Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain What Most People Get Wrong About Their Country

A trope many think about Americans is we're all uneducated buffoons who allowed an orange cretin into the most powerful seat in the country while simultaneously not knowing about the world. And while the first half of that is accurate, after reading this article, the second half will be slightly more wrong.

The world is a much bigger place than we think and it's important to understand what we might be wrong about when it comes to other countries.


Reddit user, u/Bobthecatisgreat, wanted to hear about:

What do most people get wrong about your country?

 

Even People Who Live There Don't Know!

explaining homer simpson GIFGiphy

People always confuse Tower Bridge with London Bridge.

DiligentShopping

I live in the UK and this confused me until I went to them.

notABadGuy3

It's Only Partially True!

snails and frog legs are very uncommon.

Baguette isn't though, we eat those almost every day

chinchenping

Yeah, also "omelette du fromage" isn't a thing. Omelettes au fromage are delicious tho.

Grog_Bear

Speaking Of Us...

Many Americans are level headed, friendly people who value science and critical thought.

They don't get a lot of airtime however.

It's a lot more fun to hate on loud idiots.

BarcodeNinja

Completely Misrepresented

How socialist Norway is. Yes, we have a strong government, but we have a blended economy with a lot of capitalism. It drives me crazy how American media describes us. A lot of our resources are privatized, and it is easy to start a company. People also have the choice to attend private or public school, or go to private hospitals. We do not have any less freedom than the US.

beseri

Same in Canada. From the way Fox News talks you'd think that we Canadians live in a socialist gulag with no personal wealth and no freedom of speech and no guns.

In reality, Canada has relatively liberal gun laws compared to many other countries (if you really want one, you can have one but you don't have much selection to choose from). Our hate speech laws have a very high bar to be enforced (just look at the number of brushes J Phillipe Rushton has had with the law - zero). Per capita we are not as wealthy as the states, but our social safety net fills the gaps for the working class and most of us make enough to live a good life. Sure I could probably afford a Mercedes AMG GTR if I were to work in the US, but I don't need an uber expensive car to feel happy.

nsci2ece

Or Play Golf!

groundskeeper willie kilt GIFGiphy

We don't all wear kilts & chase haggis

Scottish_squirrel

Ive been to scotland. It was just gloom and golf course

Mrslinkydragon

A Simple Mix 'em Up

Thinking we're Switzerland, I said Sweden but don't wanna be rude and correct while you tell a story about how you liked the alps.

TrueEnuff

Also happens the other way around. 🥴

curiosityLynx

Completely Normal. Sorry.

We live pretty normal lives in South Africa.

It's not mad max on the roads.

KidLancelot

People are shocked when I say we have roads, cars, houses, shopping centres...

Smart-Connection6154

So You're Saying Television Lied To me?

They think Mexico is a desert sh-thole.

But no, we also have forest, beaches, mountains. Still a sh-thole though.

AngryRedditor6969

Breaking bad told me its all seen in a piss yellow filter. This better be true or sooo help me.

bubbleSpiker

But The Important Question Is: Was He A Fox?

Robin Hood probably wasn't from here, more likely Lincolnshire

rimwrongphil

I didn't even realise Robin Hood was a real person until I visited Nottingham.

BroadwickStreetDunny

Oh, Canada, Our Home And Escape Plan

the simpsons canada GIFGiphy
  • Think that we pronounce "about" as "a-boot".
  • Many seem surprised to learn that Canada has a Queen.
  • Americans somehow think that they can just "move to Canada" if they get sick of their own country.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Rob McElhenney
Gilbert Flores/ Variety/Getty Images

Rob McElhenney Just Shared A Video Explaining His 'Kinda Douchey' Decision To Legally Change His Name

What's in a name? A lot, apparently.

To be fair, a name represents a lot of things: a person's identity, the family they originate from, and possibly even some of the cultural and historical background of that family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic
Disney/Marvel Studios

Pedro Pascal Adjusts Accent

Pedro Pascal was advised to tone down the Mid-Atlantic accent for his upcoming role as the stretchy Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards in Fantastic Four: First Steps.

In a video interview with Vanity Fair, he reflected on his past and current work and talked about working with a dialect coach for the Marvel movie, which is set to premiere on July 25th.

Keep ReadingShow less
Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less