I am British and I mean no offence. I appreciate that everyone is different, the United States is so big and vast that I’m sure a Los Angeles native will be very different vs. a New Yorker vs. a middle American Christian. But if the internet is anything to go by, there are some things Americans do that shock not only me, but the rest of the world.
Since 2020 we have seen a surge of ordinary people taking to the internet as a way to make an extra income. People who are trying to find a better way of life through online celebrity status. You Tubers, Influencers, TikTokkers, Podcasters, Bloggers and Vloggers all finding a way to improve their lot in life.
This has led to a rise in everyday Americans realising that there is a bigger world out there. That there are other cultures and countries who have been undiscovered until now. Many it seems, are unaware of the names and/or locations of many of these countries much to the amusement of the rest of the world.
Seeing average people go about their business, hear their thoughts on life and witness their behaviour is absolutely fascinating. Everything from Americans reacting to British comedy and trying beans on toast to Americans recoding their encounters with foreign police services provides hours of entertainment.
Trending for some time now is the general topic of Americans discovering new things about the world. Everything from trying new foods to learning about the laws of other countries. Sub genres here include; employment law, maternity and health care benefits, real food, world history, geography, ‘Dumbest thing an American has ever said to you’, ‘When did you realise America messed you up?’ and of course the travel diaries of Americans abroad.
For an American looking to make a name for themselves, now is the perfect time to cash in on this trend. You must be willing to travel and try new things.
Things that shock me personally about American[s] are:
- The Attitude — not just the general ambiance of hostility and superiority over the rest of the world, but hearing children swearing at their parents and the parents accepting this behaviour as ‘normal’. This is something that would not be tolerated in many parts of the world and I am trying to figure out if it’s a US thing or a Millennial thing. I have seen many people who seem lovely, but it’s hard to know if it’s merely an act to gain attention or if it’s real.
- The Patriotism — you love your country, we get it. We all love our countries, that where we live and we make it the place that it is. Americans seem to be indoctrinated as children to worship their country and their democracy as the greatest thing to happen in the history of the world. Their school system also cuts them off from learning about other countries. Objectively it sounds like something a cult or an extremist political regime would do. Soviet Union, Communist China, The Third Reich… The entertainment industry also doesn’t seem to bother about the historical facts of things, only of making the history fit their agenda. Case in point; the Disney live action remakes, Jada Pinkett Smith’s ‘Cleopatra’ documentary on Netflix.
- The Tax System — people have to work out their taxes, even though there is a whole government department that knows what tax they should be paying, but they still have to work it out themselves and send in the correct amount or else.
- The Racism & Crime — From the sounds of it, racism has gotten worse in America not better. They believe that they are the greatest country because they are such a ‘melting pot’, but they seek to divide themselves at every opportunity. They are taught to be proud of their heritage without actually having stepped foot into another country. It’s crazy to hear how bad it is for such a free democratic country that’s the greatest in the world — people are scared to go there. The UK Government website has a warning to citizens who are planning to travel to the United States. It basically tells us not to go.
- Security — Everything from home security like windows and doors to public bathrooms, nothing feels safe. Even hotel rooms, unless you are paying for luxury, people who are living moderately are still at greater risk due to the lack of decent safety measures. The bathroom stalls are totally shocking. You can see all the way around the door, there is a distinct lack of privacy. I wouldn’t let either of my children go anywhere like the bathroom without me. At home, if you are staying in a hotel you can pretty much guarantee that a stranger is not going to open the window from the outside. You don’t feel like you are going to a military compound when you arrive at your hotel. It’s crazy over there how unsafe it feels.
- Healthcare — because everything is done in favour of almighty capitalism it means that healthcare has become a huge commercial endeavour. You better hope you don’t get into an accident or fall ill if you don’t have money to spare. And even then a broken leg could cause you hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of debt. For most of the world it is considered perfectly reasonable for a country to look after the health of its people. (I am so thankful we don’t pay huge amounts of money to have babies in England. Why should I pay to hold my baby in the hospital? That’s my baby. It’s creepy and weird.)
- Food — I know British people are not considered world leaders when it comes to food. However, our food doesn’t have to be seasoned heavily to cover the blandness or poor quality. Our salmon tastes like salmon, it doesn’t taste like garlic salt. We are a nation with a long tradition of farming and whole foods. Foods that are seasoned to enhance flavours rather than cover them up. Everything we ate during our last trip to the states tasted exactly the same; sweet or salty. This is due to the amount of preservatives that have to be added, but also due to the ‘quick growing’ methods used to produce high yielding crops with little to no nutrients. The massive amounts of salt used to preserve and flavour the food have a carcinogenic effect and destroy tastebuds. Having access to high quality food comes at a premium price in the states, so again if you have the means to you’ll be better off. No wonder everyone is reaching for whey protein shakes and bars.
- Knowledge & Debates — Anyone can gain knowledge, library’s are free, most of us have access to the internet and you can always watch a documentary. But even around knowledge Americans project an aura of arrogance which makes many of us not want to have a conversation with them. Teaching people to basically argue strikes me as absurd. It seems nonsensical to teach children that if you have a point of view that it is perfectly reasonable behaviour to shout at every tom, dick and harry that you are correct. Indeed, I see many people making a living online basically inviting people to argue with them. To me it seems foolish and pointless. It does nothing to educate or inspire qualities that a society benefits from. Benefits such as; team work, problem solving, resolution finding, mobilising effectively together. Debating has the opposite effect; it encourages divides, creates feelings of hostility, sets the idea that compromise is never an option. But of course if you are going to live in a society with other people you need to know how to compromise and work as one.
- Encourage Narcissism — As an outsider looking in, I feel like every American I have ever encountered has a touch of Narcissism about them. All of the things they do, IQ tests, SAT scores, scholarships, extra curricular activities, patriotism, movies and television all nurture the identity of the self. Everything seems to push people towards this idea that who they are is worth something. That the individual is more important than the group. There’s no sense of humility, if they do something it’s because they want to be bigger and better, when they’re travelling it has to be all out because that’s a big part of their identity. Narcissists always go outwards to show who they are. I’m not saying that all Americans are Narcissists but there are somethings that could be considered narcissistic.
I can tell quite often whether someone is American by the way they comment on my articles. I like to state which country I am from because I know those reading in different parts of the world will work out I am referencing myself and my experiences in Britain. Often Americans don’t seem to realise that a British experience might be different to an American experience and cannot wait to tell me how wrong I am in the comments.
There are many things about the human experience that should unite us, we all experience loss, heartbreak, love, happiness. But it seems that we continue to be divided. Now I don’t want to change anything that America is doing, I’m not a political activist and if I was I would concentrate on my own back yard. I merely write this as entertainment, as a point of interest maybe or a passing folly. Because I know that in 100 years or so this world we know now will no longer exist. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have their own issues to deal with.
Written By: Heather Gifford-Jones
This article was originally published on Medium.