Join the Fun!

Feminizing , Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Knowledge is not elitism and not trusting experts will literally k*ll us all.

103points

POST

keyboardtek 5 days ago

The anti science Evangelical Christians and the New Age antivaxers are a whole class of ignorance unto themselves.

27points

ShaftManlike , Getty Images/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should You are not temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

You are closer to being homeless than to being a millionaire.

A poor white person has more in common with a poor black person than with a rich white person.

Class solidarity above all else.

97points

POST

Nikole 5 days ago

As it should be. Alas…

8points

ehrabak , Fred Moon/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Once freedoms are lost they are likely gone for good. A democracy is not guaranteed and is fragile. It takes checks and balances to make sure there is no overstep. Unchecked power will destroy this experiment called the United States of America.

92points

POST

Lucifer 5 days ago (edited)

During the Boris Yelstin years when communism was slowly falling, the Russian oligarchs stepped in to make everything private and loot as much of the public wealth as possible. Then Putin came in and got the oligrachs under his thumb. In the US it started with "Trickle Down Economics" and now literal billionaires are about to do something far more worse. As Carlin said " rights aren't rights if someone can take them away. They are temporary privileges". That theory is about to be tested, again.

32points

LolSumor , Michael Parulava/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Russia is not a friend of Republican nor Democratic party nor the people of that matter. The goal of Russian state is to cause chaos and polarization within US. Well, this goes to anywhere in the world. Divide and conquer.

91points

POST

Pittsburgh rare 5 days ago

The goal of Russia is to cause chaos and polarization EVERYWHERE. It's proven to be linked to some independence movements within Spain as well

37points

Jfonzy , Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Social media is not your friend.

80points

POST

Lotekguy 5 days ago

... or anyone's.

22points

MrDankSnake , Getty Images/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should The politicians/party you vote for are not immune to criticism. If anything, you should hold your own politicians to a higher standard. They’re supposed to represent you, not the other way around.

75points

POST

Lotekguy 5 days ago

Rhetoric isn't representation. Don't reelect someone who didn't deliver on the promises made to get your vote the last time.

18points

HippoPebo , Andy Quezada/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should The importance of education.

75points

POST

troufaki13 5 days ago

Not just for the Americans.

23points

AspectTemporary824 , Edmond Dantès/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Social media is designed to get you to engage with it and use it. It is not a source of news. It is a source of propaganda.

74points

POST

Sand Ers 5 days ago

Literally calculated to be addictive.

16points

fuzzylilbunnies , Nout Gons/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#10

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should That we no longer live in a country that was established for the people, by the people. It is a business, and has been run into the ground. Good luck everyone, may the odds be ever in your favor.

67points

POST

Megan Humphries 5 days ago

It has always been for the rich. Most of the founding fathers were fairly wealthy land owners. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are two examples; they owned large plantations.

14points

GrinningPariah , Joshua Earle/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#11

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should We are *very* dependent on what happens in the rest of the world.

Americans seem to want to believe we can put up the walls and forget about the rest of the world. But from the temperature of the ocean to the price of semiconductors, what happens across the world affects us. Instability in countries across the world affects us. We're the world's biggest economy, everything we do has international implications and those go both ways.

We do not get to opt out. Any attempt is just surrendering control.

65points

POST

Lotekguy 5 days ago

And we can't control what the rest of the world does. It's not all about the USA. Every country has its own reality apart from ours.

27points

illegallysmolkate , Caleb Fisher/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#12

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should That those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it.

65points

POST

keyboardtek 5 days ago

Americans do not learn the true history of America. It is completely whitewashed to make the white ruling class look good.

18points

Topbernina , Ono Kosuki/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#13

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should How important it is to follow the global news to understand what can hit home. For example, most economies had high inflation after covid, not just the Biden administration.

65points

POST

Sand Ers 5 days ago

That circles back to the "education" point. An ignorant and incurious population won't look, and won't understand it when told.

26points

Kyounokaze , Wonderlane/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#14

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Just because someone is different doesn't mean they are an enemy.

61points

POST

Lotekguy 5 days ago

And just because they aren't up to speed on your preferred vocabulary doesn't mean they are against you in substance.

24points

SacluxGemini , cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#15

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should That you need to do your research BEFORE the election, not after.

61points

POST

Nikole 5 days ago

All of those people who googled “tariffs” on Nov 6th…

23points

BellaSmith11 , Simon Joseph/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#16

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should America needs to understand that empathy and open dialogue are key to bridging divides, not just picking sides.

55points

POST

Francois 5 days ago

Well that is true for any country. The art of agreeing to disagree has been lost.

16points

Specialist-Ad-6957 , Ahmed/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#17

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Voting in your local elections is more important than voting for president. Want that police reform? Education funding spread out? Someone in congress who wants to put on term limits? Local elections.

54points

POST

PFD 5 days ago

One of relatively few here that really is meaningful for Americans specifically.

15points

majinspy , Charlie Harris/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#18

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should You can't vote away economic forces. The post ww2 economy is gone for very explainable reasons. Coal mining and steel plant jobs are going away for very explainable reasons. Nobody is at fault. Nobody has stolen anything. People want to vote away having to adapt to the future and this is simply not the way.

51points

POST

Bear Hall 5 days ago

Individual people made all decisions to move these industries overseas and individals made the decisions not to stop them or at least remedy the consequences all in the name of money, stupidity and laziness. The individual responsiblity of these leaders should be researched andreveald to the general public. Not to punish them but to finally learn something from the past.

13points

aryn505 , Usman Yousaf/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#19

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Equality doesn’t mean someone else is getting more or special rights than you. Also that people need to mind their own business and focus on themselves instead and let people live their lives.

51points

POST

Skogsrået 5 days ago

Some people seem to think that equal rights somehow means less rights for them? It's not a pie were are talking about here.

14points

Volantis009 , Nini FromParis/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#20

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should How to listen, and that words mean exactly what they mean not what you feel they mean.

48points

POST

Bear Hall 5 days ago

This would be good advice for most of the people I know, independent of their country of origin. On the other hand, people speaking should understand that most of us listen with our heart first and not with our brain.

10points

pr0crasturbatin , michael schaffler/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#21

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should How government works. How power is divided, how rules are made and enforced, how the court system works, and how each of these institutions can be manipulated to disproportionately benefit one side or another.

44points

POST

ADJ 5 days ago

And how USA is not a beacon of freedom, and has not been for years.

24points

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

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#22

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Tariffs.

Trolling_For_Peace , Mohamed hamdi/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

41points

POST

Bear Hall 5 days ago

Or how the economy works in general. It should be taught in elementary school first. But the people in power are not interested in voters seeing through their big words. And unfortunately its true in most of the countries in the world.

12points

SurprisedWildebeest , Miguelangel Miquelena/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#23

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should It can be hard to recognize propaganda and disinformation.

41points

POST

StarCrossedFriday 5 days ago

Yes, social media plays an interesting role there, too. You can find ‘proof’ of virtually any claim. And yet people are more convinced than ever that only they ‘know the truth’.

7points

Alternative-Demand65 , Zachary Ferguson/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#24

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should That one can be against violence and still be fine with defending themselves.

39points

POST

CG 5 days ago

Martial artists are typically like this (myself included). I don't go out seeking a fight, but if I'm attacked, it's better to have the knowledge on how to protect myself.

6points

phageblood , Karolina Grabowska/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#25

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should That's being Christian isn't the be all end all of every Americans lives.

38points

POST

Cee Cee 5 days ago

Unfortunately all too often it is the cause of much misery and inequality. Dumbing down education for example. Removing books from public libraries, ensuring women don't have autonomy over their bodies etc.

17points

MayaWright1 , Wesley Tingey/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#26

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should America needs to understand that we’re more divided than ever, and listening to each other, even when we disagree, is the only way forward.

38points

POST

keyboardtek 5 days ago

I have yet to meet a conservative who has an open mind to an opposing view. It is their mental programming, like a member of Scientology is programmed to avoid all exposure to any views critical of their cult.

7points

GargamelLeNoir , LARAM/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#27

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Real solutions to the most important problems are almost always slow, frustrating, complicated, long term, unsexy. By the time they have worked people aren't even happy about it because they forgot about the problem. If someone arrives with a bunch of simple satisfying solutions to all problems they're ignorant or conning you.

36points

POST

Nikole 5 days ago

But… He said he’d lower the cost of groceries and we’d all have more money in general!!

15points

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

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#28

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Tariffs raise consumer prices.

DickRichman , Felix Fuchs/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

35points

POST

Forrest Hobbs 5 days ago (edited)

Import/export tariffs also harm overall economic performance, worsening industrial competiveness and frankly everything. Trade wars are bad for everyone's business. No-one wins: everyone loses.

10points

ronswanson11 , Getty Images/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#29

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Keeping a democracy requires work and participation, lest you would rather have no voice any longer. Apathy is going to destroy this country.

34points

POST

Lotekguy 5 days ago

Going to???? It's already under way.

8points

dylanmierzwinski , Hasibullah Zhowandai/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#30

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Other people matter too.

32points

POST

eric p 5 days ago

Everyone and everything is matter

1point

mk*llham , DON JACKSON-WYATT/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#31

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should We are being manipulated by foreign enemies to hate each other. No other military in the world comes close to our power. China and Russia both know this, so they are using online armies to enrage us online. Sadly, it’s working and could have catastrophic consequences if our simmering fury ever boils over into widespread violence.

31points

POST

Lucifer 5 days ago (edited)

Yuri Bezmenov(defected Soviet journalist) actually gave an interview in the 80's describing how Russia will turn the US population against each other even more. He said it would take about 25-40 years for that goal to be complete. Social media accelerated the process.

25points

Familiar-Adeptness-7 , Ahmet Kurt/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#32

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Taxes.

I’m an American living in Europe for 8 years, I’m repeatedly told how nice it must be to have free schools, healthcare, transport, etc.

We have all this because we pay around 40-50% income tax & 21% sales tax where I live.

It all comes back to taxes.

(PS… most of these aren’t free, just heavily subsidized and made affordable).

30points

POST

Forrest Hobbs 5 days ago

40%-50% income tax? Seriously? Here in the UK, the first £12570 of income is untaxed. The next band, up to £50270, is taxed at 20%. It's only income above £57270 which attracts 40% tax. And we have free health care. One reason we can afford it is that the NHS has huge purchasing power so can do good deals with the firms that supply medicines and medical equipment. Meanwhile in the USA, the medical industry is all about maximising profit so d**g prices are sky-high.

28points

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

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#33

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Just because your government is doing it and not you, doesn’t mean you can ignore it.

TraiditionalRedditor , Getty Images/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

30points

POST

Matt Richardson 5 days ago

Exactly what would you have us do? We know what they've done, what they are doing, and what they will do. Perhaps write sternly worded letters to congress? Go on a show hosted by talking heads and trash them? Or maybe a daytime talk show hosted by old ladies? Publish tell-all tabloids? Maybe incite mass riots and incinerate Wall Street (That's where the real power lies)? We are not ignoring the sins of our government, but I do think the rest of world is being hypocritical when it comes to their own Governments/Religions/Cults. Take this attitude and shove it. As it stands right now, we are more divided than ever, we are more repressed, and many of us are just struggling to survive on a rapidly dwindling paycheck in the face of ever rising inflation. We are in survival mode, and sadly, right now the enemy is not only our own government, but some of fellow Americans as well. Ask any American, and they will tell you the sins of our Government, so STFU.

6points

Ok-Hour414 , Ave Calvar/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

#34

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should The power of genuine empathy and open dialogue. A little more willingness to listen and to consider perspectives outside our own experiences could really help bridge divides, reduce misunderstandings, and ultimately foster stronger communities.

28points

POST

StarCrossedFriday 5 days ago

Problem is, the overwhelming view these days is ‘why should I listen to his views if he doesn’t listen to mine?’. Which of course gets us all nowhere, but it certainly does make our actual enemies happy.

2points

#35

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should Voting is important. Dedicating time out of your day to understanding the issues is important. It's also okay if you don't have time to understand everything, and it's okay if you don't vote on everything and only vote on what you do understand. But voting matters.

lokey_convo , Unsplash+ Community/Unsplah (not the actual photo) Report

25points

POST

ADJ 5 days ago

I always wondered, why do Americans vote on business (ie. working) day. It almost seems like it is supposed to make it harder for a working class to vote.

15points

ki15686 , Clarisse Meyer/Unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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#36

People Share 35 Things Americans Don't Understand But Should History.

12points

POST

Geoffrey Scott 5 days ago

"Those who forget history..."

1point

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I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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What do you think ?

POST

Tams21 5 days ago

This should be titled "43 things everyone needs to understand". There are very few things that apply explicitly to Americans and ignorance and misinformation can be found everywhere.

29points

Paul Rabit 5 days ago (edited)

Seriously - what a hate-click bait.

10points

Lotekguy 5 days ago

Many of these are such obvious common-sense statements they shouldn't need to be proffered. Yet here we are, and those who should heed them most won't read them or recognize how far they are from living these principles.

9points

Carl Roberts 5 days ago

Whoa...I think BP actually went a full 2 weeks before posting this latest "America bad" listicle

6points

Forrest Hobbs 2 days ago

This list reads like a list of things that Americans think Americans need to know about - not so much "America bad", more "Americans trying to teach Americans".

0points

Pittsburgh rare 5 days ago

I'm honestly scared because they appointed Health Secretary an antivaxxer nutjob and my spineless country has never had serious health control in the borders so we're going to be the entry door for illnesses that were almost eradicated.

6points

Sand Ers 5 days ago

I have to admit I'm at a loss as to why the Nazis want to reestablish and spread deadly diseases that had been nearly eradicated. But they've been arguing for it long enough to make it clear that it's intentional, and not just a side effect of some other goal.

3points

Forrest Hobbs 2 days ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Gozer LeGozerian 5 days ago

This comment has been deleted.

-2points

Mari 4 days ago

Nothing about the climate change denial?

2points

Mike F 4 days ago

That ship has sailed. There are a whole new batch of BS ideas to quarrel with.

1point

Brian irby 5 days ago

What a condescending article. Most of the people I voted for, including for the presidency lost, but that's democracy. We aren't on the verge of a hellscape. Republicans will overreach (just like the Biden administration) and then they will lose power. I've been voting for thirty years, we haven't careened off a cliff yet.

1point

antoinette maldari 5 days ago

yet...

3points

Tamra 5 days ago

We haven't had a convicted felonious demagogue with borderline sanity in power before. If ever we careen off a cliff, it will be in his bumbling, power hungry hands.

2points

Jac Carr 2 days ago

You've never given permission for a bigoted, narcissistic, compulsively lying rapist to have another go at plundering the country before

0points

Becky Samuel 4 days ago

You just don't see the drop yet. You're already half-way over the edge. I just wish you weren't taking so many others down with you.

0points

Gozer LeGozerian 5 days ago

There sure are some maga bots busy downvoting everything here

1point

Ionescu Popa 5 days ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

nuberiffic 2 days ago

I'd add: your casual attitude towards guns is sickening. These are incredibly dangerous, lethal weapons: yet you can just stick one in your pocket and go to McDonald's

0points

Smeghead Tribble Down Under 4 days ago

One thing Americans seem to have a mental block about - active shooter drills in schools shouldn't be accepted as normal. Cannot and will not ever understand the American obsession with guns. And when there's a mass shooting? All run out and buy MORE guns! It just short-circuits my brain. No guns = no mass shootings. It really, truly isn't rocket science.

0points

Kevin Hickey 4 days ago

Americans need to understand that gasoline is a finite resource.

0points

Guess Undheit 5 days ago

Yanks still "think" there are always and only "two sides" of every discussion. WRONG. There is only one side on some (all people deserve human rights, including abortion, LGBTQIA people, etc.) and MANY sides on other issues. "Binary thinking" is ignorance.

0points

Verena 5 days ago

The major problem for everybody living in huge countries is the distance to other cultures. This is one of my top 5 why I love to be an European. It is very hard to not come into active and close contact with entirely different cultures and languages. Spending holidays in a different country is fairly easy and not very expensive. The next border is usually a max 2 hour drive away. Physical shopping across borders is common, working in a different country than you were born in is nothing special. This results in a basis of at least knowing and often understanding that different lifestyles are nothing to get upset about, it is normal. And it makes it easier to "shop around" for better solutions to all kinds of poblems. You just see that a different approach does work.

0points

Brian Garcia 5 days ago

Normally don't post too often here, tends to be an anti-American rant on too many articles. Cool, I get it. But your supposition is beyond reproach. We have a huge country, not by choice...any many of our states are exceptionally diverse and different in character, norms, and traditions. The insane notion that the U.S. somehow "picked" its geography is asinine. We have four borders...two oceans, the United States of Mexico, and Canada. If you want to deride the U.S. for other reasons, hey...that's your prerogative. But to slap down due to geography realities is just simple-minded. What you're celebrating is geographical and historically based, don't pretend to suggest you somehow had a voice in it. Been to Europe...love it, Asia...love it, much of Mexico...love it. So much bashing on our country...we're big, diverse, and quite spread apart. Please don't take that to mean that we don't appreciate other cultures, lifestyles, travel, etc.

0points

Justin Tyme 4 days ago

One thing Americans should understand: Bored Panda hates you.

-2points

Ionescu Popa 5 days ago

smart, but self-interested. not what to do for the best, but what to do for your own best. most of them will not even secondarily move few rocks for the real good. its only good point is that it's more authentically patriotic that the usual shtshow, though not necessarily less self-serving. the problem down here is that anyone's efforts, including the government's or deep state's, can change little in general, and even less in a good sense - the bad things were born collective, systemic, self-learning and self-regulating. as matrix puts it: we tried more scenarios; fastest, they revolted against the best utopias.

-2points

POST

Tams21 5 days ago

This should be titled "43 things everyone needs to understand". There are very few things that apply explicitly to Americans and ignorance and misinformation can be found everywhere.

29points

Paul Rabit 5 days ago (edited)

Seriously - what a hate-click bait.

10points

Lotekguy 5 days ago

9points

Carl Roberts 5 days ago

Whoa...I think BP actually went a full 2 weeks before posting this latest "America bad" listicle

6points

Forrest Hobbs 2 days ago

This list reads like a list of things that Americans think Americans need to know about - not so much "America bad", more "Americans trying to teach Americans".

0points

Pittsburgh rare 5 days ago

6points

Sand Ers 5 days ago

3points

Forrest Hobbs 2 days ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Gozer LeGozerian 5 days ago

This comment has been deleted.

-2points

Mari 4 days ago

Nothing about the climate change denial?

2points

Mike F 4 days ago

That ship has sailed. There are a whole new batch of BS ideas to quarrel with.

1point

Brian irby 5 days ago

1point

antoinette maldari 5 days ago

yet...

3points

Tamra 5 days ago

We haven't had a convicted felonious demagogue with borderline sanity in power before. If ever we careen off a cliff, it will be in his bumbling, power hungry hands.

2points

Jac Carr 2 days ago

You've never given permission for a bigoted, narcissistic, compulsively lying rapist to have another go at plundering the country before

0points

Becky Samuel 4 days ago

You just don't see the drop yet. You're already half-way over the edge. I just wish you weren't taking so many others down with you.

0points

Gozer LeGozerian 5 days ago

There sure are some maga bots busy downvoting everything here

1point

Ionescu Popa 5 days ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

nuberiffic 2 days ago

I'd add: your casual attitude towards guns is sickening. These are incredibly dangerous, lethal weapons: yet you can just stick one in your pocket and go to McDonald's

0points

Smeghead Tribble Down Under 4 days ago

0points

Kevin Hickey 4 days ago

Americans need to understand that gasoline is a finite resource.

0points

Guess Undheit 5 days ago

0points

Verena 5 days ago

0points

Brian Garcia 5 days ago

0points