# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![nicole1912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@nicole1912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicole1912)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/41 "2012-09-08T09:54:24Z")
I didn’t know Americans use knives and forks differently. Like others who have posted, I didn’t realise _quite_ how common religion was in the US, and how pervasive it was. I have never been asked my religious beliefs, nor have I ever asked them of anyone else, and particularly not at work. I know a couple of people I’m friends with are religious, because they’ve mentioned their church, but it’s usually prefaced with something to the effect of “I’m Christian, but not one of those weird Christians, I just happen to believe in God”. That there are people who genuinely believe atheists fundamentally lack a moral compass is something I wouldn’t have come across, were it not for reading here. I didn’t realise America was so right-wing. I know, obviously, not everyone is - but that you have a sizeable proportion of your population who consider Democrats and Obama to be left-wing (and to some, far-left) means the political spectrum is skewed quite far right in comparison to that in the European countries I know about. I didn’t realise it was that far right until I read some of the political threads and news stories linked from here. Some of the threads on pronunciation have been enlightening. I had no idea that there were accents in which merry, Mary, and marry are all pronounced the same, for example. ---
**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:** [September 8, 2012, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/42 "2012-09-08T11:53:09Z")
Dear American friends: We generally do understand that it’s a large, diverse place and what’s true of San Francisco probably isn’t true of Salt Lake City or Tulsa or St Louis or Milwaukee. We’re talking about our surprise that pockets of such radical difference exist in the US in fairly sizeable numbers in certain areas. It’s ok, we don’t think you’re all gun-toting Creationists. We know there are those who tote guns and those who are Creationists and there’s a certain overlap, but we understand many of you live in areas where the concept is just about as foreign to you as it is to us. Just read the words that aren’t there: “In _some parts of_ America…”. Regards, The Furriners ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/43 "2012-09-08T12:08:42Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > My fiance has been openly atheist and hasn’t encountered any prejudice or hostility over it. From my perspective (as a Scandinavian), the strange part is describing someone who isn’t religious as “openly atheist”. Around here, that’s simply the default position, you don’t need a term for it. In fact, someone refers to themselves as Christian, and especially if they make a big deal out of it, they usually get funny looks and are thought of as a bit crazy. Then again, I suppose Scandinavia is more secularized than most places, even by European standards. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/44 "2012-09-08T13:16:35Z")
The fact that there are some places that pronounce “merry”, “marry”, and “Mary” differently. ---
**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, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/45 "2012-09-08T14:03:15Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > From my perspective (as a Scandinavian), the strange part is describing someone who isn’t religious as “openly atheist”. When “openly atheist” they can’t be blackmailed or considered security risks by the CIA. ---
**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 8, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/46 "2012-09-08T14:16:01Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > From my perspective (as a Scandinavian), the strange part is describing someone who isn’t religious as “openly atheist”. Around here, that’s simply the default position, you don’t need a term for it. In fact, someone refers to themselves as Christian, and especially if they make a big deal out of it, they usually get funny looks and are thought of as a bit crazy. Then again, I suppose Scandinavia is more secularized than most places, even by European standards. Substitute “openly atheist” with “vocally atheist”. I think that most non-religious types are like me. Religion holds no importance or place in my life. No one would know about my religious feelings unless they ask. The topic just wouldn’t occur to me in normal conversation. Someone who is in your face vocal about being an atheist would get looked at strange, but mostly for being rude. No doubt there are parts of the country that it is different but I have never encountered any problems despite not going to church or caring about anyone’s mythology. And I’ve lived in Alabama and Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/47 "2012-09-08T14:57:37Z")
That whole routine circumcision thing. Freaked me right out when I first encountered it here. Such alien behavior. Oh, and the reaction from (some of) the American posters here to the Breivik trial was a real eye-opener too. Now, I get that America has the death penalty in some places, and I don’t mean people who wanted it applied. That’s fair enough, if Utøya had been in certain parts of America, that’s what he would get. And some people were upset that we don’t have the death penalty, and that’s fine too. But some people were freaking out because he has a _desk_ and a \*bed \* and even _curtains_ in his prison cell. That perspective was entirely new to me. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/48 "2012-09-08T15:56:10Z")
My younger sister just brought her new boyfriend, who happens to be British, home to Texas for the family to meet, and I have to wonder just what he thought of us. My folks live in a house with a big ol’ American flag hanging over the door, have Bibles all over the place, vote republican, grill big steaks for dinner, and generally act very … Texas. They’re not living stereotypes, but close enough for me to feel pretty embarrassed about it (I guess I can be thankful that Dad keeps his gun locked up in the closet and doesn’t often mention it). I was actually quite relieved to find out that little sis and new boyfriend were taking a trip up to Austin that night, so at least new boyfriend’s first trip to Texas involved a little exposure to the more liberal side of our state. So, even in the places in America where the conservative stereotypes _are_ true, remember there are plenty of liberal minded people living there who are absolutely cringing over them. ---
**Author:** ![nicole1912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@nicole1912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicole1912)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/49 "2012-09-08T16:22:24Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > When “openly atheist” they can’t be blackmailed or considered security risks by the CIA. I can’t tell if this is meant seriously. Assuming for a second that it is, why on earth would one’s lack of religious beliefs make one a target for blackmail or an additional national security risk? (I assume you meant that being open about not having religious beliefs would mean you weren’t able to be blackmailed about being an atheist - perhaps I misunderstood?) I thought **Martian Bigfoot** ’s point was that in Scandinavian countries (and, FWIW, my experience is the same in the UK) you are assumed to be atheist unless you say otherwise - and if you do say otherwise, people will look at you a little bit oddly. He wasn’t questioning the value of being open about atheism, he was pointing out that it being a state that needed “coming out” about was unusual from a non-American perspective. (At least, I read it that way - I don’t want to put words into anyone’s mouth, though!) ---
**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:** [September 8, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/50 "2012-09-08T16:31:18Z")
Please look at the question in the op. While it is clear to me that not all Americans are ultra Religious gun enthusiasts; the way ‘these people’ think has been illustrated to me by some of the threads on the SDMB. One thing I never realised, was the role health care (an insurance) played in people’s day to day life. For this commie bastard it is something that comes up that one time a year I actually decide to drop by my GP. btw the whole Breivik discussion also rubbed me the wrong way, especially given the ‘absolutely rosey’ way lawenforcement and the penal system seem to work in the US. Maybe that is one other thing I’ve learned here: in principle one should fear the police. ---
**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, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/51 "2012-09-08T17:12:55Z")
> [@nicole1912](#): > > I can’t tell if this is meant seriously. Only half. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/52 "2012-09-08T17:21:46Z")
> [@nicole1912](#): > > I thought **Martian Bigfoot** ’s point was that in Scandinavian countries (and, FWIW, my experience is the same in the UK) you are assumed to be atheist unless you say otherwise - and if you do say otherwise, people will look at you a little bit oddly. He wasn’t questioning the value of being open about atheism, he was pointing out that it being a state that needed “coming out” about was unusual from a non-American perspective. (At least, I read it that way - I don’t want to put words into anyone’s mouth, though!) Yes, exactly (you put it better than I did). ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/53 "2012-09-08T17:28:07Z")
> [@nicole1912](#): > > I can’t tell if this is meant seriously. Assuming for a second that it is, why on earth would one’s lack of religious beliefs make one a target for blackmail or an additional national security risk? (I assume you meant that being open about not having religious beliefs would mean you weren’t able to be blackmailed about being an atheist - perhaps I misunderstood?) I live in the Bible Belt, and I’m very much in the religious closet. I took his comment seriously. My family doesn’t know that I am not religious. My immediate co-workers suspect that I am not devout, but I do not believe they have jumped yet to the scandalous conclusion that I am a heathen. My more-distant co-workers believe that I am christian, as does my community - it is the default assumption, and I would never do anything to counter that presumption. If it were to be widely known in my community that I were not christian, and in fact, that I had NO religious beliefs, I would face quite a bit of pressure to … find a job where I wasn’t the public representative of my organization. I wouldn’t be fired, or openly harrassed by my immediate workmates (mostly because I’m their boss and they know me), but there would be deep and unrelenting societal and organizational pressure for me to go someplace away from the public where my presence wouldn’t cause harm to other people’s morals. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/54 "2012-09-08T17:29:53Z")
> [@Septima](#): > > That whole routine circumcision thing. Freaked me right out when I first encountered it here. Such alien behavior. > > Oh, and the reaction from (some of) the American posters here to the Breivik trial was a real eye-opener too. Now, I get that America has the death penalty in some places, and I don’t mean people who wanted it applied. That’s fair enough, if Utøya had been in certain parts of America, that’s what he would get. And some people were upset that we don’t have the death penalty, and that’s fine too. > > But some people were freaking out because he has a _desk_ and a \*bed \* and even _curtains_ in his prison cell. That perspective was entirely new to me. We have a prisoner here in MA who’s getting sex-reassignmet surgery, paid for by taxpayers, and some of my Facebook friends are freaking out over it. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/55 "2012-09-08T17:50:32Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > I live in the Bible Belt, and I’m very much in the religious closet. I took his comment seriously. > > My family doesn’t know that I am not religious. My immediate co-workers suspect that I am not devout, but I do not believe they have jumped yet to the scandalous conclusion that I am a heathen. My more-distant co-workers believe that I am christian, as does my community - it is the default assumption, and I would never do anything to counter that presumption. Do you go to church services every week? Does Christianity really only require that you not denounce it, rather than actively participate in its trappings? I think that depends a lot on individual perception, but the impact on any given nonbeliever seems likely to be small if there’s not even the expectation that someone attend services or donate time and money to the church. ---
**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 8, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/56 "2012-09-08T18:40:57Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > \ > 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. I don’t think I’ve ever handled a handgun, and the only ones I’ve seen have been in police holsters, too. > [@Eliahna](#): > > Dear American friends: > > We generally do understand that it’s a large, diverse place and what’s true of San Francisco probably isn’t true of Salt Lake City or Tulsa or St Louis or Milwaukee. We’re talking about our surprise that pockets of such radical difference exist in the US in fairly sizeable numbers in certain areas. > > It’s ok, we don’t think you’re all gun-toting Creationists. We know there are those who tote guns and those who are Creationists and there’s a certain overlap, but we understand many of you live in areas where the concept is just about as foreign to you as it is to us. > > Just read the words that aren’t there: “In _some parts of_ America…”. > > Regards, > The Furriners Yup. We were asked what we know about the US from reading the SDMB - I think it was understood that we were going to make sweeping generalizations that don’t apply to all Dopers, or all US Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/57 "2012-09-08T19:22:00Z")
That what seems like an obsession about tipping is simply that the waitstaff are otherwise paid a laughable wage. Also the whole issue with health insurance- I couldn’t believe it got so complicated- not only the being tied to jobs, but the fact that it doesn’t cover all medical professionals, even in a single hospital. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/58 "2012-09-08T23:48:27Z")
No mention of peanut butter? ---
**Author:** ![JoseArcadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@JoseArcadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseArcadio)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/59 "2012-09-09T00:07:32Z")
The healthcare system. I go to the doctor, get tests if needed, get my prescription for free then go home. It’s incredibly simple and I never have to think about it. I’ve learned on the Dope how complicated and problematic it can be in the US. Soup mix as an ingredient in (comfort food) recipes. An endearing, sweet, formal approach to hosting guests. The US makes good beer and cheese if you know where to look. ---
**Author:** ![MildlyObsessed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@MildlyObsessed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MildlyObsessed)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-americans-name-a-thing-you-know-about-the-us-you-got-from-the-sdmb/633930/60 "2012-09-09T06:20:40Z")
That you actually have to pay for receiving a text message! I know that’s from a pretty new topic, but that does sound ridiculous. If money’s that tight, just charge double from the person who sends it. [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=2) [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=4)