Redditor Specialist-Anybody3 wanted to discuss the aspects of life Americans found ordinary that others don't. So they broached the question:
"What things are normal for Americans but weird for non-Americans?"
We Americans have some funny ways to live.
And everybody notices.
Privacy First
toilet creeping GIFGiphy"Large gaps above, below and between the bathroom stalls..."
KimPTM
"Holy Jesus this! So nice to poop in private in Europe. I have no idea why the US does this!"
hhgfryhjkoo
Travel Tips
"If you drive for five hours in the United States, you’re pretty much still in the same place. If you drive for five hours in Europe, everyone’s talking funny and the cheese is different."
KaimeiJay
"In the US, 100 miles is nothing, 100 years is a lot. In Europe, 100 miles is a lot, 100 years is nothing."
"The stone retaining wall for the front of our property (here in Germany) is dated 1846, and it's nothing special. Many of the houses in the old part of our small town are 1300 and older."
insainodwayno
Dates...
"Writing the date format as mm-dd-yyyy instead of dd-mm-yyyy."
silkybow-
"This actually worked to my advantage. I’m a Brit and moved to the US when I was 20. I’m not a big drinker but was still mad I couldn’t get a beer. Then I realized that my DOB on my driving license would be read backwards making it appear I was a few months older and therefore 21. It never got turned down and I used it a lot."
UncleKodeia
"I work 911 dispatch. We have to write it at work as yyyy-mm-dd. Don't know why, but we do."
TheUnconfirmedk1ll
Mental Gymnastics
"Having to mentally add sales taxes on everything you buy. In Europe 9.95 means paying 9.95."
AaronBenne
"I thought we had this problem in Canada but I didn't realize just how much worse it was in the US until I moved here. In Canada, we have a VAT based tax so in Ontario, you just add 13% to the price to find the final price. Annoying, but not complicated."
"In the US, your sales tax changes based on your location increments smaller than a zip code because tax jurisdictions and zip codes were made separately. You have to basically use the exact address to figure out what tax jurisdiction you're actually in. It's practically impossible to know what actual tax you're gonna have to pay unless you've shopped there before or look it up."
BuccellatiExplainsIt
Nonsense
cbs wow GIF by Big BrotherGiphy"The fact that an 18 year old can drive and buy a gun while still being considered too young to drink alcohol."
Monika396
Some "rules" make no sense to many of us.
Years and Years
back to school college GIF by Rodney DangerfieldGiphy"Paying for college for 30 years after you graduated."
pingerlol
"That happens in England now, as well."
"But agree, for most developed countries, the idea of having an educated population is seen as a good thing that benefits everyone and should be affordable."
dannydevon
Attachments
"Attaching medical insurance to employment. One shouldn’t have anything to do with the other."
jimjamjimmerson
"Also, having a co-pay when you are covered, and a limit on what is paid. So, people are discouraged from seeking treatment early and for preventative care and can get financially ruined despite having coverage. It is a disgrace."
NameOfUserOfReddit
"I know, I've always thought that was odd. That is one thing I will never understand, America's healthcare system. How can your job be linked with your healthcare?"
BabySham8
Control
"HOAs like wtf. No other people who don't pay your mortgage telling you how to maintain your home."
throw_away_17381
"I've always thought this was the dumbest s**t. It's usually the fancier neighborhoods too. If I ever strike it rich, I'm buying a plot of land in the middle of nowhere and doing whatever the hell I want with my house. What's the point in having all that money and a house of your own if you decide to move somewhere where your property isn't under your control?"
Notthesharkfromjaws
'Hey, you need surgery'
"Seeing a possible serious medical problem with yourself and going 'ehh.'"
xx_Fiddler_xx
"I straight twisted a testicle. Since I didn't know this was possible, and I grew up on a farm so apparently my pain tolerance is pretty high, I thought it was no big deal."
"11 hours later is when I finally got off work and decided to go to urgent care."
"A total of 16 hours before I went in for surgery. I haven't gotten all the bills yet, but the one I did get has a doctor charging me $500 just to tell me I needed surgery. Not for the ultrasounds, or the surgery itself, or the follow-ups. Just to tell me 'hey, you need surgery.'"
"The worst part is, this is after the bill was run through 2 insurance programs."
StrayAI
Security
the mystery files of shelby woo nicksplat GIFGiphy"My friend attended his cousin's high school graduation in LA a while ago and he had to go through metal detectors and all that, as if he was going through airport security. So I guess metal detectors at school."
yeetgodmcnechass
We Americans are an interesting people.
Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below.
For instance... In Arkansas, you can't honk your horn near a sandwich shop after 9 p.m.
Why you ask? So you don't disturb the peace.
Who knew hoagie stores needed such tranquility.
Redditor iwanttheworldnow wanted to compare notes on what progress needs to happen in our legal system, they asked:
"What's a law that should not be a law?"
Just in case you didn't know...
In Delaware, it's illegal to whisper in church.
I'd hate to see someone doing time for not paying attention to the Lord's prayer.
Hush up!
Grandma's Got It
"In the Delaware state constitution, there is an entire section on how to legally run a bingo game. Like bro, just let the grandma's bingo in peace!" ~ Zelphadiem
GiphySeized
"Civil Asset Forfeiture. Law enforcement can seize money or property on suspicion of it being connected to criminal activity. It's then your responsibility to prove that it's not illegal, which requires paying a lawyer, going to court, etc. which can many times cost more than the seized property." ~ Roguewind
Power
"In my state, our public service commission approved an additional fee on power bills for homeowners who install solar panels. Not necessarily a 'law' but still shouldn't exist." ~ NauvooMetro
"In some states in the US, the power company pays way less per kwh you send them than you pay when they send you. It's a racket."
"In other states, you get 1-to-1 power credits each month. So if you send 10 more kwh to the power company than you use in January you get 10 kwh credits and if you use 3 more than you generate in February they take 3 off your credits and you have 7 kwh. BUT, every April or May they wipe out whatever positive credits you have and just take all that additional energy for free." ~ KronktheKronk
Makes no sense...
"Because people keep asking if I live in various US states. I live in Ireland for the record. It's a minor one but here it's illegal for stores to sell alcohol after 10pm. I finish work at 10 so if I want to have a few beers at home after work I can't unless I've bought them in advance. Yet I can finish work and go straight to a pub and drink until closing time. Makes no sense." ~ Walter-the-Wobot
Smile Ladies
"Still technically a law - in Vermont, women needing false teeth must first get permission from their husbands to do so." ~ AcrylicKateQuinn
GiphyI could get onboard with this one...
Did you know, in Alabama, stink bombs are outlawed?
I hate them.
But I don't believe you should be given a cellmate for a little gas.
Free Willy
"In Tennessee, where I live, it's illegal to shoot a whale from a moving vehicle. We're a landlocked state." ~ aven1991
"The Tennessee River can get real freakin' rowdy sometimes." ~ Superdude4o
GiphyPumped
"Not being able to pump your own gas in Oregon. Drove through there once and the gas attendant came running from inside the store. He was like 'I am not getting a $5,000 fine again.' Then proceeded to pump it for me. Poor guy had to pump all the cars, and still attend the market inside the gas station by himself. This was in Eugene, Oregon to be exact." ~ genieofthelamp7
Don't Horse Around
"In South Carolina, when approaching a blind intersection in a motor vehicle you must discharge a firearm three times into the air to warn horse traffic. Not enforced, but technically still a law on the books." ~ ImReverse_GiraffeI
"I feel like you're 100x more likely to be arrested for complying with this law than you would be for breaking it. But then again I've never set foot in South Carolina nor do I know anything about the state so for all I know it could be a common occurrence there." ~ brett96
A Kill-Tax?
"In many states, if you are killed at your place of employment, even due to gross or literally criminal negligence on the companies behalf, your family can not take your employer to court for wrongful death. The workman's comp gets paid out and that's the end of it. Effectively making it a kill-tax." ~ Burdicus
Sassy ladies
"There are still municipalities in the U.S. that have criminalized more than a certain threshold of adult women from living together without any adult men, because obviously the only thing they could be doing together is running a brothel. Not sure how many of them are enforced by the actual local law enforcement, but there's universities that don't allow sorority houses for this reason." ~ hypo-osmotic
From Heaven
"Some states don't allow you to collect rainwater." ~ akrmalhakimi
"Can confirm. I'm from Washington state." ~ ThrowAwayGarbage82
GiphyWe really need some serious editing to what's on the legal books.
This all reads like a parody of law.
And real quick, I'd hate to see anyone lose freedom over dinner.
Did you hear..
In Georgia, it's forbidden to eat fried chicken with a knife and fork.
The more you know.
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