Once you spend enough time outside of America, you start noticing that some of the things that Americans let slide that aren’t okay elsewhere. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it sure is strange. Here are eleven behaviors that us Americans tolerate that most countries wouldn’t, for better or worse. Which of these do you wonder about?
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Turning Public School Sports into Mini-Pro Leagues
In places like Texas or Georgia, a high school football game feels bigger than the Super Bowl, thanks to all those stadium lights and marching bands. Let’s not forget the tailgates. Some schools have turf fields and merch, but try asking a teacher in Belgium or South Korea if their school has a $10 million gym. They’ll probably laugh right in your face.
Letting People Wear Political Slogans in Public Schools
Speaking of schools, many of ours allow kids to walk around with shirts or hats pushing political opinions. As long as these clothing items aren’t breaking a specific rule, it’s protected speech, no matter who might be offended. The majority of other schools try hard to keep politics out of the building entirely. Yet here, it’s a kind of gray zone that nobody wants to touch.
Wearing Pajamas in Public
Whenever you’re doing a quick run to the pharmacy, wearing pajama pants and slippers is normal over here. You might even see people doing some grocery shopping in fuzzy robes. However, in a lot of other places, leaving the house like that is a big mistake, and people in Italy or Japan would ask you if you’re feeling okay.
Keeping Dogs in Purses or Baby Strollers
You’ll see chihuahuas in purses and Yorkies riding in a stroller like a baby across America. For us, it’s a normal part of the lifestyle. But in countries like Denmark or Australia, you’ll get a few questions as to why the dog isn’t walking like a dog. They see “walking” the dog like this as pure laziness.
Leaving Enormous Gaps In Bathroom Stalls
American public restroom stalls almost always have those huge gaps where you can see through the sides, which nobody loves. Yet we’re all used to it here. It’s a different story in restrooms in most other countries, as they take privacy much more seriously. Their doors actually close all the way.
Sweets as a Classroom Reward
Cupcakes for birthdays and Skittles for answering a question are a regular part of the classroom experience in America. We also have pizza parties for students after they’ve read a few books. That’s quite different from countries like the Netherlands, where sugar rules are a lot tighter and you can’t simply hand out candy at school. You’d have to deal with a PTA meeting first.
Wearing Shoes Indoors
Plenty of Americans walk right into their house, shoes and all, and then go straight for the couch. We don’t care if it’s carpet or tile, as it’s all the same to us. That’s a social faux pas in most Asian countries, as they expect you to take your shoes off immediately before stepping inside. For them, it’s just cleaner.
Letting Politicians Publicly Insult Each Other On Live TV
Political debates in the United States aren’t the serious discussions that you’ll find in other countries. It’s normal to see candidates rolling their eyes and interrupting, even tossing out personal insults like it’s nothing. In a lot of countries, that kind of behavior would probably end someone’s career. Yet we Americans think it’s all part of the show.
Open Carry of Firearms in Public Places
Quite a few states allow people to walk into a store with a rifle slung over their shoulder, no problem. It doesn’t matter how nervous it makes people because they’re legally fine to do this. Try that in most countries and someone will call the cops within seconds. Honestly, it’s quite interesting to see how normalized guns are in America because it’s such a different approach.
Allowing Extremely Loud Cars and Motorcycles
You’ll hear those excessively loud cars or bikes before you see them, and that’s thanks to their engines. They sound like they’re trying to shake the pavement. Of course, people complain, but they still pass inspection somehow, although that wouldn’t fly elsewhere. Other countries would likely fine the drivers or tell them to fix it, but it’s much more of a neighborhood nuisance over here.
Serving Massive Portion Sizes at Regular Restaurants
Whenever you order a burger in America, you receive something that could feed three people, and it’s not even a “challenge meal.” It’s just lunch. No one says much, though, because it’s so normal here, even though many countries are shocked by portions this big. They’d argue that giving us such large portions is way too unhealthy.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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