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30 Things Americans Can’t Seem To Live Without, As Observed By Non-Americans
Cars and guns. Flags and freedom. Fast-food and air-conditioning. That’s what the United States is all about—or at least the stereotypical version of America, according to the internet. No matter how hard people try, it looks like there are some stereotypes that Americans just can’t shake.
Whether because of pop culture or anecdotal experiences with tourists, some foreigners have a very clear-cut picture in their minds of what American everyday life is like. Even though it actually varies so much. And redditor Pfl2020 wanted to find out what exactly non-Americans think that Americans can’t live without.
Check out some of the most interesting responses to their thread and remember to give the ones that you relate to a big ol’ upvote as you scroll down. We’d also love to hear your opinions on what you associate Americans with, dear Pandas. And if you’re from the US, share your thoughts and feelings about these stereotypes in the comments.
For instance, I personally associate Americans with extremely warm and friendly people, delicious homecooked meals, great education, excellent four square skills on the playground, flags, and… powdered donuts (yum!). I’m pretty sure there are unfriendly Americans out there, but I’ve yet to meet one in person. (They could be a myth conjured up by jealous Canadians.)
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#1
The belief that they’re more free than the rest of the world.
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
Definitely NOT. Every country has there issues but for a western country the US has some serious big issues that aren't as prevalent in other western countries.
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#2
The believe that America is the greatest of all democracies while it is just another empire on its way down...
#3
Medical debt
Idan York 4 years ago
Not just medical debt, but serious debt of many kinds. Everything paid on credit or loan, and people working just to pay interest while being "1 paycheck from the street" while the government will not help you if you get in financial or medical trouble, are hungry or face eviction.
It’s best to think of cultural stereotypes as incredibly rough guidelines that sometimes help us navigate life, but you should never think that they’re completely accurate representations of reality. Life’s too complex and deep to be summed up in a couple of throwaway phrases.
Not all Americans are overweight, own a gun, only speak English, and tip their waiters all the time. But does the country have a problem with obesity? Yes, it does. According to the CIA, 36.2 percent of all Americans were considered to be obese in 2016. And the US ranked twelfth in the world by obesity. But it would be unfair to ignore that in such a vast country there are plenty of fitness enthusiasts and healthy eaters out there, too.
#4
A sense of superiority and a denial of the truth of their own history.
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
I am English and I am ashamed of MY country's sense of superiority and a denial of the truth of their own history. Especially concerning the slave trade and the way they treated the Irish during the Irish famine.
#5
Fast food. I remember watching a piece about how fast food is sometimes the cheapest option for poor families. They literally can't afford to eat healthily.
wandile dludlu 4 years ago
The fact that even their fast food is worse... there is this show on youtube where they compare Uk and US fast foods from the same brand. example: chips in the UK have potatoes, vegetable oil, salt... in the US, it has 11 other ingredients.
#6
Flags. You really care about showing off flags. Pro tip: Any place with lots of flags has a national identity crisis.
Awkward Manatee 4 years ago
I mean, this flag site is probably a memorial/grave to veterans so yeah, this specific picture might be a tad offensive. However, as an American, I really don't understand why everyone is so obsessed with American flags. Although uh I'll take that flag over,,, certain,,, other flags that show up in the south :(
Some stereotypes are nearly perfectly true, however. Like how much Americans love cars. They're not the only ones, though. The US really does have a car obsession and ranks fourth on Planet Earth by the number of motor vehicles per capita, but it falls right behind—you’ll never believe it—New Zealand. That’s right, our loveable Kiwis own more cars, on average, than Americans do. Who needs eagles when our hobbit protagonists could have headed to Mordor in a Volvo?
Plenty of Americans really can’t live without cars because they rely on them for their day-to-day lives. Those who argue against this would point to the fact that, in 2019, Americans also took a whopping 9.9 billion trips on public transportation. Which sounds very impressive...
...Until you realize that there were 328.2 million people living in the US that year and that they'd each end up using public transportation just over 30 times each, on average. All year. So there's some truth to the stereotype about loving cars after all. But it's not the entire story. Nor the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Not by far.
#7
The goddamn Imperial System of Units.
I don't even live in the US but a lot of content on the internet is American and it annoys me when I need to multiply miles by 1.6 to get kilometers.
Dominika Juillet 4 years ago
omg yes, this is terrible. I've been here over five years and I still can't get used to it. :"My god, the temperature is over 100? are we FRYING TO DEATH??"
#8
A car. In European countries, it’s pretty common that you can get anywhere by public transport, but I haven’t heard about any properly functioning public transportation besides New York’s subway.
Jolee Koop 4 years ago
My friends are always confused when I tell them how there isn't any public transport in most of the US. They didn't understand why Uber was doing so well in the US, well thats why. You need a car to get anywhere and most people can't afford one
#9
Bumper stickers informing others of their opinions.
Candace Fitzpatrick 4 years ago
And on t-shirts. If I wear a t-shirt with a graphic on it, it’s a band name or beer merch (because I get those free from work lol)
#10
High Self confidence. Good thing in most people. Bad thing in flat earthers and antivaxxers
Cynthia Bonville 4 years ago
That is not all of us, just the loud ones. You really only see the loud ones.
#11
Material consumption. This is true in most places but from my observation it seems to go to another level in America. Everyone spends so much time discussing the latest thing they bought and how great it is.
Awkward Manatee 4 years ago (edited)
Yes, ew. I'm American and I hate consumer culture so much.
#12
Insurance. If they get sick without it, they're [screwed]. Meanwhile, if I have an health issue in Europe, I'll get free assistance in case of emergency and pay a small fee (usually between 30€ and 70€) for a routine visit.
#13
A house. Even if you can't afford it. No flat — a house. Big house with two living rooms: one for family, one for ????
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago (edited)
Maybe I am just privileged coz I could never live in a unit or apartment. I don't need 2 living rooms though. Just an extra room to clean lol.
#14
Mentioning someones race/culture/sex etc. constantly
Helen Haley 4 years ago
The history of the US is steeped in race/culture/sex atrocities. I think it is an attempt at over correction.
#16
War? Jk but I read somewhere in all layout history you’ve only had 17 years when you weren’t at war with someone or the other
David K 4 years ago
Some say that the USA is a culture of war rooted within a widespread ethos that uses military force in pursuit of self-interests. The truth is however that the USA has been continuously at war since the earliest days of its existence as a nation and the political, economic, cultural, and moral costs and consequences of war have reduced the USA's moral authority, political stability, and economic viability. Way out? I don´t know the right answer. Perhaps the USA must establish itself as a “culture of peace” by pursuing a new set of cultural ethoses.
#17
News telling them who to be angry and outraged with this week.
#18
Air-conditioning. That's usually the first complaint that American migrants have in Germany.
#19
Guns, walmart, and deep friers
Ludwig Michiel 4 years ago
Deep friers are pretty standard in Belgian households: we love our fries :)
#20
Soda pop. Spent some time in the southwest. Everyone had these enormous refillable beverage containers they would refill with soft drinks multiple times a day. While I agree it is important to stay hydrated, the jugs i saw held 1.75 quarts, and that much fountain drink could contain more than 200 grams of sugar.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
Caffeine. It is the only reason any of us are awake. We don't take vacations, and our sleep patterns suck. Ergo, caffeine obsession.
#21
Garburators, garbage disposal. Every time an American was house hunting on House Hunters International, the Americans always wanted a garburator and would be disappointed if the kitchens didn't have one.
Awkward Manatee 4 years ago
I have never heard the word Garburator before and uh wow I like it much better than garbage disposal.
#22
Fahrenheit... it’s such nonsense. Celsius is where it’s at!
Martha Meyer 4 years ago
I think both of these systems are equally arbitrary. That's why scientists use Kelvin.
#23
A credit card. Not sure why people use it over there, possibly because of their weird credit system that seems to be so essential to their lives, or because of their even weirder mindset of liking to spend money they don't have. Probably both.
#24
Ice. What's the deal with ice machines and them being such a big deal in any TV show or movie set in a hotel or motel?
Foxxy (The Original) 4 years ago
These people must live somewhere with a cool climate coz we have ice machines all over the place from petrol stations, supermarkets and bottle-o's etc
#25
Paper plates. Used in your own home? That’s quite bizarre to me.
#26
Military.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
Our oligarchs are control freaks who like playing chess with the world.
#27
Loans or debts of some sort, especially in their younger years. And i think Americans literally can't live without insurance.
Helen Haley 4 years ago
We'd love to live without loans and debt, but for the majority, if you want a job you need a car which needs a loan. You want a job that pays an almost living wage? You need an education, for an education, you need a loan.
#29
Cheddar cheese, and jumbo everything
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
Cheddar cheese is a big deal in the UK too. After all it comes from the town of Cheddar in Somerset, England.
#30
Automatic transmissions.
What do you think ?
Lord Ponsonby 4 years ago
I've travelled extensively in the US and I found from east coast to west coast, the people to be friendly, humorous and welcoming. Of course you have your rude people, stupid people but that is no different from any other part of the world. I received acts of kindness, even in the big cities, that you would not even imagine in the more reserved capitals of Europe. I wish Americans would travel more and be welcomed better around the world. If these US small towns would just see that people around the world hold dear the same things they hold dear, safety, security, family and loved ones the world would be a better place.
Kevin Clendening 4 years ago
Well said. I'll add that I've travelled both the US and the World extensively, and the reality is people and countries around the globe are more similar than they are different. These kinds of articles can be fun and interesting, when they highlight interesting differences in cultures. These days it's just a bunch of attack pieces, and often based on stereotype and anti-American propaganda.
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Lucas 4 years ago
Can't we vary this theme a little and pick what we think some other countries can't live without? Stop picking on the US. I'm a Brit and I'm bored with it. I'll start - yes, I can't live without my cup of tea first thing in the morning!
Faith Hurst-Bilinski 4 years ago
I also cannot live without my cup of tea in the morning! With cream. Oh, but I'm in California. There are too many people in these huge countries for this kind of thing. I can't tell you how many times I've stared out the window at the snow coming down while I read about how there is no snow in Southern California. You'd think we all lived on the coast or something. I've traveled this entire country, expect Alaska (someday, Alaska!), as well as several countries and we are far more similar than most of the people writing these would like to believe.
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Lord Ponsonby 4 years ago
I've travelled extensively in the US and I found from east coast to west coast, the people to be friendly, humorous and welcoming. Of course you have your rude people, stupid people but that is no different from any other part of the world. I received acts of kindness, even in the big cities, that you would not even imagine in the more reserved capitals of Europe. I wish Americans would travel more and be welcomed better around the world. If these US small towns would just see that people around the world hold dear the same things they hold dear, safety, security, family and loved ones the world would be a better place.
Kevin Clendening 4 years ago
Well said. I'll add that I've travelled both the US and the World extensively, and the reality is people and countries around the globe are more similar than they are different. These kinds of articles can be fun and interesting, when they highlight interesting differences in cultures. These days it's just a bunch of attack pieces, and often based on stereotype and anti-American propaganda.
Load More Replies... Lucas 4 years ago
Can't we vary this theme a little and pick what we think some other countries can't live without? Stop picking on the US. I'm a Brit and I'm bored with it. I'll start - yes, I can't live without my cup of tea first thing in the morning!
Faith Hurst-Bilinski 4 years ago
I also cannot live without my cup of tea in the morning! With cream. Oh, but I'm in California. There are too many people in these huge countries for this kind of thing. I can't tell you how many times I've stared out the window at the snow coming down while I read about how there is no snow in Southern California. You'd think we all lived on the coast or something. I've traveled this entire country, expect Alaska (someday, Alaska!), as well as several countries and we are far more similar than most of the people writing these would like to believe.
Load More Replies... 
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