What do you hate about American culture the most that you wish you could change?

Religiosity, the fount of all of the above in OP's post.

I'm usually a half-full kind of guy, so I try to look for positives in everything, but the anti-intellectualism bent we've been on for the last 15/20 years really bothers me.

Tipping.

The belief that capitalism is the answer to everything. I always roll my eyes when people bitch about the post office "losing" money. Why does it have to make money? It is a public service. Does the military make money? Why does health care have to be profit motivated?

Not saying that profit is a bad thing, but it isn't the be-all/end-all.

The hyper-competitiveness. Americans are trained from kindergarten to disparage the competition and gain an edge. And see everyone else as competitors. Hence true friendships are rare.

Social media. While I'll admit it does have a (very) few positives, it is why this country (and so, so many others) have become divisive and full of hate, never mind wildly misinformed.

The truly inferior public education system. It's going to be the end of us.

Really. And no, it's not the teachers' fault. They are the only thing keeping the flood waters at bay.

The aggressive attitude.

Guns and the “lost Cause” bullshit from the south. Fuck the south. Go eat some cornbread, but your “heritage” just isn't’ that special.

The xenophobia. You don't need to hate the rest of the world. It makes you look stupid.

The deep, neverending stupidity of most people in this country. Most are truly dumb as a box of rocks. Most straight men can quote sports scores going back 60 years but couldn't tell you anything about the area where they live (unless it's a hunting spot) or who the mayor is where they live, or any number of other things.

R6 …and yet our public higher ed system (undergrad and PhDi) is the envy of the world.

crap food. and there's no good excuse for it. If American fat whores want to eat cakes let them eat cakes made with butter and eggs. If they want to eat hamburgers, make them out of quality beef with some fresh toppings. It's all so desperately appallingly frankenfood.

What OP listed as #1. Who gives a shit about religion? If people weren't selfish, it wouldn't matter

Obesity being the "new normal"

It is fucking disgusting and should not be encouraged. Now, if you make a comment about weight you are "body shaming."

OP you pretty much are my sociological twin.

The lack of respect for ourselves and others, automatic weapons, religion and the shit educational system.

I agree and disagree with a number of these statements.

There is always going to be religion no matter what. It's a fact of life that societies will always have the need for religion. It's not going away. There is some need in the human psyche for a spiritual life evolves into religion. It was always thus and it can't be changed.

The anti intellectualism is part of the woke movement. Much of the intellectual, artistic and scientific progress has been made by men. So therefore it is developed by a patriarchy which makes it suspect. The Dead White Men's Society. Therefore we can't have the best. Fair enough we should be looking at other cultures and their achievements but our core western culture should not be torn down in pursuit of other views. The greatness of the white male genius among a few should be studied and appreciated. They have achieved work that even white men today cannot reach because of the environment and culture that has developed.

Xenophobia exists everywhere. Not just in the US. Moreso today which is why certain immigrant societies refuse to assimilate.

Education has also been affected by the woke movement. In lower education where tolerance has led to abuse and often bored and or frustrated teachers are just waiting for tenure and a well paid pension, often indifferent to the needs of individual students. In higher education with the growth of support for oppression of dissenting opinions and a horrifying religious intolerance.

[quote]Obesity being the "new normal"

I 100% agree with this, but the huge popularity (and shortages) of Ozempic/Weogy/Mounjaro/Zepbound tell me that, while people may say they want to be body "positive", they know they are full of shit and need to lose the weight.

[quote]And nudity at the lake, at the beach, and on TV should be seen as natural as it is in Europe.

There are limitations on nudity in public in Europe.

[quote]Or voluntarily wearing masks during a pandemic without babbling about “muh freedoms.”

From the CDC website: "How well do face masks protect against COVID-19?" : "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing masks if you choose to, and in specific places and situations."

Note: "If you choose to"

[quote]Being in possession of alcohol in a national park shouldn’t be.

In the US? Yes, it should.

Re: Europe : " people in Madrid are forbidden from selling or consuming alcohol on the street, except in outdoor cafés and bars and at tables placed by the doors of bars. "

And others ban drinking after a certain distance from where the alcohol is bought or only in certain zones. Completely illegal in Norway,

I agree with a lot of what r19 said.

In terms of "religion," I think that while we may not always have capital-r religion, people will always divide themselves by ideology.

Great list OP.

I'd add the religion - the American fundamentalist style Christianity and the guns.

In fact - almost all roads lead back to the American Christianity religious saturation. The US is not a secular democracy as religion and politics are firmly hand in hand and this seems to be widely accepted as normal and necessary. I mean - just look at who the house speaker is and that fact that he said that the bible guides him in all decisions he makes. And this is accepted as normal.

[quote]Most straight men can quote sports scores going back 60 years but couldn't tell you anything about the area where they live (unless it's a hunting spot) or who the mayor is where they live, or any number of other things.

The achievements of straight men are unparalleled.

There is nothing about American culture to admire, so asking what should be hated is sort of a Zen exercise.

But I feel that's true of humanity the world over, from Japan to Peru, so c'est la guerre.

[quote]There is nothing about American culture to admire

R24, I should have clarified that I meant in a political sense.

Obviously, America has produced great music and art, as has much of the rest of the word.

I read something a while back on Reddit regarding sexuality posted by someone in Denmark, and I’ll paraphrase it here from what I remember:

“We all agree that people shouldn’t be fucking in the town square, yet if it happens we understand that it isn’t the end of the world. Here in Denmark, a police office would likely either tell them to get lost or issue a fine. Americans on the other hand, if they happen to see something like that, act like their eyeballs are going to melt out of their heads.”

I agree with that sentiment. I think we can all agree that public sex out in the open is extremely inappropriate, but the amount of actual harm caused is basically nothing. So you saw something tasteless. It’s far less offensive than a mass shooting.

I have to agree with R2 and disagree a bit with R19. Anti-Intellectualism started way before the current woke movement. I’ve actually thought about it a lot, and for me it seems to have been a very concerted effort that began with FOX shows like Married with Children, or MTV Beavis and Butthead that glorified stupidity. And then daytime talk shows like Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer. First we laughed at it and then it’s what we became.

BUT I think a lesson was learned by the govt after the 60s in America. It’s MUCH easier to rule a large stupid mass of people than an educated populace that knows its rights, questions everything you do and fights back. So glorify stupidity, make intelligence seem suspect, elect a candidate based on whether or not you’d have a beer with them, etc…. Throw on top of that social media where you have the stupidest people becoming instant millionaires for the dumbest reason, and now you dont’t even need an education to live the American Dream. You have a populace of cogs and consumers, the ultimate capitalist machine.

OP seems like a troll.

^ I.e. the Hawk-Tua and Catch Me Outside girl…

Gun culture and thinking they are the center of the world .

Yeah.

The posters here are equipped to make a wish and change things to remove what they hate.

Sigh.

Oh and the prudish " allowed to do literally anything from buying guns to joining a war at 18 EXCEPT buying a damn beer" ..so ridiculous.

MwC hardly glorified stupidity..well not in it's earliest seasons.. if anything it actually lambasted it. Then again you'd have to be smart to realize it.

American exceptionalism.

There is no such thing as the greatest nation on earth and if there were a country with these flaws wouldn't be it.

But keep sounding like Nazis if you insist.

The celebrity obsession, whether it's actors, singers, or sports stars.

The lack of kindness.

The obsession with hunting animals.

I hate thus current Outrage culture. Everyone is outraged by everything. Rage has become a drug. And you see it on DL a lot - people offering nothing to a thread other than their outrage over someone else’s comment. Just dropping in to drop a bomb like “that’s so fucking dumb, you should die.” Then repeating that same thing over and over in different ways. If you’re going to disagree, at least engage.

This! R34...the whole "THIS IS DA GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH" chauvinistic bs....even moderately intelligent people still say this sometimes as if it's still 1950 or something. That ship has sailed and gone to Mars and back 500 times. The US had it's day and it still has many great things about it but there are several countries that are run better and have just as many if not better opportunities.

I am sick of the liberals RIPPING BABIES OUT OF VAGINAS!!!!!!!

Identity politics. And I know that it is a typical right wing criticism but it takes on extreme forms here in America all across the political spectrum. It’s the reason why we can’t have an intelligent debate and sensible solutions about our failing public schools, gun control, peace in the Middle East. The identity becomes bigger than the most pragmatic solution. And then we follow suite with politicians that speak to that identity. It’s fucking sickening. You can’t criticize fringe black politicians without being called an Uncle Tom. You can’t talk about gun control without being deemed anti Constitution.

1.Easy access to guns especially automatic weapons

2. Lack of free or affordable child care.. Benefits for new parents are pathetic compared to other nations.

3. Free or very low cost college education. It can coexist with the expensive private system.

4. One party domination. it’s bad wherever it exists.

5. The electoral college. Time to abolish or reform it.

R33 it certainly did. A shoe salesman with two children, neither of them smart, and a ditzy wife. They were not know for their intelligence. They were popular because they were relatable and we’d never seen “dumb downed” characters like these as.main characters of a show before. Each one of them would have been a sidekick on any other sitcom before this.

The smart people were actually the successful neighbors who were a constant sources of ridicule. They were educated, successful - laughed at. We laughed with the dumb main characters and laughed at the smart ones.

No one can be too mean or judgmental because feelings. Also there is truly a hive mind mentality on both left and right. There are very few actual critical thinkers anymore. Everyone just repeats the same shit you’re supposed to say depending on party affiliation.

R42 You seem to have missed the point. What made it funny was the fact that Al didn’t seem to realize how stupid he was. In the earlier seasons, he would say disparaging things about Marcy being a woman and not knowing anything, and he seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that she was the educated one with the career, while he was the loser shoe salesman working for minimum wage.

Tipping everyone

Religion in politics

Hugging and over familiarity immediately upon meeting someone

Customer Service in stores being defined as greeting customer and inane chit chat rather than training associates to know their job and product and to resolve problems. Actually, they over greet customers, I'm greeted in every aisle which is annoying not pleasant.

Obviously there are most serious matters than what I've listed.

Ditto most everything already mentioned but I’ll also add: the goddawful way we physically design and layout so much of our cities, suburbs and towns. I’m always reminded of my seething hatred for American suburbia whenever I drive out to the burbs to visit my dad at his assisted living place. Sure, the residential areas are usually not that bad if you don’t mind the constant smattering of split-levels everywhere. What I really hate are the commercially zoned areas where everything is a strip mall or big box. They’re miserable places to drive and navigate through, and if you have to actually walk in them, God help you.

That this stupid fucking country has wasted so many resources on this terrible, ill-conceived suburban layout really hammers home that this a culture out of ideas with nothing new to contribute.

R44 MwC is one of those shows where the leads were so good and charismatic in their roles that even though the joke was on them a lot of people ended up relating to them. But it’s also because Americans are dumb as rocks to begin with so it just becomes a circular source of irony.

R44 you’re missing the point I am making. Al was the main character. He is the person we see the world of the show through, who viewers identify with and see their own foibles in. The point you stated had to be observed but a smart viewer, like yourself. BUT it was never stated clearly as such.

You have a self admitted loser for a dad, a ditz for a mother, a bimbo for a daughter and a dork for a son. None of them redeeming in any way. It’s a great show, funny if you can see the different levels of humor like r44 and others. But most people didn’t see it that way. They laughed at intelligence and identified with stupidity.

I am saying the show helped introduce the idea that stupid is ok, because hey - aren’t we all?

MAGA world.

[quote]What I really hate are the commercially zoned areas where everything is a strip mall or big box. They’re miserable places to drive and navigate through, and if you have to actually walk in them, God help you.

I loath it too.

But it made sense to people after the War. The desire to leave the overcrowded, air-polluted cities and their sorry housing stock.

The advent of highways and easy to drive cars with power steering and automatic transmissions.

Shopping malls that were air conditioned and protected from the winter weather.

It all made sense. It was modern. New.

People could not foresee what it would all lead too.

The current sports/religion attitude that has taken over politics. Either deifying political figures or trotting out the cringy "Uncle so and so", "America's so and so" family nicknames because some people have a desperate need to want someone "relatable" to lead them. Instead of just getting someone who's best suited for the job. And going to the mat defending these people, even more so than they would their friends or family members. You don't KNOW them! Do you defend your bosses like this? Your doctors or your lawyers?

The mainstream news media, which is absolute shit. Wanna be celebrity-hacks posing as journalists telling you what to think because it's what they think. Cherrypicking what stories to cover because it suits their shows format. And gullible people cheering this on, because again, people now have a need to want someone to tell them how to think. Debating politics is basically listening to people vomit out whatever FOX news/MSNBC/CNN tell them.

The noise pollution and litter.

People driving their big (and, weirdly, always similarly dented in the rear-left) giant Sienna or Subaru SUVs purposely at 30 mph in all roadways’ passing lanes.

I hate that Queen Bey isn’t universally loved despite being the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I think crowding into the cities is rather stupid, did you learn anything from COVID and Sysco refers loaded up with bodies? Tell the truth, you didn't want to go see the bastard anyway, so EVERYTHING pissed you off, he probably doesn't like you.

Health insurance.

For what little it's worth, I never saw the cast of Married with Children as being necessarily stupid (outside of the daughter, who was the most genuinely good-natured of the bunch). What they were up against was lower-middle-class poverty and the ruined expectations that went with it. Al and Peg were presented (believably) as the super-hot popular couple in high school who peaked with prom and never quite found their way in American life.

Bud was presented as smart but disadvantaged and sexually insecure.

It's the curse of the starving class.

R57 Yeah that’s true. Al wasn’t stupid and Peggy had enough snark to make the average datalounger blush.

There was an episode where Al visited an alternate version of his family where he never existed (based on It's a Wonderful Life). Peg was presented as a glamorous and attentive mother (and an accomplished cook), Bud as a super-successful student bound for Harvard and Kelly entered the room to announce "They're publishing my poetry in French!"

The problem was money/class expectations, not intelligence.

I’m an American who has lived almost half my life outside the US now. I still love the US, but I see it very differently now from the outside. Many great things, but these are the things I hate about it.

-Lack of efficient and widespread public transport and the stigma it has in many places.

-Tipping culture - already mentioned.

-Entrenched two party system and the never ending election cycle especially the 2 year stint for Congress.

-The performative military worship while shafting real veterans who have seen shit. Not everyone who served was a hero. It was just a safe and uneventful job for most. I hate the blanket ‘thank you for your service’ assumptions.

The constant anal bleaching. I’m blinded every time I go to Fire Island

Whether this qualifies as "culture" is debatable, but I'd add the carelessness with which Americans use electricity, water, and other resources. Several American generations were seemingly never taught to switch off all the lights, turn off appliances, and so on before leaving the house.

The post-911 paranoia in large cities and many public places.

1. The "sky is falling, woe is me" mentality. Lately, we seem to catastrophize everything.

2. Two-party system, which leads to....

3. Seeing the world in only black and white.

4. Lack of critical thought.

5. We tend not to look at the collective (bad word for some), everything is only about me. Me! ME! This explains why COVID19/"The" Pandemic became such a fucking joke. A lot of countries fared better only because there was concern about the larger population not just the individual.

6. etc.

An earlier comment said “Education has also been affected by the woke movement”

This interpretation is what I hate about American culture. Lower education is being destroyed by the right. They made it their mission 50 years ago and they have largely succeeded. They have infiltrated school boards and they have used the Evangelical movement (which is anti intellectual) to demonize public schools and universities so that the turkey will vote for Thanksgiving. We have a problem. It’s been decades in the making. The MAGA movement has made things even worse. How do Americans respond? It’s the blue haired woke people!

[bold]Car culture[/bold] Tell someone you are going to Chicago from your home in Portland, Maine and he might ask, with an American abundance of enthusiasm, 'Oh, are you driving?!" Driving 1750 miles and 16 hours is always a possibility for Americans. The cost of driving €178-258) is within a very similar range to the cost of flying (€143-348) and even similar to the ranges of train-bus ( €99-332) and bus travel via 4 buses (€75-556) though at a harsh cost in time at 24 and 29 hours.

For a European, however, there is little chance that he would ever consider driving the similar distance of 1200km and 12 hours Rome and Vienna. He could fly one-way from Rome for €38 and 4.5 hours; take a train of 12 hours for €117 or a night train of the same time for half the price; or a bus for 15.5 hours and €60 -- and many other combinations of train/flight. But cars in the US are so much more than simple transportation. They are symbols of freedom, of road trips, of status, of suburban life, of rural life, strip malls and shopping malls and schools that you can't walk to are built along the highways that serve the cars, the highways that go everywhere that buses and trains don't. Bicycles? What? They are seen as pure nuisance and the opposite of status (I remember warning my European partner that a 30-something white man on a bicycle was often regarded as suspect or even with derision, the assumption that he had lost his driver's license and had to step down in the world because of too many DUIs.

It's crazy that highways were made such a priority, that urban centers were routinely bisected and sectioned and ruined with scheming contempt or cold indifference to urbanism and to residents. It's crazy that except for parts of the Northeast Corridor, the US has a terrible system of train transportation, not even a skeleton of a system but a few scattered bones or lines that are inconvenient, unpleasant, and oddly costly. It's crazy that a patchwork system of Chinese buses is both vastly better and vastly cheaper than the tattered remains of a once extensive bus network. And it's crazy that a few hours flight between non-hub US cities can cost more than a trip from Chicago to London (had they colluded in a cabal, the automobile manufacturers could scarcely have done better in working against airlines.)

[bold]American exceptionalism and Hyper-competitiveness[/bold] Both strong points already mentioned. I'll just add that as an American living in Europe, I see all the time groups of American tourists who seem a little disappointed not to have a red carpet rolled out for them. In my observation, a significant part of the 'loud talking American' image is true, but it's not entirely natural. Not everyone in the US talks like a second grade teacher to a class of unruly children (or Rachel Ray); I think it's to draw attention to their Americanness, to solicit questions and conversation...All so that they can engage these foreigners in whose country they are in a point-by-point comparison of what the US has that's bigger, better, stronger, faster, etc.

Of course travel is inevitably about comparison, the geography, the architecture, the people, the customs, the colors, the sounds, the food, it's either different or similar to what we have known from other places. But I swear that Americans will compare to death and beyond any tiny little thing and it always comes around to a explanation that the Oktoberfest in Munich is really just like the Iowa State Fair, or gelato is exactly like the soft-serve at the DairyQueen in wherever. Nothing may be left uncompared, and always with a competitive bent. Everything is bigger, of course, and by extension better (you'd think they were talking about dicks, except, well, that comparison doesn't hold up so well..)

The fake patriotism and the even more fake religious piety.

the protestant work ethic

To OP's 2nd point. Google reveals "In general, most national parks allow drinking in campgrounds and public-use areas and prohibit drinking in parking lots, pull outs, and park buildings. Designated and prohibited areas vary from park to park, so it's important to check a park's alcohol and drug policy before you visit."

Sounds like merely possessing alcohol isn't often going to be a problem. Can't think why you wouldn't want people to get wasted then jump in vehicles.

The MAGA people are responding to the extremism of the Woke movement. One extremism responds to the other.

And yes anti intellectualism was being discussed a very long time ago but it went into warp speed with the extremism of the left.

Deification of sports 'heroes' has been going on since the beginning of the 20th Century. To me these men and women mean nothing. They could be anybody extremely good at their jobs like a great mechanic. But for a lot of people they fill them with overwhelming joy.

I was going to respond in good faith but he is not posting in good faith. R69 is also:

[quote] Trump went out with whores. Harris was one.

[quote] And she is Indian/ Irish. To run as a black woman is a big fat lie.

[quote] Walz is a fucking loon. Even left of word salad with ranch dressing Kamala.

[quote] Nasty Catholic plastic surgery grotesque Italian who I would happily see on a spit in hell.

[quote] And some of her whoppers in the debate that was handled by her friend the head of ABC. So roll over and vote for who Nancy tells you to vote for-talk about a coup!

[quote] But just look at the Democratic party and see how bigoted and hateful and greedy it is becoming. These people are duplicitous shits.

[quote] Anti-Semitism is in on the left.

Things targeting the destruction of minorities by white industries.

1. Online betting and sports gambling. Target black males 18 to 35.

2. Decriminalization of marijuana. Corporate dispensaries. Target all people 18 to 35 . All of us know somebody that smokes weed everyday and is unemployed and more importantly unable to stay employed.

3. Normalization of obesity. How does a country that has the greatest number of gyms per capita also leads the world in obesity?

4.Divergent gender culture. Maybe 2% of the population has actual gender dysmorphia requiring therapy, medical transition and ultimately surgery. The rest are hopping on a trend due to social media influencing. Medical complex at it again.

5. Abortion access. 1 trimester procedures should be free for any woman that asks and covered by Medicare. Blanket prohibitions on abortion prevent women from seeking access earlier resulting in more risky second trimester and third trimester abortions sometimes performed in a corporate clinic.

R71 Would you rather people continue to be thrown in jail for mariuauna?

R72: I think that person is simply talking about the negative social impact of legalized weed consumption: passivity/lethargy, lack of ambition, apathy, and social withdrawal among various younger (and some older) demographics as a result of habitual use. I don't mean to speak on anyone's behalf, but surely that poster is not advocating for re-criminalization.

R71 sez: "5. Abortion access. 1 trimester procedures should be free for any woman that asks and covered by Medicare. Blanket prohibitions on abortion prevent women from seeking access earlier resulting in more risky second trimester and third trimester abortions sometimes performed in a corporate clinic."

Wouldn't do much. Medicare coverage is for those over 65 or totally disabled

Agree with most of the above, plus I would add rampant unchecked capitalism and the inescapable, soulless corporate culture that has taken over everything since the '80s. I'm not against capitalism per se - but the greed and materialism is out of contol. Everything feels so artificial and you find the same chain restaurants and stores everywhere... it's depressing.

The rampant capitalism has created cities where properties are 'worth' 50 million+ Only because a small minority of people are 'earning' ridiculous money and they have to spend it somewhere. The gap between the top 5% and the bottom 95% is insane these days. The only solutions suggested work on an individual level only. People (regardless of politics) will point at one person who went from the trailer park to Harvard and say 'see! The 60 million people living in rural America and post industrial towns need to study and pull themselves up' They say it with a straight face too, as though millions of people showing up in coastal cities qualified as programmers wouldn't be a major problem! We need more factory workers than senior programmers. More teachers than enterprise account managers.

This manifests in crazy ways with millions of Americans believing that they could be the individual success. Televangelists say 'send me your last $100 and baby Jesus will send it back to you ten fold' MLMs are all over the place. Shady people fill Ramada Inn conference rooms to the brim with people attending a 'property investment course' where poor schmucks pay $5,000 to learn the secret to becoming a millionaire in 6 months. Americans lost 6 billion to crypto scams last year - 'This random person on Telegram wants me to be a millionaire, no red flags there at all'.

These people are all so sure that their ship will come in any day that they won't support sensible legislation. 'But I don't want to pay taxes when I start my house flipping and become a millionaire!'

Narrow-minded parochialism that is behind disinterest in and antipathy toward the rest of the world.

Unbridled consumerism and monetization of everything

I will add - not American culture necessarily but American government - a complete disregard for the rights of the American people. The federal government just does what it wants and decides on its own which of its federal laws and regulations it wants to follow, and “interprets” that they are not breaking the law. You could be thrown in prison for violating all kinds of regulations that were enacted not by an elected official, but by some faceless bureaucrat in the administrative branch of government.

r78 and the irony of that is the govt. is supposed to work for US! They are civil servants (who have gotten the upper hand, apparently).

I think the MAGATs, climate change denialists, gun nuts and underregulated financial industies are responsible for most of what's wrong with the USA. Some of these are remnants of the confederacy. Anti-intellectualism is woven deep into American culture, where intellectual men in previous centuries were reviled as sisssies and homosexuals.. It has nothing to do with being woke and the use of that word is a red flag.

I also think a rigorous public school education is almost impossible, given excessive parental interference, aversion to grading and flunking, overemphasis of self esteem, and influence of social media. Social media is a blight, not just in the US, messing up attention spans, elevating seemingly perfect people as idols, and teaching stupid, superficial values.

Parents have a huge burden, counteracting all this garbage. Many do a great job. Many don't

I hate how everything is taken to the extremes. Food. Politics*, TV, consumerism (and as s result, debt) , gym bros, etc. Americans do not know moderation.

Before anyone comes after me for including politics,, I will say this. Yes, it is both the left and the right. I'm not saying "both sides are equal", no clearly the qanon types can't be beat. but the rhetoric from both sides is turned all the way up and even the left has adopted some crazy stuff that you MUST support or you are eeevil like DEI, gender pronouns, etc.

I generally agree with the OP, but I'm not wild about making public urination legal. I don't like walking down the street and being accosted with a big blast of urine smell.

R82 I’m not saying people should be urinating in public in the middle of a city. What I observed in Europe is that if you are driving in the countryside and you have to pee, you pull off along the road and go behind a tree. Or if you’re hiking, you go behind a tree. It’s absolutely no big deal there and it shouldn’t be here either.

I hate the way that you’re not allowed to give any dissenting opinion on anything. For example:

I’m a democrat. I don’t care for Kamala Harris because I think she’s a hypocrite. I’ll still vote for her because I don’t want Trump. But she has admitted to smoking marijuana in college, and as a prosecutor sent people to jail for doing the exact same thing she did in college. At best, that shows an egregious lack of moral character, to ruin someone’s life for something victimless that she did herself. But if you dare mention this in liberal circles, it’s either “Trump is worse” or “you don’t like her because she’s black.” No issue can be viewed on its own.

MAGA

Taylor Swift. Just make her disappear.

[quote]I’m not saying people should be urinating in public in the middle of a city.

But they will be. It's not so much a matter of what shouldn't be done and how to prevent it by way of municipal codes, but --to my mind-- more constructively considered as how to control a problem that can't practically be curbed by legislation and policing. Where I live where there are concentrations of bars as well as places where people gather at night, pissing on walls is seen as an inevitability. The response isn't to do undercover busts and steep fines, it's simply to adjust the street sanitation standards. All the streets are brushed down or hosed down every night; some more thorougly than others according to use patterns, but in places where significant public pissing occurs after bar hours, the solution is to give extra attention to the problem and to time the washings for just before daylight to have things clean as the streets fill with businesses and coffee bars open and cafes put out their tables and chairs.

I don't see a better solution short of making the city more boring and policing the fuck out of everything.

Those of you complaining about the veneration of sports stars - this is an international trend. For example, see Twitter any time Manchester United is playing.

It's state by state but it's been a long time since anyone went to jail for smoking weed. Selling it is a criminal offense.

While now here, in the deep south, I have an oz delivered and paid for online, what happened to no online purchases? The old boomer gay said I had friends arrested for much less, now they deliver.

Oh, go live in Palestine you commie turds.

[quote] Deification of sports 'heroes' has been going on since the beginning of the 20th Century.

And fags worship divas, drag, and music charts. Let’s not throw stones.

The perception is that you are your career, that is where your value is, and if you don't have a profession and just a job, you're considered less than. Retirees aren't valued much except for their voting group (usually Boomers or The Silent Generation).

That the American people have rarely questioned the necessity of a 40 hr (or more) work week and have never thought, why are we doing this? while knocking off early or loafing around on Fridays. No one really wants to work a 5 day work week, why do we still persist? Other countries have siesta hour/hours and definitely are not working weekends, holidays and are off many Fridays.

That Americans persist in wanting their 1.94 kids even though research shows more couples have a better quality of life with less than that.

There's something seriously wrong with our society valuing influencers, celebrities with zero talent and are famous for being famous, and sports stars more than great teachers, scientists, or writers. Look at who is rewarded financially and who struggles. How many people still read something other than their phones? Girls want to look like the Kardashians and guys want to look like their favorite sports star (the Mahomes broccoli cut). They want to talk like them. Many of these kids aren't exposed to the arts otherwise because it's not taught in school anymore.

It's been mentioned many times already, but for profit healthcare. Why is this a thing? Why can't we get rid of it? The average American doesn't like it. Are the medical lobbies STILL that powerful? Why is it I can get treated by a provider and get my antibiotics and paracetamol in the UK for less than a pound, and they not bill my insurance, but in the US I can't get my asthma inhaler refill after 3 months of not seeing the doctor, because I now need a virtual visit? (They want to bill my insurance, that's why!) My asthma sure hasn't gone anywhere and the medication is still the same. So dumb.

I like car culture and I think it's fun. It's also a cheaper way to travel and see more things. If you fly from A to L, you miss B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and K. You can also just sleep in a cheapo motel or even in your car. There's a lot of flexibility.

The nasty political ignorance of the right.

No, it's not "both sides" so fuck off with that shit.

Political polarization. The nastiness of politics. The inability of people to see both sides of just about any issue and instead accuse the other side, without ever listening to them, of being a Racist/Nazi/Fascist/Authoritarian or whatever fits.

R96 see R95 as Exhibit A.

litigiousness. Our absolutely idiotic love of lawsuits and the idea of arresting or otherwise punishing anybody who bothers us or offends us in any way about anything. The stupid belief that if the law can't punish somebody for upsetting us, than it is up to their corporate employer/overlord to punish them.

See: every fucking twittergasm ever.

Everyone seemingly is a walking stereotype. So much so that if you break a stereotype, the group that gets stereotyped gets offended. Each tribe is its own bucket of crabs.

Bandwagonism and piling-on.

The almost total obliviousness to anything outside your life or experience. The lack of curiosity about the world beyond your immediate realm. The use of the word “foreigners” while not realizing that you are foreigners everywhere outside the USA.

The celebration of stupidity about the outside world. The use of “I’m just a clueless American” as if that absolves the speaker. The use of “as an American” as if that bestows some sort of authority or specialness on a subject.

The idea that the rest of the world is in thrall to American democracy, without realizing that much of the rest of the civilized democratic world has moved on and ahead.

Historic revisionism regarding World War II.

And the inevitable “we saved your asses in WWII!!” which will now ensue.

The insane obsession with race and labeling everyone’s racial identity. White people are American. Everyone else is African-American, Asian-American, Mexican-American, etc. My brother lived in Sweden for 3 years and he said that everyone born in Sweden is just “Swedish,” regardless of racial background. When we call someone African-American or Asian-American, it’s almost like we’re saying “you’re not a real American, you’re some other kind of American.” I find it strange.

How expensive it is here for basic needs like housing, college and healthcare.

People who cannot afford “The American Dream” are judged for it even though the American Dream is pretty much impossible to obtain for most millennials/Gen Z.

Seniors and the indigent have socialized medicine or a partial form of it. Ask them if they would give it up.

"Socialist" as an insult always makes me laugh.

I hate they don’t know me.

Abolish all sports.

[quote]socialized medicine

Using the term "universal healthcare" instantly makes it sound more appealing, doesn't it? Funny how that works.

The straight white xtian male paranoia that pervades everything in society. They’re scared of gays, women, POC, literacy, science, democracy, and put their guns ahead of their own children.

R73 Oh please. There were mad weed heads before dispensaries. If somebody wants to be a loser and over consume any substance, they gon do just that. The dispensaries in California are awesome.

The physical ugliness of the built environment and the acceptance that that's how it is

[quote]What do you hate about American culture the most that you wish you could change?

As my grandmother used to say, "You only want to change what you despise."

I don't understand why Democrats hate America so much.

All they do is bash America.

If they're so unhappy, why not move to a place that suits your needs?

R110: I'm sure you're right, though easier access (no shady dealer required) could make some difference. I grew up in the Netherlands, where soft drugs have been semi-legalized for decades (other countries have long since surpassed it with more progressive laws) and the percentage of people who regularly smoke marijuana over there has consistently hovered around 7%.

R112: it's mostly the European and other non-American bashers who are awake and posting at this hour, but even Americans (Democrats and otherwise) who love their country still have plenty to criticize about it. Just like most other people around the world do about their countries. Have you ever been to Ireland, or France, or Brazil? The Netherlands? Always bitching and complaining about the government, the "system," and so on.

"Obama hates America" is something a six-year-old might say, yet you'd regularly hear it during his administration. Always made me chuckle thinking they said that about a Constitutional scholar who knew and understood more about the country and its foundations than they could ever grasp. American infants!

The puffery and theatrical patriotism that bristles at the least criticism, and the childlike retorts to any hint of criticism. 'haters of America!', 'bashers!', 'jealous!', 'commie turds!', 'Europeans!.'

To me, patriotism is like religion, if you really believe that stuff, you should not be bruised by criticism any more than you should be hurt by someone disputing that we require oxygen to live. If it's so thoroughly fundamental. With real conviction, there's no need for fragility and hurt feelings and rabid rebukes.

I hate that we aren’t like England which is vastly superior in every demonstrable way. Yea I know I’m a weird cunt.

Exactly R115 - any real or imagined criticisms are blamed on “Europeans”, “British” and “English”.

The thin skinned hypersensitivity just doesn’t gel with the USA! USA! USA! faux macho chest beating. It’s laughable, really.

This weird new fad of blaming everything on straight white men. It’s intellectually lazy, and just as ignorant as saying every black person is a criminal.

Let me remind my fellow Americans that the shitty euro Brit trash above wants you to forget- that the they dragged us into two wars, in which they used lethal gas in one , and burnt people up in ovens in the next, then they fucked up the middle east, and they gave the world flipper babies! London now belongs to Putin while we finance Ukraine at the same time, we are pissing in the wind and the British laugh.

R119 That was the Germans who put people in ovens, not the British. Did you attend history class at Trump University?

Workaholism

R119 might want to go to sleep, as I think she's had enough.

How absolutely everything in America revolves around cutting costs and increasing profits. Even the most basic hotels in Europe have the most amazing breakfast buffets.

R123 Right. That is a great example. Capitalism is great and is the only way but Western Europe has not allowed it to trump quality of life. Because that’s exactly what dysfunctional capitalism does. It trumps quality of life. Everything is a means to an end, a profit. It fucking sucks yo.

I used to be on a libertarian streak in my early 30s. I had joined the military to get back on my feet after losing a great job. I was just so fed up with corrupt inner city Democratic politicians and stupid ass civil servants/government employees who cannot speak and are incompetent as fuck. However I have now gone back to my liberal roots. I never really lost my social liberalism but republicanism is an affront to democracy. It just is. They let Maga happen. They can’t balance a budget and profits trump everything. Vote them all out in November.

Capitalism is fine if you remember it's just a tool, a means, and not some sacred end in itself. Adjust it, fuck with it, skim off the top of it, regulate it, obviously tax it, and never, ever treat it as some god to be served or a sacred code to be honored at all costs.

And if you ever find yourself agonizing over the fact that some rich asshole feels overtaxed, punch yourself in the dick until you stop having these ridiculous feelings.

In fact, taking capitalism and its bullshit much too seriously is one of the stupidest things we do as a country.

r126 and, dare I say it, the Constitution.

In fact America has elevated the weirdest things into sacred status: the flag, the Constitution, the armed forces. These are all things and instituions created by man. None of this stuff is sacred and CAN be changed, re-written etc.

Hi KGT R119!

No, r97, I'm just tired of the venal "both sidesing" by the not very smart masking as a temperate or reasonable view when it clearly is not.

R129 There are plenty of Democratic voters who aren’t very bright. And there are also Democratic voters who are hateful. Just because someone is voting “the right way“ doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all around good people. I realize, of course, that someone who is not very bright wouldn’t be able to see this and just go with the tribe.

I see people on Facebook all the time ranting about how people who vote for Trump are evil assholes. Do you really think you’re going to change anybody’s mind by screaming at them and calling them an idiot?

[quote] The insane obsession with race and labeling everyone’s racial identity. White people are American. Everyone else is African-American, Asian-American, Mexican-American, etc. My brother lived in Sweden for 3 years and he said that everyone born in Sweden is just “Swedish,” regardless of racial background. When we call someone African-American or Asian-American, it’s almost like we’re saying “you’re not a real American, you’re some other kind of American.” I find it strange.

Whites didn’t choose those labels; blacks and Asians did. There are also Irish and Italian-Americans who label themselves Irish and t before American. Fuck off. America is a melting pot unlike Sweden which is overrun by Muslims.

R131 being a textbook example of what R117 was referring to.

Along with R91 - the same, stupid poster as R131.

That’s because Sweden is 90% white with no history of chattel slavery. There is really no history of oppression towards people of African descent or other minorities. And because there are so few of them they easily assimilate into the mainstream society. America has a history of racism. Then we have so many minorities so things just manifest different.

R134 Not to mention the fact that the Black people in Sweden are way hotter. I would probably attribute this to the fact that the quality of the food overall is much better in Sweden for everyone, whereas in the United States poor people have to rely on Frankenfood and become obese.

[quote]There is really no history of oppression towards people of African descent or other minorities. And because there are so few of them they easily assimilate into the mainstream society.

You're very wrong about that.

R135 It’s probably because a high percentage of them are mixed race. Black Swedish people probably marry and procreate outside their race at high numbers because there are so few of them. I’m guessing everyone from Gen X and younger one parent was some African immigrant and the other a scholarly white woman 😂.

Scholarly white Swedish women don’t marry black men, they marry white men. Artistic Swedish women marry black men, like Neneh Cherry‘s mom.

R138 ahah. I actually was using scholarly to imply intellectual/artsy but yea artistic is the better adjective.

The angry political hate fomented by conservatives. They are dirty, have been dirty for decades, become more and more dirty each decade. They are mean-spirited and have ended any real bipartisan respect and action.

The shitty Duck Dynasty beards

Who be they?

R129 I was speaking of ALL THE STUPID EUROPEANS, the British included, stupid ass, can't you comprehend? Go back and read it again stupid.

The culture of oversharing.

Both on the part of celebrities and the general public. I don't need to know all your mental illnesses, traumas, every detail of your sex life etc.

R143 you’re skating on thin ice accusing anybody of being stupid, based on your post.