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Someone Asks “What Wouldn’t Be Nearly As Popular If It Wasn’t For The US?” And 30 People Answer
From Hollywood to PBJ sandwiches, there are countless incredible things for which we can be thankful to no one else than the US.
In Europe, millennial kids grew up watching Powerpuff Girls, wearing Vans slip-ons, and listening to The Smashing Pumpkins in their teenage years. Fast forward to a more recent age and the music world would never be the same without Queen B or controversial Ye. It’s fair to say that the impact of American culture around the globe has been unequaled since the dawn of time, and it’s time to celebrate it!
So today, we looked at this Ask Reddit thread to find out what American staples have found their popularity abroad, according to people, and the responses are very interesting!
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#1
Gender reveal parties. One of the worst gifts the US has given
RELATED:
#2
GPS
The American military gave away one of the coolest technologies to the world. No service fees, no subscriptions. Imagine if Meta or Apple had invented it.
#3
National parks. It was started in America by future Republican president Theodore Roosevelt and quickly it became a world wide practice.
XenoMurph 1 year ago
"Many mistakenly think America’s Yellowstone National Park is the oldest in the world but there’s one that was created a century earlier. Established by the Mongolian government in 1778, the area surrounding Bogd Khan Uul Biosphere Reserve is actually the oldest in the world. It is located south of the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and takes three to four hours to hike. You’ll find many cultural sites surrounding the park, including the ruins of Manzushir Monastery, Buddha Park, and Zaisan Memorial."
#6
Peanut butter
Donkey boi 1 year ago
I'll give them this one because the title says 'America' and not 'the US'. Peanut butter can traced back as far as the the Aztec.
#8
Hamburgers, with pickles mustard etc. It’s a strange combo. Delicious but I doubt the entire world would have that as a common item
Donkey boi 1 year ago (edited)
It was extremely common in Europe before the Americas were even discovered. When the colonists travelled to the new world, it was those people gabbing a snack at the port of Hamburg that carried the idea over the pond. I would argue that America made the cheap, poorly made hamburger popular, but not the hamburger.
#9
Superheroes and their movies.
Mistiekim 1 year ago (edited)
What about anime? Has that been around longer than the American comics, or is that genre not considered a superhero like medium? *Edit to add - my question here is not about anime being first, but that if it was already popular internationally then the US didn’t necessarily contribute something unique? I’m not versed enough in anime or manga to say if there is any kind of superhero similarities.
#10
Disneyland and Disney.
It’s not surprising they’ve been able to expand out to other countries. There’s all the magic, happiness, and whatnot that comes with it.
That, and they are using “It’s a Small World” to hypnotize us all.
Charlie the Cat 1 year ago
Disneyland in the USA opened in 1955. Disneyland Paris opened in 1992.
#12
The word "OK"
#14
Spam in northeast-asia, especially South Korea
American soldiers ate it during the Korea war and it gained popularity to the point that it's a common food for both Koreans, Japanese, and some Chinese cultures such as Shanghainese
#15
Christmas lights strung outside of the houses!
Donkey boi 1 year ago (edited)
I think you'll find that was actually Germany. From there it spread throughout Europe, then moved westward to the Americas.
#16
The Kardashians. Yes. The world hates you
#19
Using inch to measure TV size.
#21
Hating the U.S.
Annik Perrot 1 year ago
We don't "hate" you. We just like to bring you back down à notch or two when your superiority complex goes overboard. 😇
#24
Halloween.
Kirsti-Tina Thompson 1 year ago
As a commercial enterprise, yes. Samhain, it's root, is Irish.
#25
Hollywood
Cuppa tea? 1 year ago
It's not like there weren't other towns and cities names Hollywood before. OP is most likely refering to movie industry based in town called Hollywood, California.
#26
Proms... in other countries some schools host proms just because they see it on TV.
#27
Crocs
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
I question your understanding of the word "popular". Maybe "tolerated".
#28
Black Friday. It’s a worldwide thing now even though only the US has TG the day before.
#30
The Irish. Since we emigrated in the 1800s, all of the big American celebrities say “I’ve got Irish roots” and it’s attracted attention to that little Green island that isn’t part of England. Particularly the west coast of Ireland.
#31
The internet, preceided by the ARPANET, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Defenses.
What do you think ?
Den Ver 1 year ago (edited)
(1) It's not, "Americans ", as a nation writing this, or believing this; it is just a few people nobody has ever heard of. ... If it wasn't the middle of the night when BP uploaded this, people across the US would be correcting the errors -- not just people on the other half of the globe. ... (I rated 2/3rds false the Nat'l Park post) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) The title clearly says, "Things America Made POPULAR" -- not "invented". The European BP commenters are replying, "but it was invented elsewhere", as though they don't understand the difference.
XenoMurph 1 year ago
Ok, so THIS is why there are so many popular US bashing articles on BP. Because the US claims credit for EVERYTHING popular in the entire world. SOME people from the US have no comprehension that the rest of the word invents popular things, or that things existed before the US made them popular.
Den Ver 1 year ago (edited)
Xeno: ... If BP would have posted this 12 hours later, when Americans are awake and the other half of the globe is asleep, you would have seen the same corrections you and others have made -- but without the bile. ... You are conflating what a few people post with the idea that, "the US claims credit for EVERYTHING".
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Den Ver 1 year ago (edited)
(1) It's not, "Americans ", as a nation writing this, or believing this; it is just a few people nobody has ever heard of. ... If it wasn't the middle of the night when BP uploaded this, people across the US would be correcting the errors -- not just people on the other half of the globe. ... (I rated 2/3rds false the Nat'l Park post) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) The title clearly says, "Things America Made POPULAR" -- not "invented". The European BP commenters are replying, "but it was invented elsewhere", as though they don't understand the difference.
XenoMurph 1 year ago
Ok, so THIS is why there are so many popular US bashing articles on BP. Because the US claims credit for EVERYTHING popular in the entire world. SOME people from the US have no comprehension that the rest of the word invents popular things, or that things existed before the US made them popular.
Den Ver 1 year ago (edited)
Xeno: ... If BP would have posted this 12 hours later, when Americans are awake and the other half of the globe is asleep, you would have seen the same corrections you and others have made -- but without the bile. ... You are conflating what a few people post with the idea that, "the US claims credit for EVERYTHING".
Load More Replies...
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