Things That Seem Normal To Europeans But Totally Bizarre To Americans
Reddit user TREE__FR0G asked: 'What is something that is normalized in Europe yet is a completely unknown concept in the US?'
Every country has its own cultures, beliefs, and practices. We know this, and yet, when we hear how a country does something differently than our own, we remain surprised.
Americans, in particular, seem to be endlessly surprised about European practices.
Redditor TREE__FROG asked:
"What is something that is normalized in Europe yet is a completely unknown concept in the US?"
Nudity
"Nudeness."
"No, we don't all walk around naked all day."
"Yes, we have nude beaches. Yes, on most regular lakes where people go swimming, you most likely see their little kids running around nekkid. Yes, most saunas are "nude only". Yes, you see boobs, a**, and p**is on TV (like, if there's a movie and the situation 'demands' it). Yes, we have sex education where they use books with images of naked humans in school."
"It's just a body. And no, nude doesn't mean 'sex!'"
- kant0r
French Fries Without Ketchup
"Mayo with french fries."
"I’m in the US but have cousins in Holland. They introduced me to to this years ago and it’s pretty awesome."
- Robhow
"The irony of Americans putting mayo on everything EXCEPT french fries.
- TheMightyMustachio
Maternity Leave
"Maternity and paternity leave."
- misterbondpt
"I think California has the most progressive parental leave policies in the nation. But it’s not as good as what my friends in Europe have."
- TheOsider
Affordable Healthcare
"Providing healthcare to sick people without bankrupting them."
- EXXPat
Walkable Cities
"Walkable cities."
- TenNinetyThree
"More specifically - not just cities but basically every single town having walkable areas."
"I knew coming to Europe that the cities would be like that, but living here has shown me that it’s everywhere where people live."
"We’re pretty aware of terrible diets leading to obesity in America, but not having the ability to walk anywhere doesn’t get talked about nearly enough as a contributing factor."
- BradDaddyStevens
Refrigerated Eggs
"Not putting eggs in the refrigerator."
- blacksystembbq
"It depends on which country you're talking about. Here in Denmark, all eggs are refrigerated, simply because they'll last longer that way."
- MBAdk
Vacation Days vs. Sick Days
"I’m a project manager in the US, and it baffles me that my European team gets an entire month off in the summer."
"I’m over here saving my vacation days in case I get sick."
- smileysarah267
Metric System
"Using the metric system."
- RosmarinSalbeiTee
"Nah, that's EVERYWHERE except the US."
- ThongsGoOnUrFeet
The Presence of Wildlife
"Not worrying about wild animals when you're going out hiking. In most of Western Europe, at least, needing to carry bear spray or whatever is just not a thing. Our 'wildlife' such as it is is pretty tame and sadly, any wilderness we have isn't really... wilderness on the scale of North America."
- palishkoto
Rights to Online Privacy
"Legally enshrined right to online privacy."
- Quegyboe
"Not just privacy but the constitutional right to informational self-determination. This means you have the right to decide what happens to your information including your likeness and who is allowed to have it. Even if you've given it before, you have the right to demand to have the information about you be erased."
"That's why Facebook has huge issues in Germany because German judges don't f**k around when it comes to the right to informational self-determination."
- not_ya_wifey
Access to Alcohol
"More people are day drinking in Europe than I have ever seen in America."
- CamilaHelena
"I mean it’s a whole different culture around alcohol you guys even have a separate verb of 'day drinking' because apparently that’s different than just drinking."
- baddolphin3
"This was going to be my answer. Completely different cultures and outlooks on alcohol. I believe in The States it's viewed as an addiction to alcohol rather than a regular daylight hours thing to see. In addition, the drinking ages we have are lower or far more relaxed depending on the country."
"Same situation with nudity and sex. Not all nudity is sexual inherently. In my country, we are not ashamed of nudity nor immediately correlate it with sex. It's not unusual to see nudity in public parks, in newspapers, on TV, shared public showering nude after swimming nude, advertising. There are too many examples, I can't even think of them all, as it's normal to us... and highly shocking to Americans to the point of outrage."
- That_Babe_Anethesia
Tipping Culture
"Here in Europe, you don't have to tip people for doing their job."
- xxGURIxx
"Yes, because we pay them a living wage by law. Including health care!"
- 077u-5jP6ZO1
Reusable Shopping Bags
"Taking your own shopping bag(s) to the supermarket."
"Totally normalized in all European countries as far as I know. Or buy a (firm) shopping bag at the store if you don't have one with you."
"All those plastic bags in US stores, so small that it can only hold two cans of milk so you see customers with a dozen plastic bags for their groceries... unthinkable in Europe."
- Shrooma11
No Gaps Needed
"Bathroom doors with no gaps."
- P1nk_barbie
"Those are gaining a little bit of traction here in the States and I’m so glad."
- RockNRollTrollDoll_
Taxes Included
"Prices already include taxes."
- Bada**-19
"I’ve lived in Australia most of my life, but I spent a few years living in the US when I was young."
"I vividly remember having saved up for a Wii game I wanted, going down to the electronics store with my 50 dollar note, and trying to buy the game with a '$50' sticker on it, only to get to the counter and find out that it actually secretly cost more than that (and the guy at the checkout was pretty rude about it, too)."
"I had to go home empty-handed because I didn’t know enough about US taxes when I was 12."
- mayanais
Every country is bound to be different, but instead of looking at the ways we're different as bad things, we could instead look at these differences as a source of inspiration. There's always room for improvement!
Though it's often used as the butt of jokes, there's still a lot to appreciate in the United States, whether you live there or are visiting.
But there are also a lot of things that leave onlookers infinitely perplexed about what it's actually like to live in the United States and why they do things like that.
Redditor DadIsMadAtMe asked:
"What’s the hardest thing for you to comprehend about the American culture?"
School Pride!
"School mascots. Where I live, we just have teams and just play matches against people."
"In America, it’s all like, 'GO, EASTTOWN EAGLES!!! OOGACHACKA!' and there would be some person in a cheapo eagle suit spinning a basketball on his fingers or something. You would have a full dramatic cheerleader dance-off before your match, we just shake hands and stare hard at each other."
- benderbrodriguez2
No Child Left Behind
"Canadian here on spring break in Florida."
"I can't get over the baseline... I don't know how to say it, the baseline education level? There are smart people, but there are also completely uneducated people. Like, the divide is massive."
- Spiffydude98
Little-To-No Paid Time Off
"Having two weeks vacation or no PTO (Personal Time Off) for most."
"In my current country, you have to take two weeks of mandatory leave in a row. Including public holidays, I get about seven weeks of vacation per year."
- poor_decision
Financial Debt Culture
"How casual debt is, how easy it is to take loans and credit cards out in other people's names without their knowledge, and how casual it is to rack up huge amounts of debt."
- StrangeDarkling
...Enough Said.
"College fraternities."
- Gorazde
Where's the Poutine?
"Americans love french fries, cheese, and gravy, but poutine never took off south of the border. Always found that odd."
- righhanddan
Zero-Tolerance Policies
"The zero-tolerance rule... Who came up with that s**t? The victim is the one who is f**ked. Either he gets bullied or he gets a penalty for defending himself."
- vomahaf244
Political Followers
"A lot of people follow and worship politicians like they’re gods with flags and all that s**t. In the UK, it’s universally acknowledged that we hate all politicians pretty much equally."
- Monkeytennis01
Tipping Culture
"Having to tip almost everywhere. It definitely makes sense at some places, but feel like we have to tip at the most random of places these days."
- Educational_Word_647
Cultural Appropriation
"I speak as a Latin American, just setting that down on the table."
"I don’t get why people think that using something from my culture or showing interest in Latin culture is 'cultural appropriation.' I’ve even spoken to a lot of people in my culture about this thing and we all think it’s alright."
- OG_sweaterguy
Healthcare
"Your healthcare system, it's so complicated and expensive. And people going bankrupt because they get sick, what bulls**ttery is this?"
- MrTempleDene
The Stereotypical American Eagle
"American here, fun fact! That stereotypical screech you commonly hear associated with the bald eagle is actually a red-tailed hawk. Bald eagles do not make that sound. They make more of a weird (way less cool) chirping sound."
"I was too old when I learned this for the first time."
- ay-aye-ron
Plus Tax... What?
"Why don't they include tax in the total price of something? Just include it and make life easier. I don't want to have to do maths every time I go there and buy something."
- Old_Understanding325
Not In That Exact Order
"You are allowed to drive a car at 16, own guns, and sign up for the military at 18. But alcohol, behold the devil's liquid!, is only for 21+. The math ain't mathin'."
- lover_of_wisdom_
Money Money Money Money
"Lobbying."
"Legal bribery, what the h**l."
"Also, why do you have to do your taxes? If the Government, in the end, knows if what you paid was what you actually owed, why not just tell you."
- Lolleos
People looking in on the United States definitely had some questions about the people who live there and the systems they have to observe. But the big secret is that many Americans are asking the same exact questions.
People Break Down Which Practices The United States Needs To Adopt From Other Countries
We can all agree that there is something to appreciate about every country in the world, but there are arguably some countries that appear to have their ducks more consistently and happily in a row than others.
While it would be easy to let pride get in the way and continue to do things the same way, the more productive thing would be to learn from the countries who have figured out a better way to do certain things, whether it's healthcare, food banks, or other services.
Reflecting on the United States, Redditor Blinds**thead asked:
"What is one thing the USA should adopt from some other country?"
Introductions to Alcohol
"Swedish drinking laws. If I remember correctly, you can purchase alcohol below 5% at age 18, and be served liquor in bars (so the bartender can control the amount being served)."
"Seems like a smarter way to introduce kids to alcohol rather than opening the floodgates at 21."
- underhandfranky
Taxes to Approve
"Automated taxes."
"I've never done them but they seem complicated and stress my parents out, so I just know I'll f**k mine up and end up in stupid jail, lol (laughing out loud)."
"Just send me something to sign, please!"
- teenage-nightmare
Societal Improvement
"A prison system that focuses on rehabilitation instead of punishment. Many countries have been successful with this saving literally billions of dollars and cutting down on crime."
- LtRecore
Universal School Lunches
"Universal school lunches. It is embarrassing that we do not have folks cooking lunches for students from scratch and that it is not provided for free to all students."
"Do you want to bring your own lunch? Great, but you can also have the free hot lunch that looks homemade, not pizza squares, canned veggies, a slice of fruit, and 3 oz of milk."
"Kids shouldn't be going into debt for lunch. We're probably wealthy enough that our food waste alone would be sufficient, if captured magically, to feed every kid in the United States three proper meals per day."
"Also walkable cities and above-ground monorail systems."
- radiantpenguin991
Relieving Homelessness
"Finland has recently ended homelessness by just allowing people to live in small apartments without any preconditions, and four out of five of them make their way back to a stable life."
"It's also cheaper than allowing people to be homeless."
- littleMAHER1
Period.
"Universal healthcare."
- fastal_12147
Foster Care Assistance
"It would be nice to also eliminate the fees foster parents pay for general registration, classes, and social services related to fostering or adoption."
"And also eliminate trying to recoup costs by billing parents whose children have been placed in foster care."
- hawtpahtadah
Longer Paid Family Leave
"I was SUPER blessed to get 12 weeks fully pay. But that’s not enough time. Putting the emotional aspect aside, I’ve returned to work functioning on four to five hours of sleep a night, and my productivity and cognitive abilities are greatly handicapped."
"My three-month-old son can’t even hold his head up or sit, let alone talk to tell me if anything’s wrong, and he’s placed in the care of someone else from 7:15 am to 5:15 pm. Doesn’t seem healthy for mother or child."
- tealpineapple456
Bathroom Upgrades
"The fact that our toilets don't have bidets and that at public restrooms the gap between the doors is massive, are both disgusting. Our whole bathroom situation is messed up."
- darksix
Having a Siesta
"According to Dr. Andrew Huberman, whether you eat lunch or not, everyone requires a rest midday."
- Justhere_2468
Tax Included in the Price
"Man, I had such a hard time with this when I visited America. Maths in my head is not my forte and I’m so used to looking at prices and expecting that to just be the price."
"I don’t get why you wouldn’t just add in the tax to the price. No one wants to do math unnecessarily. I mean, we don’t even tip in Australia so I don’t even need to work that out."
- Cookie_Wife
Raising Multilingual Children
"Teaching a foreign language to young students in public schools (ie 5yrs, k-5) when the propensity to learn the language quickly is maximum."
- zenjen22
Clean Public Restrooms
"The clean restrooms in Japan were amazing. I never had to clean a toilet seat to put my young kids on it. In the states? Near every time. People here just don’t care about the ‘we’ when it comes to restrooms."
- NoodlesAreAmazing
Separate Work and Healthcare
"Decent healthcare that isn't tied to your job. Other countries all over the world have figured out different ways to do this, so why can't we? (I know, corporations own politicians.)"
"I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing it would destabilize a bunch of industries in the near term. But I wonder if long-term, it would create so much new innovation since people would be unafraid to lose their health benefits to leave their stable but s**tty corporate jobs to start new ventures."
- michiman
Designated Drivers on the Go
"In Japan, there is a service that you can call 24 hours per day that will come with two drivers and one car. One driver drives you and your car home, and the other follows in their car to pick up the driver that took you home with your car. No DUI, etc."
"It's actually really affordable there. No need to get an uber home that night and then an uber back the next day when you are hungover only to find out you have a million parking tickets or your car got towed."
- Visual_Sport_950
Though there are positives to every country, it would be so cool to see each country be more open-minded about adopting the positives of other countries.
If a country is doing something better than another, the best thing for the citizens would be to take some notes, rather than let their pride do the talking.
Every country has its stereotypes, but probably one of the most heavily stereotyped and satirically mocked has to be the United States of America.
Funnily enough, there are behaviors and activities a person from America might perform without thinking twice about it, only to totally reveal to someone from another country where they are from.
Redditor DadIsMadAtMe asked:
"What's the most American thing a person can do?"
The Bigger, the Better
"Drive a monster truck."
- vv_bkn
Travel Prepared
"Demand everybody speak English in non-English speaking countries."
- Midnite_St0rm
The Super-Fans of Politics
"To simp for politicians that are actively exploiting them."
- rookie-number
Medical Debt
"Go into medical bankruptcy because they couldn't afford to get their bullet wounds fixed up."
- Aurelion_Sol_Badguy
Worry More about the Cost than the Care
"It's so frustrating, I woke up in the hospital from a skiing accident, and the first thing that came to my mind was, 'S**t, how much is this gonna cost my parents?' It was the first thing I asked my doctor about, too."
- Vellarev
Unique Measurements
"Describe size by the number of football fields."
"And distance is expressed in driving time."
- vaildin
Sports, Guns, and Beer
"I think if a person would get drunk, target practice with their AR-15 on 2-liter bottles of Diet Coke, while wearing their 2017 State Football champions t-shirt and listening to Hank Williams Jr., that's pretty American. It's 100% Missourian, at least."
- Adept_Ad_4369
Move to Florida
"Become Florida Man."
- Lonebadguy
The End of Every Good Recipe?
"Top it with shredded cheese."
- WorldlyPhilosopher
Self-Worth Based on Work
"I’ve been really sick this week. I’ve also felt crushing guilt for not working while out sick. That feels pretty American."
- BrideOfFirkenstein
Stranger Than Fiction
"There was an incredibly popular television series about a government employee who had to become a meth dealer to pay for his medical bills after being diagnosed with cancer… so, I’m gonna go with that." - El_mochilero
Recite Your Family Tree
"Saying 'I’m 2% [insert nationality] because my great-great-great-great-great grandpa was [nationality].'"
- Icy_Veterinarian67
For the Love of Fireworks
"Have an endless supply of fireworks to shoot off for the fourth of July, any sports event, or just at random, but only fire them after finishing half a case of ice-cold beer."
- Kirmickw
Super Bowl Celebrations
"Have a bunch of people over for the Super Bowl, drink beer, and eat Brats and burgers with chips."
"For extra American-ness, make sure you're drinking out of red plastic cups and saying, 'Wooo!' a lot."
- ixamnis
Flags Like Decorations
"As a Canadian, this is one of the things that weirds me out about the US: American flags absolutely EVERYWHERE."
"Especially in small towns, the streets oftentimes look like the backdrop of some kind of military parade on a random Tuesday."
"Yeah, some people up here have the Canadian flag flying in their yard too, and you see them at government buildings and stuff, but it’s nowhere near as prevalent as the Stars and Stripes are in the States."
- SirTophamFat
While some other countries may do some of these things in a more mild way, and while not every American does these things, these stereotypes are undoubtedly American for those who perform them.
America the great.
Fifty states plus Puerto Rico.
There is definitely a lot to see.
You have to wonder what visitor's lists look like.
What are the most popular places to see?
I know in NYC it's the shopping sales tax.
But let's do a little traveling.
RedditorCole-On-Cancerwanted to hear what American sites are on the agenda when visiting. So they asked:
"Non-Americans of Reddit, what state would you want to visit the most?"
I don't have a long list of places to see stateside. So entice me...
The Best Of...
Saturday Night Live Finger Guns GIF by HULUGiphy"Alaska."
Odd_Cucumber_3149
"Particularly during the spring/fall, when the days are fairly 'normal' as far as the amount of daylight hours, but summer & winter in Alaska are definitely also an experience."
LaceyOkurrrt
Majestic
"I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so I guess Arizona."
Revolutionary_Oil897
"Grand Canyon is simply amazing. Keep in mind the north rim is closed in the winter."
AvonMustang
"I chose Arizona because I wanna see the saguaro's (kind of a cactus nerd here haha) but yeah the Grand Canyon might be worth checking out too lol."
Chromattix
The Beauty of it all...
"Wyoming - I would love to see the beauty of Yellowstone!"
Wtrpl14
"Wyoming is gorgeous, and Yellowstone is probably one of the most amazing and unique places on earth. I highly recommend everyone visit Yellowstone if they ever have the opportunity. The Grand Tetons right outside of Yellowstone are also breathtakingly beautiful. Wyoming is just all around a beautiful state. If you want to experience the American West, Wyoming is probably the best place to go."
Fred_Foreskin
Know the Difference...
"Washington. For the nature. Washington DC, for the museums."
Tropical_Geek1
"I was so excited to see my home state as the first comment! Washington is often forgotten about, which is a shame, because it really is beautiful. And it especially grinds our gears when people assume Washington is referring to DC, so thank you for knowing the difference!"
AnnofAvonlea
On the grill...
happy bbq GIFGiphy"The BBQ states of America. The ones that have their own variation on the cuisine."
Galloping_Scallop
"So, anywhere in Texas, Kansas City, Nashville, the Carolinas, and some random black dude in Mississippi."
Training-Seat-8991
I love me some BBQ. So much to eat. Like a several state buffet.
Superior
Reel It In Jay Buhner GIF by Northwest MotorsportGiphy"The boundary waters in Northern Minnesota is one of the most beautiful remote places I've ever been. World class fishing, trout are delicious and plentiful. Plus a chance to see moose. Really enormous wilderness area. Lake Superior is also it's own treat, really feels like an ocean, great sunsets."
seeeeya
Does It really exist?
"Nebraska, to see if it actually exists."
GangstaOctopus
"To really gain perspective on this question, drive the width of Nebraska along highway 80. You will be in Nebraska for hours, driving along the main interstate highway that runs through the state, and aside from Lincoln and Omaha you will not see anything else but flat plains covered in corn. Does Nebraska really exist? I don’t know if I can accurately call that existing. It’s a sort of limbo state or purgatory."
ToBePacific
Eye Popping
"I'm from Texas and my first trip to Lake Michigan was eye popping. It wasn't that it was so beautiful and... just perfect. It was that it was perfect and no one seems to know about it. White sand beaches. Nice waves. Highs in 80s mid summer. No salt or seaweed. No crowds. Cheap rentals. Dune rides. And no one knows."
wiinkme
The Natural Look
"Oregon seems like it has some really beautiful natural areas, and then maybe California because nice hot weather and beaches. Though honestly if i ever go to America i would love to just do a huge road trip tour with some friends. Apparently California is not that good for hot weather and beaches lmao."
whalezark
G'Day
Jimmy Fallon Flirting GIFGiphy"Australian here - When I was in my teens I really wanted to live in a Redneck trailer Park in the deep South just to see if it really was like the movies portrayed. So whichever is the best state for that."
"Otherwise California to see a friend and Seattle, WA cos music. The Missus wants to go to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary and isn't sold on my response of 'its just Port Douglas with volcanoes. Just want to say, all of your replies have made my day! Cheers!"
theycallmeasloth
So many places to see and visit. Get to packing...
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