# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/81 "2015-10-17T09:36:01Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I’ll occasionally see a post on fb concerning 20 Weird Things About America That Americans Don’t Realize. Or 11. Or 15. Whatever. Supposedly a list of things that happen in America that Americans don’t realize are strange. Since we have quite a few international members and members who have traveled extensively I thought I’d find out how on target the list is. > > The list. > [ol] > [li]Portion Sizes[/li][li]Flags everywhere. EVERYWHERE![/li][li]Price tags without taxes included.[/li][li]Tipping.[/li][li]Advertising prescription drugs. In the UK, your doctor tells you what drugs to take, not the other way around.[/li][li]Everything being designed around cars.[/li][li]The sheer amount of commercials on the television, and their lack of quality.[/li][li]Aerosol cheese. Like seriously I would try it once, but that shit looks like cancer.[/li][li]A visiting friend was very puzzled at the use of the phrase, “Oh really?” in group conversations. Somehow he took that as a person challenging his statements.[/li][li]Your toilets are too low and the stalls have massive gaps arond the door that people can see in.[/li][li]Pickles. Your hidden love for pickles. I have been in the states for like 8 years and you guys give a pickle with everything.[/li][li]I find it really weird how college football players are kind of celebrities.[/li][li]Jaywalking is a crime?[/li][li]Why is bread in the USA so sweet? Sandwich bread, hamburger buns, taste like cake.[/li][li]Soft drink is free flowing, everywhere. At McDonald’s you get a gigantic cop for a dollar and it comes with unlimited refills.[/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][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][li]Lawyer adverts everywhere. Saul Goodman style.[/li][/ol] > I realize these are generalities and there are exceptions to most or all of them. There’s no real need to nit-pick. > > Some of these were already on my list of things to question like portion sizes and freefills. I would love to have price tags reflect taxes. > > But how far from international custom are we on these? Feel free to add any other items to the list as seem relevant. American living in the UK, and about to become a UK citizen – yep, agreed to all of them. They became/become way more noticeable and weird about the US the longer one is away from them, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/82 "2015-10-17T10:06:03Z")
Tell me more about this no pants thing. I’m genuinely puzzled? ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/83 "2015-10-17T11:14:14Z")
Eww, sweet bread. In Korea they glaze all pastries and breads in a layer of sugar, it’s almost impossible to get decent bread there, same goes for China but to a lesser extent. I’ve found in Europe and the Middle East the opposite applies and many shops will only add sweetness where ‘appropriate’, such as in a pan au chocolat. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/84 "2015-10-17T11:34:58Z")
Hundreds of money-hungry “evangelist” preachers on TV, radio, at all hours. Most wear $5000 Brioni suits, and spend most of their preaching soliciting donations. For some reason, their followers empty their bank accounts to send money to these guys.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/85 "2015-10-17T14:34:01Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Because I specifically said inferior _in terms of security_, which it is. And, again, why should the customer care about security when it’s, at worst, a minor inconvenience in the rare event that their card gets stolen? That’s why the analogy falls down - modern music devices are much better for the end user than CD-players, but chip + sig doesn’t actually provide a benefit. DIVX was better than DVDs in terms of security for the company (preventing piracy), but people didn’t exactly flock to it. The European reaction seems a lot like people who had DIVX devices questioning why DVD users are so blase about possible piracy. It just seems really strange to me that they are so desperately concerned that a large corporation might have to eat some theft losses that they’ve decided they’d rather deal with than install the new system that they feel the need to comment on it. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/86 "2015-10-17T15:03:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Price tags without taxes included. This is the one thing that drives me nuts whenever I’m in the U.S. and I simply don’t get it: Why on God’s green Earth don’t they tell you the price including tax? I really don’t care about customer service, I don’t need anyone to bag my stuff or to open the door for me, but please, please tell me in advance precisely how much cash I’ll have to fork over! ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/87 "2015-10-17T15:08:31Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > This is the one thing that drives me nuts whenever I’m in the U.S. and I simply don’t get it: Why on God’s green Earth don’t they tell you the price including tax? I really don’t care about customer service, I don’t need anyone to bag my stuff or to open the door for me, but please, please tell me in advance precisely how much cash I’ll have to fork over! Taxes change, and can change from location to location, they can eve be higher if you are not a resident. Or for a brief time some items have no tax. Taxes are not a simple matter in the US ---
**Author:** ![northporlarbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@northporlarbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/northporlarbear)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/88 "2015-10-17T15:24:51Z")
Eh, they are all right. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/89 "2015-10-17T18:15:26Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > This is the one thing that drives me nuts whenever I’m in the U.S. and I simply don’t get it: Why on God’s green Earth don’t they tell you the price including tax? I really don’t care about customer service, I don’t need anyone to bag my stuff or to open the door for me, but please, please tell me in advance precisely how much cash I’ll have to fork over! There are a few reasons. One is that tax rates and what items/services are taxable varies by locality. For example, I live in New York. Part of the sales tax I pay is imposed by the state, and the rest imposed by the city.( in other parts of the state it’s the county). There is no state sales tax on certain clothing items - but only some cities/counties exempt those clothing items, so I don’t pay tax on them in my county, and I pay the only county sales tax in the adjacent county.For items being delivered, the tax is determined by where it is delivered to, not by where it is purchased. If large chains wanted to set tax-included prices, they would need to have different ads for each taxing jurisdiction- Target would need a different circular for Queens county than Nassau county and TV ads including prices would be impossible, as the stations’ coverage area includes multiple jurisdictions. Another reason is that states/localities often exempt certain entities (such as government agencies or non-profit organizations) from paying sales tax. There are places that display tax-included prices in the US- but they are invariably places where those issues do not apply, such as concession stands/restaurants at entertainment venues. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/90 "2015-10-17T18:37:39Z")
I appreciate that the situation with regards to taxes is complicated and the businesses aren’t the ones to blame. I just find it annoying, but I guess it’s one of those (minor) inconveniences one is accustomed to and takes them for granted. But come to think of it: Maybe some merchants are actually happy with the setup: The prices without the tax included appear to be - nominally - lower and the customer is enticed to buy more. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/91 "2015-10-17T18:58:51Z")
Regardless of all the tax rules… in the end the registers “know” what taxes need to be added, why not do this on the pricing in store as well. If the same chain a state over has different taxes, you just have a different price. You could also just print both prices (as happens fairly regularly in the Netherlands). But unless the taxes change multiple times per week, I don’t see why you couldn’t provide this teeny bit of customer service. ---
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/92 "2015-10-17T19:07:15Z")
Not all Americans are loud and friendly. People in New England, Minnesota, Alaska and the West Coast tend to be quiet and reserved. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/93 "2015-10-17T19:28:03Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > 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. Actually, this might not be true. In many cases, it might be just as much _your_ obligation to ensure that you have paid the appropriate tax as it is the vendor’s obligation. Indeed, with respect to mail-order sales, it’s your obligation to ensure that you have paid the requisite sales taxes. Furthermore, on your income tax return, you have the option of itemizing your tax payments in lieu of claiming the standard deduction. In that case, you need to know how much tax you are paying on each transaction so you can calculate the total taxes you have paid. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/94 "2015-10-17T20:18:57Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#): > > Regardless of all the tax rules… in the end the registers “know” what taxes need to be added, why not do this on the pricing in store as well. If the same chain a state over has different taxes, you just have a different price. You could also just print both prices (as happens fairly regularly in the Netherlands). But unless the taxes change multiple times per week, I don’t see why you couldn’t provide this teeny bit of customer service. That’s one of those things that would work fine if the whole system was starting over again - but as it stands now, people would go crazy if they saw an ad that said item X is on sale for $10 and got to the store and the price marked on the shelf was $10.80. Or the price on the couch in the store said $1000, with tax $1060, but because of the delivery location (15 minutes away but in another state or county) the price turned out to be $1080. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/95 "2015-10-17T20:31:25Z")
> [@polar\_bear](#): > > But unless the taxes change multiple times per week, I don’t see why you couldn’t provide this teeny bit of customer service. I suppose, but the point is that American consumers buy things knowing that tax will be added to the purchase price. It doesn’t bother us. So, the vendor would be going through the trouble of offering a service that customers aren’t demanding. Note that there are some things whose prices include taxes, notably gasoline, which is often dispensed before it’s paid for. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/96 "2015-10-17T23:54:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > 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%. Nope. It’s 15%. 20% is for EXTREMELY good service. ---
**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 18, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/97 "2015-10-18T02:28:24Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > And what’s up with all this farting at the beach? It was the dog, I swear. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/98 "2015-10-18T02:45:36Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > 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… Apparently, marketing people do taste tests to see what people prefer and the tests groups preferred sweeter foods. Personally I hate this trend. everything is way too sweet and even savory foods no have to have something sweet added to it. Trendy foods have a honey something glaze or a maple something reduction. Americans even love sweets that have no taste other than sugar. Candy corn any one? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/99 "2015-10-18T02:52:46Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > At McDonald’s you get a gigantic cop for a dollar And he’ll protect you from muggers _all day_. ---
**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 18, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694/100 "2015-10-18T03:19:34Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > And, again, why should the customer care about security when it’s, at worst, a minor inconvenience in the rare event that their card gets stolen? Once again, they _don’t_ really care, the point is that most people are aware of which methods are more secure (partly because when chip+pin got introduced they made a thing of telling the public that), and notice that the US seems to still be using a less secure method. It’s notable enough to make the list of 20, that’s all. > [@](#): > > That’s why the analogy falls down - modern music devices are much better for the end user than CD-players, but chip + sig doesn’t actually provide a benefit. The analogy is apt because chip+pin, magnetic stripe and signature strips _are security mechanisms_. That’s their primary function. Even if security is a minor concern for most people, it’s still a significant benefit when we’re comparing security mechanisms. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/20-of-the-weirdest-things-about-america-whats-the-straight-dope/734694.md?page=6)