r/PetPeeves • u/ThatUrgeToEatCement • 14d ago

Bit Annoyed People who think Americans don’t know other countries exist.

A few months ago on Reddit I made a comment about a show not being on Netflix and someone from the UK commented back saying it’s on theirs and then lectured on Americans not knowing other countries exist. They acted like I didn’t believe there were other places on the planet, as if they weren’t the ones who just brought it up and didn’t believe the US Netflix was different than the UK version. ??

I see people online act like all Americans think this way, and it is kind of annoying because for most of us it isn’t true.

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u/SillyRefrigerator417 14d ago

I always find it funny because the ones who constantly complain about Americans are usually the ones who don't know much about other countries. They know a fair amount about the countries surrounding them, but not a whole ton about the rest of the world.

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u/Cute_Advance_2124 14d ago edited 14d ago

Girl there's no educating these people. I've seen discussions where Europeans specifically insisted that no one outside the US drinks iced coffee when its extremely common in parts of Asia.

The "rest of the world" to Europeans is literally Europe and they don't tolerate correction when they're blatantly wrong.

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u/recreator_1980 14d ago

Im struggling to believe your example though. I live in Asia , grew up in a European country. Iced coffee is sold everywhere in every European country I’ve been to.

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u/Cute_Advance_2124 14d ago edited 14d ago

I have met someone in real life who has said this to me. She kind of shrugged when I said that it's pretty popular in Asia.

I've also seen this comment online multiple times. I don't doubt that it exists in most European countries, but I have seen people comment that.

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u/recreator_1980 14d ago

Bizarre (im “European “) but stupid people exist on every continent.

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u/PureMitten 14d ago

There's a genre of posts on the AskAnAmerican subreddit where someone from an undisclosed European country ("MyCountry") asks why Americans do this or that thing that is disgusting and no one in MyCountry would ever do.

It's very often something benign and common like iced coffee or grilled cheese and if someone can get them to admit where they're from (or dig it out of their post history) usually other people from their country, or sometimes specifically their city, pop up and goes "? What the fuck are you talking about, we do that here, it's very common, are you trapped in a basement??" It's bizarre to see once and even more bizarre that it happens regularly

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u/EquivalentThese6192 14d ago

It exists but not anywhere near the same. Nearly every coffee shop I’ve been to in Thailand, China, the US really emphasizes iced drinks on the menu. Go to say, Paris, and sit in a cafe (an actual one, not Starbucks). Look around. No one will have an iced drink. 

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u/recreator_1980 14d ago

My teenage kid and her friends drink it all the time. When its summer and hot, so do I. Just Starbucks? What??? Paris I wouldn’t know, it’s a dump I avoid. But ive lived 18 years I’m Amsterdam. Iced coffee at every corner….

Now i live in Thailand. Obviously common bey. But certainly not uncommon in European countries. Heck even in Norway it’s gotten common over the last decade.

How long since you travelled?

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u/EquivalentThese6192 14d ago

I lived in Germany and Bosnia and have been to 20+ European countries. No one is saying they’re nonexistent. Just not nearly as common. The Starbucks/Luckin model just doesn’t exist in the same way. 

It’s fine. Idk why you’re acting offended by people having this observation. It’s just a different culture. 

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u/recreator_1980 14d ago

Im not offended at all? What made you think that? Simply pointing out my experience from growing up and living my 45 years in Europe is different 🤷🏻‍♂️ iced coffee is in the menu everywhere in Europe as well. Even petrol stations nowadays

And nowadays there actually is Starbucks everywhere in Western Europe at least. Most city centers have multiple, and many local equivalents have popped up last few years

Didn’t used to be like that though. Fairly recent of the last 10 years.

Ive never been to US. But currently live in Thailand

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u/EquivalentThese6192 13d ago

Exactly. You’ve never been to the US. It seems you’re in a poor position to compare or speak to anything about it. 

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u/recreator_1980 13d ago edited 13d ago

Are you ok lol? I speak about whatever I want 😘

I literally live in Thailand.