#1
AllRhythmNoBlues:
Yes. They really do not understand. At all.
ETA: I should clarify that the health care system in the U.S. is purposely convoluted. There are a multitude of reasons for this thought process. Some, for example, may think everyone should simply be responsible for themselves, even though that is impossible in a functioning society. Mostly, it's corporate greed driven. Aside from the money structure which has been discussed in another answer, health insurance is tied to employment. It's seen as something to be earned or deserved for working. If you don't work, you supposedly don't deserve to be healthy? Very broadly speaking, the American perspective is that things should be earned and for some reason, your health is included in that. It's depressing on a whole new level because it's self-inflicted.
#2
ItsNotKenough:
The sales tax also varies from state to state and can even vary from counties and cities within each individual state. Typically people don’t take the time to calculate the sales tax and just know it’ll be more than the price tag.
#3
Flame_MadeByHumans:
The beginning number of a house in the US usually relates to the cross street.
So all the houses between 42nd and 43rd street will be 4210, 4220, etc. It’s typically a codified system instead of houses 1-20 specific to a single street.
The Redditor u/Bush_Hiders says that most of the responses in the thread weren't very surprising. "America is one of those countries that gets dogged on a lot, so I would be only feeding into the 'Americans being dumb' stereotype if I didn't see those responses coming from a mile away," he tells Bored Panda.
"That being said, I enjoyed reading the less expected responses, and I'd have to say my favorite was someone asking about Cheez Whiz. It's just kinda silly and random, and I can totally see how to someone who doesn't have it in their country, Cheez Whiz is this crazy bizarre thing."
#4
ugh_this_world_sucks:
I have ran and hid from the cops many times as a teenager. Almost always exclusively at parties
#5
AllieLoft:
If the other comments haven't answered your question- yes. All of those things: pickups, cycling, veganism, are tied to identity and politics at least loosely in this insane current political climate we have. At this point, a lot of us are programmed to make assumptions about people based on their car, eating habits, etc.
Basically, we're drowning in propaganda over here.
#6
Lily_Lupin:
Called the ambulance in college once. Got a bill equal to several months’ rent afterwards. Haven’t called one since - uber or friends it is.
We can't deny that Cheez Whiz is a very American thing, but, surprisingly, other countries have it too. It's also marketed in The Philippines, Canada, Venezuela, and Mexico. What's perhaps even more surprising, is that Cheez Whiz was originally created for the British market, not for Americans!
In 1952, Cheez Whiz came to Britain as an ingredient that would help make the Welsh rarebit quicker. According to legends, the dish was considered tavern food in the 1700s, almost an old-timey version of cheese fries. It's a fairly simple recipe: rye or pumpernickel toast with a cheddar cheese sauce poured over it. To make the recipe even simpler, James. L. Kraft came up with a pre-packaged cheese sauce: Cheez Whiz. And the Brits liked it – Cheez Whiz is still available in Britain today, only, it's not as popular as it is in America.
#7
keirmeister:
No. That’s weird to us as well. I’m not sure where that concept in movies came from.
#8
GeorgeCabana:
Yes. Many liquor stores offer kegs (you have to return the empty keg and taps).
#9
Kent_Knifen:
Some sinks are equipped with a garbage disposal. Think of it like a blender hidden just past the drain. It will chop up food particles small enough where they can go down the plumbing.
You would NOT use this for all garbage, just discarded food.
So, it's slightly a myth that Cheez Whiz is an American-only food. It also feeds into stereotypes that all Americans each junk food only. u/Bush_Hiders tells us that he's seen a lot of exaggerations about the U.S. online, both for misinformation purposes and for comedic effect. Yet, he believes similar misconceptions are floating around about many countries. "Pretty much every country has their fair share of people exaggerating their culture," he says.
One of such stereotypes is that French people apparently smell bad. "I've always wondered where [it] comes from," u/Bush_Hiders adds. "What's the deal with that? France has a lot of stereotypes to its name that I'm curious of the origin to."
#10
protomanEXE1995:
We are remarkably divided among states and localities. The cultural demand for various levels of local sovereignty means that centralized control is heavily discouraged and rather uncommon.
#11
Amenmeit:
Unless you get extremely lucky or severely neglect your health, not anymore. Round about the mid to late nineties that fizzled out.
#12
CuriousCuriousAlice:
Yes, the bigger ones. In my city you will see them in their own police cars that say ‘[school name] campus police’ on the side. Honestly, most of their time is spent dealing with traffic before and after school.
What about you, Pandas? What stereotypes about America have you always wanted to check? And which myth or misconception about your own country would you like to debunk the most? Let us know in the comments! And if you can't think of any, check out which stereotypes about their home countries these folks came up with!
#13
#14
Ironhold:
Depends on region, age of house, design of house, and lots of other things. Most of my apartments had some kind of entryway, at least. A few of my friends' houses front door was straight to the living room/front room and the back door was straight to the kitchen.
#15
Is it exclusive for middle and upper middle class and above or most houses have them?
atomiku121:
Depends on the area you're in. In my area (Midwest) both are quite common for a couple reasons.
Attics are common because we can get a LOT of snow, so sloped roofs are needed to handle the load. Depending on the slope, the space may not be usable for much outside of storage, hence the attic. My home has an attic that was large enough to convert into a large master bedroom.
Basements are common here because the soil has a lot of clay and is generally soft enough to dig through without too much issue, and having a portion of your home below grade is very nice to have in the event a tornado comes through.
#16
Is it really just about sharks?
vixiecat:
Sure is! It’s great! All day and night, nothing on that channel but programs about sharks.
#17
peternormal:
Absolutely. It is not as common as it used to be, but like, for example... When I was a kid in the 80s it was legal to drink a beer while driving in Texas.
#18
Do most Americans actually have that expectation?
jimb575:
As an American, I can unequivocally say that this is 100% true. I never understood this drive that people have here that they need to be happy. Not content, but happy. We’re taught that if you’re not happy then there is something wrong. In my view, this causes all types of issues - hyper-materialism, self doubt, false competition, etc…
And the worst part is that the people that expect to be happy usually expect someone else to make them happy…
#19
FluffyOwl30:
In every day people? Probably not high. In people who make money off their appearance? Probably high.
#20
ATLDeepCreeker:
Not earn, "accrue".
When you start a job that pays by the hour, you accrue a certain percentage of PAID sick time per week. The same holds true for vacation time.
You can also take unpaid sick time. Some companies are flexible also, allowing you to use un-accrued sick time, before you actually earn it.
If you are on salary, its a bit different. All of my sick and vacation time is available to me on January 1st.