Cultural differences between USA and EUROPE

HANUMANTHA YALAMANCHILI

Government system

USA EUROPE

CongressTwo parties – center

right and right but lack influential left wing parties

ParliamentRare to have less

than 3 main parties – usually 4 to 5 parties making it less bi-polar

FBI/ EPA

USA EUROPE

Is more aggressive ex – car chases , break

into house’s with guns shouting police don’t” move , hands on your head.

legality of guns – makes daily life and one's own sense of safety different from Europe

Not much aggressive.Such scenes almost

non-existent in Europe.

Not very liberal with gun laws

CARS

CHRYSLER BMW

Preference for automatic ones.

Size matters – cars tend to be massive and square ex – pick up trucks and limousines.

Consider small cars unsafe to travel.

Average mileage – 20 - 30

Most of them are with gears. Pick up trucks almost

unseen. Round design. Small cars owing to the road

system. Average mileage – 40 to 60

DRIVING

Interstate Motor way

Driving 100 miles is near. Not used to going out of

country. Only one in five Americans have a passport

low gas taxes, low car taxes, few tolls, strict zoning, free parking space , low speed limits, lots of traffic enforcement, and lots of congestion.

Driving 100 miles is far.Owing to smaller size

more used to travelling abroad.

have high gas taxes, high car taxes, lots of tolls, almost no free parking, high speed limits (often none at all), little traffic enforcement, and very little congestion.

Ancient

200 year old 2000 year old

100 year old church is house is considered old.

300 years is ancient

100 year old church or house is considered new.

3000 years is ancient

Public transportation

Fly over's for self Fly over's for public

Public transportation

Car Bicycle

Car is a basic necessity.

Its only a Childs dream to travel in trains

People get around on their own power.

 Europe has a far better rail network than the U.S., and the same is true for buses, especially in small towns and rural areas

Car life or relaxed life

Convenience [ usa ] Community [ Eu ]

Paper cups and plates.

Fast foodTrash means any.Drive through

Very rarely seen [except UK.].

Hard to find.Kitchen trash means

only kitchen waste. Separate bins for glass and paper at the corner of the street.

Cannot be seen anywhere in Eu.

USA Europe

Stress.Vacation here means

eat ,sleep and party as travelling is expensive for many small job holders.

At least one murder can be heard off any time a news channel is turned on .

Any time food.

Relaxed life styleMany employees gets a

paid vacation.Happiest country and

safest country in the world are in Europe.

Tough to get food or shop on Sundays other than some international food shops in the city center.

Religion

USA EUROPE

Americans are much more religious.

Churches are very popular and a way for socializing.

Europe is generally much more liberal with more socialist ideas. Religion isn't a big part of most peoples lives, and morals are often based on whether something causes harm or not, rather than what has traditionally been seen as right or wrong for arbitrary reasons.

Religion

USA EUROPE

God is often mentioned by American politicians.

Would be offensive to claim for some one that they don’t believe in god.

Never heard from Eu. Politicians.

It’s the opposite – In modern Europe religion is limited to elderly.

EMPLOYEMENT

USA EUROPE

Can hire and fire any time – that’s the contract you sign before joining a job.

The attitude to work is very different. Employees generally have much greater freedoms and rights. In general there's more of a community feel; a belief that to make great things happen people need to support each other rather than compete with each other.

Older people

Why cant I drive a car Why cant I get into a bus

Cant I have fun?

beer wine

Beer is Americans favorite drink.

Marijuana – illegal.How many people get

arrested for drugs? Why don’t we legalize?

Prostitution is illegal

Its wine here.The belief is - people

are not going to stop the use , so legalize it.

Legal in Netherlands, and tolerable in many parts of Europe. Same with drugs too.

Dating and marriage

Dating and marriage

Americans marry more and divorce more.

Wedding ceremonies are important and formal.

Way of proposing or buying an expensive ring is important.

Men know that the woman does not like them if she insists to split the bill at the end of the date.

Completely optional. It is an informal family

gathering. No need of buying an

expensive ring. Splitting the bill is more

common among couples and friends.

- Other differences

May 1st is a national holiday in Eu. , but not in the usa.

Circumcision is often unheard off in Europe, while its more common.

Emphasis is put on culture and languages in Eu. , whereas here it is on religion and ethnicities. Ex – fun of religions is quite acceptable in Europe , while calling French people cheese eating monkeys would be an offense because of the importance of cheese eating in French culture

- Other differences

Advertising – Giant bill boards among highways are common here , while in Europe they are seen as distraction.

- Very uncommon to see people wearing inflatable costumes in European streets to promote products.

.Schooling – Education is free in many Eu . Countries , while in America parents have to save for years for their kids to get into a university.

- Universities require entrance exams to get into, while in Eu they are not needed. [ except uk ]

Other differences

 In the United States it is common for a hospital to refuse to treat a critically ill patient if they are not insured or are not US citizens. In Europe such a concept is considered ancient and uncivilized.

In the US, doctors sometimes refuse to treat or prescribe the right options to a patient if the doctor’s religious beliefs go against what is medically best for the patient. It happens most often in cases of abortion, birth control and treating homosexuals where the doctors’ medical ethics conflict with their religious beliefs. Such an act in Europe would lead to cancellation of a doctor’s license to practice for violation of the Hippocratic Oath.

GAS

What I love about Americans•So well connected; social networking and apps are so well integrated into America compared to other places I’ve been. I love how much America has embraced the use of Internet to so many levels.•American girls: While I find American girls to be a bit less feminine than they are in most countries , they compete with men in all fields , and yet many do not expect men to do house hold works [ need to research more ] •Many friends: Its easier to make friends than in Europe•Countryside diversity and so much to do: As well as some great people, there are some incredible sites – and you can get a whole world of climates within America. To this day, the Grand Canyon remains one of the most impressive sites I’ve ever seen. It’s also so much fun to visit any city – if you know the right people or even use travel websites you’ll always have plenty to keep you busy!•Open mindedness and diversity: Despite what I’ve said in this post, America is a very special country with so much going for it! I thoroughly enjoy my conversations with people there, and it’s one of the few places that I could write a post like this and still be welcome to come back later       And I will!