Yahoo Lifestyle "I See The Failure Of This Daily": 20 American “Norms” That The Rest Of The World Finds Super, Super, Super Weird
Even as an American, there are things I encounter in the US daily that just...baffle me. So when redditor Spiritual-Worth6348 asked people to share the the widely accepted "American norms" that the rest of the world finds strange, I was curious to see how other countries view our standard practices. Here's what they shared.
1."Taking your credit card away when you pay a restaurant bill. My European coworkers thought they were being ripped off when they first encountered this practice! In most countries, they bring the card reader to the table."
"I'm Canadian, and my mom and I went to Vegas. The day we got there, we went for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, and the waitress took my mom's card from her; my mom thought we were getting robbed, and my sister, who has traveled to America a lot, reassured her.
It is so, so strange though. In Canada, we just use our debit card, pick our tip percentage on the machines, and pay right there. None of that writing your tip on the receipt nonsense."
2."The age of adult responsibilities being 18, but adult privileges being 21."
"I can enlist, have sex, buy a car, buy a house, get insurance, get married, work, travel anywhere I wish, legally buy and own long guns, have any plastic surgery of my choosing, get piercings, tattoos, adopt animals, vote, and get drafted. But god forbid I smoke a fucking cigarette."
3."Unpaid maternity leave."
"Also, maternity leave that's super short, like six to eight weeks."
4."Cancer bankruptcy."
"Our finances are fucked. I have had cancer for two decades, and our oldest daughter had cancer for about four years. We only get paid once a month, and that's still a week away. I just had another surgery a few weeks ago, and I'm dreading the bill for our deductible/copay.
Cancer sucks the life out of you, as it's also sucking every dime away. I just cannot believe that after all the wise financial decisions we have consistently made, we are on the brink of ruin. And I can't work, so I feel like I'm just a parasite on my family's resources."
5."Doing your own taxes."
"Doing your own taxes, then months later getting a bill because you missed something. Like damn, if you know the amount, just send me an invoice, and I'll pay it."
6."Insurance denies medical treatments."
"I needed jaw surgery, and several insurance claims were denied because they felt I was only doing it for cosmetic reasons. One agent suggested I wanted a symmetrical jawline to be more attractive to men, as I was in terrible pain, my face ridiculously swollen, living on a liquid diet, and struggling to talk.
The hospital stepped in to help, and everything worked out, but that battle took six months."
7."Three out of four TV commercials are for prescription drugs."
"I am American, and I think it's weird as fuck. I always laugh when they say there is a possibility of death while showing the happiest family. I know they have to by law, but it's still funny."
8."Going to work while sick, and the possibility of getting fired for taking a sick day."
"As I lie in bed with a fever, hoping I'm better for my shift tomorrow because no one can cover me."
9."The price on the shelf is different from the price at the point of sale."
10."Going into massive debt for education."
"And then the wild interest rates attached to student loans!"
11."Homeowners associations."
"Ah, yes, let me pay a membership fee for Debbie to bully me about the height of my grass."
12."American standard measurements."
"Feet and inches are archaic. The metric system is all base 10. Americans are dividing by 12 or 3 or 5000 something. As a construction worker, I see the failure of this daily. Also, I think we use way more fractions than necessary. Give me a nice decimal or a smaller unit than an inch."
13."I am American, but I wanted to add that saying the Pledge of Allegiance with our hands over our hearts and looking toward the flag was weird in retrospect. Every school morning for years, I had to do that."
14."Elementary schools doing regular active shooter drills."
"I will never forget the day I picked up my (then) Kindergartener, and she told us that they learned how to hide quietly from the very bad men. She's in high school now and has a legit fear of a school shooting happening. Breaks my heart."
15."Weirdly, what I'm most fascinated about is the large drinks they get to go and carry around?! Huge bucket-sized sodas (and almost any other drink in huge containers; even the milk and juice jugs are huge)."
"Most people don't do groceries very often, so you're getting the biggest juice jug you possibly can so that it lasts. It takes me at least 20 minutes to drive to the nearest grocery store, 30 minutes to the actually good one, so I don't want to pick up more milk every three days."
16."Writing month/day/year for dates. Even though I've lived here for over two decades, I still have to figure out what a date is in the US."
17."Storage units. We have some of the biggest homes on earth, but still need space for stuff."
18."I always found it weird that Americans faint at the thought of nudity or a swear word, yet don't bat an eyelid at depictions of extreme violence."
19."Heartbreakingly, ice in drinks. Why, Europe, WHY do you hate cold drinks?"
"I had a work trip to the Netherlands recently. I had to get ice from the bartender at the hotel bar. They thought I was joking when I said American hotels had ice makers on every floor."
20.And, lastly: "One of the biggest problems is that it is legal to buy politicians."
What widely accepted American norm do you find strange? Let us know in the comments or fill out this anonymous form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
