35 American Customs and Cultural Quirks That Are Judged Harshly By Other Countries

All the things that patriots wish weren’t ‘made in America’
35 American Customs and Cultural Quirks That Are Judged Harshly By Other Countries

Americans like to harp on the fact that most of the products they consume are made in other countries. Maybe it’s because so many things used to be made in America. Well, if those people are brave enough to read this list of American faults, we guarantee that they wished these entries were made elsewhere — or maybe they’re proud of the fact that outstanding student loan debts total $1.75 trillion. 

Staunch patriots don’t like admitting flaws in the American dream now do they?

Two-Party System

TWO PARTIES There are ten political parties represented in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. The Bundestag in Germany has six. Eleven in the Oireachtas in Ireland. Brazil's Chamber of Deputies has 28. New Zealand? Seven parties. South Africa's Parliament? Thirteen. CRACKED.COM

Etiquette

CRACKED ASKING WHAT DO YOU DO? Asking about someone's profession is a common American icebreaker, but is considered insulting or possibly classist in countries like The Netherlands. If the dinner party guest says lawyer or janitor are you going to treat them differently?

College

CRACKED COM In the US, it's normal to go to college for four years. BIOLOGY HISTORY ENGLISH sociology POLITIC GEOMETR MATHEMATICS D ELIGION ECONOMY PHYSICS TUC ARTS OG EDUCATION MISTRY In Europe, it's usually just three years, as lots of the general education that US students take is taken care of in high school.

Sleep

On workdays, 53% of Americans get fewer than seven hours of sleep. Those numbers are considerably lower in other Western countries - 39% in the UK, 36% in Germany, 30% in Canada, and 29% in Mexico. CRACKED.COM

Athleisure

CRACKED ATHLEISURE ISN'T COOL EVERYWHERE ELSE. TRADESDRED Sure, stylish sportswear outside of the gym is trendy, but in Japan, most of Europe, and elsewhere, wearing sweatpants, leggings, flip flops, and even baseball caps in public is disrespectful.

Bread

BREAD To visitors from other countries, American bread tastes like cake. That's because manufacturers add a ton of high-fructose corn syrup-the stuff is so cheap there, thanks to corn subsidies. Some people think American bread tastes better. Others think the sweetness makes it incompatible with any kind of topping. GRACKED.COM

Cabs

GRACKED SITTING IN THE BACK OF A CAB. In many countries, sitting in the back of the cab/Uber/Lyft is considered offensive and elitist, so riders sit in the front passenger seat. To be fair, most American cabbies would prefer you sit in the back too.

Prescriptions

37% of Americans skip going to the doctor or refilling prescriptions because of the cost. In Great Britain and Sweden, that number is 4-6%. $ A hip replacement costs $80,000 in the U.S. and less than $14,000 in Europe. Nexium costs $215 in the U.S. and $20-60 in Europe. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/ CRACKED.COM 05/30/no-the-us-doesnt-have-the-best-health-care-system-in-the-world

Incarceration

America incarcerates more of its citizens than Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland combined. x 2. The U.S. incarceration rate is 698 per 100,000 people. In Finland, it's 55 per 100,000. Sweden: 57 per 100,000. Denmark: 67 per 100,000. Norway: 75 per 100,000. Switzerland: 84 per 100,000. http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-fo-lowest/ CRACKED.COM prison_population_rate?field_region_taxonomy_tid=All

Shopping

When shopping in America, consumers end up paying more money than what's on the price tags because the tax is added at the checkout point. In the EU, tax and other additional costs must be added to the total value before any payment is made. Otherwise, consumers have a right to request a complete refund of the excess charges. CRACKED.COM

Driving vs. Walking

FOR TRIPS OF LESS THAN ONE MILE... 70% OF AMERICANS WILL DRIVE. 70% OF EUROPEANS WILL WALK, BIKE, OR USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT. CRACKED.COM

American Dates

CRACKED AMERICAN DATES ARE CONFUSING. 12 17 18 19 24 25 Americans write the month, the day, then the year, but pretty much every other country writes the day first, then the month, then the year. So 06/03/1985 is June 3rd, 1985 in the U.S., but the 6th of March, 1985 everywhere else.

The Vietnam War

J.S.AIR FORCE The U.S dropped around 8 million tons of bombs during the Vietnam War (three million tons on Laos alone). As a comparison, the U.S dropp

Blackcurrant

You can get blackcurrant in grocery stores just about anywhere, except the U.S. Blackcurrant cheesecake Its shrubs in the U.S. were spreading a fungus

Student Loan Debt

Outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. amounts to $1.75 trillion. The student loan debt is equal to about 6.5% of the U.S. gross domestic product.

Source: TIME

Shoes in the House

CRACKED WEARING SHOES IN THE HOUSE. The rule is household to household in the U.S., but it's considered rude and offensive in most of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Canada.

Laundromats

Laundromats are very common in the U.S., CRA but not so much elsewhere. 900 B BR For example, the U.S. has almost 8 times more laundromats than France

Income Inequality

INEQUALITY When it comes to income, the U.S. is one of the most unequal countries in the world. In 2014, for example, it ranked #1 (China has since ov

Bathroom Stalls

These gaps next to bathroom stall doors in America confuse the hell out of visiting foreigners.

Vaccines

The rise of the nti-vaxxer movement caused the resurgence of various preventable diseases. Reduced vaccination rates in Europe and America paved the w

Napping

Unlike many other countries around the world, America doesn't officially embrace the tradition of napping. It's a cultural expectation in places lik

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