# Non-Americans - name a thing you know about the US you got from the SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930 "2012-09-07T00:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/21 "2012-09-07T17:02:16Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > \ > 3. The continued existence of American Exceptionalism and the desire to ignore the rest of the western world for ideas. I’ve noticed that here, too. One of the other things I’ve learned here that I had no idea about was how completely screwed US Americans are over healthcare. You can’t leave your job over healthcare insurance, you can’t leave a marriage over it, it costs an arm and a leg, and even if you have it, chances are good that you’ll _still_ get screwed over if you get a serious illness. I can’t imagine living like that! > [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Yeah I have to agree with this. I have zero idea of any of the religious beliefs of my coworkers. I’ve read stories on here where people are asked about their religion at work and then their coworkers look at them, open-mouthed in horror that they are atheist. That too. I don’t know the religion of my politicians, my doctor, my co-workers, my neighbours, my friends, anyone. It’s just not discussed. Okay, well, I do know the religion of my city’s mayor, but that’s just because it was kind of a Big Deal that we have one of Canada’s first Muslim mayors. > [@Leaffan](#): > > OK, here’s another thing: the amount of time devoted to electing a president. Holy fucking shit. > > You guys are in perpetual election mode. As soon as one ends, it seems you start gearing up for another. I think the last Canadian federal election campaign lasted 6 weeks. > > From a media perspective I guess I understood the longevity of the campaigns, but spending time here I am way more familiar with just how much thought, and effort, and contemplation, and reflection, and second guessing, and debate, and… holy fucking shit. What he said. How does any governing get done when all your politicians are ever doing is getting elected? Oh, wait…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/22 "2012-09-07T17:13:26Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > That’s depressing. Not because I really have a problem with either one, but the idea that when people think of the U.S., that’s what they think about. Not Ellis Island or great universities or The American Dream… or even cars, burgers and Hollywood. Guns and religion. Lovely. It’s not so much the knowledge of the gun culture (this is pretty well known from other sources) but that I learned from the SMDB that you can have a houseful of guns _without_ being a whacko “second amendment solution” type of person. My reaction is now “Oh, [person whose posts I enjoy reading] has a bunch of guns/carries a pistol regularly - eh, whatever.” ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/23 "2012-09-07T17:23:47Z")
That you keep you shoes on in the house. 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:** [September 7, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/24 "2012-09-07T17:45:53Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Yeah, members of my family have rifles for hunting and in the appropriate season they’ll talk about bagging game but the idea that every house is packing a glock and everyone’s walking around with concealed carry? Not around here they’re not. I spend far less time thinking about guns than you non-americans spend thinking I think about guns. American here. Guns are really a non-issue socially. If a guy has a rifle in his basement, or a pistol in a drawer, it’s no big thing at all. It’s not shocking. Not having a gun is perfectly fine too. Here in Virginia, you will occasionally see someone casually wearing a pistol on a holster. It’s not there to gawk at. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/25 "2012-09-07T17:57:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I think the last Canadian federal election campaign lasted 6 weeks. But you hold them, like, twice a year, don’t you? 😉 (kidding) ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/26 "2012-09-07T18:06:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > People who read the Dope. I hope everyone understands this is a skewed view of the country. There are plenty of things that people have reported as common place in America that I have never encountered. The Dope has hot button issues. Some of them are hot button issues for the country too. But that doesn’t mean that they impact everyones lives everyday. Agreed, the Dope represents a lot of us in the States but certainly not every group; it’s comprised primarily of people who own a computer, have enough disposable income to have free time to spend on that computer and a level of schooling that allows them to participate in a written forum, almost exclusively in English. This is many but certainly not ALL of the people living in the US. Heck, that’s not even half the people in my own family. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/27 "2012-09-07T18:10:17Z")
Not to mention that just because something is a hot topic on the dope means it’s even on our radar anywhere else. Yeah, there’s a whole political circus going on. If it weren’t for the dope, I basically wouldn’t know about it. There are no political ads on Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/28 "2012-09-07T18:17:35Z")
“ **Non-Americans - name a thing you know about the US you got from the SDMB** ” Racism is far more alive, and far more well there, than I’d assumed. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/29 "2012-09-07T18:38:15Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > OK, here’s another thing: the amount of time devoted to electing a president. Holy fucking shit. > > You guys are in perpetual election mode. As soon as one ends, it seems you start gearing up for another. I think the last Canadian federal election campaign lasted 6 weeks. > > From a media perspective I guess I understood the longevity of the campaigns, but spending time here I am way more familiar with just how much thought, and effort, and contemplation, and reflection, and second guessing, and debate, and… holy fucking shit. Amen. I got tired of it about a year ago. And it’s about to go into overdrive. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/30 "2012-09-07T19:15:11Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Yeah I have to agree with this. I have zero idea of any of the religious beliefs of my coworkers. I’ve read stories on here where people are asked about their religion at work and then their coworkers look at them, open-mouthed in horror that they are atheist. Well, I live in the US and I have zero idea of any of the religious beliefs of my coworkers. Remember, the US is a big country, and as a few people on this thread have mentioned, the stereotypes do not apply to all parts of it. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/31 "2012-09-07T19:18:29Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > It’s funny that those are the stereotypes of Americans. And yet this is not my America. I don’t think I know anyone that owns a gun, and I never discuss religion with anyone. The stereotypes simply aren’t true in my corner of the world. That’s what I was going to say. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/32 "2012-09-07T22:34:33Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I knew about the puritanical culture, but had no idea that it followed people to work. The thought of discussing religion, or wondering what church colleagues attend is, well foreign. I’m sure this exists in some places in America, but it is by no means universal. I have on occasion had discussions with individuals at work concerning religious practices, but in general it’s not a topic of discussion…and no way is there anything institutional about it. Perhaps its because I’m in California; it seems to me that sort of thing would be much more prevalent in the South (but that may just be my California bias showing right there). ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/33 "2012-09-07T22:48:53Z")
Chic-Fil-A. Was pronouncing it as ‘‘Chick Filla’’ for a while 😕 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/34 "2012-09-07T23:03:09Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > That’s what I was going to say. Ditto ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/35 "2012-09-08T04:10:50Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > “ **Non-Americans - name a thing you know about the US you got from the SDMB** ” > > Racism is far more alive, and far more well there, than I’d assumed. See… I think that’s a bias introduced by reading the SDMB, where there are a lot of people willing to cry racism or identify racism when in all reality, there is none. or it’s a lot less than they think. I’d almost say it’s just as bad as Europe; we may have some antiquated ideas in older folks here, but we don’t have anyone, or rarely have anyone treating people of different races as badly as most European countries treat the Gypsies/Roma. We may be frustrated with Mexican illegal immigrants, but that’s not necessarily racist; if it were Canadians flooding over the northern border and doing the same thing, we’d be pissed about that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/36 "2012-09-08T04:19:29Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > The gun culture isn’t something that you learned about on the SDMB though, right? It’s pretty much common knowledge. Yes and no. When I was first moving to the US, many people’s reaction was “they have drive-by shootings there!” - but despite the reports of people going postal, and despite the many movies and TV shows where an “every(wo)man” character is shown to have a gun, people abroad often don’t realize that in the US, owning one or more guns is _normal_ and “going to the range to practice” is a hobby unto itself. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > American here. Guns are really a non-issue socially. If a guy has a rifle in his basement, or a pistol in a drawer, it’s no big thing at all. It’s not shocking. Not having a gun is perfectly fine too. Here in Virginia, you will occasionally see someone casually wearing a pistol on a holster. It’s not there to gawk at. That’s what I was talking about: in Spain, anybody other than a cop or soldier on duty displaying a gun _is_ something to gawk at while deciding whether to back or run away. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/37 "2012-09-08T04:27:29Z")
As an American, it’s quite eye-opening how foreigners view us. I probably know hundeds of people who don’t own a gun, and exactly one that does (not including cops). I can’t think of anyone that’s been close to me that’s even considered getting a gun. The vast majority of the people I know that take religion seriously are those who immigrated here from other countries as adults. Religion is the last thing anyone born or raised here discusses, except perhaps to make fun of it. Of the many countries I’ve been to, I’d say America is the least racist, with the exception of Canada. ETA: I just remembered 2 other people I knew who owned guns when I lived in Houston. But this was out of dozens that didn’t. ETAA: when i say “here”, I mean NY and Nj ---
**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:** [September 8, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/38 "2012-09-08T04:46:40Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > You guys are in perpetual election mode. As soon as one ends, it seems you start gearing up for another. I think the last Canadian federal election campaign lasted 6 weeks. But how long would they last if every party had to hold a leadership race before the general election? And does the campaigning really only happen once the election is called? The Conservative Party was [running television ads](http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/01/17/the-new-conservative-ads/) in January of 2011. > [@boomerwang](#): > > Chic-Fil-A. Was pronouncing it as ‘‘Chick Filla’’ for a while 😕 I’m an American and I steadfastly refuse to pronounce it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/39 "2012-09-08T04:56:01Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > 1. The degree to which atheists are persecuted and generally mistrusted in the US. In my wildest dreams I would not have been able to imagine it. It is by no means universal that atheists are persecuted and mistrusted here. Sure, there are some religious people here who go overboard with it - probably more so than in other countries - but there are many American Christians who are only nominally Christian and don’t take religion very seriously. My fiance has been openly atheist and hasn’t encountered any prejudice or hostility over it. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/40 "2012-09-08T05:00:19Z")
> [@bump](#): > > We may be frustrated with Mexican illegal immigrants, but that’s not necessarily racist; if it were Canadians flooding over the northern border and doing the same thing, we’d be pissed about that as well. The Minutemen were/are. They stormed north from the Mexican border to sit in lawn chairs and pickup-truck boxes, just off the highways and next to U.S. customs buildings at border-crossing points, cradling their guns and rifles, ready to plug illegal-alien Canadians bent double as they sneaked through the tall prairie grasses and in the trunks of their Cadillacs to get to the U.S. Then it snowed so they went home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930.md?page=3)