“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.

This post may include affiliate links.

“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

POST

View more comments

“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

POST

View more comments

“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

POST

View more comments

“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

POST

View more comments

“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

View more comments

“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

View more comments

“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

View more comments

“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

POST

View more comments

“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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#14

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

Beneficial-Sense2879 Report

Final score:

229points

POST

View more comments

#15

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

tehcsiudai23 Report

Final score:

223points

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#20

The electoral college. WTF?

chooks42 Report

Final score:

181points

POST

View more comments

#21

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

roboplegicroncock Report

Final score:

176points

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#23

Mega churches

hopsaa85 Report

Final score:

168points

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#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

POST

View more comments

#26

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

yellowbernard Report

Final score:

155points

POST

View more comments

#27

refusing to use metric

tehcsiudai23 Report

Final score:

147points

POST

View more comments

#28

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

Sufficient-Lake-649 Report

Final score:

138points

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#33

The excessive consumption of Starbucks beverages.

BrunoDeeSeL Report

Final score:

90points

POST

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#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

POST

View more comments

#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

POST

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

#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

View more comments

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

42points

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

Load More Replies...

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.