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What’s totally acceptable and completely normal in one country might get you some funny looks elsewhere. Or, in other words, welcome to Planet Earth where there are loads of different countries and cultures that are bound to blow your mind when you travel.

This time, we’re looking at the differences between the United States and the United Kingdom. Even though both countries have a ‘special relationship’ (not to mention a rocky initial history together), far from everything is the same there. Hopping ‘over the pond’ means traveling a large distance both physically and culturally, too. Like you'd expect when going to any new country when you fly abroad.

Redditor TownImmediate9060 went on r/AskReddit and wanted to find out what’s socially acceptable in the US but would be horrifying in the UK. The thread went viral and the responses made us seriously realize the extent of the differences between the two allies. Check out some of the best answers below and remember to upvote your fave ones, dear Pandas.

#1

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Healthcare that bankrupts you

chhurry , Olga Guryanova Report

#2

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Paying more than the price you see on a price tag in a shop due to taxes. WTF just put how much it costs!

gibsterminator , Akshay Chauhan Report

#3

Cashiers being forced to stand... give them a chair you masochists

andy_james_78 Report

Britain continues to use soft power to spread its influence abroad. Its cultural impact is off the charts. Just consider how influential the Harry Potter books, musicians like Ed Sheeran, and football entities like the Premier League really are.

They’re known and respected globally. As such, the UK’s able to draw in plenty of tourists (global pandemic notwithstanding because it’s hit everyone badly) and students from abroad because it remains at the forefront of people’s minds.

#4

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Politicians mentioning religion when campaigning

awbayley97 , wikipedia Report

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#5

New mothers going back to work almost immediately after giving birth, because they don’t have paid maternity leave

MultipleDinosaurs Report

#6

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK An $800, four-block ambulance ride.

jeff_the_nurse , REEET JANK Report

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Downunderdude
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anything about the so-called American health system is a mystery to the rest of the world.

Leo Domitrix
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a mystery to a lot of Americans. I'm in the field, so to sp;eak, and we'd LOVE to be consulted on this whole "healthcare legislation" thing, b/c a token panel of a half-dozen MDs is pathetic, compared to the armies of lawyers and bankers and accountants and politicians who seem to think they know hwo to provide healthcare. IMHO. Pet peeve. Rant over. Apologies.

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Id row
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where is it $800? That's a bargain. It's usually anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500. That's why people take ubers to the hospital if they're conscious and not bleeding everywhere. Thank the politicians and the ignorant population for sneering at socialism for that, even though we have socialized school, police, fire and *social* services. But mention socialized health care and Bubba Joe starts screaming about the damned libruls and living in Russia.

John Dilligaf
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

$800? I defy you to find an ambulance that only charges you $800.

Requiem
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same as Caaannnaaadaaa.... you pay it or it goes on your credit score. Stop f*****g talking about this

Steve Barnett
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was only a few years ago that I realised that US citizens have to pay through the nose to stay alive.

Willow
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

800?! In Canada (where I live) the ambulance only costs $50-$80.

Rick Seiden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And, they won't let you get in your car and go. I went to urgent care once when I was dizzy and short of breath. They said they couldn't help me, so I said to my wife, let's go to the ER. They wouldn't let me go that way. They insisted I take an ambulance. I didn't protest as hard as a should have. My wife could have driven me and I would have been perfectly safe.

Vicky Z
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That goes up with the healthcare at #1 and #2! Nothing more horrifying than to lose all your money for your life!

Something
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since emergency healthcare is something that people don't get to shop around for and usually have to insure themselves for, the capitalist model doesn't even work on paper.

Sanne H.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the Netherlands a four-block ambulance ride can be about 800 euros as well (until recently we thought it was free, but we received a medical bill recently). Luckily it’s covered by the insurance company for a large part.

TexasWoman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My insurance, here in the USA, covers all my medical expenses, too. Saving me over $2100 a month on meds

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Johnny Døpe
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They have so much agendas against people in US , it’s disgusting

backatya
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

health care is overly expensive. But if people weren't so selfish and did what other countries do by paying extra taxes then everyone would get healthcare.

Damon Hill
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha! Try being in a car wreck where the other person is at fault. Guess who gets the bill for the ambulance ride AND the tow bill for your car. That's right....YOU. Yes your can file for reimbursement but the insurance company (if they even have insurance) won't pay anything until ALL claims and treatment is complete. So if you're severely injured and treatment goes on for months or years, you're left holding the bag for those bills.

Tim Haight
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its worse if you have to use a helicoper. Something like $8K for a half hour ride. I bought a memership in case it happens again.

Vince
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

have you seen how much they charge you for a saline solution?

Matthew Smith
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What annoys me even 14 years after my dads death, When he was ill over in the US the doctors wouldn't even look at him till his insurance was confirmed. He could have been bleeding out of his eyeballs for crying out loud.

Jim Day
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Check the cost if you have to do it in a Life Flight Helicopter.

John Topper
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Speaking as a paramedic here: Privatized EMS is the most bat sh!t crazy thing you've ever heard of. The absurd prices barely even scratch the surface of how deeply messed up it is.

TexasWoman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, here in the USA, all health care is too costly to those without insurance.........stupid! Also, not all places accept insurance n some don't care to help; was jerking uncontrollably--causing me to punch myself in the head n elsewhere--but the Er didn't do one thing except say "you were able to sit still for 2 min, so we're not admitting you...."

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However, research shows that the confusion and uncertainty around the long-term effects that Brexit, the UK’s exit from the European Union, will have slightly dampened the country’s influence abroad.

Meanwhile, the British Council found that it’s actually culture, not politics, that deepens the ties between the UK and the US. And it’s culture that’s going to play a vital role in the future of both nations as well.

#7

That whole thing where American kids pledge their allegiance to the flag. That is completely weird and scarily totalitarian to us Brits.

Naugrith Report

#8

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Overworking. It's rewarded and encouraged in the U.S., but during my time in the U.K. my colleagues were horrified by the long hours and lack of holidays that was the norm in the U.S.

CuriousAboutLife0 , Alex Kotliarskyi Report

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#9

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Greeters in supermarkets. Just feels fake.

smokingthegateway , Kristina Paparo Report

“Culture and history were the two top rated factors contributing to the UK’s attractiveness among American respondents, with 43% identifying ‘cultural and historic attractions’ as a major draw and 42% identifying ‘history,’” the British Council explains what it discovered in its research.

#10

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Driving everywhere.

In the UK it's perfectly normal to have your kid walk to school and walking to the shops to do your shopping.

X0AN , why kei Report

#11

Offering full-time employees anything less than 28 days of paid holidays per year - it's not only socially unacceptable - it's illegal!

RandGenUserName Report

#12

Bragging about how expensive something was.

In the US "this is a $100 shirt" ...smug face

In the UK "can you believe I got this whole suit for £25!" ...smug face

NCC-2000-A Report

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Despite some of the more superficial cultural differences between the US and the UK, both nations appear to care about pretty much the same issues.

“The research showed a high degree of shared concern about global issues among young people in both countries with poverty, extremism/terrorism, and climate change as the top factors chosen by young people in both the US and UK,” the British Council found. “The research suggests the relationship between the two countries is at root a cultural as much as a political phenomenon, and viewed in those terms it is indeed special.”

#13

Labelling the winner of a sports tournament that only your country plays as ‘World Champions’

Calling Football ‘Soccer’

DM1994 Report

#14

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK A rubber in England is not the same as a rubber in the US.

Butwaip , Annie Spratt Report

#15

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Gaps in bathroom stalls

8xxx5 , ttarasiuk Report

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Ironically, the actual term ‘special relationship’ sees very little use in the US, primarily being a British way of categorizing the tight bonds between the two nations. However, this doesn’t change the fact that both countries are very much skipping along arm-in-arm, primarily admiring each other’s cultural output (leaving politics a secondary concern).

#16

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Making tea in a microwave.

fantsukissa , MoneyBlogNewz Report

#17

When my Brit friends were visiting, they were horrified when the waiter took their credit card to swipe back at the terminal. This made them REALLY uncomfortable.

cn45 Report

#18

Cutting lines for things, I’ve seen some people when going to Disney world trying to cut lines for random reasons. Queueing in the uk is like our national sport

CMDR_omnicognate Report

Redditor TownImmediate9060’s thread about the differences between the US and the UK was a roaring success. It got more than 67.7k upvotes in just over a week. What’s more, the thread got over 51k comments which just goes to show that the OP hit the nail on the head and chose a niche topic that plenty of folks were interested in.

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The thread also got over 300 awards, proving that TownImmediate9060’s fellow Reddit users really appreciated them asking the question in the first place.

#19

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK My (British) partner & I (American) were in London, running late to meet our friends. Just as we get to the tube station, I see our train has just pulled in; we haul ass across platform and I yell, “HOLD THE DOOR.” Someone does, we make the train, I don’t see a problem. My partner, by contrast, is mortified. This was 4-5 years ago & he is still mortified. Apparently we were meant to just...let the train leave? Without us?? & wait for the next one???

Ok-Cryptographer8906 , Chris Yang Report

#20

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Asking new neighbors, "Have you found a church yet?"

boganvegan , Cosmic Timetraveler Report

#21

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Huge portion sizes. Kids meal in U.S is like a adult meal in U.K.

Revolutionary_Ad5901 , Ashley Green Report

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What’s your opinion about the relationship between the US and the UK, dear Readers? What, in your opinion, makes this relationship between the two special? What do you think are the main cultural differences between Americans and Brits? Let us know what you think in the comment section below. We’d absolutely love to get your take on this, especially if you’re currently living in the US or the UK.

#22

I was in Japan once and there was a vending machine selling beer outside my hotel room.

So, being British, I bought a can and went to the elevator where I shared an excruciating couple of minutes with two American business men. They were horrified at my early day drinking, and I at their willingness to express this.

armosnacht Report

#23

As a Brit in the US, this is a fun one!

Pharmaceutical adverts on the TV are still weird af to me

The length and frequency of commercial breaks in general on TV is shocking

Low hanging fruit, but anything relating to child beauty pageants just makes me feel physically sick

Here's a nice one: taking 20+ minutes to help a complete stranger who is struggling with something. The amount of times a total stranger has stopped to assist me or someone I know? Y'all really make my heart melt!

Toxic_Orange_DM Report

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#24

Spray on cheese

Stew32 Report

#25

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Addressing a stranger as ‘Sir’

UnsaddledZigadenus , Wikipedia Report

#26

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Responding to work emails while on leave/vacation.

rekharai Report

#27

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK high fructose corn syrup

itssteveninnit Report

#28

Chanting the acronym of your country at any given opportunity.

NeonDave Report

#29

I don’t know how common it actually is there, but going fucking wild at the cinema during a hugely popular film like Avengers: Endgame or a Star Wars film. There’s a bunch of videos on YouTube of the audience reactions to various big franchise films and I don’t know how anybody lasts more than a few minutes in that room.

When I saw The Force Awakens, like two people half-heartedly cheered when the title screen came up and then someone immediately told them to shut up.

pinksoetko Report

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#30

Refuse a drink to a grown-ass taxpaying 20 year old

Chapelirl Report

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#31

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Telling me how much the tip is going to be.

dumbdoogy , Sam Dan Truong Report

#32

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Not wanting to call for an ambulance if hurt

EdgeofaBlade998 , Diana Polekhina Report

#33

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Anything taking over an hour to get to being a "short trip"

Drakeskulled_Reaper , Flemming Fuchs Report

#34

Chatting with a stranger on the street. I do it all the time. My best friend is English. It horrifies him.

I said “how do you meet new people, like to date?”

“Oh, we get positively trashed in a pub and then it can happen.”

crestonfunk Report

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#35

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Chatting casually at the lift.

Maleficent_Chance , Steven Ley Report

#36

Not pronouncing the 'h' in 'herbs'.

Blandiblub Report

#37

Not horrifying but pausing a show or event to ask members of the military to stand up for an applause would be weird over here.

0ldAndGrumpy Report

#38

The fake enthusiasm that everyone knows is fake but everyone buys into and plays along with.

I'm Irish but work for a company that has a very large UK client and a very large US client and I don't really see that fake enthusiasm coming from the Brits. You might get the odd person but everyone will just think they're a wanker where as with the yanks it's on a whole other level. Gets pretty dry when absolutely everything is "awesome".

incendiaryburp Report

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#39

Talking so loud that everyone within 100 meters can hear what you are saying.

Whooping. Just don't Chad, you aren't on a bucka-roo now.

Listing your positive qualities like you are in a job interview, but in a normal conversation. You must only speak ill of yourself.

penelope-bruz Report

#40

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Americans will ask 'How ya doing?' but not really expect an answer.

thefirstdetective , Victor He Report

#41

Naming your child Randy.

British people ITT: wait, people don't really name their child Randy, do they?

Americans: what's wrong with Randy?

AmigoDelDiabla Report

#42

As I found out is done in another thread the other day "eating sandwiches without butter on the bread" being from the UK this horrifies me.

TrickedintoStuff Report

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#43

Coming from the perspective of a British guy, your style of customer service. Not universally, but very commonly, it’s way too over the top for us.

_Nick_2711_ Report

#44

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK I’ve learned from my British friends that you have to be very careful giving peace signs. If you have your hand facing a certain way, it’s like a “f**k you” in the UK basically, whereas in the US it doesn’t matter which way it’s facing really. Several years ago I sent them a picture with me doing an “incorrect” peace sign and they were appalled

ETA: The offensive version is where your palm is facing inwards

Hawkholly Report

#45

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK When somebody says you should come to their house sometime, actually going by their house sometime.

Overall_Dependent_43 , Milan Popovic Report

#46

Asking for a tour of their house. *SHUDDERS*

notthrowingshade Report

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#47

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK Saying “hello” when you pass people.

Interesting_Shock788 , Jacek Dylag Report

#48

Calling "Where's Wally" "Where's Waldo".

hamm71 Report

#49

strangers asking "where" not if you go to church.

Aakwanderer Report

#50

When someone says, 'make yourself at home' actually making yourself at home

Simple_Boysenberry17 Report

#51

A lot of ice in drinks. My grandfather visited Ireland and asked for ice in his drink. He said the people at the restaurant were confused and gave him two ice cubes.

padillerpadooder Report

#52

30 People List What Things Are Accepted In The US While Are Totally Horrifying In The UK "Bum bag", not "fanny pack".

VapoursAndSpleen Report

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#53

Saying someone has a lot of spunk

Sociolinguisticians Report

#54

Talking about money. It's a bad habit of our never to discuss wages.

prettyfly4aporkpie Report

#55

Looking around someone's house and complimenting things

Caladan109 Report