America: land of the free and home of the brave. What with your "world's largest national economy," Hollywood movies, super sized portions, gargantuan military force and Elvis, you are undoubtably one of the most culturally rich, diverse and fascinating countries in the world - and, generally speaking, probably the most famous. For those on the outside, though, looking in on America from afar probably doesn't offer up a particularly accurate view of the inner workings and goings on of what is intrinsically a very complex and controversial country. The rest of the world tends to assume that everything we see on TV or in the movies offers up an accurate depiction of the US, only to find things are a little - or a lot, perhaps - different when we actually get there. But as an American, have you ever wondered which things might seem totally "normal" to you, and yet are totally bewildering to everyone else? Things that the average American will encounter, put up with, or just accept on a day to day basis that only serve to provoke confused expressions or raised eyebrows from human beings living elsewhere on the planet. Thankfully, the good folk over at Reddit have been debating on this very subject, and we've put together a list of some of the best that they've had to offer: Here are 14 Weird Things That Americans Don't Realise About America, starting with the fact...
14. That You're Totally Missing Out On Chip And Pin
"Chip and pin?" you ask. "What on Earth is this new devilry?" Well, for pretty much everyone living in Europe, life without chip and pin would be downright unthinkable. That's to say, "chip and pin: refers to a type of credit or debit card which allows you to pay for stuff in stores using a four digit pin number. You put your card into a little machine, type in your unique pin, and voilà! Whereas in the US, of course, it's commonplace to have to sign for everything whenever you use your card. Sign... with a pen? Talk about time consuming!
13. That Pricing Things Without The Sales Tax Already Included Is Downright Bewildering
Seriously: why not just add the tax to the overall price of the product, America? Why does it have to be done at the check out? How do you know you've got enough money to pay for stuff if you have to perform mental gymnastics to work it out? The rest of the world is seriously confused by this, by the way.
12. That There Are A Hell Of A Lot Of Flags Everywhere