There are plenty of things America is known for getting right, but the only way to get perspective on the way we live is by hearing what other countries think about how we do things.
Someone asked people or Reddit to share “things Americans aren’t ready to hear” and while many of them are spot on, a lot of them are things we’ve known for some time.
One commenter replied, “Not only are half these comments things that Americans are ready to hear, but they’re also things that Americans themselves have been saying for quite a while.”
Here’s how people responded:
1.
That the entire world excels at making bathroom stalls that you can’t see between. Not sure why the US stall manufacturers can’t figure out how to close those massive gaps…
— rebyiddel
2.
I heard someone say that the way we look at Florida is the same way the rest of the world looks at us
— EaterOfTheEther
3.
México is not in sepia lightning.
— TheoTiMa
4.
Working 80 hours a week isn’t something to brag about.
— blzac33
5.
You’re the foreigner in 192 countries
Edit: UN recognizes 195 countries (missed out on Palestine and the Holy See). Could go up to 198 depending on your sources. Choose whichever one you want
— Yo9yh
6.
Profit-based healthcare is wrong on so many levels
— Clunk234
7.
College shouldn’t drain your entire savings account
— ChipConsumer44
8.
They don’t really know what terms like liberal/socialist/fascist mean
— ReanCloom
9.
Your tipping culture is a scam. Tipping should not be a burden obligation of your customers.
— JSKDA
10.
You let food companies put in whatever crap preservatives they want and makeup weight with artificial sweeteners instead of real ingredients. That’s the big threat to your life, not secret communists.
— Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
11.
You shouldn’t have to give birth and then go back to work a week later.
— NalaBenjamin
12.
You need more than two political parties for democracy to work
— Minecraftfinn
13.
Yes, you do have an accent.
If you think you don’t because you “read words exactly as they’re written, without any kind of regional flair”, you’re mistaken about that. There’s no such thing.
Speaking without an accent would be like typing without a font. An accent is just a method of pronouncing a language – everyone has one!
— flameylamey
14.
What the temperature is in Celsius
— recycle_ben
15.
You’d all be thinner if your cities were designed to be walkable
This is why you lose weight when you go to Italy despite eating nothing but pasta n pizza because you’re walking everywhere
— Odd-Detail1136
16.
Canadian here- you guys have amazing landscapes, culture, and food. Your folks are usually very kind and welcoming. But the quality of life you guys have makes me really sad. The minimum wage is brutal, like 7 dollars, while ours is 15, so much poverty there. And paying for healthcare, people going into debt just for getting sick?
Also- the way you treat your women is horrifying. I know you guys have criticized Middle Eastern countries for women wearing Hijabs and having few rights but look in the mirror. Restricting access to family planning and abortion services, making women pay for the necessity of going to a hospital to deliver babies? No paid maternity leave/ only 6 weeks, like what is that? That’s nowhere near enough. Like why??
Gun ownership issues, school shootings, healthcare, and student debt bankruptcy, abortion restriction, poverty level minimum wage- these shouldn’t be political issues- these are human rights that you guys aren’t ready to accept- and to your own detriment.
— Dramatic_Ad4276
17.
Pledging allegiance to your flag every morning is really strange. We had that in Europe ~80 years ago. It didn’t end up well for anyone 😀
— muttli
18.
You’re about this close to not being a democracy anymore. You should be paying attention.
Thanks for the awards friends! I didn’t think this would be the post where I got my first awards but life is chaotic like that
— Slide-Impressive
19.
Despite every problem your country is dealing with right now, you are all still immensely privileged and most of you live a life that millions can only dream with.
— BiriPinguino
20.
Religion has no place in politics, hence the “separation of church and state.”
— Dathomire
21.
America is only capitalist for poor people. Rich people live in a socialist state, where they constantly get bailouts, subsidies and debt forgiveness.
— overpaid_bum
22.
A bidet is cleaner then using toilet paper
— annonymark
23.
After several trips to the US, my colleagues there couldn’t accept how poor they were, and 10 min in any city makes it obvious.
Huge individual debt, minimal savings and no time for themselves. That is not the standard in the developed world. Even when our taxes are high we have to time to rest and basic life essential services covered. Free/low cost education even allows us to break the class divide if we want it enough.
Sure there are millionaires and billionaires in the US but chance’s are neither you nor your family will get anywhere close because you don’t have the opportunity to improve without going into decades of financial debt.
— RentonBrax
24.
Not using the metric system is fucking stupid.
— GosuGamerL
25.
You’re not a role model country anymore
— Jasper_Beardly_