American Reacts to 15 Things Europeans Don't Understand About Americans

[@LudwigRohf]

The United States celebrate their independence from the "Empire" every year. In spite of that they still use their imperial system. That is hard to understand.

[@qualitytraders5333]

What about the 2-party system?

[@eisikater1584]

@@qualitytraders5333 The Christian Democrats, The Social Democrats, The Libertarians, The Greens, The Left , that one woman show named BSW, and around thirty minor parties: That's what I, as a German, can choose from in the next election. It's not the ideal democracy, but better than a two-party choice only, in my opinion.

[@BetsyEimers]

​@@qualitytraders5333Yep. A really stupid system.

[@GrouchoEngels]

@@eisikater1584 You (intentionally?) forgot the second strongest party - The AfD - Germans can choose from in the next election?

[@jofo3197]

@@eisikater1584 . So ist es!

[@deliatedeschi]

We're not laughing- We're worried

[@Frahamen]

American "if you're outside speak louder, there's too much noise" Everyone else: "if you're outside, don't speak too loud, you're making too much noise"

[@patriciaE.]

Cracks me up. All these Moms cutting off the "crust" from the sandwiches for the Lunch Boxes and the add Chips for the crunch 🎉🎉🎉😂😂😂❤❤

[@TheUlli1964]

There is no crust,only rubber.

[@lbergen001]

Substitute sandwiches for pizza.

[@martinkuliza]

somewhere in some junkyard there is a huge pile of crusts just piled up to the sky, All those unwanted un eaten crusts, Just rotting away :P what a waste

[@Hey.Joe.]

@@martinkuliza Yes, imagine you could toast them in a pan with a very little bit of oil and put any other ingredients like egg or just pure. You could get a fast crunchy snack for TV-watching or whatever.

[@martinkuliza]

@@Hey.Joe. Great minds things alike mate I was just gonna say all those crusts would be discarded on some island like L.A. ISLAND on Escape From L.A. and then Snake Blisken would sit there with a pan and he'd throw in some bread and some eggs and it'd be an awesome breakfast everyday .

[@coolenaam]

some weird US things: toilet bowls full of water (very splashy), the open bathroom stalls (horrible), the huge food portions, the terrible food standards

[@helloshiny8475]

open ????

[@helloshiny8475]

ouch. Americans wearing leggings and sports clothes everywhere ??? even the word sweats sounds gross, add to that, the fact that so many Americans are Sooooo FAT. yuck.

[@Dave.Thatcher1]

@@helloshiny8475.....Big gaps between the floor and the bottom of the doors, and down the sides.

[@kingy002]

@@Dave.Thatcher1 That is to allow for a lot of homosexual activity to occur under those side walls!

[@gerardflynn7382]

The list goes on and on etc.

[@Frank-kx6ky]

What I found weard is that most Americans don't use a knife while eating diner. You just cut the steak or somehing else in pieces and start to eat with the fork only...for us Europeans it's a bit uncivilised to eat that way....thoughts?

[@judithoberpaul509]

It still seems strange to me even though I have known the USA well since the early 80s. Eating with a knife and fork is one of those things that Americans simply cannot master.

[@haighton]

@Frank-kx6ky oh man, pls dont go to the Philippines. There they eat with their fingers/hands (no kidding). And they eat rice with every meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner)

[@stirlingmoss4621]

seems like you eat peas off your knife...that way your comment makes some sense

[@Frank-kx6ky]

@@stirlingmoss4621 we do eat peas with knife and fork...

[@voyance4elle]

*weird

[@B-A-L]

We aren't laughing at your presidential election we are just rolling our eyes at it!

[@teachersusan3730]

😂😂😂true

[@sebastianmuller1624]

I'm scared about decline of democracy, not just in the USA. What's wrong with Trump and the Republicans? check project 2025 ..

[@lillibitjohnson7293]

Im thinking of what we have to do to stop trading with USA, how to close down the 14 bases inside australia and how do we all start a new allegiance without them lol They will” be alliegned with Kim Xi Putin and Afghanistan and we all have to form new alliances to combat t(eir ridiculousness

[@Arltratlo]

we laughing about one of your candidates, because he is a proper lunatic and his voters are lunatics, too!

[@alexamurawski4524]

...as we do when it's our elektion time

[@Maureen-g2c]

Quoting you "Do you know how difficult it is to transition". Yes! I do actually, Australia went from Pounds, Shillings and Pence to Dollars and Cents on the 14th February 1966. I was in 2nd year of High school, doing book-keeping. Because our text books had to be bought at the end of the previous year, our book-keeping book was in Pounds Shillings and Pence. We spent months changing the amounts to Dollars and Cents, before our school finally got new books in Dollars and Cents. Which had to be purchased not just exchanged. We went from Imperial to metric in measurements, temperature and speed limits too. Guess what - we all coped with it.

[@Arltratlo]

the Brits did the BrexShit, so they dont need to use metric... sadly, they still need to use it, or they cant sell anything in the EU! they are rule takes and we in the EU love the idea they have to do what we want and they cant say a thing about it!

[@voyance4elle]

That is a way smaller change. It's just about payment and a few school books. When you change the measurements all machines in the country have to be changed! The whole industry has to start counting and measuring differently. All science and their calculations and machines have to change. Fashion, how clothes are measured. Houses, how architecture and their softwares work... Just everything!!! It is so damn difficult it's almost impossible to do! Imagine building a car and every tiny step of the production process has to be changed and all the machines which are involved in the production (which are huge investments) have to be built new. And that is just one car, just one product. Out of millions of products.

[@RobertJames-fe2pd]

@@voyance4elle Not true, you just change the way you measure, not the parts.

[@alicemilne1444]

​@voyance4elle Other countries managed it. The USA is the only one that seems to find it a problem. For your information: US companies that export machines to other countries make those machines to metric specifications. They not only can do it, they do do it.

[@Zante_on_google]

@@voyance4elle The thing is... the American customary units are already OFFICIALLY defined by the metric system. The inch is defined as 25.4 millimetres The foot is defined as 0.3048 metres The gallon is defined as 3.7854 litres The ounce is defined as 28.349 grams ... and so on. It is only a matter of changing the units, not what is being produced. Also, as someone else mentioned, the US already produces in metric, to export.

[@MajarHagard]

In France, and I believe in other European countries too, the stickers not only mention the price, but also the price/kg. It allows people to compare prices more accurately and It's a way of preventing misleading packaging from making us buy things because they seem cheaper when they're not. I Don't know if this is a thing in the usa but here in France i think it's everywhere.

[@UltraCasualPenguin]

What do you mean by "it doesn't make sense"? Water freezes at 0 °C and boils at 100 °C. What is so logical in water boiling at around 212 F and freezing at 32 F?

[@Herzschreiber]

I guess he was talking about "leaving the comfort zone" here. Depending on what you are taught as a kid, you will adapt to that system. When you heard all your life that water boils at 212F, than it makes sense and 100C don't. It was not about logic but about feeling.

[@voyance4elle]

He meant "it doesnt make sense" because you can't calculate it in your head. For example if 0 °C is 32 F then you'd expect that 18°C would be 50 F but it's not. It's just impossible to calculate and transfer unless a machine does it for you...

[@gerardflynn7382]

32 is a positive temperature, why does water freeze at a positive temperature?

[@Sciss0rman]

I understand why there is a tipping culture in the US, but I don't understand the reasoning. A couple of years ago, I heard a restaurant owner say that paying waiters full wages would make the dishes more expensive. However, the prices for dishes in a US restaurant are similar or even way higher than in German restaurants. It's really frustrating, and I feel sorry for all those poor workers.

[@ecpec8148]

That does not make sense. If I as a customer have to add tip to the price the restaurant asks, it is more expensive for me anyway. If they pay their workers more and calculate that into the price of dishes and I do not have to tip- the end price for me is the same.

[@Sciss0rman]

@@ecpec8148 Yes, that's what's so weird to me. Prices for food are expensive already, and folks need to pay extra for the workers. The restaurant owners in the states are making bank, I tell you.

[@Arltratlo]

waiters in the USA dont get a living wage....waiters in Europe get a living wage!

[@grahvis]

Can't charge $25 that's too expensive. Charge $20 and expect the customer to add a $5 tip.

[@lbergen001]

@@grahvis It's just American logic. Low prices, high payment.

[@blondkatze3547]

I once saw a documentary about people in America who had personally told their stories and was totally shocked to see how many people there are dependent on pain killers. Because many are sick and always take painkillers so that they can go to work. Because otherwise they are afraid losing their job. They couldn`t take sick leave like in Germany where you get paid for your days. I felt so sorry for the man that he had become addicted to painkillers because of his back pain. It`s also crazy, that you can get tons of painkillers in drugstores.

[@judithoberpaul509]

Stronger painkillers over a longer period of time are addictive. Serious matter

[@blondkatze3547]

That`s exactly how it is. Sad@@judithoberpaul509

[@Bramfly]

Notice how he said pharmaceutical companies target customers instead of patients

[@Zante_on_google]

That's because the US don't have a healthcare system, they have a healthcare industry.

[@NoobsAndGeeks]

Oh, two of my favorite American KZbinrs in the same video. How cool is that. It's funny he mentioned first the metric system which is also my main pet peeve with American conventions. Metric is so much better and easier to calculate.

[@lynnhamps7052]

The major thing I can't fathom, is how so many American's can support Trump ..he's a monster!

[@kingy002]

I didn't know c u n t was spelled monster.

[@lynnhamps7052]

@@kingy002 lol....I stand corrected.

[@voyance4elle]

he is a narcissist and a potential dictator. How can people be so blind?

[@AussiePom]

@@voyance4elle Because they've had so much indoctrination that they don't know differently. Presidential election are like normal elections where the candidate only has to say what his followers want to hear and if he converts others to his cause then that's a bonus. What is really big in the US that isn't elsewhere is social conservatism. It's almost a fundamental pillar of American society.

[@mikefraser4513]

@@voyance4elle Well, it worked with the Germans back in the 30s

[@jokervienna6433]

That religion is so strong is weird to me as an European.

[@la-go-xy]

...and why is it so important to let everybody jnow or even have them follow the same?

[@Phiyedough]

In Germany there is a 10% church tax which you have to opt out of if you don't want to pay it. A lot of Americans pay a similar amount to their chosen church but the default is to not pay it.

[@jokervienna6433]

@@la-go-xy Well, because that is classic religion. "You don´t believe in the same God as I do so I´ll chop your head off if you don´t convert". It feels somewhat outdated to me. Before anyone mentions other religions, I´ll just state that I am tired of the whole religious mess. Believe in what you want, but keep it to yourself. I am fine with that. I just don´t want it in my face.

[@davidmalarkey1302]

Try explaining to Americans what socialism is or being a socialist is.

[@jokervienna6433]

@@davidmalarkey1302 Very true. Most Americans will scream "Communism!" and then still admire our basically free healthcare and education system. We have that (and mucht of the public transports) because of socialism. NOT communism. But because of the difference in political scales, any socialism attempt in America will be doomed.

[@hardyvonwinterstein5445]

What I don't understand is something like 'nipplegate'. The hypocrisy around sex is just ... childish. You can't show this, you can't say that. But the natural appearance of a human person is - correct me if I'm wrong - the full monty. I remember a European couple, on visit in the States, letting their toddlers run around naked in the backyard. They were arrested and had to leave without their children who were interrogated for some days by 'childcare'.

[@ChrisTian-rm7zm]

I once saw a TV movie about animals in the USA in which the animals' private parts were pixelated like in a Japanese porn movie. But I think that's less prudery than a precautionary measure taken by the TV stations to avoid being sued by parents.

[@AxGerm756]

See ? Next time they should give their toddler a .357 Magnum, because that will look totally normal in 'murica 😂😂

[@craighughes4906]

I haven't been back to the US in over 20 yrs. My last trip on collecting the hire car leaving the airport police signalled for me to pullover watching a cop walk towards you with his hand next to a gun that's intimidation & fear at the next level to warn me of muggings of tourists that had taken place within the area & proceed to "have a nice day". A wtf moment sadly It is a place i have no wish to return the mind process that you are a mistake away from being shot.

[@BarryHermans]

I can always recognise Americans in a restaurant on their table manners... the Fork is the only thing they use... with the other arm on the table.. If they could they will for sure use their fork too to eat soup

[@lynette.]

🇬🇧 Very bad manners to have elbows on the table. In my family you would be told to tell someone else to take their elbows off the table if you had your elbows n the table. 😊🤗👍

[@BarryHermans]

@@lynette. true, my elbow got kicked off the table without words 🤣

[@seanthiar]

23:45 Other weird USA commercials are commercials for lawyers. In most of the world a lawyer isn't allowed to make ads like in the USA. They are just able to list their specialties and that's it. But what is crazy for me is the election system with the electoral college - starting with that you have to register to vote. In Germany you are registered by default, get a your voting card in the mail and then you can decide to order the documents to vote via mail or go on election day to the ballot with the card and your ID to vote. Another thing is why is the election always on a Tuesday and not on a Sunday? Another thing are the rallies that cost millions and that someone who is convicted of a crime is qualified to be a candidate. And in conjunction with that is education - why doesn't decide the government about subject matters in school and college? I think it is not okay that a school or college council decides about what the students learn and can decide to ban some parts of a curriculum that are normally part of that what you need to learn. These people are politically and religious motivated and politics and religion has to be left outside of the education except for schools/colleges that are part of a church. Another crazy USA problem is the FDA - chemicals that are forbidden anywhere else because they are harmful are allowed in the USA. Everywhere in the world food- or medical additives are forbidden if it is not proven that they are safe for consumption, while in the USA everything is allowed as long as there is no proof that it is unsafe for human consumption and even when there is proof there is often only a warning like with yellow 5 or red 40 or the chemical that is in bread and yoga mats. And the craziest of all is the US system that does not protect poorer people, be it healthcare or law. You have to have the money to sue and even if you win you still get a big bill. In Germany you only pay the bill if you loose - no chance for a company or rich people to buy themselves free of justice because the other party has no money to sue. And the co-pay even in a 'good' insurance is so high that you can go bankrupt with hospital or medicine bills.

[@DionysianMentor]

There are also a lot of things that Americans simply don't understand about America. So I certainly don't blame Europeans for not understanding us.

[@deanpreston3603]

Hi JPS, I think you did an outstanding job on this reaction. I was also impressed with the way you held your tongue when you wanted to say more. Well done! Having been in Management for 40 years on thing I have watched develop is the downsizing of the workforce in companies. More often now if you take a week of vacation you will come back to a stack of work do do on top of your normal routine. I worked for a German company and they always cross train loads of employees so your job is covered and work completed while you are away. They are ahead of us in this respect.

[@KevinCruijssenQuuador]

It's funny you said "Every time I see Celsius I have to pull up google for a conversion. It doesn't make any sense.", because I have the exact same reaction every time I see a temperature in Fahrenheit or measurement in feet/inches/miles. 😅 I guess it's just what you're used to. Thank God for google, so we can both make those conversion easily. ;)

[@la-go-xy]

It's a rather compöicated co version with the offset...

[@Dave.Thatcher1]

American Football........Basically Rugby with too many rules and stoppages....and looking at each others Butts for 90+% of the game trying to decide where to throw the(odd) shaped ball.

[@macdieter23558]

Let´s say American football is Rugby for pu55135! My son played rugby for a while. In school sports they then had a soccer match and the other team had a very unfair player who liked to run down other players. My son´s team warned my son about him, so he decided to lure him to tackle. The bully took the bait - and bounced off him as if he had hit a wall. He ran crying to the teacher!

[@davidpelc]

Shoes off is pretty normal in most of Europe (i am from Prague,CZ), just if there is comming for example plumber, electrician or some kind of quick visit you tell them "please don´t take your shoes off" and its considered kind or polite, because you show them that you don´t want to bother them with taking shoes off and then on.

[@seanthiar]

Depends - if I have an expensive floor I expect them to remove their shoes. I don't need dog poop, chewing gum and little stones on my floor. I had it that I surprised a plumber standing with his work shoes in my new tub fixing a shower head without any protection for the tub. I had placed a styrofoam board in the room to use in the tub to stand on and informed the plumber about it before he started his work. I was really angry that he did not use it. And when they work in my house I expect that I don't have to ask them to use some protective materials to avoid damaging my stuff and clean after themselves.

[@Arltratlo]

i would refuse to take my shoes off during my work, as an electrician, i use my shoes for protecting me by a stroke from a live wire!

[@davidpelc]

@@Arltratlo one of the reason why in Europe ask electricians to don't take shoes off. 😉

[@voyance4elle]

yes and the other way around it's kind to provide houseshoes and have your normal guests take off their shoes because it's more comfy :)

[@davidpelc]

@@voyance4elle actualy, normal guests here are automatically taking shoes off here (Czech Republic), you don't have to tell them. 😉

[@rogerfairhurst8705]

I love your videos JPS, you're so refreshingly open to different cultures, ideas and how different things are in other parts of the world. The holiday entitlement mentioned here for German employees is accurate. My holiday entitlement from the age of around 40 was 6 full weeks with full pay. We only work a 5 day week anyway and in addition we get around 8 public holidays which are also on full pay: Examples are: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (27th December), New year's Day (1st January) May Day (1st May), Good Friday and Easter Monday, Whit Monday (Whitsuntide) but there are others too depending on which German state you live in. Sometimes these 'holidays fall on a weekend but it still averages out at about 8 additional days a year. Where I worked there was also a 'flexi-time' system where you could work extra time to add to holidays so the employee conditions here must seem unbelievable for people working in the US. In addition an employee cannot be fired without a valid reason and not on the whim of a supervisor or boss. The regulations for small companies are a little different but basically if you work you are protected as an employee.

[@toprock9500]

many Commonwealth countries converted from Imperial to metric in the 60s and 70s and dealt with it fairly easily. And it was measurements, currencies and temperature. Within a generation it was normal

[@biankakoettlitz6979]

But remember:Amerika is all business! This changes cost a lot of money😁

[@la-go-xy]

Not changing costs a lot of money as well. And it's error prone.

[@voyance4elle]

...and now it's too late :)

[@carolmurphy7572]

But some things never did change fully. For example, in the UK, they still measure road speed/distance in miles per hour (that one truly surprised me)! Here in Canada, we did a half-assed conversion. We measure distance in metric (km/h road speeds), but still measure a person's height in feet and inches. We buy our soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, etc.) by the litre, but bananas are 99 cents per pound. Meats (and other items sold by weight) have price tags that show the price per kilogram, but the sign on display to the consumer still shows the price per pound. Temperature outside is 20°C, but we bake a cake in the oven at 350°F. Milk (packaged by the litre) and butter (sold and packaged in grams) is measured by cups in the recipe to make that cake! Our car speedometer gauges show km/h and mph, so we can easily tell at a glance what our speed is if we're driving across the border into the U.S.A. Oh, Canada, land of the wishy-washy! 😂🇨🇦❤️

[@labelmail]

is it common in the USA to show the shop-owner what you have in your bag? what I saw in Scotland: a lady paying the things she took in the shop tried to show the insides of her bag to the cashier - the scottish lady told her : that is not necessary here dear, we are a civilised country 😉😁😊

[@Arltratlo]

i never got checked in Scotland.....but i am never got checked in my country, too....where i living all my life.. but in the USA, i went 1 time to Walmart....got checked and never went back! avoiding Walmart here to the moment they left the country!

[@klaus2441]

In Deutschland hat das Brot eine knusprige Rinde. Das is Crunch genug. In US ist das Brot so matschig, dass man es ohne Zähne essen könnte. Backt anständiges Brot, dann braucht ihr keine Chips für den Crunch😊

[@Arltratlo]

US Brot is wie ein Schwamm...während du mit einem Deutschen Brot zu Not einen Elefanten erschlagen kannst!

[@royvankan2723]

And even after 6 weeks it’s still “fresh” to eat because of the chemicals they put in it. Haha

[@leehallam9365]

You could do the British compromise. We use metric for most things and it's all that has been taught in schools, but we kept the culturally important metric stuff. The stuff that doesn't need to be converted. We sort of do the same with temperature, Celsius if it's cold but drag out Fahrenheit when you want to make a point about how hot it is.

[@brigidsingleton1596]

I talk about: Inches (12 = 1 foot) Foot /Feet (3 = 1 yard) Hand (4 inches, to measure equines) Fluid ounces (20 = 1 pint) Ounces (4 = 1/4, I quarter of a lb = pound in weight) Ounces (8 = 1/2, half of a lb = pound in weight) Ounces (12 = 3/4, three quarters of a lb = pound in weight) Ounces (16 = 1 lb = 1 pound in weight) Pounds (14 = 1 Stone = weight). 💕 ................................................................ And know _some_ metric measurements (but not much!!) grams (weight), centimetres, (length)...I know less about millimetres (length) & kilometers (length) & kilogrammes (weight)!🤔🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️🇬🇧🖖 C'est la vie...

[@seanthiar]

The idiotic thing is that it costs more to cater to two measurement systems than what it would cost to take the time to reduce it to one system. Just think about the costs for companies that they have to produce two versions just because of different units. Pressure - you need a psi and a bar version. Speed - mph and km/h. Weight - lbs and kg and so on. And I don't talk about the problems that exist in companies that work worldwide and waste time and money because of conversions needed and errors made because of wrong conversions. Just think about the plane that crashed because of a conversion error. The plane got not enough fuel because ground crew converted the wrong way and gave the plane only half of the fuel the pilot asked for.

[@la-go-xy]

What is metric in the US already: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYuYfIGwjs2Eb8ksi=2RcGYRnBXSDta7cM

[@macimus3333]

and the British come with weight in stones 🤣

[@brigidsingleton1596]

@@macimus3333 'Stones' yes so what's so funny? Be a sweet old fashioned 'hunny'!! You weigh yourself in pounds (lbs) or no? Everywhere (3 hospitals, mainly!) I go - I'm weighed in kilos - and have no clue what weight I am! Could be any old thing or spam! But if my clothes don't feel tight, that'll do... (Stones, 'fine for me', even if _not_ for you!!) 👍🤔🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿💕🇬🇧🤭🖖

[@Troels_T_Kjoeller]

Craziest thing about Americans tounderstand, I think for me it’s the cynicism about other Americans. It seems like there’s so much distrust and alienation in America, that makes it really hard to change things, because if you make something better for some people, other groups will fight against it because they don’t want others to get help. It’s hard to explain. It’s like a lot of Americans like the idea of America, but don’t like or feel connected to the living, breathing Americans that actually make up the country. It doesn’t just seems like it’s Republican/Democrat, but also rich/poor, people in cities/people outside cities, etc.

[@la-go-xy]

Seems that everything is a competition and you never want anybody else win whatever

[@voyance4elle]

and we have to have guns because the others have guns and we have to defend ourselves against the others who have guns. And the others probably think that they have to defend themselves with guns because we have guns and so on and so on...

[@bjorndebar8361]

The biggest problem the Europeans have with A football is the many interruptions. Personally, I get impatient when there are too many interruptions in a football game due to throw-ins and fouls, but I don't have the patience for A Football like that.

[@jameslewis2635]

And there I thought 'tail-gating' was driving too close to the car in front. I guess it's one of those UK/US differences in the English language. As far as I am aware we don't even have an equivalent for the US meaning.

[@la-go-xy]

For barbecue my suggestion is to go to the park or garden instead of concrete and metal lot. For camping prefer sth with plants and water... Preparing for a match, it might involve drinking at certain pubs, singing, hopping (in a train or bus) Greetings from Germany

[@trevorcook4439]

Tailgating in Australia is driving up the car in fronts arse. It’s illegal

[@lindambird2180]

Being a Canadian who has loved our CFL since I was a kid now a senior, have never understand why it takes the NFL four downs on a smaller field and sorry and you still can't make the 4th down.. European football is the best Football anywhere.. Also grew up taking the shoes off at the door and still do wherever we go, don't need crappy stuff on our floors/carpets.. Have been a fan of yours for quite a while now, keep up the great reactions.. 🐦😹

[@justforfun187]

That's why you have to use both systems next to each other for years... with the miles vs km's and F vs C (would be useful to see both on your phone to help memorize it)... It was the same with Europe with the countries who were going to use the Euro. Both prices were used everywhere even before we started to use the Euro to help knowing the conversion rate. It wasn't like one day you only see the old currency and the next it was only the Euro.

[@firbolg]

Not all Americans are loud but here in Geneva, when you hear a loud person... there's a 50/50 chance they're American. And FYI, white socks have been out of fashion for at least 30 years.

[@budapestkeletistationvoices]

@@firbolg not in Britain. They blindly follow Americans

[@aimeek9384]

White socks are back in fashion since a few years (for young people)

[@firbolg]

@@aimeek9384 Shit... guess I'm getting old! XD

[@tom.jacobs]

A problem with putting tax after sales is also that you're constant reminded about it, so constant reminded that government is expensive. This might be one of the reasons of some are constant fighting against tax, even the ones that provide funds to battle societal problems [poverty, healthcare]? In a way that is also true for tipping: you're constant reminded about the cost of labor (since you are the one that have to pay the waiter their income)

[@usagie11111]

What amazes me most is the lack of education among Americans. A friend of mine was at university in America and was asked whether Hitler was still alive, whether we had electricity or some people didn't even know where Germany was. I find that shocking. These were university graduates and not hot dog sellers. Why are people so uneducated despite this? Isn't it part of general education to know where which country is somewhere and when the second world war took place, in which the USA was involved??

[@AxGerm756]

Because uneducated people don't realize when you rob them and lie to them, like US politicians constantly do. Dumb peasants are easy to control. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[@pesjaner1]

Can you explain this: you don't play with feet and it is not a ball, although you call it football. I recently heard a much better neme: Handegg

[@voyance4elle]

The ball is a foot long ;) It's the measurement.

[@somefatbugger]

I'm an old Australian bloke and grew up with manual gear boxes in cars and the majority of us blokes all knew how a car works, how to fix it and did all the work on our own car. Who could afford mechanics let alone why bother paying one anyway when you could do it yourself.

[@Dave.Thatcher1]

Hard to do work on your own car nowadays, you need a diagnostic tool to find faults. At best you can check for loose connections on the battery/spark plugs, and that's just about it.

[@LalaDepala_00]

The fact that a man like Donald Trump can get this popular, including a cult following, is just insane.

[@Hans-k9j]

What’s the difference with Bernd Höcke? Afd Führer!

[@Plons0Nard]

Interesting. I am amazed that a geriatric man has been elected as president in 2020.

[@grahvis]

@@Plons0Nard . But who didn't lie through his teeth.

[@kingy002]

@@Plons0Nard Yeah, but there is a chance it is going to happen again in 2024!!

[@Plons0Nard]

@@kingy002 No. JB is not running for president. Get your facts straight. If you are insinuating DT as being the geriatric : DT is getting older, I will give you that. But he is still fit. And a much better choice than KH. For the US but also for the world in general.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Joel, I assure you that we Europeans (and Aussies, Kiwis, Canuks, etc) are not laughing about the shenanigans of your current election campaign. Maybe we started out sniggering a bit. Then we grew incredulous. Now, we're shocked and a little scared. A guy with Trump's views and behaviour hasn't been elected over here in 91 yrs. How could you??!! 😢

[@this_andrew]

If anyone is laughing outside the US, it's probably a nervous laughter. That little nervous turned scared laugh you might let out when you're looking out across a party you first glimpse the drunkest guy at the party starting a chainsaw telling everyone he's been learning to juggle... that chuckle before you realize he is serious and all his mates are crowding around closer to watch...

[@burninhell107]

So true, i also don't get how a convicted former president can run for this election...

[@AussiePom]

I'm not laughing as I don't care who becomes US president for whoever they elect they're all crooks the whole lot of them. As Edward Snowdon put it "when revealing the truth is regarded as a criminal act then you know that you're being governed by criminals". All these idiot Americans saying to veterans "thank you for your service" when they should be saying to them "thank you for killing and torturing little brown people who were of no threat to us".

[@AS-bn9qv]

Same here UK we are not laughing we are worried USA will have a convicted felon/rapist, ignoramus, sociopath as leader, err, what could go wrong!?!?!?!?!

[@Troels_T_Kjoeller]

Interesting video. A small nitpick - when the guy says Americans have a much larger threshold for what the accepted personal bubble is, he means a much lower threshold. A high threshold would mean a very small personal space.

[@d2ndborn]

I live here in the states just south of you. And I really hate the pharma and lawyer commercials. They could lower the drug prices a bit if they did not have to pay for airtime.

[@pieternoord3287]

What so strange is, with the work balance, is the high prices of health insurance and the lack of it. It makes recover time stretched or even not going to doctor what makes someone non-working any time soon.

[@la-go-xy]

The companies can hire and fire and don't have any costs with the ill. As long as enough sufficiently competent workers can be hired, the companies win.

[@christianista]

That was fun to replace our own currency by Euro :) In Belgium, there are 2 types of driving license. If you pass the test with automatic you can drive only automatic, if you pass the test with manual you can drive both. It's a little bit stupid but here the driving license is a cash machine. As French speaker, we hate people speak very loudly, it's very rude for us. I take my shoes off but if someone visit me, no shoes off for this person.

[@Humpelstilzchen]

Yep the part with the manual, automatic license is the same in Germany 😅. I think it kind of makes sense

[@Dave.Thatcher1]

@@Humpelstilzchen Same here in the UK.

[@Boom110768]

One of the things I really struggle to understand is the difficulty in voting in the USA. As I understand it, you have to register to vote and then it can be quite the distance to travel to a voting booth if you're in certain states and you're not using the mail-in voting system. I'm from The Netherlands and here we all get our 'voting card' sent to our home address along with a list of people you can vote for, so you can prepare in advance. And there are literally 555 places where you can cast your vote in my city alone (which is The Hague), so there's always a place near your work, or where you live and you're not assigned to a specific location; you can vote anywhere. Everything is done to make it super easy and convenient for you to vote.

[@jjosz9565]

The reason you have to register as a voter in the US is because they don't have a centralised register of the people living in a city/region/whatever. So they don't know that you are there and qualified to vote. I assume you too registered - the same way we do in Germany. With the city you live in, when you moved there. That's how they know they need to send you the voting stuff. As for the rest... precise sabotaging of certain groups of people, who are known to vote for the other party (a big problem if only two parties exist). The Republicans like to do that in regions that are known to vote for the Democrats. The harder you make it for people to vote, the less likely they do vote. And since it's known how certain areas usually vote...

[@mereloostdam]

The fact the usa does not have paid maternity leave (arranged by the government) is baffling to me. I can't even imagine working until my due date!

[@AussiePom]

That involves paying out money which goes against the American thinking that making money is the only course one should take.

[@TerencePearse-x3j]

Most NFL players wouldn't last 5 minutes in a Top Flight Rugby Game.

[@Arltratlo]

i played Rugby in school....in Germany.... i got invited to a American football game in the USA by my BIL, i refused, because i can watch the cheerleaders in the internet anyway! because the cheerleaders are the only thing i would be interested in during a American football game! i have been present at those games here in Germany, while on my job....i coudnt care less to be there, only for my pay from my boos!

[@user-wc8fp4cx6c]

This is a nonsensical statement because at least 4 of the 11 players on the field during an NFL game are 300+ pounds. Their job is to block the opposing team's player who is also 300+ pounds. They typically hold this block for 6 to 8 seconds. Think of it as two sumo wrestlers colliding with each other. They do this approximately 40 times a game. There are no Rugby players who are 330 pounds. They would get flattened like a pancake by these guys. On an NFL team the players are all different heights and weights because they all have different jobs. The players whose job it is to run with the ball would have no problem converting to Rugby.

[@gerardflynn7382]

​@@user-wc8fp4cx6cExcept in Rugby there is no body armour.

[@Marieisso]

16:48 In Germany, it’s already allowed to drink beer from the age of 14, at least if the parents or another adult person with the parents’ consent are present. In this regard, it’s quite a free country.

[@danmayberry1185]

Cruise ship pool deck: music turned up 3 pm, so everyone around tables pulls their seats closer to continue conversation. Except American tables, where seats stayed put, and people yelled. True story.

[@voyance4elle]

haha that sounds accurate :D

[@labelmail]

I think the ideas of the prohibition and the McCarthy-era still linger on -- that explains in my point of view some of the - lets say unusual - practises in comparison to Europe

[@pawloPawlopawlo]

McCarthy proved how effective internal propaganda can be, not just at the people of the time but for generations to come. Right wing Amercians still genuinely feel sorry for Germans or Norweigans because they have socialist safety nets, which they assume means soft communism. Which is obviously the devil. Then this prevents them taking a critical look at their own situation

[@TRW98]

The reason I keep my shoes on when I visit someone is because I do not undress for other people even if it's only my shoes. And I hate walking on socks so I need to go with naked feed. But of course, my feet are sweety so instead everywhere I step you see a footprint of my food. I don't understand why people think that's better. A question for everyone who askes their guest to take off their shoes. Would you be okay with instead of taking my shoes off I have overshoes with me? Because that's also a solution to keep your house clean.

[@rennratteb.8614]

If I have guests i have cheap house shoes for them, where is the problem,? or they have their own house shoes. Think of the winter, you enter a house with mud and snow on your boots? on my floor or carpet, surely not. Greetings from Austria

[@productjoe4069]

The craziest thing for me is how hierarchical US business culture is. I’ve done a few projects in the US, and they take forever because you have to navigate every decision through a sequence of timid middle managers until you get to the final boss. Comparing the consultative British culture or the communal German culture (both countries I’ve also done large projects in), the command-and-control US culture is very frustrating to deal with, although the challenge does add interest.

[@JWS-66]

I live in the Netherlands and i love the rear view camera in my car, instead of beep beeep beeeep😄

[@StewedFishProductions]

New Zealand is currently considering reversing the law allowing advertising of drugs and medicines directly to consumers... The Therapeutic Products Act 2023 (the “Therapeutic Products Act”) was enacted under urgency by the previous Labour government on 26 July 2023 to replace the current Medicines Act and its regulations. Its aim is to align New Zealand’s regulation of therapeutic products with global standards and accepted industry practices.

[@continental_drift]

Yeah nah, that's a bad move. Nice spin, "global standards and accepted industry practices".

[@StewedFishProductions]

@@continental_drift WHY! " a bad move?" - Dig a little 'deeper' and you may realise WHY the US and NZ are the only WEALTHY countries who allow the sale of DTC (direct-to-consumer) drugs and medicine adverts... I.e. 'Consumers' start to self-diagnose, without speaking to their doctor - others order drugs, become reliant and 'never' get off them - OR adverts can 'under-emphasize' treatment risks etc. Also, promoting drugs over ANY 'healthy lifestyle' choices is NEVER a GOOD THING!

[@StewedFishProductions]

@@continental_drift Sorry, I meant to ask... Are YOU a 'junkie' or do YOU work for 'big pharma'??? Either reason would explain YOUR comment - LOL

[@boerbenlp8659]

We probably would make BBQ before a soccer game on the parking lot. But when you are handling with open fire in a public space you will have the cops there sooner or later

[@KrisThroughGlass]

Celsius makes much more sense. But I understand, that it's hard to learn, if you know another system by heart. To give you some general points of reference: 0 degrees: water starts to freeze. There's no rain but snow. 10 degrees: jeans, sweater and a light or medium jacket 20 degrees: jeans and t-shirt, maybe even shorts if you know you'll move a lot or don't get cold easily 30 degrees: sweating at the pool or beach

[@soundofnellody262]

If an employer offers only the 24 days of vacation (the number they have to give you by law in most cases) they will have difficulties to find anyone who wants to work there. 28-30 are the norm.

[@itzruckus]

The thing I’m so confused about American football is why you call it football when you throw it way more than you kick it???

[@tomtorres212]

I understand Amrican Football and , no, it´s not a complicated and deep game - that´s why it is so popular in the USA.

[@kristinw05]

Please keep being so polite!! I love that about Americans and I wish a lot of Germans were more polite and said thank you more often!

[@eddi5190]

automatic cars are getting more and more popular in germany...most of the premium brands had automatic

[@margreetanceaux3906]

Not laughing about your election. Holding my breath. Praying at least NATO will survive. And a lot of other worries.

[@Gaston413]

5:34 Stick shift makes driving more complicate for beginners but it is a condition (at least at the driving test) if you don't want your license to be restricted to automatic cars. However, you can learn to (blindly) shift gears (and especially to use the clutch) in a few hours. So I don't understand the statement that you couldn't drive with a manual transmission for years. As far as I know, it is not taken into account whether foreigners have been trained on automatic vehicles. But even if foreigners are allowed to drive in Germany with their driver's license, I advise everyone (and especially Americans) to take a few driving lessons with an experienced German driver as a driving instructor and have the considerable differences in traffic rules explained to them. American Driving on the Autobahn FOR THE FIRST TIME! | Feli from Germany - kzbin.info/www/bejne/npyrepmfiM2kqck

[@benjaminbernhardt5775]

We need people like you, connecting the world 🌎 Thank you for that :D

[@Nova-w2i]

What I really can't wrap my head around is how generous and neighborly Americans are when it comes to charity, but at the same time they're so scared of supporting other society members with taxes or insurance premiums. A lot of the ways Americans donate and help willingly with open minds and hearts are handled through taxes in Germany. Plus, I never feel like I'm paying for others. I often feel like I'm paying too much, but more in the sense of "my flat rate price is too high". Ok, I'll take it back: I often feel like I'm paying for billionaires.

[@walterfillingham]

The tailgate/car park party thing in the states is probably more to do with the car culture in the States than anything else. The vast majority of people travelling to watch a football match (soccer you call it), here (in Scotland) travel by train or by coach as it’s more sociable and fun, rather than travelling by car getting stuck in a traffic jam somewhere. Plus of course you can have a few beers as you’re not driving.

[@Gaston413]

Celsius: - 273,15°C absolute zero point -196°C Nitrogen is liquid -78°C dry ice (CO2) sublimates to gas -4°C ice breaks metal 0°C ice melts -water becomes liquid- 22°C my preferred room temperature 25°C standardized technical room temperature 37°C body temperature 41°C dangerous fever 47°C maximum bathing water temperature 60°C temperature that you can briefly feel with your finger without burning yourself 95°C temperature if you want to be sure that nothing boils over >100°C if you don't care if something boils over 150°C PVC cable insulation melts and fails 200-230°C tinn solder melts 327,5 °C lead melts 419,5 °C zinc melts 450°C (about) LFP Lithium cell burning temperature 660°C aluminum melts 800-1300°C butane gas lighter up to 1400°C LiPo Cell burning temperature

[@dereckhasken9055]

0 degrees C water becomes liquid???? Water by definition is liquid - ice starts to melt at 0 degrees C

[@Gaston413]

@@dereckhasken9055 You can look at it that way, or you can see that only the molecule without its aggregate state is meant.

[@capablancauk]

American football is rugby with Kevlar body armour and advertising

[@gerardflynn7382]

That's the best description I have ever heard 👍 Kudos.

[@pittarak1]

............ and it's stops every other minute for a player change.

[@larissahorne9991]

In Australia, we do like to have some personal space. But most of us don't speak in loud voices unless the circumstances call for it. Not too long ago, an American lady was talking on her phone at one of our shopping centres. You could definitely tell what country she was from because of her speaking loudly, in a Californian accent. People were turning to look at her, but none of us were rude about it. Unfortunately, I have a loud speaking brother-in-law who can also be a bit of a jerk. The rest of the family can only handle being around him for short periods of time. But he loves my sister, so he's welcome in my family. People can change, though. Recently, he actually talked to me in a normal tone of voice and offered to help me with something. My sister/ his wife couldn't believe that he'd volunteered to help me. They're been married since the middle of the 70s.

[@hy-drenalin8211]

Ok craziest thing about americans? Well, I met some and invited them to my home because I speak the language and that could be intersesting, right? They said "Oh yes surely" and never came or had even had that in their mind...if you say "oh yes, of course" to a German you have sealed a contract with your lifeblood to them. And you will have a seat near me reserved to mine to make you comfortable. Then just not coming by is like shitting on my plate... 🤣

[@matshjalmarsson3008]

Loudness has nothing to do with personal sphere/spread out population, if it had, then Swedes would be loud, particularly ones in the north, but they're not, loud Swedes are found in the big cities (not as loud as Americans, but still). It has more to do with egoism and competition.

[@awaterplease7885]

I think the drug advertisements are not for the consumers but just to have an excuse to throw so much money at the networks that they will never ever criticise these companies. It’s the most obvious with Boeing, because there is nobody that’s buying an airplane after seeing a TV ad 😂

[@lydia5232]

One thing he didn't mention was the driving test. Americans can drive at 16, not in Europe. You can take your driving test at 16, but you can't drive without parental supervision until you're 18. Plus, in Europe the driving test is expensive and you have to pay for it in advance. If you don't do it the first time, you have to pay again. That is why we are better drivers. If Americans had to pay for their education up front, half as many would go to college...and they wouldn't be in debt - and they would study more. Soccer: In Europe, however, we have a lot of bars and pubs in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. If there is a bigger match - big rivals - there are also stands with food and drinks... you come to buy and you don't bother with grilling meat at all - it's a party anyway. But the funniest thing is that you Americans are always "world champions" in your sports...in sports that only you and no one else have.

[@IQEGO]

As an eastern european, if I say thank you 3 times, you probably just saved my life or cooked me an absolutely terrific meal! :D

[@bognagruba7653]

Many people in Europe prefer automatic transmission, and I wouldn't buy anything else. There is smaller selection, because the German car industry prefers manual. My mother in-law even got her first driving license at the age of 60, after she was able to get her own automatic car. You're allowed to get a license specifically for automatic transmission in Poland. Freedom ;)

[@zoltanreisz2228]

American football is a spectacular pub brawl where there is also a ball. Sorry, my friends. 😝

[@karstenbursak8083]

There is no ball ... there is only an egg 😂😂😂

[@zoltanreisz2228]

@@karstenbursak8083 sorry 😃

[@iangerrard321]

Prices in the UK also normally end with 99p. There uses to be a 1/2p. And it was always 99 1/2p back then.

[@david1731048]

The sales tax thing isnt just annoying because it isnt the true price, its that paying cash for a $3.99 item doesnt leave you with a penny change, its $4.17 or something and you end up with pocketfuls of coins.

[@lindambird2180]

When I lived in England, I remember wherever I had a sandwich for lunch, there was always a small amount of crisps on the plate.. Never had that growing up here in Toronto.. 🐦

[@FusedReaper]

Lmao i have absolutely 0 desire to visit America anymore. It sounds horrible😂

[@voyance4elle]

Well there are good things and bad things about it... But I understand. My desire to visit the U.S. has decreased a lot over the past 16 years....

[@FusedReaper]

@@voyance4elle ofcourse there is good things aswell. And i have never been there before so i really have no right to judge at all untill i see it with my own eyes. I used to really want to go there because it was a place i only ever saw in the movies when i was younger, it was an allmoast magical land in my little brain. but the older i grow the more it starts looking like a land of nightmares to me. And im not judging anyone or trying to offend im just saying that it doesnt look like a place i want to be. Or atleast not in the city’s, from what i have seen (on tv or online obviously ) there is absolutely stunning nature.

[@claudiakarl7888]

I travelled around in the southeastern US last year. Gorgeous landscape, horrible food, insane tips and people driving like mad.

[@Pappa_66]

Sad to say but I do not understand like anything the Americans have done during the last decade. Country so divided that I do not recognize it any more. I lived almost 15 years in 6 different States from the mid 90s to 2010. People were not defined by who they voted for. We discussed politics only occasionally and did not choose our friends by it. I still love America and my friends but I am also sad. All the best and love from Finland❤

[@SaraKvammen-tx7qc]

Wow...I was not sllowed to eat chips or anything with sugar during the week,only on weekends.That is still quite common in Norway.

[@Whats-a-Chidi]

The Thank You thing is so interesting. I don't think people mind as much at the stores and such, but if we're friends and I invite you, I do it because I want to and I trust that you know that we're so close that I'm enjoying myself too, so please don't say thank you so much or we'll feel very uncomfortable HAHAHAA. Friends here are so casual with each other, too many Thank Yous will make us feel like there's a distance between us

[@yveszusje5023]

Very interesting Jp, learned some new things!

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

Is it true that Donald Trump wants to tax tips again if he becomes president? By the way, asking for a tip in Europe is rude and sounds more like begging.

[@gerardflynn7382]

But then again here in Europe we pay a decent wage and don't treat our servers like slaves.

[@trevorcook4439]

He wants to remove taxes.

[@eivinherfindal6658]

Norwegian companies wil get a tikket from government if their employees dont take their vacation

[@macdieter23558]

I know from Germany that one of the vacations has to be at least three weeks in a row!

[@alexamurawski4524]

@@macdieter23558 not at my workplace ...only if you want to have a long vacation, they had to make it possible

[@voyance4elle]

@@macdieter23558 never heard of that and I don't think that's true. Many friends only go on vacation for 14 days or 10 days.

[@fixzeichner5592]

I find it really strange that Americans think that simplifying their weights and measures is too much work. As a highly technological country, you should be interested in simplification. The metric system has not always existed in Europe. In the 19th century, every country had different weights and measures. Germany consisted of many small principalities, each of which had its own currency, weights and measures. At some point, however, they decided to standardize everything and that wasn't easy to do either. But it was worth it and if almost the whole world uses measurements that are converted in the decimal system, it should be possible for America too.

[@helloshiny8475]

the easyndistracrions of a auto car, yes, that's true, but on the flip side, with an auto car you can keep your hands on the wheel more. when it's windy or the road is bumpy that really is important.

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello Joel. In UK it is sometimes Germans who are shown as stereotypically loud, so folk in US must be off the charts? I have been to both, so only joking, but I guess I can turn the volume back up after the video?

[@la-go-xy]

Weird seems, that the bigger a car/truck the more it is loved. Why? And why is it widely not accepted if someone likes an alternative to car dependency/strict zoning...?

[@tar2feather]

When I went to school in London for a semester and worked at a high end grocery store, the thing that amazed me the most was the complaint that there were too many "foreign" brands on the shelves. My favorite was a young girl, about 10, who was upset that we didn't have Frosted Flakes - her favorite. I pointed out that Frosties were the same thing (even had Tony Tiger on the front of the box) she didn't believe me and told her father that I had lied to her. The worst part is her father didn't believe me either!

[@neuralwarp]

No, the odd 99c is to force the cashier to put the money in the cash register, not pocket it. In Europe, mandatory receipts serve the same purpose.

[@TerenceSquires]

People may want to keep their shoes on because they have smelly feet, especially if you have a smaller home.

[@voyance4elle]

that's true ^^

[@Joe_Sheffield]

The reason why stuff is generally priced as x.99 is because that forces the cashier to enter the register to grt the .01 change. If stuff was priced as a whole number its easier for cashiers to pocket the coinage rather than ringing it through the till. 👍

[@Murvelhund]

We Nordics totally crushes that theory about loudness completely, we do distans to other people quite well and we use your quiet voices almost always.

[@philiprowney]

I wonder how many American's understand that the F scale 0 is when salt water freezes. An odd place to start a scale. Pure water 0C, salt water with maximum salinity 0F... So much easier to use a centigrade [ Named after Mr Celsius ] based on pure water, than salt water. PS in England if it's hot we quote f, eg over 100, if cold c, eg below zero.

[@Maricavdven]

I learned manual for the car. And for the Truck. hell yes, 16 gears low& high.

[@user-gi5wg7qy1m]

In my company we had a Speech Coach. It was in German for Germans. We were told thing like how to stand, what to do with our hands, how to get rid of stupid words like "eh", .... AND he told us that our voice would fill the room a lot better if we did say or kind of sing "a" several times before the talk - BUT - VERY IMPORTANT - WITH AN AMERICAN accent. Because than our vocal volume would increase for the talk shortly after. So - that maybe another reason for the obnoxious and loud :-) American.