America is a lot to take in. It is loud, it is large, it has an inexplicable relationship with portion sizes, and it produces and consumes more corn syrup than any other nation on earth. It has also been the subject of more global eye-rolling than perhaps any other country in recorded history, which is another thing they can chant “we’re #1” at.
But here's the thing about America that tends to get lost in the discourse. Underneath the deep-fried everything and the aggressive patriotism and the healthcare system that charges $400 for an aspirin, there is a country that is often surprisingly good at a remarkable number of things.
A user on Reddit recently asked people to share what Americans deserve more credit for, and the answers came from Americans and non-Americans alike. Put down the corn syrup. This one's good.
#21
Lots of excellent answers like the ADA and the National Parks system there that are to be commended, and of course the quality of the film and television that comes out of there, but honestly of the contributions America has made to my life as a British person, the one that always jumps to my mind is your **mustard**. I find the English and French varieties to be too strong for most cases but the flavour is excellent, and I think American mustard has hit that perfect balance. Thanks for that one.
20points
America takes considerable heat for its education system, and some of it is deserved. But at the top end, the US leads the world and no other country comes close to matching. Harvard, Stanford, and MIT occupy the top positions in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, and the United States has more universities in the global top 100 than any other nation.
The research produced, the Nobel Prizes accumulated, and the sheer concentration of academic excellence in the American university system is extraordinary, no matter who you ask. The student debt attached to accessing it is equally extraordinary, but that is a separate article entirely.
#22
As a Cajun man i can really only speak for people in acadiana, but I've never been around any other culture that beats Cajun hospitality. Period. You will never go hungry. Many of us have and will offer our homes to complete strangers. There will be smiles. Many of us are poor and can barely afford to feed our families, but a Cajun person will starve themselves so everyone else can eat if they have to and you'll never even notice or hear about it. This includes people they met that same day. There's truly nothing like . Of course this is a generalization and Louisiana has a lottttt of problems, but out of everything in my life I'm most proud to say im a Cajun, and love to be able to prove it. Festivals acadiens et creoles is coming up in October. It's my favorite time of the year. Come pass a good time and message me if you need a tent to hang out at.
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20points
#23
I think we’re better at talking about mental illness than most countries. I have family abroad, and have found that there’s a lot less stigma around having a mental illness or neurodivergence in the U.S. Mental illness is seen more as a real illness, rather than something to be ashamed of.
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19points
#24
Am in Germany. The other day, I was waiting for lunch to end outside a government building. The address on Google said that this was the correct door and there were no other signs indicating anything else. Other GERMANS started to gather with me. Lunchtime ended, but no one came to unlock the door. I was the ONLY one who took ANY initiative to find someone who could direct me to the correct entrance. Once I found out the correct door, I had a train of Germans following behind me.
We Americans have moxie. We have the mentality that we CAN...that WE can. We have gumption.
One of the Germans in the group even said "Americans don't get enough credit for taking the initiative without hesitation."
Do we charge in and f**k a lot of things up because we leap before looking? Yes. But sometimes, there isn't time to take the safe route, to take the time to fully analyze and test a situation before sticking one toe in. Sometimes you just gotta dive. .
We Americans have moxie. We have the mentality that we CAN...that WE can. We have gumption.
One of the Germans in the group even said "Americans don't get enough credit for taking the initiative without hesitation."
Do we charge in and f**k a lot of things up because we leap before looking? Yes. But sometimes, there isn't time to take the safe route, to take the time to fully analyze and test a situation before sticking one toe in. Sometimes you just gotta dive. .
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19points
Americans eat approximately 20 billion hot dogs per year. That is roughly 70 hot dogs per person annually, which means that somewhere in the statistical average, a person is eating more than one hot dog per week, every week, for their entire life. No criticism here! Now, if only we knew how many of those 70 dogs came from Costco.
#25
When I was in Germany, I saw an elderly man fall down the stairs going to the subway. I ran up the escalator and then ran down the stairs to him. Not a single person helped him up in the time it took me to get to him. In fact, someone was stepping over him as I got down to him. He seemed shocked that I was helping him. If he had fallen literally anywhere in America, 10 people would have stopped to help him immediately.
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18points
#26
Giving people a chance to start over.
We have the most advanced and largely debtor-friendly bankruptcy system in the world. I've practiced bankruptcy law for 19 years, and spent 15 of them as a Chapter 7 trustee.
We have the most advanced and largely debtor-friendly bankruptcy system in the world. I've practiced bankruptcy law for 19 years, and spent 15 of them as a Chapter 7 trustee.
18points
#27
My Dad worked as a software developer in the 80s/90s and travelled alot and I always remember him saying "The Yanks are brilliant at explaining things". It always stuck out as a very nice compliment but I think it still rings true.
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17points
#28
Observation from my husband who is Panamanian: The amount of jobs that are accessible to differently abled people. He has a cousin who is deaf and because of it, he’s stuck at home. I’m not sure of the level of the cousin’s education, but at least here in the states he could’ve had an education and a career.
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17points
America is easy to mock, and the internet has made a full-time industry of it. The corn syrup, the portion sizes, the lizard people voters, the hot dog mathematics- all of it is practically begging for a comment. But the thread that inspired this article asked a different question, and the answers that came back were very illuminating.
The national parks alone would be enough. The immigrants and the people who warmly welcome them are a fabulous measure. As is the sheer volume of volunteers. Maybe not the military spending. America is loud and complicated and frequently its own worst enemy on the international stage. It is also doing some things remarkably well. The hot dogs, however, remain between America and its cardiologist.
What do you think Americans need a little more credit for? Share it with us in the comments!
#29
Medical research. Almost half of all medical research worldwide is done by the USA. Lots of outsiders talk s**t about how bad American healthcare is while completely ignoring the fact that their own loved one had a good medical outcome due to medical breakthroughs and technology developed here.
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16points
#30
Throwing.
Most countries have football/soccer as their most popular sport while Americans are raised with baseball and American football. Everybody learns to throw a ball at one point or another as a child in the US
Don’t believe me? Ask your nearest European to throw you anything. Not toss, not hand you, but throw you an object.
Most countries have football/soccer as their most popular sport while Americans are raised with baseball and American football. Everybody learns to throw a ball at one point or another as a child in the US
Don’t believe me? Ask your nearest European to throw you anything. Not toss, not hand you, but throw you an object.
16points
#31
Americans are, in my experience, extremely resourceful. We/they are very adept at finding creative solutions to problems, and I think that's based in a few different things. Rugged individualism requires resourcefulness for example, but also our govts are (these days) largely non-responsive to the country's problems. We are often required to find solutions ourselves partially because our local, state, and federal govts either can't or won't do anything to fix them.
16points
#32
Being direct. I am a Canadian and deal with a lot of American customers and they actually ask for exactly what they want and don't really settle unless its reasonable or comparable enough to what they want.
16points
#33
Education. America has more than 20 universities that are among the best in the world, including public institutions like UC Berkeley and University of Michigan.
They have Harvard for politicians, Yale for lawyers and creatives, MIT for scientists and engineers, Stanford for entrepreneurs, and all of them are super elite. .
They have Harvard for politicians, Yale for lawyers and creatives, MIT for scientists and engineers, Stanford for entrepreneurs, and all of them are super elite. .
16points
#34
Taking corn and turning it to something else.
15points
#35
In the past, Americans have reached out to other nations during their time of need and desperation. Providing medical care, emergency support, financial aid, food and sustenance, engineering and technical support, vaccines and medication, etc when other countries, even ones we diplomatically do not care for suffer disasters. Up until recently, we didn’t care whether these gifts were reciprocated during our times of need (floods, wild fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.).
15points
#36
Charity. Which is so funny considering how many people don’t want “their” money going toward social programs…. But will gladly donate their money for the same things.
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15points
#37
As someone living on haze-filled Borneo right now, it’s national parks and their conservation efforts. So jealous.
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15points
#39
Milkshakes trust me I did not know how bad Denmark made them until I got to the US even the Macdonalds milkshakes tasted good!
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14points
#40
Work. Credit to Americans. It comes at a high cost but when I worked along Americans I have to say they were very professional.
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14points