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Non-Americans, what do you find weird about America? (and vice versa)


MiraMeyneth

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Whore*of*Mensa
2 hours ago, catra said:

@More*of*Wenceslas therapy is definitely a good thing. it’s not just for people *really* struggling, it can help out with everyone. therapy is a good place to rant about all the little things in life, which can make you feel better, and sometimes the therapist can offer solutions to the problems you have. therapy doesn’t have to be a big emotional thing, sometimes it can be a hang-out-and-chat thing.

Yeah, no I totally agree. I think it would be a great thing to have. It's just not so available here, I think this may be why we have the drinking culture and the 2am heart to hearts - people will just grab you and talk about their problems, and I have occasionally done the same thing! We have to be each other's therapists..

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3 hours ago, Gloomy said:

Also, sorry but standing still because of a song or acting like a piece of fabric is some sort of god idol doesn’t make you patriotic. You know what I think would make someone patriotic? Standing up to the tyranny their fellow countrymen are facing.

^^^This! Depends on the exact definition of the word, of course, but the kind of patriotic that just makes a flag into an idol is not positively connotated with me, because it is actually the same as many religions, it has some explanatory model (commandmends, amendments whatever) and when things don't quite fit in, you do them just to please your idol, and if someone else does not quite fit in, you blame them for not worshiping your idol. It's just not creative, it's just acting out childishly on basic human needs and feelings. But we can do better than act childish. As in standing up against any tyranny for example, yes.

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i have never been to Europe or many other countries that are common on this forum, but as an American who spent a lot of time in East and Southeast Asia there are several things i’ve noticed.

 

transportation, of course, is a huge one. in korea, i would ride buses and other sorts of public transportation all the time, but in the vast majority of areas in the US that i’ve lived in public transportation is nearly nonexistent. sure, there’s the metro and subway in places like Washington DC and NYC, but unless you’re in a big city (which the majority of people aren’t) you gotta drive a lot. that takes some getting used to since public transportation is used so little.

 

bathrooms were very different. and i think this might just be a thing in Asia, but the toilets are like flush with the floor. and there isn’t any toilet paper provided, unlike in the US where there are public bathrooms everywhere with toilet paper. so after getting back to the US, it felt so convenient to have a bathroom almost anywhere i went!

 

wildlife, specifically squirrels, has already been mentioned but i found the differences amusing. we have gray, brown, black, and red squirrels in the US depending on where you are, but all sorts of colors and usually fairly plump. i only ever saw black squirrels in Asia, and they were all extremely thin, like near death. but somehow they were still feisty as hell and would attack you. it made me realize how chill and fat American squirrels really are, friendly even.

 

the shopping and bagging process was very different. whenever i’d go to a store in Korea, usually Emart which was like a nice version of Walmart, when it came to check out the items they’d be scanned and payed for but then you’d have to take all of your items to a counter top in the back and package your things. there’d be this shelf with old fruit boxes and a whole bunch of packaging tape that you would use to pack up your stuff. very different from the self check out in the US where you can just stick things in bags. also, shopping carts cost you money to use instead of just getting one, you would have to insert money to unlock it. i read about the scanners mentioned in other posts, used in European countries, and i don’t think the US has them at all, but self checkout stations are very common.

 

i guess the things i mentioned weren’t exactly things i found weird about the US but rather just differences i’ve noticed. and yes, portion sizes can get outrageous sometimes!

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6 hours ago, Serran said:

Well... cars are kind of a needed item in a lot of U.S areas. Where I live, it is 20 miles to a grocery store (one way) and I drive 50 miles a day to work and back. The nearest "corner shop" is 10 miles away. I am not biking or walking 20-50 miles every time I want to get somewhere. And the spread outness isn't that uncommon. If you live in a city sometimes you have public transport but most of the U.S area is more rural and needs a car. Besides the travel they dont have garbage pickup, you take it to the dump yourself. If I didn't have to drive I wouldn't own one, I hate driving. 

Much like where I live.  My nearest small town is 17 miles away.  It has a small grocery store and the recycling center where I take boxes, cans, paper, etc. which must be presorted to go is separate bins. Anything that can't be handled there (plastics other than #1 and 2, Styrofoam) has to be taken to a regional center about 35 miles away.  I'm fortunate that there is trash pickup (private family-owned company, not municipal) that pick up once a week at a reasonable fee.  It's usually just the driver in an extended pick-up truck with a tall wire cage.  He stops, gets out, tossed the trash into the cage, gets back in, moves to the next place, repeat.  I don't envy his job.

 

There's no public transportation where I live, nor is there anything (like taxis or Uber) that anyone can hire to get somewhere.  You either drive or have someone to drive you, or you stay home.  Walking or biking is not practical.  Everyone in my area drives a truck or SUV because of the steep inclines, many unpaved roads, and weather.  I have a Subaru Crosstrek, which is about as small/fuel efficient as you can get for a vehicle that will still get where it needs to go.  We own these things from necessity, not necessarily because we love trucks.  The nearest town (80K population) has a city transit system, but it is limited to major streets.  There are people there who use the transit busses instead of cars, but they often have to walk 2-3 miles to get to a bus stop on the transit line.

 

The USA is largely rural because it was built on agriculture, mining, and manufacturing. Cross-country, you either drive or fly.  There are trains, but not many lines.  If I wanted to take a train somewhere, I would still have to find a way to get the 180 miles to the nearest train station, and the destinations are limited.  It would actually be cheaper to drive where I need to go than take a train.   Gasoline is comparatively cheap here (except in Hawaii, where the gas has to be brought in from the mainland)  because we are an oil-producing country that sells to other countries.  When countries have to import all of their gasoline, it is going to be expensive.  We would like to have energy that is cleaner and more sustainable, but we are getting there slowly.  My local electric company is transitioning from fossil fuels to wind and solar, but it will still take a few years to get the wind and solar farms at full capacity.  There are electric cars, but not enough recharging stations, so they aren't very practical as yet.  Europeans (from my years living there) can look at a map and see the size difference between Europe and the USA, while still not understanding what that means in practical terms.  If you want to drive from New York to Los Angeles, it's a 2800 mile trip, 10 times the distance from London to Paris.

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I think the weirdest thing is America's obsession to remake everything. Any non-american tv-show that becomes successful must be remade in a way worse american version, even if they were speaking english in the first place. And if they make a movie taking place in another country, it's still in english but with very bad accents to remind us that this is actually Germany, rather than letting them speak german in the first place. 

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I don't really find anything particularly unusual about any country.

 

39 minutes ago, kenny. said:

i only ever saw black squirrels in Asia, and they were all extremely thin, like near death. but somehow they were still feisty as hell and would attack you.

😄

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everywhere and nowhere
1 hour ago, kenny. said:

wildlife, specifically squirrels, has already been mentioned but i found the differences amusing. we have gray, brown, black, and red squirrels in the US depending on where you are, but all sorts of colors and usually fairly plump. i only ever saw black squirrels in Asia, and they were all extremely thin, like near death. but somehow they were still feisty as hell and would attack you. it made me realize how chill and fat American squirrels really are, friendly even.

American gray squirrels are said to be an invasive species in Europe. In Poland they still haven't been observed, we only have those rather small red squirrels. Here's one of the famous squirrels of Royal Baths Park in Warsaw:

dsc_0664-z.jpg

 

Back to the topic of American weirdness... I also feel that Americans are quite cocksure. They seem to think of themselves as the most democratic country there is, the Sevres standard of democracy, and haven't noticed that times have changed... I mean - sure, they could be a role model at the end of the 18th century, when a lot of countries in Europe were ruled in a rather autocratic way by kings. But since then Europe has changed a lot and Americans still seem to think that we have "tyrannical governents" here...

Well, maybe Poland isn't a good example, because honestly speaking - this isn't even true democracy anymore, it's a system known as electoral autocracy, albeit in a rather early stage (a "mature" electoral autocracy is, for example, Putler's Russia - sure, they have elections, but the whole system - starting with the state controlling most media, repressing free media and ensuring that the opposition isn't heard in state media - is designed with the aim of making a perspective of losing power next to impossible...). If Poland was to join the EU now - currently we don't meet the criteria anymore... :( But there are many other countries in Europe, and most of them are more democratic than Poland and also more democratic than the USA...

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Just now, Nowhere Girl said:

 

 

 

Back to the topic of American weirdness... I also feel that Americans are quite cocksure.

 

My favorite is when Americans claim to be tops in science, math, etc in the world. And I work in a school and have seen the ratings of our country vs others. Yeah... no. We suck at it. :P 

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Anthracite_Impreza

Every American I've ever met is very brash and in your face. Maybe it's us Brits who are generally tight-lipped and don't like speaking to strangers (unless pissed), but I don't like it at all. They're way too intense for me.

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@More*of*Wenceslas

Healthcare costs in the US are the highest in the world for a few reasons.

Private health insurance companies act as a middle man, taking 20% profit (the ACA legally guarantees this profit and will subsidize the profit if it isn't this high.. but it's usually higher) on what you pay vs. what you receive from providers.

Physicians and surgeons make approximately double that of UK (US average salary "This wage is equal to or greater than $208,000 per year or $100.00 per hour."(BLS) physicians and surgeons.

Last, but definitely not least: we have the highest prescription drug prices in the world.

Psychiatry is in a major crisis as there is a shortage of doctors in general, and psychiatry is the least popular subspecialty out of medical school. But mental health is not the cause of our higher costs.

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Whore*of*Mensa
26 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

Every American I've ever met is very brash and in your face. Maybe it's us Brits who are generally tight-lipped and don't like speaking to strangers (unless pissed), but I don't like it at all. They're way too intense for me.

Weirdly the one American I know quite well (shared an office with her for at least 6 months) was very quiet and I think she found me over-friendly - I met her at  a group induction and introduced myself to her, and I remember she just did not react. Just looked at me and said nothing. Which made me feel very stupid! But once we got to know another we got along well. She wasn't the stereotypical American, nor was her husband, they are both quiet and thoughtful people (still see them very occasionally)

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Anthracite_Impreza
12 minutes ago, More*of*Wenceslas said:

Weirdly the one American I know quite well (shared an office with her for at least 6 months) was very quiet and I think she found me over-friendly - I met her at  a group induction and introduced myself to her, and I remember she just did not react. Just looked at me and said nothing. Which made me feel very stupid! But once we got to know another we got along well. She wasn't the stereotypical American, nor was her husband, they are both quiet and thoughtful people (still see them very occasionally)

Oh I know there are quiet Americans, they just seem to be rare. There's somet in the culture over there that we just don't have; loudness is the normal, overreaction is what you do, excess is the goal.

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2 hours ago, elisabeth_II said:

So, how about the states themselves managing that, as we do in the EU ;D

 

I'm assuming that the states in the EU are actually countries, which make transportation/zoning decisions on their own.   But in the US, many highways are federal freeways, and the states can't simply arrange them how they choose.  

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12 hours ago, elisabeth_II said:

 

  Hide contents

 

 I have a hang on large sized tools instead:

  Hide contents

 

 

On an Ace forum? 😳 :P

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Also, Europeans, just remember that the USA is nearly 5000km coast to coast. 

 

*I want to Cannonball Run someday*

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37 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

Oh I know there are quiet Americans, they just seem to be rare. There's somet in the culture over there that we just don't have; loudness is the normal, overreaction is what you do, excess is the goal.

Huh. I find Brits louder and more brash. I get so weirded out when I walk through towns and they are screaming at each other, punching walls, swearing, pinching each other on the butt, etc. Not to mention they are all so talky... omg .... I want to go order takeout not have a 50 minute conversation with the guy taking my order. Give me my nice quiet American streets where we just ignore each other. And never had anyone randomly ask my friends group to lick his necklace / neck in the U.S !

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Back to Avalon
47 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

Oh I know there are quiet Americans, they just seem to be rare. There's somet in the culture over there that we just don't have; loudness is the normal, overreaction is what you do, excess is the goal.

As a quiet American, I can attest to this.

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-The crazy portion sizes at fast food joints tend to shock many people I know who have also traveled to the US. 

 

A 2L bottle is not a small o_O

 

-This obviously varies by state am sure, but how many would say: "I appreciate you" as a means to say thanks. Many of my relatives in the US speak like this. 

 

Or again, this is based on where I have been, where I was asked: "sir?" as a means to beg my pardon to my utter confusion (initially until I felt like an idiot figuring it out later). 

 

-Kinder chocolate eggs (that have toys inside) being deemed unsafe for a market that has the most guns per capita, globally. This one always amused me. 

 

-Not sure if if it's the law on all commercials but have seen commercials for medication where all of the side effects are verbally listed.

 

I always found this amusing on the many I have seen, as the remedy often made it worse than just dealing with the condition. 

 

I guess for me, it's not lost on me that the medical industry is a business. 

 

It's like selling a car, and warning: 

 

"Gas tanks tend to leak after 30, 000kms. We definitely have seen a larger percentage than usual come back with malfunctioning air conditioners. Also. If you trade it in, this car depreciates 50 percent as you drive off the lot. However, pay 1000$ down today, and get a free mug"

 

-Brawls during Black Friday. Just will never understand how an assault charge and a broken nose trumps having to find another store to save 50$ on an LCD TV. 

 

-Insane lawsuits that would be laughed at in just about any other country. 

 

I.E the ones where you fail to showcase common sense, yet can still stick it to a company for not warning you lies are piping hot post heating once out of package. 

 

The "how was I supposed to know?! Its not written" clause some seemingly seem to love filing lawsuits over. 

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15 minutes ago, Perspektiv said:

-Kinder chocolate eggs (that have toys inside) being deemed unsafe for a market that has the most guns per capita, globally. This one always amused me.

*rolling on floor* hahahahahahhahahah

3 hours ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

They're way too intense for me.

I wouldn't know, cos I haven't met more than I could count on my one hand's fingers, but that is exactly the way they are depicted in European movies.

 

1 hour ago, Serran said:

I get so weirded out

How about we open another thread about what non-Brits find weird with the UK (actually, let me start with the GB-UK-England-confusion stuff right away ^^ ) ?

 

2 hours ago, Sally said:

I'm assuming that the states in the EU are actually countries, which make transportation/zoning decisions on their own.   But in the US, many highways are federal freeways, and the states can't simply arrange them how they choose

The EU has started musceling in on a lot of stuff in Europe, so EU-countries are not as free to decide for themselves anymore as they were. It has good and bad sides to it, and as with any tool or system, whether it is good or bad depends a lot on the way you use, overuse or enforce it. It's however manmade rules that say that you can forbid moonshining in one US-state but might allow it in another but transportation issues are federal; it can be just the other way around. My philosophy is: if problems arise, adjust the system to be able to solve them ;)

 

 

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2 hours ago, Sleighcaptain said:

On an Ace forum? 😳 :P

Yea, it was between a mecha-romantic an a ferrovial-romantic. Questions? 😎

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Anthracite_Impreza
19 minutes ago, elisabeth_II said:

let me start with the GB-UK-England-confusion stuff right away

GB = the main island of England, Scotland and Wales

UK = the main island of England, Scotland and Wales + Northern Ireland

England = the biggest country all the others hate

 

2 hours ago, Serran said:

Huh. I find Brits louder and more brash. I get so weirded out when I walk through towns and they are screaming at each other, punching walls, swearing, pinching each other on the butt, etc. Not to mention they are all so talky... omg .... I want to go order takeout not have a 50 minute conversation with the guy taking my order. Give me my nice quiet American streets where we just ignore each other. And never had anyone randomly ask my friends group to lick his necklace / neck in the U.S !

I'm talking about on a Monday morning, not a Friday night in Donny ;)

 

16 minutes ago, elisabeth_II said:

Yea, it was between a mecha-romantic an a ferrovial-romantic. Questions? 😎

Yes, I have no idea what a ferrovial-romantic is but you offered answers so.

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Jaywalking.

 

Maybe there’s more grid systems over there than I expect, but I don’t just understand how crossing at somewhere other than a crossing is an arrestable offence, when so many others aren’t (eg. walking around with a gun and a t-shirt off red bubble announcing as such).

 

The aforementioned tax not-in-with-the-price thing.

 

And just the scope. I can go from the North of England to London in 8 hours (on a slow ass coach with 7 stops), I suspect there are states you wouldn’t get out of in 8 hours of travel.

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Anthracite_Impreza
51 minutes ago, Perspektiv said:

I.E the ones where you fail to showcase common sense, yet can still stick it to a company for not warning you lies are piping hot post heating once out of package. 

This isn't just a US thing any more. Recently a train company in the UK got sued cos some idiot stuck their head out of a moving high speed train, and had their head chopped off by a signal. I know this because our railway (which moves at max 10mph), had to go through a risk assessment for it.

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2 hours ago, Serran said:

Huh. I find Brits louder and more brash. I get so weirded out when I walk through towns and they are screaming at each other, punching walls, swearing, pinching each other on the butt, etc. Not to mention they are all so talky... omg .... I want to go order takeout not have a 50 minute conversation with the guy taking my order. Give me my nice quiet American streets where we just ignore each other. And never had anyone randomly ask my friends group to lick his necklace / neck in the U.S !


Where were you ordering from haha? Aside from my local chippy (R.I.P.) which was run by a older family who recognised me for years, I’ve never had a conversation whilst ordering food. The rest as Mr. Subaru puts it, seems to be Wetherspoons related.

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3 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

Yes, I have no idea what a ferrovial-romantic is but you offered answers so.

ferro = iron

via = way

🚂

 

erm... highspeed trains usually don't have windows that open. 🤔 But as always, I guess everyone knows it was the driver that went to fast. 🤷‍♂️

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Anthracite_Impreza
3 minutes ago, elisabeth_II said:

ferro = iron

via = way

🚂

 

erm... highspeed trains usually don't have windows that open. 🤔 But as always, I guess everyone knows it was the driver that went to fast. 🤷‍♂️

Oh, fair dos. I would consider that under mecha if you're serious, but whatevs if you're not...

 

I mean high speed in British terms. So like, actually moving. But no I believe it would've probably been a class 91 or one of the 200 classes, since they're our main "high speed" trains, and it was pre-Azuma.

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3 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

 if you're serious,

Nope, proven I can't be serious when it comes to any romance-stuff. Just superficial.

 

3 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

I mean high speed in British terms. So like, actually moving. But no I believe it would've probably been a class 91 or one of the 200 classes, since they're our main "high speed" trains, and it was pre-Azuma.

Omg, this looks lighting fast! ... not ....

Spoiler

300px-Kings_Cross_-_LNER_91125_ecs.JPG

 

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Anthracite_Impreza
Just now, elisabeth_II said:

Nope, proven I can't be serious when it comes to any romance-stuff. Just superficial.

 

Omg, this looks lighting fast! ... not ....

  Hide contents

300px-Kings_Cross_-_LNER_91125_ecs.JPG

 

Oh. I am, in case you didn't realise. I am literally in a romantic relationship with a car. This is old AVEN news :P

 

Leave the 91s alone, they're my favourite passenger trains and they're cute. I love their engines, I love standing next to them when they set off cos they're incredibly loud and you can get right next to the air vents. Did I mention they're cute?

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Alejandrogynous

I'm in northern Ohio and we have those fat grey squirrels everywhere, but strangely there's a town about an hour away that's known for having black squirrels. It's just that town and I've never heard of them being anywhere else in the midwest. Very occasionally we'll spot one around here but for the most part, they stick to that area only.

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21 minutes ago, Jimmeh said:

I suspect there are states you wouldn’t get out of in 8 hours of travel.

Yep. I used to live in a county (subdivision of a state) that could take nearly 4 hours to drive from one end to the other, traveling on freeways/highways. For comparison, you could fit 2 Wales into that one county and have almost enough room leftover to fit in Northern Ireland, too. Driving the longest direction in a state like California or Texas can take more than 10 or 12 hours.

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