Foreigners Explain Which Things About America They Thought Were A Myth

Every country has its own way of doing things, and what's expected and accepted will vary from place to place.

But America is one of those places that people who have never been there can't help but be curious about. After all, some of the headlines are pretty wild sometimes!

Curious, Redditor Bush_Hiders asked:

"Non-Americans, what is something about the US that you've always wondered if it was reala or just myth/hyperbole?"

Election Season

"The massive media circus surrounding elections."

- ApSciLiara

"Unfortunately, very true. The astronomical number of advertisements online, on TV, on the radio, in newspapers, everywhere. And they start months and months ahead of the election. Mostly for President but plenty for Governor, Mayor, and Congress."

"They also still televise 'debates' between the top candidates, but there’s nothing about them anymore resembling a formal debate. Just a semi-controlled environment for them to answer broad questions and make jabs at each other."

- lechiengrand

High School Parties

"Is it really a common thing that the police bust parties of high-schoolers? Do young people get arrested then because of underage drinking?"

- RememberValentine

"I have run and hid from the cops many times as a teenager. Almost always exclusively at house parties."

- ugh_this_world_sucks

Yellow School Buses

"One of our exchange students was floored when she found out that the yellow school buses are real."

- SomePeopleCall

"The funny thing about the yellow school buses is who would MAKE THAT UP and then go to the effort of having a bunch made but then only using them in the movies?"

"Yes, they are totally a thing, and I guess I'm surprised to realize other countries don't have them."

- LadysaurousRex

Medical Advertising

"Do pharmaceutical companies really get to advertise their drugs on TV?"

- ArmyoftheDog

"Yes, and they comprise about half the ads on most channels. Armies of sprightly old people singing and dancing while product disclaimers scroll by: 'May cause injury or death, don't take if allergic to...'"

- ZealousidealTop6884

"I've been thinking about booking my next physical for April Fool's Day, writing down every drug I see that says, 'Ask your doctor if Skweenoflex (arbdijarbidirium sulfate) or whatever is right for you,' and then asking about all of them one after the other."

- professorhazard

The Infamous Beer Kegs

"Are there really beer kegs in big parties? Where do you even buy kegs?"

- pseudo__gamer

"Yes. Many liquor stores offer kegs (you have to return the empty keg and taps)."

- GeorgeCabana

"I literally walked into a liquor store and ordered two for my wedding, and they even delivered it and picked up the kegs after. So, yes."

- mmbc168

Shark Week

"Shark Week. Is it really just about sharks?"

- MisterBerry94

"Yes, it is. All day and night it's just shows about sharks in different forms, places, and situations."

- Ok_Response_3484

"On one channel, though! It isn’t like we all sit and watch shark docs all week."

- Sihaya212

"Thanks for the clarification, although I do find it funny to think about how my comment could lead to someone from another country thinking that it's all channels and all across America, we all collectively watch sharks that week."

- OK_Response_3484

College Dorms

"I had someone ask me if I live in a dorm 'like in the movies.' (Yes, yes, I do.)"

- justbreathe5678

"But did you have to share your bedroom? That's the weird part."

- blue_strat

"My freshman year (year one of four for my bachelor’s degree), I was in a temporary triple because there were more students than dorm spots. Our room usually had two beds, but they transformed one into a bunk bed."

"We had to pick who would leave when another spot finally opened up, and even though the girl and I who were friends begged to stay together, the RA refused to make a decision until my friend gave up and volunteered to move, so I was stuck with the two-faced b***h."

"I can’t tell you how glorious it was my remaining three years to have my own bedroom in apartment-style dorms!"

- ladyrockess

Drink Refills

"I've always wondered if people really do have endless refills at restaurants or if it's just a thing in movies."

- lunchbockslarry

"That's real in restaurants. Only with fountain drinks, as restaurants buy the bulk soda syrup, so soda isn't that expensive for them."

- DResq

Greek Life

"Sorority/Fraternity culture at university."

- fairiestoldmeto

"Greek life, as it’s called, exists at the majority of four-year universities. The vibe of the Greek life depends heavily on the university itself, and the frats/sororities."

"All of them have an academic, social, and civic (volunteer) component, but how much emphasis is placed on each varies significantly."

"My kid is in a sorority for STEM majors. You have to maintain a certain GPA to stay a current member. They do study groups together, and set up various science booths with kids' activities at local fairs and have networking events, and bring in speakers addressing career pointers and advice. Very academic."

"My friend's kid is in one of the Divine Nine, which are historically Black Greek organizations. These were and are historically and socially important organizations, and many of their members stay active in the organization for life. Again, it’s a social and networking club and also does philanthropy. The adult members often hold fundraisers to create scholarships and also serve as mentors for younger members."

"There is one another friend's kid is in, and it’s mostly the frat parties you see on TV."

"And another friend goes to the University of Alabama, and her kid is spending thousands on clothes and jewelry so she has the right look to rush a specific sorority. I don’t know much about that type, just that it exists (I think it’s nuts)."

- IKnowAllSeven

Math While Shopping

"Is it true that prices of goods in shops are displayed without the tax, and you have to work that bit out yourself? Surely not."

- walktheground

"That’s correct. I never do the actual math, I just know that something priced $19.99 is gonna be somewhere around $20.15 (depending on what it is and where I am)."

"I suppose people with tighter budgets might calculate it, though, as part of their budgeting."

"I did work at a movie theater once that had everything priced so that with tax, it ended either on the even dollar, $.25, $.50, or $.75. So if people paid in cash, they usually didn’t need to give us smaller coins, like dimes or pennies, just quarters."

- No-Strawberry-5804

High School Culture

"Honestly, I always wondered if high school really had cliques like jocks, nerds, and cheerleaders, or if that was just a movie thing."

"Also, are red Solo cups actually a party essential, or just Hollywood branding?"

- Competitive-Can-7684

"Red solo cups are a thing. Honestly, not sure what else you’d do at a house party, esp with a keg? Tho they weren’t as ubiquitous until I was in college, more often paper cups when I was in HS."

"High school had cliques, but it wasn’t as dramatic as on screen. Like people with similar interests/styles hung out together, but there usually wasn’t cutthroat animosity among them. But def a jock group(s), preppy kids, computer nerds, stoner burnouts, hicks, drama kids, etc."

- PopeMobile9000

"Yes and yes. The cliques aren't as well defined as movies make them out to be, but they're still there, movies just exaggerate it a bit."

- No-Understanding-912

Walmart Merchandise

"If it's true that you can buy guns in Walmart."

- DarkAmethyst

"Most of them, yeah. The counter at my Walmart is left constantly unmanned, too."

- Icefirewolflord

Home Structure

"How common are basements and attics in houses? Is it exclusive for the middle- and upper-middle-class and above, or do most houses have them?"

- WnDelPiano

"Basements depend on where you live. I grew up in Illinois, and we had one; they're very common up there."

"Then I moved to Florida, and it’s rare because we are so close to sea level. You dig a few feet down, and you’ll hit water, so most houses are built on slabs."

"Attics, almost every house has one, but they're not always furnished as living spaces. Our attic is just storage. The roof not high enough and it’s not AC’d, so it's way too hot to use."

- blotches101

"Depends on the area you're in. In my area (Midwest) both are quite common for a couple reasons, particularly weather."

"Attics are common because we can get a LOT of snow, so sloped roofs are needed to handle the load. Depending on the slope, the space may not be usable for much outside of storage, hence the attic. My home has an attic that was large enough to convert into a large master bedroom."

"Basements are common here because the soil has a lot of clay and is generally soft enough to dig through without too much issue, and having a portion of your home below grade is very nice to have in the event a tornado comes through."

- atomiku121

Tornado Drills

"I'm surprised nobody asked about tornadoes or tornado drills. Most non-Americans get freaked out watching videos of tornado sirens."

- Amazing_Excuse_3860

"I grew up in Tornado Alley. I've been through three and am absolutely fascinated by them."

- FoxConsistent4406

A Starbucks On Every Corner

"Having a big coffee place (like Starbucks or something) on almost every street corner. Like, fact or myth?"

"I've genuinely always wondered if that's true, hyperbole, or something that Hollywood just likes to joke about."

"I'm European, and we have Starbucks in my neck of the woods, too. But there's like only two different big coffee chains like that in my whole country; sure, there's small mom-and-pop cafés everywhere, but not big box coffee places like that aren't really as common here."

"Starbucks is actually one of the two big chains in my country, and someone would have to at least commute a few minutes by public transport to get to even one of those in the first place. It's also generally considered pretty upscale, too, in my culture to regularly go to those big coffee chains. Most people in my culture just go to those small mom-and-pop cafes for a cup of coffee."

"So I have to wonder; are places like Starbucks and Tim Horton's REALLY more common in the US or nah? Like, I've actually always wanted to genuinely ask an American that, but never had the chance, lol."

- BankTypical

"I s**t you not that it is not unheard of to have two Starbucks at the same intersection on different corners, but you probably will only see that in cities."

- Salamok

"I live in a VERY small town in Wisconsin. We have a Starbucks inside Target. And directly across the street is a grocery store that also has a Starbucks inside."

"So there are two Starbucks within 1,000 feet of each other. And there's a standalone Starbucks about a mile away. In this very small town."

- tofudisan

It's fascinating how many of the questions that came up for Non-Americans were total no-brainers for Americans, indicating how normalized some of these oddities actually were in the United States.

This is a phenomenon a person doesn't really get the pleasure of discovering until they've traveled to another country, and upon hearing some of the locals' questions about their home state, they can start to realize how unusual some of their everyday fixtures actually are.