# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/41 "2015-10-15T16:46:12Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > 1. Why is there so much water in your toilet bowls? So that your turd plops into the water instead of sticking on the bottom of the bowl! I hate hate hate taking a dump in Europe, where your butt sits over exposed porcelain. Your drop your deuce and it just _sits_ there, festering and stinking. Then you have to get up and look at it, as it slowly sags onto the surface of the bowl. Then you flush and it takes two or three tries to get the residue away and get the blow clean again. Give me a satisfying “plop” and a submerged turd any day of the week. U-S-A! ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/42 "2015-10-15T17:38:26Z")
I won’t go through the entire list. But I will point out that that there are lots of countries besides the U.S. where there are flags everywhere. Two that come to mind are Canada and Switzerland. Also, I don’t like the high toilets of Europe because my feet barely reach the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/43 "2015-10-15T18:16:32Z")
And WHAT is the deal with NO PANTS??? Everywhere I go in America, men and women are running around with NO PANTS ON. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/44 "2015-10-15T18:21:38Z")
I thought this would surely be on the list: Why do Americans like so much ice in their drinks? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/45 "2015-10-15T18:42:33Z")
> [@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. Yes, it was society who accepted all those ads. It couldn’t possibly have been the greedy Networks who wanted more profits that forced the ads on us. Please let me know how I can convince those companies to make less profit so I see less ads? ---
**Author:** ![palacheck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@palacheck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palacheck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/46 "2015-10-15T19:08:48Z")
Don’t we have this thread every other week? As if the rest of the West is the baseline and anything Americans do a bizarre aberration. I hate to break it to you, but there is a country that is dominating this whole globalization thing, and sure as shit isn’t Denmark. Frankly I’d like to see a “Weird things about \_\_\_\_” thread that isn’t about America. I’ve done a lot of international travel and have encountered enough baffling things in my travels to fill a library. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/47 "2015-10-15T19:37:44Z")
I’m surprised to see such a list that doesn’t include, “The National Anthem is played before pretty much every sporting event - not just professional ones, but ones where school children are involved.” ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/48 "2015-10-15T21:19:24Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Yes, it was society who accepted all those ads. It couldn’t possibly have been the greedy Networks who wanted more profits that forced the ads on us. Please let me know how I can convince those companies to make less profit so I see less ads? Unless maybe you think the networks in other countries aren’t greedy, maybe you should think about what a society is before trying to be snarky. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/49 "2015-10-15T23:15:49Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > **Everything being designed around cars.** > > It’s a big country. It is impossible for public transportation to get you around unless you live in a big city or are willing to shrink your world down to where the bus will take you. It’s impossible to get around on public transportation because we’ve chosen to make it that way. The US used to have a very thorough public transportation system when the country was every bit as big as it is now, but it was mostly dismantled and everything was geared towards the car instead. > [@suranyi](#): > > I won’t go through the entire list. But I will point out that that there are lots of countries besides the U.S. where there are flags everywhere. Two that come to mind are Canada and Switzerland. YES. Thank you. Canadians are some of the flag-wavingest people in the world. It’s weird to me that Americans are always called out on this, when the Maple Leaf is the flag that is practically shoved in your face. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/50 "2015-10-15T23:40:36Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > In bars a beer is presented in a capped bottle. No glass. Very odd. Which bar in CA is this? The only time an unopened beer is ever served to me, it is from my wife. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/51 "2015-10-16T02:03:40Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > 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. And for the same reason - Canada’s a big freakin’ country. > [@teela\_brown](#): > > I thought this would surely be on the list: > > Why do Americans like so much ice in their drinks? Because we like our drinks cold? For my part, I could never understand Britons’ willingness to drink room-temperature water. Beer, well, okay, maybe there are some flavors in beer that chilling it kills. But warm water, or warm soda? Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/52 "2015-10-16T02:19:06Z")
The US is the first place that lake ice was cut into blocks, packed in sawdust, and marketed. If it was shipped to India to go into Sahib’s brandy and soda, it was expensive and Sahib only got one cube. If it only went a couple hundred miles down to coast to Boston or New York, it was cheap and you could use as much as you wanted. Charles Dickens LOVED the iced booze when he visited America. See the New York scenes in _Martin Chuzzlewit_ for proof. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/53 "2015-10-16T04:00:21Z")
It was only the bread that got listed as too sweet? It’s not just the bread, it’s everything that’s sugary. When in doubt, you guys add more sugar… ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/54 "2015-10-16T04:10:37Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Complicated by the fact that there is no national sales tax. Each state has their own or none at all. And some states have local sales taxes, sometimes assessed by separate overlapping entities. The sales tax might be different in two neighboring stores if some arbitrary boundary line falls between the two. And in some states, assessing taxes at the register is not just a business practice but a legal requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/55 "2015-10-16T04:59:57Z")
> [@palacheck](#): > > As if the rest of the West is the baseline and anything Americans do a bizarre aberration. I think that’s taking it a bit too personally. I don’t think it’s a list of “Here are 20 reasons why Americans are weird”, it’s more like “Here are 20 things that seem everyday to you, but you may not realize are atypical outside the US”. > [@](#): > > I hate to break it to you, but there is a country that is dominating this whole globalization thing, and sure as shit isn’t Denmark. I’m not sure that any country is dominating this whole globalization thing, or even what that means. > [@](#): > > Frankly I’d like to see a “Weird things about \_\_\_\_” thread that isn’t about America. I’ve done a lot of international travel and have encountered enough baffling things in my travels to fill a library. I’m living in China. I’d have severe difficulty getting my list down to 20 entries. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/56 "2015-10-16T05:58:35Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Which bar in CA is this? The only time an unopened beer is ever served to me, it is from my wife. Porterville in the San Joaquin Valley. After the Hells Angels and Hunter Thompson had left. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/57 "2015-10-16T06:01:31Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I think that’s taking it a bit too personally. I don’t think it’s a list of “Here are 20 reasons why Americans are weird”, it’s more like “Here are 20 things that seem everyday to you, but you may not realize are atypical outside the US”. Agreed. I have a warm affection for Americans and America itself which I explored quite a few years ago. I’d like to think it is interesting for Americans to learn what other people perceive. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/58 "2015-10-16T06:17:04Z")
> [@palacheck](#): > > Frankly I’d like to see a “Weird things about \_\_\_\_” thread that isn’t about America. I’ve done a lot of international travel and have encountered enough baffling things in my travels to fill a library. That sounds like a great idea for a thread! Why don’t you go ahead and start it? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/59 "2015-10-16T06:21:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > **Everything being designed around cars.** > > It’s a big country. It is impossible for public transportation to get you around unless you live in a big city or are willing to shrink your world down to where the bus will take you. > . Clearly you’ve been overseas, but I don’t think you’re quite getting the point of this thing. Nobody is critizing you: it’s just a list of things that are weird about America. When I talk with people about visiting the USA, I always tell them to _get a car_. It’s the way the country is designed, and it’s the way the locals get around. Yes, Americans, even ones that have been to Germany, can’t see it any other way: that ignorance is weird, but that’s why you travel. ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2015, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/60 "2015-10-16T08:17:47Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I think that’s taking it a bit too personally. I don’t think it’s a list of “Here are 20 reasons why Americans are weird”, it’s more like “Here are 20 things that seem everyday to you, but you may not realize are atypical outside the US”. Agreed. I always find it fascinating to know what non British people find peculiar about Britain. This list has some funny observations: [This American Was Shocked When His Facebook Post About England Went Viral](http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/everything-comes-with-chips#.jtZZWOZlD) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694.md?page=4)