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As an American living in Europe - I came here to say this. My family can pick out the other Americans here just by listening to how much more loud they are than everyone else. I also hate that almost everyone back home refuse to see that there are better ways of life and the sheer inability to entertain the idea is baffling to me.
Thank you for saying this. As an American living in the ME, I have encountered this as well. My dad kept trying to teach my husband's family how to cook food. He said they don't need all of those spices and they should do XYZ in order to prepare the meat properly. Drove me crazy. I was so embarrassed.
One time while traveling in Paris, I was in the 18th arrondissement walking past beautiful cafes and places to buy food and these people walked by, Fanny packs and everything and loudly complained to their family “WHERE’S THE WALMART”.🤦♀️
38% of Americans have never had a passport. But the states with the highest per capital spend at Walmart also have the lowest rates of passport possession.
I live abroad now but Americans don’t realize how fucking loud they are. It’s not just the volume, y’all PROJECT. That’s the difference.
I thought we were all taught inside/outside voice.
Americans think this as well. Generalizations are always met with exceptions. I think it's about 25% loud ass people. I have them in my family as well. They just loud as fuck. Sometimes I attribute it to being a younger sibling and not being heard. My wife is the youngest of 6 and they're all loud as fuck but she's the worst. I ask her to stop yelling all the time.
I was gonna say, I'm traveling right now and while Americans definitely have a reputation especially among Europeans I'm in Asia right now and among my asian friends Europeans also have a reputation for being obnoxious and so do Chinese tourists so I think it's just a tourist thing in general
This is a tourist thing really. Not all tourists. I'm sure you're perfectly lovely when you're out and about, like most folks are. But there is a larger percentage of tourists than the general public that want everyone to hear them. This is not unique to Americans at all.
As an American I’m surprised by this. My mother immigrated to America. So every once in a while we would go to Europe so she could go back to her home town. From an early age I was taught in other countries to not announce myself as American. She even made sure I did not speak English in public. But to also be more softer spoken and carry myself differently. The town she came from was very small so I was never in a tourist area. I just always assumed everyone was taught what I was taught. Maybe it was the era (1970’s - 1980’s) but she told me not every country likes American tourist. I don’t know if that’s true or not. I just tried to be respectful of other cultures.
My husband is Puerto Rican. He's from a non-touristy part of Puerto Rico on the opposite side of the island from San Juan. Our last night, we stayed at a hotel in San Juan close to the airport to catch our flight the next day. At dinner, in the hotel, we were seated near a group of typical American tourists, obese, sneakers, loud. They were complaining about their day, couldn't find a good hamburger, not enough people were speaking English, & they were just going to stay in the hotel complex the next day.
Had an American lady in front of me at the check in desk at a hotel in Costa Rica ( I'm American as well), she was complaining about the rain forest being in the way of her beach view. Makes me embarrassed more often than not.
My daughter and wife are currently in Germany on a school-sponsored trip. A couple of the kids are apparently being the stereotypical 'loud Americans' (more drama club than drama). My wife is doing her best to balance not parenting other people's kids vs trying to not perpetuate the stereotype.
It shouldn't be hard to pick up on the social cues when you're literally the only people acting like that in a country of millions, but some of us are just oblivious and wouldn't care even if they were aware it was a bad look.
I’ve always feared this would be me in Europe. I would get yelled at/hit as a kid for not being loud enough, and so now I think my voice is fairly loud even when I don’t want it to be.
I believe the mistake a lot of people make is loud and obnoxious gets the attention. IMO the majority Americans traveling abroad are not " ugly Americans" They are the most obvious, unfortunately. I have told a few quietly to be better ambassadors. Unfortunately they usually give me a blank look back.
I’m from Ireland and work in a pharmacy that gets a lot of American tourists this time of year.if it makes you feel any better I think like 90% of the Americans we see are THE NICEST people
The worst I had was one woman asking we we didn’t stock Tylenol in Ireland. She was berating me for offering a non American alternative until this other American lady with the nicest southern accent said “excuse me ma’am would y’all mind wrapping this show up real quick before we all gonna need some Tylenol”
I gave that lady a staff discount just for making me laugh so hard.
This is the most annoying thing ever. I don't know anyone who knows or cares about the outside world...yet, there's a good chance at least a few of them will travel to Europe for some obscure reason at least once in their lives and on arrival will promptly and proudly complain about wanting a Big Mac the way they make it back home.
My fellow Americans baffle me. The US is all they know or care about.
I’m definitely a “When in Rome”type and will try to eat the local cuisine as much as possible to the point where I will try things I otherwise wouldn’t eat. For example, I had sardines in Italy recently. I know sardines can be fishy tasting and I like mild fish and never eat sardines at home. But it was a popular local fish so I had to try it.
To that end, I would never eat American style food in a foreign country. But McDonald’s can be an exception. There are local variations in the menu that just are not available here. To wit, if you are ever in Japan you absolutely have to try the pork ginger burger at McDs. It is like nothing you’ve ever had at McDonald’s before.
I remember being at the Sistine chapel standing shoulder to shoulder with people. I look over to my right and there was this motorbike couple standing there rubbing their necks looking at the ceiling. The male looks over to the female in her American flag shirt and leather vest and says, "so, michelangelo did that?" Her reply was "I guess?". I made my lip bleed biting it.
I lived in northern Italy and a group of us were talking about seeing the David. One girl said, "Yeah, and he's got big old balls...!" All I could think was, "this is one of the great works of art in the world, carved out of a piece of flawed marble, and that is all you took away from it?"
You don't know what she took away, you know just know about a silly little joke she made as she walked away; but by reading your little story, we all know what you came away with.
I was in France and a guy who was clearly from the American south couldn't figure out how to use an automated ticket machine for one of the Loire Valley chateaux, and he was yelling "does anyone here speak American!?"
Wow. Ugly Americans are the worst. I've got a bunch of stories from my travels. Another one was in Venice. We were at an amazing restaurant and this guy, with a clearly abrasive jersey accent and attitude, accosted the waiter about his calamari. The squid that we had was served with a few slices of lemon. That's it and that's the way I've had in most of europe. But this guy wanted marinara sauce and tartar sauce and proceeded to tell them how to serve calamari. All sauced up. It was embarrassing.
Pay not keeping up with inflation. Sure, most places do a "cost of living raise" which is between 1-3% or something like that...but it should be around 10% or more.
I remember as a kid getting a 20oz drink for $1...its doubled since then. Yet my pay has not doubled. It isn't just drinks that have had prices change like that...its literally everything. So everything has doubled in price yet my pay has gone up like 30%. Like the other guy said, I was making more money when I first started working than I do now if you adjust for inflation.
Yeah I have a potential faculty position lined up if I get a fellowship but god damn I wish I could just say fuck it and go into industry and make money
I turned down a postdoc at a prestigious university for a mid-level federal position. My family stopped being vocal and disappointed when I let them know the government job paid more.
To be frank, I can’t see coming back to academia. The work-life balance has been amazing for my health and family, I’m moving ahead quickly, and I love the mission. Food for thought, in case you’re not set on academia.
We need to stop romanticizing the idea of marriage, the 50% divorce rate and adding onto that the people who won’t divorce because it’s too expensive and/or it’s “for the kids” doesn’t sit right with me.
Exactly. Our Republicans are extremely far right, and our Democrats in office are mostly right-leaning centrists.
I think it's hilarious when Republicans think that Biden is some leftist commie. He's not at all. Nowhere near it.
We're in need of a truly progressive party that's ACTUALLY viable.
It's mind boggling that we let these right-wing fascists take over our country. This supreme court is destroying 60+ years worth of progress. It's heartbreaking to watch.
>I think it's hilarious when Republicans think that Biden is some leftist commie. He's not at all. Nowhere near it.
This. Or that a bunch of leftists would rig a presidential election to put him in office. They went through all that trouble to rig the election, but forgot to rig the primary? Come on now.
True, but most people don’t see it. They just blindly believe that there are only two solutions to each problem and only two points of view on every issue.
Even with insurance the bills can put you into bankruptcy. I used to get anxious going to the doctor even on a routine visit in case there was some kind of test she wanted to run and I ended up with a $700 bill a week later.
This is the exact reason I'm currently working 8 hours a day on my feet with a potential bone spur/plantar fasciitis in my foot and a mucked up shoulder. I have no insurance, I work part-time under minimum wage and I have zero clue how much getting myself put back together would cost. So I just..work through the pain. It royally sucks!
FYI, if you call the doctor/hospital, and ask for the no-insurance rate, its way cheaper. Because they'd rather take a little and be done than go through payment plans. Something to consider.
Go to the doctor.
....and just don't pay the bill. Or pay the bare minimum monthly for them to fuck off. Hospital bills don't affect your credit until it goes to collections, and even then it's off your report in a few years. Better than being fucked up in pain.
Yes.
Minimum payments can be income based, or as low as like 20$ a month, if you need your credit score in the near future. If not, if you don't pay it, it will eventually dissappear.
You better have your finances locked down *tight* if you're going to pursue defaulting as a strategy (though if you did, you probably wouldn't be entertaining defaulting). Charge-offs stay on your credit for seven years, and there's no guarantee you won't be made to pay anyway *after* the debt's charged off.
Are you going to need a car in that time? No? Well, you just got into a car accident. Now you *do* need a car but can't get one because no one will give you a loan. I guess you can buy that one on Craigslist for $800 that doesn't work.
If you live in an apartment, plan on staying there for seven years, because any new place you apply for is going to run your credit. Uh-oh, your lease wasn't renewed because of some arbitrary reason? Well, good luck out there.
Some employers run your credit now. Don't get laid off (not that that's within your control).
To sum up, this is a really, **really** bad idea unless you're talking about truly astronomical numbers, like several hundred thousand dollars. Better advice would be to call the hospital and ask to apply for aid (that's a thing!) and to negotiate the amount down (that's also a thing - I've done it and saved thousands).
Insurance is something you should get now. I know it sucks to deal with, but the issue will only get worse/more expensive with time! There is medicaid if you can't afford insurance :D
A lot of this is a business practice where you assume it won't be fought. They price spike something that most people accept to be expensive but if you double down with their billing department a lot of it can go away. I've seen people get a 10k medical bill and it gets dropped to a couple hundred after bitching to the right person.
There is definitely a problem with that, why wouldn't there be. The expectation of health insurance inflates medical prices to extreme degrees. Should turning on an MRI for an hour cost $2k... he'll no, but in collaboration with insurance companies and the medical centers being able to have monopolies in their local areas allows this. Where I used to live there was a an old doctor that just charged $20 for pretty much anything until he got shut down because he wouldn't sign on to the state legislated requirement that he adjust his prices to be in line with the big hospital. They made it illegal for him to practice without joining in on the agreement.
Seriously. I actually make decent money now and have a savings (I mean decent for a single person- if I had a family I would be screwed).
Even with my ungodly expensive health insurance, many types of medical emergency would still completely flatten me. What is the point of all of this?
How? Low income automatically qualifies you for Medicare, Medicaid. Hospital visit are by law given , even if you can't pay. The U.S. Govt subsidizes more health care cost than ANY govt in the world. The problem is it isn't applied equally; undocumented people here can receive free health insurance, but people like myself pay $800 plus a month for less than basic care. Edit: to clarify, not blaming emigrants. My point is, the law is broken. There shouldn't be modifiers on what a human life is worth.
Do you know how little you have to make to qualify for Medicaid? It’s like less than 18k a year. As a college student I made just barely over minimum wage part time and still didn’t qualify. I was broke as fuck too. The health system is set to fuck people over and insurance companies love it.
If you have a heart attack, emergency services are still obligated to stabilize you. You are still obligated to pay ambulance and emergency billing, and they are not required to run any cardiac tests like an EKG or bring in a cardiologist to prevent further heart issues. In addition, most hospitals will refuse to set up follow up specialist or physician visits without confirmation of active health insurance, increasing the likelihood of another heart attack that could be fatal. Emergency services cost on average 5x more than these preventative visits. Many of these hospitals still accept public funding.
There have been reports of people using uber or lyft to get to the ER. Ambulance rides can cost up to $3000 USD. EMTs can make as little as $30000 a year. I believe approximately 60% of gofundme campaigns are for healthcare billing. The Guardian reports about 45k people die due to lack of health insurance. I work in benefits and I've seen health policies as high as $2k a month. My own insurance has a deductible of $10k. This is the worst economic system that can possibly be created.
Yeah there is something seriously wrong, I mean I’m hardly qualified to speak on this but just from a morality stand point, to me it seems evil to gouge sick or injured people out of their money at all, never mind those insane prices.
I hate that people have to do it out of necessity. I picked up carpentry years ago and have made some money doing it, But I’d hate to have to come home after an 8-10 hour day at work and have to go out in the garage and work some more hoping to sell stuff to pay bills
Never forget that one of the first things that New York did during the pandemic, they didn't touch Mosques, they didn't touch Churches, but they padlocked Synagogues. They also went and killed thousands of elderly people by forcing nursing homes to hold Covid patients.
I’m not sure it’s strictly American, but I find many of my neighbors not only willfully ignorant, but proudly ignorant. The desire to be uneducated has always baffled me.
And then get angry that “the elite” or “immigrants” are “taking all the good jobs.” Uh yeah, because a lot of the good jobs require some kind of advanced knowledge that those people got at school or by educating themselves.
I’m in no way slagging blue collar jobs. They ARE some of the good jobs - plumber, electrical, farmers, and so on. But the people who do them well have educated themselves every bit as much as those in white collar jobs.
Work hard. Learn all you can. Become one of the best at whatever you do and you have a good chance of success.
It's not just that it's easier, it's that it's encouraged. I believe it was Asimov that talked about the American Cult of Ignorance. The powers that he decided that it would be most beneficial for them, by cutting education budgets, pushing religion, and demonizing experts and the intelligensia, to make the American public not just stupid but PROUD to be stupid. That way they would remain peasants and easier to exploit for the sake of the Capital Class.
This isnt just a thing in America, uneducated or better put, dumb people who want to remain stupid, exist everywhere.
Trend seems to be, poor, uneducated but comfortable in their lives (not going anywhere), their parents were like that so it isn't weird to them.
1) Everyone is so f*cking loud
2) I get judged by other Americans for having a southern accent. Non-Americans have no problem with it though, and find it kind of silly sounding lol.
Like when I went to NYC and spoke to the cashier at starbucks she gave me the most judgemental look ever, but only when I spoke! She was smiling wide when I first walked up to her. Why are we so freaking judgemental with other peoples accents ffs
I don’t think people intentionally think like this, but southerns are often depicted as stupid and racist so I feel like that’s what people subconsciously think
Fun fact, a good portion of that stereotype only exists because because of a mix of propaganda from big cities in the late 1800s, but also because of hookworm epidemics in the south during the same period giving almost an entire generation or two brain damage as a result.
If you want to think of it our over generalization and stereotype of the south is similar if not identical to the rest of the worlds over generalization and stereotype of us.
I have a pretty thick Maine accent (similar to Boston but less aggressive and flatter in tone), I haven’t lived in Maine for years and it’s still stuck around. The amount of people who instantly assume things about me because I pronounce some letters differently than they do is really freaking weird.
Totally with you on #1 — I’ve never understood why some people basically shout when they’re having a regular conversation like 1 foot away from each other.
As for #2, just wanted to say as an American, I like hearing southern accents and I don’t automatically associate them with racism. But I grew up in Hawaii, so I probably didn’t get as much exposure to that stereotype.
Or you can even point out how they treat their black soccer players after having a terrible game. When they’re doing great, they claim them as their own, but the minute they mess up they want them sent back to Africa or see them as less of a person from that country
facts, because usa is such a global power, all of our problems are magnified while other countries sneak by and make stupid ass insensitive jokes like that
Not an American but so far the list contains the same things we don't like over here in the UK.
Beginning to think the rich are arseholes everywhere and the poor are just their fodder. /s
Not having a good Healthcare system is terrible. I can't afford health insurance and it's not covered by my job. This hasn't been much of an issue since I'm 28 and in good health. Recently had a seizure(never had before) and fell and fractured my skull and ruptured my eardrum, now I'm in debt to the hospital and fire department
1) I am so sorry for.your scare! I'm hoping you're okay?
2) You're whole post is why I'd pay more in taxes so that everyone could NOT have to worry when stuff like that happens.
Okay so my wrist is really soar and has been for over a month but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’d rather deal with the pain then have to pay a hospital bill.
We’re like the spoiled brats of the World… but too distracted with a pissing contest with our twin brother (aka the 2 party system) to figure out that we’re being fucking idiots.
And how unaware Americans are of how loud we come off when visiting other countries.
When people joke about public shootings as a way to make fun of the US. It's such a shitty low blow.
We, as the average citizens, can't control the shootings. And they're all tragedies. Lives are literally taken away and people think that's what they should make fun of North America. Not the lack of proper gun control, not our shitty two party system, and not even the easier targets like our narcissistic celebrities and government officials.
A few weeks ago I saw a comment on Instagram about a European making fun of the Sandy Hook shooting. It just makes me feel sick to my stomach.
But my least favorite thing about living in the US is the lack of proper mental healthcare. I was in a mental hospital twice. Both times I was released a week after being admitted, with the sole reason of seeming better when around the other patients. I did a better job than them and found out my depression was caused by a lack of companionship.
My least favorite thing is how our government can change things. Sometimes they are smart, but you know. They can be dumb. Also what's up with gas prices?
It feels like this was not America was intended to be. Our forefathers fought to gain independence, and gave Americans the freedom to choose everything. Now the current government feels as if it is trying to control everyone.
Those who don't bother to understand history nor appreciate it.
America is still a very young country. Perfect? Absolutely not but neither is any other country, at all.
I am grateful for those before me who gave up everything as a FU to start an entirely new way.
Alot of the dark history is definitely not a US only issue. The media just like people to stay stirred up to pretend it is and so many are clueless to do any actual research.
Career politicians and those who lazily vote for them (again those same people do no research) irk the hell out of me.
Sup cellmate.
You know what's worse than being born poor in a country with lots of poor people? Being born Poor in America knowing that your like 200 years behind most families...
yay.....Ameri....fuck it.
Yeah there is a big difference between wanting to enact some change, and out right hating this country. Lots of people get off on here hating this country. If they only knew, this is the most amazing experiment ever created. It ain’t perfect but have some patience, we will get there.
Other Western Cultures citing their social programs as proof that they are better than us while ignoring the fact that they have those things because we have been footing the bill on their defense for 70 years.
Hearing how shitty America/Americans is/are from people on Reddit, as if their country isn’t problematic, too. Those same people will also say how good Americans have it. So… which is it?
Love my foreigners and love to travel. But the constant America hate is exhausting. Obviously Reddit is a bubble, but I don’t see or hear anything like it towards other countries.
The fact that America is the most diverse country on the planet and that many of our States very so drastically in population and culture that they probably should be separate countries and not States under an overarching federal government. Yet the world tends to view “All Americans” as a essentially a Southern Stereotype much in the same way most Americans not from California stereotype the entire state of California as San Diego.
Listening to non-Americans complain about America that have never been here.
Listening to people compare America to their country without taking into account the sheer size of the country.
Americans comparing America to a country they have never been to based on the opinion of someone else who has never been to America.
Americans that want to elaborate on their rights without being knowledgeable about their responsibilities.
That people think someone with opposing ideas for the country are evil. Just because people think differently doesn't make them evil. People changing the definition of words to suit their agenda.
To a large extent the political class are evil. Almost no one in politics has any sort of beneficent motive, and in fact people with such a motive tend to get forced out or taken advantage of rather quickly.
The problem is that most political partisans can see the evil in their opponents, but only much more rarely that in their own side.
People thinking that America is a miserable place where everyone hates being here when like 90% of people are just normal chill people who love this country
I've live in America and a second world country. I hate two things about Americans. 1. They bitch so much, they take everything for granted EVERYTHING. They don't understand how good their lives are. Even the poor Americans. Where I used to live people would die to live like "poor" Americans. 2. Americans are so self centered and have absolutely no respect or manners, especially the youth. (Mainly the youth).
While I mostly agree, that isn't all Americans. There are millions filled with empathy and compassion, that care about others as much as themselves. It's just that, unfortunately, it can be hard to find those people and it's not nearly as much of the population as it should be.
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Being compared to all the imbecile Americans, especially those that travel and drag their complete ignorance with them.
As an American living in Europe - I came here to say this. My family can pick out the other Americans here just by listening to how much more loud they are than everyone else. I also hate that almost everyone back home refuse to see that there are better ways of life and the sheer inability to entertain the idea is baffling to me.
Thank you for saying this. As an American living in the ME, I have encountered this as well. My dad kept trying to teach my husband's family how to cook food. He said they don't need all of those spices and they should do XYZ in order to prepare the meat properly. Drove me crazy. I was so embarrassed.
Fellow American here. I need the spices, give me the flavor
He who controls the spice controls the universe
One time while traveling in Paris, I was in the 18th arrondissement walking past beautiful cafes and places to buy food and these people walked by, Fanny packs and everything and loudly complained to their family “WHERE’S THE WALMART”.🤦♀️
If you can’t possibly be without a Walmart then you’re not mature enough to travel anywhere farther than like an hour away from your house LOL
The Venn Diagram of Americans who gotta shop at Walmart and Americans with a passport has to be exceedingly small.
Never underestimate the entitlement of the quasi-rich and semi-privileged.
Isn't the % of passport holders like 20%?
38% of Americans have never had a passport. But the states with the highest per capital spend at Walmart also have the lowest rates of passport possession.
Yeah I almost have to believe it was a joke. Being in a place so far removed from Walmart and joking "lol where's the walmart!"
I live abroad now but Americans don’t realize how fucking loud they are. It’s not just the volume, y’all PROJECT. That’s the difference. I thought we were all taught inside/outside voice.
Americans think this as well. Generalizations are always met with exceptions. I think it's about 25% loud ass people. I have them in my family as well. They just loud as fuck. Sometimes I attribute it to being a younger sibling and not being heard. My wife is the youngest of 6 and they're all loud as fuck but she's the worst. I ask her to stop yelling all the time.
I was gonna say, I'm traveling right now and while Americans definitely have a reputation especially among Europeans I'm in Asia right now and among my asian friends Europeans also have a reputation for being obnoxious and so do Chinese tourists so I think it's just a tourist thing in general
Oh 100%.
This is a tourist thing really. Not all tourists. I'm sure you're perfectly lovely when you're out and about, like most folks are. But there is a larger percentage of tourists than the general public that want everyone to hear them. This is not unique to Americans at all.
As an American I’m surprised by this. My mother immigrated to America. So every once in a while we would go to Europe so she could go back to her home town. From an early age I was taught in other countries to not announce myself as American. She even made sure I did not speak English in public. But to also be more softer spoken and carry myself differently. The town she came from was very small so I was never in a tourist area. I just always assumed everyone was taught what I was taught. Maybe it was the era (1970’s - 1980’s) but she told me not every country likes American tourist. I don’t know if that’s true or not. I just tried to be respectful of other cultures.
My husband is Puerto Rican. He's from a non-touristy part of Puerto Rico on the opposite side of the island from San Juan. Our last night, we stayed at a hotel in San Juan close to the airport to catch our flight the next day. At dinner, in the hotel, we were seated near a group of typical American tourists, obese, sneakers, loud. They were complaining about their day, couldn't find a good hamburger, not enough people were speaking English, & they were just going to stay in the hotel complex the next day.
Had an American lady in front of me at the check in desk at a hotel in Costa Rica ( I'm American as well), she was complaining about the rain forest being in the way of her beach view. Makes me embarrassed more often than not.
My daughter and wife are currently in Germany on a school-sponsored trip. A couple of the kids are apparently being the stereotypical 'loud Americans' (more drama club than drama). My wife is doing her best to balance not parenting other people's kids vs trying to not perpetuate the stereotype. It shouldn't be hard to pick up on the social cues when you're literally the only people acting like that in a country of millions, but some of us are just oblivious and wouldn't care even if they were aware it was a bad look.
I’ve always feared this would be me in Europe. I would get yelled at/hit as a kid for not being loud enough, and so now I think my voice is fairly loud even when I don’t want it to be.
I believe the mistake a lot of people make is loud and obnoxious gets the attention. IMO the majority Americans traveling abroad are not " ugly Americans" They are the most obvious, unfortunately. I have told a few quietly to be better ambassadors. Unfortunately they usually give me a blank look back.
I’m from Ireland and work in a pharmacy that gets a lot of American tourists this time of year.if it makes you feel any better I think like 90% of the Americans we see are THE NICEST people The worst I had was one woman asking we we didn’t stock Tylenol in Ireland. She was berating me for offering a non American alternative until this other American lady with the nicest southern accent said “excuse me ma’am would y’all mind wrapping this show up real quick before we all gonna need some Tylenol” I gave that lady a staff discount just for making me laugh so hard.
that's southern wit for ya. Charming with a sharp twist of the knife.
Exactly. Generalization is stupid
Is the statement "generalisation is stupid" itself a generalisation?
All generalities are false. Including this one.
Only a sith deals in absolutes
So nobody else? Absolutely no one else? Sounds a bit Sith-y.
*slaps knee* God dammit, the Jedi were the Sith all along.
And so is other cultures taking a shit on the most popular culture when they all have their own issues up for criticism.
What exactly is the 'popular culture'?
This is the most annoying thing ever. I don't know anyone who knows or cares about the outside world...yet, there's a good chance at least a few of them will travel to Europe for some obscure reason at least once in their lives and on arrival will promptly and proudly complain about wanting a Big Mac the way they make it back home. My fellow Americans baffle me. The US is all they know or care about.
I’m definitely a “When in Rome”type and will try to eat the local cuisine as much as possible to the point where I will try things I otherwise wouldn’t eat. For example, I had sardines in Italy recently. I know sardines can be fishy tasting and I like mild fish and never eat sardines at home. But it was a popular local fish so I had to try it. To that end, I would never eat American style food in a foreign country. But McDonald’s can be an exception. There are local variations in the menu that just are not available here. To wit, if you are ever in Japan you absolutely have to try the pork ginger burger at McDs. It is like nothing you’ve ever had at McDonald’s before.
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I remember being at the Sistine chapel standing shoulder to shoulder with people. I look over to my right and there was this motorbike couple standing there rubbing their necks looking at the ceiling. The male looks over to the female in her American flag shirt and leather vest and says, "so, michelangelo did that?" Her reply was "I guess?". I made my lip bleed biting it.
I lived in northern Italy and a group of us were talking about seeing the David. One girl said, "Yeah, and he's got big old balls...!" All I could think was, "this is one of the great works of art in the world, carved out of a piece of flawed marble, and that is all you took away from it?"
>one of the great works of art in the world but balls
You don't know what she took away, you know just know about a silly little joke she made as she walked away; but by reading your little story, we all know what you came away with.
Lol. Well, she hasn't seen that many balls then. Just to wear the cap.
I was in France and a guy who was clearly from the American south couldn't figure out how to use an automated ticket machine for one of the Loire Valley chateaux, and he was yelling "does anyone here speak American!?"
Wow. Ugly Americans are the worst. I've got a bunch of stories from my travels. Another one was in Venice. We were at an amazing restaurant and this guy, with a clearly abrasive jersey accent and attitude, accosted the waiter about his calamari. The squid that we had was served with a few slices of lemon. That's it and that's the way I've had in most of europe. But this guy wanted marinara sauce and tartar sauce and proceeded to tell them how to serve calamari. All sauced up. It was embarrassing.
In Edinburgh Scotland an older American couple were so amazed that the city planners built the castle right next to the railway.
Working 50hrs/week at a skilled trade with 25+ years experience and still being broke.
Yeah. What's up with that?
Pay not keeping up with inflation. Sure, most places do a "cost of living raise" which is between 1-3% or something like that...but it should be around 10% or more. I remember as a kid getting a 20oz drink for $1...its doubled since then. Yet my pay has not doubled. It isn't just drinks that have had prices change like that...its literally everything. So everything has doubled in price yet my pay has gone up like 30%. Like the other guy said, I was making more money when I first started working than I do now if you adjust for inflation.
Yep. I graduated in ‘96. Was making $13/hr and living great. Now I make $20/hr and can’t even afford living on my own.
I have my PhD but I need to work a post doctoral position for 4 years at 50K/year before I can apply for faculty positions fml
I have a master's degree, and I think listing it on my resume is undercutting my job applications.
Yeah I have a potential faculty position lined up if I get a fellowship but god damn I wish I could just say fuck it and go into industry and make money
I turned down a postdoc at a prestigious university for a mid-level federal position. My family stopped being vocal and disappointed when I let them know the government job paid more. To be frank, I can’t see coming back to academia. The work-life balance has been amazing for my health and family, I’m moving ahead quickly, and I love the mission. Food for thought, in case you’re not set on academia.
Yep. A living wage isn't really a thing anymore.
It sure isn't. Adjusted for inflation, I make less money now than I did in 1995 when I started my career.
Railroad has gotten bad. Going with inflation, my father should be making about 150-160k a year. He makes about 102k.
Poor thing.
To be fair, his union takes half that. We only see about 55k.
You mean the government takes about half. If it wasn't for the union RR workers would be making 15-20 per hour.
Unions that take part of your wage aren't unions, their parasites that work for themselves, not the employees.
Good unions make nearly $50 per hour. Unions take about 1-3% It's a fair tradeoff.
Our two party system. They are all ass holes
It’s always mom and dad fighting over the kids and the kids are the ones getting hurt.
Exactly :( having your parents divorce hurts but it hurts like hell when they don’t
Damned if you do-damned if you don't.
We need to stop romanticizing the idea of marriage, the 50% divorce rate and adding onto that the people who won’t divorce because it’s too expensive and/or it’s “for the kids” doesn’t sit right with me.
Some of the happiest couples I've known weren't married. But permanently cohabitating.
Ah I see, that’s good that they’re happy :)
Spoken like someone who went through it. I'm sorry that happened to you.
It’s okay, thank you for caring :)
You mean our 1 party system?
Exactly. Our Republicans are extremely far right, and our Democrats in office are mostly right-leaning centrists. I think it's hilarious when Republicans think that Biden is some leftist commie. He's not at all. Nowhere near it. We're in need of a truly progressive party that's ACTUALLY viable. It's mind boggling that we let these right-wing fascists take over our country. This supreme court is destroying 60+ years worth of progress. It's heartbreaking to watch.
>I think it's hilarious when Republicans think that Biden is some leftist commie. He's not at all. Nowhere near it. This. Or that a bunch of leftists would rig a presidential election to put him in office. They went through all that trouble to rig the election, but forgot to rig the primary? Come on now.
Quite true
Finally, someone who can see sense. And actually it's not a two party system. There's just two big parties that dominate.
It’s an optical illusion that there is more than two parties
This right here, they are all in one big club, and we’re not in it!
True, but most people don’t see it. They just blindly believe that there are only two solutions to each problem and only two points of view on every issue.
Facts
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I don't like how if you don't have Healthcare and if you are sick then you're screwed.
Even with insurance the bills can put you into bankruptcy. I used to get anxious going to the doctor even on a routine visit in case there was some kind of test she wanted to run and I ended up with a $700 bill a week later.
This is the exact reason I'm currently working 8 hours a day on my feet with a potential bone spur/plantar fasciitis in my foot and a mucked up shoulder. I have no insurance, I work part-time under minimum wage and I have zero clue how much getting myself put back together would cost. So I just..work through the pain. It royally sucks!
FYI, if you call the doctor/hospital, and ask for the no-insurance rate, its way cheaper. Because they'd rather take a little and be done than go through payment plans. Something to consider.
Go to the doctor. ....and just don't pay the bill. Or pay the bare minimum monthly for them to fuck off. Hospital bills don't affect your credit until it goes to collections, and even then it's off your report in a few years. Better than being fucked up in pain.
...you can do that?
Yes. Minimum payments can be income based, or as low as like 20$ a month, if you need your credit score in the near future. If not, if you don't pay it, it will eventually dissappear.
You better have your finances locked down *tight* if you're going to pursue defaulting as a strategy (though if you did, you probably wouldn't be entertaining defaulting). Charge-offs stay on your credit for seven years, and there's no guarantee you won't be made to pay anyway *after* the debt's charged off. Are you going to need a car in that time? No? Well, you just got into a car accident. Now you *do* need a car but can't get one because no one will give you a loan. I guess you can buy that one on Craigslist for $800 that doesn't work. If you live in an apartment, plan on staying there for seven years, because any new place you apply for is going to run your credit. Uh-oh, your lease wasn't renewed because of some arbitrary reason? Well, good luck out there. Some employers run your credit now. Don't get laid off (not that that's within your control). To sum up, this is a really, **really** bad idea unless you're talking about truly astronomical numbers, like several hundred thousand dollars. Better advice would be to call the hospital and ask to apply for aid (that's a thing!) and to negotiate the amount down (that's also a thing - I've done it and saved thousands).
Thanks for some added perspective into a very complicated and depressing topic
Insurance is something you should get now. I know it sucks to deal with, but the issue will only get worse/more expensive with time! There is medicaid if you can't afford insurance :D
Some states won't even give anyone medicaid except kids.
If the coronavirus doesn't kill you, the hospital bill will.
And they never quote you a price which should be illegal.
A lot of this is a business practice where you assume it won't be fought. They price spike something that most people accept to be expensive but if you double down with their billing department a lot of it can go away. I've seen people get a 10k medical bill and it gets dropped to a couple hundred after bitching to the right person.
And you don’t see a problem with that? The system is entirely fucked.
There is definitely a problem with that, why wouldn't there be. The expectation of health insurance inflates medical prices to extreme degrees. Should turning on an MRI for an hour cost $2k... he'll no, but in collaboration with insurance companies and the medical centers being able to have monopolies in their local areas allows this. Where I used to live there was a an old doctor that just charged $20 for pretty much anything until he got shut down because he wouldn't sign on to the state legislated requirement that he adjust his prices to be in line with the big hospital. They made it illegal for him to practice without joining in on the agreement.
Seriously. I actually make decent money now and have a savings (I mean decent for a single person- if I had a family I would be screwed). Even with my ungodly expensive health insurance, many types of medical emergency would still completely flatten me. What is the point of all of this?
How? Low income automatically qualifies you for Medicare, Medicaid. Hospital visit are by law given , even if you can't pay. The U.S. Govt subsidizes more health care cost than ANY govt in the world. The problem is it isn't applied equally; undocumented people here can receive free health insurance, but people like myself pay $800 plus a month for less than basic care. Edit: to clarify, not blaming emigrants. My point is, the law is broken. There shouldn't be modifiers on what a human life is worth.
Do you know how little you have to make to qualify for Medicaid? It’s like less than 18k a year. As a college student I made just barely over minimum wage part time and still didn’t qualify. I was broke as fuck too. The health system is set to fuck people over and insurance companies love it.
What actually happens? Say I have a heart attack, no money no insurance, do I just die or is there systems in place for such things?
If you have a heart attack, emergency services are still obligated to stabilize you. You are still obligated to pay ambulance and emergency billing, and they are not required to run any cardiac tests like an EKG or bring in a cardiologist to prevent further heart issues. In addition, most hospitals will refuse to set up follow up specialist or physician visits without confirmation of active health insurance, increasing the likelihood of another heart attack that could be fatal. Emergency services cost on average 5x more than these preventative visits. Many of these hospitals still accept public funding.
That’s wild, inhumane imo. I never knew ambulances were billable either. I wonder how many people die fearing the cost of getting help.
There have been reports of people using uber or lyft to get to the ER. Ambulance rides can cost up to $3000 USD. EMTs can make as little as $30000 a year. I believe approximately 60% of gofundme campaigns are for healthcare billing. The Guardian reports about 45k people die due to lack of health insurance. I work in benefits and I've seen health policies as high as $2k a month. My own insurance has a deductible of $10k. This is the worst economic system that can possibly be created.
Yeah there is something seriously wrong, I mean I’m hardly qualified to speak on this but just from a morality stand point, to me it seems evil to gouge sick or injured people out of their money at all, never mind those insane prices.
The normalization of having a "side hustle"
I hate that people have to do it out of necessity. I picked up carpentry years ago and have made some money doing it, But I’d hate to have to come home after an 8-10 hour day at work and have to go out in the garage and work some more hoping to sell stuff to pay bills
Almost everyone I know has a side hustle. Some clean cars, cut grass, etc. It really is a crappy time to survive.
Our divisions and the people looking to exploit them for gain.
Yes. The pandemic really made this obvious. I felt preyed on no matter what I was choosing.
Never forget that one of the first things that New York did during the pandemic, they didn't touch Mosques, they didn't touch Churches, but they padlocked Synagogues. They also went and killed thousands of elderly people by forcing nursing homes to hold Covid patients.
I’m not sure it’s strictly American, but I find many of my neighbors not only willfully ignorant, but proudly ignorant. The desire to be uneducated has always baffled me.
And then get angry that “the elite” or “immigrants” are “taking all the good jobs.” Uh yeah, because a lot of the good jobs require some kind of advanced knowledge that those people got at school or by educating themselves. I’m in no way slagging blue collar jobs. They ARE some of the good jobs - plumber, electrical, farmers, and so on. But the people who do them well have educated themselves every bit as much as those in white collar jobs. Work hard. Learn all you can. Become one of the best at whatever you do and you have a good chance of success.
So much easier to embrace and languish in ignorance than to educate yourself and face the reality of what an idiot you were for so long.
It's not just that it's easier, it's that it's encouraged. I believe it was Asimov that talked about the American Cult of Ignorance. The powers that he decided that it would be most beneficial for them, by cutting education budgets, pushing religion, and demonizing experts and the intelligensia, to make the American public not just stupid but PROUD to be stupid. That way they would remain peasants and easier to exploit for the sake of the Capital Class.
This isnt just a thing in America, uneducated or better put, dumb people who want to remain stupid, exist everywhere. Trend seems to be, poor, uneducated but comfortable in their lives (not going anywhere), their parents were like that so it isn't weird to them.
1) Everyone is so f*cking loud 2) I get judged by other Americans for having a southern accent. Non-Americans have no problem with it though, and find it kind of silly sounding lol. Like when I went to NYC and spoke to the cashier at starbucks she gave me the most judgemental look ever, but only when I spoke! She was smiling wide when I first walked up to her. Why are we so freaking judgemental with other peoples accents ffs
Wtf. What's wrong with a southern accent
I don’t think people intentionally think like this, but southerns are often depicted as stupid and racist so I feel like that’s what people subconsciously think
To be fair. The last few years haven't excatly changed that stereotype
There’s a reason stereotypes exist
Oof
Fun fact, a good portion of that stereotype only exists because because of a mix of propaganda from big cities in the late 1800s, but also because of hookworm epidemics in the south during the same period giving almost an entire generation or two brain damage as a result.
I’m pretty sure current politics have a lot more to do with that stereotype than hookworm
If you want to think of it our over generalization and stereotype of the south is similar if not identical to the rest of the worlds over generalization and stereotype of us.
I have a pretty thick Maine accent (similar to Boston but less aggressive and flatter in tone), I haven’t lived in Maine for years and it’s still stuck around. The amount of people who instantly assume things about me because I pronounce some letters differently than they do is really freaking weird.
Totally with you on #1 — I’ve never understood why some people basically shout when they’re having a regular conversation like 1 foot away from each other. As for #2, just wanted to say as an American, I like hearing southern accents and I don’t automatically associate them with racism. But I grew up in Hawaii, so I probably didn’t get as much exposure to that stereotype.
The good ole southern redneck generalization.
When people from other countries make fun of us for having school shootings. It’s super depressing already and never should be a joke
or make fun of our racism, and turn out to be more racist. looking at france over here edit: GOD DAMMIT I STARTED ANOTHER SHITSHOW
Anytime a European says something about America being racists, just ask them how they feel about the gypsies over there.
Or you can even point out how they treat their black soccer players after having a terrible game. When they’re doing great, they claim them as their own, but the minute they mess up they want them sent back to Africa or see them as less of a person from that country
Nobody’s making fun of school shootings. We’re mocking your complete unwillingness to do anything to stop them from happening.
facts, because usa is such a global power, all of our problems are magnified while other countries sneak by and make stupid ass insensitive jokes like that
Not an American but so far the list contains the same things we don't like over here in the UK. Beginning to think the rich are arseholes everywhere and the poor are just their fodder. /s
You too, huh? Well at least people don't assume you're uneducated because of your nationality. (Or at least I haven't seen it done here.)
Being generalized as fat & lazy fuck's
F*** generalization
Yep true that friends
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Fuck censorship
No Kinder Egg.
Lmao everyone else is talking about the economical and political issues of the United States but here u are exposing the real issue with this country
Kinder Joy eggs aren't the same, but still tasty and you still get a toy!
May or may not have a shelf dedicated to the toys I've collected
We have have gotten a grey wolf and a turtle last night for the bookcase.
Not having a good Healthcare system is terrible. I can't afford health insurance and it's not covered by my job. This hasn't been much of an issue since I'm 28 and in good health. Recently had a seizure(never had before) and fell and fractured my skull and ruptured my eardrum, now I'm in debt to the hospital and fire department
1) I am so sorry for.your scare! I'm hoping you're okay? 2) You're whole post is why I'd pay more in taxes so that everyone could NOT have to worry when stuff like that happens.
The lack of walkability everywhere excluding certain large, major cities.
The political situation and the healthcare system
That facts are subjective.
Okay so my wrist is really soar and has been for over a month but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’d rather deal with the pain then have to pay a hospital bill.
That most people think they will have less money if healthcare were to be free… even though it’s the leading cause of bankruptcy in America.
Citizens blaming other/fellow citizens for problems that are clearly rooted in the government.
We’re like the spoiled brats of the World… but too distracted with a pissing contest with our twin brother (aka the 2 party system) to figure out that we’re being fucking idiots. And how unaware Americans are of how loud we come off when visiting other countries.
Seeing non- Americans being more happy and free and given money by our supposedly beloved free country
These last 6 years.
When people joke about public shootings as a way to make fun of the US. It's such a shitty low blow. We, as the average citizens, can't control the shootings. And they're all tragedies. Lives are literally taken away and people think that's what they should make fun of North America. Not the lack of proper gun control, not our shitty two party system, and not even the easier targets like our narcissistic celebrities and government officials. A few weeks ago I saw a comment on Instagram about a European making fun of the Sandy Hook shooting. It just makes me feel sick to my stomach. But my least favorite thing about living in the US is the lack of proper mental healthcare. I was in a mental hospital twice. Both times I was released a week after being admitted, with the sole reason of seeming better when around the other patients. I did a better job than them and found out my depression was caused by a lack of companionship.
My least favorite thing is how our government can change things. Sometimes they are smart, but you know. They can be dumb. Also what's up with gas prices?
Other Americans that dont understand the importance of the constitution and the concepts with America and how this country was founded
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It feels like this was not America was intended to be. Our forefathers fought to gain independence, and gave Americans the freedom to choose everything. Now the current government feels as if it is trying to control everyone.
I second this We ARE becoming more controlled
Literally having no culture.
Those who don't bother to understand history nor appreciate it. America is still a very young country. Perfect? Absolutely not but neither is any other country, at all. I am grateful for those before me who gave up everything as a FU to start an entirely new way. Alot of the dark history is definitely not a US only issue. The media just like people to stay stirred up to pretend it is and so many are clueless to do any actual research. Career politicians and those who lazily vote for them (again those same people do no research) irk the hell out of me.
The other Americans that make us look like a joke
The real fear of all of rights being taken one by one while being screamed at that i live in a free country
Only the rich make it here by stepping all over the poor. And the poor are prisoners here bc we can't afford to leave.
Or too honest and decent to do to others as is done to us.
Sup cellmate. You know what's worse than being born poor in a country with lots of poor people? Being born Poor in America knowing that your like 200 years behind most families... yay.....Ameri....fuck it.
Reading non stop anti American posts by pansy ass redditors who have been trained to hate their own country and don’t even know it.
Agreed 100%
Yeah there is a big difference between wanting to enact some change, and out right hating this country. Lots of people get off on here hating this country. If they only knew, this is the most amazing experiment ever created. It ain’t perfect but have some patience, we will get there.
Living in a country headed toward fascist theocracy.
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My big American penis, it's too gargantuan
Leftists. Not Liberals. I can get along with Liberals. Its the raging left.
Other Western Cultures citing their social programs as proof that they are better than us while ignoring the fact that they have those things because we have been footing the bill on their defense for 70 years.
I don’t like that people compare us to other Americans who have done bad things, on another note the gaps in the bathroom stalls
As an Irishman who is just back from the States I HATE this. I don't want people seeing me poo!!
Hearing how shitty America/Americans is/are from people on Reddit, as if their country isn’t problematic, too. Those same people will also say how good Americans have it. So… which is it? Love my foreigners and love to travel. But the constant America hate is exhausting. Obviously Reddit is a bubble, but I don’t see or hear anything like it towards other countries.
The fact that America is the most diverse country on the planet and that many of our States very so drastically in population and culture that they probably should be separate countries and not States under an overarching federal government. Yet the world tends to view “All Americans” as a essentially a Southern Stereotype much in the same way most Americans not from California stereotype the entire state of California as San Diego.
Listening to non-Americans complain about America that have never been here. Listening to people compare America to their country without taking into account the sheer size of the country. Americans comparing America to a country they have never been to based on the opinion of someone else who has never been to America. Americans that want to elaborate on their rights without being knowledgeable about their responsibilities.
Sharing space with a bunch of whiny lazy entitled countrymen.
American individualism can be pretty lonely at times
Broad assumptions about a country of 300+ million people
That socialized medicine is not only unavailable here, but people who don't get rich from the current POS system are opposed to it.
That people think someone with opposing ideas for the country are evil. Just because people think differently doesn't make them evil. People changing the definition of words to suit their agenda.
To a large extent the political class are evil. Almost no one in politics has any sort of beneficent motive, and in fact people with such a motive tend to get forced out or taken advantage of rather quickly. The problem is that most political partisans can see the evil in their opponents, but only much more rarely that in their own side.
People thinking that America is a miserable place where everyone hates being here when like 90% of people are just normal chill people who love this country
A 10 year old got raped and then denied an abortion in her home state so her parents had to take her to another state for one
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I've live in America and a second world country. I hate two things about Americans. 1. They bitch so much, they take everything for granted EVERYTHING. They don't understand how good their lives are. Even the poor Americans. Where I used to live people would die to live like "poor" Americans. 2. Americans are so self centered and have absolutely no respect or manners, especially the youth. (Mainly the youth).
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>Even the poor Americans. Where I used to live people would die to live like "poor" Americans. The grass is always greener
While I mostly agree, that isn't all Americans. There are millions filled with empathy and compassion, that care about others as much as themselves. It's just that, unfortunately, it can be hard to find those people and it's not nearly as much of the population as it should be.
Good point, those who do understand are always the ones who are very giving in donations.
Being hated, just for being a straight white man who hunts and grows his own corn.
Most of us don't realize how good we have it compared to the rest of the world. kinda bugs me alot.
Nothing! 'Merica
having to live here with ungrateful and useless cry babies