People Share 30 Things That Are Normal In Europe But In America, They Are Considered Horrific

It's no secret that countries can be very different from one another, and that's okay. However, sometimes there are things that might be a little extreme.

America and Europe differ for many reasons, and there are things that America does that just seem super crazy to the rest of the world. For example, America's portion sizes, medical debts, and free refills are seen as odd and abnormal to others.

The differences in countries make them who they are, but it's inevitable not to judge some of them for the crazy things they do. These 30 things are considered normal in Europe but are seen as not normal or horrific in America.

Some of these things range from the way employee vacations are set up to the metric system they use. These differences set them apart, but that doesn't mean they aren't seen as super weird.

Someone on AskReddit asked the question, "What's considered normal for Europe but horrific for America?" Over 12,000 people responded with answers. We chose thirty of the most thought-provoking and unusual comments to share just how different America and Europe are.

Some of these things also prove that Europe can be a little weird too.

1. Old Houses

"Old things. Houses especially. 'Someone died in this house'—yeah, no s**t, Sherlock; this house has been here longer than your country."flawed_yet_fun

2. The metric system

rmbl88

3. The stigma around public transportation

"Taking the bus. There is so much stigma around public transport in the US, especially buses, while in Europe it's just a totally normal way to get around because nobody wants to deal with driving and parking in a big city.""Also, from an employer's perspective: 25+ vacation days minimum for all employees and unlimited sick days. The absolute horror."Zack1018

4. Bleeping profanity

Elisiana12

5. America is known for terrible worker laws

"Pro-union laws. Pro-worker labor laws.""Mandatory paid vacation days (including fines for companies if the workers don't take their vacation days or get them paid out). They NEED to actually leave work legally for around 25 days per year."AgarwaenCran

6. It is very normalized to leave children unattended walking

"Letting kids go to school or walk around the neighborhood by themselves without supervision. A Dutch family moved to the USA, and their kids went to school on their bikes like they always do. After a while, the police showed up at their doorstep with child protective services, letting them know they were being irresponsible and to not do that again."ik101

7. This one is interesting and should definitely be something America takes note of

"The mailman doesn't leave packages unattended on your porch. He either gives it to you on the doorstep or you go get it at the post office.""Much less infuriating than getting it stolen or thrown across your yard by a mailman..."haberg6

8. Americans don't take off their shoes when they get home?

"Taking off your shoes when getting home."Fliggan

9. Mandatory voting?

"I don't know if this would horrify Americans, as I've never heard it discussed, but where I live in Europe (Luxembourg), voting is mandatory, and you can get fined for not voting in an election. You can still spoil your ballot, so you don't have to decide between lesser evils if you don't want to, but you have to make the effort to go to the polling station or submit a postal vote.""It guarantees a high voter turnout and, by extension, more representative elections, coupled with a proportional voting system, so we're not locked into a two-party mess like the UK or the US—not that it's without its issues, of course, but I think it's an improvement."MrLuxarina

10. Is this true for America?

"Being expected to know another language other than English."Coygon

11. The difference in how nudity is portrayed

climbmeaReport

12. Cashiers who sit down being seen as lazy in America

"From what I’ve heard, allowing retail workers to sit. I’ve heard it’s normal for people to be sitting in Europe as cashiers, but in the US, it is seen as lazy.""The only store I know of that allows it is Aldi, and that’s because it helps their cashiering metrics."whovian1087

13. Vacation

affo_

14. Interesting how the apartment and home rooms are described.

"The number of rooms in the description of apartments. 1 room in the US usually means 1 bedroom, a living room, and a separate kitchen.""I was shocked when I realized it means everything inside one room in most European countries."coolth3

15. America has closed borders but other countries don't follow suit

"Open borders."Starfuri

16. Nobody loves America as much as Americans do.

Bladeteacher

17. Vacations and leave of all kinds are terrible in America

sammacias

18. Here's a ton of differences between the two countries

"Oh man... Europe has so many different countries. Something that is completely normal where I live could be frowned upon as soon as I cross the next border.""But in general, we tip for good service, not because we have to. A rude waitress won't get tipped by me.""Also, we usually remove our shoes before we enter a home. And yep, 'free' healthcare."ghost882

19. Paying yourself when at a restaurant

"Not giving your debit/credit card to your server but doing it yourself."Ok-World-4822

20. It's not normal in Europe to say something to the person sitting next to you?

"Sitting a foot away from a complete stranger and then completely ignoring them."skelebabe95

21. Nudity on beaches

"Americans get so bent out of shape over naked children running around the beach. On every beach in Bulgaria I've been to, naked children are the norm; women sunbathing in monokinis are considered absolutely normal, while naked men are okay only in the nude sections of the beaches. And every beach has a nude section."gerginborisov

22. This is a well-known difference

Sharp-Run-8670

23. Enrolling children into sports and clubs

cookiecutterdoll

23. Small talk?

"Not doing small talk."Thundechile

25. Okay, this one might be really weird.

actuallynotvictoria

26. Automatic cars being the norm when in America

"Almost every car having a manual transmission. When I visited Ukraine, I only saw rich people with automatic cars."_doofus25_

27. Should you charge for water?

"Charging for water at a restaurant."dpstreetz

28. Bidets are a great investment and America should definitely normalize it.

Vanatru

29. Wait, you have to buy the kitchen separately?

"In Germany, looking for an apartment doesn't automatically mean it will come 100% with a kitchen. 90% of the time, they don't have them in, and you have to buy them yourself."Ok_Context_732

30. Normalizing alcohol

"Underage drinking seems more of a crime in the US—in most cases, if a kid is caught with alcohol in the UK, it's just confiscated and poured away. Strictly speaking, the age you can drink alcohol is really low as well; so long as you're home with a parent, I think it's like 5/6.""When you're in a restaurant, you're also allowed low-percentage alcohol like cider with a meal, so long as you're with an adult."AugustineBlackwater

Some of these thirty differences were well-known, like the portion sizing or metric systems, but some of these were definitely not well-known. Some countries could learn a thing or two from others.

Europe could adopt some of America's ways, and America can adopt some of Europe's ways to make both countries more innovative. Do you live in another country and have some differences you could share?

Let us know!