To Americans , the United States is the land of the free.
They’re so accustomed to how they do things, such as huge food portions, hook-up culture, and flexible gun laws.
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But from the outside looking in, the rest of the world doesn’t agree. Censoring nudity? What’s the point? Paying for healthcare? Pfft.
Here, Redditors share 19 things American’s think at normal but are really not.
Bleeping out swear words on TV.
Reddit users see the huge irony in this, considering zombie shows display zombies tearing people apart with lots of blood and gore. Yet swear words are always bleeped out?
How difficult it is to get around without a car.
“My closest convenience store is an easy 10 minute walk but there’s not a single sidewalk that allows me to safely get there, I don’t like having to get in my car for everything.” – u/helenhelenmoocow
Not getting proper holiday time.
In the United States, you’re lucky if you get two weeks off per year. But in others places of the world, like Norway, they get four weeks of vacation time per year.
TV is hypercommercialized.
“TV is hypercommercialized to the point of being completely unwatchable. Even the news programs report and discuss stories on Starbucks announcing their autumn drinks menu two weeks ahead of schedule. It’s ludicrous.” – u/tesserakti
Tipping culture.
“How tipping is expected no matter what. Over in the UK you tip for exceptional or good service, it’s something extra, in American culture it’s expected.” – u/CrowZer0. Low wages is to blame for a lot of this.
Nudity censored on TV.
Just like people don’t understand why swearing is banned on TV, the same goes for the banning of nudity. “How will a boob harm you, but stabbing and blood splashing is normal?” one Redditor wrote.
That items in stores don’t display the sales tax.
“I have often wondered if this plays a role in why Americans are so against taxes, because in their system, taxes are always something that’s added on top of the price rather than being included in the price.” – u/tesserakti
Credit scores.
“The more credit you take the better for your credit score… Here in Germany your credit score will suffer the more credit you take. Even if you pay it back on time.” – u/alleks88
Gender reveal parties.
This is definitely an American thing, and it’s a custom we could do without. Far too many of these go awry with news stories saying that they caused wildfires and even deaths.
The obsession with high school.
“High school is very much made to look awesome by the entertainment industry. Of course for the average student it’s just going to a building for 6 hours to learn on weekdays.” – u/Salty-Tortoise
The amount of sugar Americans assume.
“My cousins live in USA, and it makes my nauseous when i see how they drink coffee (4,5 teaspoons of sugar. We drink 3,4,5 cups of coffee a day, so do the math).” – u/palpitacija
Child beauty pageants.
Kids like Honey Boo Boo became household names due to pageant shows. Sadly, most of these kids are forced into the industry by mothers who have unfulfilled dreams of being a model or star.
The obsession with football.
“I am American but I can’t get on board or understand FOOTBALL my husband has 7 games currently being recorded and has taken the day off of work tomorrow.” – u/Jackiemccall
Kicking kids out of the house at 18.
“Its such a strange thing. I mean asking them to be independent and self sufficient is fine but throwing them out of the house as if parenthood was a signed contract that just came to an end is mind blowing to me.” – u/NJ_notso0riginale
Hook up culture.
Hollywood and reality TV are definitely to blame for this. We’ve seen things like friends with benefits played out in movies. Reality shows like Jersey Shore show people hooking up with random people without any emotions involved.
Paying for hospital care.
“I am a type one diabetic and as a young teen i od’d on insulin because i wasnt well. I was in intensive care for a week and general ward for 3. I cant imagine my parents being scared about paying for that.” – u/deleted
An eerie and disturbing sense of patriotism.
“I understand being happy living where you are. But when your country is as bad as the US is and has committed countless crimes against its own people and the people of the world. Indoctrinated you from a young age to pledge to a flag. That’s terrifying.” – u/Modsarepatheticbitch
The big gaps in bathroom stalls.
Non-Americans find it extremely weird to be sitting on the toilet and locking eyes with the person waiting on the other side. Has anyone ever heard of a little thing called privacy?
Food portions.
“This is really a marketing thing. They needed to raise prices but of course people are resistant to that. So, as cost goes down in bulk they just made portion sizes bigger giving the appearance of a ‘good deal.'” – u/Whisky-Slayer
