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The United States of America is the land of the free and full of opportunities. It is one of the largest economies in the world and it has always amassed people for the life one can create there. But, like every country, it has its own way of functioning and the people living there have their own culture. And if you are also attracted to this country and would like to travel to the United States or you are planning of moving there, you should expect to encounter things you‘ve never seen before or things done differently to what you are used to.

A few days ago, Reddit user Ymij asked people to share some things Americans don‘t realize exist only in the United States. And people had a lot to say. The post got more than 10k answers and Bored Panda gathered a list of some of the most upvoted responses.

More info: Reddit

#1

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group GoFundMe being an acceptable replacement for a health care system

GTrav44 , gofundme Report

#2

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Literally being too poor to go to the doctor, but have too much income for any kind of assistance

kaden123drake , Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja Report

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Terilee Bruyere
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

THIS! I remember a time that my dad had gotten laid off and my mum was dealing with health issues. They were simply down on their luck and filed for food stamps. Due to their Canadian pension they only qualified for $18 in food stamps a month and made too much to have health insurance, just adding to the health issues.

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#3

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Tipping as a wage subsidy. Many countries don’t have tipping and those that do generally tip a small amount for good service.

Also displayed prices not including taxes or other fees.

Impossible-Buy-4090 , Wikimedia Commons Report

#4

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Pronouncing corruption as "lobbying"

GSLaaitie , RJA1988 Report

#5

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Assuming that everyone on the internet is American until proven otherwise.

Officer_Cat_Fancy_ , Steven Martin Report

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Helena R
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everything in American-English too rather than British-English. things that are translated from almost any other language into American-English rather than British-English regardless of the subject matter

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#6

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group The pledge of allegiance. If you tell people here that in America they make kids stand up and recite some prayer to a flag every single morning, they'll look at you like you just grew a third arm.

emissaryofwinds , USAG- Humphreys Report

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Karl Baxter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We’d call that indoctrination in the UK. I remember speaking with an elderly Italian man who was a child when Mussolini came to power. He told me they were forced to do similar things at school.

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#7

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group I want to say for-profit prison systems.

These things are f***** up. If the state doesn't keep up the prisoner quota they gotta pay a fine to the company they owns the prison.

So this basically makes them try to keep existing prisoners

downtimeredditor , Molly Haggerty Report

#8

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Gender reveal parties

jemariebearimy , highlander411 Report

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#9

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group People who angrily DO NOT WANT healthcare.

spammmmmmmmy , Presidencia de la República Mexicana Report

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N G
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's so much more than that. It's not that they dont want healthcare, they dont want to pay for SOMEONE ELSE'S healthcare.

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#10

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Having the restaurant take your credit card - in most countries it's considered impolite to disappear with the card as they might write the digits down to charge extra later. Therefore they normally bring a portable terminal to your table so you can keep the card in eyesight and have the (optional) tip actually charged when the card is run and not added after the fact.

Broadmin , Unknown Report

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Johnny
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most places use chip-and-pin where they *have* to take the card at the table since you need to enter your PIN. USA credit card banks decided Americans aren't smart enough for chip-and-pin, so we just have chip and an archaic signature.

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#11

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group The Imperial System, Fahrenheits, massive ad breaks. I swear i watched US Television once and i nearly had time to go take a s*** before the adbreak ended. And i'm one of those people that play on their phone while on the throne

Pyanez11 , ilovebutter Report

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#12

I am from Europe and I have never seen in supermarkets scooters for people that are so obese they can't walk by themselves.

indigo-wolf Report

#13

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Medical debt

CIA_grade_LSD , Grant Source Report

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Winx
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Add "who is paying their debt while also stopping treatment because they can't continue accruing more debt"

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#14

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Waiting like 8 weeks after your elections till the new guy comes in to power is pretty f****** weird

Snoo61123 , GPA Photo Archive Report

#15

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Massive gaps on all sides of toilet cubicle doors, like why even bother with a door at all when people can see through so easily

digitalelise , Victoria_Borodinova Report

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Biana Vacker
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i know- you can literally stare someone in the face while they are going to the bathroom

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#16

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Flags. Everywhere

psyk738178 , WTF Colorado Report

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Pezor Zass
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How else can they keep up the illusion that they live in a country worth celebrating?

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#17

This may be a shot in the dark but product prices not including tax when they’re displayed? Like if something says it’s $10 and you only have $10, what’s with the surprise tax at the till?

ninjapotatoprd Report

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#18

Your toxic grind working culture. I find that Americans define their entire personality around their profession. It all feels so shallow and hollow way of living. Like I work so I can do the things I enjoy ( pre covid) I don't work because it defines me as a person.

vietcong420 Report

#19

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Absurdly long election campaigns. In most countries I've been to election campaigns last a month or two, in the US they seem to go for a full year.

BerserkBoulderer , Unknown Report

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Biana Vacker
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

we get sooo many ads too; they're literally everywhere and most of them are attack ads with questionable information

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#20

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group College sports, people do not care about nor have college sports like we do here.

UnusualLight0 , Unknown Report

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Pezor Zass
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it's disgusting the amount of money my school spends on sports, and we're not even remotely a sporty school

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#21

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Food portion sizes... In EU you get food portions you can finish and are generally calculated to be pretty much fill/satisfy you over the entire meal.

When I go to the US I can fill myself up with half of the appetizer

Drumah , Wikimedia Commons Report

#22

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Unused vacation days

Banana_Gorilla , Unknown Report

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Aroha
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah in my country, if you don't take your minimum of 5 weeks of holiday per year, it will be scheduled for you. Literally your manager will force you to relax :D.

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#23

The use of the words junior, sophomore and senior in school. I don't think I have ever heard these outside of an American TV show or movie.

No-Soft-3703 Report

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Kanishka Patel
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah it is pretty weird. Why not just say 9th, 10th , 11th, and 12 grade? Seems much more simple. I am going to be in high school next year and I am Indian but I live in America. I am used to saying junior, sophomore, etc. but my mom finds it really confusing. This seems so unnecessary.

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#24

I can't speak for the whole world, but having elections on a weekday seems crazy to me. We do it in the weekend so that people are off work anyway.

frosty_hotboy Report

#25

A single pool of paid time off that you use for both vacation and sick leave. Therefore having to forego vacation to keep a bank of leave just in case you get ill.

littleloucc Report

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Winx
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a bad policy because everyone comes to work sick so they can still take vacation days.

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#26

People constantly thanking god for every day occurrences

toshredsyousay6502 Report

#27

Those commercials featuring some sort of drug or medication. With the typical closing where the narrator states "Side effects includes blah blah blah...Discuss with your doctor about blah blah blah"

Noor_awsome Report

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#28

Tipping, most other places actually pay their waiters/waitresses and tippings just for extremely good service or rounding up.

Undisclosed-Fruit Report

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Nikki Hilton
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Already noted. Pay everyone a living working wage (NOT $7.50/hr). Do away with tipping.

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#29

Having to drive everywhere. I'm 27-years-old, not from the US and never learnt to drive. I've also never felt like I needed it.

FreshNebula Report

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Gabriel Jackson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, this brings up another problem, how come in the city in most urban USA cities have 2 food stores per square inch, but in rural areas, some places have one diner in the area, and then have to go 15 miles for different food, YET, the people in rural areas use their car less (In my experience, not necessarily right, dong go all the way to fact check it and get toxic). Why?

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Tracy Danis
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in a large geographic country and our population is too small to support a transnational public transit system. It’s geography not culture

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Johnny
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a size/density thing. The USA is huge compared to Europe -- Texas alone encompasses half of France, nearly all of Germany, the Czech republic, Austria, Switzerland, and all of Belgium and the Netherlands. And it has about a third of the population of Germany.

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F. H.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even considering that - you have to drive everywhere too, if you live in rural areas in countries like France or Germany. Where I grew up, we had bus lines that were only serviced from 6am to 5pm with stops every hour.

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Lily Swag
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, in Europe you can drive for a few hours and see a few different countries. Here in the US, you can drive for hours and still be in the same state.

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Terilee Bruyere
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, we are kind of spread out in many places here. I'm about 35-40 minutes from everything and our public transport system leaves much to be desired.

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Jamie Smith
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly! In the small town I grew up in, taxis aren't a thing. Buses aren't a thing. I grew up only a half a mile from the center of town but most of my friends lived far away from the center of town. The town is too small to afford big businesses to come and build businesses. So you just have the basics. It's easy for others to pass judgment on the American way of life when they only know very little about it. I don't pass judgment on how others do things but it seems "trendy" to judge Americans. And yes, I'm aware that a lot of that is our governments fault but I'm not going there. This post is already long enough.

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Dave P
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depends where in the US. I met a someone who lived their whole life in NYC and died at 84 never ever having learned to drive. Depends where in the US

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Laura Gillette
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok but a lot of places in the US, the things you need to get to are not always within walking distance. For a lot of people who don't live in a city center, the nearest grocery store is too far away to walk to. So you have to drive.

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EQXL
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well yes and no. Part of them having to drive everywhere is because there is no infrastructure for walking and cycling outside city centers. It's why most North Americans (and there parents) have no freedom untill they can drive. To me the driving everywhere isn't as much as a thing as the lack of other options is.

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Lorraine R
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a friend who at age 83 has never learned to drive, because he lived and worked in NYC all his life and never needed to.

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Fred L.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It´s part of a self-cycle. People use their cars to drive everywhere because things are spread out. Things are spread out because everybody uses a car.

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Tracy Danis
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s geography. Any large country that doesn’t have the population to support a large public transit system has the same issue. It’s a big shock to go to Europe where everything is close to each other

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Petra Schaap
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

depending on where you live in the US. i know people without license and /or without car. Also, where I live in Belgium its considered weird if you dont have a car, and considered normal if you wanna park in front of a store downtown.

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Jane Alexander
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We're a big country, spread out, some folks live 10 -20 miles or more from town.

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Gabby M
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends where you live. In big cities like NYC, things are so close together that most people walk or use public transportation.

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Pheebs
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, some places in the US you can do just fine without a car. Other places have too much sprawl (empty/mostly empty space between towns) and poor public transport plans. Florida is an example of a lot of both. A lot of city area, with smaller towns around the borders, but a lot of empty space due to it being a swamp land state, so it’s a hike to the next town. Add a lack of a state-wide transport system and you end up with too many cars. You can walk some places, bike, or bus, but trains to get between cities are limited. Cities try to make up for local by putting big store every-freaking-where, but that just further spreads things out as new communities are built.

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Robert T
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is a problem that compounds itself. Everything seems to be laid out with huge parking lots in between, so it makes it really difficult to walk from one place to the next. I was staying in Dallas and eating out each night - there were lots of restaurants nearby, but it was a long walk to get even half a dozen "doors" down the street. Not only that, but the roads were not set up for pedestrians, so the only safe way was to walk from parking lot to parking lot and woa betide you if you needed to cross the street.

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Iusedtobecute
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My state is bigger than the country of England and many more countries. That's why we have to drive everywhere. The nearest grocery store to me is 4 miles away. I believe that's roughly 6.4 kilometers in distance. My job is 48 kilometers away.

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Eemeli Saarelainen (Molter)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a matter of choice by city planners and isn't dictated by the size of the country. The system is designed based on an assumption that everyone has a car and therefore long distances aren't' that problematic. My home country Finland would be the 5th largest state in USA in terms of area yet we don't have to drive everywhere and, more importantly, walking or biking anywhere is safe in terms of traffic (and otherwise as well) unlike in USA.

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lara
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, since you probably live in a country that is about the size of one of our states, so what?

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Eemeli Saarelainen (Molter)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How often do you travel beyond your state borders with a car? Each state can be designed so that driving everywhere isn't a necessity.

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Nikki Sevven
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a statistic that clearly explains the reason for this. England's population density is 691 per square mile. In the US, there are only 93 people per square mile. Everything here is spread out (other than in large cities).

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Rhys Cernunnos
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is not a fair statistic as it doesn't account for the size of the US versus the size of England you mentally deranged dumbass.

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Helen Haley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This place is huge, spread out, with a variety of annual natural disasters. We don't have a hope of maintaining a decent public transportation system nationwide that is as comprehensive as european countries.

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Gon Freecss
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

im 14 and im learning to drive and I will be driving to school soon too...at 14

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Donny Cromwell
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're kind of looked at like you are some kind of alien if you don't drive, like "what the hell are you?" or "what the hell is the matter with you?" and "What weirdo doesn't drive?" It is kind of a symbol of adulthood and a rite of passage. Though some parts of the country and more individuals sees it as a waste.

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, if you’re from a European country, it’s just smaller than the US. My husband is British, and the distances from one major city to another in the US blew his mind at first. He’s used to it now, but it took a while for him to get his head around the fact he now lives in a country where driving from one end to the other—-in any direction—-takes days rather than hours, and that public transportation is either limited or isn’t available at all in rural areas.

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Daphne Williams
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's crazy that you just never bothered to learn to drive. What if you're in a remote location and an emergency happens?

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Tabby_Sohee
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When my parents came from Korea, they were dumbfounded by the loss of public transport..

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Jamie Smith
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm from a very small town that up until 20 only had a one filling station, a post office and a grocery store, literally. The grocery store only had groceries and basic ones at that. So if someone wanted to go to the doctor, get clothes, toys for kids, supplies for a home (like if something breaks), etc all of that stuff was 30 minutes away at least. There's no way someone could walk to some of those things. I mean, I guess they COULD but depending on what reason you were walking, you'd probably die on the way. My grandmother who was born in 1933 could remember people who rode horses from the town to the nearest "big city" (which actually is the capital of my state in the US) and it took 2 days, one way. She also remembered the excitement of when one of her uncles brought his car over to show off. She was a kid, ofc, but a lot of the older family had never seen one in person. My point is it's easy to pass judgment on fat lazy Americans but that's not everyone.

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StnFlwr
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depends on where you live. I lived in the East Bay for 30 years without a car -- never had a drivers license. I could take my bike on BART and front of a bus, if necessary (steep hill).

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TexasWoman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some people drive everywhere because they want to; my grandma, for example.

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Tim Haight
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you live in a place with good mass transit, then driving is a luxury. The same if its warn enough to ride a bike.

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Rhys Cernunnos
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Considering how big the united states is... it's little wonder... most people not in the US just cannot wrap their little brains around it.

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Jamie Smith
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do you feel the need to slip an insult in your comment? Just curious.

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Boredzzz
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was some years ago.. but still :) I was staying with friends in Texas for a month. Went for a walk in the evening. Cops stopped me and wanted to know what i was doing and why was I outside just walking. They could not understand that I just wanted some air and exercise. Really weird.

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Iusedtobecute
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a generalization about one place in Texas. Sorry that you experienced this but the majority of Texas doesn't care if you walk all day and night anywhere. Were you in a gated community or something with security?

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David Buchan-Terrell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In North America we do not live on top of each other. We are more spread out than in Europe and public transit is not always available.

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Chris Malme
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I learned to drive (in the UK) when I was in my mid-30's. I initially applied for a job at a UK subsidiary of a US IT firm as internal support staff, but was asked how I felt about going on the road. "Aside from the fact I don't drive..." I started to say. "Why not?" interupted the American interviewer, "Is it medical?" "No, I've just been living in a town where you can walk everywhere, and it costs a fortune to park anywhere."

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Sarah Grape
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ive met people who move to the city and just let their lisences expire because of public transport. you can get a way with it in some places

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Sill Marien
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! When I went to US for a couple of months for a student work&travel programme I was so sure I'm gonna walk to work because it was close by. Haven't found a single meter of pavement and was literally shocked of how can you even live that way.

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Roland Gosselin
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

39 and never learnt to drive despite the fact that I have lived in a dozen countries. Never needed to. Don't want to. Don't like cars and car culture.

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Eemeli Saarelainen (Molter)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How often do you drive outside your home state? Europe is roughly the size of USA by area yet we don't have to drive everywhere. Sure, you have to use public transport to move between the countries and within countries but that could be the case in USA as well if it had been designed for it.

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Jarrod Nichols
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Until you've been here, you don't realize how big it is. Driving isn't a preference, it's a necessity.

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Allan Hedges
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

3.8 million square miles in the US! Our smaller states are bigger than most countries in Europe. Yeah...we have to drive. There are more people in Los Angeles alone than the entire country of Canada. This explains why we cannot smash everything so close together.

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Eemeli Saarelainen (Molter)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yet many European cities have higher population density than Los Angeles. Let's not even talk about Tokyo which has almost double the population density. Everything in USA could be crammed much tighter without any difficulties. Consider the fact that Netherlands has more than 5 times the population density of USA. Sure, that would mean designing the country for people rather than the cars but it would have been totally doable.

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Leslie Burleson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

America is a big place. We have mass transit in cities , but not rural areas

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Mystery Egg
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was 41 when I learnt to drive. Never needed to before. In fact, 3 years on and I haven't driven since...don't own a car.

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Eric Mac Fadden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am 39 and I'll never learn - it's actually almost impossible to buy a car in Brazil nowadays... and fuel them is becoming a burden lately

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Ozzie Ogawa
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't blame them since i know how does it feel to live in a country with 3 time zones and poor transportation system. I have to ride a motorcycle everywhere since our public transport's routes is limited.

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JESSE REED
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean if you want to be reliant all your life, then sure more power to you.

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Vicky Zar
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Germany. I learned to drive when I was 30. Never needed it before.

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T J
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually I used to enjoy getting in the car on a Friday morning and driving off for a four day weekend exploring my state and the surrounding states. Not anymore too many people on the roads

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Lorelei
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fortunately,I have a convenience store by my house-since the store in question only exists where I live,I’ll just call it the kwik-E-mart.I also have a Japanese grocery store by my house,and I can order everything else online.

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Yamini Mahendran
Community Member
3 years ago

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USA ripped out the railway system created by the Brits and built Highways instead. That was a poor decision, and we are suffering because of it. It will be fun to see what happens when we run out of petrol. Maybe everybody is US will start buying Tesla. Elon Musk is a smart man!

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Rhys Cernunnos
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, you're an idiot. But believe what you will... The brits didn't create the railway system in the US... the US did.

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#30

It's pretty funny watching Americans moan over their super-cheap petrol prices. "But we drive everywhere, cars are fundamental to our society". Yep, same here in Australia, too. Your fuel is still incredibly cheap.

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Viviane
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in Canada and one of my friends did a cross-country drive via the USA to take advantage of cheaper gas.

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#31

Garbage disposal units in sinks. I've been to nearly 20 countries, and I've never seen one.

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Andrew Gibb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of the primary concerns of using garbage disposals is that it puts excess strain on local wastewater treatment centers. All of the food solids in the wastewater must be filtered out. Those solids are used to create fertilizer or are sent to landfills.

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#32

Longer ad breaks in the Muppet Show.

The UK version had two minutes of extra content in every episode due to restrictions on the amount of ads you could play on British TV.

That's 240 minutes of extra Muppet content that most Americans never saw.

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Fred and George Weasley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the UK has limited ad amounts. theyre regulated, so you can only have 12 minutes of ads per hour. obviously in the US im guessing its not the same

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#33

Playing the national anthem before sporting events. There may be a handful of other countries that do, but in much of the world it's only played for international matches.

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Alexis draskinis
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still dont understand why its played. Its a sporting event, a game, nothing more. Im a baseball fan & i can care less about it being played. I want to watch the game.

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#34

Your identity politics used to be just in America, then it spilled out like a burst sewage pipe.

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#35

Red solo cups. My european cousins asked me if parties in the us really had those red cups.

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angie but who cares
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yuppp they taste better for some reason just like a grilled cheese tastes better cut

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#36

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Bumper stickers. They’re a lot less common in Europe anyway, not sure about the rest of the world.

Random_Machiavelli , dalliedee Report

#37

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Nearly everything about their high schools

Unfair-Act-4499 , Wikimedia Commons Report

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N G
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a bit vague. High schools have lessons across the world, are populated with hormonal teens across the world, have school meals across the world - there's certainly a difference in quality here, but it's not a weird American thing. So, everything else...?

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#38

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Free refills at restaurants

milwaukeeminnesota , James Petts Report

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SimplySarcastic40
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

one of the things i missed living 9 years abroad was this right here...i drink a lot of water. only water, but a lot of it and having to ask for refills of water and getting side-eye was something i never got used to.

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#39

Stores like Wal-Mart where you can buy everything that are open all the time. Groceries, alcohol, plants, medicine, tires, toys...

The first time I went to Germany on a work trip it was a bank holiday and everything was closed.

I live in Jerusalem now and there is a separate store for everything.

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Terilee Bruyere
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm in the bible belt. Alcohol can be bought 24/6 here (no sales on Sunday) at Walmart but the actual pharmacy is not open at night.

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#41

Graham Crackers.

Remember when I picked up a friend's mother and her friend at the airport, fresh from the US. One of them was like 'They don't have Graham crackers here?' I'm like nah mate we have crackers for everyone.

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#42

45 Things That Are Normal In The US, But Seem Bizarre In Other Countries Shared In This Online Group Parking lot size. I’ve been to about 20 different countries, all over the place, and I have never seen a standard Walmart sized parking lot anywhere out of America.

Upstairs_Cow , Walmart Report

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Theoretical Empiricist
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can also thank our tragic shadow of a public transportation system and how far we're spread out. In may instances, driving (and therefore parking) is the only option.

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#43

Buscuits and gravy. This conjures up images of having a plate of cookies smothered in a sauce made from the the meat juices of a roast.

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#44

I wanna say jaywalking. Like, in Europe, you can pretty much cross a road wherever you want but when I visited America there seemed to be this weird sense you were being judged if you walked out into an empty road. Maybe just me idk.

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Ulrike Sponagel
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is some sort of debate whether jaywalking is or isn’t frowned upon in Germany - many people believe that the Germans are sticklers for traffic etiquette when it comes to walking across a street on a red light, and, indeed, Germans will stand even when it would be safe to cross - for the sake of setting the right example for any nearby children. So, it might be the same everywhere.

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#45

It always surprises me when someone from another country has never heard of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

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Tammy Hawkins
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We say "peanut butter and jelly" but it really is jam and that has always bothered me. Jam spreads way better than jelly.

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Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.