Despite a Divided Nation, 15 Peculiar Things All Americans Have in Common

Church vs. State is still very serious in this country despite some legislators’ faith-based arguments on topics like abortion and LGBT+ rights. Even though most Americans identify as Christian, there is a general respect of how other citizens decide to exercise are about their Freedom of Religion rights.

Culturally, Americans don’t mind chatting it up with a random person in the supermarket. Some of the best people you might encounter in this country are folks you don’t even know and may not see again beyond the checkout line. Kindness costs nothing.

Interestingly enough, not every country normalizes the playpen in McDonald’s or even a “kids menu” at restaurants. Most notably, in Europe, children and adults often patron the same places without a distinct separation for “kid-friendly” spaces.

You might travel overseas and realize the food portions are smaller. That’s because Americans have normalized mega-jumbo sizes for entrees across cuisines. We ain’t complainin’ either! You’ll almost always have leftovers.

America is known as the land of opportunity, guaranteeing every person whose feet touch the soil access to freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While that’s not always true, even for homegrown citizens, it is still a looming belief that America is the best place to live, raise a family and begin a career.

Americans stay on the move thanks to supply, demand and good ol’ capitalism. Americans have to make a point to carve out time for a hobby, take a nap or have a leisurely stroll. We even take our lunches to go and eat while walking or driving to the next destination - an oddity to European countries who rarely do so.

We had to fight for that “all men are created equal” bit to be naturalized for all men. Despite the cracks, equal opportunity in America is still an expectation we expect each other and the government to live up to. Even with our challenges, we are still considerably more liberal than other countries.

Americans can be big heads. We’ve always touted that our country was the best on the planet, promoting democracy and the best way of life. I mean, western culture has heavily influenced all parts of the world. However, the root of that influence also stems to a superiority complex that made it appear that the U.S. had to intervene with the affairs of every other country in the world. Thanks, colonialism.

No, it is not a normal habit overseas to tip food servers. However, American waiters and waitresses often rely on those big tips in addition to their wages just to survive.

Americans will stand together when we need to but every day life can be quite isolating. The atmosphere of competition from school to the work field spills into our personal lives, causing many of us to desire time alone and sometimes, be a bit self-centered.

Patriotism is so real. We might be the one country who dedicatedly decorates with the American flag. From tee shirts to classroom decor or even on the front porch of a home, you don’t even realize how many star spangled banners are flown in the country until you take time to notice.

Americans are generally optimistic about their futures. Majority of us grow up having an expectation to excel to the next level or believe our dreams can be executed despite the obstacles we face.

With that being said, Americans do have a shared work experience that demands majority of our time, leading us to take fewer vacations - unless you’re an influencer entrepreneur.

THEE American sport. Many other countries consider “football” to be what we call soccer. However, we have our own sport, in the likes of rugby, that is truly a national event.

Americans rely on cars so much, we are probably the only country that has accommodated the most drive-thru accessible businesses. Banks, Starbucks, pharmacies, fast-food - one thing America is about is convenience.