The United States has given the world plenty of brilliant people, groundbreaking inventions, iconic movies, and impressive achievements. From science and technology to entertainment, there’s no shortage of Americans who have made their mark in one way or another.
But just like anywhere else, the country also has its fair share of folks who don’t always think before they speak. And thanks to the internet, some of their most questionable takes live on forever. There’s even a whole subreddit dedicated to calling them out, so we’ve rounded up some of the funniest and most eye-roll-worthy posts below.
#1 “Name One Country That Surpasses The US In Culture”
#2 “Why Is It So Difficult For Some People To Love America…”
#3 America Was Not Stolen Land. It’s Was Discovered And Owned By The US
Outside the US, there’s a pretty common stereotype that Americans know surprisingly little about the rest of the world. They struggle with geography, get confused by the metric system, and sometimes seem completely unaware of what’s happening beyond their own borders.
At least, that’s what the internet would have us believe. And while some of the posts in this collection certainly seem to support that idea, just how much truth is there to the stereotype?
#4 Importing American Water To Europe To Slowly Introduce Europeans To The Concept Of Drinking Water
#5 Imagine If [ireland] Joined The United States And Had Freedom
#6 “We Chose To Go To The Moon”
Well, answering that question is a little trickier than simply comparing average IQ scores. The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association has warned that many widely shared national IQ datasets have serious problems.
Some use very small samples that don’t represent entire populations, while others rely on tests that don’t work equally well across different cultures.
Perhaps a better way to explore the question is to look at what international education studies and surveys have found.
#7 Pride Month
#8 “Make America Great Again, Everybody Make Your House Red White And Blue!”
#9 No One In The EU Ever Heard Of Greenland Before
One good place to start is the OECD’s PISA study, which compares how 15-year-olds perform at school around the world. In 2022, American students scored above the OECD average in reading and science, while their mathematics results were close to the average.
Around 80% reached at least basic proficiency in reading, compared with an OECD average of 74%. So, American teenagers are actually doing pretty well in some subjects, although there’s certainly room for improvement when it comes to maths.
#10 “The Greatest Fighting Force The World Has Ever Known”
#11 Queen Is America’s Answer To The Beatles
#12 “Imagine Bragging About Leaving The Best Place On Earth 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸”
Things get a little less encouraging when we look at adults. Another OECD survey conducted in 2022 and 2023 tested adults aged 16 to 65 in 31 countries and economies. Americans scored close to the OECD average in literacy, although they fell behind in maths and problem-solving.
In fact, 34% of American adults had low numeracy skills, compared with the OECD average of 25%. That’s quite a noticeable gap, especially considering how often we use maths in everyday life, from managing our money to figuring out percentages.
#13 If We (Americans) Stop Visiting, The UK Will Have An Economic Depression Tidal Wave
#14 “Go Back To Your Own Country”
#15 5am Is 5am. Don’t Embarrass Yourself Any Further
What about those geography questions that seem to trip up so many Americans online? There’s some interesting research on that, too. A 2022 Pew Research Center survey asked 3,581 American adults 12 questions about international affairs, including geography. On average, they got 6.3 right.
Interestingly, people who had traveled abroad scored considerably higher than those who hadn’t, even after accounting for differences in education and income. Those who followed international news also tended to know more.
Getting out and seeing the world, or at least keeping up with what’s happening in it, can make quite a difference.
Never miss a story that brings joy to the world.
#16 “If America Is 250 Years Old How Is Denmark Sending Mail For 400”
#17 Could Someone Like Jimmy Kimmel Even Exist In Germany?
#18 American Wants To Move To Europe On An ‘United States Of America’ Visa
You also have to remember that the US is a huge country with more than 340 million people, and not everyone has the same opportunities growing up.
According to the same 2022 PISA research, American students from the wealthiest quarter of families outperformed those from the poorest quarter by 102 points in mathematics. The average gap across OECD countries was 93 points.
Wealthier families often have better access to educational resources and extra support, which means a lot of children in the US simply don’t have access to the same quality of education.
#19 “Oh Wait, We Are!”
#20 “Alright This Question Is For Germans The Question Is Do You Guys Actually Have Aldi In Germany?”
#21 Kroner Is The European Dollar?
And then there’s the internet itself. Sadly, it’s all too easy to come across false information online and believe it, especially when a story sounds convincing or is being shared by lots of people. Some people then pass it along without bothering to check whether it’s actually true.
A 2018 study from MIT found that false news spread significantly faster and further on X, formerly Twitter, than true stories did. Researchers also found that false information tended to be more surprising, which may help explain why people were so eager to share it.
Of course, the study wasn’t specifically about Americans, but it does help explain why the most ridiculous posts can attract so much attention.
#22 Have Maps Lied To Us?
#23 Do European Clocks Go Up To 24?
#24 “America Is The Only Country Where They’re Teaching Our Kids Other Languages”
So, are Americans actually less intelligent than everyone else? Well, the research doesn’t give us enough evidence to make such a sweeping claim.
There are some worrying gaps in mathematical skills and international knowledge, and access to education clearly plays a part. Meanwhile, American students perform well in other subjects, and people everywhere have their own blind spots.
Of course, none of this makes someone confidently declaring Vienna the capital of Australia any less hilarious. Just remember that there’s a whole country full of people who know better.
#25 “I Refuse To Submit To The British Mind Virus Of Adding Random U’s”
#26 “So He Was American”
#27 “My Cash Got Turned Down”
#28 “Vienna Is The Capital Of Australia”
#29 How Do You Know English?
#30 Harvard (University In Massachusetts) Is The Oldest In The World
#31 American And English And Australian Are Different Lanuage Too They Still Understand Each Other
#32 I Bet Europeans Have To Wait 30+ Days For Bank Transfers
#33 “Georgia Is A State Not A Country”
#34 No He’s Puerto Rican💔💔
#35 “I Thought The Manufacturer From Spain Would Pay For This”
#36 Also, Who Sets Their Phone In Military Time?
#37 “America Is The Reason You Have Cars”
#38 FYI It’s So Incredibly Sad That No Where In Europe Accept American Money
#39 Staten Island? Doesn’t Ring A Bell?
#40 My Uncle On My Italian Side Got One Of The DNA Tests Done And It Turns Out They’re Not Italian And Everyone In My Family Is Having A Mental Breakdown
#41 There’s A National Gallery In Washington DC
#42 I Thought No Kings Tho?
#43 Americans Drive Cars. Riding A Train Isn’t A Flex, It Allows Someone Else To Control Your Travel. Less Freedom Is Never A Good Thing
#44 Why Does Italian Pizza Look So Bad? It Seems Uneven And Disproportionate Whereas American Pizza Is Far More Balanced In Its Design And Texture
#45 “The European Mind Can’t Comprehend American Lake Summer ”
#46 “Why Would They Speak Spanish In Europe”
#47 They Don’t Accept US IDs?
#48 “If It’s Not In The USA, It Foreign”
#49 Will Never Visit Poland Again
#50 “Super Bowl Winners By Country”
#51 What If The US Lost The Vietnam War
#52 Do You Know Iran Is Pronounced Wrong By Mostly Everyone?
#53 “So They Have Bluey In Other Languages Other Than American”
#54 “Euros Getting Mad At America For Having Stricter Labeling Guidelines Will Never Not Be Funny.”
#55 We Conquered Europe Twice
#56 That’s More Money Than Many Europeans Would Make In Their Whole Lives
#57 “You Need To Specify Which Prague We’re Talking About”
#58 “Europeans Complain Here All The Time About How Bad US Chocolate Is. So Why Are Kit Kat Bars So Popular In Europe?”
#59 “Why Are We Letting A Canadian Go To Our Moon?”
#60 “Doesn’t This Risk The Chickens Incubating Since They’re Not Kept Cold To Suppress Incubation?”
#61 They’re Burning American Flags All Over Europe! I Thought Our President Made That Illegal?
#62 “Im 100% Italian, Grew Up In Chicago”
#63 “[…] It Is Just Min.”
#64 Do Euros Really Use Centimeters For Height It Sounds So Goofy
#65 Name A European Country That Is Way Safer Than The United States, I’ll Wait…
#66 Irish By Blood American By Birth
#67 Fahrenheit Is Objectively Better Than Celsius
#68 “Next Time Change The Date Format When You Do This. You Have A Bigger Player Base In The US”
#69 We Need To Start Calling Winter Olympics Medals Participation Trophies For Rich Europeans, They’re Not Real Sports Like The Summer Olympics
#70 Today Is Not The Second Day Of 26th Month
#71 Learn To Tip. It’s Not My Job To Serve You For Free!
#72 Most Europeans Have No Idea How Absolutely Furious With Europe America Is
#73 “London Is Not Walkable. You Have To Get On The Tube Or A Bus Or A Train”
#74 Its Probably My American Centric Brain… But Why Would A Country Decide To Make A Currency Where 1 Penny USD Is Worth 263 Units?
#75 “EU In A Nutshell”
#76 Things I Miss As An American In Germany
#77 This Will Sound Like An Obnoxious “Only In New York” Thing…
#78 She Was Born In America, But She Set Foot On Irish Soil First
#79 You Are Telling Me Greenlanders Wouldn’t Be Interested?
#80 Dutch People Are Tiny
#81 Hitting A Baseball Is The Hardest Thing To Do In Sports
#82 “Then I Did My DNA. Turns Out, We Have No Irish At All.”
#83 “And They Yell At The Americans For Bringing Bad At Geography”
#84 I Didn’t Have Kids, Nor Was I Expecting Any, So Denmark’s Generous Maternity Leave And Excellent Childcare Were Of No Use To Me
#85 “I Thought Y’all Spoke English?”
#86 “Am Dutch From Holland Michigan”
#87 Name A Worse Place To Build A Startup Than This Area
#88 I Just Found Out That Most European Kitchens Do Not Have Electricity In Them 😭
