# Weirdest things about America **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691 "2003-08-07T23:18:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/81 "2003-08-10T19:15:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sirtonyh \* > \*\*- Baseball. Sorry to all the fans, but WTF is that all about > \*\* Yes, baseball doesn’t hold a candle to that thrill-a-minute sport…“cricket.” At least a baseball game is over in a few hours (usually)…NOT THREE FREAKING DAYS!!! :o ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/82 "2003-08-10T20:31:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\*Yes, baseball doesn’t hold a candle to that thrill-a-minute sport…“cricket.” > > At least a baseball game is over in a few hours (usually)…NOT THREE FREAKING DAYS!!! > > :o \*\* Three days would be the short version. Test matches between countries are usually scheduled for five, and occasionally six, days. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/83 "2003-08-10T20:46:03Z")
The American movie rating system is arbitrary at best. To illustrate: _Spartacus_ – rated PG-13 (must be accompanied by a parent if under 13. Half step below an R) _Ben Hur_ – rated G (general admission. This is what Disney’s happy-go-fluffy cartoons are rated) Baz Luhrmann’s version of _Romeo and Juliet_ – rated PG-13 Ian McKellen’s version of _Richard III_ – rated R I swear the MPAA has a dartboard they throw darts at to determine ratings. And really bad aim. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/84 "2003-08-11T00:05:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by drgnlvr \* > \*\*After talking on-line with a friend in the Netherlands, I discovered that apparently, the satandard American bathroom…with tub/shower combo, sink and toilet all in the same room was unusual. At least to him. > > Is that odd to anyone else from eslewhere? \*\* I started a thread that describes [scary electric showerheads in Brazil](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203659). In short, a typical Brazilian home has no hot water, no bathtub (always shower stalls), a big button on the wall to push to flush, and a bidet (or perhaps a spray-wand if they don’t have the bidet). I suspect that our traditional American bathroom is indeed not universal. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/85 "2003-08-11T00:23:47Z")
The Pledge of Allegiance… scared the crap out of me when I moved here and started high school. It looked like a chinese classroom circa 1970, with all the students saluting the picture of Chairman Mao… I thought I was gonna get a detention for not knowing the words. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/86 "2003-08-11T04:30:23Z")
re: the baseball thing – I don’t really get it either, but think about [pinball machines](http://www.verblefamily.com/bryan/images/pinball.jpg). Now blow it up big enough to put a person inside it instead of those little paddles at the bottom, and other people with gloves on where the little scoring pockets would be. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/87 "2003-08-11T05:04:41Z")
Re: the Pledge of Allegience Yeah, I know what you mean. When I went back into schools again, as a teacher, it seemed a little over the top. I actually thought it kind of deadened the kids to the flag in some ways. I think I often forgot to do it. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/88 "2003-08-11T06:34:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dutchboy208 \* > **The Pledge of Allegiance… scared the crap out of me when I moved here and started high school.** Really? I went to a couple of years of high school in California and never had to do it. But I do find the idea scary. It always amzed me how religion (Christianity in particular) plays a big part in American society. Like the views on sexuality and alcohol. Not at all what I expected. It still disturbs me when a mainstream US politician mentions God. I used to think it strange that drugstores sold food, school/office supplies and other consumer products. But American style drugstores have become common in Japan over the past few years. Every time I arrive at an American airport, the first distinctly Amerincan thing I see is the shuttle bus built on top of truck chassis. All buses in Japan (even the small shuttle buses) are box-shaped with the engine under the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/89 "2003-08-11T06:45:55Z")
“Sports” stores that sell guns and ammo. Weird liquor laws (esp in Utah) The most prissy TV and public morality in the Western world, but the source of most of the world’s pornography. One of the best private education systems in the Western world but the worst public one. Tax cut when running a deficit, at a time when public expenditure is certain to increase. ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/90 "2003-08-11T07:49:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elmwood \* > **As a planner, I can definitely say “yes.” The philosophy of land use control tends to vary from place to place, though. Texas and Georgia are known for massive, extremely tall business signs and minimal land use controls. Go to someplace like the Phoenix, Kansas City, or Denver areas, and sign regulations tend to be quite strict. US cities are increasingly adopting very strict architectural control, andscaping and signage regulations. Most places in the US (and Canada, Australia and New Zealand) also have zoning, which is quite different than the land use control system in the UK and Ireland.** My question wasn’t entirely serious but the US system sounds very similar to the Irish one, with a significant amount of local autonomy and differing emphases depending on the local economy, poulace etc. I’m curious about your statement that zoning is not used in Ireland and the UK. The cornerstone of the Irish planning system is the county development plan, whose main function is to assign zonings. Corruption in the zoning process, particularly in Dublin, has been the subject of a long-running legal tribunal. Maybe there are nuances here that I’m missing though? ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/91 "2003-08-11T07:53:10Z")
Begorrah, it was ‘populace’ I was meaning, and no mistake. Well, maybe one mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/92 "2003-08-11T08:07:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Inscrutable Fury \* > \*\*Never been at the states but I’ve just read that you’ve changed the french fries to Freedom Fries in the time of the Iraq situation… > I just can’t grasp the stupidity of this idea. \*\* **Inscrutable Fury** , can’t you tell when we Yanks are joking? 😛 No, we did not call them Freedom Fries in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/93 "2003-08-11T08:17:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sunspace \* > \*\ ***Aspidistra** , were they pairs of narrow white lines? Was there a wider white line in the lane where you were traveling, that went only partway across the road? If so, the narrow lines may have been crosswalks. \*\* As far as I can remember, they were pairs of narrow white lines which I _think_ went all the way across the road. They could well have been some sort of pedestrian crossing. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/94 "2003-08-11T08:21:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sirtonyh \* > **- Tipping everybody. TIPS (To Insure Perfect Service) really does work. Coming back to Europe has certainly been a painful experience in terms of customer service.** That’s [false etymology](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_333.html). The word _tip_ is not derived from an acronym. > [@](#): > > **- Age of consent is 18, drinking age is 21, but I can drive and fight/die for my country at 16?** Sorry, you have to be 18 to join the Armed Forces, and the [age of consent](http://www.ageofconsent.com/ageofconsent.htm) varies from state to state. ---
**Author:** ![jtull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47774/32.png) [@jtull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtull)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/95 "2003-08-11T09:43:14Z")
Weirdest thing ? Peanut-butter! Really, how can you eat this thing ? I once bought some just to see what the fuss was all about, and it ended up in the back of my fridge for some months before I offloaded it to a friend of mine who came here from America when she was young and loves all things American. I watched with my mouth hanging open as she gulped it in a matter of minutes! Oh, and what’s going on with all the different ages ? We just use 18-years-old as the age for everything, and we don’t even HAVE a drinking / getting-into-bars / buying-cigarettes age! ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/96 "2003-08-11T12:00:47Z")
OK, peanut butter is one of the five greatest foods ever. So delicious. I’ve never understood why folks that aren’t from around here don’t enjoy it. However, when I was living in England, I noticed that their peanut butter sucked for the most part. So I would have to search around for Skippy. Sometimes they would have it in stock, sometimes not. But the native stuff was just very bad. But even when it was bad, it was still kinda good. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/97 "2003-08-11T12:52:34Z")
When you go to the post office to buy stamps, there is a sign behind the clerk: IT IS A FEDERAL CRIME TO KILL A POST OFFICE EMPLOYEE (while on duty) I always chuckle/ ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/98 "2003-08-11T13:03:20Z")
During WWII, my grandfather in England gratefully received a US-made ration pack. “Peanut butter” was one of the constituents, though apart from the name, there was no explanation as to what to do with it. He’d never heard of such a thing before, and thought it was simply a butter substitute made from peanut oil. He spread it on bread, and put cheese, pickle, and ham on it. He’s never touched the stuff since. [Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose](http://old.smh.com.au/news/0110/27/world/world12.html)! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/99 "2003-08-11T13:14:53Z")
Put me down as another one who found American money very peculiar because all the notes are the same size and colour. And as for this: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \* > \*\*There’s also the fact that, on occasion, the flashier the money, the more screwed-up the country it’s from is and the less it’s worth–American money is supposed to be staid and timeless and the equivalent of a blue business suit with a red tie. > \*\* Such guff! Sterling is the most valuable currency there is and that has been the case for a long time and they have different coloured and sized notes. There’s a thought - are there any countries apart from the USA where all the paper money is the same colour and the same size? If not, well, maybe the USAers want to hold onto it as a unique thing only they have - all the better to confuse the foreigners. If so, disregard that last comment as a big, fat speculation ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691/100 "2003-08-11T13:22:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by curly chick \*\*\* > There’s a thought - are there any countries apart from the USA where all the paper money is the same colour and the same size? > \*\* The Panamanian Balboa is the same size, shape and color for all its denominations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weirdest-things-about-america/193691.md?page=6)