Current Events > 31 Things Americans Think Are Normal, But Are Actually Reeealllyyy Weird

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yup. Every single one of those things are true and extremely sad and pitiful. "Greatest country in the world" my ass.

And there are dozens of other pathetic things you could add to that list!

SSMajinVegeta2 posted...

Whole article whining about America per the usual gamefaqs rhetoric lol

It's a literal topic about whining about America, what did you honestly expect coming in here?

VFalcone posted...

You don't actually need breakfast.

Well I've had it all my life, and will continue to do so.

LSGW_Zephyra posted...

It's a literal topic about whining about America, what did you honestly expect coming in here?

It's not whining so much as finding things strange.

It doesn't hurt foreigners if Americans are bombarded with pharmaceutical ads, pledge allegiance, and go on long road trips.

ai123 posted...

It doesn't hurt foreigners if Americans are bombarded with pharmaceutical ads, pledge allegiance, and go on long road trips.

except when that same level of american nonsense starts to bleed over to other countries

potdnewb posted...

except when that same level of american nonsense starts to bleed over to other countries

I recently saw a pharmacy drive thru and I threw up in my car at the Americanization.

I'm surprised bounty hunters came up lol. I don't think that's a regular thing at all.

BurmesePenguin posted...

I recently saw a pharmacy drive thru and I threw up in my car at the Americanization.

why
a patient gets a prescription it goes to the local pharmacist they drive up to the window get their prescription and drive away
please explain how that is a problem for you

voldothegr8 posted...

Do people not clean their floors in other countries? Honestly, if I have a bunch of guests over I want them to leave that shit on. I don't want to be walking through other people's foot sweat, nor smell anyone's rank ass feet, or look at some nasty feet. Like, what do people in other countries with foot odor do, just never visit people's houses?

Depends on if socks are being worn or not. Assuming sandals arent being worn, its uncommon at least for mens shoes to have bare feet inside. Womens shoes depends on the shoe. Then, it would be odd to have only some people wearing shoes while everyone else in their socks.

Alt title: "person shocked things aren't like they are back home"

I guess you could also say: "person doesn't understand the terms and concepts they use"

The lack of all those things is what's really weird.. Go ahead.. disprove it! See how that works. lol

dave_is_slick posted...

That's because we're enormous. Some of y'all don't see family because they're an hour away and that's just a daily commute for a lot of us.

Yup.. This is what a lot of people don't get.. Usually it's europeans but other too. When the next nearest town if ~5 miles away and you work, have family or shop there.. walking, biking etc becomes a ridiculous thing. And once you start talking about families and children.. Yeah, good luck. Try shopping for a family of 4 or 5 using the buss or a bike or walking etc.

A lot of these fallacious assumptions rest on the idea that cars replaced trains and walking. No, cars replaced horses and buggies and just horses. The idea that an even semi modern society spread out and as large is this, can survive without personal transportation, is silly and ludicrous.

Cephalopods posted...

I'm surprised bounty hunters came up lol. I don't think that's a regular thing at all.

Bounty hunters is a really weird thing that is actually illegal in most countries. Like the "dog" guy that hunted down a dude in Mexico and was arrested for it.

UnsteadyOwl posted...

It's just the framing of the quote that's a little off. It sounds like they're saying the person taking the car trip to see friends is acting weird when really that person is acting rationally given the system they have to work with. It's just that the system we have to work with as Americans is one that was designed to produce a reliance on cars over public transit.

Yeah sure I get that. But it is pretty jarring how the reliance on cars is so internalized. It makes sense that it is, of course it is. But the mindset of essentially the whole population gets molded by this don't it?

spikethedevil posted...

Open casket funerals, the idea of them weirds me out.

I don't think open casket funerals are common unless part of a religious tradition, so that might be conflating geography with the dominant religion in that area.

tankboy posted...

I don't think open casket funerals are common unless part of a religious tradition, so that might be conflating geography with the dominant religion in that area.

They're extremely common in media, which is how most people outside America know things about America.

potdnewb posted...

except when that same level of american nonsense starts to bleed over to other countries

Well, what country is worse, da one wit all dose bad things or da ones dat given da chance, adopt dose dumb practices?

HylianFox posted...

"People have lunch at their desks. And usually it's just a snack. Where I come from, lunch is the most complete meal of the day."

That's pretty normal outside of the US too.

HylianFox posted...

"Wearing your shoes inside the house."

Probably more common in the US, but I think it's also mostly a TV thing.

I'll add that I think it's weird how often Christianity and guns are paired together. Like people taking pictures of their bible and handgun together. Pretty sure God and Jesus would not like guns at all.

Some also often bring up how Canadian's hold doors open for people, but what do they do there? Just let it swing back into the next person's face?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

The term football was first used in England for games played on foot as opposed to horseback. Rugby/soccer/gridiron all originated from there.

At least the topic wasn't made by someone from England. They'd throw out a big list of things that are normal everywhere else but the UK.

Collat posted...

At least the topic wasn't made by someone from England. They'd throw out a big list of things that are normal everywhere else but the UK.

Pffft, name me.... one example of this!

I bet you can't!

HylianFox posted...

"Homecoming. Who the heck is coming home?"

I mean that question has an easy answer if they actually cared.

Funkydog posted...

Pffft, name me.... one example of this!

I bet you can't!

I saw someone on here once try to argue that it's weird to drink beer cold.

How would they know Americans think it's normal if they only asked non-Americans?

It is a pie, not a pizza!

Cultural differences

Foppe posted...

It is a pie, not a pizza!

They're not cookies, they're biscuits.

Say it with me now, bissscuitsss.
-Mad Maud

mustachedmystic posted...

Well, what country is worse, da one wit all dose bad things or da ones dat given da chance, adopt dose dumb practices?

Speaking of dumb practices...

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

https://youtu.be/izuhshAh0GA?si=SnBoNIGDri9v0zrj

HylianFox posted...

Here in Germany, your credit score will suffer the more credit you take. Even if you pay it back on time."

That sounds terrible though.

James_xeno posted...

When the next nearest town if ~5 miles away and you work, have family or shop there.. walking, biking etc becomes a ridiculous thing. And once you start talking about families and children.. Yeah, good luck.

Biking 5 miles is totally a reasonable distance to ride on a bike. My dad use to ride way more then that daily, and still bikes that far most days.

Try shopping for a family of 4 or 5 using the buss or a bike or walking etc.

It's pretty easy to carry goods for 5 people on a bike, if you have some good saddle bags. Even easier if you have a cargo bike. Lots of people do this around the world.

A lot of these fallacious assumptions rest on the idea that cars replaced trains and walking. No, cars replaced horses and buggies and just horses.

Are you serious? Cars are way more common then horses and buggies or just buggies before the car was invented.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Decimeters are a thing FYI, people just don't usually use them.

JE19426 posted...

Are you serious? Cars are way more common then horses and buggies or just buggies before the car was invented.

Yeah.. it's not exactly a controversial statement that US infrastructure and cities are designed and planned primarily around cars. Europe had horses, too

1) Agreed
2) We do get proper holiday time
3) Less so then it was in the 90s
4) We do have bus and train systems
5) I'm sure we're not the only country to have polarizing politics
6) I don't understand the fringe groups of people who do this either? Whether it's asshole presidents or the British Royal Family.
7) People can control food portions. I've noticed Fillipino, Chinese, and Koreans serve up a ton of food too
8) No other country has commercials? I find that hard to believe. You make it sound like we have one every 5 minutes.
9) ???
10) Mmm
11)???
12) I don't think we actually have bounty hunters.
13) What are you talking about? :/
14) It's only become expected recently. Before it was for good service.
15) I don't understand why bathroom stalls have gaps either?
16) Too much or too little of a thing is bad. People today don't get that memo. Some of them will learn. Or they won't.
17) Guess where puritanical values came from? Here's a hint, from other countries!
18) I know that you know, that we're not the only country with tall buildings. Don't stretch.
19) Pining for lost youth is very much a humanity thing.
20) I don't care about this either
21) I agree. Child beauty pageants are creepy and unhealthy.
22) Yeesss because human beings totally got to decide how big their home country is.
23) This depends on the family, but its to do with helping out, which is especially essential in hard economic times.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

You know the US was NOT the one to come up with the term "soccer", right?

HylianFox posted...

"Treating politicians like celebrities."

uh other countries do this to look at the UK and how they revere the royal family as gods

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

I wouldn't ride a bike in UK cities.

London is terrifying.

https://youtu.be/DYAdNKA_cHA

AceMos posted...

uh other countries do this to look at the UK and how they revere the royal family as gods

The Royal Family are not politicians. People in the UK generally despise all politicians.

They are the least trusted profession by a huge margin.

https://www.cv-library.co.uk/recruitment-insight/10-least-trusted-professions-uk/

That article is missing a really obvious point: circumcision. It's very messed up to do that to infants when you actually think about it.

These for sure I've seen too many fall prey to:

"The extreme polarization in politics."

"In the US, it seems politics became a team sport, and you end up with the 'you're either with us or against us' mentality a lot easier. I think that is very detrimental for the country, but I guess there's no realistic way out of that, nor any will from either of your leading parties to do so."

"Treating politicians like celebrities."

scar_the_1 posted...

Yeah sure I get that. But it is pretty jarring how the reliance on cars is so internalized. It makes sense that it is, of course it is. But the mindset of essentially the whole population gets molded by this don't it?

I guess you've never heard of buses, trains, subways, and planes? This is gonna shock you but we do have them.

OrangeCrush980 posted...

That article is missing a really obvious point: circumcision. It's very messed up to do that to infants when you actually think about it.

Agreed 100 percent. It's cruel.

ai123 posted...

The Royal Family are not politicians.

As prince, King Charles tried as hard as he could to influence politicians into letting homeopathic treatments into the British health services as a viable treatment method, so I reject this.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


/r/fuckcars is to get society to be less car centric, they're well aware the areas they talk about are car centric. what part of "we don't like how the way the world current is, so let's try to change that" is strange to you?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


There's no real* medical benefit to this. Some people will say hygiene but it takes like 10 seconds to clean your dick properly in the shower.

I can't link the website because of dicks everywhere but there's a place called "circumstitions" that shows all the things that can go wrong as a result of circumcision.

*You are marginally less likely to contract HIV through unprotected sex.