h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One of the things I love most about hootoo is all the random stuff I learn about lifestyles, etc, around the world. In some ways, things are the same all over. But every once in a while I read some random snippet what makes me say "whoa!" at just how different things can be. These aren't really important things- just little things I find fascinating.

For instance, I was peeking into a thread on "Ask" this morning which involved discussing about people texting while driving. I know nothing about the person involved in the accident the OP refers to, and the OP is a bit of an idiot anyway, so I hand't planned on joining the discussion- when that happens, I usually read the other posts anyway, if only to try to learn something.

Setting aside that texting/phoning while driving is dangerous- it's illegal in Chicago, though I seldom see enforcement- and all the other important stuff being discussed in that thread, only one bit stuck in my head. Apparently the driver in the incident the OP was talking about was driving 60mph on a stretch of highway. My intial reaction was "jaysus- why was he driving so fast?"... and later in the discussion something was said to the effect that someone doing 60mph was driving slowly.

I found this fascinating. And I find myself reacting to various things this way quite frequently.

So... if anyone's actually reading this, what was the last thing you heard or read about the US or other forrin' parts, that stuck out in a "I can't believe they do that" kind of way?

And what kinds of things do you hear or read that make you say "no, we're not REALLY like that in ".

I'll give that some thought.

But I suppose an obvious one (and I'm afraid this is a bit of stereotyping around the USanian geographic isolation)...it's when USAnians don't seem to realise that people do things differently overseas. Like drive differently. Or speak other languages. Or don't have ludicrously cheap gas, like they do. Or don't regard Socialism as inherently scary (although...).


Ooh! Here's one! Your money. Your bills are all the same size and colour!!! As Chris Rock says:
'Stevie Wonder...he's got all that money and doesn't even know if it's in singles or hundreds!'


btw...speed limit on any 'dual carriageway' is 70mph, unless otherwise specified. 60mph on single carriageway, outside built-up areas. On motorways, 70 is regularly exceeded.
Just after I arrived in Canada, someone showed me how it was that all their bills are different colours.

Sending a heavily armed police squad into a house in the wee hours of the morning to arrest an 11 year old boy who a neighbour claims has watched touching his little sister in a way he shouldn't. Keeping said boy in jail for weeks.
Watching this on tv was then a reason that I decided that I will *never ever* go to the USA.

And while we're on the US: not inviting children to weddings!

That water meters aren't compulsory in the UK, hence resulting in an incredibly waste of drinking water.

Or for a different country, for a change:

In Romania, they seem to never have heard of fences. There are walls around the gardens - four stones high and an ornamental stone, the same everywhere, must've been one factory "owned by the people" producing them - but not fences. The horses and cows, of which there are a fair few, are generally tethered, and often escape. In the rural areas, you often see a horde of teenage boys on mopeds chasing a horse because the farmer needs it for his wagon

I've never heard that particular story, Bel. I suppose it happened too long ago for me to find anything about it. Not saying I don't believe it- just that I don't hear of things like that happenng around me. Did they really send in a SWAT team? Seems a bit extreme- sending regular police around with a warrant should have been sufficient.


(If that little boy *was* touching his little sister inappropriately, it should be the parents who were punished- the little boy most likely just needed some counseling. I never think it's right to punish a child for being the recipient of bad parenting. And I'd certainly hope that in cases where neighbors claim to see things, that proper law enforcement procedures were followed.)

I suppose I put myself at risk of sounding like one of the stereotypical eejit Americans when I comment on how some of the little aspects of life other places just fascinates me. Part of my curiousity is based in wanting to understand my friends from far-off places a bit better. If you know what I mean. And I certainly would hope that someone who had even a passing interest in visiting the US sometime wasn't put off by an isolated incident that may or may not have been reported accurately or completely. But then there are places I'm leery of visiting for the same reasons- which is why I like when you lot can explain the confusing bits away for me.

RE: speed limits- yours aren't all that much higher than ours. Highway- 65mph except construction zones, which are 45mph. City of Chicago- 15mph-35mph depending on how many lanes a street has and whether it's a side street or a throughway. Or if it's a residential area or a stretch of open road. So 60mph wouldn't really be considered going slow unless you're the sort to disregard speed limits when there's not a lot of traffic?

Well, just last year, an American kid was led from his kindergarten in handcuffs, and now has a permanent record as a sex offender. His crime? Touching his teacher's breasts with his head while giving her a hug! The height difference alone would make it impossible to do otherwise...

Isolated incidents, true, but this quickness to take offence (and to sue) isn't found anywhere else.

>And while we're on the US: not inviting children to weddings!

Actually, lots of people invite children to weddings. At two of the last three I've attended, there were unfortunately children present. I personally think they should be with a babysitter and not attending adult affairs, but that's just my opinion.

See, that's what I don't get. "Adult affairs"? It's a party! Over here, if you don't have enough children coming, you invite distant friends just because they have kids

Now not fencing in one's horses, etc, just seems silly to me.

That all Americans are quick to sue is a bit of a misconception. Of course the way the courts are set up is so that everyone has a fair chance of having a day in court if they're wronged. But lots of frivolous cases are thrown out- and when they're not, well, it's part of the price you pay for having a jury system.

And I'll agree that perhaps registering the child as a sex offender was a bit ridiculous, but that little boy's parents should have been reprimanded for not teaching him that touching women's breasts without their permission is not appropriate.

Exactly- a party. Not a venue for children. Unless it's a party with clowns and ponies, in which case the only adults present need be chaperones. A formal dinner, with an open bar and a four course meal? Not a place for a bunch of rugrats to be running around whining and ramming into people.

Backing up the truck a bit...

If there are no water meters in the UK, how do they know how much to bill everyone for?

It's been a while, PC, and that little boy only got out of jail because he was of Swiss nationality. His family returned to Switzerland afterwards. I don't recall the name of the boy, or else I'd have googled for it. And no, I'm convinced that this is not what generally happens, but the mere fact that it can (and did) happen in a so-called civilised country is very scary, tbh.

Germany is the only country where you pay taxes for the church if you are a member (hich you automatically are the moment you are baptised). Churches here are more and more greedy, since 01.01.09 you even have to pay them taxes for the interests on your savings.

I suppose it's just different ideas of personal space. If a four-year-old touched me like that, I'd just be happy that he's comfortable around me. Breasts are, primarily, tools for feeding children. If men go at them, that's just a side effect...

I think they charge a fixed sum (that's hat I understand), so there is absolutely no incentive for anybody to save on drinking water. Add to that that the pipes leading to the homes are often rotten and lose an enormous amount of water even before it arrives at its destination, and you see the problem.

That reminds me. When we'd just moved to California - fresh off the boat, as it were - my class took a field trip to the beach. I was seven at the time, and just quite naturally started undressing to change into my swimsuit right there on the beach. Shocked the teacher. She dragged me off to the changing rooms, and I had no idea what I'd done wrong. Spoke very little English, too, so I didn't really understand what she was saying, just that she was angry!

I agree Bel, that if and when things like that happen, it is scary. And just because I didn't hear about it or can't find anything about it now doesn't make it any less so.

Personally I'm not one of those hard core law & order types who thinks the cops are always right and that everyone who's accused of anything is guilty. But one thing *I* find appalling about the US is that a lot of parents are either horribly abusive, or insanely permissive, and lots of these permissive parents are too busy or whatever to instill any sort of discipline or respect in their children. It's not the children's fault- it's the fault of the parents.

Well now I see no reason for a little girl of seven not to change in front of her classmates if she's comfortable doing so, as long as no one's being fondled or anything. But you know most USAnians are uncomfortable with nudity. You've got me on another one that baffles me about my own people...

We recently saw a film on TV, during Sunday Prime Time. It was an old teenager slasher movie. You know the kind. Well, they'd edited out all the cuss words and nudity, but left in *all* of the killings. Whereas it would make more sense to me to think that what would make a film inappropriate for kids under a certain age would be violence, not nudity? (I've seen interesting documentaries about this phenomenon...)

Oh well, each country has its own problems, eh?

I'd really love to see the USA, the deserts, the Rockies, it must be absolutely breath-taking. I'm sure most people are absolutely lovely, too.