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People who’ve visited the U.S. share the 15 'strangest' things Americans don't realize are weird

"The ads blasting at you at gas stations stress me out so much."

via Canva/Photos and Person with No Name/Flickr

A bathroom sign and a large billboard for a lawyer.

Americans who haven’t spent much time abroad are probably unaware of the culture shock many people feel when they travel to the good ol’ U.S.A. The interesting thing is that it provides people who live in the U.S. a unique perspective on the American way of life that we may not notice otherwise.

People love many things about the United States, whether it’s the freedom to start a business, its gregarious people, the world-class entertainment, or it's movies or theme parks such as Disneyland or Universal Studios. People also love visiting the U.S. because of the country’s amazing national parks.

However, as in any country, America does have some unique quirks that separate it from the rest of the world. People who come to America are usually taken aback by the large portions you get at restaurants, the brazen commercialization of everything, and the fact that we love having plenty of ice in our drinks.


A group of non-Americans who have recently visited the country sounded off on some of the “strange” aspects of American life that people born here may overlook. They did so in response to a Reddit question on the Productivity Cafe subforum: “Non-Americans who have visited the US: What’s the strangest thing about America that Americans don’t even realize is weird?”

Here are 15 things non-Americans find “strange” about the country that those born in the U.S. probably don’t realize are a little weird.

1. Bathroom stalls

"It's always the first time you head to the bathroom at the airport right after you land and see how the stalls are. You might not even be legally in the country yet and you're already having the most awkward sh*t of your life."

"Coming from a civilized northern European country.....the f**king public bathroom stalls! That is some weird and frankly disturbingly primitive design and aesthetic choice to force people to interact with."

2. Tax and tip

"Having to add tax to grocery prices and tipping at restaurants!"

"Absolutely infuriating, and the original point of tipping to reward exceptional service is completely lost. People should be paid by their employer for working."

"I'm not against the tax, but I can't stand the lack of transparency. I need to see the final price on the shelf, not at checkout."


server, restaurant, tips, waiter tips, customer service, tipping cultureA server carrying a tray of food.via Canva/Photos

3. Terrible walkability

"How un-walkable it is. What do you mean it’s easier to drive 10 mins than walk 5?"

"The horrific lack of sidewalks in my town minimizes where I can safely walk. It's infuriating."

4. The brashness of its culture

"How big and brash everything is. I used to drive from Ontario to Michigan. The highway in Canada was just farmland. The second I crossed the border there were big, loud billboards everywhere. With all uppercase letters, it felt like yelling. 'EAT HERE!' 'SHOP NOW!' The portions are huge. The number of fast-food restaurants in a one block radius is huge. Everything just feels so big and loud."

5. The homeless population

"It's shocking to see so many homeless people and drug addicts everywhere, it's worse than many third world countries."

"People convinced themselves that shutting down the state hospitals was the compassionate thing to do, then they went about their lives patting themselves on the back, ignoring the consequences. Even today, the groups that want to feel like they are helping are really just enabling further human suffering. It's very sad, but the solutions that other countries find perfectly reasonable (essentially committing people against their will) Americans are resistant to."

6. Americans are loud

"I live in a Canadian tourist town frequented by U.S. tourists. They are so incredibly loud everywhere; restaurants, museums, galleries, on the street. They always stand out. It's like the entire country is hard of hearing. It's very unpleasant for the rest of us. I have a friend who worked for an American cruise ship line. He had to quit because he could not stand how loudly the U.S. passengers spoke. Americans should be told this. It's very unpleasant."


7. Gas station commercials

"The ads blasting [at] you at gas stations stress me out so much that I have to leave the vicinity."

"Legally, every Gas Station has to have a mute button for this! It’s usually not labeled, but I just press buttons until the video is muted. Works everytime!"

8. Huge portion sizes

"The portion sizes! My 2 daughters and I learned to only order 1 entree. And we are all big eaters."

"Some restaurants here won't let you split an entree. Or they will charge you extra to split it. Absolutely everything is monetized."

9. The number of guns

"In states like Texas? It is best to assume they are. I have lived in 7 states and this is the first one where I see open carry everywhere I go. Nothing like Denny's after church with being strapped."

"I've had a customer accidentally leave their gun behind at a RESTAURANT before."

10. Paper plates

"I found Americans using paper plates in their own homes very strange."

"I am American and only used them for picnics and don't understand how many people use them exclusively, either."


paper plates, dinner ware, us culture, fruit, fruit on plates, Fruit on paper plates.via Canva/Photos

11. Pharmaceutical ads

"I always hear from foreigners that it’s weird we have ads for medications… And I can’t stop thinking about it. Because it is freaking weird."

"Ask your doctor about... Shouldn't the doctor be asking me?"

"Advertisements for medicines. They come across as really cheesy and bizarre/shonky. In the UK, it just wouldn't need to be advertised. If you need it, your healthcare professional gives it to you, and if you don't need it, you don't need to know about it. You wouldn't base your medical care decisions on what has been advertised at you."

12. Litigation

"The result is there are so many rules concerning what you may not do in case you hurt yourself."

13. Cinnamon rolls

"I don't know if it's still a thing but when I visited in the '90s, there were cinnamon rolls everywhere, even in Taco Bell. And i loooved them omg. Everywhere my mum and I went we ordered cinnamon roll thingys and ate them until the last day if the trip where we turned totally sick of cinnamon, like the very smell made us nauseous. They don't seem to exist in Australia...or maybe they do in specialist bakeries... but after that trip I did not eat one again. And i never see these delicious desserts in any Hollywood movies or Netflix TV shows. So even now, I wonder if I dreamt them...."


14. The sheer number of flags

"Flags, flags everywhere. I get it at government buildings, maybe international sporting events. We do it there too. But I feel there’s no spot I can stand in public without at least one flag in eyeshot. Or even on clothing. There also seem to be a lot of secondary flags besides the main US one, I assume for state?"

"Not necessarily that weird but you guys sure love that flag. It’s god damn everywhere."

15. Ads for lawyers

"The first thing I noticed was all the billboard advertising for compensation lawyers. Almost no other type of advertising. Like, I knew that suing people was a big thing in the US. I just didn't realise that most of those cringy ads would be on giant billboards. I suppose it's not something that makes it to a tv series."

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The enslaved man who stole a Confederate ship, sailed to freedom and became a U.S. Congressman

In a unanimous bipartisan move, South Carolina will honor Robert Smalls with the state's first statue of a Black American.

Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Robert Smalls led an extraordinary life.

South Carolina's statehouse boasts some two dozen statues honoring individuals from statesmen to "heroes" of the Confederacy, but there's a glaring omission from the lineup. Up until now, the former Confederate state—where the Civil War began at Fort Sumter and where approximately 1 in 4 residents is Black—has never erected an individual monument of a Black American.

In a unanimous bipartisan decision led by Republican Rep. Brandon Cox, Robert Smalls will become the first to be honored in this way, and his heroic life certainly earned him the accolade. As Cox told the Associated Press, "We’ve got a lot of history, good and bad. This is our good history."

Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1839. He and his mother lived together in a small cabin behind their enslaver's mansion until Smalls was sent to Charleston at age 12 to be hired out. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, he was in his early 20s and soon found himself an enslaved crewmember of a ship that was contracted out to the Confederate Army. There he was, an enslaved man sailing a steamboat for an army that was fighting to keep him enslaved.


Robert Smalls dressed in a suitRobert Smalls, S.C. M.C. Born in Beaufort, SC, April 1839Library of Congress

Late one night, when the white crewmembers had all gone ashore, Smalls and the other enslaved crewmembers stole the ship with Smalls as pilot. They sailed to a wharf where they picked up their family members, then they made their way north. The sixteen enslaved people aboard managed to sail right on past Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, where Confederate forces were stationed, thanks to Smalls donning a captain's hat and knowing the proper signals to give as they passed. He steered the ship to the naval blockade and turned the ship over to the U.S. Navy.

The enslaved crew and their families were now free Americans.

But Smalls didn't stop there. He provided valuable intelligence to the Union since he knew the Confederate waters well and served for the remainder of the war. He became the first Black person to serve as a pilot for the U.S. Navy and fought 17 Civil War battles as the captain of the very ship he has stolen.

His status as war hero was solidified. But he didn't stop there, either.

large white plantation homeRobert Smalls' house in Beaufort, South CarolinaPublic Domain

He returned to Beaufort in 1864 and used the reward money he's received from turning over the Confederate ship to buy the home of his former enslaver at a tax auction. In just three years, Smalls had gone from enslaved man to war hero and owner of his former owner's property.

And he became well known for it. He started his own business and advocated for public education. The people of Beaufort saw him as a leader and he began to rise politically. He served as a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1868, then as a state representative, then state senator, then as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, and finally as a representative in the U.S. Congress.

He ended up serving five terms in the House of Representatives during the Reconstruction Era, when Black Americans voted in large numbers for the first time and were elected to government positions. According to the National Parks Service, Beaufort was viewed as a symbol of successful Reconstruction policies, with formerly enslaved people engaging in education, politics, and land ownership in the former Confederate county.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

However, the glory of that era didn't last as white Southerners regained political power. By the time Smalls died in 1915, segregation laws were widespread and the freedom that had been so hard won for Black Americans in the South had been curtailed. Even Smalls' incredible life story was largely forgotten by the "Lost Cause" rewriting of Civil War history.

However, the 21st century has seen historians setting the record straight and uplifting heroes like Robert Smalls who have not gotten the national recognition they deserve. After years of lobbying by the community of Beaufort to have Smalls and the reality of the Reconstruction Era recognized, January 2017, President Barack Obama issued an executive order establishing Reconstruction Era National Monument (now known as Reconstruction Era National Historical Park) in Beaufort County in January 2017.

And now South Carolina will erect a statue in Smalls' honor on the grounds of the statehouse. It's worth noting that the idea has been floated for years with bipartisan and biracial support, but had always faced some quiet opposition. Now it looks like everyone's on board, so it's just a matter of working out the exact design and location for the statue.

It's been a long time coming, but South Carolina is finally highlighting history we can all be proud of—a historic step in the right direction.

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Democracy

This 7-minute cartoon from the 70's about greed and racism in America still resonates today

"Freedom River" features the incredible voice of Orson Welles.

via Cartoon Crazys/YouTube

"Freedom River" a 1971 cartoon parable.

An interesting historical document from 1971 has resurfaced online because people believe it is as relevant today as it was 53 years ago. “Freedom River,” a 7-minute cartoon parable, shows that no matter how much time passes, Americans continue to contend with the same destructive forces.

“Freedom River” was directed by Sam Weiss for Bosustow Productions. The cartoon features narration by the great actor-writer-director Orson Welles. Welles directed what many call the greatest film of all time, “Citizen Kane,” as well as other classics such as “A Touch of Evil” and “The Magnificent Ambersons.”

The story of “Freedom River” mirrors that of America’s founding. Settlers from foreign lands find a river that promises liberty and abundance. The settlers fall in love with their new home and a world where they are finally free to pursue their own happiness.

However, the settlers began to take paradise for granted. They exploit the river they love while forgetting what drove them to discover it in the first place.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

“And so it happened that because they so coveted the river, they barred from it people who looked unfamiliar or talked differently in the false belief that strangers were not deserving – little remembering that not long ago they too were strangers,” Welles’ Narrator says. “And when some among them arose and selfishly took more than their share, the people did not stop them but instead resolved to do the same, instead of helping those that were ill and weak. They despised them and chastised them for their idleness. And even as the river grew weak and muddy, glib leaders said it was strong and clear. The people became confused. They did not know what to do.”

Fifty-three years after “Freedom River” was released, it still resonates with many because America still grapples with destructive greed. The country also has to contend with waves of xenophobia that crop up every time a new group of people attempts to establish themselves in the Land of the Free.

The film also addresses the perils of environmental destruction, a problem that first entered the public consciousness in the late ‘60s and is now one of the most critical issues we face as a species.



Many may feel defeated that America hasn’t overcome the problems of greed and xenophobia over the past 5 decades. However, the parable comes with a powerful solution: these problems can be overcome if we work together.

Ultimately, the Freedom River settlers have a decision to make. They can cower to authority, abandon the river and their freedoms, or clean up their mess, mend their ways, and start again.

“Let us work to make the waters of freedom flow fresh and strong again where it has been fouled by our foolishness,” the cartoon concludes. “It can be made clear by our wisdom where it has grown stagnant from our neglect. It can be kept fresh by our vigilance. And the people listening said, ‘The life or death of the river of freedom is in our hands.’”

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Democracy

People are sharing the things America does best. Here are 17 things they're totally right about.

National Parks? Yep.

via Pexels

Someone throwing up a heart around Old Glory.

If you watch the news all day, you’ll probably think that America is a politically divided, dangerous, bigoted, contentious, depressing place that’s slowly losing its grip on being a world power. That’s because there are very few media outlets that can stay in business reporting good news. (Unless they’re Upworthy, of course.)

Humans have a negativity bias, so they are much more interested in hearing about the world’s problems than what’s going well. That makes it easy for them to develop a warped view of their country and the world that is much more negative than it should be.

Thousands of people on Reddit came together to make people feel a lot better about being an American recently after a user named KyleB2131 asked, “What does America do better than most other countries?” The post received thousands of responses from Americans and people abroad about the things that truly make the country great.

=

A lot of the responses are about how America excels in innovation and has wonderful topography highlighted by a fantastic system of national parks. Americans are also incredibly creative and make the best entertainment in the world.

“This may be one of my favorite Reddit threads of all time,” a Reddit user named BigPlainV wrote. “Being tuned in to American mass media makes me feel like I live in the most fucked up armpit of the world. This thread has single handedly made me proud to be an American again.”

“The American mass media, I believe, is our biggest downfall,” circ2day added. “Because bad news makes more money than good news, that's all we get. Everything is aggressively sensationalized for the sake of getting views. This makes America look incredibly bad to outsiders.”

Here are 17 of the best responses to the question, “What does America do better than most other countries?”

1. 

"Turning corn into things that are not corn." — rlemon

2. 

"I was going to say cornbread but everyone said rest stops. Have y’all ever had cornbread?" — Admirable-Ad-2554

3. 

"I love the Interstate Rest Areas on road trips. I'm a Canadian from the west coast, and was always VERY impressed with the 24/7 rest areas. Clean washrooms, nice grassy areas for dogs, picnic tables, and a lot of times people selling crafts, or offering free coffee!

"I've only driven through the western states, (WA,OR,CA,NV,UT,AZ) but yeah, those rest areas were always reliable. Always well-marked signs when the next one was coming up. Just made everything about traveling easier! Thanks, neighbors!" — Ubba-Ga

4. 

"Jazz." — PuzzleheadReveal58

5. 

"National Parks." — Big-Win6220

SmellLikeSheepSpirit added:

"Absolutely. People complain about crowds at the national parks, but this is somewhat by design. As you mention the American national parks are very accessible, they have handicapped trails. They have large educational visitor stations. They have viewpoints on the roads. They're meant to "market" the outdoors to the masses. They're a "park" much like an urban park is. Most have truly amazing drives that give a great sampling of what they offer.

"They also have amazing landscapes that see much less usage only a few miles out. People miss the point that they work for both the layperson/day visitor AND the person who will spend 5 days in a roadless wilderness. And of course there are wilderness designations for that reason."

6. 

"Make sure there's ice in your beverage." -- HegemoniHarbinger

DJ33 added:

"I asked where the ice machine was in a hotel in Dublin and the woman at the desk thought I was damaged in the head. She'd clearly never, ever had anyone ask that before."

7. 

"Buffets. No buffet I’ve had can beat the one’s I had in the states." — sueRiot

8. 

"Music — The United States is the birthplace of Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Punk, Bluegrass, Country-Western, Rap, and a half a dozen different forms of regional folk music. Nearly every culture in the world imitates our musical forms." — Mike the Bard

9. 

"While we have a LONG way to go, the USA is comparatively better than a lot of places regarding supporting people with disabilities." — Kittenesque02

10. 

"The ability of the American farmer to produce food. It is really staggering the amount of food that is grown here." — fat-dum-stoopid

11. 

"Women's sports are really well supported here - so are female athletes. Despite many things Americans might say about it - if you go to other countries female athletics is really almost non-existent." — Juls7243

12. 

"America wins EVERY Super Bowl!" — Leyline

13. 

"Air conditioners everywhere and free public restrooms. You have to pay to use the restrooms in Europe." — SnooDoughnuts231

14. 

"Business. Hands down. It’s their biggest advantage in my opinion. Deals with Americans just get done easier. Compared to other countries American businesses are more open-minded to new things, don’t try to fuck you over, want a win for both sides, want simpler agreements, negotiate fairly, hold up their end of the bargain, etc.

"If you have even done business internationally you really see what a strong advantage it is. Other countries everyone is fucking everyone over, or are close-minded, slow as snails, and obsessed with bureaucracy. Commerce just flows better there." — Stopinstinker

15. 


"Think big and be bold. I am originally from Europe where people often just think small." — throwaway32132190432

16.

"Serious answer? Logistics. We're quite a large country and we've gotten very good at moving things around." — weirdoldhobo1978

17. 

"Chatting, I’m from an Asian country where most people will avoid talking to stranger. But you can literally talk to anyone you met in the street in the US and most of them are willing to talk." — _formosa_


This article originally appeared on 9.9.22

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