Entertainmentamericans

31 Things Americans Think Are Normal, But Are Actually Reeealllyyy Weird

"Flags are literally everywhere no matter what."
Katherine Pickhardt
1
Recently, Reddit user u/micahdotjohnson asked non-Americans, "What is something in American culture that is so strange/abnormal for you?"
Entertainment Tonight
2
People had A LOT to say about what goes on in the good ol' US of A, and despite what Americans may believe, the way we do things in this country actually seems pretty bizarre! Here are some of the best responses:
CTV Comedy Channel
3
"Having to pay an enormously large amount of money for college education."
Paramount Pictures

—OkAppearance575

4
"Not getting proper holiday time."
CBS

—JimmyHerbertKnockers

5
"The fact that swearing is such a big deal and you bleep out everything is so weird."
NBCUniversal

—Small_Space_8961

6
"How American towns and cities are generally designed so that you have to drive everywhere."
Paramount Pictures

—Bbew_Mot

7
"The extreme polarization in politics."
FX

"I'm used to having many parties, which gives more nuances. In the US, it seems politics became a team sport, and you end up with the 'you're either with us or against us' mentality a lot easier. I think that is very detrimental for the country, but I guess there's no realistic way out of that, nor any will from either of your leading parties to do so."

—normalguy_AMA

8
"Treating politicians like celebrities."
NBCUniversal

—Plexatron8

9
"Food portions."
NBCUniversal

—Benurom500mg

10
"TV is hyper-commercialized to the point of being completely unwatchable."
Geico

"Even the news programs report and discuss stories on Starbucks announcing their autumn drinks menu two weeks ahead of schedule. It's ludicrous."

—tesserakti

11
"People have lunch at their desks. And usually it's just a snack. Where I come from, lunch is the most complete meal of the day."
Fox

—oneaveragejoseph

12
"The price on things in your stores is not the actual price, but the price without tax and such."
Universal Pictures

—Hachkidmd

13
"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."
ABC

—alleks88

14
"Repo men for vehicles and bounty hunters. Mainly the bounty hunters, that’s some cowboy shit right there."
HBO

—Eknoom

15
"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."
Brat TV

—CrowZer0

16
"That you have extremely violent shows on daytime TV, but you sensor nudity. How will a boob harm you, but stabbing and blood splashing are normal?"
NBCUniversal

—1girlonreddit

17
"Never listing the country name when they say a US place name, even if they’re talking to a non-American who might not know what the US state names are."
Universal Pictures

—buckyhermit

18
"So many tall buildings. Spider-Man loves 'em."
Sony Pictures Releasing

—an_elegant_dog

19
"The obsession with high school. I have friends who say their best years were spent in high school, and I think that's really, really sad."
NBCUniversal

—the_littlehobbit

20
"Homecoming. Who the heck is coming home?"
NBCUniversal

—Pink-glitter1

21
"Child beauty pageants. Frankly I would be wary of anyone who organizes or enters a child in one of those things."
TLC

—BrowncoatSSJ

22
"The doors on public bathrooms have a gap on each side so they're not completely private. I find that weird."
Eclipsor/Reddit

—SprinklesWorth791

23
"The push for individualism and breakdown of families unfortunately."
Nickelodeon

—OneAbbreviations8070

24
"How big the country is and the amount of time you are willing to drive. I had a friend who drove for 16 hours to visit family for the weekend. It's baffling."
TBS

—ytirmKaja

25
"All the pharmaceutical ads all the time."
Winnetka Bowling League

—supertek

26
"Parents demanding rent or any money from their kids who are living at home after age 18."
TBS

"In my country, adult kids who live at home will spontaneously contribute to the extent that they can, but most parents will do A LOT to avoid accepting those contributions. Allowing your kid to focus on studies/their early career and saving is a point of pride."

—Aiscriim90

27
"That calling an ambulance is an expensive thing to do."
Fox

—No-Cheesecake9182

28
"Gender reveal parties."
ABC

—Peachi14

29
"All the things you can do at younger ages before you can have a drink."
Sony Pictures Releasing

"You can get into lifelong debt with a mortgage or university fees, you can drive a car, you can buy a fucking gun, you can have kids, you can join the army and kill people, and you can get married. But at the wedding, even having done all of the above, when the father of the bride makes his speech and ends with a toast, you're sat at the kids table raising a glass of orange juice because you're not allowed champagne!"

—be_my_plaything

30
"Standing and pledging allegiance to a flag every single school day from childhood into early adulthood is very odd."
HBO

—captainfonz

31
"Using the imperial system."
Fox

—LordCoke-16

32
"Wearing your shoes inside the house."
20th Century Fox

—Hh604

33
And finally, "Flags are literally everywhere no matter what. The only time I would see that many Canadian flags would be Canada Day."
Comedy Central

—ThatBitchBengali

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