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It may seem like an amazing idea to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve or do something very simple, like cutting in line at a supermarket. But oh boy, if you’re new to the American way of living and have little know-how of how things work over there, you may get into serious trouble.
“What should you never do in the United States?” someone wondered on the Ask Reddit community, and the thread quickly turned into a potentially problem-preventing guide for pinpointing what not to do in the US.
Below we wrapped up some of the most informative and illuminating responses, so if you are planning a trip to America, you may want to read this extra carefully with notes by your side.
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Bored Panda reached out to a Tennessee resident and Redditor nicknamed Abe_Fromans_Day_Off who, as a response to this thread, wrote “At least in Tennessee, you should never say anything unkind about Dolly Parton.” His reply went viral, with many people noting that it’s not only in Tennessee where this is the case.
The Redditor said that he mistakenly thought Dolly was admired that way in Tennessee because she's from there. “What I discovered from that thread is that she's revered in other regions of the US, and even in other countries, to the same extent that she is in Tennessee.”
“I think to someone unfamiliar with her,” the Redditor continued, “it's important to know that she's known for her philanthropy, including funding local schools, funding the Moderna COVID vaccine, and the Imagination Library. She is also known as someone who celebrates our heritage in rural Tennessee while valuing and appreciating other cultures and belief systems. So she's just a generous, wholesome, respectful person and everyone loves her.”
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#2
Walk on to someone's property without permission, or knowing the owner. It's cool in many places around the world to be able to go wandering through the countryside. It is not cool in the U.S. You might end up getting arrested, held at gunpoint, or shot at if you're really unlucky.
#3
Dont underestimate the size of the us. Apparently some people think it can take only a couple hours to go to locations states away.
#4
Get out of the vehicle during a traffic stop. I did not know this, here in Australia we are perfectly OK to get out of the vehicle unless the cop says otherwise.
The Redditor also pointed out that Dolly was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, and “she didn't seem to think she should be there because she's a country singer and doesn't perform rock music. So now in an effort to ‘do something to earn it,’ as she put it, she's working on a full-fledged rock album where she'll sing songs by Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin,” he explained.
When asked if there are any cultural taboos to point out in the state of Tennessee, the Redditor said that it’s hard to do since “we're such a diverse state.” “Nashville in particular is home to people from all over the world. From the bigger cities to the college towns, small cities and rural unincorporated areas in the counties, what is seen as culturally sensitive will vary considerably,” he told us.
#6
If a cop pulls you over don't get out of the car, place your hands on the wheel and wait they will come to you.
#8
Go to Times Square on new years. The experience is so not worth it. Its romanticized for some reason.
#9
Cut in line. I've been in countries (example: Spain) where lines/queues are more of a vague suggestion of who goes first, this is not true if you cut in line in the US. Cutting in line in the US can literally lead to violence.
#11
Tell the people that despite being called "the land of the free" they have less freedoms overall than several countries
#12
Don’t take pictures or record videos of strangers’ children. I’ve had to warn many people coming over from Asia about this. Some have ignored me and it has led to screaming and threats.
#13
Don't illegally use a disabled person parking spot or pass a school bus with its stop sign out.
#15
Never leave your sleeping infant / child in a vehicle. This is fairly common in some places across the pond, but it is definitely NOT legal in the US.
#21
Go to Florida for the beaches and forget about the wildlife.. Black Bears, gators, panthers, hogs, etc
#23
-Public spitting isn't usually well received.
-The average American does not usually enjoy talking politics, in their frequented public spaces.
-Assume public transport is timely
-Light up a cigarette without knowing local laws, to the space.
#24
Never assume that every business has a public bathroom. And for the ones that do, assuming you can just walk in off the street, use the bathroom and leave.
#27
Think that you can pee in an empty alley on your way home from the bars. A surprisingly large percentage of my European acquaintances have had to great experience of spending a few hours early morning hours in the drunk tank in various American cities - because it's really not that big of deal in most of Europe.
What do you think ?
David A Paterson 3 years ago (edited)
My really BIG mistake in the USA was driving on the left side of the road. Not recommended. My other big mistake was leaving all my money in Las Vegas.
Loki's_Lil_Butterknife 3 years ago (edited)
BoredPanda, why the hell is it that you can write positive listicles about other countries like Japan, yet ever single listicle you copy and paste from Reddit about the US has an extremely negative slant. I’m not even from the US, but the amount of negative listicles you post is truly disturbing and cruel. Do you think it’s alright to constantly bash a country? You are really going to lose a lot of readers. Do you have a quota of "The US is a Cesspool" quota you have to meet each week or you get fired?
David A Paterson 3 years ago (edited)
My really BIG mistake in the USA was driving on the left side of the road. Not recommended. My other big mistake was leaving all my money in Las Vegas.
Loki's_Lil_Butterknife 3 years ago (edited)
BoredPanda, why the hell is it that you can write positive listicles about other countries like Japan, yet ever single listicle you copy and paste from Reddit about the US has an extremely negative slant. I’m not even from the US, but the amount of negative listicles you post is truly disturbing and cruel. Do you think it’s alright to constantly bash a country? You are really going to lose a lot of readers. Do you have a quota of "The US is a Cesspool" quota you have to meet each week or you get fired?
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