We often hear stories of cultural shocks non-Americans experience when coming to live the American dream. From the little vacation time Americans have to the vast distances between places, extreme portion sizes, bulk shopping, healthcare system… and the list goes on and on, and on.
So in order to even out the karma and give a tribute to the wholesome side of our beloved country that sometimes gets an undeserved amount of criticism from outsiders, we're gonna look at the positive things non-Americans found about the US.
Think of our incredible communication skills, the amount of nature, the scale and the grandeur, drinking fountains everywhere... Get ready for a wholesome dose and be sure to leave a comment on what you find fascinating and admirable about America below this article!
#1
If you guys want you can go to pretty much any climate without a passport. You have tropical, desert, ocean side, lake side, mountains etc etc.
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200points
#2
The actual people.
Government is f**ked. media is d**ked all to hell. inequality is staggering, but most American people I've met have been helpful, compassionate, fun, and kind individuals.
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198points
#3
The Smithsonian Museums. Very cool and very fun to walk around and see. And they're free.
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181points
#5
Americans always know how to get a conversation going! "Hey, where are you from?" And then they are genuinely interested in hearing the answer even if perhaps they've never heard of that place. They are great at small talk, and friendly (doesn't matter if it is "fake" sometimes, e.g. the waitress, it is still a skill to be that friendly and welcoming, in my opinion). They make people feel like a million bucks.
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166points
#6
The scale and grandeur. I'm used to nature being small, but everything in America is bigger - bigger storms, bigger mountains, bigger horizons. Even the sky seems more. People in America are casually dealing with everything from alligators to bears, pitching tents on the sides of cliffs and walking their dogs through literal wilderness, I genuinely feel like a hobbit watching Aragorn saunter through Middle Earth like it's nothing while I've never been beyond the end of farmer Maggot's farm before. I love it.
163points
#7
I always hear complaints about the portion sizes, which is fair, they're big. But we gotta give America credit how socially acceptable it is to take the leftover food home. As a frugal Dutch person, this mesmerises me and I'm very sad this is not as acceptable here.
160points
#8
The amount of nature. Mountains, forests, valleys, deserts, water falls etc
Where i live we got a few hills and theres no place anywhere in the country that is completely untouched or so far from a civilization that you cant hear traffic etc
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139points
#9
Something Americans are definitely not known for, the food. Yeah yeah the US eats a TON of garbage, but there are also certain regional foods that are just amazing. Tex-Mex in the south, Southern soul food. Maine lobster, shrimp rolls, fried clams and clam strips. Grouper sandwiches. Hell I would drive to Virginia beach just for the softshell crab
A lot of Non-Americans think all you eat are hotdogs and twinkies, but some of the best food I've had has been in the US and most of it was regional dishes you can't get anywhere else
137points
#10
It's like each state is a whole different country and I'd like to visit them all.
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123points
#12
How madly diverse it is. Admittedly I’ve only seen it on tv but the fact that the Bronx and Texas are the same country is mind boggling.
117points
#14
That a lot of Americans are pretty chill, open, and kind people. You wanna just talk about nothing? You can do that. You have mental health issues? People aren't gonna judge. There's a problem going on and you wanna talk about it? You can do that.
In my family's culture, you must always keep to yourself if something's bothering you, always tell white lies, put up this facade of your life being rainbows and unicorns, and mental illness/disabilities/neuro divergence is frowned upon and shows you're weak. It's so suffocating.
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108points
#15
The variety of groceries!
I want sugar free? Boom...everything. Oh there's something we have at home but here's 30 varieties of it! Special dietary restrictions? Don't have to order it...here's the stuff at the local target!
I'm in Canada and although there's a decent selection of these things, it's much better in the USA, cheaper too.
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106points
#17
The arts. Jazz, rhythm and blues, the early rock and roll that inspired the British Invasion. The authors. The films.
105points
#18
Drinking fountains everywhere. And nearly all public toilets are free.
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103points
#19
NASA is America’s best PR.
Sure they could really use triple the budget to seriously get things done, but what they do is admired globally.
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100points
#20
I freakin love the energy most Americans give off. You guys are like extraverted extraverts. If I was introduced to a handful of people from around the world, I could tell you which was the American even with a blindfold, because they'd be the only one to instantly say hello and start chatting when I walk into the room as a stranger. Your talking to strangers energy is almost more than our talking to 20-year-old friends energy.
100points