When you visit a new place or country, you naturally have certain expectations. Maybe it’s from movies, viral videos, or things you’ve heard from others. But sometimes, reality turns out to be completely different—and even a little bizarre.
Recently, someone online asked, “Non-Americans who have been to the US: What is the weirdest thing about America that Americans don’t realize is weird?“ The responses poured in, and let’s just say—outsiders notice some very peculiar things about life in the U.S. Keep scrolling to see what had them scratching their heads!
Image credits: gregalfredo_
Allowing convicted felons who know nothing about politics, to be president not just once, but twice.
Americans are gaslit to believe that they live in the “Land of the Free” and celebrate Independence Day whilst not realising that they are – in fact – NOT free and are slaves.
No free healthcare.
A weird, weird, WEIRD obsession with guns.
Being underpaid in jobs because they have to rely on tips.
School shootings are “normalised” with drills in school.
Believing they are the centre of the universe.
And calling a “bottom” a “fanny” – because fanny means something VERY different in the UK.
As someone from the US who has been living outside the US for about 2 years now, the sense of entitlement. No one owes you anything. Minor inconveniences are not a violation of your rights. The number of adults pitching toddler temper tantrums is absurd. I didn’t realize how big a part of my life that was until I moved and noticed nearly immediately that that’s not how people do things elsewhere.
We all have a certain vision of America—the land of opportunity, big dreams, and even bigger everything. Whether it’s social media or stories from friends, many of us form expectations about what life in the U.S. might be like before ever setting foot there. But reality often comes with a few surprises.
Beyond the things we assume, there are certain everyday aspects of American life that are completely normal to locals but seem unusual to outsiders. These cultural quirks are so ingrained in daily life that Americans might not even realize they stand out to the rest of the world.
The fusion between Christianity and nationalism (or politics in general). American version of Christianity (some of them) seems like the complete opposite of what Jesus actually taught. Or if not opposite, it’s just something else that’s still absurd.
For instance, portion sizes in the U.S. are famously large. Fast food meals, restaurant servings, and even soft drink sizes can be shockingly big compared to what you’d get in other countries.
While a “large” drink in some places might be 500ml, in the U.S., it’s not uncommon to see people casually sipping from a full liter cup.
The level of homelessnes was like nothing I’ve seen in any other western country. Very obvious mental health problems among those homeless. It was so jarring to me to see a homeless person with a piece of cardboard which said that she had cancer and needed money for treatment. To think that ANYONE had cancer and couldn’t get treatment is inhuman. Some might say that she only told that story to get money, doesn’t matter – the fact that it’s a real possibility is the punch in the guts.
So many things but that the reaction to a bad situation, even minor, is to sue someone. That’s a horrible obsession with money.
Crazy big portions. Having a gun being more important than the lives of children.
The lack of interest in the rest of the world.
Lack of protection for employees and lack of annual leave.
The culture around the military – thanking them for their service as soon as you find out they’re in the the military, the perks they get such as boarding planes first, all these random discounts…
Many online have joked about the enormous soda sizes available in American shops and movie theaters. It’s something locals don’t think twice about, but for visitors, seeing people carry around bucket-sized drinks can be quite amusing.
People who take a fun DNA test and then identify as an Italian. Or Greek. Or German. Or African, whatever it means. Africa is a continent, not a country. While the only language they speak is English, the only nationality they’ve got is that of the US and they have never lived anywhere else but the US. You are American, deal with it.
To get more insight, we spoke to Alessa Grund, a German PhD student in software engineering who spent a semester in Washington State as an exchange student. She shared some of the biggest cultural differences she noticed during her stay.
“Cashiers often make small talk with you while checking out,” she said. “At first, I didn’t know how to respond. Back home in Munich, we usually just pay and leave.”
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR TOILET STALLS? Why is the bottom so high off the ground? Why are there gaps everywhere? I do not want to make eye contact in a toilet. I would rather use a squat toilet than US gap-stalls.
Weird political system (voting – how can you become President when the majority of voters doesn’t want you?, archaic pol party system, limited knowledge of party programs, limited ability to vote for policies).
Another thing that stood out to her was the healthcare system. “Coming from Europe, I was shocked at how expensive medical care is in the U.S. In Germany, almost everything is covered by insurance. Also, many medicines that require a prescription back home are easily available over the counter here.”
Portion sizes! My family could order one meal and share and be satisfied at the end. The average drink size is around 1l, we buy 1l bottles of soda to share among 3 or 4 people.
The fact that Americans can buy a gun at Walmart, but not a Kinder Surprise chocolate egg.
Public transportation was another surprise. “It’s not that great,” she admitted. “In Germany, trains and buses are reliable and widely used. In the U.S., people mostly rely on cars, and public transport options aren’t as extensive or convenient.”
Going to bankrupt because of medical bills. E.g. in Finland max annual for prescription drugs is ~600 €. Same goes to hospital fees. If you have no money social security pays even that.
She also noticed a stark difference in food. “Drinks and desserts were way sweeter than I expected. I gained three kilos in just a few months,” she laughed.
“But one thing I found really nice was that restaurants give you free water—that’s not common in Germany!”
How absolutely commercialised literally everything is, every single thing is about making money
Every country has its unique quirks, and the U.S. is no exception. Some things might be surprising, some amusing, and some even frustrating. But at the end of the day, these little differences make traveling and experiencing new cultures so fascinating. Which of these stood out to you the most? Let us know!
open carry states where everyone has guns on them, visibly, it’s so weird. and the blatant racism, mostly in red states
Racism:
Everyone is described as white; black; Latino; of colour etc. etc. It’s endemic and pervasive.
No other country does that.
People are so loud. I don’t want to be forced to listen to your entire conversation in a restaurant. I’m just trying to understand my partner.
Your bread tastes like cake, it’s disgusting. Your food in general tastes awful.
I’m a Singaporean.
Many people from 🇺🇸 assume people who are Sinitic-looking were born in China.
By this logic, can I assume that every white person from 🇺🇸 was born in Europe? No. A person’s phenotype doesn’t equate to one’s nationality.
The complete lack of environmental awareness: hotel rooms with air conditioning at minus ten degrees Celsius because Karen can’t sleep with the room temperature, big cars running all day, ice in the drinks (and to produce all that ice will consume an absurd amount of energy), giant appliances that consume a lot of electricity…
Wearing outdoor shoes indoors and stepping on furniture (like sofas) whilst wearing them. Maybe it’s just me, but outside shoes don’t belong inside.
Yellow pages full of lawyers. Pharmaceutical adverts. Tipping. The fact you deny the average citizen healthcare, education, housing, pensions etc unless they pay through the nose, but you know people need it, which is why it’s offered to the military for free. It’s a way to keep people enlisting. You’re all quite loud. Your food is sooooooo full of additives and preservatives. You drive everywhere. Gun culture.
States. And the need to always name them after their hood. Have you ever heard anyone saying: I am from Paris, France? From Naples, Italy? Exactly!
I feel like most americans, like even the leftwinged, are way too patriotic.
The food is purely poison. And everyone just normalizes it. It’s so weird to not be able to purchase fresh produce because of the inconsistencies and dyes all over the shelves 🤢 literally could smell and as before if purchased TASTE their chemical, additives, etc. 😭
I’m English. I’ve travelled extensively in Europe & a little bit globally. I spent two years in Japan. However, all my visits to the USA felt like bizarre out of body experiences compared to the rest of the world. Never before have I wondered, “How?”, “What?, or “Why?” quite so often…
Note: this post originally had 66images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
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