What are American quirks?!?

[Hunter Morrow]

You can eat or drink whatever you wish, provided that you have DIET soda. Double Bacon Cheeseburger, Diet Soda.

I see this one all the time in bars. Whiskey Old Fashioned. You take a sugar cube, pour about 2 shots of whiskey and some bitters on it and top it off with soda. Then you garnish it, usually with olives, mushrooms or Brussell sprouts. Between the sugar, alcohol, carbonation and sodium the people would be better off drinking strychnine and juggling rattlesnakes.

Ah, but if you have them with DIET SODA, well, that makes all the difference in the world.

[Gregor]

[smiling.politely]

american quirk- opposing death penalty, supporting abortion

i would say that the opposite is more accurate, especially in the midle of America. and, as was said, no one really supports abortion... but if a 13 or 14 year old girl is molested and impregnated by her grandpa or uncle, the choice should be there.

[Hunter Morrow]

Taking on debt used to be a shameful thing. Now every local, state and federal agency is deeply indebted. Personal credit card debt and student loan debt is at 2 trillion dollars alone.

I realize that is how it is the world over but debt-financed consumption in America is on a whole different level.

I'm in my 20s and that means I'm seeing an awful lot of people get out of college with 5 grand owed in car payments along with 5 grand to pay off on their credit cards and tens of thousands in student loan debt. Nobody thinks it is a problem if somebody has 30 thousand dollars of debt without a job by the time they're 22.

In fact, the people without the college degrees are the ones with the problem!

"You don't have a degree? How do you ever expect to get a good job where you'll be spending the next 15 years making interest payments?"

[Jack]

I'm not sure if it's an AMERICAN quirk, but my penis is gigantic.

oh, and sweatpants. i fucking hate sweatpants.

[Hunter Morrow]

Along with the sweatpants...

Any time is appropriate for gym shorts or pajamas. You'd think the appropriate time for pajamas would be sleeping, or for gym shorts exercising in a gym, but you'd be wrong.

Shopping, going to a restaurant, going to college, job interview, loved one's funeral...

PAJAMAS AND T SHIRT TIME, BABY!

[RoryQ]

Day-time pyjama-wearing by some has been going on here for years.

Banned from some civic buildings now apparently (although not sure whether this is still enforced).

I heard one lady interviewed about this and she explained that she had 'clean' pyjamas for wear out and about, and other pairs for at home. She said that she felt so comfortable in her local area, where all her neighbours were like family, that she felt as comfortable as if she was in her own home - hence the PJs. I think there's a bit more at the crux of this than all that, but ... I'm sure it's more comfortable than a shirt and tie, I'll give her that!

[Tight-Lines]

Day-time pyjama-wearing by some has been going on here for years.

God dammit. I do this shit all the time and everyone i know gets mad. If I'm hungover on a saturday I dont wear grown up pants. Gym shorts are too cold, and track pants look dumb on me. Guilty of being unfashionable.

[RoryQ]

Well, I've been known to wear slippers down to the shops from time to time. PJs = too cold for Irish weather, dunno how they stick it.

[riot]

america...

its cool to be a scumbag/tool/doucheface guy.

its cool to take advantage of anyone you can.

eating healthy food is a fad.

everyone judges everyone, everyone is an asshole to everyone, everyone hates everyone.

ha ha. america fuck ya.

but everyone is allowed to do that shit and be who they want, so its all good. ;)

[ThaliaCamille]

Just learned how stupid-low minimum wage is over there.

Also heard that some places pay below minimum wage, with the expectation that staff will make the rest in tips. Also, tips are taxed. It's like they WANT people to turn to crime...

[Tight-Lines]

Im in love with my slippers. I wear them in the rig and then switch out right before I get out for a call.

comfort is mandatory.

[Hunter Morrow]

I can't think of a single country that has more tobacco users nor any country that treats its tobacco users worse.

Look bitches. It it just smoke clouds and a little brown spit. Settle down.

It is getting to the point where I'd be better off with leprosy rather than chewing every now and again.

Here are the numbers for tobacco use.

How many people use tobacco in US

In keeping with this 30 Percent of Adults Use It/It Is The Most Evil And Repulsive Thing Of All Time it is illegal to advertise smoking so all the smoking time gets taken by alcohol ads.

An NFL game is basically 2 hours of beer commercials interrupted by a 1 hour football game.

Another thing, not sure if mentioned...

50 GORY MURDERS are okay, 1 Nude Chick is Man's Ruin

I've seen stuff like Terminator 2 show at 4 in the afternoon without a scrap of the violence cut. Perfect time for the kiddos fresh out of school to watch about 50 murders.

One fucking titty and the country loses its mind.

Remember that Janet Jackson thing? Justin Timberlake could have decapitated Janet Jackson during the SuperBowl Halftime Show to less OUTRAGE!!!!!!

Which brings me to my next point, how did we go 20 years without a GWAR halftime show?

[riot]

yea. anyone who serves makes like 2.5 and hour +tips. its super shitty.

yea. us smokers get a bad rap, but i do, do my best to be considerate to people unless i know for certain that they smoke. the rediculous thing is making the tobacco company spend money on telling people NOT to smoke... i cannot believe that is legal. they obviously have warned us of the dangers, we just dont care.

[Tight-Lines]

Which brings me to my next point, how did we go 20 years without a GWAR halftime show?

[Androosh]

I'd like this 1,000 times if I could.

[Androosh]

Just learned how stupid-low minimum wage is over there.

Also heard that some places pay below minimum wage, with the expectation that staff will make the rest in tips. Also, tips are taxed. It's like they WANT people to turn to crime...

We hate poor folks here.

[Hunter Morrow]

No no no. There is an American quirk for you. Everybody thinks he's "poor."

The typical "poor" person in America lives in a home with air conditioning, cable t.v. with two television sets, a stove, a microwave, refrigerator, washer and dryer, some video game bullshit, a VCR or DVD player with 5 or more movies a piece for them, a computer (possibly with the internet) and has a bike and a car in the garage. This can all be had by sitting on your dead ass and taking money from the productive people of society. Funding some lazy cocksucker's lifestyle of boozing and playing Xbox 360 all day is called "welfare."

The poverty line in this country is set at like 13,000 dollars a year when the typical person world wide, billions of them, don't even make 5 U.S. dollars a day. Everybody in the White, Western world thinks he's poor and never wants to pay taxes. Taxes are only for "rich people" which are magically defined as "anybody making more in government handouts or money than me."

[Androosh]

This can all be had by sitting on your dead ass and taking money from the productive people of society. Funding some lazy cocksucker's lifestyle of boozing and playing Xbox 360 all day is called "welfare."

All I said was "We hate poor folks here". I think you proved my point wonderfully.

[Hunter Morrow]

Poor people typically have poor ways and in many cases ought to be hated.

"And that's all I have to say about that."

[Androosh]

Poor people typically have poor ways and in many cases ought to be hated.

While the notion that certain groups/demographics/peoples are deserving of hatred is not a distinctly American quirk (it being an age-old Human quirk) we, as demonstrated by the above quote, are certainly doing our part to perpetuate this gross trait.

But I digress...

[Dan S]

I really don't think Ami's hate the poor more than anyone else, merely that most Americans recognize that if you are "poor", yet can afford what most consider to be luxuries, i.e.; cigarettes, alcohol, etc., then you aren't poor, but rather lazy, or at best, making some really funky choices.

[Gregor]

I hate the way that poor people get blamed for sucking up taxpayers money when the amount they take pale in comparison to the amount of taxes avoided / not paid by the multinationals and uber rich .

[Dan S]

Enough blame to go around. I know taxation in Europe makes ours look like nothing. Seems to me that if everyone had to pay a flat-rate, no exemptions, no exceptions, we'd all be better off.

But hey, what do I know?!

[Androosh]

I really don't think Ami's hate the poor more than anyone else, merely that most Americans recognize that if you are "poor", yet can afford what most consider to be luxuries, i.e.; cigarettes, alcohol, etc., then you aren't poor, but rather lazy, or at best, making some really funky choices.

I understand what he is saying. I just believe that the root cause of poverty/welfare goes way beyond individuals simply making "funky choices". But regardless of whether or not you're offended by people purchasing smokes with their bribe money or you just want to see your fellow countrymen able to sustain themselves and live with dignity...we're asking the same question - how do we break the cycle of poverty?

The answer? I'll give you a hint - it has little to do with taxes and everything to do with access to education.