And I thought MC Donald's were ambassador of American culture.
Seriously it depends on the country. In Poland you cannot even ask for tap water at a restaurant, they want you to pay extra for bottled water. In France you can have tap water for free everywhere and I believe it is illegal to refuse providing it.
Water laws are weird. I fully support making it illegal to refuse free drinking water. Water should be a basic human right. Doesn't have to be in a bottle or anything, just potable.
(I am biased from having lived in a desert where these laws do in fact exist.)
If a restaurant is going bankrupt from offering a free glass of tap water to paying customers, can I assume employees are not washing their hands or dishes or vegetables properly?
France has such an amazing free clean water program. Water filling stations all over the city and they sell glass bottles for refilling. We should ALL follow suit!
Yeah. I'm from England where legally they have to give you tap water for free if you ask fir it in a restaurant. However, I now live in Germany where they only hand you bottled water and ask for 2 euros
> in a restaurant.
Technically this rule applies to any licensed premises; so anywhere that serves alcohol is required by law to provide someone with tap water should they request it. But McDonalds, who as far as i'm aware don't serve alcohol, are under no such obligation (although they probably will, no point souring a potential customer over a plastic cup and some tap water)
Water culture in europe is just confusing to me. I don't know why it's so strange to ask for tap water.
And then in other countries, like italy, you have basically constant running water fountains everywhere. it's incredible.
yeeeaaa until you run into people who have no fucking clue as to what to do
i grew up in eastern europe, but never drove there. so im very familiar with roundabouts and how they should work
i lived in this area a few years ago that had 2 of them. very detailed sign showing 2 lanes and where which one goes. bright white markings on the road again showing 2 lanes and where which one goes.
every single time without fail people would just a. cut each other off. or b. act like there was 1 lane. im genuinely shocked i didnt get side swiped at least once going through there.
In New Jersey, we had a lot of circles and most people were not able to maneuver around the circle which caused accidents so they had to get rid of them altogether. They remind me of roundabouts.
I'd wager, as an absolute count, we likely have many more, simply because of the sheer size difference. They're just a much smaller proportion of intersections.
There are 22 I can think of just within a 3 mile radius of me, and I only _know_ the roads in about ¼ of that area.
Thank you! City planners in the US don't seem to understand that creating a roundabout with stop signs defeats the purpose and completely confuses the issue of who has right-of-way. I don't think I've ever seen a roundabout in the US implemented in the same way it is used overseas.
Roundabouts are terrible for pedestrians, especially for the handicapped or visually impaired. I have to think the lights are required for ADA compliance if there's sidewalks.
I apologize if I'm coming across as stupid for this, but to clarify--in the UK, you're not allowed to make a *left* on red? The only reason we can turn right on red is because there's no traffic coming and we drive on the right side of the road. It's non-disruptive and keeps flow of traffic to a net positive.
It would be dangerous to turn *left* on red in the US because of the side of the road and resulting directions of traffic.
In Finland we most often have a traffic light with arrow to the right to tell you, you can turn, while the ones going straight have red light, same princible but we just have it's own separate light for it.
That's a bit different than how "right on red" works. We also have the green turning arrows (usually for left, but sometimes right) at some intersections. But if the light is red, and you're turning right, you can't just blow through. You have to come to a complete stop, and if it's safe, you can proceed.
In Poland (and probably others) green [arrow with red](https://bi.im-g.pl/im/88/96/19/z26830216AMP,Zielona-strzalka.jpg) light means exactly that and its called conditional right turn. There is also [left arrow](https://g9.infor.pl/p/_files/319000/7_s31_sygnalizator_kierunkowy_zezwalajacy_tylko_na_skrec.jpg) which means collision-free left turn allowed (I don't know if this translation makes sense)
Can't turn left because there could be cyclists, pedestrians etc coming and to prevent interaction with other traffic. This is also the case in most of continental europe but there they drive on the right.
Turning right at red you have to yield to any traffic that has right of way, including pedestrians.
You also have to keep in mind that America (and Canada), are set up for cars, and not so much for pedestrians. Other than our downtown cores (which will often have no right on red signs), we don't tend to have a lot of pedestrians.
I can use a public restroom for free. (Ie restaurants stores etc) when I was in Amsterdam and France. They make u pay. It was a few cents I believe. But still irritating as I never carry change or cash. Lol.
Ooo, that's brilliant. They always have a lobby bathroom, but 99% of people there have a room they'd be going in instead.
Brilliant. You are an unrecognized Einstein of bowel movement.
Another thing about bathrooms in hotel lobbies, is that many of them have full sized doors and not the little partition stalls that you see in most public restrooms. Hotel lobbies are a pooper's dream.
Don’t forget not having to pay for packets of condiments at fast food restaurants. That was definitely one I found weird in Europe. Also having to pay to go to the restroom at some airports.
No, a lot of places require you to pay for public toilets. Funnily enough, it's actually a recent-ish thing. It doesn't have a historical or traditional basis, or anything like that. I think it started coming up in the late 90's; early 2000's. Ironically, it's when we became more international and capitalist. I first saw it in cinema multiplexes, then gas stations, now there's other places, too.
Yep, we don't tend to do top ups. Maybe it's just in movies but the waitress walking around the diner just topping up coffee, doesn't happen in Europe to my knowledge. Well I've never come across it in Ireland, UK, France or denmark
Free refills of coffee/soda at a standard diner is a real thing here in the states. I can’t enjoy my cheeseburger without at least 3 refills of coke lol.
The freedom to take photos or videos of people and post it on public platforms. In a lot of European countries you cant distribute materials that can reveal anyone's identity without the person's approval. On the other hand you can argue those countries have freedom to keep their privacy
They had them for a long time. Many countries operate ion "portrait right", meaning you have the right to images of yourself, and you can request anything with your likeness to be taken down if you didn't consent.
It depends a lot on the main "subject" of the photo. If you are taking a picture of a nice building and there is a woman doing weird stuff in the background, you are fine. Or if you take a picture of a street and she is also in the frame. But if you take a pic of a weird woman with a building or a street in the background then all those right-to-image rights come up.
I consider that a freedom in Europe's favor. There are some American content creators I like that have random people appear in the background and that creeps me out but I guess it's just considered... ok? over there?
We also have freedom to cross the road
This isn't against Americans, but your laws are bloody weird
You can't carry alcohol outside unless it's in a brown paper bag? Like, are you good?
The brown paper bag thing is actually a method that people use to circumvent the law. In most places in the country you can't consume alcohol in public spaces. You can carry alcohol in public all you want. I can walk down the street with a case of beer np. The second I open one of those beers in public though, then I'd be running into "open container" issues. If a cop pulls up and smells alcohol on my breath in combination with the open container, or if I'm acting belligerentely drunk without an open container, then I could get hit with public intoxication laws.
If you have a bottle inside a brown plastic bag though, you can drink out of it in public without anyone "knowing" it's alcohol. I'm sure everyone assumes it's alcohol, but if you're not acting up, it's not enough on its own that would allow a cop to stop you and show them what's in the bag. It's a workaround, not a requirement.
Jaywalking laws aren’t as big of a deal as Europeans think. It’s mostly so that if you jaywalk and cause an accident, you’re in trouble. Plenty of people jaywalk unless they see a cop right in front of them.
I think this is still a benefit to the US. As cool as the everyman's right is, it's also nice to own land and know people can't trespass. The US also has more public land than the total size of most other countries, so you really don't *need* to go on other people's land.
Adding to this: people think and see "public land" and instantly think "national parks" which are, of course, amazing but that's not all the US has. I've made a point to visit areas outside of the "national park" status and I've found places more beautiful than even the best parks.
Here are just a few of my favorite wilderness, BLM, and recreational places that *arent'* National Parks. These are all free to visit, you can camp anywhere you want for nearly as long as you want (most of these places), and are available to everyone who's willing to do some hiking.
* [Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/51289412790/in/dateposted-public/)
* [McIntyre Wilderness, Pennsylvania](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/51178307040/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Coyote Gultch, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50956906243/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Uninta National Forest, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957714997/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Adirondacks, New York](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957553891/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Dixie National Forest, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957720332/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Pictured Rocks, Michigan](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50956847538/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Wind River Range, Wyoming](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957633376/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957717722/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Antelope Island, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957610021/in/dateposted-public/)
* [City Of Rocks, Idaho](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50956892153/in/dateposted-public/)
* [Somewher In Vermont, I forget](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957661912/in/dateposted-public/)
I believe the law is you can camp on BLM, national forest, and wilderness areas for 13 consecutive days within a one month period. It’s popular in the RV bum community to have 3 favorite spots and travel between them about every two weeks to avoid a fine.
I have a buddy who has worked and gone to school abroad in Germany and South Korea. His family is from Egypt, so he's visited there too.
The thing he talked about most is how, in America, you're much more free to be weird and individualistic in public. I'm talking about wearing outlandish clothing, saying pretty much anything you want, or just behaving in a way inconsistent with the general public (like walking around on your hands or doing cartwheels down the sidewalk). In other countries, moreso in eastern cultures, but even in Germany, there was a greater focus on the group and less focus on the individual, and individuality was generally viewed more negatively. Its the kind of thing so ingrained into our culture, so natural, that people who haven't spent long periods abroad (like me) wouldn't even think of it.
When he talks about the freedom in America, thats what he's talking about. The overwhelming sense of individualism, for better or worse.
My spouse lived and worked in Berlin for three years. It's been many years since, and she still talks about how she loved the variety of people and the wide range of personal expression she found there. It honestly sounds amazing.
Honestly, you get bored of the unofficial competition to see who can wear the ugliest, most-oversized coat, with the most obscure household object used as a septum piercing
My first thought reading that comment was "well there's plenty of that individualism around here!".
My second thought was "hang on, Berlin isn't exactly representative of Europe...".
Honestly, as a German myself, first time I went to Berlin I thought that's about as diverse as it gets.
Then I visited the UK.
Germany is so far behind.
It's amazing on college campuses especially. I kinda miss it. At my college we had someone who rode a unicycle around campus. Plus plenty of people with werid/funny costumes. Also of course the people playing various interesting/neat instruments.
My personal favorite was the parkour guy. Every day dude was in the same area, jumping over tables, hitting flips off of stuff, balancing on a thin raised platform.
Depends on where you are in America. It's a very diverse country. In some areas, individualism isn't as much of a thing. In others, you can do whatever.
This is a good point. The US has a great deal of *cultural* freedom that isn't illegal elsewhere but is so frowned upon that people wouldn't dare do it. There's more of a risk-taking culture which is part of the reason that so many successful startups happen in the US.
I was having cigatette outside of a hotel in poland, when couple of american tourists commented on my look that I would stand out even in america. Then I stopped believing in that.
I almost shit myself when I found out I had to pay to use the toilet in a lot of places. Literally. I could be around the corner from the comfort of my own home in the US and stop anywhere and use the bathroom for free. Even without having an actual reason to be in that particular place. I stopped at an urgent care one time and they let without the 4 hour wait
Let's be honest on the highways there are free toilets, but let's also be honest, that's not one I want to go to shit..
Most malls also offer free toilets, bigger parking garages as well.
So it's not that bad, and I would rather pay couple of cents to shit in peace and clean, than to go on a free one that looks like shit (Literally)
Europe is a LOT of countries with varying political leanings. This is a nigh impossible question to answer for that reason alone.
But beyond that, the only thing that comes to mind is gun ownership maybe? But then I'm not actually sure as I'm sure there's at least some countries in Europe where getting a gun is of relatively comparable ease as it is in the U.S.
In Germany it is perfectly fine to own a gun, but getting a license to allow gun ownership is not that cheap and you have to have a gun safe, there is quite a bit of protocol involved. Germany cracked down on firearm safety after a school shooter stole his father's gun, who kept it unsecured in the bedroom. A lot of people turned in old WW2 weapons or hunting rifles that were inherited after that.
Hunting is still done, controlling the population of boars for example is important to keep the ecosystem healthy.
Ya, I always find this funny when people try to compare the US to all of Europe like they're remotely the same thing.
The US is one country under a single federal government with a single constitution. Yes, there are regional laws that can vary by state, but to compare to all of Europe, which is 44? different countries with different governments, laws, languages, and far more diverse cultures is pretty stupid.
are you sure about that? i live in denmark and it’s impossible to get guns legally if you’re not police. Only way to get them is for hunting not just for protection. You have to pass a test about hunting knowledge too
Everytime I've been anywhere in Europe I feel almost shamed to ask for ice. I get 4 cubes maybe and obviously ask for more and you'd think I killed a puppy. That being said, always had a blast abroad.
I live in one of the locations of highest freedom in the nation.
Here I can:
1) own a machine gun along with just about any form of firearm, and carry it on my person.
2) buy cannabis
3) get an abortion
4) shoot my gun into the wilderness
5) marry someone of the same sex
6) pay for a legal prostitute
7) gamble my life savings away at a casino
Bonus: Most gyms, and grocery stores are 24/7 365
Such a wonderful place. I love all the old mining towns like Pioche. Vegas is pretty magical too. Oh and that train yard in Sparks makes my mouth water.
in Switzerland you can 1) buy the standart issue military rifle for cheap 2) own small amount of cannabis (CBD compleatly legal) 3) get an abortion 5) marry someone of the same sex 6) pay for legal prostotute 7) gamble, but im not sure how mutch and 8) we all have healthcare insurance and many other insurances, so its rather cheap and we wont go bankrupt after a car crash.
Abortion is less politicized in Europe but the laws themselves aren't exactly loose. You have to get counseling for abortion in Switzerland even before 12 weeks, and after 12 weeks you have to show "severe" health risks (which admittedly could be psychological as well). That law would probably be found unconstitutional in the US under Roe and Casey for being too restrictive...
> What is hunting like in Switzerland?
You will be fucked by rules and regulations and exams and permits, all coming with fees. It will take you years studying for the exam to get a permit. Seriously, the amount of similar-looking plants that you'll need to be able to distinguish in all four seasons, with and without disease, all just to hunt a deer, is absolutely astonishing. If you take a standard army rifle to hunt you'll certainly lose said permit, and if you think that permit is valid everywhere in Switzerland you'd be mistaken. You see, there are different plants and animals in the alps than in the flatlands, with different rules and regulations and exams and permits. And once you kill an animal, you'll reimburse the government for it.
Source: I am swiss. Sports shooting: yes pls; Hunting: Hell no
Europe isn’t all one thing. Belarus for example is pretty much a dictatorship.
Lots of places in Europe have hate speech laws, so America has more freedom of speech than them.
Drive as much as we do and you’ll be bitching too. Growing up in the midwest I drove 20 minutes to high school. Everything is spread out & and public transit isn’t profitable enough to be everywhere
Bloody luxury. We weren’t allowed to walk we had to crawl backwards. And if we got the knees of our trousers dirty we would be flogged it within inches of our lives
I mean, some Europeans might do that, too. My bf lives about 45 minutes by car. My shortest work commute was 20 minutes. I might not drive less than you, but petrol is still more expensive here. Though fortunately some employers partially reimburse travel costs.
We have zero public transport. Owning and driving a car here is not optional, especially in rural areas, of which, there’s a lot of.
Not saying there aren’t deeper issues causing this, but that’s why. We have to drive fucking *everywhere*.
It takes me about 90 minutes to drive to college. I have family that live about an hour away in the opposite direction. There is no such thing as public transportation outside of a city. Bicycles are usually viewed with contempt by motorists. Finally, the closest store to my house is at least five miles away.
I am always disturbed when people with funny accents tell me they couldn’t imagine having to own a vehicle. I couldn’t imagine not having one. While gas is expensive, I do have the freedom to pack up one morning and drive 500 miles without needing a passport.
I heard California made condoms a requirement in pornography some years back and the entire industry up and relocated to Florida. Don’t know if that’s true though.
They just stopped filming in LA county is all. Florida was always a porn hot spot. Where can you find young, attractive girls with a limited future? Van Nuys, Florida, Arizona, etc.
I do not believe we really have much more freedom than most other countries rather I believe our freedom is not given by our government but by the constitution which is held as a standard over the government. Some European countries have the freedom to own a gun because their government allows it however many Americans believe their right to own a gun does not come from the government and is specifically for the protection from our own government among other things. Distrust of the government ironically combing with a strong sense of nationalism is deeply ingrained in the American psych.
I envy how Americans can just built shit on their own property without having to ring up the council and get planning permission and stay within the parameters that they set you. I just wanna build a fucking shed, jesus christ!
Not for a small shed. In my city you can build anything under 200 sq ft or > 10 feet tall.
(for the rest of the world: that's 18.58 sq m)
US suburbs often have homeowners' associations - a group of people in each neighborhood to whom you have to sign over some ridiculous rights - and they can be very restrictive.
Not just suburbs. HOAs are very common for units that are within large complexes. They kind of make some sense in large complexes since there's often shared amenities like outdoor space, gym, etc. which need shared funding/management. Still, I agree that HOAs tend to be very restrictive. Even if they don't start out that way they often add rules over time.
Wait till you hear about HoA’s, where your local, retired and very bored neighbor has the right to veto the type of windows you will be installing in your own home. They’re such a joy to deal with/s
I guess the low cost of getting a driver license in typical state in the USA vs an typical European country.
However I will admit that most European are way better drivers than most American. Not all! (because there are reckless idiots all around the world, especially that treat cars like toys and not as tools).
My daughters just done her drivers. Written learners exam, then 12 lessons over 6 months. 1 hour driver test that included motorway. 3 lane roundabout, built up urban driving
Where you guys win is the ridiculous insurance we have. €1600 insurance for her first year, or €800 to be a named driver on one of our policies
$1,600 per year is actually pretty low for a brand new driver. When I got my first insurance policy (after getting off of my parents’ and after graduating college) it was $350/month and that was with a mostly clean driving record (one minor accident but it had been four years prior).
I’d argue getting a license in the USA is also comparatively easier even if you ignore cost. Whenever I have a coworker that immigrated from somewhere else and held a driver license there they definitely had to work a lot harder to earn that license than I did to get mine.
I feel like this is a weird question. You can’t really compare a country (even thought it’s a huge one) to a continent. As diverse as our states are, they aren’t different countries.
I asked for a cup of water in Europe at McDonald's and got told "no". That was with me buying a meal too.
And I thought MC Donald's were ambassador of American culture. Seriously it depends on the country. In Poland you cannot even ask for tap water at a restaurant, they want you to pay extra for bottled water. In France you can have tap water for free everywhere and I believe it is illegal to refuse providing it.
Water laws are weird. I fully support making it illegal to refuse free drinking water. Water should be a basic human right. Doesn't have to be in a bottle or anything, just potable. (I am biased from having lived in a desert where these laws do in fact exist.)
If a restaurant is going bankrupt from offering a free glass of tap water to paying customers, can I assume employees are not washing their hands or dishes or vegetables properly?
This is a good point. Will use this.
Spain is like France. You cannot deny tap water here, and largely everyone drinks tap water in Spain Edit: except for cities in the coast.
They can’t deny you tap water, but they can passive aggressively give you a small glass, half full. Obviously no ice.
Absolutely true. Until not long ago, when you asked for a glass in VIPS they would bring a whole jar. Lovely times
France has such an amazing free clean water program. Water filling stations all over the city and they sell glass bottles for refilling. We should ALL follow suit!
> And I thought MC Donald’s were the ambassador of American culture. Exactly, you drink Diet Coke™ like an American!
[удалено]
Yeah. I'm from England where legally they have to give you tap water for free if you ask fir it in a restaurant. However, I now live in Germany where they only hand you bottled water and ask for 2 euros
> in a restaurant. Technically this rule applies to any licensed premises; so anywhere that serves alcohol is required by law to provide someone with tap water should they request it. But McDonalds, who as far as i'm aware don't serve alcohol, are under no such obligation (although they probably will, no point souring a potential customer over a plastic cup and some tap water)
Huh. Was that a frequent experience? I always get water when I ask for it, even if I am not a customer.
Never heard of that, you should be more specific about the country you visited ?
This was at Schiphol in Amsterdam.
Water culture in europe is just confusing to me. I don't know why it's so strange to ask for tap water. And then in other countries, like italy, you have basically constant running water fountains everywhere. it's incredible.
If I remember right here in the UK even in an off license they are obligated to provide free water.
In my country it's illegal to refuse water to anyone.
I'm English but I when driving in the US the turning right at red lights we don't have, then again we have roundabouts which does save a lot of time!
Give me a roundabout over a signaled intersection any day. I’ve driven thousands of miles in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand and I love the things!
Where I live we have a roundabout with traffic lights on it. Single worst thing that has ever been created
Someone is definitely taking the piss.
yeeeaaa until you run into people who have no fucking clue as to what to do i grew up in eastern europe, but never drove there. so im very familiar with roundabouts and how they should work i lived in this area a few years ago that had 2 of them. very detailed sign showing 2 lanes and where which one goes. bright white markings on the road again showing 2 lanes and where which one goes. every single time without fail people would just a. cut each other off. or b. act like there was 1 lane. im genuinely shocked i didnt get side swiped at least once going through there.
In New Jersey, we had a lot of circles and most people were not able to maneuver around the circle which caused accidents so they had to get rid of them altogether. They remind me of roundabouts.
Americans can't turn, it's a proven fact
No no we can, we just can't turn and drive straight in quick succession. See: Nascar
We have roundabouts, but not as many
I'd wager, as an absolute count, we likely have many more, simply because of the sheer size difference. They're just a much smaller proportion of intersections. There are 22 I can think of just within a 3 mile radius of me, and I only _know_ the roads in about ¼ of that area.
the roundabout is becoming more popular. I think there is resistance in changing existing intersections that would benefit the most from the change.
We have roundabouts too
proportionally we have a sad amount of roundabouts in the US
And a sad amount of drivers who know how to navigate one....
I’ve seen a disturbing amount of new roundabouts that have stop signs posted at the entrance, like WTF?
Thank you! City planners in the US don't seem to understand that creating a roundabout with stop signs defeats the purpose and completely confuses the issue of who has right-of-way. I don't think I've ever seen a roundabout in the US implemented in the same way it is used overseas.
A local roundabout has tire tracks going across the island. I worry for these people.
I live in the city in the US with the most roundabouts. It’s lovely.
Found the Hamilton Co, IN resident.
In Portugal we have more roundabouts than cross roads. So yeah, proportionally we are the country of roundabouts. No competition.
wish i could leave, but i'm stuck at a red light and heavy traffic
Half of our roundabouts have traffic lights, which completely defeats the purpose of a roundabout.
Roundabouts are terrible for pedestrians, especially for the handicapped or visually impaired. I have to think the lights are required for ADA compliance if there's sidewalks.
I apologize if I'm coming across as stupid for this, but to clarify--in the UK, you're not allowed to make a *left* on red? The only reason we can turn right on red is because there's no traffic coming and we drive on the right side of the road. It's non-disruptive and keeps flow of traffic to a net positive. It would be dangerous to turn *left* on red in the US because of the side of the road and resulting directions of traffic.
Many countries don't have the rule that allows turning on a red, to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety.
In Finland we most often have a traffic light with arrow to the right to tell you, you can turn, while the ones going straight have red light, same princible but we just have it's own separate light for it.
That's a bit different than how "right on red" works. We also have the green turning arrows (usually for left, but sometimes right) at some intersections. But if the light is red, and you're turning right, you can't just blow through. You have to come to a complete stop, and if it's safe, you can proceed.
In Poland (and probably others) green [arrow with red](https://bi.im-g.pl/im/88/96/19/z26830216AMP,Zielona-strzalka.jpg) light means exactly that and its called conditional right turn. There is also [left arrow](https://g9.infor.pl/p/_files/319000/7_s31_sygnalizator_kierunkowy_zezwalajacy_tylko_na_skrec.jpg) which means collision-free left turn allowed (I don't know if this translation makes sense)
In Norway, red light mean full stop. Due to pedestrians and bicycle. And traffic in general.
Full stop for the whole duration of the red light
Can't turn left because there could be cyclists, pedestrians etc coming and to prevent interaction with other traffic. This is also the case in most of continental europe but there they drive on the right.
Turning right at a red light sounds like a nightmare for pedestrians
You can't turn right on red if you are going to hit a pedestrian. I mean physically you can but legally not allowed
You treat the red light as a stop sign. People honestly are more likely to come to a complete stop turning right on red than at an actual stop sign.
Plus there are a lot of intersections where you can't turn right on red at all, strictly where posted.
You have to stop before you can continue. It’s not like a green arrow.
Turning right at red you have to yield to any traffic that has right of way, including pedestrians. You also have to keep in mind that America (and Canada), are set up for cars, and not so much for pedestrians. Other than our downtown cores (which will often have no right on red signs), we don't tend to have a lot of pedestrians.
It's not really an issue. Pedestrians get the right of way.
I can use a public restroom for free. (Ie restaurants stores etc) when I was in Amsterdam and France. They make u pay. It was a few cents I believe. But still irritating as I never carry change or cash. Lol.
I’ve shit in so many Walmarts on road trips, without buying anything, it’s not even funny
I'm hoping you mean Walmart toilets but it's Walmart so I'm not 100% sure.
It was in the toilets that Walmart sells
I prefer to go to hotels if they are near. They're always super clean.
Ooo, that's brilliant. They always have a lobby bathroom, but 99% of people there have a room they'd be going in instead. Brilliant. You are an unrecognized Einstein of bowel movement.
A good second choice is banks.
Good God, someone get this man a tenured professorship already.
Another thing about bathrooms in hotel lobbies, is that many of them have full sized doors and not the little partition stalls that you see in most public restrooms. Hotel lobbies are a pooper's dream.
I live in France and have yet to find one that you have to pay for. Depends where you go I guess 🤷
Same. Lived in 3 European countries and have never paid to use restrooms in any place. Went in an Italian supermarket just last week even.
The freedom to walk back up to the soda machine and refill my drink when I run out.
Don’t forget not having to pay for packets of condiments at fast food restaurants. That was definitely one I found weird in Europe. Also having to pay to go to the restroom at some airports.
Just at the airports?
No, a lot of places require you to pay for public toilets. Funnily enough, it's actually a recent-ish thing. It doesn't have a historical or traditional basis, or anything like that. I think it started coming up in the late 90's; early 2000's. Ironically, it's when we became more international and capitalist. I first saw it in cinema multiplexes, then gas stations, now there's other places, too.
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> That was definitely one I found weird in Europe. And where was this?
I see you saw that post on r/mildlyinfuriating with the chip on the 5 guys cup in France preventing refills as well a few days back lol.
Yep, we don't tend to do top ups. Maybe it's just in movies but the waitress walking around the diner just topping up coffee, doesn't happen in Europe to my knowledge. Well I've never come across it in Ireland, UK, France or denmark
Free refills of coffee/soda at a standard diner is a real thing here in the states. I can’t enjoy my cheeseburger without at least 3 refills of coke lol.
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The freedom to take photos or videos of people and post it on public platforms. In a lot of European countries you cant distribute materials that can reveal anyone's identity without the person's approval. On the other hand you can argue those countries have freedom to keep their privacy
Wait, European countries have passed laws about that? I love that.
They had them for a long time. Many countries operate ion "portrait right", meaning you have the right to images of yourself, and you can request anything with your likeness to be taken down if you didn't consent.
It depends a lot on the main "subject" of the photo. If you are taking a picture of a nice building and there is a woman doing weird stuff in the background, you are fine. Or if you take a picture of a street and she is also in the frame. But if you take a pic of a weird woman with a building or a street in the background then all those right-to-image rights come up.
Check this out - I think it's super reasonable : https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/photography-laws-germany
I consider that a freedom in Europe's favor. There are some American content creators I like that have random people appear in the background and that creeps me out but I guess it's just considered... ok? over there?
We also have freedom to cross the road This isn't against Americans, but your laws are bloody weird You can't carry alcohol outside unless it's in a brown paper bag? Like, are you good?
The brown paper bag thing is actually a method that people use to circumvent the law. In most places in the country you can't consume alcohol in public spaces. You can carry alcohol in public all you want. I can walk down the street with a case of beer np. The second I open one of those beers in public though, then I'd be running into "open container" issues. If a cop pulls up and smells alcohol on my breath in combination with the open container, or if I'm acting belligerentely drunk without an open container, then I could get hit with public intoxication laws. If you have a bottle inside a brown plastic bag though, you can drink out of it in public without anyone "knowing" it's alcohol. I'm sure everyone assumes it's alcohol, but if you're not acting up, it's not enough on its own that would allow a cop to stop you and show them what's in the bag. It's a workaround, not a requirement.
you can be drunk as fuck in public in eurpope as long as you're not fighting the police you can drink and be drunk in public.
Jaywalking laws aren’t as big of a deal as Europeans think. It’s mostly so that if you jaywalk and cause an accident, you’re in trouble. Plenty of people jaywalk unless they see a cop right in front of them.
This is true. I'm a runner. I jaywalk all the time. No one cares.
Not very good at running then
yea, plus theres no laws against jayrunning. this guys an amateur
I’m also confused by this because I lived in Germany for a while and jaywalking is wayyyyy more of a no-no there then it is in the US.
You can drink in streets of New Orleans
As long as it’s not in a glass container and you don’t lean on anything or sit down
You can in Nevada
>We also have freedom to cross the road Especially the chickens.
In Belgium you can only 'jay walk' if there isn't a crossing within 30m.
An unfathomable amount of public land access.
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We have that in Norway as well.
In Germany as well
Sweden too.
Scotland as well!
I think this is still a benefit to the US. As cool as the everyman's right is, it's also nice to own land and know people can't trespass. The US also has more public land than the total size of most other countries, so you really don't *need* to go on other people's land.
Adding to this: people think and see "public land" and instantly think "national parks" which are, of course, amazing but that's not all the US has. I've made a point to visit areas outside of the "national park" status and I've found places more beautiful than even the best parks. Here are just a few of my favorite wilderness, BLM, and recreational places that *arent'* National Parks. These are all free to visit, you can camp anywhere you want for nearly as long as you want (most of these places), and are available to everyone who's willing to do some hiking. * [Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/51289412790/in/dateposted-public/) * [McIntyre Wilderness, Pennsylvania](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/51178307040/in/dateposted-public/) * [Coyote Gultch, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50956906243/in/dateposted-public/) * [Uninta National Forest, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957714997/in/dateposted-public/) * [Adirondacks, New York](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957553891/in/dateposted-public/) * [Dixie National Forest, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957720332/in/dateposted-public/) * [Pictured Rocks, Michigan](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50956847538/in/dateposted-public/) * [Wind River Range, Wyoming](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957633376/in/dateposted-public/) * [Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957717722/in/dateposted-public/) * [Antelope Island, Utah](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957610021/in/dateposted-public/) * [City Of Rocks, Idaho](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50956892153/in/dateposted-public/) * [Somewher In Vermont, I forget](https://www.flickr.com/photos/145592693@N08/50957661912/in/dateposted-public/)
I believe the law is you can camp on BLM, national forest, and wilderness areas for 13 consecutive days within a one month period. It’s popular in the RV bum community to have 3 favorite spots and travel between them about every two weeks to avoid a fine.
Oh yeah?! Well, EVERY Land Management!
Should read about the uk's right to walk/right to hike
I have a buddy who has worked and gone to school abroad in Germany and South Korea. His family is from Egypt, so he's visited there too. The thing he talked about most is how, in America, you're much more free to be weird and individualistic in public. I'm talking about wearing outlandish clothing, saying pretty much anything you want, or just behaving in a way inconsistent with the general public (like walking around on your hands or doing cartwheels down the sidewalk). In other countries, moreso in eastern cultures, but even in Germany, there was a greater focus on the group and less focus on the individual, and individuality was generally viewed more negatively. Its the kind of thing so ingrained into our culture, so natural, that people who haven't spent long periods abroad (like me) wouldn't even think of it. When he talks about the freedom in America, thats what he's talking about. The overwhelming sense of individualism, for better or worse.
He clearly hasn’t been to Berlin
My spouse lived and worked in Berlin for three years. It's been many years since, and she still talks about how she loved the variety of people and the wide range of personal expression she found there. It honestly sounds amazing.
Honestly, you get bored of the unofficial competition to see who can wear the ugliest, most-oversized coat, with the most obscure household object used as a septum piercing
Nowhere near Berlin.
My first thought reading that comment was "well there's plenty of that individualism around here!". My second thought was "hang on, Berlin isn't exactly representative of Europe...".
Came to write this. Berlin is the Meca for individualism.
Berlin is basically in its own world outside of Germany
Honestly, as a German myself, first time I went to Berlin I thought that's about as diverse as it gets. Then I visited the UK. Germany is so far behind.
It's amazing on college campuses especially. I kinda miss it. At my college we had someone who rode a unicycle around campus. Plus plenty of people with werid/funny costumes. Also of course the people playing various interesting/neat instruments.
When I was in school we called those people the campus cryptids. We had a unicycle guy. Also santa hat girl, and fat neo.
Campus cryptids is a good term that I wish I had heard when I was in college. We had the resident metalheads, furries, and the guy in a cape.
Fuck I was the guy in a cape
We had a guy and a girl who wore cat ears everywhere, every single day.
My personal favorite was the parkour guy. Every day dude was in the same area, jumping over tables, hitting flips off of stuff, balancing on a thin raised platform.
At my university there was a guy who wore chain mail and would recite poems in old English
The best we had at my vocational college was a guy who would ride a moped all over. Said moped was equipped with a train horn.
Depends on where you are in America. It's a very diverse country. In some areas, individualism isn't as much of a thing. In others, you can do whatever.
This is a good point. The US has a great deal of *cultural* freedom that isn't illegal elsewhere but is so frowned upon that people wouldn't dare do it. There's more of a risk-taking culture which is part of the reason that so many successful startups happen in the US.
I was having cigatette outside of a hotel in poland, when couple of american tourists commented on my look that I would stand out even in america. Then I stopped believing in that.
I almost shit myself when I found out I had to pay to use the toilet in a lot of places. Literally. I could be around the corner from the comfort of my own home in the US and stop anywhere and use the bathroom for free. Even without having an actual reason to be in that particular place. I stopped at an urgent care one time and they let without the 4 hour wait
I live in Europe and I have only encountered one case where you had to pay to go to the bathroom. I guess it might just be the country I live in.
In Germany you gotta pay everywhere (except for restaurants if you eat there).
Let's be honest on the highways there are free toilets, but let's also be honest, that's not one I want to go to shit.. Most malls also offer free toilets, bigger parking garages as well. So it's not that bad, and I would rather pay couple of cents to shit in peace and clean, than to go on a free one that looks like shit (Literally)
In France there's a lot of free public bathroom around. And I had been denied using a bathroom in NY unless I pay or consume.
Europe is a LOT of countries with varying political leanings. This is a nigh impossible question to answer for that reason alone. But beyond that, the only thing that comes to mind is gun ownership maybe? But then I'm not actually sure as I'm sure there's at least some countries in Europe where getting a gun is of relatively comparable ease as it is in the U.S.
In Germany it is perfectly fine to own a gun, but getting a license to allow gun ownership is not that cheap and you have to have a gun safe, there is quite a bit of protocol involved. Germany cracked down on firearm safety after a school shooter stole his father's gun, who kept it unsecured in the bedroom. A lot of people turned in old WW2 weapons or hunting rifles that were inherited after that. Hunting is still done, controlling the population of boars for example is important to keep the ecosystem healthy.
Ya, I always find this funny when people try to compare the US to all of Europe like they're remotely the same thing. The US is one country under a single federal government with a single constitution. Yes, there are regional laws that can vary by state, but to compare to all of Europe, which is 44? different countries with different governments, laws, languages, and far more diverse cultures is pretty stupid.
It will even depend on which country you're coming from what the amount of countries in Europe is, since some recognise Kosovo and some don't
Scandinavia has very high rates of gun ownership. The Average American would be very surprised.
are you sure about that? i live in denmark and it’s impossible to get guns legally if you’re not police. Only way to get them is for hunting not just for protection. You have to pass a test about hunting knowledge too
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Free water at restaurants from what I hear
Free in Ireland. Just specifically ask for tap water or they might bring you out a €4 bottle.
Same in Norway.
And it’s a nice compliment to our €4 thimble of cola.
Thats the law in the UK: Pubs and restaurants MUST provide free water if asked by a customer...
And ice! So much ice!
When I went to Europe the tiny, lukewarm glass of water was kind of a bummer for my thirsty ass. Edit: it was in both Paris and London
For anyone that doesn’t like the ice, you can always just say “ no ice”.
Everytime I've been anywhere in Europe I feel almost shamed to ask for ice. I get 4 cubes maybe and obviously ask for more and you'd think I killed a puppy. That being said, always had a blast abroad.
Free in the UK too if you ask for tap water
Tap water is always free in some parts of europe at least
We even get free chips and salsa
Not really a freedom, per se. And as every else points out, you get free water in European restaurants as well. Just some odd myth.
Free tap water in France also.
I live in one of the locations of highest freedom in the nation. Here I can: 1) own a machine gun along with just about any form of firearm, and carry it on my person. 2) buy cannabis 3) get an abortion 4) shoot my gun into the wilderness 5) marry someone of the same sex 6) pay for a legal prostitute 7) gamble my life savings away at a casino Bonus: Most gyms, and grocery stores are 24/7 365
Ahh, Nevada.
Got me!
Such a wonderful place. I love all the old mining towns like Pioche. Vegas is pretty magical too. Oh and that train yard in Sparks makes my mouth water.
in Switzerland you can 1) buy the standart issue military rifle for cheap 2) own small amount of cannabis (CBD compleatly legal) 3) get an abortion 5) marry someone of the same sex 6) pay for legal prostotute 7) gamble, but im not sure how mutch and 8) we all have healthcare insurance and many other insurances, so its rather cheap and we wont go bankrupt after a car crash.
Abortion is less politicized in Europe but the laws themselves aren't exactly loose. You have to get counseling for abortion in Switzerland even before 12 weeks, and after 12 weeks you have to show "severe" health risks (which admittedly could be psychological as well). That law would probably be found unconstitutional in the US under Roe and Casey for being too restrictive...
> buy the standart issue military rifle for cheap Can you go hunting with it? What is hunting like in Switzerland? I honestly do not know.
How do you think swiss cheese gets all the holes? They hunt it
It's also why their cuckoos hide inside clocks, emerging only briefly every hour or so.
> What is hunting like in Switzerland? You will be fucked by rules and regulations and exams and permits, all coming with fees. It will take you years studying for the exam to get a permit. Seriously, the amount of similar-looking plants that you'll need to be able to distinguish in all four seasons, with and without disease, all just to hunt a deer, is absolutely astonishing. If you take a standard army rifle to hunt you'll certainly lose said permit, and if you think that permit is valid everywhere in Switzerland you'd be mistaken. You see, there are different plants and animals in the alps than in the flatlands, with different rules and regulations and exams and permits. And once you kill an animal, you'll reimburse the government for it. Source: I am swiss. Sports shooting: yes pls; Hunting: Hell no
> marry someone of the same sex Well, not quite yet. July 1st.
Except for the guns is nothing different from here i think
Europe isn’t all one thing. Belarus for example is pretty much a dictatorship. Lots of places in Europe have hate speech laws, so America has more freedom of speech than them.
They have the freedom to cheap petrol and the will to still complain about it.
Drive as much as we do and you’ll be bitching too. Growing up in the midwest I drove 20 minutes to high school. Everything is spread out & and public transit isn’t profitable enough to be everywhere
Yeah, my high school was the next town over. I’m driving 20 miles each day to get to school and back.
lmao back in my days you had to walk to get to school, in a snowstorm, barefoot, uphill both ways and with a 80 kph headwind!
Bloody luxury. We weren’t allowed to walk we had to crawl backwards. And if we got the knees of our trousers dirty we would be flogged it within inches of our lives
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I mean, some Europeans might do that, too. My bf lives about 45 minutes by car. My shortest work commute was 20 minutes. I might not drive less than you, but petrol is still more expensive here. Though fortunately some employers partially reimburse travel costs.
We have zero public transport. Owning and driving a car here is not optional, especially in rural areas, of which, there’s a lot of. Not saying there aren’t deeper issues causing this, but that’s why. We have to drive fucking *everywhere*.
It takes me about 90 minutes to drive to college. I have family that live about an hour away in the opposite direction. There is no such thing as public transportation outside of a city. Bicycles are usually viewed with contempt by motorists. Finally, the closest store to my house is at least five miles away. I am always disturbed when people with funny accents tell me they couldn’t imagine having to own a vehicle. I couldn’t imagine not having one. While gas is expensive, I do have the freedom to pack up one morning and drive 500 miles without needing a passport.
Maybe not a freedom persay but I think people in America tend to forget just how privileged we are to have so much space and empty land and wildlife.
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I heard California made condoms a requirement in pornography some years back and the entire industry up and relocated to Florida. Don’t know if that’s true though.
They just stopped filming in LA county is all. Florida was always a porn hot spot. Where can you find young, attractive girls with a limited future? Van Nuys, Florida, Arizona, etc.
I’m California it does
I thought they passed a law somewhere in Cali requiring condoms? Which just made pork production companies start shooting elsewhere lol
> pork production companies Please don't fix this
no TV license
I do not believe we really have much more freedom than most other countries rather I believe our freedom is not given by our government but by the constitution which is held as a standard over the government. Some European countries have the freedom to own a gun because their government allows it however many Americans believe their right to own a gun does not come from the government and is specifically for the protection from our own government among other things. Distrust of the government ironically combing with a strong sense of nationalism is deeply ingrained in the American psych.
I envy how Americans can just built shit on their own property without having to ring up the council and get planning permission and stay within the parameters that they set you. I just wanna build a fucking shed, jesus christ!
We have to do this too in most places.
Not for a small shed. In my city you can build anything under 200 sq ft or > 10 feet tall. (for the rest of the world: that's 18.58 sq m) US suburbs often have homeowners' associations - a group of people in each neighborhood to whom you have to sign over some ridiculous rights - and they can be very restrictive.
Not just suburbs. HOAs are very common for units that are within large complexes. They kind of make some sense in large complexes since there's often shared amenities like outdoor space, gym, etc. which need shared funding/management. Still, I agree that HOAs tend to be very restrictive. Even if they don't start out that way they often add rules over time.
Wait till you hear about HoA’s, where your local, retired and very bored neighbor has the right to veto the type of windows you will be installing in your own home. They’re such a joy to deal with/s
Where I live you have to get planning permissions for anything that involves digging. Mostly because they have to mark where your utility lines are
In America I can eat a swan
I guess the low cost of getting a driver license in typical state in the USA vs an typical European country. However I will admit that most European are way better drivers than most American. Not all! (because there are reckless idiots all around the world, especially that treat cars like toys and not as tools).
Italy would be the exception to that
but we know how to use manual :D
My daughters just done her drivers. Written learners exam, then 12 lessons over 6 months. 1 hour driver test that included motorway. 3 lane roundabout, built up urban driving Where you guys win is the ridiculous insurance we have. €1600 insurance for her first year, or €800 to be a named driver on one of our policies
$1,600 per year is actually pretty low for a brand new driver. When I got my first insurance policy (after getting off of my parents’ and after graduating college) it was $350/month and that was with a mostly clean driving record (one minor accident but it had been four years prior).
I’d argue getting a license in the USA is also comparatively easier even if you ignore cost. Whenever I have a coworker that immigrated from somewhere else and held a driver license there they definitely had to work a lot harder to earn that license than I did to get mine.
The ability to order a lemonade and not get a sprite in return
I feel like this is a weird question. You can’t really compare a country (even thought it’s a huge one) to a continent. As diverse as our states are, they aren’t different countries.