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Europeans, what about America makes you say WTF? (self.AskReddit)

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[–]missuseme 22ポイント23ポイント  (30子コメント)

The in your face religion. The UK isn't officially separated from church and state like the US but our politics very rarely have anything to do with religion and seeing how much emphasis goes on towards the religious vote is surprising.

[–]Flarexion 9ポイント10ポイント  (10子コメント)

I live in America, and I don't understand it myself. Then again, I am seen as strange and morally corrupt because I don't believe in a magic sky daddy.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

I don't believe in a magic sky daddy.

LOL

[–]missuseme 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

Just about every religious person I know in the UK keeps it almost completely to themselves, the only reason I know most of them are religious at all is because I asked what their plans were for the weekend and they said they were going to church.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -2ポイント-1ポイント  (3子コメント)

Not in America, walk down any street in NY and you'll see people with bibles preaching and casting shame on the non-believers.

[–]roarcelona [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

I've been to New York and i haven't see that once. Are you sure you aren't making this into too big a deal?

[–]MeanMrMustardSeed [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

It's every where. They tend to hang near the homeless.

[–]RQK1996 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

that happens in Europe to, we mostly ignore these kind of stand-up comedians

[–]fapples_and_bananas 2ポイント3ポイント  (2子コメント)

But have you been touched by he who has a noodly appendage?

[–]interweb1 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Bigotry. What an intelligent and witty way to disguise your hatred.

[–]DougSR01 3ポイント4ポイント  (6子コメント)

If I were running a presidential campaign I would be totally Republican with conservative fiscal policies. But my religion, my thoughts on drugs and gay marriage would never come into play. I don't understand it either.

[–]gentleman_bronco 2ポイント3ポイント  (3子コメント)

It may be one thing to take the high ground and never talk about it, but your decisions will make the implications people need to draw those conclusions. Would you have voted for gay marriage or illegal drug policy or abstained from voting? Most likely if you vote, your history will prove the point and if you abstain from voting, you will be seen as a lame duck Senator/Congressman that doesn't vote.

[–]DougSR01 3ポイント4ポイント  (2子コメント)

Gay marriage was a supreme court issue that Senators and Congressmen shouldn't be involved in. Marijuana as well. If asked to vote I would abstain. My efforts would be to decrease pork barrel spending and make our country fiscally sound again. Those issues have no merit. America should be a monetary superpower.

[–]gentleman_bronco [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

So you would rather a high court that is built by nomination deciding the muddy yes and no's of the social issues in the country? Refusing to position itself in complex ethical debates is what drove the Whig party to extinction. I get that some things should be decided in a judicial setting but not all. Planned Parenthood funding for example. If you are voting for a fiscally Conservative budget, do you fund planned parenthood? If you do, who chooses what planned parenthood is capable of doing? The supreme court or your budget?

[–]DougSR01 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

No. The government should not be involved in matters of health.

[–]cashcow1 [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Welcome to the Libertarian Party!

[–]DougSR01 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

In some respects yes. However, in this uncertain world I prefer a strong defense against those who would harm us.

[–]cashcow1 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

It may be because the US is more religious than the UK. We also have more voters that align religiously on issues like abortion and gay marriage.

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (3子コメント)

Its almost a taboo in the UK to go around preaching about religion. The people I've seen preaching loudly in the streets are laughed at or widely ignored. I always refer back to that quote of 'religion is like a penis. Its alright to have one but don't go shoving down my throat in public.' I'm fine with people having a religion but it seems that its so in your face in America, almost like if you're not a Christian, you're an outcast

[–]NachoQueen_ [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

The only 2 times I've seen someone preaching about religion was a guy who read the bible out loud in a busy shopping area of my town, I saw 1 guy tell him "mate, stop" and another guy who told him to shut up and piss off.

The other guy was handing out leaflets while holding a sign with a bible quote, I saw most people rip the leaflet to shreds and throw it in the bin next to him.

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Thats the exact same thing I've seen many times. Theres a group who do the same thing as your second person in my town and the amount of times I walk round the corner to see all of their leaflets on the floor or hanging out of the bin is amazing. They must waste so much money printing them just to have them thrown away

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Its almost a taboo in the UK to go around preaching about religion.

Not in the US, you can't go anywhere without someone being in your face talking about Jesus. The first thing they do when you land in 'Murica is give you a bible and make you swear an oath of loyalty to Jesus and NASCAR.

[–]Venom0923 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

It baffles us too, but the craziest are often the most vocal.

And as a wise man from World of Warcraft Trade Chat once said.. "Those who are smart enough to fix this country are smart enough to stay away from politics".

Most profound statement I've ever heard.

Edit: autocorrect sux

[–]KeFFFF [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

It's pretty ridiculous.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (4子コメント)

So true, Obama never shuts up about Jesus. And sure things like David Cameron saying Britain must 'proudly' defend its Christian values in the face of Islamic extremists might be said and 1/3 of teacehrs in the Uk think creationism should be taught but you know what, Americans are backward religitards.

[–]dinoscool3 12ポイント13ポイント  (9子コメント)

I'm an American who lives in Switzerland.

Can we just switch to the metric system? Please?

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

That would certainly change your life greatly.

[–]KeisariFLANAGAN [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

It's honestly useful for baking. Using scales is more precise but out of my means, and milliliters of flour or centilitres of liquid have always been less convenient even after a long time in Europe. Canadians I know actually use the customary baking system even though most other places they've sensibilized.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Well until the metric system is decriminalized in the US people will be forced to bake cakes the wrong way.

[–]ranchochupacabrash 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

I work in manufacturing and all of our equipment is made in Switzerland. We use the metric system extensively.

[–]dinoscool3 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

I wish the rest of the US did the same. I hate getting used to kilometers and Celsius, and then having to switch to miles and Fahrenheit when I come back to the US for holidays.

[–]jaredsquared 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

I'm used to metres, grams, but for some reason I can't switch from Fahrenheit to Celsius

[–]TKameli [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

I just read Stephen King's The Stand which was rather poorly translated to my language. The most hilarious part was when the Autumn was coming and somebody said something about the evening being cold with just 50 degrees. It took me a while before I realized the unit must Fahrenheit and not Celsius.

[–]fapples_and_bananas 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I work in shipping. All the imports we deal with have to be converted from kilos to pounds and cm or mm to inches. Very annoying! Not sure why the US is holding out.

[–]drop_panda 10ポイント11ポイント  (18子コメント)

Super-well paying jobs that come with long hours and practically no vacation. Why not simply take a small pay cut in exchange for extra weeks to relax and enjoy life? What is the point of working so hard if there is no time left to live life?

Edit: The thing about this one, compared to other complex topics like gun control and the medical system, is that it would take very little to change the status quo. Overworked people are less productive than ones that are well-rested. To a naive European, it seems like a simple no-cost win-win for everybody.

[–]mistergrumples 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

WHAT'S A VACATION!?

[–]Ramrod312 [スコア非表示]  (11子コメント)

What do you define as the super-well paying jobs? I'd say I have a pretty cushy job and I have 25 paid vacation days. But I am also a Salary employee, not a wage worker.

[–]shadowmonk10 [スコア非表示]  (8子コメント)

List of minimum annual leave - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_annual_leave_by_country

Note - in the EU - 20 is the mandatory minimum - US - 0.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (6子コメント)

Americans literally get 0 vacation days. WTF

[–]shadowmonk10 [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

They are entitled to 0 vacation days. But a lot of companies offer paid vacation... AFTER you've worked their for a few years.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Correct it typically takes about 5 years to get a vacation day. This is the norm in the US as you pointed out.

[–]Yesh [スコア非表示]  (3子コメント)

Depends. Most salaried employees get some (whether they get to take it is another story) but no employer is mandated to offer it.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Correct, Americans get 0 vacations days. The last American to take a vacation was President Bush and ti caused national outrage.

[–]drop_panda [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

In parts (or all?) of Europe, employees are mandated to take out a minimum number of days of vacation per year. In my last job in a Scandinavian country, I think it was 20 (out of my annual 29), which was a bit above the national standard.

[–]Ramrod312 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Guess I'm just lucky then. Thanks for the info

[–]drop_panda [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Anything above $100k/year would be super well paid by international standards.

There's research that has shown that happiness doesn't really improve much beyond somewhere around $75k/year. It's not really clear to me how trustworthy that research is and I suspect there are many limitations to the finding's validity, though clearly there is some point where additional leisure time would be more worth than additional money in the pocket.

[–]Ramrod312 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Well, with the same vacation I stated before, I made just over 70k last year and I'll tell you right now I'd be happier with much more.

[–]wtfudgery [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

Cost of living is outrageous

[–]drop_panda [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Yeah, that tends to happen when salaries skyrocket. But only locally produced goods and services (e.g. housing, restaurants) scale in cost with local salaries - internationally produced goods like electronics cost the same everywhere.

Even taking into account cost of living, my experience working in many countries around the world tells me that the percent one can save of a local salary stays roughly equal wherever one goes. Double the salary thus means roughly double the savings.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Oh yeah, America is known for it's high cost of living compared to Europe.

[–]Yesh [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

In all honesty, my bachelor party this year was the first time I've taken off three consecutive weekdays in the past 4 years.

[–]tradingten 8ポイント9ポイント  (8子コメント)

It is one of only 4 countries in the world without laws for paid parental leave.

[–]beccaonice 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

And 1 of 2 for maternity leave! Very strange.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

WTF!

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

for such an advanced country, it really is behind is some areas

[–]Micro_M 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

Wait... what?

[–]Yesh [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Nope, most women go out on "long term disability" that may or may not be paid, depending on how much you spend on your insurance.

[–]Bell_Whiff [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Ha! Out of morbid curiosity, which are the other three?

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

rofl, AmeriKKKA is literally a 3rd world shit hole!

[–]ExxInferis [スコア非表示]  (5子コメント)

Your law enforcement & legal system.

Untouchable cops gunning down un-armed kids, then posing for high-five photos over the corpse, deleting the body cam footage, and at worst getting paid leave. Common stories in /r/news and /r/worldnews

Prosecutors ignoring/supressing blatant evidence of innocence to keep the wrong person in jail to preserve their "success" rate. A regular occurrence on /r/TIL

The approach the police (seem) to take with a threatening situation is to escalate the hell out of it with screaming and threats and weapon waving. OK I live in a country where firearms are very rare so I'm uncertain on this one, but woe betide a tourist who is pulled over and gets out of their car in USA. Likely get drilled! Cops here are trained to try and calm and deescalate a situation first.

I'll edit others in as I think of them.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (4子コメント)

Untouchable cops gunning down un-armed kids, then posing for high-five photos over the corpse, deleting the body cam footage, and at worst getting paid leave. Common stories in /r/news and /r/worldnews

Well said and you are clearly a very informed educated person on this subject.

[–]ExxInferis [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

I detected a hint of /s there. OK set it straight then.

Is it shitposting to these subs citing bad journalism? It just seems so incredibly common. And how, when you have asked for observations from non-americans, do you expect us to be well informed and educated? Hmm?

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

No sarcasm at all, thank Sagan Europe invented the internet so that they could lecture Americans about their country 24/7. But most Americans won't see it as they're being shot at by police or dying in the streets from lack of healthcare.

[–]ExxInferis [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Don't forget the rest dying from heart attacks brought on by morbid obesity whilst fucking their cousins!

[–]belgianjack [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

You're kinda being a dick, /u/ExxInferis just wanted to contribute to your post.

[–]KakashiStanfield 6ポイント7ポイント  (37子コメント)

The crippling amount of medical debts that people accumulate.

[–]Ori15n 2ポイント3ポイント  (5子コメント)

Lack of insurance even when it is easily available. People still just refuse to get coverage.

[–]michelle_est_triste 2ポイント3ポイント  (4子コメント)

Honestly, I just left my last job where I had insurance and I'm not sure I want to get insurance again. It sounds dumb, I know, but outside of a catastrophic event it's useless for me. I was paying $237 per month for health insurance that still cost $20-30 copay for doctors and $75 per visit for specialists. I see the doctor maybe twice a year, out of pocket that's $200. Yet, I paid $2844 for medical insurance. It's insane.

I will always keep my children insured though. Just for myself, I don't see the value outside of extreme circumstances.

[–]Ori15n 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

Have you looked into supplemental insurance? If you get supplemental coverage through a company like AFLAC, you can tone your major medical down to quite a bit lower in cost.

And $2844 a year is actually...not that bad. That's $237 a month. I mean, I assume your kids go to the doctor as well as you. Right? I'd urge you to do the math on a doctor's visit without insurance. It can be about as much, if not more than what you pay out of pocket and yearly combined, for one visit.

And extreme circumstances are sort of what insurance is for in the first place. I'd rather pay $3000 a year to help me out for when/if I ever get my knees blown out in a car wreck again.

[–]michelle_est_triste [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Well $237 is just for me. Between my partner, myself and our two children we were paying over $500 per month for insurance and made only about $55K pre tax which seems fine but the cost of living is stupid where we are. All of our bills come out to about $2500 per month. So it's not like we're left with nothing after the bills but it would be nice to put that away into savings or something else.

But you're not the first to recommend supplemental insurance. Is that through the Marketplace? I'm definitely going to look into that when open enrollment comes around. I mean you're right, it's for the extreme circumstances but I just hate to spend that much just on myself for insurance. Right now I guess I can't enroll?

[–]Ori15n [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

My advice to you, is to go speak to your Human Resources, or whoever handles insurance at your job. Ask them about AFLAC (or just supplemental insurance in general.I'd urge you to look at and compare companies. AFLAC is just one of the better options and easiest to get.)

See when your open enrollment is, see if you are offered cheap supplemental coverage, if not, contact an agent and get a quote for your family.

Right now you cannot enroll, you have to wait until your next Open Enrollment. Unless you speak to HR and they are willing to make an exception for you, but I wouldn't count on that.

Just ask and see if you can supplement your coverage, see what is offered, see if it's good or not (feel free to message me back. I can compare it to what I sell.), then just wait for open enrollment. Or you can technically go purchase the coverage now, on your own. It will just be more expensive. But still cheaper than major medical.

And if you guys use a marketplace like I'm thinking of, you should actually be able to log into it and just look at everything yourself. And you may be able to pre-enroll (which is like putting what you want on a list, that they will use next time you enroll, and it will show you prices and everything.)

[–]Ramrod312 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

....knock on wood

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

I genuinely can't wrap my head around why you wouldn't want free healthcare. I know that you'd pay more taxes etc. but the likelihood of you needing to use the hospital at one point in your life is high and the debts off of paid healthcare doesn't seem worth it. Can someone explain why you wouldn't want free healthcare like the NHS?

[–]BedroomAcoustics 3ポイント4ポイント  (17子コメント)

This is why I haven't considered moving to the US, I like my free health care as a Brit too much.

[–]scottevil110 4ポイント5ポイント  (10子コメント)

For what it's worth, I probably pay less for my health care in the US than you do in the UK. We have no NHS tax. You're absolutely paying for it. You just don't have any choice in the matter.

[–]BedroomAcoustics 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

It's percentage based on earnings and doesn't just cover healthcare, it covers pension too.

[–]scottevil110 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

We have a separate pension called Social Security.

Well, that's what I mean. I make good money. According to every calculator I can find in the UK, I'd be paying several times more to the NHS than I currently do for my coverage in the US. The only way I'd be paying less is to make shit for money.

[–]BedroomAcoustics [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

All I can say to justify this is that we are a smaller country, funding it isn't going to be cheap but that doesn't make it right.

[–]shadowmonk10 [スコア非表示]  (6子コメント)

That is just bullshit on so many levels.

[–]scottevil110 [スコア非表示]  (5子コメント)

I'll gladly listen if you'd like to list them.

[–]shadowmonk10 [スコア非表示]  (4子コメント)

Lets start with prescription drugs. The US allows drug companies to charge whatever the hell it wants for these items. In the UK - that isn't the case so you pay literally hundreds to thousands of times MORE for drugs than the UK does.

Next - you have to buy insurance if it isn't provided - so you are paying a private company some 250 to 500 a month or more whether or not you use the hospital. x12 months = could be some $6,000.00 - EVEN IF YOU MADE $65,000.00. IN the UK the national insurance costs about 6,000 for someone making $100,000.00 a year.

I could then go on about deductibles and costs of procedures... but if you are not willing to research something before you just speak some bullshit - you probably wouldn't listen.

[–]scottevil110 [スコア非表示]  (3子コメント)

Lets start with prescription drugs. The US allows drug companies to charge whatever the hell it wants for these items. In the UK - that isn't the case so you pay literally hundreds to thousands of times MORE for drugs than the UK does.

As a result, guess where all those drugs came from. One export ban, and you wouldn't have any more prescription drugs at all. Because no company wants to come spend millions and decades on R&D only to be told that they have to sell their product for $4.

Next - you have to buy insurance if it isn't provided - so you are paying a private company some 250 to 500 a month or more whether or not you use the hospital.

Except I'm not. Because it IS provided. Like it is with nearly every salaried job in existence. Having your insurance paid for isn't some perk of the uber-wealthy. Pretty much everyone with a full-time job has their insurance covered (either partially or completely) by their employer.

I could then go on about deductibles and costs of procedures... but if you are not willing to research something before you just speak some bullshit - you probably wouldn't listen.

Meaning you don't want to do said research.

[–]shadowmonk10 [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

I did do said research but you still seem to want to compulsively lie about all kinds of bullshit. Where do the drugs come from? EUROPE!

[–]KakashiStanfield 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Same dude, I'd rather pay for healthcare through taxes than through insurance.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (4子コメント)

Face it, you'd be dead or bankrupt in the USA. That's the reality of it.

[–]BedroomAcoustics 0ポイント1ポイント  (3子コメント)

I wouldn't but the SO would totally be dead! My health is fantastic but don't want to risk it, my partner on the other hand is riddled with chronic pain and illnesses that require medical attention every few months.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (2子コメント)

my partner on the other hand is riddled with chronic pain and illnesses that require medical attention every few months.

I'm sorry to hear that, when that happens in the US they are left in the streets to die.

[–]BedroomAcoustics 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

I laughed more than I should've at the thought of just tossing her out saying something along the lines of "sorry love but it's for the greater good"

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (9子コメント)

So true, most Americans are crippled by medical debt and student loans.

[–]SlickMrNic [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

This is completely false. Most Americans are crippled by debt from buying things they can't afford on credit.And of course more expensive mortgages than they should have and crazy expensive cars because "I can afford the payment today".

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-data/average-credit-card-debt-household/

EDIT:Missed the student loans part, it's true that there are lots of student loans out there and some of them are very high (dentist I know rack up 250k to 500k I'm sure doctors and lawyers are the same). Paying for a good education with a loan is one of those acceptable debts and should instil some responsibility on the individual to make a good choice and get into a career that will pay off the loan. If they make a poor choice it's going to mean they shouldn't also go buy a new sports/luxury car and a half million dollar house.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

KakashiStanfield has 6 upvotes, therefore you are wrong and he is right. Medical debt cripples all Americans.

[–]scottevil110 0ポイント1ポイント  (6子コメント)

No we aren't.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (4子コメント)

Don't question the expertise of a European boy. They know everything and will tell you what your life and country is like.

[–]Yesh [スコア非表示]  (3子コメント)

Did you create this just to draw out Europeans with criticisms of the US so you could troll them?

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

As you can see here and every day on Reddit, European love to share their vast, deep and nuanced expertise on all things American. That's why France invented the internet.

[–]Yesh [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

You asked them to lol

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Yes and they were able to share their thorough researched knowledge with us and tell us what America is really like.

[–]RH03-H 2ポイント3ポイント  (5子コメント)

I've heard you have a drive-thru for pretty much everything, like a drive-thru ATM.

Don't get me wrong, it's fucking awesome! But it definitely makes me think... wat.

[–]MeanMrMustardSeed [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

I don't frequent fast food, maybe a coffee drive thru or ATM but having kids in the car makes the drive thru worth it. No unloading the kids to pull some cash out or grabbing a coffee.

[–]shadowmonk10 [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Don't forget the drive though liquor stores!

[–]wahaha_oops 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

Patriotism... taking into consideration America's mediocrity across all statistical parameters, the (apparent) lack of healthy scepticism and self-irony of the American population is somewhat confusing.

[–]michelle_est_triste [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

the (apparent) lack of healthy scepticism and self-irony of the American population is somewhat confusing.

I definitely think it's more apparent than actual. I know a lot of people with healthy skepticism about of country and what we need to improve. Education for example, most people I speak with will readily discuss their disappointment with our education system overall including college level. Same with our medical and political issues.

There is a lot of self-awareness here the problem is it does get drowned out by the "America is the greatest country ever" rhetoric which I frankly find to be arrogant.

[–]KeisariFLANAGAN [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

We are the unchallenged economic and military giant, though. I feel the same way looking to Russia, where the undeserved nationalism seems even more exaggerated.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -2ポイント-1ポイント  (0子コメント)

This is so true, America is literally shit at everything and statistically bad at everything that is considered good or positive, yet the fatty burgers think they're #1.

[–]browd011 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

How scared some of the public seem to be of the idea of universal healthcare

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (5子コメント)

The guns! I don't understand the need for them in any way really. we get along just fine without them in the UK

[–]ThePhantomDuker [スコア非表示]  (4子コメント)

I'm a pretty avid hunter, which is why I own so many rifles. Love me some guns.

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (3子コメント)

I get hunting. There are people who go hunting here that I know but I was mainly thinking about the ones that don't go hunting. I was talking to an American in the pub the other day and he was showing me pictures of all of the weapons he has back in the States. He had his concealed carry ones, his assault rifles, his sniper rifles and everything. He was telling me he has around 15 guns and to his friends, he's only classed as a beginner as some of them have up to 45! He was also telling me he never leaves the house without a gun. It just seems a tad over the top, spending thousands of dollars to shoot some bullets down a range

[–]ThePhantomDuker [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Hobby shooting is pretty fun IMO. But to each their own I guess.

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Oh I understand, its just hard to get my head around really when he was telling me that some of his rifles cost him $10 a shot and he goes shooting around 3 times a week.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

He's clearly a typical America, wait a second, did he have a bible?

[–]JJWP87 2ポイント3ポイント  (19子コメント)

The rise of Trump, we (the world) can see he is an asshole and we understand a lot of you nice folks can too, but how do you manage to have so many people supporting him?

[–]michelle_est_triste 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

If casual observation and reddit have taught me one thing about Trump supporters, it's that many (not all) simply like him because he's anti-PC or comes across as so. Now some do support him for his policies but again many seem to flock to him because he's not afraid to offend people which I think is a terrible sign of a leader. Like, we shouldn't have to worry about whether the president, the face of America, will address Enrique Peña Nieto as "Señor Taco" or Angela Merkel as "Toots"...

[–]cashcow1 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

We don't know.

[–]Ori15n 1ポイント2ポイント  (8子コメント)

If you actually watched some of his speeches (Especially the one in Tuscon.) you'd see that he's actually capable of being a nice guy. And not really "racist."

I don't necessarily like him. But I like him more than the alternatives. He's even said before, and has since heavily implied that he has his "real" personality, and "The Trump" personality, which is his TV persona that he has just used to make a mess of things, basically. Which worked pretty well in dumping the GOP on it's head, and making Hillary shit herself.

[–]Ramrod312 [スコア非表示]  (3子コメント)

The problem with Trump's and his supporters, is they are all voting on his personality. Yeah, he is very upfront with what he says and doesn't back down, and sure that would be a good trait for politicians, but no one knows jack shit about his policy. Every supporter you ask "why are you voting for trump?", they will reply with the following:

"He's not afraid to speak his mind"

"He will make America great again"

"He isn't politically correct, and that's what this country needs"

"He's a great negotiator that will get things done"

but not one will mention his policies besice "eeerr dey took er jobs build a wall!"

[–]cashcow1 [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

This is a perfect description. It's got almost nothing to do with policy, it's all "We need a winner!"

[–]Ramrod312 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

I can't believe I forgot the "Because he's a winner" response too

[–]Ori15n [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

I actually like his policies and agree with most of them as well. He has a few I disagree with, sure (The wall idea. I think just allowing our Border Patrol to do their job effectively and be fully staffed would be enough.) I agree with him on trying to get along with Russia and China politically, and competing economically instead. I agree with expediting our naturalization/immigration process so that people from all over the world can get into our country legally, and easier. I think he has a point in saying we need to do something about the federal debt. He's been the only one to not flat out ignore it. And I could go on and on.

But yes. I like his personality, and the more Pathos driven appeals about him. But don't for one second think I'm doing like quite a few Clinton voters and voting for him based solely off of something about his character (gender, in her case.)

He's the only one who has said more than two things in a row that I didn't once say "Wait...what? No. Why?" And I'm talking about actually sitting down and educating yourself on everyone like I have. And not just letting reddit, facebook, and the news do your thinking for you.

[–]taekwondo_girl_lily 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

Not really "racist"?

Thats like saying "I'm not a racist but..."

[–]Ori15n 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

How so? He is not really racist, as in, not at all. Like I said. See what the guy has to say (I saw what Clinton, Sanders, Cruz, and Bush all had to say.)

I mean, I guess you can get hung up on his word choice. But then again, then you'd have to get hung up on every other politician's word choice as well. Or else you're just allowing the bias of others affect your decision making skills.

[–]JJWP87 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Even if you manage to overlook his (imho) blatant racism, you cannot argue that he is intentionally inflammatory. Is that really what we needs right now? You (America) are about to hand him gasoline and matches and ask him to fix the world.

[–]Ori15n 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well yeah...I admitted that he is intentionally inflammatory. And it has torn the very corrupt GOP apart, and turned eyes on Clinton that she would rather not have upon her. I think he IS what we need right now. Like I said, I can see that there are two very distinct sides to him. And one is a literal act, while the other is who he really is, or at least closer to who he is.

I'm just saying. Go listen to just 10 minutes of his speech in Tuscon. Or the one he gave at AIPAC (which he is being criticized for. I thought it was actually very professional.)

Maybe you can tell me WHY he is so bad?

[–]scottevil110 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

The honest answer is because we do not like being told what to do. The more people call someone stupid for supporting Trump, the more they're going to support him.

[–]JJWP87 -1ポイント0ポイント  (1子コメント)

I don't believe he is stupid, i believe he is chasing votes from stupid people by playing on irrational fears they have about Mexicans, Muslims and the Chinese.

[–]scottevil110 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

That's what I mean. The more you call THEM stupid, the more they're going to support him, if only to spite you. Conservatives see liberal people in the US as incredibly smug and condescending, and to be honest, they don't do much to combat the image.

[–]KeisariFLANAGAN [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

But what about Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders and PEGIDA? They have such similar policies and also have a sizeable base. Hell, Orbán is in power and more explicitly authoritarian leaning, even if Hungary is a much more recent member of the EU itself. Then Berlusconi was in power for way too long, also a media personality who liked to treat himself....

[–]FishyJizzSmell 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

Trump is not an asshole, you obviously have no idea about what he stands for do you?

[–]JJWP87 [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

Please FISHYJIZZSMELL, englighten me.

[–]FishyJizzSmell [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Why don't you tell me why you think he is an asshole, and I will tell you why you are wrong.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

So true, a person like Trump would never be popular in Europe and he's far too right wing to win any election in Europe. NDP, FN, UKIP, Progress Party, Sweden Democrats...all to the left of Trump.

[–]Samarkanda82 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

How savage capitalism has taken onto that country to the point where people finds normal having to pay tons of money for basical medical assistance... If you ask me, paying 20.000 dollars for an ambulance to pick you up it's a little bit fucked up...

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (3子コメント)

So true, most Americans die or go bankrupt by age 30.

[–]mistergrumples 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

I guess I have 8 months left until I'm broke or dead. Farewell.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

These Europeans know much more about your life than you do.

[–]MeanMrMustardSeed [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Fare thee well, person I never knew! I'm right behind you!

[–]HandGrillSuicide1 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

one word: GUNS

[–]Micro_M 0ポイント1ポイント  (5子コメント)

Your education system - is it really like that documentary "waiting on superman"? It's crazy that any teacher can become tenured and then never be fired regardless of how bad/little effort they put into their career. I also don't see how anyone can afford to go to university there. A friend of mine came to our country for university (from the US). It was cheaper for him to come here and pay the €20k international student fees. How is anyone expected to pay off that debt and be able to buy a house or basically live?

Health care system - to me it seems like if you get sick at all in the US then you're either going to die or live with crippling death.

High fructose corn syrup. In everything! From what I have tasted of American sweets that are also available here (eg skittles), your sweets are way to sweet.

Last but not least - gun control. It makes me really sad and angry the number of times I hear about some kid shooting a pile of other kids.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (2子コメント)

I also don't see how anyone can afford to go to university there.

So true, it's so expensive about half the cost of going to uni in the UK.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/09/student-debt-kick-in-teeth-for-poor-families

The US is often quoted as the country whose system of student funding most cloesely corresponds to England’s, but because of generous scholarships in private universities and very low fees charged by many state universities, only 70% of US students graduate with debt, which in any case only averages £22,750. In Britain, all students graduate with debt almost twice the US level.

[–]Micro_M 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

"Only 70%"

That's bizarre.

In Ireland, depending on your families income and assets and if youre under the age of 23 you'll pay about €5k per year. If your families income is below that threshold you can qualify for a grant system and less fees. I really don't like the current system because it forced me to be financially dependent on my parents until I finished my degree. It was like the Irish government was like "hey you're over 18 you're an adult but not really".

They're talking about a new loan system in which graduated would start paying back when they hit a certain pay. I don't know how to feel about this. Our government tends to fuck these things up in one way or another.

[–]MeanMrMustardSeed [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

In the U.S. if you are not fiscally ready or responsible, they have you put a cosigner on your loans, basically making that person liable for your loans if you default or just say "fuck it, I'm not paying!" At 18 most people don't have a solid line of credit established so most are forced to have a cosigner.

[–]RQK1996 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

the math class I was in in my 4th year of middle/high school (they are the same in the Netherlands, it was also my pre-final year) got a math teacher, well not fired but close enough, because he was terrible, also that year was terrible iirc two teachers got burned out before the first day of school and after that their replacements got burned out. the teacher we kinda got fired was the 2nd replacement math teacher, in the end we got stuck with a chemistry teacher. also I failed exams the next year because of that shitshow of a year

[–]MeanMrMustardSeed [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

European candies are so SOOO much better. I work for a German company that brings the Haribo Gummy Bears back all the time. Made with the real sugar! People get so pumped for them but then you have to sit and wonder, "why is real sugar not used to begin with here?"

The food industry in the States is a joke.

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

The difference between the elections from the UK and America astounds me. The fact that the rallies and speeches in America gain thousands of viewers and can fill out stadiums with people with signs and flags is amazing. Its almost like a sport over there. The UK's elections are not glamourised nearly as much as the US's imo

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

That's because you are superior morally, culturally and intellectually.

[–]BigHead_King [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

I'm not saying that. I just find it funny how much more glamourised it is compared to the UK and how much support the candidates get

[–]The_Great_Northwood [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

They drive everywhere!

[–]Teillu [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Spaniard/Catalan here: your vast spaces. I can't walk more than 30 minutes without finding some inhabited nucleus.

[–]interweb1 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Troll post.

[–]BigFang [スコア非表示]  (3子コメント)

Simple stuff like sugar in bread.

Easy access to guns.

Lobbying and such in politics. No country is free from corruption but that this is such a typical thing over there is so strange to me.

On that note about politics, I read about the legalisation of MMA in New York. I don't mind personal opinions. But using uninformed and incorrect nonsense as an arguement against it baffled me that they didn't research it before debating it. It's a serious job, I don't understand why no one thought to use a bit of google like.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

What would reddit be without highly informed European to tell Americans what their country is really like.

Why can't Americans get more than one type of bread, wtf, can't they import a baker?

Easy access to guns.

I went to the USA ans as soon as I got off the plane I was handed a bible and a gun. He said, y'all gon need these boy!

[–]BigFang [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

I know this is light hearted and that but it just seems so unessasary to me that so much sugar is added to things like bread. I've never had a sandwich and thought that it should taste sweeter like. I personally think it is unusual to what I'm used to. That's the point of the topic isn't it?

On guns though, from what I have read, there are things like gun shows where if you pay more than the normal price, you can skip the background check. Again, that seems pretty mad to me.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

That's the point of the topic isn't it?

Exactly, there is only one style of bread in the US and it tastes like cake. Fucking backwards Americans, one day globalisation will bring real bread to America. Oh get this, the only "cheese" they have comes in a can.

[–]Schumarker 0ポイント1ポイント  (7子コメント)

What the hell are you trying to achieve here OP?

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] 1ポイント2ポイント  (5子コメント)

Sharign information and stories from worldly and educated Europeans. Reddit has thousands of European who are certified experts on American law, society, and culture.

[–]Schumarker [スコア非表示]  (2子コメント)

This just in folks! People have misconceptions about a place they don't live. Stay tuned for more biting satire from /u/Swizzlefunk

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

People have firmly held and absurd beliefs about a place they don't live which they never shut the fuck up about and love to preach about.

FTFY Get some healthcare Amerifats!

[–]Schumarker [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

You started this to expose generalisations, but it's based on a huge generalisation.

[–]MarkTwainTwacks 0ポイント1ポイント  (4子コメント)

"WTF!?!? How did they get so cool and full of freedom??? Oui... baguette...

[–]bretty88 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

ITT: US medical insurance, religion, and politics.

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

How did Europeans get to be such experts on life in the US?

[–]castiel65 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Trump

[–]Grimpler 0ポイント1ポイント  (3子コメント)

The amount of people who call themselves Irish/Italian.. American

[–]_Hopped_ -1ポイント0ポイント  (2子コメント)

The regressive left - you're supposed to be the land of freedom and opportunity!

[–]Swizzlefunk[S] -1ポイント0ポイント  (1子コメント)

The real American dream lives in Europe.

[–]_Hopped_ 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I used to live in the states, I have tasted freedom and now I thirst for it.

[–]marioz90 [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

not European, but stop saying America. America IS the continent. bye.