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No country is perfect, but the United States often gets bad press. From gun control to healthcare and political division that seriously hampers positive change, there are a lot of issues the land of the brave is currently facing. But there are plenty of victories it can celebrate as well.
So let's take a look at a recent Reddit post by user KyleB2131 that asked people: "What does America do better than most other countries?" More specifically, its 11,800 comments, where folks have been listing all the things they believe the US should be proud of.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I love the Interstate Rest Areas on road trips. I'm a Canadian from the west coast, and was always VERY impressed with the 24/7 rest areas. Clean washrooms, nice grassy areas for dogs, picnic tables, and a lot of times people selling crafts, or offering free coffee!
I've only driven through the western states, (WA,OR,CA,NV,UT,AZ) but yeah, those rest areas were always reliable. Always well marked signs when the next one was coming up. Just made everything about travelling easier! Thanks neighbours!
Pages ByTheSea 2 years ago
The Pacific Northwest loves our Canadian neighbors! We missed you during Covid lockdowns!
#3
Chatting, I’m from an Asian country where most people will avoid talking to stranger. But you can literally talk to anyone you met in the street in the US and most of them are willing to talk
#4
Turning corn into things that are not corn.
#5
So, here's the truth. America is, and does, a *lot* of things.
We have the world's greatest athletes and most obese population. We have the best healthcare in the world, and 90% of our population can't afford it. We're leaders in creating new wealth and dead end service jobs. We were founded on a revolutionary promise of liberty and justice, by men who owned slaves.
If you really want my top four wins, though, here they are:
**The national parks system and Bureau of Land Management.**
We have hundreds of thousands of square miles of wilderness that is preserved, leased for commercial purposes, available for recreation, or simply held in trust for the people of the United States. And if you haven't seen for yourself, I assure you, [it's f*****g gorgeous](https://www.ourescapeclause.com/best-national-parks-in-usa/). We have wild ancient forests, coral reefs, stunning mountains, tundra, grasslands, deserts, and some of the most impressive and beautiful natural features on this planet. Huge portions are preserved and maintained where literally everyone can enjoy them.
**NASA**
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration put a man on the moon, led the world in space exploration, and spurned developed literally [hundreds of incredible technologies we use every day](https://spinoff.nasa.gov/): Aside from the obvious aerospace advances, we have them to thank for GPS, memory foam mattresses, improved HVAC and insulation, LCD screens, LEDs, microcomputing, food preservation, water purification, solar panels, high capacity batteries, and dozens of different materials and processes. In addition, they've been the leading source of new information about our planet, climate change, and the universe.
**The Smithsonian Institution**
There are people who mistakenly think the Smithsonian is a museum. The Smithsonian is in fact a collection of over 20 museums, galleries, and zoo across three states, plus dozens of research and education centers, collections, affiliates around the globe. It is the single largest organization for science, culture, and history in the world, and it's contributions to preserving history and to literally every scientific discipline are beyond measure. And to me, the greatest part is the heart of the organization in Washington DC: *THIS* is what we've chosen to surround the National Mall, the platonic ideal of our commons and center of our democracy- Dozens of living monuments to art, science, history, and culture. I've personally made at least 3 or 4 visits totaling more than two full weeks, and I've only made it halfway through.
**Music**
The United States is the birthplace of Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Punk, Bluegrass, Country-Western, Rap, and a half a dozen different forms of regional folk music. Nearly every culture in the world imitates our musical forms.
#6
Holidays. My favorite time to be an American is October, I love how hype we get about Halloween here.
Philly Bob Squires 2 years ago
We need to do away with Valentine's Day and have a second Halloween!
#7
Wilderness/land conservation. Hands down. It still isn’t enough and it’s largely a product of the fact that this continent was industrialized/colonized so late in the game + its sheer vastness, but we have some of the best land conservation schemes on the planet. It might be the only thing where I prefer the US over much of Europe, and it’s a huge thing.
#8
Serious answer? Logistics. We're quite a large country and we've gotten very good at moving things around.
#10
Handicap/wheelchair accessibility. Even in smaller towns, our family member in a wheelchair got in and out of restaurants and stores easily.
#11
Honestly? Being friendly and welcoming to strangers. Saying this as a Canadian.
#12
Air conditioner everywhere and free public restrooms. You have to pay to use the restrooms in Europe.
#13
Friendliness.
I’m from London and have lived in the US for 15 years. People here overall are very open to talking to strangers
#14
Geodiversity. We have nearly every biome on Earth available in the lower 48 alone. Adding Alaska and Hawaii just completes the set.
Question: Is there any biome that doesn't exist in The US?
#15
Buffets. No buffet I’ve had can beat the one’s I had in the states.
Philly Bob Squires 2 years ago
Just wash your damned hands before and after restroom before going to the buffet??? PLEASE!
#16
The ability of the American farmer to produce food. It is really staggering the amount of food that is grown here.
Pizzagirl 91 2 years ago
But... Isn't that just about the area that is used? I'm sure European farmers get the most out of the area they have, as well, and there are lots of innovative methods being developed for growing things inside, with as little water as possible. Especially with the growing water crisis, this seems like applauding the student with the most pokemon cards over the one who wins a tournament, right?
#17
Good ethnically diverse food.
There’s a lot that Europe does better about food (for instance, care about quality of ingredients and preparation even at “everyday” priced restaurants).
But in most of the non-US world, you can get very good food of the place you are in, and maybe some mediocre Asian food. (England and Indian food being an exception.) If you are in Rome, for instance, the Italian food will be excellent, but you won’t find a great Spanish tapas bar, Mexican taqueria, or some great pho.
The fact that in most major US cities you can get excellent food that represents a dozen or more different food cultures is unique and awesome.
#18
Women's sports are really wells supported here - so are female athletes.
Despite many memes americans might say about it - if you go to other countries female athletics is really almost non-existent.
#20
While we have a LONG way to go, the USA is comparatively better than a lot of places regarding supporting people with disabilities.
#21
Convenience. In other countries I’ve lived in, many shops and businesses close relatively early and you can’t easily get food or groceries delivered to your door.
#23
Cultural diversity. We have a place for everyone, despite what some people say
Doctor Strange 2 years ago
Except bigots. We don't have a place for bigots. They can get right out of here.
#25
Entertainment
JoyfulZebra 2 years ago
Just because we have the largest entertainment industry, doesn't mean we have the best.
#27
Sewage treatment. A lot of countries you'd consider modern and Western are only just now installing treatment plants so they aren't just dumping their sewage directly into the ocean.
#28
Putting people on the moon & putting cheese like substances in spray cans. Nobody else comes close.
#29
Many of our restaurants offer free bread, or chips and salsa at the Hispanic restaurants. Very few places I’ve been in the world offer a free food item to snack on while waiting for your food to arrive.
#30
General aviation. There are few countries in the world where you can hop into a light airplane and just go. No flight plan required, no extra taxes and fees, just freedom. There are over 5000 public use airports in the US and more than 10000 private use. I'm not talking about millionaires and billionaires flying their gulfstreams around, but the middle class American putzing around in a Cessna on a weekend. Yes, it is an expensive hobby but can be much more attainable than a lot of people think.
What do you think ?
Milan 2 years ago (edited)
This post was meant to be encouraging the US, but somehow it ended up again as bashing the US 🤷🏼♂️😀
Tamra 2 years ago
Every time BP makes a US-centric post like this, no matter the title, it's arranged in a way to wind up as many people as possible, and to set people against each other. Even the title - "Things US does best" - is absolutely designed to get people arguing.
Load More Replies...
Shannon M 2 years ago
Wow, some of these people really don’t know how positivity works. The whole point of this article is to appreciate the things the US does well and instead 90% of the comments are just complaining about things we don’t do well. There’s a time and a place for that, and it’s not here. Some of us are trying to be optimistic about the future.
BordestPanda 2 years ago
Saying anything remotely positive about the US on this site is a good way to whip people into a frenzy.
Load More Replies...
Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
It’s good to see an article that’s positive rather than bragging about what your nation is great at. We all have things to be proud of, some of my nation’s positives align with those of the U.S., and we should be able to say ‘look at who we are, look beyond the media negativity and look what’s awesome here’. I’ve been lucky to have travelled a bit around the world and my time in the U.S. was only filled with beautiful scenery, great experiences and a respect for the people I crossed paths with, a truly positive time! Yes, there’s less than great stuff, anywhere that has humans is saddled with that but we need to celebrate our wins and enjoy the differences that make this a fascinating and enjoyable planet to live on. PS Jazz and blues ❤️❤️😀
IsItNapTimeYet 2 years ago
As an American, I would like to say thank you. I whole heartedly agree we should celebrate our differences. I wish SO much to travel more abroad. I was in the UK. Lovely people, great history, and just an overall life-changing experience. Some of the list is not totally accurate, and I think some people are thinking this list means this is what the US does, and we are so much better than y’all. NO one is better than the next person. We all have different things we see as important based on culture, and socialization. Every country has good, and bad. People can be good or bad. Regardless of nationality. The media does not give a full picture. Hollywood depicts a lot of New York City and California. These areas are NOTHING like where I live. I live in Kentucky, and the show Justified, although pretty good, absolutely does NOT show how I live or who I am as a person. Sorry long response, my soapbox.
Load More Replies... Milan 2 years ago (edited)
This post was meant to be encouraging the US, but somehow it ended up again as bashing the US 🤷🏼♂️😀
Tamra 2 years ago
Every time BP makes a US-centric post like this, no matter the title, it's arranged in a way to wind up as many people as possible, and to set people against each other. Even the title - "Things US does best" - is absolutely designed to get people arguing.
Load More Replies... Shannon M 2 years ago
Wow, some of these people really don’t know how positivity works. The whole point of this article is to appreciate the things the US does well and instead 90% of the comments are just complaining about things we don’t do well. There’s a time and a place for that, and it’s not here. Some of us are trying to be optimistic about the future.
BordestPanda 2 years ago
Saying anything remotely positive about the US on this site is a good way to whip people into a frenzy.
Load More Replies... Gavin Johnson 2 years ago
It’s good to see an article that’s positive rather than bragging about what your nation is great at. We all have things to be proud of, some of my nation’s positives align with those of the U.S., and we should be able to say ‘look at who we are, look beyond the media negativity and look what’s awesome here’. I’ve been lucky to have travelled a bit around the world and my time in the U.S. was only filled with beautiful scenery, great experiences and a respect for the people I crossed paths with, a truly positive time! Yes, there’s less than great stuff, anywhere that has humans is saddled with that but we need to celebrate our wins and enjoy the differences that make this a fascinating and enjoyable planet to live on. PS Jazz and blues ❤️❤️😀
IsItNapTimeYet 2 years ago
As an American, I would like to say thank you. I whole heartedly agree we should celebrate our differences. I wish SO much to travel more abroad. I was in the UK. Lovely people, great history, and just an overall life-changing experience. Some of the list is not totally accurate, and I think some people are thinking this list means this is what the US does, and we are so much better than y’all. NO one is better than the next person. We all have different things we see as important based on culture, and socialization. Every country has good, and bad. People can be good or bad. Regardless of nationality. The media does not give a full picture. Hollywood depicts a lot of New York City and California. These areas are NOTHING like where I live. I live in Kentucky, and the show Justified, although pretty good, absolutely does NOT show how I live or who I am as a person. Sorry long response, my soapbox.
Load More Replies... Related on Bored Panda
