It's always interesting to hear other countries' perspectives on American culture. So when I came across this Reddit thread where u/Mamutu7 asked, "Europeans, what is something us Americans aren’t ready to hear?" I was admittedly surprised to read a lot of these responses. Here are some of them.
1. "EpiPens cost $69 in the UK compared to the US $600 — and yes, the pharm companies are making a profit.
2. "Tipping is stupid. Just pay your staff a proper living wage!"
3. "Sugar does not belong in everything, especially not bread."
4. "Europe is more than England and Paris."
5. "Y'all spend too much time worrying about paying taxes and not enough time making sure your taxes go to the right programs."
6. "You're very loud as tourists. Speak at a normal volume, please."
7. "An American accent is still an accent."
8. "Healthcare doesn’t cost that much. It’s all HUGELY inflated."
9. "If your great-great-great grandparents moved from Norway to the USA, started a family, and generations later you were born, you are NOT Norwegian. Your ancestors were and you have a bit of Nordic blood in you but you are still 100% American. Not Norwegian. Not 25% Irish, 10% Swedish, 3% Finnish, 17% Norwegian, 5% Danish — just plain American."
10. "Different countries are really different from different states. We perfectly get the differences between this, but Americans tend to think we don't get it and are trying to make us believe that Denmark and Portugal are the same difference as Washington and Mississippi. No, it isn't. It's really different. Having a different language is something that changes everything. You are suddenly unable to read anything and to communicate beyond very basic words. The law is totally different too, there is a 'European constitution' applying everywhere in every local law. But thinking that moving from one European country to another is like moving from one state to another is completely wrong. It applies very well inside the border of a big enough country, but not outside of borders."
11. "Your car-dependent infrastructure is terrible. You shouldn't be forced to own a car just to be able to go anywhere."
12. "You do not have to play the national anthem every 15 minutes. At some point, it's just annoying and it loses all of its value."
13. "Before you visit a country educate yourself a bit about it. Like geography, culture, language(s), and laws. And yes, a bit of political knowledge is also good."
14. "27 days of PTO is absolutely normal."
15. "Foods that are usually consumed within a couple of days doesn’t really need all those food-preservation chemicals."
16. "Visiting European cities and telling us how different it is in America isn’t as good a conversation starter as you think. We know it’s different."
Is there anything you could add to this list? If so, share it with me in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.