Recently, Reddit user u/micahdotjohnson asked non-Americans, "What is something in American culture that is so strange/abnormal for you?"
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:
1. "Having to pay an enormously large amount of money for college education."
2. "Not getting proper holiday time."
3. "The fact that swearing is such a big deal and you bleep out everything is so weird."
4. "How American towns and cities are generally designed so that you have to drive everywhere."
5. "The extreme polarization in politics."
6. "Treating politicians like celebrities."
7. "Food portions."
8. "TV is hyper-commercialized to the point of being completely unwatchable."
9. "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."
10. "The price on things in your stores is not the actual price, but the price without tax and such."
11. "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."
12. "Repo men for vehicles and bounty hunters. Mainly the bounty hunters, that’s some cowboy shit right there."
13. "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."
14. "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?"
15. "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."
16. "So many tall buildings. Spider-Man loves 'em."
17. "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."
18. "Homecoming. Who the heck is coming home?"
19. "Child beauty pageants. Frankly I would be wary of anyone who organizes or enters a child in one of those things."
20. "The doors on public bathrooms have a gap on each side so they're not completely private. I find that weird."
21. "The push for individualism and breakdown of families unfortunately."
22. "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."
23. "All the pharmaceutical ads all the time."
24. "Parents demanding rent or any money from their kids who are living at home after age 18."
25. "That calling an ambulance is an expensive thing to do."
26. "Gender reveal parties."
27. "All the things you can do at younger ages before you can have a drink."
28. "Standing and pledging allegiance to a flag every single school day from childhood into early adulthood is very odd."
29. "Using the imperial system."
30. "Wearing your shoes inside the house."
31. And finally, "Flags are literally everywhere no matter what. The only time I would see that many Canadian flags would be Canada Day."
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.