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Person Asks Non-Americans To Share “Scams” That Americans Think Are Normal, And Here Are 39 Of Their Replies
In an attempt to start an interesting discussion, Reddit user tycooperaow posted a question on r/AskReddit: "What is clearly a scam but Americans have been conditioned to believe that it is 'normal?'" And they succeeded. Even though the post has received 4.6K upvotes (far fewer than some of the most popular ones on the subreddit), it has accumulated over 5.5K comments. Non-Americans started sharing their take on the US, testing the definition of the word 'scam', and all the replies paint a pretty good picture of the way the rest of the world sees the country.
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#1
Tipping restaurant servers so the owners of the restaurant don’t have to pay them a living wage.
Brandy Grote 4 years ago
Decades ago, restaurant workers were paid "regular" wages, and got tips. A single mother could feed 3 kids AND buy a small house with those tips. Greedy restaurant owners hated the idea of their workers getting "money for nothing" (except busting their butts!) and changed the laws so the workers are paid obscenely low wages and then have to share their tips with EVERYONE employed at the restaurant whether they bust tail or not. It's disgusting. Especially because "tipping is optional", but those workers don't get their wages supplemented if diners don't tip!
Tycooperaow came up with the idea for the question after noticing a similar tweet gain decent notoriety on Twitter. "My sister notified me of this by sending me a link to a video on TikTok in which someone did a react video about the subject matter. My sister and I jokingly started talking about this subject and discussed all the things we Americans interact with on a daily basis that is actually pretty scummy," the told Bored Panda. "As I read through the comments on this TikTok video, many people stated their frustration. I proposed the same question again on Reddit for the sole purpose to ignite a thought-provoking discussion where people can share their opinions and give more personal insight on this matter. I knew this was a perfect place to study this situation more and learn from people who experience certain things that I can be aware of in the future. So that's what sparked me to ask the question!"
RELATED:
#2
Megachurches are literal scams. They make a lot of money, saying it's for the church, then they buy 12 mansions.
Once the first couple hundred post replies came in, tycooperaow started reading and responding to as many as they could, asking people to further expand on their ideas to "get an overarching grasp of just how much stuff is wired into our everyday life that takes advantage of people." At that point, tycooperaow began thinking that there are a lot of fundamental problems that the culture of the US has.
"I am a US resident, and reading through the Redditors' comments I could tell that numerous people made it abundantly clear they felt strongly and passionately about these current issues that we have been conditioned into just accepting as normal. The majority of the responses were politically related issues as there's a strong distaste for the current government, but there were other answers that spoke about businesses socially engineering the public to perpetually buy a product that they ultimately have full control over."
As an example, tycooperaow mentioned De Beers and how they own nearly the entire diamond supply and push forth aggressive advertising, telling people they can't start a marriage without a diamond ring.
#3
Americans thinking that medical procedures are actually that expensive. Fun fact: In a normal country, you don't pay tens of thousands of dollars.
Mike Crow 4 years ago
Two things. 1) Citizens in most other developed countries don’t have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket as Universal Healthcare provides. 2) Americans hospitals are businesses so they will try to charge more if they can.
Katinka Min 4 years ago
But Our Health insurances don't pay these prices either. The price of what a public insurance will pay for docotrs and hospitals is fixed and since most people are publily insured, that is what they can charge. it created a two tier system - with private patients getting fancier care (and being ripped off, more often) - but is has put a lid on prices. Yes, yes, oh-so terrible socialism, where being poor isn't a death setnence.
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Ozacoter 4 years ago
I have many illneses and luckily I was born in Europe so I can afford doctors. I have a hospital insurance that costs 120E a year plus my normal insurance (that is very cheap). I recently had surgery and spent the night in the hospital (in a comfortable double bed room). I paid 109E for the whole procedure (surgery, anesthesia, bed, food etc). So in total (counting the insurance) I paid less than 300 euros for my surgery. I am so extremely sad for all the women in my same situation in USA that either can afford the same surgery or get bankrupted because of it.
Steve 4 years ago
This is NOT true. The NHS is NOT free, You pay a fixed percentage of your income according to your income category, ranging from 2% for low income to 12% of your income, which is capped at around £4100 PER Month ($5500 per month). In addition, your employer ( or govt. if you are on benefits pays an additional levy of between 0 and 12% of your income including on bonus’s and expenses. Only those in full time education are free...
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Luther von Wolfen 4 years ago
I know someone who needed oral surgery. She was from the Philippines. She flew to the Philippines, with her husband and two kids, visited family, got the dental work done - and it was cheaper than just doing the dental work in the US.
Allison Gilbert-Heron 4 years ago
Socialist Canadian here, thank you Canada for free health care and 100$ per year prescriptions since I am a senior! now if only dental was included!
Pamela Blue 3 years ago
Well Allison - not exactly "free." We pay for it with our taxes all our working lives. However, I never minded paying it, as I have no issue in helping people get health care who wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. It makes for a much healthier and happier populace. I'm 70 now, and am very healthy and have been all my life, due to yearly health visits to my doctor (and my genes, I suppose. LOL), but my taxes have paid for health care for many poor people, I should think. I'm glad for that.
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Maddie Star ⭐ 4 years ago
Dreadful, it's disgusting that if you can't afford to pay your heath insurance you're basically treated like trash and put out on the street. . I refer back to another post "American is the greatest country in the world" . I personally would alter the word country to another c word.
Alexis draskinis 4 years ago
US Healthcare Options in a nutshell: Option 1: get insurance. Pay so much, monthly, for insurance that you cant afford to actually get treatments or pay co-pays & therefore pay a lot for literally nothing... Option 2: dont get insurance. Get laughed out of every dr's office because they dont think you can pay (and you probably cant)... Option 3: go to ER. Pay 3x the amount (which you already cant afford) you would've if a reg dr had just treated you... Option 4: just suffer through it because you know you are the only one you gives a s**t about you & your health... I've ended at option 4 more times than i'd like to admit, regardless of what my insurance circumstances were.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Option 5: Book a vacation to Europe, get medical treatment, spend a few months to recover and return to the US having saved enough to buy a mansion.
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Tiffany Marie 4 years ago (edited)
I have no insurance and it sucks. I rarely go to the DR. Unless I'm dying. Can't even get the mental health help I need.
Xio in California 4 years ago
Our preemie son's bill for his first three days in the NICU: over $10k. He went home almost 4 months later. 24 years later and he's still unaware we declared bankruptcy because we just couldn't keep up with bills 3 years later. Thanks to President Obama, he's still in our insurance while in college, and he can't be denied coverage for his many preexisting conditions. We still pay a pretty penny for his coverage, but we have no choice. He cannot afford to go without coverage (due to an average of 2-3 emergency brain surgeries per year). I would give anything for "socialist" health coverage.
Carolina Fernández González 4 years ago
Colombia here, my mom spend 2 months in the hospital because she had a cerebral ischemia and a stroke a week after the ischemia. I had to pay 200usd when she was discharged because she was my beneficiary, If she was the owner of the "insurance" (because is not really an insurance) she would had to pay $0. Of course it wasnt the best hospital and she had to share the room with other person. I pay about 50usd monthly for that "insurance" and they charge depending on your income. It is mandatory for all of us the country to pay this service. So if a poor country like mine can do it why not in America? I don't get it.... Instead of that you have to pay thousands for a trip to the ER......
Péter Rózsahegyi 4 years ago
In Hungary you have to pay 18.5% of your gross salary (or HUF 8000 = USD 27.5!!! if you don't have an official job or U are a tourist, etc.) to get almost everything free of additional charge: general healthcare, ER with transportation, obstetricy, dental, vaccination, etc.). Extreme sport injuries, aesthetic operations (if not related to a medical condition), non-mandatory vaccinations and drugs for extremely are illnesses are excluded.
Franc Esca 4 years ago
A common misconception. Medicines equal AND surgery IS expensive. It is SUBSIDIZED by our tax money in the EU and in some other nations across the world. Go to Albania, where you often have to bribe staff and pay for mattresses and medicine yourself and you'll see the true cost of medicine. Private hospitals ofc make money from routine and non routine services, it also gives more attention to the patient and better conditions to the workers. It is expensive, that's why the whole population has to pay a small part of forever.
N G 4 years ago
How dare we suggest that universal health care (or however it works in the rest of the civilised world) is better than the way the Americans do it? /s but only just. Healthcare is a massive hot button topic.
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Stanley Judd 3 years ago
I'm a full-time benefitted RN in San Francisco. My base pay rate is $100.64/hr. I have barely an associate's degree. I'm fine with what hospitals charge.
Suzanne Haigh 3 years ago
Most inhabitants of civilised countries do not need medical insurance
Philly Bob Squires 4 years ago
$500 in hospital for two Tylenol... excuse me... generic tylenol... acetaminophen. ($6.00 for 500 of them at CVS) Scam!
Chlorophyll 4 years ago
yes. also... uhm billing a mother for breastfeeding! For letting -her- breastfeed -her- own child after birth? This should have gone viral so much that people would have taken the bill and calculated with hyper-calculators how much this hospital thinks this mothers' breast milk is worth per each single drop. And THEN maybe ask why they think the mother is owned by them as long as she still is in their room. So that they feel entitled to bill her. Someone recently told me slavery is still in the constitution in the USA, it is still embedded there. This amendment is still not entirely finished. Society needs to start getting get rid of derivations, emanations, reflected forms of something that is still an underlying, still not overcome part of its culture. Up until today.
B Jones 4 years ago
We know it's a scam but our politicians are bought and paid for It's obvious in many ways. Oh this procedure is 500.00 cash. wait you have insurance? It costs 1500.00 but we negotiate with your insurance and they brought it down to 1000.00 You only have to pay half yourself...500.00 So you pay insurance and the cash price Of course if you were a politician then your healthcare would be free...go figure
Nadine 4 years ago
Yeah... I'll always remember when I was offered optional septoplasty to correct my deviated nose. I went for it and spent two nights at the hospital. When I was set to go home, I was given an informative sheet explaining the cost of the procedure. It was 1800 euros and I didn't have to pay a cent because Spanish healthcare took care of everything. :-)
Salty Old Woman 4 years ago
We know this isn't normal. Stop assuming we're stupid. We're not stupid, our government is greedy and corrupt.
Kevin Donegan 4 years ago
I have a home in Mexico where I spend the winter months ... Health care is reasonably priced for the average person.
Rosie Hamilton 4 years ago
Do you have two homes then? If so, are you really an average person? No criticism, genuinely curious. Sounds very nice and good for you if so.
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Gregg Stevens 3 years ago
The bigger scam is all the people saying that healthcare is free, forgetting what taxes are. I'm not at all defending the US healthcare system but I do find it strange the amount of people saying their healthcare is free in other countries, when it isn't.
TM McKeny 4 years ago
Fun fact, you can wait over a year to get a colonoscopy, which you can schedule and have taken within a week in America.
Carrie de Luka 4 years ago
My partner needed one, in UK, same week. Fun fact, some 'facts' aren't facts.
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GirlFriday 4 years ago
What most other countries do not understand about the US healthcare system is this: doctors and hospitals are sued constantly. Because of that, they must carry millions of dollars in malpractice insurance. Most of the costs for the doctors go to cover their insurance premiums. My SIL is a physician that doesn't perform surgery and her malpractice insurance premiums are about $40,000 per year.
ProfessionalTimeWaster 4 years ago
Medical transcription is a billion dollar industry, only because of US system of healthcare. I think most of the money is spent on middlemen.
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Ripley 4 years ago
Maybe, but they still wouldn't cost as much as they do in the US. Someone worked out that they could fly to Spain, live there for 6 months, pay cash for an operation, and fly home again for less than that op would cost in the States. Healthcare costs there are beyond belief.
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Full of Giggles 4 years ago
That’s not a fact. It’s ignorance. They’re not refusing to see a family doctor. The problem is they don’t have insurance and therefore, cannot afford to see one. An office visit requires payment up front and they can refuse treatment if you can’t afford to pay. A public hospital cannot refuse treatment to anyone for any reason.
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Lxm 4 years ago (edited)
I required neurosurgery. Didn't have insurance. Spent 9 nights in hospital, 5 in HDU. Cost me a whole zero dollars. Edit: obviously not in America
Load More Replies...Tycooperaow would answer their own question by saying that a 'scam' that affected them personally the most comes from modern-day universities. "Many people in the post already covered everything there is to say about the barrier of entry of schooling and its relation to the future financial sustainability for the average person. It's very dissatisfying that even at the age of 14 public schools practically brainwash students by stating 'if they don't go to college or the military they end up as bums or delinquents.' Why should students get into thousands of dollars of student debt when [so many] of them do not have the right financial literacy to properly manage even $1,000 if it was gifted to them at 18. This issue itself I feel that places our country more at a financial disadvantage than it claims."
#4
"America is the greatest country in the world."
Kevin Donegan 4 years ago
If you've ever traveled outside the United States (and, sadly, only a small percentage have), you will quickly find out that the United States is not the greatest country in the world.
It's a chain reaction, the op said. "If you get into debt at 18 and get out of college at 21-22 then you have to put off buying a home, buying a car, and establishing assets. This slows down the economy. Heaven forbids if you have medical problems. If you can't pay, then you to go bankrupt. I can't tell you how many people resort to crowdfunding options just to pay for medical expenses. I don't think people should need to result to use GoFundMe as a health coverage option, nor use lottery tickets as a retirement plan. This is why we see such a transformative push for financial literacy among teens and young adults. It's the reason why eCommerce, Cryptocurrency, Forex, Social Media Marketing, Content Creation, etc.. are so idolized in our generation because the traditional methods essentially disbar proper progression. Sometimes it's not because people do it out of luxury, but do it out of necessity."
#5
Somehow, a person who works 65 hours a week at a minimum-wage job just to pay the rent "isn't working hard enough". At the same time, an executive whose "work" boils down to signing a few forms, making a couple of phone calls, collecting investment payouts, and playing golf is considered "a hardworking American".
Helen Haley 4 years ago
Right name, connections, or education and you can get through life with good money and almost no actual work.
"Lastly, the thing I would like to leave off with is that there are a lot of people who face challenges with our (if you live in the US) country and it will take some fixing," tycooperaow added. "I wish and motivate everyone to do not be afraid to speak on troubling topics. We have the power to change the narrative of how things are running regardless of how prominent they may seem. For example, once I started to learn about blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, this fundamentally shifted my view on governance and how something that seems so insignificant can have a huge impact. People have the power to do what is best, it all starts with just asking the right questions."
#6
Healthcare, all the way. All those heartfelt stories on people who raised 100,000 for their neighbors surgery, and it's great, but no one seems to question why that was necessary in the first place. The person in question has insurance and they're still struggling to pay for this procedure?
Even worst if it's life-threatening. People have to make GoFundMe's, petition, all kinds of stuff. To have the basic right to not have to go broke when you see a doctor.
Bacony Cakes 4 years ago
It's working how it's supposed to, it just isn't designed to benefit the patient.
#7
The idea that you need to work endless hours and never have time off.
There are plenty of countries where people work reasonable hours, have five-week summer vacations and the economies don't fall apart.
You are not lazy if you don't eat at your desk or while driving.
Julie C Rose 4 years ago
I love using the “...other countries manage it though?” argument on businesses. New Zealand has a terrible sick leave allowance so our progressive party poked Jacinda with a stick about it and she agreed to up it. She’s coddling the effing HELL out of the businesses but a bunch of them are still like “How are we supposed to survive if we give our employees a less pitiful amount of sick leave?!?!” And I’m like “the same way companies in other countries do it?”
#8
College Tuition. Being in debt for thousands of dollars as a young adult just starting their life
Helen Haley 4 years ago
Any job over minimum wage now requires a college degree. Even for an interview. The exceptions are few.
#9
Getting limited days worth of annual leave per year and then being encouraged not to use it.
Ceredwyn Ealanta 4 years ago
Employers like this fail with diminishing returns. Their employees are too exhausted to work efficiently, and unable to come up with good policies to increase efficiency. You end up with people doing four hours worth of work in a twelve hour day because they're just too broken for more.
#10
Millionaires/Billionaires are just like you and me, who just worked harder than everybody else.
#12
"If you're not 15 minutes early, you're late."
B*tch, that adds up to 65 hours a year you should have paid me for. That is 8 full days of work.
#13
The two party system
Nicolas Pilot 4 years ago
Its literally only one party at the top of the heirachy, devided in two, to give you the illusion of having a choice
#14
Working 50+ hours a week to barely make ends meet, no health care, and no future but you're 'free' so it's worth it.
#16
Really expensive funerals. People are charged astronomically high prices at a time when grief means they’re not prepared to make sound decisions.
#17
Advertising medicine. Seriously what the hell?
Julie C Rose 4 years ago
For some reason, New Zealand is the only other country that does it. Even though we have effing public healthcare. For what it’s worth, I always just kind of assumed that everyone finds those ads as boring and annoying as I do.
#18
College text books, you pay $400 for a book because you have to have the newest version that’s rarely changed much, and the school might offer you $40 and sell it for $150 used
#19
The price for healthcare in America. For the love of God just travel overseas and compare, like, to any country in the world... And then realize how big of a rip-off it is in America. And it's all insurance companies fault.
#20
Your cellphone plans. In my country, I pay €20 for unlimited calls, SMS, and data. I work in phone sales, and whenever I speak to an American, they cannot believe how cheap our plans are compared to what they pay
Full of Giggles 4 years ago
It depends on your provider. I pay $35 for unlimited everything on two devices.
#21
The pledge of allegiance was actually an advertisement to sell flags.
#22
Tax Filing
For the majority of wage earners, the IRS can easily determine how much you owe and tell you, or tell you what you're owed in a refund. It's simple.
That they don't do so is only because tax preparation companies lobby lawmakers to keep the system as it is. Tax preparation companies only exist because they are legally allowed, middle men. They are slow, complicated, costly, and the opposite of free market efficiency.
Julie C Rose 4 years ago
It frustrates the HELL out of me when Americans blame their schools and say “Schools should teach kids how to do taxes!” Or, and hear me out here, the IRS could do what New Zealand does and calculate that stuff themselves. Even as a nonstandard worker who does have to do a tax return, it’s a short process where I just fill in how much money I made that year and set my provisional tax for the following year.
#23
Health insurance. Studied abroad in France for a year. When I went to the hospital for urinary retention due to an infection and had to spend the night. The only thing I had to pay for was the antibiotics they gave me to take home for a week which was about $10 for 7 pills. Ours is a joke.
Dave P 4 years ago
when you are a foreign student, you pay a fee to your American health provider for overseas care, then the Euro hospitals bill the heck out of it because they love American re-embursments. In fact they jump americans ahead of all the lines and give higher care, especially in places like france, because they want the American Insurance money.
#24
Politicians talk about the need for healthcare, but create legislation for healthcare insurance.
Those are not the same things. In fact, the latter actually is a barrier to the former.
cybermerlin2000 4 years ago
Stop the insurers completely and replace them with Private Healthcare. It's almost the same thing only cheaper, and you're guaranteed to get help paying for your medical costs. Better still, use some of the tax millions being frivolously wasted on falsely overly inflated costs for mundane things, and you could fund a free at access public health service.
#25
'Overdraft protection,' which actually allows the bank to charge you when you use a debit card, instead of just declining the transaction.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
Never understood overdraft fees or overdraft protection. Money isn't there, just decline. It is all done electronically, not like they're paying someone to look at each and every transaction to approve or deny. Money there? Transaction goes through. No money, no transaction.
#26
The push that 'college is for everyone!' Also, you aren’t able to default on your student loans, so banks will give them to anyone. Coincidentally, society started telling people that they should all go to college, no matter their situation, right after passing the bill that made student loans impossible to hide from.
natie marie 4 years ago
I could have started doing the job I do now, 3 years earlier without debt had I not gone to uni. and I have friends who finished school at 18 and now own houses and are very comfortable. Uni is not the only way to succeed.
#27
Rent To Own products. (Rent-A-Center, Aarons, Conns, etc..) You end up paying triple or quadruple the value of the product for virtually no other benefit than you'd get if you just saved a little money and bought the product out-right.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
Everyone knows this is a scam. If people are resorting to rent to own, it is generally because they don't have a better option. If it takes you 3 years to save up for a bed, that is three years sleeping on the floor. Not really conducive to getting the sleep needed to work the 3 jobs you need.
#28
Paying thousands of dollars for basic dental work
Missy Moo Moo 4 years ago
I paid $10000 for a front tooth implant in Australia. $2k to have the broken tooth removed, $800 for the fake tooth, $5k for the metal implant (surgery, hospital, anesthetist), $700 for the new fake tooth plate, $2k for the new tooth
#29
Charging $1 to add cheese.
#30
Identity theft. The bank fails to properly vet someone they gave money to, and now it's your problem.
You did nothing, the bank made a mistake. How is that your problem?
And look at credit monitoring companies, they claim they can detect fraud on your credit report. Yet, credit monitoring companies and credit reporting companies are one and the same -- literally the same company. So the real message is "pay us and we will not make false reports about you in our credit reports, we have the ability to detect falsehoods, but will only do so if you pay us". There should be a clear case of libel here. The credit reporting companies often report things that they reasonably know to be false.
Brandy Grote 4 years ago
Use credit unions. Don't just use the 1st bank you find. Get the best deal for your life. Every credit union we've used has bent over backwards to help us with fraud.
#31
The war on drugs. Cheap informal pharmacopeia is what's left for anyone who can't afford or access doctors, psychiatric help, or prescription meds. Rehab for the privileged, prison for the rest. Political talking points, to get us riled up. A gray market with selective enforcement, like gambling and prostitution. Employment in the Informal Sector. Employment, asset seizure, bribery, and extortion opportunity for cynical Enforcers. Prohibition 2.0.
Julie C Rose 4 years ago
New Zealand is godawful about drugs too. Our organisation that helps addicts is absolutely furious about it.
#32
Commercialized medication.
#33
For profit health insurance. We still pay for other people's healthcare, we just do it in a much more bloated and expensive way than universal healthcare.
Kevin Donegan 4 years ago
I have a good friend who works in the insurance industry. Every year their entire work group goes somewhere (Hawaii, Mexico) for a week all paid by the company. I'm guessing for 50 people it probably comes up to $150,000 (airfare, accommodations, etc.). When I explain to her that their trip is paid for on the backs of people/companies paying their insurance coverage premiums. She's adamant that it's paid for out of the her boss' "profit" for the company. There are million examples like this that inflates the cost of health insurance. And, speaking of the boss' profit, he lives in a multi-million dollar home and drives a Maserati. Capitalism is good to point ... until it leads to gross excess and severe income disparity.
#34
Water bottles
Cost less than a cent to fill.
Anne Reid 4 years ago
What really needs to be addressed is that not every place in the US has drinkable water. Where I live in Florida, I’m ok. My friends less than a mile away? Their water is so heavily chlorinated that you might as well drink from a swimming pool. No water filter to date has been able to overcome it. Of course, that’s nothing compared to Flint, Michigan.
#35
90% of ads you see in social media. Hair fruit gummies do not help your hair.
Katrina B. 4 years ago
First off, that's B12 which does other things, and you do need B vitamins. The one you're thinking of is biotin which has shown mixed results in helping in human bodies.
#36
Prescription eye glasses. They should be maybe $100 tops but we pay multiple times that for them.
#37
Insurance. Sure it works as intended, but it could be non-profit so rates are cheaper and rebates are given, not so someone can get filthy rich. All the unused money at the end of the year should go back to the insured, not the insurer less a fair wage.
Kevin Donegan 4 years ago
I have a good friend who works in the insurance industry. Every year their entire work group goes somewhere (Hawaii, Mexico) for a week all paid by the company. I'm guessing for 50 people it probably comes up to $150,000 (airfare, accommodations, etc.). When I explain to her that their trip is paid for on the backs of people/companies paying their insurance coverage premiums. She's adamant that it's paid for out of the her boss' "profit" for the company. There are million examples like this that inflates the cost of health insurance. And, speaking of the boss' profit, he lives in a multi-million dollar home and drives a Maserati. Capitalism is good to point ... until it leads to gross excess and severe income disparity.
#38
Car dealerships. They're literally just middle-man functions that do nothing more than raise the cost of the 'good' and produce taxation for the government on multiple levels of the transactions involved in purchasing a car through the third party.
What do you think ?
mph seti 4 years ago
the entire human race is doomed unless we can collectively get rid of greed. The USA is one of the worst offenders, but the problem is species-wide.
Sid Werner 4 years ago
Living in the US, it's abundantly clear the majority do not.
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C Hypercube 4 years ago (edited)
Do you ever have the feeling that the entire world isn't normal anymore? That we somehow slipped onto the realm of insanity so gradually that we don't even know it anymore? Yeah, me too.
AbbiTabbi 4 years ago
I can't upvote this twice or I would. This is TRUE!
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Dee Mcgee 4 years ago
A lot of Americans here getting precious about America. I think that's one of the most fked up things of them all...us brits are like this fking country is a fking pile of s**t run by a fking moron. We dont sit here like "can we say some nice things about Great Britain please" ... a lot of Americans remind me of the spoiled kid who's always been told they are beautiful and clever... until the day they leave the nest and they're told the stark truth...that no one gives a s**t
blugeagua 4 years ago
Did it ever occur to anyone that MANY of us Americans do in fact know these things are not normal. A LOT of us want change.
Marina 4 years ago
contrary to what a lot of people here think, I believe this kind of posts get americans more involved and aware. how else do people, in general, change if not by facing uncomfortable information or experiences?
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Dl B 4 years ago
Most of these most Americans do not think are "normal". Any thinking American (yes I know that is a stretch) realize that these things are not "normal" but we are stuck with them until something can be done to change them.
Róża Wróbel 4 years ago
You know, I've been living in US for few years now, and can't see Americans doing anything about it. In other places in the world people protest, in India there were 250 mln people prostesting just few weeks ago, but not here. The only protest were BLM protest and I'm asking why so late? And what about all the other stuff? Americans are so brainwashed that they just can't unite on anything! And that's their doom. McConall just said that Uncle Sam doesn't have money to help Americans, who tf is Uncle Sam? Because what I've been thought is that the money he was reffering to was from taxes from Americans, but IDK maybe there is some ghost being giving US Gov money that I just didn't hear about before. You need to stop waiting for a good time, good moment or whatever else you're waiting for and start acting now. You. Not someone somewhere. You.
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ivan bolitekurac 4 years ago
Some things are the same in other countries too.Other countries have their own problems,like women cant drive or vote.Others don't let you speak bad about politics or you'll end up in jail.But bp doesn't give a s**t as long as the article can be #usabaaad..Cant wait for the next "why usa sucks" article tomorrow.I have never been to the usa but according to this articles it is a shithole.But then why do so many people wanna live in this shithole country?Bp please explain...
Saara . 4 years ago
People fleeing to the US doesn't mean it's the greatest. Just less crappy. Sorta like never having a car, then getting a used, mostly ok car.
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Sid Werner 4 years ago (edited)
Historically speaking, purely from a factual, and worldwide perspective, the United States is one of the absolute most successfully propaganda based countries to ever exist. Period. The Roman Empire very much used propaganda on every level, governmental, militaristic, and especially in it's ultimately corrupt, corporatist fueled economy, which is why anyone who actually knows anything about history makes comparisons between the two quite often. :D
Ionut Tautan 4 years ago
you forgot the countless wars USA still participates in under false pretence. They're all about selling weapons and getting oil
lara 4 years ago
As the US has been totally self-sufficient with regard to oil for several years, you are going to have to come up with a new faux argument aka propaganda.
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kurisutofu 4 years ago
I'm surprised it's not in the list but to me, it would be lobbies. Those are just legalised bribes!
RoseTheMad 4 years ago
I think the biggest scam of all is the belief that America is the land of the "Free" No one in the world is free. :I
Jessica Bertram 4 years ago
Recycling. we've been sold a bill of goods there, too. most of the things we try to recycle either get incinerated, end up in landfills, or in the oceans, dumped. total bs. and it's heartbreaking.
Saico Hipe 4 years ago
F*ck this dystopian hellscape. I will get the f*ck out or die trying. I'll die horribly anyway if I don't get out, so what is there to lose?
marianne eliza 4 years ago
The major healthcare corporations in America make enough money to buy all the political protection they need to keep the gravy train running.
Liz Tynne 4 years ago
What's the best country for an American who wants to get out of America?
Carrie de Luka 4 years ago
Most countries will want to know what you bring to them - if you come with skills and money then there are quite a few.
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Lily Allen 3 years ago
I got scammed by a guy I met on dating site he made me fall in love then asked for money I lost over $23,000 to him but after I contacted JeffBennett@retrieverfunds.com I was able to recover your funds and found out the scammer was from Africa.
Joshua Adkins 3 years ago
i see so many comments saying that "I'm American and I don't think our country is that great." I'd be willing to bet almost all of you if not all, have never lived in any other country. So wouldn't know a single thing about what its like to live there, you don't know the laws or anything. You just see people who are vacationing and enjoying their time and think that place must be a great place to live.
Gabriela Bunduc 3 years ago
I pay 2.5 euro and have unlimited calls within the provider, unlimited internet, no sms and 1k of national minutes for the other providers. That's a deal xD
Colin Mochrie At Its Finest 4 years ago
Not surprised they repeat the same 5 things. Expenses, healthcare...
AbbiTabbi 4 years ago
I feel like a lot of these are somewhat overexaggerated. I'm American and I love it here. Of course, I live in a small town and have had fantastic experiences. It is largely the politics and people prioritizing money over other people's lives. But yes, America is not the top of the heap, best country. No WAY!
lara 4 years ago
A great many of these comments about "scams" are totally and completely ignorant about the reality of what is going on.
Sid Werner 4 years ago
Heh, how's that exactly? Because they think logically?
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Jackson Gohn 4 years ago
Bored panda certainly is not subtle about pushing their own political agenda.
Viviane 4 years ago
They originally wanted to pick on Vatican City, but the Pope told them to piss off.
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Milli Marilli 4 years ago
Since there are so many posts about the health care system, I wanted to share some numbers from Central Europe. I make pretty much an average income for my country. I pay about €86 ($105) per month for my mandatory health insurance which is income dependent. Additionally, I pay for a private health care insurance for €40 ($49) per month that covers outpatient treatments at private clinics, medical aids such as glasses and refunds the co-pays. That adds up to €126 ($154) per month or €1512 ($1848) per year for health insurance. I should add that the additional private insurance is a personal choice. The mandatory insurance perfectly covers all health care needs. Since I am sometimes visiting private practices, I have to pay for the medical bills out of pocket and have it then reimbursed by my mandatory insurance. My private insurance then covers the rest.
Sid Werner 4 years ago
Not every implementation of a health care system is going to be fair in every country. But a privatized, unregulated, oh and it is effectively unregulated in reality, health care system is not as good.
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Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
You may have crossed your wires there, Santa/saint nick/Pierre Noel etc has existed a lot longer than that; however Yes, due to a coca cola campaign showing Santa wearing red and white, this became the accepted way Santa is represented. Before that, he wore white furs (at least he did in the old story books I have seen)
Load More Replies... blugeagua 4 years ago
But its also important to talk about it so the us can change
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Aliquid A 4 years ago
Because if you sweep the bad things under the carpet, you don't try to fix them. "focus on good things for once"... for once? The US has had over 200 years of chanting "we are the best! USA! USA!"... and as a result completely refused to acknowledge any faults.
Load More Replies... blugeagua 4 years ago
But if we don't talk about it, how will the us change for the better.
Load More Replies... mph seti 4 years ago
the entire human race is doomed unless we can collectively get rid of greed. The USA is one of the worst offenders, but the problem is species-wide.
Sid Werner 4 years ago
Living in the US, it's abundantly clear the majority do not.
Load More Replies... C Hypercube 4 years ago (edited)
Do you ever have the feeling that the entire world isn't normal anymore? That we somehow slipped onto the realm of insanity so gradually that we don't even know it anymore? Yeah, me too.
AbbiTabbi 4 years ago
I can't upvote this twice or I would. This is TRUE!
Load More Replies... Dee Mcgee 4 years ago
A lot of Americans here getting precious about America. I think that's one of the most fked up things of them all...us brits are like this fking country is a fking pile of s**t run by a fking moron. We dont sit here like "can we say some nice things about Great Britain please" ... a lot of Americans remind me of the spoiled kid who's always been told they are beautiful and clever... until the day they leave the nest and they're told the stark truth...that no one gives a s**t
blugeagua 4 years ago
Did it ever occur to anyone that MANY of us Americans do in fact know these things are not normal. A LOT of us want change.
Marina 4 years ago
contrary to what a lot of people here think, I believe this kind of posts get americans more involved and aware. how else do people, in general, change if not by facing uncomfortable information or experiences?
Load More Replies... Dl B 4 years ago
Most of these most Americans do not think are "normal". Any thinking American (yes I know that is a stretch) realize that these things are not "normal" but we are stuck with them until something can be done to change them.
Róża Wróbel 4 years ago
You know, I've been living in US for few years now, and can't see Americans doing anything about it. In other places in the world people protest, in India there were 250 mln people prostesting just few weeks ago, but not here. The only protest were BLM protest and I'm asking why so late? And what about all the other stuff? Americans are so brainwashed that they just can't unite on anything! And that's their doom. McConall just said that Uncle Sam doesn't have money to help Americans, who tf is Uncle Sam? Because what I've been thought is that the money he was reffering to was from taxes from Americans, but IDK maybe there is some ghost being giving US Gov money that I just didn't hear about before. You need to stop waiting for a good time, good moment or whatever else you're waiting for and start acting now. You. Not someone somewhere. You.
Load More Replies... ivan bolitekurac 4 years ago
Some things are the same in other countries too.Other countries have their own problems,like women cant drive or vote.Others don't let you speak bad about politics or you'll end up in jail.But bp doesn't give a s**t as long as the article can be #usabaaad..Cant wait for the next "why usa sucks" article tomorrow.I have never been to the usa but according to this articles it is a shithole.But then why do so many people wanna live in this shithole country?Bp please explain...
Saara . 4 years ago
People fleeing to the US doesn't mean it's the greatest. Just less crappy. Sorta like never having a car, then getting a used, mostly ok car.
Load More Replies... Sid Werner 4 years ago (edited)
Historically speaking, purely from a factual, and worldwide perspective, the United States is one of the absolute most successfully propaganda based countries to ever exist. Period. The Roman Empire very much used propaganda on every level, governmental, militaristic, and especially in it's ultimately corrupt, corporatist fueled economy, which is why anyone who actually knows anything about history makes comparisons between the two quite often. :D
Ionut Tautan 4 years ago
you forgot the countless wars USA still participates in under false pretence. They're all about selling weapons and getting oil
lara 4 years ago
As the US has been totally self-sufficient with regard to oil for several years, you are going to have to come up with a new faux argument aka propaganda.
Load More Replies... kurisutofu 4 years ago
I'm surprised it's not in the list but to me, it would be lobbies. Those are just legalised bribes!
RoseTheMad 4 years ago
I think the biggest scam of all is the belief that America is the land of the "Free" No one in the world is free. :I
Jessica Bertram 4 years ago
Recycling. we've been sold a bill of goods there, too. most of the things we try to recycle either get incinerated, end up in landfills, or in the oceans, dumped. total bs. and it's heartbreaking.
Saico Hipe 4 years ago
F*ck this dystopian hellscape. I will get the f*ck out or die trying. I'll die horribly anyway if I don't get out, so what is there to lose?
marianne eliza 4 years ago
The major healthcare corporations in America make enough money to buy all the political protection they need to keep the gravy train running.
Liz Tynne 4 years ago
What's the best country for an American who wants to get out of America?
Carrie de Luka 4 years ago
Most countries will want to know what you bring to them - if you come with skills and money then there are quite a few.
Load More Replies... Lily Allen 3 years ago
I got scammed by a guy I met on dating site he made me fall in love then asked for money I lost over $23,000 to him but after I contacted JeffBennett@retrieverfunds.com I was able to recover your funds and found out the scammer was from Africa.
Joshua Adkins 3 years ago
i see so many comments saying that "I'm American and I don't think our country is that great." I'd be willing to bet almost all of you if not all, have never lived in any other country. So wouldn't know a single thing about what its like to live there, you don't know the laws or anything. You just see people who are vacationing and enjoying their time and think that place must be a great place to live.
Gabriela Bunduc 3 years ago
I pay 2.5 euro and have unlimited calls within the provider, unlimited internet, no sms and 1k of national minutes for the other providers. That's a deal xD
Colin Mochrie At Its Finest 4 years ago
Not surprised they repeat the same 5 things. Expenses, healthcare...
AbbiTabbi 4 years ago
I feel like a lot of these are somewhat overexaggerated. I'm American and I love it here. Of course, I live in a small town and have had fantastic experiences. It is largely the politics and people prioritizing money over other people's lives. But yes, America is not the top of the heap, best country. No WAY!
lara 4 years ago
A great many of these comments about "scams" are totally and completely ignorant about the reality of what is going on.
Sid Werner 4 years ago
Heh, how's that exactly? Because they think logically?
Load More Replies... Jackson Gohn 4 years ago
Bored panda certainly is not subtle about pushing their own political agenda.
Viviane 4 years ago
They originally wanted to pick on Vatican City, but the Pope told them to piss off.
Load More Replies... Milli Marilli 4 years ago
Since there are so many posts about the health care system, I wanted to share some numbers from Central Europe. I make pretty much an average income for my country. I pay about €86 ($105) per month for my mandatory health insurance which is income dependent. Additionally, I pay for a private health care insurance for €40 ($49) per month that covers outpatient treatments at private clinics, medical aids such as glasses and refunds the co-pays. That adds up to €126 ($154) per month or €1512 ($1848) per year for health insurance. I should add that the additional private insurance is a personal choice. The mandatory insurance perfectly covers all health care needs. Since I am sometimes visiting private practices, I have to pay for the medical bills out of pocket and have it then reimbursed by my mandatory insurance. My private insurance then covers the rest.
Sid Werner 4 years ago
Not every implementation of a health care system is going to be fair in every country. But a privatized, unregulated, oh and it is effectively unregulated in reality, health care system is not as good.
Load More Replies... Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
You may have crossed your wires there, Santa/saint nick/Pierre Noel etc has existed a lot longer than that; however Yes, due to a coca cola campaign showing Santa wearing red and white, this became the accepted way Santa is represented. Before that, he wore white furs (at least he did in the old story books I have seen)
Load More Replies... blugeagua 4 years ago
But its also important to talk about it so the us can change
Load More Replies... Aliquid A 4 years ago
Because if you sweep the bad things under the carpet, you don't try to fix them. "focus on good things for once"... for once? The US has had over 200 years of chanting "we are the best! USA! USA!"... and as a result completely refused to acknowledge any faults.
Load More Replies... blugeagua 4 years ago
But if we don't talk about it, how will the us change for the better.
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