and suddenly you go from boring middle-class suburbia into favella-level poverty. Genuinely shocking.
Suzanne Haigh 4 years ago
I do think the "rough areas" in the UK are mainly, not 100%, the fault of the inhabitants
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Robert Baldwin 4 years ago
More than half of Americans believe that if you work hard you will be successful, and that if you aren't successful it is because you aren't working hard enough or that you are a bad person
Amelia G 4 years ago
Jeez that's a little offensive ya know I mean sorry but why are u making fun of and being rude to the American people in poverty they can't change ghat
Amelia G 4 years ago
We are not disgusting slums and most people don't say we are so great ok
Load More Replies... Cybele Spanjaard 4 years ago
We used to hear how Miami was the place to go overseas in the US 40 + years ago ..it was not full of desperate homeless, and unclean then.
#14
People wear shoes inside their homes. So strange.
Glowdaddy 4 years ago
I agree with Daphne......So many non-Americans on BP calling out Americans as gross, but can't handle when called out as racist.
Load More Replies... Xylle Flora 4 years ago
That would track dirt inside and make it soooo hard to clean. What's wrong with taking your shoes off? My family and my friends take our shoes off.
HooowlAtTheMoon 4 years ago
It doesn't make it that hard to clean. If it's muddy or wet outside, of course we don't track mud inside onto the floor, we take our shoes off then, but if it's dry outside, unless our shoes are EXTREMELY dirty, it doesn't really do that much.
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Random Person 4 years ago
This isn't weird (at least not here). I wear shoes inside all the time! Honestly it's just more comfortable, and I can't stub my toe on the corner ; ).
Stacy Beare 4 years ago
Normal in Australia and the UK. I don't know anyone who takes their shoes off to go inside. What a hassle!
Gin 4 years ago
Nope. Take my shoes off in the UK. All my friends do. I have footwear that is for inside only.
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Lovely_hobi 4 years ago
In Mexico we do that, but it is because we don't have any carpets it is weird to have carpeted floor. There is a lot of dust so it is normal to clean regularly and use it inside.
Popescu Adina 4 years ago
We have slippers for that... don't you use slippers?
Load More Replies... Suzanne Haigh 4 years ago
People do seem to go on and on about this but feel it is entirely the householders choice.
Alyssa 4 years ago
It depends on the type of shoe, the persons house and if they allow it and how long you’re going to be home for. And obviously you’re not going to wear dirty shoes inside. Plus floors do get swept and washed! In saying this I go barefoot or socks only around the house, lol. But just saying.
HooowlAtTheMoon 4 years ago
I am from the US and I wear my shoes inside, but I never ever put my shoes on anything, whether it be the bed, couch, or table.
Load More Replies... #15
Extremely sad to see people freak out about having to get medical attention and/or illness at work. Also going through the trouble of verifying my travel insurance indeed cover me in the states. I have been less concerned going into literal war zones.
Tracy Willis 4 years ago
My jaw dropped when I first found out you have to pay for an ambulance in the US. Living in the UK we take it for granted that any medical care is free (well we do pay in taxes but way less than the US pay for one procedure)
Tim Haight 4 years ago
Our insuarnce system is a disgrace. My insurance company (Kaiser Permante) thinks a bone marrow transplant is experimental and would rather see you die before allowing it.
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
This is COMPLETELY TRUE!!!!!! As an American, we all worry about the cost of healthcare and don't think that just because you have health insurance, there's no other costs. Deductibles, copays etc.... I honestly think that has a little to do with why Covid has been such a problem here.
Anthony Mann 4 years ago
The only time I felt good about my medical coverage was when I was in the military. My son had a serious accident when he was 9, and we had to call an ambulance. (he's fine now) I had no concern over cost or treatment, as I knew Tricare (military insurance) would cover it 100%
Rosemary Moreland 4 years ago
In Australia the cost of the Ambulance and who pays, varies. When we lived in Queensland it was a cost attached to our electricity bill, but I think that’s changed now. When we moved to Tasmania we marched down to the service centre to apply for ambulance cover. They looked at us as if WE had two heads. It’s free here! Amazing and wonderful!
Brandi Walker 4 years ago
I frequently tell people that if something is so wrong with me that it warrants a hospital visit then they had better drive me or leave me where I am cause i refuse to pay for an ambulance
jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
every big city has neighborhoods you should not visit at night or all day... ask the locals which ones they are...
Douglas Mock 4 years ago
I will only call an ambulance when I need a $1400 mobile hospital. Otherwise I will drive myself to the emergency room and take my place in the friggin queue to wait for a doctor where I still end up paying 20%.
But in reality, the United States is such a huge country that it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that even Americans can experience culture shock. Somebody going from the West Coast to the East Coast or from Texas to Minnesota might encounter a host of differences. Though one doesn’t have to travel far: just going to a metropolis or visiting the countryside is enough to show you that the way that you live might not be the norm elsewhere.
#16
All the waste and no concern for the environment. It really irks me. And how the 'greed is good' mantra has taught many people how they shouldn't give a sh*t about others.
BusLady 4 years ago
I live in the States, and I am shocked and outraged by all the littering. Why, just why? The waste of water is awful. Huge lawns that need to be watered every day. I've seen sprinklers watering sidewalks, and being run even when it is raining.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
Same here. My house is on 1.6 acres, and I have never watered my "lawn" in 23 years. Of course, my "lawn" is sweetgrass, clover, dandelions, moss, and assorted wildflowers. I aim to have every shady area be a moss lawn eventually.
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Two Silly Pups 4 years ago
This is why multiple scientific paper prove that speaking about a civilisation in 2080 is utter and baseless optimism, and if Greta ever has children they are highly unlikely to see their 50's, but YoU cAn'T mAkE mE UsE lEsS sTuFf, ThIs Is AmErIcA!
Bad Mole 4 years ago
Americans are so focused on their individual liberties they forget all about their social responsibilities. Like wearing a mask.
Pamela Blue 4 years ago
Let's change that to "some" Americans. Many do take their responsibilities seriously, Enough don't though, and it seems like they're "everybody."
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Lena-Sophie Vogel 4 years ago (edited)
I once stayed in a fancy hotel in Florida. The pool bar had flashy poster and flyer saying "we care about the environment which is why we use paper straws for all drinks served". I thought- great- finally a place that does care about the environmental responsibilities and I ordered a cocktail. It was indeed served with a paper straws.....in a f#%@^# single use plastic cup!!!!! Why? Just why?
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
Ahhhh, please please take that back. There is far more environmental damage happening in other countries (hi European countries who still rely on COAL???) Check out India's rivers, you could literally walk across the trash like an island!
Virgil Blue 4 years ago
It's still disgusting even if others may be as bad or worse.
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#17
The loudspeaker announcements about how much we love the soldiers. What the hell? It sounds so fascist.
Anthony Mann 4 years ago
As a Soldier, it always made me feel uncomfortable, when people said things like that, or looked at you like you were a hero. It was my profession, and one that I chose, so to be treated like a rock star made me feel very weird and conspicuous. I sometimes felt like it was over compensation for how Vietnam Vets were treated when they came home.
Bad Mole 4 years ago
I enlisted out of desperation. It worked out, I was trained for a job that I do now with a union and great benefits (thanks, union!) and was able to buy a house with my VA loan. Never could've got myself through school, or got a mortgage without the government's help, so when people thank me for my service I don't know what to say. These are usually the same people who don't tolerate people taking government assistance. Like I did.
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Yeah, you heard 4 years ago
I too find it very weird to glorify soldiers, giving them discounts, and everyone saying "thank you for your service" to these people who have chosen a job and been paid for it. And them waking around in uniform all the time! It's very odd how they glorify soldiers, but vilify police.
Tim Haight 4 years ago
After the vietnam war soldiers returning home were called baby killers and many were spit on. Now 40 years later some of this is changed. We vets get more thanks for our service. But many soldiers with what ever they call it - shell shock, battle fatigue, or PTSD get sh*tty treatment. The VA hospitals are a disgrace.
Rosemary Moreland 4 years ago
Weird, just weird. War should never be glorified. Yes, we should respect the sacrifices made by soldiers but they don’t need rock star status. They need support to adjust back into the real world.
Bobby Sammons 4 years ago
AS someone that was in the military during the Viet Nam war I think a lot of this a way for those of that generation to try and make up for spitting on us that were in the service during that war.
Cybele Spanjaard 4 years ago
Really sounds very Nth Korean not a congratulations to the thousand of homeless Vets.
#18
In hotel rooms: We didn't watch a lot of TV, but when we did, I was very taken aback by the amount of commercials. I watched Cartoon Network as a kid and I remember the screen faded to black and immediately back to whatever I watched like every 10 minutes maybe (usually during an exciting part, for dramatic effect). I realized those blackouts were meant for commercials, but my home country didn't do that. And also commercials for booze. And just in general the intensity of them. Some were hilarious though.
Demi Zwaan 4 years ago
And the ads for medication. So weird! Ask your doctor about this medicine! Uhm, no? My doc tells me what I need, not the other way around...
Lorelai Purvis 4 years ago
and then they list ALL the side effects... like dude um that makes me even less likely to buy your medicine than i was before
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Bella, Your Kitty-Loving Queen 4 years ago
The medication ads tho- ask your doctor about this med that could possibly give you a life-threatening illness!
Cybele Spanjaard 4 years ago
We now have far too many ads clumped together ( most around 7 to 9 ) that interrupts literally every 5 to 10 minutes of a show and constantly on our most TV channels now in Australia supposed to free to air..one almost goes crazy waiting for the ads to finish to watch the show...
James016 4 years ago
The best advert I saw on TV in America was for a home jerky maker. It was a whole kit with recipe cards, some seasoning. As a special promotion they were giving away a free copy of Guns and Ammo magazine for a limited time if you called the number and ordered one. That advert has stayed with me for 20 years!
Luthor 4 years ago (edited)
There is more advertisements than show. I was watching an American talk show (don't ask why, I can't remember) and they literally came back from an ad and said "Up next we have an interview with (so-and-so) right after this commercial break" and went straight into another series of ads, THEN they asked the person one question and went straight into another ad break. It was infuriating! How can people tolerate it?
Like other countries, the US is multifaceted. You’re as likely to find someone who’s willing to give you the shirt off their backs as someone who’s rude to you. Incredibly wealthy and startlingly poor? Check. Socially backwards (which can mean drastically different things depending on your point of view, of course) while also incredibly progressive/traditional? Double-check. It’s a country of contrasts. Like most (if not all) nations are.
#19
Said it before, and I’ll say it again. The gaps in toilet stalls. I’d heard of them before I visited but they still shocked me. Literally like 2cm of space between the partitions, for literally zero reason at all. People can look right into the stall. Goodbye privacy! Why? Whyyyyyy? Baffling.
TV Junkie 4 years ago
I grew up in the US and can confirm that this is incredibly awkward. You never get used to it.
Kaylee Zeller 3 years ago
I avoid public bathrooms as much as possible. I still remember this vivid nightmare I had as a kid where this guy kept kicking the door back open on me. I hate those gaps.
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BAN CAPITAL LETTERS 4 years ago
that awkward moment when you make eye-contact through the crack...
Martha Higgins 4 years ago
I remember going to the toilet in a restaurant in Bastogne, Belgium, and as one descended the stairs there was a stone wall against which one could urinate and two stalls at either end of that wall with no ceilings into which one could see. No privacy there either!
Raine Soo 4 years ago
We have gapped toilet stalls in Canada too. I would hang my jacket or coat on the hook (it was usually by the opening of the stall door), and cover the gap.
Will Davidson 4 years ago
DON'T hang your belongings on the bathroom stall door hook, or side wall hook for that matter. While you are sitting with your pants down, a thief who specializes in this type of theft will reach over the top and grab your stuff. In your outraged panic things can get very messy.
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Swyft 4 years ago
oh, that's supposed to stop me, the gaps aren't the problem, I just don't want to be in those for any longer than I have to
Load More Replies... Paul Davis 4 years ago
There is a reason for it -- when I was young, there were almost no stalls like that in the U.S. But over the years, all the businesses started using them, especially after Ronald Reagan destroyed the mental health care system here. They both make people less comfortable so they don't spend as much time in there, and make it easier to see if some mentally ill person is trying to live or shoot up in there.
GeneralZod 4 years ago
And restrooms in stores often have gaps to discourage stealing.
Load More Replies... Bobby Sammons 4 years ago
In all my 70 years of using public (OK make that 55 years) I have never had anyone peek in. So what is the big deal?
Mare Freed 4 years ago
You just didn't SEE them peeking in. But they were peeking in.
Load More Replies... Nicole Weymann 4 years ago
If THAT was the problem you could just as well leave the doors out entirely. Do you leave a crack open when you go to the toilet at home or when visiting someone? The question is "Why leave a gap?" not "Why not?"
Load More Replies... #20
How religious the US is. Pretty much everyone attended a church and the churches were a big part of everyone's life. Weekly attendance was a thing. One of my teachers was very progressive (gay democrat philosophy phd literature teacher in a Bush worshipping area) and he was asked by his students about which church he attended. I felt that was weird thing to ask in the first place.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Just wait a generation or so. Church membership is dwindling at a pretty good pace, so the old Holy Rollers will go the way of the dinosaurs soon enough.
Michigan Guy 4 years ago
oddly enough, organized religions in the US are reporting huuuuge drops across the board in the last decade or two...
tinyghost 4 years ago
That is scary to me too. Every single American president must talk about how he/she is a strong believer to somehow proof their quality by that. Also the US seem to be one of the only western countries, where you "come out" as an atheist. Like this is a difficult and special thing to do. Where I live no one really cares. Religions is a private thing, like a hobby. You don't believe in gods? Not important if you are politician, not an issue in your family (few extreme exceptions of course). Some how the christian groups managed to create the narrative of the "christian nation USA", which is just completely wrong if you know the constitution. And even printed "in god we trust" on money and police cars. Scary and disgusting to me.
Tim Haight 4 years ago
I dont go to church. Too many of these, especially the mega churches are run by greedy scumbags who only want your money.
Janelle Collard 4 years ago
You must have been in the "bible belt" or the south. Other places aren't like this.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
America was created because of Christianity. Of course Christians are everywhere.
#21
So many overweight people. I'll see more alarmingly obese people in 15 minutes in an American airport than in a year living in Amsterdam
Wendy J Shores 4 years ago
The fresh produce here is ridiculously priced while junk food is much cheaper. You can feed a family of 4 at McDonalds cheaper than it would cost you to go and buy something healthy to eat at home. The government likes us fat.. that way we spend more on health care and prescriptions... Very sad :(
Mare Freed 4 years ago
I was the fattest person I ever saw on my visits to Japan, and I only weighed 125 at the time.
Cybele Spanjaard 4 years ago
All videos and news reports we see from Us show so many very obese men and woman.. no wonder with the popular cheap junk quality and over large portions consumed. Will the medical system support their future illness I wonder?
Nonetheless, there are certain features that make America, well, America. Founded on the ideas of liberty and justice for all, the United States very much values freedom of thought and expression, as well as the drive and ambition to succeed. After all, the pilgrims who were some of the first colonists escaped England because they were persecuted for their religion.
#22
I went to the US in 2014. We landed in San Francisco and had to rent a car. We thought: "we're in america, let's rent a big car" So we rented a "big" car. Then we joined the I101 and we were the smallest car on the road... So with our redefined car we went to the Golden Gate Bridge but we were hungry. So we stopped at a diner. My brother ordered a burger and a small 7up. He got a liter of 7up. He wasn't even halfway and the waitress came to ask if he'd like a free refill (!). To quantify the bigness would be an insult of the bigly bigness that is american lifestyle. Certainly a shock for me.
Ileana Sky Aviles 4 years ago
I gain 25lbs! Everytime I go I prepare for weight gain. Resturant portions can be shared between 2 people per plate! But oh so delicious!
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
That’s how most normal Americans do it too—-it’s why we have the “doggie bag”. You can get two, and sometimes three, more meals put of reheated enormous restaurant meal servings. Oddly, my husband is British, and would eat the entire enormous serving. He’d probably also eat the plate it came on, if left to himself.
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Random Person 4 years ago
diners usually have absurdly big portion sizes compared to the rest of the country tho.
Mer☕️🧭☕️ 4 years ago
Servings do tend to be enormous and sadly some people really do eat all that food IN ONE SITTING!! Many of us, though, know to mentally divide the plate in half so we can eat about half the serving knowing that we'll be requesting a to-go container to take the rest of it home. If the restaurant is known for offering free bread, bread sticks, chips, whatever, we've also been known to fill up on those delicious carbs, eat about 1/3rd of what's on the plate, and take it all home for lunch or dinner the next day. The servings are simply too large for a reasonable person to cram into their poor stomach all at once. But hey, bigger is better, right? *sigh* I'd far rather pay a lot less and receive a realistically tummy-sized meal but...ugh.
Cybele Spanjaard 4 years ago
One can ask for smaller portions surely? Of course what is considered small to them is huge to others
#23
The prices not including tax so you never know how much you're gonna pay because you can't multiply by 1.08875 in your head
troufaki13 4 years ago
This is sooo annoying! And if you are in a restaurant is plus tax plus tip! Ugh!
M O'Connell 4 years ago
it's the same reason that the price of gas always ends in nine-tenths of a cent.
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Tabby_Sohee 4 years ago
OML - tax is included in the price in other countries???? That sounds AMAZING AND I WOULDNT HAVE TO DO A BUNCH OF MENTAL MATH BEFORE BUYING A CHAPSTICK -
Val Bruno 4 years ago
Think about the elderly or people with mild mental illness that live alone (just to name two categories of people in distress) and must count every cent of their money and certainily you'll agree that not showing the final price of the goods is mean and unnecessary.
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InfectedVoice 4 years ago
And those peeps are really quite disgusting, I bought them from an sweet shop which imports American treats, they were like marshmallows triple dipped in sugar, yuck.
Sue Arnold 4 years ago (edited)
In Australia, the ticketed prince includes the GST, which is the same throughout Austealia, makes life easier. Even more confusing, in US, the tax changes from state to state. When we were in Hawaii, you needed a calculator to work out what to pay. Menu price, plus tax, plus tip and just for fun, convert back to Australian dollars to do an international comparison for value for the dollar.
Happy Daihatsu 4 years ago (edited)
Not all states have sales tax. My state (Oregon) doesn't have sales tax, so I don't have to worry about how much the tax will be or calculate it.
Cain Hargreaves 4 years ago
It drives a lot of us here in the US nuts too. The only reason I've ever heard is that taxes are different in different areas. So one state might have a 7% sales tax, another might have an 8.5% sales tax, and Delaware brags that it has no sales tax on anything. So trying to price products sent from a distributor for a local area gets really complicated. Still, I wish they could find a solution for it.
Lisa Shelton 4 years ago
I still don't buy that explanation though because each store has to put up their own price tags and they could figure in the tax when they do that.
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#24
Swiss are famous for the love of cheese and putting cheese on and in things, but America takes that to another level...even if the cheese is less good tasting. They think they have Swiss cheese, but what they call Swiss like a really sh*t version of Ementaller cheese. They are surprised that we have like 400+ kinds of cheese, none of which we call Swiss.
Cupcake168 4 years ago (edited)
Emmental is an area in Switzerland and the cheese they make there is called „Emmentaler“ (single L). It’s a trademark and a quality feature. Only the Origin Emmentaler is allowed to be named so. But obviously that’s only in Europe like that. US-Chesse has as much in common with Emmentaler as Trump with a Trumpet. Both can be made out of milk (Emmentaler MUST be made out of Milk) - both makes noises. that’s it.
Moriarty2 4 years ago
If you can get it, try Amish made cheese (in Indiana, Michigan or Pennsylvania) or authentic imported Mexican cheeses if you're in the southwestern states. That's about the only good stuff we have here.
Load More Replies... Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
The US has hundreds of kinds of cheese too, but most foreigners are only aware of American cheese. We have several regional Cheddars (Vermont, New York, Wisconsin) which all taste and feel different from each other, for example.
Nica Van 4 years ago
I'm not from the US, but when I visit, I like Tillimook cheese from Oregon. Yum!
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Wilf 4 years ago
I genuinely don't get why the Americans can't seem to make good cheese. Look at where their 19th and early 20th century immigrant populations came from and they are all places where cheese is a big part of food culture. America should have the best food on the planet when you look at it that way!
Adrienne Doyle 4 years ago
Some of it is because we pasteurize milk which kills even the good bacteria needed for cheese making.
Load More Replies... Nancy Lynch 4 years ago
Do not eat American cheese! That the cheese on all the fast food. American cheese isn't even cheese! It's classified as a "food product".
Christophe Beunens 4 years ago
appenzeller and emmentaler are both swiss cheeses, but completely different tastes! And both yummie. These swiss cows can produce really good stuff.
However, that’s not to say that there’s no conformity in the US. Quite the opposite. It’s a very human part of our nature to seek out those who think like us, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that in America speaking out (especially on polarizing topics) isn’t always met with respectful listening.
#25
The amount of "fakeness" from people in the service industry: waiters, receptionists, bar staff, store employees etc Everyone greets you with a fixed totally artificial smile, they speak in standard scripts, everything will be "their pleasure" and they will do it "for you". You just feel they are acting out a part but actually not listening to what you say and they certainly never do any of the things they promise. You just wish (a) they would start acting like human beings rather than pre-programmed service bots and (b) they would treat you like an actual human being rather than a visiting emperor.
BorPand8 4 years ago
The scripts and the big smiles are usually required by their employers, so it's not really their fault.
Troux 4 years ago
It's partly required by management and partly driven by the tip compensation. It's much more amplified in wait staff that rely more on tips than wages.
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Bettie-Jean Neal 4 years ago
When you're paid less than $3/hour and survive on your tips, you tend to become a robot.
Vicky Z 4 years ago
That's very true and very sad! When they are not even considered humans with the right of free healthcare or annual leave i don't expect them to smile
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Jane Alexander 4 years ago
US born and raised and totally agree!. -but it wasn't always like that here.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
In America many people get mad if you don’t smile and stuff. Many employers don’t want to force their staff to put a smile, but if they don’t there wouldn’t be as many customers and more bad reviews.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
So, how “human” do you mean? Taking their bad day out on customers? Would you really have been happy with surly faces, crappy attitudes, and horrible service? The smiles and language, which is not necessarily scripted—-how many ways can you think of to ask someone how they want their burger cooked?—-is meant to help give you the most pleasant time in the restaurant as possible. Now, don’t lump restaurant wait staff with fast food employees. You have to really be on the ball to wait tables. You can be barely sentient and work at McDonalds. (No offense to the more self-aware fast food employees—-who will either leave for something better, or work their way up to management. Though they probably have coworkers just like I described.)
Lindsey Judd-Bruder 4 years ago
Fast food is actually much more fast paced and mentally intensive than you realize. Not to say I haven't had some totally brain dead coworkers. But you have to be on the ball to work at a place like that, too, believe it or not. If you wanna do the job right. Especially when the store is busy.
Load More Replies... jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
they don't mean it... these are not your new friends. But I would prefer this to the attitude you get from a grumpy Dutch waiter, indifferent German sales clerk, or an obnoxious French cab driver...
#26
Flags. EVERYWHERE. The portion sizes. The price of petrol is ridiculous.
BusLady 4 years ago
In Texas, you also see Texas flags and symbols EVERYWHERE. When I lived in Colorado, you only saw flags on public buildings, like City Hall, the Post Office, etc. And the American flag was displayed with the state flag. In Texas you will see the Texas flag displayed alone.
Bean flavored Fujioshi 4 years ago
as a Texan, i can agree.I don't..hate texas but the people hanging the flag everywhere.Like I understand being proud of where you live but at this point ;w; you're reminding me I live in Texas (just my view...i mean no hate ^^)
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Glowdaddy 4 years ago
Price of petrol???? I paid $3.00 US (2.48 EU) this week for a gallon.1 gallon equals 3.78541 liters. According to Google Germans and the French are paying $ 5.5 + US per gallon. There are US states that have even cheaper gas.
Stormapotamus 4 years ago
I live in a very rural, redneck heavy area, and the amt of flags is f*****g insane.
Pamela Blue 4 years ago
No it is not. The opposite. US prices are ridiculously low. Everywhere else pays at least twice the price.
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Billy Maguire 4 years ago
I have two flags on my car , the Stars & Stripes and the Irish Tricolour. On "Talk like a Pirate" day, I add the Jolly Roger.
Brett Layton 4 years ago
Price of gasoline varies by state, as of today its $2.63 per gallon in Texas, where here in California it is residing at $3.99 a gallon.
Lsai Aeon 4 years ago
We pay for gas/petrol by the gallon. 1 gallon = approx. 3.8 liters. $2.50/gal give or take depending on what part of the US you're in. Most others pay $1- $2/liter How are US gas prices worse?
Mimi 4 years ago
I think the commenter meant ridiculously cheap? Western Europeans pay roughly EUR 1.50 / 1.80 $ per l > approx. 6.80 $ per gallon.
Load More Replies... Michigan Guy 4 years ago
instead of educating our young folks, encouraging thoughtful reflection, promoting critical thinking....well. too hard, too time consuming, and too expensive. easier to just brainwash the future underpaid workers of america...
#27
So many whackos around. People just standing in the middle of the pavement with a huge "Jesus is coming" sign or similar
BusLady 4 years ago
The tracts that some people hand out. Hellfire and damnation. Gloom and doom. Commit one sin and you will burn in Hell forever.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company. - Mark Twain
Load More Replies... Billybobjoe 4 years ago
North Florida has the BEST jesus signs. There is one of jesus and zombies and that its your choice
Brandi Walker 4 years ago
So this is the opinion (maybe) of a non-religious person. But that doesn’t exactly make them whacko
InfectedVoice 4 years ago
No shortage of wackos here either, we have many characters in my city.
Sarah O'Dwyer 4 years ago
I managed to witness an interaction between pro-lifers (including a banner with pictures of aborted fetuses) and a woman who was so mad at them that she was crying, shouting at them, having to be pulled away. I thought it was just something one would see in a movie...how wrong I was. And this was in Washington DC, at the back of the white House, on Earth day and the science marches...it was insane.
jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
you surely have JW's over there who want to indoctrinate you in their damnable heresies...
Just A Passing Parrot 4 years ago
When you "care" about your religion so much you treat it like it is a store and advertise it everywhere
Friendly yet fierce, incredibly individualistic but still very tribal. That’s the US for you, representing some of the best and some of the worst qualities of the human experience. But what do you think, dear Pandas? What’s your experience with America and Americans been like?
#28
My experience was that Americans act or seem to be more friendly and personal. But it always feels like they don’t actually mean it. Don‘t get me wrong, I met great people in the US. But Europeans, especially Germans, seem to be more reserved at first or second contact.
Samantha Power 4 years ago
I thought that. I did live in NYC for a while, not so friendly there, but good people once you get to know them.
Esca Sav 4 years ago
It depends where you are. NYC you won't have random people talking to you out of no where because it is a very "get to work, go home" type of place. If you jump the border to Jersey and go down further south, a lot more people are open to talking it up with strangers
Load More Replies... Happy_Pandalover 4 years ago
It‘s a cultural habit to be open and friendly to strangers. While it makes some people talk to you while not meaning it, i still think this is a good habit. It‘s a great starter for people to get to know each other and it does make the place friendlier in general. People in Germany are not used to talking to strangers - unless you‘re at a festival etc. It manes it alot harder to get to know new people when you‘re new in town. I do feel things have changed Germany and people are starting to get more approachable.
Lisa Shelton 4 years ago
Or maybe you are projecting because YOU don't like to be friendly and personal that quickly. A lot of Americans are just that friendly.
Mjw Gjgema 4 years ago
You can be slapped on the shoulder by you boss at three o'clock pm, and at at five o'clock discover that your personal things are already in a cardboaard box and the security will show you out.
Enamelcamel 4 years ago
"... it always feels like they don't really mean it." So ... you're American bashing based on your bizarre opinion that people who were friendly ... SECRETLY DIDN"T LIKE YOU? The fact that you aren't USED TO people being less reserved, doesn't make them liars.
tinyghost 4 years ago (edited)
I work in an international company, my office is located in Berlin, but the management sits in the US. I can confirm that the way of communication is very different. While our Americans always speak like you were their best buddy since years, the others are much more distanced (especially as Germans, French etc. have a formal "you" and a private "you"). But you also know very fast, that those nice little comments are just empty phrases. And that they are NOT happy to help if you REALLY need something... I think during shopping I would welcome a few more nice words (in Germany, there are shops where you almost feel bad to disturb the sales people :D) like in the US, but if it feels too artificial from the start - no thanks. I prefer the honest and direct communication.
jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
they don't mean it... these are not your new friends. But I would prefer this to the attitude you get from a grumpy Dutch waiter, indifferent German waiter, or an obnoxious French cab driver...
Nicole Weymann 4 years ago
Being German I guess I'm biased, but from these four I vastly prefer "honest but not offensive", i.e. indifference. Overly friendly creeps me out, on the other hand I don't like feeling like I inconvenience people or getting attacked verbally
Load More Replies... #29
How divided everything is. There are only extremes, no in between. I thought this was mostly the case on the internet.
On the drive from the in Florida airport I saw an "the NRA is a terrorist organization" billboard right next to one advertising semi automatic (assault) rifles.
I was also surprised how many churches there were in rural Florida. Most seemed to have advertising unlike anything here in Europe. Some seemed to wage war against each other.
DoobyOne 4 years ago
No, we aren't. One thing January 6 taught us is that trump supporters are cowards. A few arrests and job losses will guarantee that those clowns won't do it again.
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Norart 4 years ago
We as a country have been, and still are, largely centrists who get along fine with one another . Many forums, this one among them, have found a market (and profit) for sowing divisive rhetoric and trying to pit American vs American, portraying problems that don't exist and exaggerating the ones that do. Gas for the class warfare fire.
ButterScot 4 years ago
I hate thats its either one or the other. Like what, people cant have middle of the road opinions? Its both sides suffering from being stuck in victim mode.
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
This is so true and so sad. We are a 2 party system and conservatives and liberals are ready to kill each other all of the time (and do).
Celtic Pirate Queen 4 years ago
The hypocrisy of religion period. You're only a good Christian if you are OUR kind of Christian and attend our church.
Zane Zuccaro 3 years ago
ah yes kill the churches that make no money and help the poor and homeless that's a great idea
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Russell Rieckenberg 4 years ago
I think the devisiveness is because we only have two viable political parties. If we had five, no political party would ever have too much power, the only way to get things done would be through compromise.
Michigan Guy 4 years ago
this is just a reflection of one political persuasion, 30 years ago or so, seeing the coming demographic shift and doing any and everything it can to not become irrelevent in the future
#30
Educational system sucks and is made to print money and throw the youth under the debt bus. Professions that don't make any sense to spend years in uni for (nurse for example) instead of doing an apprenticeship course.
Nathan Pogorzala 4 years ago
Nursing is a “trade school”, a master’s in nursing is where they get ya.
Beth Dubrick-Novicki 4 years ago
Nursing is not a "trade school" Obtaining a BSN at a state university....40k
Load More Replies... May 4 years ago
I'm sorry, but you definitely want your nurse to be more educated than an "apprenticeship course"! In Norway and Denmark (and I think in most European countries) it takes a bachelor degree - and with good reason. They have to know anatomy, pathology, pharmacology and lots of other crucial information - so that they don't kill their patients.
Petra Jahnke 4 years ago
Here in Germany nurses do an apprenticeship course for 3 years. Alternating between school and working in a hospital. They‘ll learn everything you mentioned and have to take several exams including a very difficult state exam. At the same time they‘ve spend a lot of time with patients. I really like that concept.
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Anthony Mann 4 years ago
A poll the other day found that under 15% of people in the US actually understand our system of government. It really helps to explain why we keep electing idiots to represent us. Watching Jimmy Kimmel ask people on the street in LA basic questions (geography, etc) is disheartening as well.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 4 years ago
I blanched when my friend told me it cost them around $50,000.00 USD (around 36,000 pounds or 41,300 euros) per/year for an university degree. F*****g disgusting... and so many young people work their asses off only to end up in horrible debt.
Miss Frankfurter 4 years ago
Wow! This veered off into nursing. All nursing now starts with a bachelor's degree. It used to be nursing schools, of which I went to a very demanding one. Fail a test , not an exam, a test, you're out. If you got unsatisfactory in clinical you're out, even if it's your last month of training. You might not finish after all that hard work. I was encouraged to go back and get a bachelor's and when I looked at the curriculum there wasn't one subject in there to make me a better nurse at the bedside. And I'm supposed to go into debt for that? I'm happy working in CCU, without a bachelor's. These days I do think trade schools are a good idea. Everyone is going to need a plumber or electrician at some point. Whatever buildings we build we need them for sure and it's good money. Honest work as good as anyone else who's been to university and not likely to be in debt.
Eliška Komárková 4 years ago
Readin all of this makes me realize that I am actually very happy that I was born and live in a country that doesn't make everything about money. Here if you do not manage to get bachelors degree in 3+1 years, you pay $693,80 per semester. Concerning nurses, until 2004 all they had to have were finished exams from the nursing schools, after that they had to have bachelor's degree to be allowed to do any sort of procedures and not be considered assistant that had no autonomy that could for example draw blood without higher power present.
Rosemary Moreland 4 years ago
The ultimate debate. Especially about nursing degrees. I did my training in a hospital back in 1976-1979 in Australia. But for many years now it has been made into a nursing degree. Then the graduates have to find a job at the end of it and try to put into practise what they learned from a book. They only have small blocks of the real thing during their courses instead of the other way round, like me. I still think hospital training is the best way.
Kim Lorton 4 years ago
There is nothing wrong with being a plumber or electrician! Or a carpenter! They make life ultimately better, and everyone needs a plumber or electrician! Carpenters! Wow. Artistry, useful, our youth have been programmed to get a career that pays bucks so you can be rich! This doesn’t happen like they want. But more and more trade schools are seeing a rise in enrollment, because the smart kids see an opportunity to do better, be more, and be happy! I believe it’s thanks to people like MIKE ROWE. He lets them know it is not an embarrassment to be in a trade! I’d rather be the wife of a plumber, that works hard, helps people, and is always needed, than some smarmy business man, whose hand is in the till, always wanting more of the wrong thing.
#31
Extremely dirty and old public infrastructure - NY subway feels unsafe to use at times, some of the stations look like they're collapsing any minute now
Y T 4 years ago
Yeah, and also that the stations all look the same so you really have to be alert for when to get off.
opinionated biatch 4 years ago
...or just read the wall (the station name) or listen to the conductor
Load More Replies... Douglas Turner 4 years ago
The subway in New York is amazing. It feels a little dangerous and overwhelming. The noise is awesome. Riding an express train through a station is like being on some high-priority mission to get...somewhere. And so many fascinating people to navigate. It keeps the old New York alive for me.
Paul Davis 4 years ago
With the corporations and billionaires constantly being handed almost all of the nations' wealth, and not paying taxes on it, our tax base has been shrinking to third-world country levels for decades. So of course our infrastructure is falling apart.
Treessimontrees 4 years ago
Crumbling and ignored infrastructure signals the end of an empire.
Jaybird3939 4 years ago
Keep your fingers crossed for us. Hopefully our new President will be making massive changes very soon in our infrastructure.
Thomas Kanonym 4 years ago
Well, if you used your tax money for anything but weapons and cannon fodder for a change... Her in Austria, the Subway is almost spotless!
#32
How difficult it actually is/how much knowledge is required just to not get fat
BusLady 4 years ago
Too much availability of junk food and fast food. Ridiculously huge servings in restaurants. You always need a take home box for leftovers.
Lorelai Dewrell 4 years ago
fast food and junk food is cheaper were not all middle class
Load More Replies... JennyLaRue 4 years ago
I always remember Jamie Olivers programme on school dinners in the states, which just seemed to drive home the extent of the problem. So much sugar, and not even a need for proper cutlery with the food they served to kids in schools.
cassiushumanmother 4 years ago
I think that proper cutlery and meal culture is a part of the problem. I'm french and at school we have a glass for water (made out of glass), a ceramic plate and stainless steel cutlery since kindergarten or elementary school, and the time to eat "entrée, main course, cheese, dessert, fruit" with bread. Even it's not really good sometimes it helps to learn to sit and use proper cutlery and take the time to eat since childhood. Eating very fast without any rules can leads to obesity more easily than eating slow with "rituals".
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bryguy 4 years ago
Junky crap food is super cheap. Cheap places put in drive thrus for the lazy to be even more lazy. Healthy options for quick food are scarce or expensive, or even just fresh fruit is expensive. Better produce is shipped to higher quality stores in more affluent areas. The poorer get sicker and need more healthcare. The richer get healthier and make more money off the sick. Just keeps going and going.
Treessimontrees 4 years ago
I have been to Tulsa, Oklahoma a few times with my job, and I've never seen so many obese people, but there's also every single fast food place I could think of. Everything revolves around food.
Mer☕️🧭☕️ 4 years ago
Instant gratification + economic factors (sadly, the cheapest foods do tend to be the worst for us)
Load More Replies... Celtic Pirate Queen 4 years ago
Because a Big Mac meal is cheaper than a fresh salad and if you're broke ...
InfectedVoice 4 years ago
Common sense people, don't eat more calories than you are burning off and drink water instead of sugary drinks, only a very small percent of people are obese because of health problems, they become obese and get the health problems. Get off your asses a bit more.
#33
To be honest, the flag salut in school. I could not comprehend it. I had flashbacks to videos seen in history class.... Made me feel super uncomfortable.
Hans 4 years ago
Great opportunity to waste time that could be used to learn, play or do anything else...saluting a piece of textile is just strange if you set aside the symbolic pathos of it.
Langdon Kennan - MRH Student 4 years ago
I do agree but also it really doesn't take much time and we only really have to sit there and look at it (in my school you only have to say in in elementary)
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Lutz Herting 4 years ago
We used to do the same thing in my country but kinda gave it up about three generations ago. I'm German.
#34
Extreme friendliness to you when you're a customer. Too much in my opinion, it made me feel uneasy
Samantha Power 4 years ago
I always remember that. Often I hadn't even had a bite of my food and the the waitress/waiter would be asking how I was enjoying it and chatting when I wanted to eat. It can be a bit overwhelming.
BusLady 4 years ago
That's because they depend on making good tips. I'm American and it bothers me because I know it is fake.
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Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
P,ease don’t put the blame on the staff. 1) They don’t make anywhere near a good salary, and being nice and anticipating refills and all generally yield larger tips, and 2) management forces them to overdo it, to check back every X number of minutes, and to ask if customers want the bill so the restaurant can bus, clean, and reset the table to seat more customers. So the staff is merely doing what both their income and their bosses make them do. Don’t take it out on them. Please.
Random Person 4 years ago
I like it! "hello welcome to CFA how can I help you?" "no worries!" "my pleasure" it makes my day.
Mystery Egg 4 years ago
Yeah I hate that too. Take my order, then go away. If I need you, I will ask
troufaki13 4 years ago
What? Why? I wouldn't mind. In fact quite the opposite. I'm tired of grumpy waiters!
jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
they don't mean it... these are not your new friends. But I would prefer this to the attitude you get from a grumpy Dutch waiter, indifferent German sales clerk, or an obnoxious French cab driver...
Bad Mamaw 4 years ago
I like friendly people!! Does it really matter that they are waiters/waitresses? Even if they are faking it...most aren't...I have known many...isn't a pleasant disposition better than a stiff upper lipped rudeass??? Go figure...🤷♀️
Nicole Weymann 4 years ago (edited)
I dislike unfriendly people because being attacked (implicitly) though you did nothing wrong doesn't appeal to me. However being half maniacally greeted like a long lost friend by complete strangers when all I did was enter a building and ask for whatever they sell isn't much better. I prefer a politely professional middle ground.
Load More Replies... #35
The sheer distance between everything and the fact that most americans consider an 8 hour drive no big deal
Kristal 4 years ago
Yeah, 8 hours can be done in a day, no problem :) I enjoy road trips though.
Michigan Guy 4 years ago
well, when you drive an hour each way for work every day....a nice long relaxing road trip of 6-12 hours is honestly kind of nice...
White Paper Tsuru 4 years ago
This could be why the cars are so big/luxurious. If you're going to be spending more than a couple hours to go somewhere then comfort is going to be a big deal. I always figured big cars was a status flex
Mystery Egg 4 years ago
I live on an island in the Med. It's a 45 minute drive to the North and I would only ever drive that far if I had visitors. If I drove for 8 hours, I could literally pass through 6 different countries.
Rosemary Moreland 4 years ago
For Australians too, 8 hours is a day trip. Not uncommon in some states of Australia to have a 90 minute to 2 hour drive to work, depending on the amount of traffic or the distance or both. Except in Tasmania, where we now live. The car service never matches the kilometres, lol.
Joyce Berman 4 years ago
It's a big country, and when you get out of the Northeast and the West Coast things can be far away. When the nearest town is 30 miles away, you don't think much about driving those 30 miles to go to a restaurant or shopping. Much of this country is still quite rural.
#36
On the first night of my first trip to the USA we ended up in a restaurant where pretty much all the customers openly carried handguns. That was quite shock.
Anthony Mann 4 years ago
Fear and paranoia. I sat down in a Fazolis in Kentucky (fast food Italian), after coming from a state without open carry, and seeing 5 of the 6 other patrons in there with guns, I felt very uncomfortable. Like if the most basic argument started and tempers flared, instead of pushing and shoving, or maybe a fistfight, I'd be in the middle of a firefight.
Michigan Guy 4 years ago
I *live* here...and it un nerves the hell out of me. what...in reality...what are these folks so damn afraid of?
Suzanne Haigh 4 years ago
I could not sit let alone eat in comfort surround by gun holding people, no thank you
#37
The water level in the toilets, I walked into 3 different cubicles in JFK that where all seemingly blocked, until I realised that in the states the water level in the toilets is much higher, like half the bowl, where as here in Europe theres just a bit of water at the bottom.
BusLady 4 years ago
Some older toilets use 6 gallons for just one flush. They are designing toilets now to use only about 1.6 gallons. What a difference!
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Random Panda 4 years ago
Isn't that a health hazard, like if you get a splash-back who knows what kind of nasty stuff might be in that water?
#38
Homeless and drugs ins the street, it is incredible. I feel like this is a deeply splitted society, either you serve or you are served. Or you die in the street.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
Yay that was my country I think lol (kiwi). I climbed out of a shithole in the ground to tell you ^-^
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Yehudit Hannah Cohn 4 years ago
Grammar aside, this is deep, and needs to be higher in the list.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
Not actually true. I own my own home and take in an income that serves my needs just fine, yet I am among the 17% of poor people in my area (when compared to median incomes and such).
Load More Replies... #39
Strangers talked to me for no reason. I could be walking on the street and a total stranger would come up to me and say "nice jacket" or something similar.
Night Owl 4 years ago (edited)
Not if you're not used to it and get worried and scared that they want to rob and/or kidnap you ... or shoot you since apparently everyone has access to guns ... and if you survive you have to worry about your medical insurance
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Sue Hazlewood 4 years ago
That happens here in New Zealand a bit. Done it myself, and yes, to admire someone's jacket.How else do you find out where they bought it in case you want to get one?
Happy_Pandalover 4 years ago
i think that‘s nice, too! Had similar experiences in Canada. While „talking to strangers“ might just be a cultural habit and thus might be superficial at first, it is a great opener for people to get to know each other and just to be friendly and helpful. I also try to talk to strangers when i feel like it and the situation is ok for it. Sometimes you can make a person‘s day just by smiling at them or by complimenting them (honest ones of course)
Khristine Wingerson 4 years ago
I absolutely agree. I am definitely a social person. Talking to strangers sometimes makes for really interesting conversations and maybe a great friendship forms from that. I have met great people while waiting in a long line at the store and it was such a nice way to pass time. Sometimes it's a lot easier to talk to a friendly stranger about a bad day or some problem. You never know how much a kind word or a nice smile might mean to someone. You post made me smile....thank you for that.
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Cat Wagner 4 years ago (edited)
Don't visit Eastern Canada. LOL. You'll be waiting for a bus and 10 minutes later you'll be invited for dinner the following week, have someone volunteer to proofread your resume, and end up with a warmer pair of gloves.
Nyneva Kyte 4 years ago (edited)
Ha! I should have realized someone from the east coast would have already invited someone for dinner
Load More Replies... Khristine Wingerson 4 years ago
Re read the post, they are not saying that it is a bad thing.
Load More Replies... HooowlAtTheMoon 4 years ago
Does this make people uncomfortable..? I do this and I'm just trying to be nice. I'm not trying to be weird.
May 4 years ago
Yes. But we tend to make allowances for American visitors, in a 'they can't help it they're American' kind of way. If we travel to the US, it's on us to adjust to your culture - we're the ones who chose to go there.
Load More Replies... Thomas Kanonym 4 years ago
Yeah right, social.. when a possibly armed person compliments my jacket, I hand it to them and run...
Load More Replies... Lance d'Boyle 4 years ago
Do doubt. Eye contact is considered aggressive behavior up there.
Load More Replies... #40
I went for the first time in 1999, to Washington DC, it was the first time I had ever seen truly obese people, I grew up in Ireland and yes we had some overweight people but nothing comparable.
FlitterBug 4 years ago
I'm in CA and there's a lot here, mostly in the bay area but really anywhere you go you'll see a few people
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KatHat 4 years ago
Ireland has healthcare. And a reasonable minimum wage, meaning fewer people working 2 or more jobs and more time to shop and cook. Not saying it's paradise but comparisons don't help if you don't look at the details. It can be very very difficult and expensive to live healthily in the US.
Toastie Boi 4 years ago
i'm in america and i just wanna leave. I see people in target whenever i go there literally 2-4 times wider than they are tall. i don't wanna be in a place where im sterotyped as being a 10 ton gun loving lunatic
Michigan Guy 4 years ago
if you insist on throwing your weight around to get your way....well. you have to pack on them pounds. plus...have you seen how we eat?
Joseph OReilly 4 years ago
If you go into an American Walmart odds are there'll be more people on scooters than not
#41
Went to Florida for 3 weeks. Asked for directions to a certain mall at the hotel. They said it's 2 miles up the road. I ask for the closest sidewalk (as they are far from standard) that could take me there and they look at me like I'm an idiot. Receptionist: You can't walk there, its 2 miles! Me: Yes, and the sun is shining, what's the problem? Receptionist: But it's really far! Me: You said it was 2 miles, which means 3,2km to me, or did I get the conversion wrong? Receptionist: I dont know kilometers but I know it's too far to walk to the mall! Me: Okay. I'll try it and I'll tell you if it killed me. Had a nice stroll and came back after a nice day out and about, she looked absolutely astounded
Sue Hazlewood 4 years ago
I walked back to my hotel in Las Vegas and was aware I was being followed so crossed the road (The Strip) to where there were more people. Got to my hotel and was in the reception area and the guy following me came in. He came up to me and asked if I was okay, I said yes why? Because he had never seen anyone walk so far before. It was only a km or two.
Paul Davis 4 years ago
I have been in some towns where the entire concept of "walking" seems to have been lost completely. Most of the ones I saw were in the south.
Lunar Bicycle 4 years ago (edited)
I gave directions to a hotel guest once. Told them the Starbucks was two blocks away (and Portland blocks are small). Said you can see the entrance right there. “Isn’t there a closer one?” Seriously, it’s two minute walk if you get a red light on the way.
Duncan Ash 4 years ago
Ok that receptionist is just lazy, I'm from America and two miles is not that bad
Michal Dolyniuk 4 years ago
Dang. In my last job I walk 2.5 km in one way (5 km per day) and for me it was just a nice way to wake up and to release pressure (I got very precise job) so I think I couldn't live in USA cos I love walking
Daniele Tigli 4 years ago
Exactly, such a good start for my day as well :D
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Asy EnderDragon 4 years ago
i love going on long walks or bike rides and i find it easier than getting in a car and risk traffic. (i live in the US but I would much rather live in the UK or something.)
Richard Henderson 4 years ago
This is what lobbying produces. Car industry lobbying, in this case but, IMO, lobbying never benefits the general population.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
In America that’s far. Most people can walk it, but we just don’t.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Listen, Florida, as well as most of the southeastern US (and partway north too, depending on the area) is f*****g hot and humid from late spring to early autumn. So walking two miles will leave you drenched in sweat and possibly on the verge of heat stroke. Believe me, the hotel staff were only trying to spare you a miserable shopping trip.
#42
The size of drinks in fast food restaurants is crazy, we were in Florida driving from Miami to Orlando and we stopped on the way to eat in Wendy's, I got a medium Coke and when it came I was shocked, it was literally the size of a bucket, it just goes to show why the obesity problem is so bad in the US.
bryguy 4 years ago
Yesss! I did the same thing at Wendy's there as well, the medium is insanely massive! I didn't even get to see the "large" cups or fries but the medium fries seemed like something you'd order for the table to share anywhere else. Order a small anything at Wendys and it'll be similar to the large or XL options you are used to.
Jessica Montgomery 4 years ago
I’ve seen this said about large drinks before, it make me curious because I’ve noticed, a lot of the time when I order smaller sizes, they will charge for the smaller size but still give me the large cup, I wonder if that’s happening?
Jessica Montgomery 4 years ago
Nope, just looked it up, there are places that are the same but like Japan, our med size is larger than their large size.
Load More Replies... #43
A single coffee is like a liter and yet there's barely any coffee in it.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
Most places in the US serve coffee that's reminiscent of dish water. It's weak, bitter, and acidic. More like coffee-flavored water than actual coffee.
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
Well, technically it’s all coffee flavored water.
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#44
The weirdest thing for me were houses. They were, like huge, even in middle class people, with a huge front yard no one used but had to be perfect and tiny tiny backyard for the family. It was just a waste of space for me: you buy a land and use only a small part on it. Why a so big front yard?
Nela Rothenbach 4 years ago
This is always something I don't understand. Huge front yards and front porches....If I owned a house I'd want a big garden and a deck behind the house.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
This is a throwback to a more immigrant-heavy part of US history. People came came from Europe, where only wealthy people had land that wasn't useful to them. Suddenly, you could pretend to be old-world wealthy. It then evolved into a an expectation that anyone who owned a home would live like that, burning gas, spreading chemicals, and wasting time maintaining a fantasy European rich-guy yard. The whole thing is a waste of time. I have one neat patch of grass, one pretty flower garden, and to hell with the rest of it.
Load More Replies... Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
I definitely prefer a big backyard than a big front yard. But that's just me.
Jennifer Lynn 4 years ago
zoning laws - mandatory distance your house must be from the front street is the main reason for the front yardss. Then a reduction in lot spaces means really small backyards result.
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Kristal 4 years ago
I'm wondering if maybe the front lawn acts as a buffer between your living space and the road/sidewalk? When I visit other countries and the front door is right on the sidewalk, it makes me shudder thinking how close everyone is.
Jennifer Lynn 4 years ago
zoning laws - mandatory distance your house must be from the front street is the main reason for the front yardss. Then a reduction in lot spaces means really small backyards result.
Load More Replies... Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Most of this comes from simply being houseproud, and/or the stereotypical “keeping up with the Joneses”. A large front yard makes for a good setback from the road. It’s safer than going out your front door and stepping right onto the road, quieter than having to hear everything from the road and sidewalk (if there is one)—-and more private because people at the outer edge of the yard can’t very easily see and hear you through your windows. Plus, a nice front yard makes a good first impression on people walking or driving by, and keeps neighborhood property values up. I mean, who wants to pay good money for a house and end up in a shitty, trash-strewn neighborhood?
Cain Hargreaves 4 years ago
Ah, the great American tradition: the McMansion, the manor house on a postage stamp of yard. /s
Dan Buczynski 4 years ago (edited)
Because it's all about show. Your yard has to be greener and more landscaped than the neighbor's. And god forbid your kids play on it, lest they ruin the appeal. Yea...my yard is 30'x30' but I have three gardens, two trees and a deck. My dogs regularly tear up the lawn when they run around, and that makes me way happier than pouring horrible chemicals all over everything to keep it all green.
Paul Davis 4 years ago
So much of all of this is just trying to look more wealthy than you are. You don't waste money on the backyard if neighbors and people driving by can't see it.
#45
The streets were generally wayyy more dirty and filthy than they are in Europe, and the amount of homeless people were downright depressing. Also the sizes of everything you ordered from restaurants were completely unhuman lol. Also the inefficiency was surprising, you could easily spend half an hour queueing in shops or supermarkets, even though there weren't even that many costumers
BusLady 4 years ago
Most homeless people suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse. It's a disgrace that our country does not provide the help that they need. It may be difficult for them to apply for help. There are long waiting lists, and a ton of paperwork.
Kevin Beard 4 years ago
Then they may get denied help and have to re-apply 2 or 3 times before actually getting it.
Load More Replies... #46
Teens addressing adults by their first name. When the school bus driver invited my 16-yo self to "just call him Dave" I had no idea what to do with myself. It just wouldn't go through my throat.
Also, the over-the-top-friendliness in the service sector towards total strangers. Yeah, no wonder American's think we're gloomy and depressing, lol. The first time a shop assistant exclaimed "Hi!! How are you today??" looking as if the sun has just come into the store I had a minor panic attack because I thought we had met, she knew me and I was the asshole who forgot her. People criticize the American "fake friendliness" and the obligatory "fine" but I quite liked it if it wasn't turned up to 11, made everything seem smoother.
nanashi 4 years ago
man, every fibre of Asian in me will refuse to address someone older than me with their first name only. I don't think I can do it lol
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Even if they ask you to call them by their first name?
Load More Replies... Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Pretty normal in Australia to be greeted whether it is in a shop or on the street etc. It's also common for us to call people by their first name, even some teachers get called Miss, Mr etc followed by their first name. Of course if it is heir preference.
BusLady 4 years ago
When I was a teen, I was raised to never address an adult by first name. I was shocked when I heard one of my teen age son's friends address his father by first name. One time my niece, about 3 years old, called her mother by her first name, and her dad spanked her.
Remi Flynne 4 years ago
She got spanked for that? That's awful. Hate to think how they'd have treated her if she genuinely did something naughty.
Load More Replies... Samantha Power 4 years ago
When I lived in the USA, I first thought it was really over the top, you do get used to it though.
Canadian in Cornwall 4 years ago
It's like that in Canada, too ! I moved to England over 30 years ago. First time I went back to Toronto, after about 2 years, I couldn't BELIEVE the sales assistants in stores ! I'd walk in, and three people would come toward me, smiling! I just wanted to get back to England !
HooowlAtTheMoon 4 years ago
I don't address adults by their first names (I do live in the US) It is awkward. I usually call them sir or miss. My moms friends say "Oh you can call me by my name!" and im like "oh, um... thanks, miss."
Matheus Oliveira 4 years ago
In Brazil, we hardly ever address people by their last name. Quite often, we don't even know it, as everyone introduces themselves only by their given name. Also, this extreme greet-everybody (and that included hugging before COVID) and continuous smiling-I'm-fine is so annoyingly common it's even expected.
#47
My wife was shocked by all the open space, and how we horizontally fill much of it up with low, hastily built buildings. Strip malls and such. "It's like you have more space than you know what to do with." And it's true!
She was also astonished that you can drive through dozens, sometimes even hundreds of miles of wild empty nothingness, with nothing but the road you're driving on to indicate you're still in civilization.
Nathan Pogorzala 4 years ago
We haven’t even scratched the surface. The open land where there are no people within miles and miles is my favorite part of America.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
Welcome to America. We have space to waste. And to think we got for only 15 million.
Curry on... 4 years ago
When I see all these vast spaces of land, I always wonder why it was so necessary to remove the Native Americans. I mean, I know why 'they' decided on this, but still. So much greed and selfishness.
#48
I knew the public transit was pretty bad in most cities, but I didn't realize to what extent. I went to Orlando FL and stayed in the suburbs (not even that far out though) and the nearest public transport stop for getting to the city center was almost a 2h walk
Paul Davis 4 years ago
Cities used to have more public transportation but auto industry executives started bribing politicians in key roles in city governments to get rid of it.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
There used to be a very fast, modern, electric (and rather European) interurban railway between Milwaukee and Chicago. The drive toward consolidating manufacturing away from small businesses, and the push for car ownership forced its decline and eventual destruction in the 1960s.
Load More Replies... BusLady 4 years ago
Where I used to live, many lower income people relied on the bus system. I heard people talk about how it was one of the worst they'd ever seen. I felt bad for elderly and disabled people because they had a difficult time just getting to and from the bus stops. They were so far apart. Some buses only ran once an hour.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
Have you seen the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" It explains why our public transit is insufficient.
#49
In general, low price seems to be favored over high quality. An American will buy a 10 USD shovel a dozen times in his life.
Lorelai Dewrell 4 years ago
its not because we want too trust me we want nice things that last but we have no money and we cant afford the nice ones sometimes
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Many of these are not just a US thing. Kmart is extremely popular (that's an understatement) here and are really cheap. Quite often you do get what you pay for.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
You're Australian, right? I wonder what Kmart did so differently there that they are popular. All of the Kmart stores in the US seem to have faded away and closed.
Load More Replies... Paul Davis 4 years ago
On top of everything else it's almost impossible to find stores carrying good quality goods. They would rather carry cheap junk that has to be constantly replaced.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
When small businesses collectively controlled the market and goods were manufactured in small quantities (and were therefore expensive) those companies competed on quality. Once manufacturing grew to a larger scale, price competition and narrowing of the field of manufacturers lead those big companies to learn that poor quality goods actually make them more money in the long run.
Load More Replies... bryguy 4 years ago
I wouldn't say this applies to the USA, more so applies to cheap people in general. A lot of people can't comprehend that their $10 shovel they bought 12 times adds up to $120 overtime, they just keep seeing "item 1 - $10" "item 2 - $48" and grab item 1 every time. Not realizing that item 2 will last for 20 years and has a 10 year warranty. You really do get what you pay for.
Steve Wilson 4 years ago (edited)
With crime in the US at record levels if somebody is going to steal my snow shovel I’d rather it be a cheap one. Meth heads will steal anything a p**n shop will buy.
Matheus Oliveira 4 years ago
And our stored decided to import this trend in Brazil. Now it's everywhere: electronics, tools, clothing… everything is disposable yet more expensive in the long run.
Nathan Pogorzala 4 years ago
Americans buy that garbage because the system has rigged it that way. We hate poorly made crap just the same, it’s just harder to find.
#50
The size of food. And not just portions but like the size of chicken breasts in a supermarket and things like that.
Samantha Power 4 years ago
Huge portions everywhere especially in diners (do miss them though) often one meal was enough for one or two more. When I moved back to England it took me a year to adjust to English portions (often very small).
Geoff Rogers 4 years ago
What is the savory/sweet abomination in the picture; breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Honu 4 years ago
That's a breakfast you would commonly find in a diner. It's not unusual for a diner breakfast to include eggs, potatoes, bacon or sausage, toast, and either pancakes or waffles. They're absolutely huge. More than enough food for a day. It's not the sort of thing most people breakfast with on a daily basis, though.
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#51
The sheer amount of advertising and open display of patriotism felt very odd to me.
#52
The country is vast and covers many different climates and biomes, yet it is also shockingly the same. One can be at the Wal-Mart in Juneau Alaska or Portland Maine and see the same products. The plazas contain the same stores, with only some regional variation. It is really weird how similar the feel of it all is...even when the people and landscape are different.
Happy_Pandalover 4 years ago
i think it‘s fascinating how big and how different heach state is. I‘s like many little countries in one. Different climates, different cultures. But it‘s pretty common that supermarket chains will have the exact same look and products. Same in Europe. Each Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour etc. is the same in every country
Curry on... 4 years ago
It's sometimes boring too. I like seeing different kinds of stores and attractions, but they are so identical that I lose interest in traveling, unless it's just for the geography.
Load More Replies... Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
There are loads of regional food variations though, as long as you avoid chain restaurants.
#53
The size of the portions was the most obvious culture shock, we were there with my mum and my then teenage brother who ate a lot. But on the second day we stopped ordering three portions and asked for two with an extra plate because we were absolutely unable to finish them.
Samantha Power 4 years ago
I used to visit a famous diner in NJ. Even before the meal was served you were given hot cheese bread, a huge bowl of crudites, and a large bowl of soup. Then there was a huge meal followed by a huge slice of pie or cake.
Lizard Gaming_YT 4 years ago
When my family eats out, (we have 4 people) we always get 3 portions to share.
jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
the store gets double the net income over large overpriced portions... I routinely ask for take-out boxes.... one meal feeds for two days, and it makes the price about right
#54
The need to do math at 2 AM in the morning while drunk to settle the bill. I don't want to stiff anybody for their earnings, but sales tax really adds to the confusion
#55
A/C. I visited New York in the summer, going from the hot streets and subway stations to the freezing indoors was a shock in its own right.
BusLady 4 years ago
A/C is considered to be essential in the hot southern states. Going inside to a cool building is a respite from the heat. But sometimes they turn it up too high, and that is annoying. Especially if it's a building you work in, so you have to deal with it for 8 hours every day.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
It's essential in Wisconsin too! We may be in the north, and 80 degrees (26C) doesn't sound so bad until you factor in 90% humidity.
Load More Replies... Random Panda 4 years ago (edited)
A/C is the bane of my existence. I was able to handle hot weather a lot better before it became commonplace where I live. My room faced south and I wouldn't need any kind of A/C even in the hottest summers (think about 35C). But when I started working, people would keep like 18C in the office and then you go outside it's 25C+ and you can't even breathe from the sudden heat. I have no idea how people don't realise they're screwing up their body's ability to adapt to cold/heat. I'm so happy I'm now working from home full-time.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
If you were having temperatures of 38-46, you would want an air con. Welcome to Australia lol.
Load More Replies... Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
But it is a lifesaver in really hot and humid summers, believe me. People in several European countries were complaining the last couple summers when they had several incredibly hot days in a row. Imagine having days that hot every single day from mid-May to mid-September! Now, my husband and I try to hold out as long as we can before closing the windows and running the A/C until the weather cools down again in autumn. Those last few days before we give up and run the A/C can be miserable. You take as cool a shower as you can, but the sheer exertion of drying off makes you sweat and need another shower. If you don’t powder anywhere on your body that will rub or sweat, you will regret it. If you don’t get outside work done in the relative cool of early morning, you will be in hell—-or temperatures damn close to it—-trying to get it done, plus flirting with heat stroke. So yeah, air conditioning is a necessity in most places over here.
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
You people are NUTS!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE AC. And heat in the winter.
#56
I havent been to an American airport that didnt suck. Also the queue to get through customs is a joke.
Remi Flynne 4 years ago
I liked my trips to the US very much but I wasn't even given a chance to put my shoes back on before being shooed onwards.
Load More Replies... Treessimontrees 4 years ago
LAX new international terminal is good. The gold standard is Singapore. And no US airport will ever be like that.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
DFW airport is actually a good airport. The only airport I really remember other than that one is the Heathrow in London. It was bullcrap.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
Yet another reason to drive instead - as long as I'm sticking to North America.
#57
The tap water tasted like pool water, that's how much chlorine there was in it. If it hadn't been for the fact that the water from a drinking fountain tasted the same, I'd have thought that it wasn't drinkable.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
Bottled water is mostly just glorified tap water.
Load More Replies... #58
That there seemed to be no normal restaurants like we have in Europe. It was either fast food or an expensive restaurant where you have to make a reservation.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
I'm not sure where you visited, but in my area, there are loads of small, locally-owned restaurants. In my small city alone, there's a Puerto Rican restaurant, a noodle shop, several Chinese restaurants, several Italian restaurants, etc. All casual dining and affordable.
Honu 4 years ago
Maybe they were in the tourist area where they visited? Near the hotels? In my city, there are tons of casual local restaurants.
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Kristin Ingersoll 4 years ago
There's plenty of in between. Lots of casual places.
Load More Replies... #59
The blatant every day racism. Like, I knew Americans were racist but it was just soo blatant and disgusting.
Happy_Pandalover 4 years ago
racism is a bad thing, no matter which place. i‘ve travelled alot and sadly people can be blatanly racist everywhere.
jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
look at the progress since WW2 & the Johnson administration 1968... it's getting better
#60
All my USA visits were for business purpose so I can only tell how insanely toxic is US working environment.
also as someone born and grown behind iron curtain, young stupid me idealised USA as country of freedom not as a country where people like to all aspects of their lives to be dictated and policed. The number of arrests in the US every year is something completely absurd to me.
and one more thing, I was told I should follow some urinal etiquette which means use every second one for no reason but I don't know if that was real or some sort of joke against me.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
That's a urinal etiquette here in Australia too, unless there isn't that option. I don't know why I know this lol.
Duncan Ash 4 years ago
It's just uncomfortable standing so close to someone with very little in the way of a barrier, so it's considered polite not to do that if there's a urinal further away
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Ondrej Dohnal 4 years ago
This "urinal etiquette" is just an unwritten rule among men all over the world :-D
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
Dictated and Policed???? DICTATED AND POLICED????? Go to a country that’s truly dictated and policed and then we’ll see how cocky you are after.
Canadian in Cornwall 4 years ago
I guess you use every second urinal so you're not right next to someone, with other urinals available to use. Kind of like if the cinema isn't very full, and someone comes and sits next to you. Like, Whaaattttt???????
Anthony Mann 4 years ago
One reason. Homophobia. It's considered impolite in the US to stand next to another guy if there are other urinals available. It can make the other guy nervous that you're there looking to inspect his "package".
Duncan Ash 4 years ago
It is most certainly not homophobia in my experience, it's just that you don't want to be standing inches away from someone while peeing.
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#61
I was a 17yo french guy visiting California, I was mostly annoyed by how much people wanted to hug for no reason.
Mystery Egg 4 years ago
I find it so rude to just ignore someone's personal boundaries like that. I hug people I am intimate with. Nobody else. Ever.
Lomion 4 years ago
Thank you! I also came here to say something like this!
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Aroha 4 years ago
Yes :D. Personally for me the kiss is much more invasive than the hug.
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DC 4 years ago
I hate hugging. I used to go to parties at someone's former bunker who my sister knows, and all the people there, most of whom I saw like once a year, or have never met, stand in a line to hug everybody who arrives. Including those who don't generally hug, or don't like being hugged.
#62
For a car centric country I found the roads to be bad (California / Nevada / Arizona). Even the worst countries in Europe are reasonable compared to there. The first trip in the rental car I thought the car was broken, but it was the highway.
Yugan Talovich 4 years ago
I remember driving from Long Island into NYC with a friend. The road surface was so bad that we joked it was defense against tanks.
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
In America we think it’s foolish to fix a road or a bridge when we can spend that money to build more weapons to threaten weaker countries with.
Wilf 4 years ago
I don't get this. You can't do anything without a car in the US and yet the roads are not just badly maintained but also very old-fashioned in layout too. They look like what our motorway network looked like in the 70s. No long merge lanes, poor signage, no roundabouts, no 'smart' motorways where the speed limits vary automatically to control traffic flow. My experience of driving US interstates is just everyone trundling along at about 55mph, constantly jockeying for position and getting really close to each other. It just seems so old-fashioned.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
This varies widely from place to place. My community has a number of roundabouts, excessive signage (perhaps making up for historically inadequate signage). My morning commute is around 85mph (even though the speed limit is 55, it seems to not be enforced). I've only encountered variable speed-limits in one place, Tucson AZ, due to special nighttime conditions.
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#63
The vehicles are really big and most people are driving the kind of heavy truck/van mashups that normally I only see for the king's motorcade or something. How can they afford all that fuel?
Remi Flynne 4 years ago
Yep, but they're going to need to think about this for the climate change targets though - may have to give up the massive gas-guzzlers in the US.
Load More Replies... Anthony Mann 4 years ago
My brother-in-law from Ireland told me that the first time he drove in the US, he was stunned by the size of both the cars and the road itself. He thought he'd taken a wrong turn leaving the airport, and had ended up driving on the runway!
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
With our majestic new senile president, it will be $4/gallon within a month-watch!
#64
I went there for a semester and had to attend a bunch of sexual harassment education classes before classes started. Seemed like a way bigger cultural problem than in Europe.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
Either that, or you’re just not aware of it being a problem where you come from. Sexual harassment and rape aren’t a cultural thing, and occur all over the world. We’ve just become more conscious of it as women start speaking up about it. What you were attending was a Title IX seminar, which is part of the educational system’s requirements. College is where young people are on their own for the first time, meaning also in charge of their own safety for the first time. They become easy targets for predators, including some of their classmates. They also tend to not speak up about harassment, especially if it comes from someone older, like the boss at the part time job they need to get through school. I have no problem getting the information out there. It might save someone from a lot of horrible stuff. I’m 60, and wish we had that kind of openness about getting information out to my generation. Luckily, I always had a big mouth—-didn’t make me very popular with the guys, but sure kept me from being harassed. Or worse. Like friends of mine suffered.
Katchen 4 years ago
I wonder if it’s a bigger problem in the US than in Europe, or if it’s simply acknowledged more? Knowing human nature, I can’t believe that sexual harassment isn’t a problem everywhere there are humans.
humdrum 4 years ago
I think a combination of no or abstinence-only sex education, a politicized or religious upbringing/view on women's rights and a weird emphasis on alcohol as the main event of young people's parties makes it a bigger problem in the US.
Load More Replies... Honu 4 years ago
At my job, we have to repeat them every two years. It's a general sensitivity training that includes sexual harassment along with other general don't be an a-hole stuff around cultural/religious/identity/sexuality subjects. You'd think with all the discussion around these things that we'd be doing better in the US, but unfortunately some folks have claimed being an a-hole as their side of a drummed up culture war.
#65
Americans are shockingly open and friendly. It is terrifying at first. The generally are lovely, but I can see why they think we are cold. It took me years to understand things like small talk between strangers. Many times when I first arrived I thought people might be mentally ill, cult members, or trying to set me up for a crime. lol.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
I actually think it's kinda sad that people are shocked by friendliness.
BlackestDawn 4 years ago
Pretty sure it's not so much friendliness itself but rather the form and/or delivery. If you are used to something and someone does effectively the opposite then you will most likely be shocked, regardless of how friendly that "opposite" is. Personally I don't see the point in small talk between complete strangers, especially if the chances of meeting again is essentially non-existent.
Load More Replies... Demi Zwaan 4 years ago
Problem is, it's all so fake. Especially friendly staff. They're just forced to be friendly, because they live of tips. The small talk with normal people is just weird and not genuine. Everything seems friendly, until you actually try to have a conversation that's not about the weather or sports. Try mentioning politics, religion, children, healthcare, education or anything outside of the US and it's done with the friendlyness.
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
Well you better avoid me, I have never met a stranger and can start a conversation with ANYONE who speaks my language. People say "It's a small world" but it's really not, people just don't talk to each other enough.
#66
I was in San Francisco with my family a few years ago. At some point we stopped in a Hard Rock Cafe and I ordered what I thought would be a small brownie, and I got probably a dozen of brownies mashed into the biggest cup I’ve ever seen, along with a load of ice cream and chocolate on top; even by sharing it with everyone we didn’t finished it, and it was the same everywhere. The size of the meals over there is ridiculous. Also the distance you can travel before finding any sign of life freaked me out a bit at first.
#67
Americans are very aggressive drivers. Courtesy for fellow motorists seems to not exist. Everyone everywhere goes considerably over the posted speed limit, even when police are present. I never figured out what the rush was or the reason for the "me first" attitude when driving. Perfectly friendly people turn into raving lunatics behind the wheel.
Badulesia 4 years ago
I'm not sure that this aggressive behavior is exclusive to US. Visit France ... :(
Andrei Anghel 4 years ago
France is nothing compared to Romania, visit Romania on one of its (almost) 3 highways...
Load More Replies... Happy_Pandalover 4 years ago
that‘s nothing. Come to Europe, your car will get crushed in no time if you think american drivers are aggressive 😂. Also people in Europe are allowed to drive alot faster. It‘s normal human behaviour though. People feel anonymous in their cars, so they‘ll behave like that
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
I watch Russian Youtube videos and think the same thing. But US drivers are bananas.
BAN CAPITAL LETTERS 4 years ago
I feel like for speed it's more "follow the traffic" than "follow the limit"
Anthony Mann 4 years ago
It's likely because everything is so spread out. Almost anywhere in town you want to go is a drive, and with no accessible public transportation, you HAVE to drive to get somewhere! My supermarket is 3 miles from my house, and yet it takes me 20 minutes to get there. :(
Ileana Sky Aviles 4 years ago
Americans have driving etiquette compared to most Asian countries where you're grateful to make it home alive.
#68
Paying with a 5 dollar note and getting my change back in notes. It's weird to me that 1 dollar notes even exist.
Paul Davis 4 years ago
Our government talks about issuing dollar coins to save the money it takes constantly printing new bills, but then fails to follow through by requiring vending devices all take them.
Remi Flynne 4 years ago
Hardly ever use actual cash - it's all card payments. Even for a coffee. It's all mostly contactless. Even parking my car my number plate is read and they just take the money direct from my account. I get emailed a receipt later in the day. Why not bother to invest in that instead?
Load More Replies... jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
it costs seven cents to print any note... it costs $1.25 for the mint to make dollar coins...
Geoff Rogers 4 years ago
Also. All the notes are the same size and colour. Once paid a $1 bus fare with $20 note!
#69
For me a very strange thing was that in the USA people share pizzas, I was with a group of US friends and they looked at me very strangely because I ordered my personal pizza, then I realized that everybody share their And it’s not common, since In Italy everybody have their own (only in rare circumstances like when ‘meters of pizza’ are purchased) I seemed rude but you know, I want my own pizzas ! Also tips, I needed 5-7 days to realize that it’s rude to pay ‘just’ the normal amounts in a restaurant
#70
We've been several times, but my first experience was when I was 15 and transiting through Houston to get back to the UK from visiting Mexico.
I think it was just the scale of everything that stuck with me at the time. We never left the airport, but the scale of the airport, the sheer size of everything (including the people I'm sorry to say) was enormous.
The size of the walkways, even the toilets were bigger. I was hungry so bought a slice of pizza, and I swear it was the size of a dinner-plate (although on reflection probably not).
I've gotten used to it over repeated trips and it doesn't phase me anymore - but the US certainly takes 'bigger is better' to the extreme.
Ileana Sky Aviles 4 years ago
Everything is huge in Texas! I was shocked at the size of the beer mugs!
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Well, that’s kind of the Texas schtick. You know, everything’s bigger in Texas. It’s really more caricature, since it’s taken to such an extreme.
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#71
The taxi driver asking me, a student driving to a cheap ass motel to stay over the night and earning 1/10 of his salary, to give him a tip after paying $40 for a taxi drive 15 minutes away from the airport.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
In some cities, cab drivers have to pay a special fee (read: bribe) to be able to pick people up at the taxi stands at the airport.
Brunning6 4 years ago
Fees are codified, regulated, and known to the participants. Bribes are hidden, illegal, and unregulated.
Load More Replies... Steve Wilson 4 years ago (edited)
The driver doesn’t set the rates or the airport fees. I think you have an incorrect perception of his income. Most of his income comes from tips.
#72
The friendliness and openness of people. Visited the south and everyone talked, some invited me over. The curiosity and enthusiasm of people overwhelmed me haha.
MSD 4 years ago
That's fine if you're just visiting. I immigrated to small-town Georgia with my family when I was 15. My family was basically the village oddity. We weren't treated as people, but as fascinating creatures from another planet. On the surface it seems like hospitality and genuine interest in you as a person, but you soon discover that once the novelty wears off on both sides, they don't give a fig about you b/c they can't relate and you're too "different".
#73
Went to Chicago and was brought to a deep dish pizza place. We ordered a starter, it was breaded chicken and a gigantic portion of fries. Couldn't believe it. Barely made it through a slice of the pizza. My friend boxed up the leftovers, put them in the fridge. On Friday her and her husband would eat all the leftovers from the week.
#74
Tipping is so annoying and I hate the fake friendliness that waiters put on. Americans are already nice enough, we shouldn't have to pay them to pretend to be even nicer
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
TIPS stands for To Insure Proper Service and over across the pond, it started out as something you did BEFORE you ordered and that determined how much service you wanted (refills, quicker service etc). Most waitstaff only make $5-7/hour before tips, so it is important to them!
Richard Henderson 4 years ago
I think this is an apocryphal story made up to justify tipping instead of paying proper wages. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratuity
Load More Replies... Happy_Pandalover 4 years ago
you do. But it‘s really just a bonus you optionally give them for being friendly etc. They usually have minimum wages and don‘t rely on tips.
Load More Replies... #75
Imperial measurement system. For a whole month I had to google convert everything to metric. A year later, I joined the military and most American Vehicles in our army were are using imperial measurement system and to this day this is something that annoys me
Steve Barnett 4 years ago
As a UK citizen I’ve grown up with imperial/metric measurements. The UK has a mixture of both. Speed limit? In miles. Liquids? In litres. Inches, feet, centimetres or metres? Yep, we use both. We’re are still kinda stuck in that transition phase of really not knowing which one to use. It’s haphazard.
Ben Stubbs 4 years ago
Very true! I use measurements/distances in metric, but speed by MPH? x
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Chris Meyers 4 years ago
American exceptionalism.We grip onto anything we feel makes us unique and call it superior.
sari swick 4 years ago
Imperial units, also called British Imperial System, units of measurement of the British Imperial System, the traditional system of weights and measures used officially in Great Britain from 1824 until the adoption of the metric system beginning in 1965. The United States Customary System of weights and measures is derived from the British Imperial System.
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
As an American, I could not agree more!!! One system would simplify so much. But, here you can't change your underwear without an constitutional amendment!
#76
The feeling that everyone is out to squeeze you for just one more dollar. Granted, I've mostly visited touristy cities (NYC, Miami, LA, San Francisco, Las Vegas), so it might be different in more rural/less touristy areas, but it was all sorts of small things which built up to this feeling, and it made me more wary when I encountered people who seemed friendly, because I'd automatically assume they just wanted money from me. And pretty much everything came with a prize tag. So weird to drive into a national park and paying at a booth to enter.
Riani Kivela 4 years ago
It is less in rural areas. Right after I moved back to a small town in the Midwest after living in Washington DC, I was surprised when a guy at the grocery store started talking to me just to tell me the product I was looking at was on sale for $3 cheaper at a different nearby store. Had to reset my brain to get used to that again.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
It wasn’t always that way. It’s been happening more, gradually over the last couple decades, as inflation went up but paychecks flatlined.
Chris Meyers 4 years ago
meanwhile the poor already pax taxes out the ass that go to things like National Parks. Thats why they are called that.
#77
When you're sitting down in a diner, somebody will constantly top up your glass with icy water. I mean thanks but it was December!
#78
In clubs, partying, women would come up to you and start a conversation. Happened 0 times in 15 years of adulthood in Europe. Happened several times a night every time I was out in California.
#79
Distance. No, you can't drive from NY to Florida for the weekend. A flight to California lasts about as long as your flight from Europe.
Billybobjoe 4 years ago
also if the plane has touchdowns then the flight will be longer. A plane ride to California is 4-6 hours and a flight to London will be 8 hours. Thats a 2-4 hour difference right there.
#80
My biggest shock was how small the statue of liberty was because when I saw it on TV I thought it would look completely different. Also beaches in California are not filled with models that will make you feel like you are in heaven. Of course dress code in Walmart or shops in general and morbid obesity. Also seeing an automatic rifle being carried by someone.
Curry on... 4 years ago
It's very disconcerting to know that people can carry automatic weapons so openly. How are people to know if the person isn't planning a mass shooting spree?
jknbt jknbt 4 years ago
they also don't mention that in February, all of the beaches are empty because of the 9 mph north wind at 45 degF
Heather Menard 4 years ago
The gun thing is funny to me. As an american I don't see many people carrying guns T all
#81
I experienced the biggest culture shock when my uncle and I went to get money at a drive through ATM. That's when I realized that Americans truly do anything with their cars
Vetus Vespertilio 4 years ago
Canada also has drive-through ATM, pharmacies, and restaurants. Not liquor stores; our liquor laws are quite strict in comparison to the U.S. (Marijuana is legal everywhere, though.) As an older woman, I’m grateful not to need to get out of my car after dark.
Load More Replies... #82
One thing that still seems to surprise me on every trip is the amount of open space once you leave the cities. Drive an hour from any city and you're pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
USA: I have buttloads of wide-open space. Australia: B*tch, please. Russia: B*tch, please.
Freya the Wanderer 4 years ago
USA: "I have buttloads of wide-open space." Australia: "B*tch, please." Russia: "B*tch, please."
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
Not in New England (and most of the East Coast). An hour from Boston is another large city, with towns in between. No empty space at all.
#83
Fat wildlife everywhere was sad, junk food pouring out of bins. Amazing nature but cafes everywhere. Getting donuts at the top of pikes peak. Employee says 'we had to get a special donut fryer because of the altitude, they won't cook properly in a regular one'. Why get a special fryer though?!
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
If you look on the baking instructions on the back of a cake mix box, you’ll find different cooking times for high altitudes. It does have an affect on cooking.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
High altitude cooking is completely different because of the altitude, though. Traditional deep frying will burn the outside before the inside has cooked through. Water has a lower boiling point at altitude, and the water boils away to steam at a faster rate.
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
Fat wildlife??? That's called fur or even winter fat for hibernating.
Chris Meyers 4 years ago
JESUS! Capitalism has exploded like nothing else in the last so many decades. It was not like this when we drove across country when I was a kid. Now everything is a chain. People want only what they are used to so they go to Philadelphia and eat at a Magiano's despite there being so many quality private italian restaurants (or used to be) Its vulgar. And it benefits only corporations.
#84
I am 30 years old,look older. Went to a pub after work, dressed smart as your average office worker. Still got asked for an ID when I ordered a beer. Felt so awkward.
Pappy West 4 years ago
Yep, saw a sign behind a bartender once that said "I would card my own mother." The bartenders are not stupid, they are trained to avoid liability by asking everyone, regardless of their obvious age. If a patron leaves a bar intoxicated and kills someone with their car, the bartender or server is often prosecuted or sued, along with the perpetrator. It also depends on the state, but here in beautiful Tennessee I get carded buying beer at the grocery...and I'm 71 y-o. It's just avoidance of liability in the most litigious society on the planet.
Remi Flynne 4 years ago
Sorry... bit confused here. So if you are legally allowed to drink, show your ID and so the server knows you are of legal age, you get drunk and then kill someone with the car but the server can be sued? How does seeing the ID make any difference here? I can understand it if it stops bar staff being sued because the drunk was of a legal age to drink and drive and therefore made their own stupid choices. I'm probably missing something obvious. Sorry. 😕
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Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
They have to ask everybody now, because they could lose their liquor and/or beer and wine license if caught serving alcoholic beverages to underage customers—-in fact, they never know if the young-looking person they’re serving is actually an undercover agent checking up on the store, restaurant, or bar. That means an instant shutdown of alcohol sales.
Joseph Georgiadis 4 years ago
My wife and I -both aged 50- were asked for IDs in NY airport for a beer
Heather Atwood 4 years ago
A lot of places now require id from EVERYONE because it's the law and if they violate it, they lose their liquor licenses.
BAN CAPITAL LETTERS 4 years ago
some bartenders do it for tips. I guess it's flattering or something
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
This is not necessarily because of your apparent age. Most states have a law that, if you're in a pub, you must have an ID on your person, no matter your age.
#85
Depends on what state. In California i was surprised at how many homeless there were and that we couldn't drink the tap water. In Tennessee i was surprised how involved parents were in their kids lives. Even after turning 18 they are still considered kids as long as they live with their parents. It's like "as long as you live under our roof you will follow our rules". I also noticed how present the cops are everywhere
#86
The open and friendly mentality of the people. People were always helpful and polite. Being a 15 y.o. teenager and called "sir" by the people felt very good :D
#87
There's this fast food chain, called Sonic. It's basically a drive-in restaurant. Looks like a gas station, where you order from screens where the gas pumps would be. You get your order delivered to your car, where you eat it. It's not a drive through, you stay in the parking lot, you just don't need to leave your car for a single moment.
Morna Bibbw 4 years ago
That's more of a nostalgia thing. Drive up restaurants were really a thing in the 50s and 60s. I remember going to a few when I was a little kid in the early seventies. And sometimes they would wear roller skates when delivering your food.
BusLady 4 years ago
We have a Sonic by our house. In the Summer, we love to get the Slushes half price at happy hour.
Load More Replies... #88
How strangely old fashioned the lorries/trucks looked compared to European ones. Very strange to see them chugging around NYC with their massive bonnets.
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
European trucks are all cab-overs due to length restrictions for the entire vehicle. The US loosened those restrictions years ago so bonnets are back as the standard here. European roads, narrower than those in the US & with more extreme turns, still require using cab-overs with short wheel bases.
#89
On our last trip to the US, our car rental didn't have the car we had pre-booked available anymore. They asked if a brand new Dodge Viper would be ok. YES, IT IS VERY MUCH OKAY, said we, with the excitement of the innocent. ...and then we had to drive at speed limits of 60 and 70mph (~95 and 110Kph), on loooong straight streches of open road 😢. Why. Why deposit such a toy unto our hands if you're not allowed to drive faster than a dying slug. WHY
Chris Faulkner 4 years ago
I wanna know what rental place upgrades you to a Viper? I've gotten a sweet mid-sized Hyundai before, but the Viper is some next-level upgrading!
Thomas 4 years ago
For highways, yes, it kinda is. In most of Europe highway speed limit is 80 MPH, but most of people cruise around 90ish (140-150 km/h). In fact, some stretches do have their speed limits increased at 150 km/h (93 MPH).
Load More Replies... DC 4 years ago
Germans are pretty spoiled, regarding this. I mean, give a straight road, sophisticated and intact suspension and tires - where's the problem in doing 250 kph? And why do those with strict speed limits use the largest engines around ... for what purpose? Having like 200 kW or even more and then doing 70 mph is abuse.
#90
The thing I found really weird about dating was that people would have the "conversation". So you could just being dating/having-sex with multiple people, but until you had the "conversation" there was no indication of monogamy. This was in the early 2000s so perhaps things have changed. I found the American attitude to sex much less romantic in some ways, which had it's positive and negative aspects. Of course, this is generalising over a huge country from a very small sample.
Y T 4 years ago
Yeah, I feel it's weird to date several people at the same time and that's totally fine with everybody until you decide to "be exclusive". I don't want the dude I'm dating dating ten other women. Just figure out fast if you like this person or not, if you don't just find someone else to date.
#91
Our waitress in the 230-FIFTH Bar in Manhattan INSULTED us ("jerks!") when we declined to tip her because the service was really bad. She actually came running after us ("Guys, you forgot the tip!"), when my friend turned around and told her: "30 minutes no service: no tip". I've never seen a waiter/waitress being pissed, but she was so pissed and had us almost thrown out after calling us names.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
If you're a terrible server, you don't deserve to be tipped, though. Ignoring your customers for 30 minutes is being a terrible server.
Sista of the moon 4 years ago
That’s just Manhattan... nobody in Manhattan is really nice. My family once sat down at a table in a restaurant in Manhattan, and some lady really wanted it I guess???? So she started yelling at us in a language we couldn’t understand. NYC is something else......
Tracy Costa 4 years ago
You should come to Brooklyn. We're friendly here.
Load More Replies... BusLady 4 years ago
Unfortunately, most waitstaff are paid a very small wage, barely enough to pay income taxes. They depend on tips. The 30 minute delay might not have been her fault. Also, they have to pay taxes on every meal they serve because of an assumed tip, even when they get no tip.
Kitti B. 4 years ago
that's still not a reason to tip someone. That's not the customers' fault that her wage is small.
Load More Replies... Frank Hassler 4 years ago
In the US, tips are the majority of wait-staff’s wages. So you still have to tip at least 10% for poor service, usually I won’t go below 15% for bad service. If service is good, start at 20% tip, and up.
#92
I was not shocked but surprised how dirty the public buildings (like airport) were and how low-quality (doors, floors, windows) everything in buildings (including plumbing and electric installations in private buildings). Sizes in general weren't as large as i had expected, especially cars were much smaller than I thought.
M O'Connell 4 years ago
You came a few years too late. Our real obsession with giant cars ended with the oil crisis in the 1970s. Quite a few car models shrunk by more than 20" in length between 1970 and 1980.
#93
I guess just how grey and industrial everything looked and felt. All those buildings towering over me like that was just so intimidating. I mean, I have seen it all in movies and shows of course, but those just can't convey exactly how it feels to actually be there.
Noemie Houtekie-N'Da 4 years ago
Excuse me where were you? Most of America is incredibly beautiful. For example, take trip from Flagstaff Arizona to Phoenix. It’s gorgeous.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
Try visiting somewhere away from metropolitan areas next time, especially northern “Rust Belt” cities. There are long stretches of all kinds of landscapes to be found here. Places where you won’t see another human—-but loads of wildlife—-for miles.
#94
How massive the roads were and the fact that lane discipline does not exist. Ordinary roads with six lanes which is basically a motorway in the UK. The lack of roundabouts and everything built on a grid means you have to stop at a four way junction every couple of hundred metres. People waiting when the lights have turned green. In UK, if it’s green you go.
Spork420 4 years ago
Occasionally these roundabout things pop up somewhere, and we Americans loathe these things.
Steve Wilson 4 years ago
Yes, we do. And because we’re Americans when we find out they save thousands of lives by forcing people to slow down at dangerous intersections we somehow hate them even more.
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Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
I’m American, and will honk at you if you do not move when that light turns green!
#95
Next time went to Nashville, entirely different story. Biggest difference I noticed was traffic and transportation. So many cars, huuuge parking lots everywhere, virtually impossible to get anywhere on foot or by bus. And the hotel was something that could never happen in Europe either.
#96
ACs protruding from every single house, with special protection metal grids mounted around them.
Anthony Mann 4 years ago
Only the high crime areas have those metal bars. A lot of houses and apartments in the US have central air and heat.
Amy Cohen 4 years ago
That’s not true. A lot of old buildings in NY don’t have centralized air and the bars are used for it not to fall or is mandatory if you have kids under a certain age. I lived in a beautiful building in Brooklyn Heights, paying $2600 a month for a small studio and had an AC unit with bars.
Load More Replies... #97
How large/big everything is. Wide roads, enormous interchanges, food/drink portion sizes (!), cars bigger than tractors at home
#98
Bagged milk. Who puts milks in bags?! I knew that the canadians did it, but apparently the cheese eating Wisconsinites are part of this madness as well!
Kira 4 years ago
Well, we Russians here put milk (not all of it though) in bags (not our weirdest quality ;-)), along with other dairy products, like kefir or sour cream... Here one can even buy a jug-like plastic thingy to store one's opened milk bag in upright position and prevent it from spilling all over one's fridge)
Triple-AAA battery 4 years ago
Okay so I live in Wisconsin but only for a few years. Do you mean put the liquid or the carton in the bag?
Vetus Vespertilio 4 years ago
We Canadians have this. The liquid goes in a 1 litre clear plastic bag; they’re sold in larger bags containing three. You slide one of the bags into a made-to-fit plastic jug, clip off the corner of the bag, and use that as your pour spout. If you clip it off too deep, you end up pouring half a litre of milk into your cereal bowl. Too shallow and you grow roots waiting, so you squeeze the bag a little to hurry it up and end up with milk everywhere. And of course a little always dribbles down into the pitcher, smelling steadily more sour because once you clip the corner you can’t really lift the bag out of the pitcher without spilling the milk. I much prefer the one gallon hard plastic jugs, for which you are charged a redeemable deposit. Heavier to handle but by gosh, the milk stays where it belongs!
Load More Replies... Jennifer Lynn 4 years ago
Only in Eastern Canada & mostly Southrrn Ontario I think, does milk come in bags - I have never once actually seen this in person (been to most provinces but not Ontario)
Random Panda 4 years ago
I live in Eastern Europe, we used to have bagged milk as well when I was a child.
What do you think ?
Pungent Sauce 4 years ago
Is it just me or is “How shocked people are by America/Americans” becoming a bi-monthly feature here on BP?
Heather Pobicki 4 years ago
It seems weekly now, getting real old. We're too patriotic, our toilet stalls have gaps, we're fat, stupid, we all need cars...there saved everyone 5 minutes.
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tuzdayschild 4 years ago
Yay!!! Another America bashing post. Just what I've been waiting for!
Kristin Ingersoll 4 years ago
YAY!!!! Your daily dose of "Amerians are stupid and fat!!!!" I don't even have to read this crap to know exactly what's on this list. Americans eat too much. Tipping is terrible. We're too friendly and the country is big. YAWN.
Thomas Kanonym 4 years ago
you forgot "...and if you survive getting shot by either a psycho or the police , you'll die homeless on the street after not being able to pay the hospital $2.000.000 for saving your life"
Load More Replies... Logic and Reason 4 years ago
HAHAHA America bad funni!!1!1!1!1!!!1 Jesus Christ I’m so tired of these posts, it’s like a broken record. BP staff if you’re reading this, just stop these. They’re consistently xenophobic and repetitive.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
We get it: The US is full of fat, stupid, ugly, ignorant jerks who are utterly unlike the fat, stupid, ugly and ignorant jerks in the rest of the world. *yawn*
CatWoman312 4 years ago
Flags everywhere, huge portion sizes, no universal health care, we’re all fat, we make you tip on everything. Saved you a click.
Carolina Fernández González 4 years ago
Again with these posts? We get it Americans like everything big, their flag is everywhere, they love sugar, and their care system sucks. All countries have their own bad things. Please BP stop focusing on the bad, and always Americans. We don't care about their bad crap!
Wilf 4 years ago
I'll add a couple of positive ones from the UK. 1) People are generally inquisitive about foreigners, I guess a lot of Americans outside the cities don't get to meet many. 2) The idea there's nothing old in America is a ridiculous myth- in the original 13 states you can find some amazing built heritage dating back to the 17th century. 3) The ease in which you can access some genuine mind-blowingly empty wilderness is great. There are empty spaces bigger than many small European countries.
Snake of Eden 4 years ago
For that last one, It is true. I live in a regular old suberb and we have a forest right behind our house. On our 2 hour drive to my grandmother's house, we drive by cliffs, forests, lakes, rivers, and plains. It's also absolutly beautiful in the fall :)
Load More Replies... • Lemønchu • 4 years ago
Bored Panda, please stop the America sucks posts. I know we have problems, but please stop reminding us
Pungent Sauce 4 years ago
Is it just me or is “How shocked people are by America/Americans” becoming a bi-monthly feature here on BP?
Heather Pobicki 4 years ago
It seems weekly now, getting real old. We're too patriotic, our toilet stalls have gaps, we're fat, stupid, we all need cars...there saved everyone 5 minutes.
Load More Replies... tuzdayschild 4 years ago
Yay!!! Another America bashing post. Just what I've been waiting for!
Kristin Ingersoll 4 years ago
YAY!!!! Your daily dose of "Amerians are stupid and fat!!!!" I don't even have to read this crap to know exactly what's on this list. Americans eat too much. Tipping is terrible. We're too friendly and the country is big. YAWN.
Thomas Kanonym 4 years ago
you forgot "...and if you survive getting shot by either a psycho or the police , you'll die homeless on the street after not being able to pay the hospital $2.000.000 for saving your life"
Load More Replies... Logic and Reason 4 years ago
HAHAHA America bad funni!!1!1!1!1!!!1 Jesus Christ I’m so tired of these posts, it’s like a broken record. BP staff if you’re reading this, just stop these. They’re consistently xenophobic and repetitive.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
We get it: The US is full of fat, stupid, ugly, ignorant jerks who are utterly unlike the fat, stupid, ugly and ignorant jerks in the rest of the world. *yawn*
CatWoman312 4 years ago
Flags everywhere, huge portion sizes, no universal health care, we’re all fat, we make you tip on everything. Saved you a click.
Carolina Fernández González 4 years ago
Again with these posts? We get it Americans like everything big, their flag is everywhere, they love sugar, and their care system sucks. All countries have their own bad things. Please BP stop focusing on the bad, and always Americans. We don't care about their bad crap!
Wilf 4 years ago
I'll add a couple of positive ones from the UK. 1) People are generally inquisitive about foreigners, I guess a lot of Americans outside the cities don't get to meet many. 2) The idea there's nothing old in America is a ridiculous myth- in the original 13 states you can find some amazing built heritage dating back to the 17th century. 3) The ease in which you can access some genuine mind-blowingly empty wilderness is great. There are empty spaces bigger than many small European countries.
Snake of Eden 4 years ago
For that last one, It is true. I live in a regular old suberb and we have a forest right behind our house. On our 2 hour drive to my grandmother's house, we drive by cliffs, forests, lakes, rivers, and plains. It's also absolutly beautiful in the fall :)
Load More Replies... • Lemønchu • 4 years ago
Bored Panda, please stop the America sucks posts. I know we have problems, but please stop reminding us
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