A little bit ago, Americans revealed the things they find utterly bizarre about Europe. So naturally, I think it's only fair that we give Europeans the mic to voice their side.
With that being said, u/Charlirbravo recently posted in r/AskReddit asking: "Europeans, what do find strange about the States?"
Here's what they had to say:
1. "I thought the gap in bathroom stall doors was a myth until I visited the US. Didn’t get privacy for my five-day stay. How do you shit when someone can look you in the eye?!"
3. "I get this sentiment from Americans on social media that once you finish high school, you’re expected to leave home and be an independent adult — otherwise, you’re a loser. In other Western countries, living with your parents in your twenties is fairly normal."
—Anonymous
4. "Wearing shoes inside. I never understood that — it must be disgusting. Especially paired with carpet floors which also is an odd thing that seems rather popular in the US."
5. "For me, it's the Pledge of Allegiance. That's such a cultish thing to impose on children. It's putting in their minds an unhealthy adoration for their country, and yes, I believe you can love your country too much. I know of few countries where patriotism is as high as in the USA, and it leads to dangerous ways of thinking."
7. "How interwoven religion is with politics. Every president is expected to put one hand on the Bible when they're sworn in. Politicians are very open about their faith and frequently talk about it. I think the first female US President will happen a lot sooner than the first openly atheist one."
"I imagine being openly atheist or agnostic must greatly ruin your chances of getting elected. In most European countries, even politicians from conservative parties would be discreet about their religion."
8. "The ads in between TV shows felt unnecessarily long, and also repeated the same info over and over, just worded differently."
9. "The fact that Americans have to file their own taxes."
10. "The whole concept of a President. Why on god's green earth would anybody give that much power to a single person? How has that role not been turned into a ceremonial role, like most monarchs in Europe?"
11. "Tax not included in the price tag. It's...weird!"
12. "Extreme air conditioning — like fridge temperature inside."
13. "Tipping being obligatory, whether it was good service or not."
14. "Tipping. What? You're going to log my card details and then when I leave I'm supposed to trust that you'll charge the amount I wrote down on a piece of paper? And I'm supposed to be fine with that?"
—P_OS
15. "The lack of job security is terrifying. You could work somewhere for 25 years, and then be let go just because."
16. "The exceptionalism and how confident Americans are that their country is the best while most know very, very little about any other countries."
"It's hilarious how much they bang on about freedom as though they're the only 'free' nation, but actually rank lower than a number of European countries on freedom indices. Every nation has some national pride, but it borders on collective insanity in America."
17. "How people feel that guns = freedom. It's an absolutely terrifying thought that you could be out on a walk and you pass a guy who's just casually carrying a gun."
18. "The 21-year-old legal drinking age."
"So, you can buy a house, a car, get married, have kids, start a business, get a job, and join the army all before you're allowed to buy a simple beer?"
19. "Their health insurance. When you go to a hospital, you'd expect insurance to pay most of your costs, right? But people still have to pay enormous amounts of money just for riding in an ambulance and they lose everything because they can't pay their bills. Why have insurance at all if you're gonna go bankrupt anyway?"
20. "The political ads where they just SMEAR the f*ck out of the opposition."
And lastly:
21. "The weird measurement system."
Answers have been edited for length and/or clarity.