Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain What They Find Most Embarrassing About Their Country

People Explain What They Find Most Embarrassing About Their Country
Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Citizens can tout patriotism all day long, but that doesn't mean there are things about their country they're secretly ashamed of.


When comparing their homelands to other parts of the world, it's clear that there is always something that can be improved upon.

But how much power do people actually have to make significant changes to deep-rooted brutal policies and customs in various countries?

Curious to hear examples of these, Redditor UtTeR_cArNaGe asked:

"What do you find most embarrassing about your country?"

Corruption abounds.

Notorious Autocrat

"The most embarrassing thing about my country is that we allowed Putin to run it for twenty years. Ridiculous."

– the_amateon

Under Incompetent Rule

"Corruption in Croatia. On all levels. And they blame war, which ended 27 years ago, for a bad situation. Truth is, politic parties (left, middle, right, all of them) hired incompetent people to work high position jobs (and all other jobs), so with their incompetence they are destroying everything, from economy to will for living."

– oriontrail

South Of The Border

"The fact that drug traffickers basically own the country, having 8 of the most dangerous Citys on the World. Be only known for southpark jokes."

"The previous president bought a mansion that cost 800 years of minimum wage."

"Oh, And also because one guy of our country extinguished the eternal flame under the triumphal arch in Paris, with his pee..."

"It's not that hard to find out what country it is ;)"

– trestristestigresy

Blame It On Colonization

"I come from India."

"The corruption is just aweful. We tend to blame things on colonisation but we aren’t evolving as people. Politics is the dirtiest thing in our country and fixing it could help with a lot of things."

– mrs_robpatt

The statistics are horrendous.

Caring About Our Veterans

"How everyone is all 'Support Our Troops!!' but as soon as they get home, no one gives a sh*t about them. Think about how much money is spent on the military and think about many veterans have severe mental health issues and/or live on the street when they get out."

"Also, many in the military don’t join for pride of country. They join because they’re targeted, recruiters going into schools and making all these empty promises."

– Odd_Sky7089

Treatment Of Children

"That children are being killed for the arguments and view points of previous generations. Yet no one can seem to understand that it is no one's land if the children in both sides are being killed before they can even grow up to inhabit it. Palestine."

– Mona_Moans

All About Perspective

"The fact that we're so focused on our differences with each other that we're not willing to look at how much we actually have in common with one another."

– TarheelTiger87

Immature Politicians

"That our politicians behave like children in kindergarden? 'Oh there was an illegal trade of 100.000.000€? I haven’t heard about it yet' 'What? I’m supposed to be the bad guy here? Look how bad the others are!' and this repeats every year. No content in their speeches besides ranting about each other."

– blanklikemybank

Highest Percentage Of Inflation

"You think 8% inflation is a lot? How about %60 and growing bigger inlation? That's what my country is facing. F'k anyone who's responsible for that f'k-up."

– yzrIsou

These Redditors discussed the unfair treatment of women in their countries.

Gender Disparity

"The fierce opposition to gender equality. We fall far behind our neighbors just in terms of legislation. I am a second class citizen in my own country and I get to live every day of my life knowing that the majority of people around me want it to remain that way."

– PonderingMyOptions

The majority of the complaints were about corruption.

Unsurprisingly we are not alone in that regard.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshots from @mike.ali32's TikTok video
@mike.ali32/TikTok

TikToker Goes Viral For Yelling Out Fast Food Slogans After Buying Their Food—And The Reactions Are Priceless

We're supposed to go through life loving the people that we love so loudly that they can never doubt how much we love them. Maybe that's how we should approach the things and companies we love, too.

At least, that seems to be the approach that TikToker @mike.ali32 is taking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @withethanlap's TikTok video
@withethanlap/TikTok

Guy Turns His Pregnant Wife's Extreme Text Messages Into A Hilariously Perfect Pop Punk Song—And It's A Banger

Anyone who has gone through pregnancy or is close to someone who has knows that the symptoms are truly no joke, and going from one day to the next can feel like an absolute rollercoaster.

Comedian and TikToker Ethan Lapierre's wife shared with him some of her symptoms, sometimes texting him that she was hungry but couldn't eat, and other times feeling like she was dying.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @missyhalleonig's TikTok video
@missyhalleonig/TikTok

A New Parenting Hack For Getting Toddlers To Stop Their Tantrums Has People In Disbelief That It Actually Kinda Works

Parents might not want to admit it, but when their toddlers are tantruming, there's nothing quite like finding a way to hilariously redirect or confuse them to help stop the tears.

In a hilarious parenting hack that's taking over TikTok, videos are appearing that all mysteriously star a woman named "Jessica," though no one can seem to find her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @legallyswifite13's TikTok video
@legallyswifite13/TikTok

Woman Sparks Debate After Accusing Frontier Airlines Of Kicking Her Off Flight For Being Deaf

Let this Frontier Airlines saga be a reminder to all of us that not all disabilities and needs are visible, so when a person requests accommodations, it's better to believe them.

TikToker @legallyswiftie13 posted in 2024 that, though she was in her early twenties, she discovered that she would be rapidly losing her hearing, which was discovered at a routine medical check-up. Though she could still speak and hear, it would become increasingly difficult for her to hear, especially when there were competing noises in the area.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ben Sasse
60 Minutes/CBS News

Former GOP Senator Gets Brutal Wakeup Call After Criticizing People For Playing 'Candy Crush' Instead Of 'Making Babies'

Ben Sasse represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2015 to 2023. As a Midwestern moderate, the sometimes controversial Sasse was often critical of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump on social media and on the Senate floor.

At one point, the Nebraska GOP censured him because of his criticism of Trump. But Sasse, like Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, would still vote with the majority of his party when his vote was needed to back Trump's agenda.

Keep ReadingShow less