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by apexalpha 2487 days ago
I've heard this story numerous times as "haha in America X". Many of these stories go around the Netherlands...

"in America someone sued McDonald's because the coffee was hot"

"in America it says on the box to not microwave cats because someone once did"

"in America you get a gun when you open a bank account"

Etc..

Oh well I'm sure similar incorrect stories about Europe float around America.
3 comments
banana_giraffe 2487 days ago
I had a coworker from the Netherlands over recently. I think by the end of the trip he thought I was making stuff up trying to correct this misconceptions. I do know he never believed me about the hot coffee lawsuit.

Sample set of 1, but it was odd for someone not from America, and indeed it was his first time in America, to be as misinformed about things. Not knowing things is fine, but knowing wrong facts, and refusing corrections, was just weird.

It was an eye opener for what I "know" about Europe.

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kipchak 2487 days ago
Out of curiosity do you have any particular examples other than the coffee lawsuit?
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banana_giraffe 2487 days ago
The things I remember:

Most Americans have guns, support open carry, etc. I was an unfathomable oddity for not owning a firearm.

Most Americans support the current president (whoever that may be at the time), or at least hope he succeeds with his plans.

We only eat fast food, or at the least primarily as a people, prefer "American Food".

And a lot of things that can be boiled down to "America is horribly unsafe, if you go for a walk alone, you WILL get mugged or otherwise hurt"

The Hot Coffee thing was part of a larger thread about the American legal system being a game people play.

There are truths in some of these things, of course, but the scale of them was way off in his head.

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levi_n 2487 days ago
Another American here:

This definitely happens with some narratives. For instance, some news outlets report that some parts of Europe are no-go zones for non Muslims, where Sharia reigns.

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moate 2487 days ago
American Here, sample size of 1:

Honestly, I don't think about Europe that much. America is huge (both geographically and population wise) and there's so much stuff going on nationally that there isn't enough bandwidth for most Euro stuff.

"Brexit seems like a mess" and "Boy the G7 didn't seem to go well" are the most recent thoughts I've had on Europe.

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