“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused

The United States is the third largest country in the world with a population of more than 335 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Here, a child is born every 8 seconds.

In addition to Indigenous Americans who were already living there before the Europeans discovered it, the country was built on immigration.

Because of this, the United States is one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. It is sometimes described as a "melting pot", in which different cultures have contributed their own distinct "flavors" to American culture.

But as much as the distinctiveness fascinates foreigners, it also has them raising their eyebrows. This is especially evident in a recent Reddit thread, started by user 421continueblazingit, who asked non-Americans on the platform to share which of the local customs make no sense to them.

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Why is medical bankruptcy not at the absolute f*****g top of this list?

phoquenut , Nappy Report

Final score:

490points

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Mell 1 year ago

It is now.

158points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Kids beauty pageants.
Parents are willingly sexualizing their children.
It’s weird.

GingerMeTimberMate , freestocks Report

Final score:

362points

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Kimberly Alison 1 year ago

It’s so gross.

134points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Why do politicians finish their speeches 'God bless America' and similar? It gives me shivers! Theocracy is not a good thing. Let's have separation between church and state and between religion and politics, shall we? I believe, in fact, that your country was actually built on the principle of that separation, was it not?

karlwikman , Jorge Maya Report

Final score:

344points

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Kimberly Alison 1 year ago

I also hate it when they call the u.s. “the greatest country in the world”. No it’s not, and I’m American.

249points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Cashiers who aren't allowed to sit during their work
Like.... Why??

MitochondriA33 , Wonderlane Report

Final score:

304points

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Boredest Disabled Panda 1 year ago (edited)

The rational is that customers will think they are lazy and just sitting around, which is dumb. You can still tell if they are working, even if they are sitting.

97points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Calling a team "World Champions' of a sport that only your country competes in.

OkHighway1024 , Pixabay Report

Final score:

299points

POST

Mell 1 year ago

Hahahahaha, but what if you are convinced that your country is the most countriest of all countries in the world?

134points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Home owner associations dictating the smallest details of your own home.

Pieter8720 , Avi Waxman Report

Final score:

297points

POST

BrookeBT 1 year ago

All you need is a respect for your neighbors.... and for everyone to mind their own business. If I want to paint my door red instead of white who cares? Maybe it's to find my own house in the vast blandness of suburbia. Karen needs a hobby.

91points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Having to find somebody to cover shifts when you're off on leave/sick.

Isn't that literally what the manager is there for?

BigD1970 , Isabella Fischer Report

Final score:

266points

POST

Boredest Disabled Panda 1 year ago

Normally the manager does take care of it. I never worked a job where I had to take care of it myself. But low-paying jobs often don't have sick days or sick leave, so that would probably be where that would happen.

38points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Gender reveal parties, I couldn't give a f**k what you're having and you shouldn't give f**k what I'm having. I hate that it's slowly becoming a thing in the UK.

ddtkong , Frederick Medina Report

Final score:

256points

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ThéveNinja (she/her) 1 year ago

Maybe if we start calling them sex celebration parties, they will die off

129points

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“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Paid maternity leave not being legislated as a basic employment right.

KingShaka1987 , Sarah Chai Report

Final score:

251points

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Mell 1 year ago

In the Netherlands you get 16 weeks paid leave and can get more partial paid or unpaid leave if you want and I am already jealous of the people in Scandinavia...

45points

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#10

The tipping culture. Working a job and then having to depend on charity seems extremely wierd. I don't understand how people put up with that, having employment but having to basically beg for money to survive.

Hattkake Report

Final score:

245points

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Aubrie Allen 1 year ago

Tye s****y thing is if you protest this in the US, and you don't tip, it only hurts your server, and not the establishment that employs them.

90points

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#11

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Fear of anything 'not capitalist' being somehow 'communist' . E.g universal healthcare. Yet at the same time being terrified of 'big pharma'. It literally works in 100s of other non-communist countries.

Top_Luckyloo , Josh Johnson Report

Final score:

240points

POST

Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago

Most of these people couldn't tell the difference. A comedian hit up a MAGA rally recently and started pitching ideas from Marx's Das Capital, without using the words, communism, socialism, or capitalism and found some very enthusiastic supporters in red hats.

119points

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#12

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused American flags literally everywhere.

The number of people who keep large 'collections' of rusty cars & farm equipment in the garden.

The startling difference between the attitudes to sex & violence. Kids will see literally 100's of violent deaths on TV and no one bats an eye, but god forbid they should see a nipple.

Another_Random_Chap , Andrea Piacquadio Report

Final score:

232points

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Sandra Morison 1 year ago

Sex and bodies all perfectly natural bit hey let's not show/talk about it but violence, shootings yeah let's promote death and misery

6points

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#13

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Sales tax not being included in the price already. Wild.

dbe14 , Michael Burrows Report

Final score:

230points

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Jill Rhodry 1 year ago

I know - here (Aust) it's illegal to not include GST (sales tax) in the retail price.

41points

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#14

How owning, buying and carrying guns is not more controlled and supervised.

Beneficial-Sense2879 Report

Final score:

229points

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ThéveNinja (she/her) 1 year ago

Many of us here agree with this too.

96points

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#15

mindlessly voting along party lines, even though the party's candidate is a complete fool

tehcsiudai23 Report

Final score:

223points

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Lauren Caswell 1 year ago

More the having to pre-commit to a party despite the rotation of candidates. The 'undecided' voter thing. Shouldn't that be everyone, each election?

41points

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#16

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Commercials for drugs. That you can't even buy yourself. But 'ask your doctor!'

OliveOcelot , Christina Victoria Craft Report

Final score:

217points

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PlatinumThe8-BitCat 1 year ago

I’d say the weirdest thing is how many side effects that are listed with them

80points

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#17

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused People enthusiastically defending the health-care system that bankrupts people, sometimes even in reddit threads where people show off their horrendous medical bills

Randomswedishdude Report

Final score:

211points

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ThéveNinja (she/her) 1 year ago

I like that the picture is from Breaking Bad. Another commenter in another thread pointed out that this show’s premise probably could not have existed in another country, and I can’t forget that

96points

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#18

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused At 18 you can join the army, carry guns, f**k, drive car. But buy and drink alcohol only 21???

BakerAffectionate242 , Filip Andrejevic Report

Final score:

185points

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Terry Tobias 1 year ago

If I remember correctly it had something to do with reducing the number of fatalities from teens driving drunk. The statistics were pretty high. I could start drinking legally at the age of 18, but a few years later they changed the age to 19, then 21. My poor sister kept missing the boat.

63points

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#19

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused The pledge of allegiance things at school. What in the actual f**k?

hyrulian_princess , ATC Comm Photo Report

Final score:

185points

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Headless Horseman 1 year ago (edited)

When I was in 5th grade there was a student who refused to pledge allegiance to the flag. He was made to stand in the hallway every morning because of it and was rumored to have detention once a week because of it, too. From what I remember, he never gave in.

122points

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#20

The electoral college. WTF?

chooks42 Report

Final score:

181points

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Kimberly Alison 1 year ago

The opposite of democracy but the Republicans love it because Otherwise they would always lose.

92points

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#21

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused The toilet gap.

roboplegicroncock Report

Final score:

176points

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Jacob B. 1 year ago

This!. First thing I did in a Paris airport was hit the restroom to take a dump. Loved the privacy.

35points

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#22

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Doing your own taxes, and being punished if you get it wrong by mistake.

FluffyPony34 , Kelly Sikkema Report

Final score:

170points

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Sian Edwards 1 year ago

Average UK tax paying person: 'Oh look, new financial year'. Carries on with their day knowing that the tax office will tell them if they've been paying too much or too little tax.

66points

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#23

Mega churches

hopsaa85 Report

Final score:

168points

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R.k. White 1 year ago

And Maga churches 🤮

101points

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#24

Televangelists springs to mind, there is one absolutely morally repugnant one with a massive house and private jets whose name I can't recall. I vehemently dislike organised religion at the best of times but why people actually listen to the ones that are very obviously money-grabbing lying scum is totally beyond me.

Edit: The one I was thinking of was Kenneth Copeland, seems to me he might be "worst among equals" as it were.

Biggs_Pliff Report

Final score:

158points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago

Oral Roberts was an evangelist from the '60's and '70's. My grandma sent him over ten thousand dollars. He sent her a Bible with our Lord Jesus Christ's words in red-- and Oral Roberts' name embossed in gold. Other than Roberts' name, I could have gotten Grandma the same Bible for less than ten bucks.

52points

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#25

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Black Friday. You spend Thanksgiving saying how grateful you are for what you have, and then have a massive free-for-all over stuff you want.

NotACyclopsHonest , Artem Beliaikin Report

Final score:

157points

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Xenon 1 year ago

I won't set foot outside on Black Friday.

88points

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#26

Putting quite a bit of sugar in things that don't require it, like bread and casseroles.

yellowbernard Report

Final score:

155points

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Mell 1 year ago

Wait, why is there sugar in your bread and casseroles?!

54points

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#27

refusing to use metric

tehcsiudai23 Report

Final score:

147points

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ThéveNinja (she/her) 1 year ago

It is confusing for many of us too. A lot of our technical work does try to use metric instead

41points

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#28

Having one week of paid vacation or sometimes not any time at all

Sufficient-Lake-649 Report

Final score:

138points

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hitex 1 year ago

I don't understand this as a business owner...granted my employees are on salary but I've actually never really counted the days taken. Its officially 2 weeks but honestly so long as I get great performance from my employees I don't mind if they go over

44points

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#29

Anything and everything related to belonging and participating in a Fraternity/ Sorority. ESPECIALLY the selection and hazing. ETA: actually, the selection and hazing are the problems

conchitu Report

Final score:

120points

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Boredest Disabled Panda 1 year ago

Absolutely. Fraternities and Sororities used to have a purpose, now it just seems like an excuse for bad behavior.

33points

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#30

Baby showers. Here in Sweden it is generelly considered bad luck to give baby gifts before the baby is actually born. When the baby is born and the parents have gotten a few weeks alone with their newborn they usually start inviting people to meet them, but one or a few at a time, and then you bring a gift.

sorryimgoingtobelate Report

Final score:

115points

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H Nunya 1 year ago

I don’t see how it’s a big deal for sone people just because a few other people think it’s bad luck. You’re going to want stuff before the birth to be prepared, that’s all.

44points

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#31

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Pickup trucks as daily use cars. Of course I know that at this point most pickups are just SUVs with a small open bed in the rear, but it still boggles my mind how many people believe they absolutely need a pickup.

pckman , Caleb White Report

Final score:

106points

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Boredest Disabled Panda 1 year ago

Mainly in certain parts of the country, and often in rural areas. To be fair, in rural areas they have their uses, but it has also become a status symbol in parts of the country, like the South.

42points

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#32

The level of monitoring expected around children is wild to me. Over here, six-year-olds walk to school alone. (Of course within reason.)

nashatal Report

Final score:

97points

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ThéveNinja (she/her) 1 year ago

It’s not usually anything the children are doing that causes this. ☹️

65points

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#33

The excessive consumption of Starbucks beverages.

BrunoDeeSeL Report

Final score:

90points

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Heze Alii 1 year ago

I visited Starbucks for the first time in July. I didn't see the appeal.

45points

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#34

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused A lot of the High School stuff, like all the formal dances, Football, cheer leading. They’re such a big deal in the USA.

yourpaljax , leah hetteberg Report

Final score:

89points

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Brainmas 1 year ago

Movies make them seem like a much bigger deal than they actually are, though "prom-posals" and the like becoming a thing is awful.

53points

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#35

College sports. Why are they so popular, especially among fans who never attended any university, let alone the one they cheer for?

AndyAkeko Report

Final score:

88points

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arthbach 1 year ago

It warps by brain that people are accepted into college/university based on their sports/athletic performance, and not their academic. It makes my blood boil that the highest paid public employees in 43 of the USA's states is a sports coach.

66points

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#36

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused tipping, do some actually live of the tips?

OldMork , Sam Dan Truong Report

Final score:

76points

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H Nunya 1 year ago

Yes, in the U.S, some people actually do live off tips.

56points

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#37

Not sure if it's a custom but i hate the fact that all children are expected to leave their family's house and live on their own by at least their 20s.

I come from the middle east where it's very common to live in multi generational houses. You'd probably never leave your family's house unless you are getting married or they literally just kick you out or something lol.

Actually many people choose to remain in their family's house even after marrying and having kids and what not. It's very normal here for a house to have like 3-4 different generations of the same family in it.

Pinetree808 Report

Final score:

76points

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Boredest Disabled Panda 1 year ago

There are advantages and disadvantages to each system. The kind of system described here works well for a communal society, but it can also be stifling. I wouldn't have wanted to continue living with my very dysfunctional, overprotective and critical family far into my adulthood.

78points

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#38

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused The whole "building credit" thing. Not sure it's a custom or just plain stupid. The amount of money that I can borrow is a reflection of my income and what it is that I want to borrow money for. The idea that you can't get a mortgage because you didn't pay for groceries with a credit card 10 years ago is absurd.

I suppose part of it is how the housing market works, it weird that if you can't pay your mortgage, then you can just drop the keys in the mailbox and it suddenly becomes a problem for the bank. Here if you can't pay your mortgage it's still your house and your problem. Sure the bank can use the law to make the government force you to sell to pay of debt, but that's different.

FluffyBaseball6373 , Pixabay Report

Final score:

68points

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Aubrie Allen 1 year ago

Paying your rent or your normal bills doesn't show up on your credit report is stupid.

51points

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#39

Everyone is unbelievably so patriotic but also incredibly proud of their Irish or Italian roots. It’s fun to be American until someone mentions your natural tan.

Embarrassed_Phase_52 Report

Final score:

60points

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Gustav Gallifrey 1 year ago

An American lady once said to me '...of course, i'm Swedish'. She had been born in the US, no-one in her family had lived in Sweden since the late 19th century, she'd never been to Sweden, and spoke no Swedish. But, she maintained that she was 'Swedish'.

53points

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#40

“The Toilet Gap”: 40 Normal American Things That Make The Rest Of The World Confused Putting ice in every drink no matter the temperature, season, or anything.

stoned_broccoli , Kaffee Meister Report

Final score:

51points

POST

PlatinumThe8-BitCat 1 year ago

Whenever I can I actually avoid getting ice because it just waters down the drink

38points

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What do you think ?

Zephyr343 1 year ago

Ah, thank goodness! Another America bashing thread. I was worried since its been 5 days since they posted the last one

Chris Jones 1 year ago

We should always boycott them - only way they'll stop. Trouble is people went to comment and defend, not unreasonably. Ignoring it completely would be the only way to deal with it really. BP only care about advertisers and want clicks and comments.

26points

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LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago

I sent an email about this article to BoredPanda addressing the disturbing amount of stereotyping against their US readers. I let them know how cruel stereotypes are and how these types of articles and constant censorship is alienating there readers.I highly doubt they will ever read it though. I was a member of this site when it first started and it makes me sad to see what it has become.

5points

Ashlisha 1 year ago

In case everyone is wondering about the freedom. Dunno about you, but I have very little choice but to lives within the constrains of my home country.

4points

L Coffeen 1 year ago

It's almost like this country isn't as great as everyone says it is. Please bash more maybe it will get through to some people.

0points

Jaaawn 1 year ago

If BP produced an article like this about the UK, then us Brits wouldnt take it all SO personally because we actually know how to laugh about ourselves whereas Americans get so offended.