# 20 of the Weirdest Things About America.. What's the Straight Dope? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694 "2015-10-15T04:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/21 "2015-10-15T12:51:41Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > It is a stupid system though. > > Over here I go into a shop for a widget, its priced at €1, I give the server €1 and leave with my widget. At every stage I know where I stand and what I am paying. > > In the US its priced at $1, but when you get to the till its actually costing something else, what a pain in the ass if you are planning and budgeting on the move. Yeah, taxes. But this is supposed to be a transaction between me and the shop, nice and simple, let the shop worry about its tax obligations and leave me out of it. Yes, but then they can’t fool you into thinking it is cheaper. Complicated by the fact that there is no national sales tax. Each state has their own or none at all. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/22 "2015-10-15T12:52:15Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > [Depends on what their arms are doing while pledging, I guess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute#/media/File:Students_pledging_allegiance_to_the_American_flag_with_the_Bellamy_salute.jpg) I’m old but not that old. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/23 "2015-10-15T13:12:41Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > **Soft drink is free flowing, everywhere. At McDonald’s you get a gigantic cop for a dollar and it comes with unlimited refills.** > > In most restaurants if it is not stated explicitly you are not supposed to take unlimited refills. Otherwise why would they sell different sized drinks? Just because they don’t have a guard on the drink dispenser does not mean you are supposed to take as much as you want. I’m actually finding this one a bit odd, and I wonder now if it’s a regional thing. It’s very rare in my experience to find a restaurant with an exposed-to-the-public soda fountain that _isn’t_ intended to have unlimited refills. Some places will explicitly state that unlimited refills only apply to dine-in customers so that you don’t have people coming in off the street with empty cups filling them up. But I believe the default is on the side of unlimited refills. Soda is very, VERY cheap for restaurants, and they can still make a profit even selling it at very low prices with people taking multiple refills [[random cite](http://mhsstobbs.weebly.com/mcdonalds-soft-drink-pricing-strategy.html)]. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/24 "2015-10-15T13:14:09Z")
OK. When I was in California a few years ago, in restaurants the salad was served to be eaten before the main course. No main course until you’d inhaled the salad. In bars a beer is presented in a capped bottle. No glass. Very odd. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/25 "2015-10-15T13:14:59Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > … > The list. > [ol] > … > [li]Flags everywhere. EVERYWHERE![/li]… > [li]Everything being designed around cars.[/li][li]The sheer amount of commercials on the television, and their lack of quality.[/li]… > [li]Your toilets are too low and the stalls have massive gaps arond the door that people can see in.[/li]… > [li]Why is bread in the USA so sweet? Sandwich bread, hamburger buns, taste like cake.[/li]… > [li]You are all so loud! But friendly.[/li][li]Why is there so much water in your toilet bowls?[/li][li]A very blasé approach to credit card security.[/li]… > [/ol] > … American who has been to Canada here. I’d say that these, and maybe several of the others, are also largely true of Canada. I’d especially emphasize that Canada seemed to have as much of a “Car culture”, if not more, than the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/26 "2015-10-15T13:21:57Z")
The toilet stall thing amuses me since it’s usually all about “Americans are so prudish and afraid of the human body” and now it’s “What if someone peers in and watches me poop? I need a fortress to secretly poop in.” People don’t peer in because no one wants to see you poop. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/27 "2015-10-15T14:15:10Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > **Tipping.** It’s grown out of control. What is it now, 25%? Here it’s 10%, it has always been 10%, and God willing, it will always be 10%. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/28 "2015-10-15T14:16:22Z")
Jaywalking is an offence in Australia also, so that one doesn’t seem odd at all ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/29 "2015-10-15T14:23:28Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > I’d much rather pay a fee than put up with those constant ad’s, why your society has accepted that level of constant interruption will always be a mystery to me. It spurred the invention of the DVR. I almost never watch live TV, so I skip the commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/30 "2015-10-15T14:23:49Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s grown out of control. What is it now, 25%? Here it’s 10%, it has always been 10%, and God willing, it will always be 10%. You can do as much as you want. Or as little. It’s not a law. 20% is usual. I never give no tip but will go lower for bad service. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/31 "2015-10-15T14:25:10Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It spurred the invention of the DVR. I almost never watch live TV, so I skip the commercials. I’ve been catching up to what is on my DVR by watching on demand. The bastards put commercials in and don’t let you fast forward but there are a lot fewer. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/32 "2015-10-15T14:34:03Z")
These aren’t my observations. If you Google 20 weird things about America you’ll get pages of hits to the OP list or some similar. I was just curious as to how much different those are to what would be found in foreign countries. Tipping for instance. It’s my understanding that wait staff is paid a reasonable wage and that tipping is unusual in most countries. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/33 "2015-10-15T14:39:06Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’ve been catching up to what is on my DVR by watching on demand. The bastards put commercials in and don’t let you fast forward but there are a lot fewer. I think the longer you wait, the less likely commercials are embedded in OnDemand stuff. And some of the less popular stuff allows you to FF. But yeah, OnDemand isn’t quite a perfect replacement for DVR. I use it mostly for when I slip up and forget to DVR or if I want to watch some really old stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/34 "2015-10-15T14:48:36Z")
For the record, I’ve lived in Manhattan, where jaywalking isn’t so much a violation as it is a religion. > [@Loach](#): > > You can do as much as you want. Or as little. It’s not a law. 20% is usual. I never give no tip but will go lower for bad service. I’m not talking about the law, I’m taking about social conventions, and as far as I know, the social convention is a default tip of at least 20%. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/35 "2015-10-15T14:54:44Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > OK. When I was in California a few years ago, in restaurants the salad was served to be eaten before the main course. No main course until you’d inhaled the salad. > > In bars a beer is presented in a capped bottle. No glass. Very odd. Strange, I don’t think I’ve ever received a beer with the cap still on. And whether you get a glass with it or just the bottle is pretty dependent on the type of bar and how busy it is. Most will give you a glass if you ask. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/36 "2015-10-15T15:04:41Z")
I’ve always hated the pledge of allegiance too, and from a very young age stopped reciting it with the class. At first I would still mouth the words so I wouldn’t get in trouble, but later stopped even that. It’s pure indoctrination, but also silly since the youngest kids don’t understand what they’re saying and just say things like “… for widget sands…” or whatever. As an American I think a very weird thing about our culture is the conflict between puritan values (AUGH, I saw a nipple, help!) and the amount of sexual images available in our media. It’s also horrible that we seem to view sex as a bad thing but violence is okay. We have many societal conflicts. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/37 "2015-10-15T15:09:53Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > [li]A very blasé approach to credit card security.[/li] I’m pretty blasé about it. I have 6 or 7 credit cards, and have for many years. I’ve never once had a problem. Once or twice a year I get a call from Fraud Prevention, and it turns out the unusual activity was me doing something unusual. On the other hand, I’ve had several check forgery issues. I’m getting more careful with my checks. [QUOTE] [li]The pledge of allegiance is creepy. I realize that most Americans just say it because they have to in school but if you listen to the words it sounds strange to have children just chanting it off.[/li][/QUOTE] I sure agree with this. Creepy as fuck. I won’t do it, and encouraged by kids to opt out too. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/38 "2015-10-15T15:36:59Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I’m actually finding this one a bit odd, and I wonder now if it’s a regional thing. It’s very rare in my experience to find a restaurant with an exposed-to-the-public soda fountain that _isn’t_ intended to have unlimited refills. Some places will explicitly state that unlimited refills only apply to dine-in customers so that you don’t have people coming in off the street with empty cups filling them up. But I believe the default is on the side of unlimited refills. > > Soda is very, VERY cheap for restaurants, and they can still make a profit even selling it at very low prices with people taking multiple refills [[random cite](http://mhsstobbs.weebly.com/mcdonalds-soft-drink-pricing-strategy.html)]. FWIW, I very much agreed [with what you said, that is] when reading through Loach’s list. If the soda fountain is accessible to customers, and there’s no sign indicating otherwise, refills are free. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/39 "2015-10-15T16:09:04Z")
I stopped reciting the pledge the day they added “under god”. Most of the items, I agree with. The toilets are too low. The reason for the taxes added at the register is that they (the government) want you to know you are paying taxes. In Quebec (Canada follows the US in the added taxes) it is illegal to advertise “No taxes added” although you can say “taxes included”. The art of taxation used to be called, “The largest amount of pork with the least squeal”, but they seem to have reversed the maxim. Whereas I believe that in most countries, an ordinary working schlub does not have to file any tax return (that was my experience in the three European countries I have received pay in), but the US and Canada require elaborate federal as well as state/provincial returns that generate the largest possible amount of squeal. One result is that Americans believe they pay the highest taxes in the world, while the truth is that, among the industrialized countries, they may pay the lowest. I was unaware that most bread has sugar in it. But Montreal is unique in having its bagels be sweet. I cannot abide them, although apparently people who grow up with them will kill for them. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/40 "2015-10-15T16:29:29Z")
I’ll vote for anyone who promises to do away with the pledge. To me it’s not that much different from the Hitler Youth. But we all have Facebook friends who post glurge like “Keep ‘Under God’ in the Pledge. SHARE if you agree”. Get a fucking life, people. I agree about the drug ads. Presumably your doctor went to med school and gets regular updates on new medicines. If you need it, he should know more than you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694.md?page=3)