Everyday American life is a staple of so many movies and TV shows, but what it means to live in the United States is definitely not a universal experience. Quite the opposite, in fact. On Reddit, non-Americans are sharing the “weird” stuff they see in American movies and TV shows that only people from the US do:
1.“Americans have pep rallies every year at public school…I’m pretty sure it has no bearing on whether the student body attends more sports or not, and we definitely don’t do it for the arts. So it’s weird!!”
2.“In a lot of movies, some character would say ‘Get a room!’ which I thought was such a lame joke. My surprise was hearing some Americans actually mention the joke.”
3.“So, I’m very American but have spent a reasonable amount of time abroad. So much so that I saw the original Tobey Maguire Spider-Man in a movie theater in Spain. There’s a Thanksgiving scene. So to me, the turkey there was on the big side but not totally outrageous. The theater lost their shit at the turkey. Hooting, hollering, laughing, and whistling.”
4.“I always thought that steam gushing out of sewers, drains, and manhole covers was just a cheesy movie thing for dramatic effect. I guess I thought the props team must enjoy a smoke machine. I don’t know. It wasn’t until I moved to the US a few years ago that I realized it actually happens! I grew up in the UK and hadn’t seen it in real life before.”
5.“Tipping. It’s such a foreign concept to me. I get you guys have a lower minimum wage, and tips are supposed to cover that etc, etc. But for real?”
6.“I learned from another post that people in Europe who came to the US couldn’t believe the yellow school bus was a real thing.”
—None
“Apparently when it pulls over, everyone on the road has to stop? I’ve been online for 15 years and only learned that one like six months ago.”
7.“When I compare my personal life experience in Germany with US movies, dating always seemed like a very American thing. The way it works here (in my experience) is that you meet through whatever circumstance, talk to each other, find common interests, find excuses to spend time with each other, and over time grow closer until somehow it is taken to the next level (a touch, a sudden kiss, a profession of one’s feelings, etc).”
“The type of ‘dating’ that I see in American movies goes like this: You meet, you maybe exchange a few words, then you ask them for a date. Asking for a date is an immediate profession of ‘I have a romantic interest in you. If you do too, let’s go out together and see if it leads to something.’ The romantic interest is declared immediately, and everything you do together (every date) is done with both parties knowing (and being open about it) that there is an agenda to possibly take it to the next level.”
—None
8.“Maybe this is more for cartoons: kids not eating vegetables and saying they are disgusting.”
“I was that kid. I blame it more on my parents, though, because there were vegetables I liked. But they only served the ones I hated.”
—None
9.“My Irish friends who came over on an exchange program were absolutely flabbergasted when they saw real-life Girl Scouts selling cookies outside of the supermarket by campus. ‘We thought that was only like a fake thing for movies!!’ they said.
10.“Garbage disposals. I guess I always found them unusual. Being British, I’d never seen one before until I started going over to the United States a few years back.”
11.“When guests find it incredulous that the host asks them to take off their shoes as if that’s what’s weird.”
—None
12.“Walking in piss-stained public bathrooms or trash-riddled alleys then later wearing the same shoes indoors in the kitchen and bedroom inside their own home.”
—None
“I think it’s safe to say that a lot of Americans are more scared of stinky feet than wherever they were walking earlier.”
13.“Sneaking in ventilation. That’s so odd. Do Americans really have that HUGE ventilation pipes so kids can hide in them?”
14.“Teens in American high schools looking like they’re well into their 30s.”
15.“Always eating pizza. Aren’t you guys bored of that?”
—None
“No, who would get bored of pizza?”
16.“The fact that health insurance doesn’t feature more in your sitcoms and shit.”
“No one wants to be reminded of their sad insurance and debt when watching sitcoms.”
17.“Neighbours in suburban areas knowing about what’s happening in your life and bringing casseroles and shit. I’d be weirded out if someone did that to me. Also casseroles? We don’t do that here.”
18.“Being invaded. Why are y’all the only place aliens attack?”
19.Finally, “That every year they seem to announce a prom king and queen, despite the fact that king and queen are hereditary titles following royal lineage and not positions you are elected to. Furthermore, once crowned, these kings and queens seem to have neither official duties nor a kingdom over which to rule. The whole charade just seems to be a thorough waste of time.”
Do you disagree with any of these examples? Better yet, do you have some of your own? Let us know in the comments below!
