Things never exist in the US but exist in other countries?

35 comments

  3. Strong social programs which provide positive liberty and social mobility *eg* universal healthcare, paid leave, livable wages, universal access to college without massive debt.

    Congress has for decades abrogated its constitutional duty to collect taxes to provide for the general welfare of Americans, and this is unsustainable.

    I dare you to prove me wrong.

  10. Obviously there will be exceptions but compared to other Western industrialized countries, I would say that in the US you have a lot more open businesses/flexibility to get things if you need them based on your own schedule. Put another way, restrictive/limited business hours in the US aren’t as common.

  11. Reliable passenger rail service. I’ll even take “regular” speed, just more of it.

  12. National public TV stations that produce and broadcast a full range of programming, like the BBC, NOS, CBC, or ARD networks.

    Yes, we have PBS, but it doesn’t operate like any of the above examples.

    And I’m not arguing we should have this, there really isn’t any compelling need. It’s just an example of something that exists elsewhere but not in the US.

  13. There are going to be a bunch of super serious societal answers for this. Those are probably better answers. But I’m not doing that.

    I want fully enclosed public restroom toilets/water closets. NO GAPS. Last thing I need is making eye contact while in a toilet stall.

  14. I don’t believe the English language has a negative affirmation, like the French word “Si”

  19. Paid public toilets in some European countries. Germany has them even on the autobahn (what we would call a Highway).

    Here, when driving on the highway on a long road trip, we simply stop at a rest station or gas station and have free use of toilet/bathroom facilities. It’s quite nice.

  20. Negotiating prices while shopping for commodities, grocery is a common tactic in South East Asia. There’s no fixed price.

  21. Strong protection for even unpopular speech. I’ve seen several stories over the years in multiple European countries of people arrested and sometimes jailed for speech that would be protected under the first amendment in the US.

  25. Honestly, unless something is outright banned for import/export, and it’s something that can be shipped, it’s probably here somewhere.

    Just here in a small city we’ve got shops run by and catering to immigrants from particular countries or regions including Somali and east African and lots of Asian cultures.

  30. When I was a kid (early 1970’s) we could go in the bathroom to wash hands, but needed a nickel to pee. You don’t see that anymore. Dad said it was to keep the bums out.

  31. Public co-ed saunas, and sauna culture for that matter, don’t really exist in the US the same as in Europe.

    Parking spots designated for only women, close to entrances of places for their safety.

  32. These little round snacks that seem halfway between a nut and a cracker. I get them a lot in Europe and I’m never quite sure what they are.

  34. Specific regional fruits and vegetables that aren’t imported to or also grown in the US. Sure, you’ll find mangoes, durian and other well known Southeast Asian fruit around the US, but it’s highly unlikely that one would find fruit like “lanzones” and “santol” even in Filipino supermarkets in California.

  35. I just saw this in a post in a baking group but- those giant chocolate Easter eggs stuffed with more candy and chocolates. We don’t have those here and apparently they’re all over the place in other countries.

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