Did you know it's acceptableto take breaks and naps during the day in some foreign countries?
When in New York, people work through all three square meals, merely subsiding on protein bars.
And that's what America calls "tenacity!"
We have issues.
It's time for a change because we are burnt out.
Redditor p1n3appl3sss wanted to discuss the ways America needs to act better, so they asked:
"What’s something that’s not socially acceptable in America that should be?"
Get Out!
"Kicking rude customers out of stores before they escalate to a full meltdown."
- Secret-Bookkeeper578
"I'll add kicking out customers that allow their small children to run around and climb on stuff. They will either hurt themselves or someone else; please make them leave."
- PowertothePixie
Season 3 Leave GIF by MartinGiphy
Rest a Bit
"Retail cashiers getting to sit down."
- DamageBooster
"Agree with that. I was a bank teller and they were trying to shame people that sat in chairs. The thin carpet on top of the concrete is not enough support for 8 hours."
- Flavious27
"Shoot just retail workers. Anyone who is just standing around a store waiting for customers shouldn’t have to stand. Especially all day. Sure, if you’re restocking or something, then you should be standing, but if you’re just waiting, then you should sit."
- Watercolorcupcake
You Do It
"Having the government do your taxes for you."
"Thanks, Intuit and HR Block!"
- CitizenHuman
"I live in China. Not FROM here, so when I found out they don't have to file taxes because the government just automatically deducts a flat rate each month."
"Well... It was quite liberating. No tax season, no fuss, no forms."
- caidicus
"In my country, the government fills it out, you only have to agree with it, they don't always know your deductibles so you have to add them yourself. If it is just accept it can be done in 2 minutes."
- Dutch_Rayan
Money Matters
"Talking about salaries or how much you make."
- No_Marzipan7981
"One job I had I was brand new being trained. The guy training me was basically the face of multiple departments. He was in all the training videos, he did all the special projects, etc. I mentioned my pay to him at one point, assuming he made a lot more. Nope! I made more than him as a new hire. He quit fairly quickly. F**k employers who don't take care of their employees."
- veetoo151
"Yeah, employers claim it’s because it’ll breed resentment towards coworkers. Nope. It’ll breed resentment towards bosses."
- ChronoLegion2
Mental Prep
"Taking time off when you are not feeling mentally well."
- tinybra
"I agree. I will also add more vacation time. In Europe, you get 4-6 weeks annually. In the US, my friend earned a total of 10 days off per year. Working all year with little break is too normalized. This, in turn, contributes to people going to work while ill and to burnout. People treat a 4 day weekend away like they took a 2-week vacation. The same goes for maternity leave."
- Calibermovement
Sick Time
"Taking time off to heal your body. Like sick days. Valuing sleep and health over the latest party."
- Ninja-Panda86
"I live in Europe. Sick leave and the like is just there for everyone. PTO is the same. You have like four weeks a year. I work for a very large American company. Our team has a new boss who is based in America. She is attempting to take weekends away from us. Now, we always had to work one day each weekend. That's fine."
"She is claiming, however, that there will be no availability to book weekends off. And we will be required to work all weekends."
"We are now putting together a case to take to HR and her boss about how things are done here. And how she can't apply American rules to people outside of America."
- ultratunaman
Stay Close
"Living with your parents after university for more than a few months. Most people I know feel enormous social pressure to go out on their own."
- MBN0807
"I didn't like living with my parents, but man, did I save a lot of money."
- winthroprd
Baby Food GIF by Arrow VideoGiphy
Eyes Closed
"Sleeping. People don't get any sleep and are shamed for being too tired to function especially hormonal teens at school. Miss girl we need more naps than most. I demand a designated nap time."
- I_hate_math_sorry
"My son's elementary school starts at 8:35 am. It is wonderful. I grew up on a military base and my elementary school started at 7:15 or something. I feel so bad for parents who have to get their kids up at the a** crack of dawn. Especially the ones who need to drop their kids off at work before PT (military). And the kids too, of course. My SO’s circadian rhythm is f**ked up for life because his mother had to get him up at 4-5 am so she could drop him off before she had to make it to PT. Let kids wake up naturally…don’t make them go to school before 8 am."
- SnooLemons9080
Gender Norms
"Stay at home Dads, go to Europe and you'll see dads everywhere with a pram/stroller or walking with their kids to school while mum is working. My cousin's husband in the States gave up his job to be a stay-at-home dad and other Yanks look at him like he some kind of weirdo."
- Grotbagsthewonderful
"Yeah, it's weird being a stay-at-home dad in America. We don't even build men's bathrooms here with baby changing stations, only women's or family bathrooms."
- Accomplished-Fall823
"My husband is a stay-at-home Dad now and he and I really love the arrangement. He is way better at the older kid stage than I am. I started at home when the kids were young."
- f**k_this_i_got_s**t
All Together
"Multi-generational homes."
- Firm-Needleworker-46
"I wrote a paper that required some research into multigenerational housing a few years ago and if it’s becoming more common with inflation and wage gaps. I’m wondering if this will eventually normalize living with your relatives in the US."
- Jnw1997
"I think this should be acceptable, but it should not make the opposite unacceptable. Everyone should be able to choose what works best for them and their family."
- ShiraCheshire
"I love my family and older relatives, but there’s no way I would want to live with them for an extended. I don’t understand why people would want that."
- mymemesnow
Cover Up
"Wearing masks when you’re sick. In many Asian countries, it’s frowned upon not to, but here it’s a stigma. No, I don’t want you coughing on me with your flu or cold, wear a bloody mask."
- LifeFanatic
"I wish we’d normalize not forcing yourself to work when you are sick. More paid sick leave. But yes, masks when you’re sick are a good idea if you must go out."
- Lutrina
"Yes! Wear a mask when you're sick! Or if you know you've been around someone who is sick. Or just in congested areas like the subway. We have seen now how effective it can be at curbing colds and cases of flu. Just do it!"
- alliquay
Have Fun
"Taking a vacation. I should expand on that — I meant taking PTO from work, not like the actual vacation itself. I’ve always been offered PTO at work but then when anyone takes a week-long trip it’s a whole hullabaloo about who’s going to cover and everyone feels like they have to explain themselves. We should just be able to take our earned time off without having to have a back story for why we deserve it."
- linzkisloski
Talk to Me
"Emotions. Like yeah, we do happy and angry real good. But a lot of the less nuanced emotions are viewed as weakness. Especially for dudes. Most of the time showing your anxiety is against social rules, showing your grief in anything beyond crying, or rage (maybe... not the purge-y kind). It should be more accepted to be human on a broader scale for everyone."
- StockholmPickled
Flawed Practices
"Mandatory tipping should go. Get rid of the tipping culture and pay your waiters a fair wage. Tipping should be reserved for excellent/good service, nothing more."
"90% of countries don’t have such a system, and it is no coincidence either. It is a flawed practice but I understand how difficult it would be to change it."
- AdRepresentative8723
hot dog waiter GIF by Warner ArchiveGiphy
Well, America... did we get the memo?!? It's sad that so many of these stories are labor-driven.
Why are we the country that honors working to death as an attribute?
Sleep more. Rest more. LIVE more.
Not the American way, so they say.
No country is perfect, but every country can learn a few lessons from others.
So USA... pencils up!
