America is in the know about a few things.
I know it seems we're crazy and hostile.
That doesn't mean clueless or blind.
Say what you will but the one thing we're not is naive.
We're blunt. Just roll with it.
Redditor Tell_me_why-wanted everyone to sit down, take a deep breath and listen to some hard truths. They asked:
"Americans, what is the rest of the world not ready to hear?"
Why do humans hide our heads in the sand? You can't ignore reality. At least not for too long.
400 What?!?!
crossover noah GIFGiphy"That someone personally spent over $400 million on a replica of Noah’s ark in Kentucky. Like actually. I’m not even kidding. It’s several football fields long."
Csj2454
Extremists
"Twitter/Reddit are probably the worst representation of American culture possible. Life outside these two platforms are completely different no matter what way you spin it. Reason being, extremist opinions are the ones that get the most fake internet points, so thats all you will ever see."
WRiPSTER
Psychos
"Most New Yorkers aren't psychopaths... all of us are."
You8mypizza
"I find this so weird - I've been to NYC twice. Everyone was super friendly. Like way more friendly than I expect other Scottish people to be."
"At one point we were standing (to the side, we're not animals) trying to work out how to get somewhere and a nice man in a business suit stopped and helped us without asking? Admittedly, NYC was less friendly than the less of the US, but still way friendlier than I'm used to at home. Folks in shops would talk to you, folks on the bus would hear our accent and want to talk to us, it was honestly exhausting."
BonnieMacFarlane2
"American pizza"
"I went to Italy and there was a restaurant selling 'American pizza' which was pizza with french fries hot dogs and more ranch than pizza. He said it's authentic American pizza and it's how everyone eats pizza over there. I told him I'm from America and I've never once seen anyone eat that. He told me i was wrong and it's how all Americas eat pizza y'all are crazy too."
Arik_the_Bruce
The Coolest
Season 2 Yes GIF by Paramount+Giphy"Henry Winkler gets even cooler after happy days."
myclueis
"Met him at a comic con. Nicest guy, let anyone take pictures with him and giving hugs to everybody."
Silent_Bob_82
Oh the Fonze. Who knew he'd get a second wind?
kfc GIFNo Laughs
"M*A*S*H is better without the laugh track."
McFlyFarm
"I just listened to a podcast that mentioned this today (Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend) - apparently there was a rule that they could never use a laugh track while they were in the operating room. The guest of the episode (Stephen Merchant) explained how he thought MASH was great in the UK, then saw it in the US with the laugh track and thought 'My god, Hawkeye’s an a-hole!'"
jwilcoxwilcox
Sunshine State People
"The only reason 'Florida Man' exists is because of Florida's laws about the accessibility of crime documentation, which makes it a goldmine for tabloid journalism."
Agent_Onions
Bad America
"America isn’t the best by far, but as an African American I know the racism in other big countries is way more overt, I’ve experienced it and sadly realized America is one of the few places I can live in somewhat peace."
Low_Lettuce_8467
"No doubt. The racism in America can be very subtle at times but in other countries when they’re racist, holy crap, they’re freaking racist! Like mimic a monkey, throw a banana at you racist. It was wild to experience."
Concealer77
Still Important
tape bert GIFGiphy"The use of the Metric system is way more prevalent than you think."
Foresight2187
Americanized...
"American food isn’t just burgers and fries. It’s Americanized versions of all the cultures that immigrated here. Like hard shell tacos, ny and Chicago pizza etc."
idk-though1
"We have lots of variety."
Traditional-Ad-4712
"We did make buffalo wings though."
GoobsterInc
Color
"Racism is not just an American problem. I’ve heard so many Europeans say that only in America do people of color experience discrimination, and that in Europe everyone lives in total peace and harmony and no one 'seeing color.' Complete BS."
Geodudette2014
"I think the main reason racism is so heard about in America is shearling that we have more Black people. America is around 13% Black while Europe is around 3%."
"Surprise, sur-f**king-prise, racism is more vocal when there are more chances for it to happen. Also, we have for decades, really centuries, had equal rights be a constant debate. I find that when you hear about bad stuff a lot, it becomes more of how much of a thing you hear than the scale that is most memorable."
CaptainBlobTheSuprem
Not Exclusive
"America is not as exclusive and xenophobic as you might think. Nearly anyone of any origin can come here and be considered American. Whereas if you visit a lot of other countries no matter how much you know about or appreciate their culture, or how long you have lived there, they will never consider you one of them."
xthesavior
Oh Florida...
Prepare Yard Work GIF by City of OrlandoGiphy"The only reason 'Florida Man' exists is because of Florida's laws about the accessibility of crime documentation, which makes it a goldmine for tabloid journalism."
Agent_Onions
100%
"The government is not an accurate reflection of the people. The vast majority of Americans are moderates who have views all over the spectrum depending on the topic. I was really thinking about how its everywhere that the American population is either 100% left or 100% right like many of the politicians. It's so hard for bipartisan policy to go through because the majority of politicians, specifically on the federal level."
"Just go with whatever their side of the isle is pushing and not really making the decision based on how they view the proposed policy. Like how we keep getting stuff with 100% Republican support and 100% democrat rejection or vice versa. I could've explained it better."
spade13F
Get Fit
"The FitnessGram™ Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. The 20 meter pacer test will begin in 30 seconds. Line up at the start. The running speed starts slowly, but gets faster each minute after you hear this signal. [beep] "
"A single lap should be completed each time you hear this sound. [ding] Remember to run in a straight line, and run as long as possible. The second time you fail to complete a lap before the sound, your test is over. The test will begin on the word start. On your mark, get ready, start."
Super_Adventures
Travel Issues...
"We have more cities than New York, LA, and Miami. It's not just these 3 places and the rest is flyover country. Also, our country is HUGE. The bigger states, like mine (PA), you can drive for 6 hours in one direction and still be in the same state. I remember my family had to tell an English couple that was going to be in Erie for a week or two that we wouldn't be able to meet them for tea since we're on the opposite side of the state. That goes for flights, too; you won't be able to visit New York, LA, and Miami all in one or two weeks."
_Ping_-
We have enough...
Water Douse GIFGiphy"We have a buttload of fresh water. When the climate crisis is in full impact we will still have usable water in the country. I said in the country, not that the entire country will have usable water. The Great Lakes are one of the largest fresh water systems in the world. And if you are worried about pollution here, you clearly haven't been to much of the rest of the world."
Food Constraints
"Despite there being an obesity epidemic, there are many MANY children who are hungry. Unfortunately, the foster care system is a worse outcome sometimes. We have many, many hungry children."
RioBlue93
"Currently teaching 'saving and spending' to my first graders. They had to answer the question 'what is one thing you would like to save up your money for?' One of my students wrote 'money to buy some food.'"
BreezyBolognese
It's time to face realities. We can't ignore facts or life. Move along.
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