British Dad Reacts: 25 Things the World Gets WRONG About America

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-04

[00:00:00]I was told by a fellow Englishman to react to this video because apparently there's going to be a lot in it that I simply won't agree with. So, uh, here we go. As always on this channel, I will be truthful. I will be honest, and hopefully you will be able to see what a true British dad's perspective is on all of the things that this guy is saying.

[00:00:19]Um, hey, I am trying to make videos more often. I got some good sports ones coming up. I react to a little bit of freedom and stuff that I've never seen before. Uh, please hit me with subscription if you would like and let's check out this video. Let's see if it actually gets me riled up or if I agree with any of it. I'm Mike with List 25 and these are 25 common misconceptions about the United States that simply aren't true. And as a very important note, this list was produced by both a United States citizen and two European citizens that relocated to the United States.

[00:00:53]>> Okay, >> it's written to be as fair as possible.

[00:00:56]I don't know about that.

[00:00:58]>> No, that that I'm not I'm not two Europeans.

[00:01:02]Okay.

[00:01:03]>> Or am I?

[00:01:05]>> Not.

[00:01:05]>> All right. Let's begin with a really common thought. Americans are ignorant about the world. Americans are held to an unrealistic standard. Since the rest of the world watch our movies and listen to our music, they know a lot about our country.

[00:01:19]>> Yeah.

[00:01:20]>> Let's be honest, they never studied it.

[00:01:22]People actually complain that Americans don't even know that Czechoslovakia doesn't exist anymore, but neither does half the United Kingdom and they're on the same continent.

[00:01:31]>> Which part of the United Kingdom we're talking about here? Because like there's a very big difference depending where you live. Uh you talking about the English man or you talking about the English people?

[00:01:45]It turns out that all of us are pretty bad at geography.

[00:01:49]You'd think America would be better at it. However, considering another common thawn is that America spends its days spying on everyone.

[00:01:57]And that's true. But >> long as you're not watching me in the shower, I don't care.

[00:02:02]>> Actually, that's a lie. You can totally do that.

[00:02:05]>> Ow.

[00:02:06]>> Who doesn't? Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, Iceland, and all the rest of us spy on each other and ourselves.

[00:02:13]>> Very true.

[00:02:14]>> Moving on. America has been called racist. Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not going to take it the wrong way at all because in my own country, my own country, you get called racist just for hanging our own flag. Okay? So, like you can't do anything without getting called racist nowadays. The media will portray you as that no matter what.

[00:02:35]Like, no matter what. And you know what?

[00:02:38]I don't trust mainstream media at all.

[00:02:40]Not one little bit. It will tell you America's the bad guy or the English people are the bad guy or this the bad guy. like like I I'm I'm done with it, man. I don't trust none of it. I will live my life and judge my opinions of the actions of others that I see myself.

[00:02:56]Forget about all of that.

[00:02:57]>> Racism definitely exists and it makes the news. But you know what else?

[00:03:03]America also has a vicious media and all of the world watches it >> sometimes more than their own media.

[00:03:09]>> This is another very important thing to think about. Like I know American media is like all over the place. fake news or whatever you want to call it and everything like that. But English media is the most controlled media in the world in the world. I say that without a single doubt in my mind.

[00:03:29]>> So when something super bad happens in other countries, it might not even make the back page.

[00:03:35]>> Yeah.

[00:03:36]>> Next. It's a common misconception that Americans don't use public transport.

[00:03:40]>> Yeah. Maybe in the big cities, but like if I lived in one of them small towns, like, you know, I'm going to work my ass off until I get one of them trucks.

[00:03:48]Well, I want a truck. I want an American truck. That's I would really like an American truck. Like, I mean, one of those things won't even fit down the street I live in. But I still want an American truck.

[00:03:59]>> Well, it's true that we use cars a lot.

[00:04:01]Many regions in America have great public transport, or at least just as good as Europe. Okay, >> besides, what good is a train if nobody can afford it? We're looking at you, UK.

[00:04:13]>> Hey, he's not wrong. I feel we're going to get roasted a lot in this video.

[00:04:18]>> Moving on. America does slash has slash is fill in the blank. America is far from being a unified entity. Each state has its own laws, cultures, and quirks.

[00:04:31]Some states have the death penalty, some don't. Some have strict gun laws and some don't.

[00:04:38]>> Some have free college. Some don't.

[00:04:41]>> Some have tax and >> yeah, some don't.

[00:04:44]>> Some don't.

[00:04:45]>> So, just like you can't say Europe is so and so, >> you can't say the same about the US.

[00:04:51]>> Okay.

[00:04:51]>> As an additional note, the states are far more independent than many of us realize. In fact, every state even has its own military known as the guard.

[00:05:00]Furthermore, some states pass legislation that directly contradicts the federal government. This is because in the US, the federal government is not the highest authority. The states are >> the federal government is not the highest authority. The states are.

[00:05:15]That's really like amazing to think about. I mean, in England, we have counties, but the fact that like you guys treat each state as kind of like its own country, that's that's what I'm getting the feeling of. And you've got your own guard, you've got your own military for each one, like that. That that's that's really a very interesting way to do it. The fact that the state can outlaw the national government, like wow.

[00:05:41]>> To further establish the fact that America isn't a single entity, many believe that Americans only speak one language. But that's no different from the rest of the world.

[00:05:50]>> True.

[00:05:50]>> Have you ever been to France or the UK or Italy? Or how about China? Most of them only speak one language, too. That being said, over 20% of the US is bilingual.

[00:06:03]Now, let's talk about the military.

[00:06:06]>> Here we go.

[00:06:08]>> Because people outside the US will preach that America's military does.

[00:06:13]Again, fill in the blank. Nobody is naive enough to think that the US doesn't have selfish interests in mind when it invades a country. There isn't a nation on earth that would do that selflessly. Okay, selflessly is a big word. Just look at the amount of people that are now not under oppression because of the actions that America has taken within the past year. But whenever the bad goes down, it's just as common for other countries to complain that America should do something.

[00:06:39]>> People's looking at this all wrong. Like why is the other countries not doing something about it? Why is the whole world not joining together to stop these kinds of things happening in the world?

[00:06:48]Like I'm going to quote Spider-Man, okay? With great power comes great responsibility. And tell you what, if the rest of the world has that responsibility and they're not using that power, then that's on the rest of the world. I'm going to quote another couple of absolute legends as well.

[00:07:06]Okay. Ice Cube and Mr. Toby Keith. You better jiggity check yourself before you rigidity wreck yourself cuz Uncle Sam's boot in your ass is bad for your health.

[00:07:19]Man, that felt good seeing.

[00:07:22]On a more or less lighter note, Americans are fat.

[00:07:32]Uh, you ever been to the UK lately?

[00:07:34]>> Whoa.

[00:07:35]>> There scandals because obese patients are getting turned down for surgery.

[00:07:40]>> Yes, America does have an obesity problem, but not all citizens are involved in it. I am. I think this is a problem in all first world countries.

[00:07:49]But like since we're talking about America, you're also talking about a country that's more obsessed with sports than anywhere else in the world. From a very young age, they have so many athletes and they support each other in all these things that they do. But also, they have like a huge military presence, like the biggest in the world and everything like that. So yeah, it is a massive first world country. But I'm not going to lie to you, right? If I ever get the chance to retire, right, and I'm on some ranch in America somewhere, I got my own little bit of property and stuff like that, I'm going to put on a little bit of timber. I am I'm going to be happy if I've got my own land. I got my beautiful family. I'm going to relax a little bit and I'm going to put on a little bit of that dad weight. You know what I'm saying? Nah, bro. It's just a first world thing.

[00:08:35]A big part of the United States is fairly healthconscious and is consistently working to help the overweight population better their lives. Thanks healthy people. And while we aren't perfect, many complain that America is worse than other developed nations in well everything.

[00:08:53]>> There are many statistics child mortality literacy etc where the US falls behind countries like Norway and Iceland. But those statistics are based on averages. In Norway, most of the 5 million inhabitants are rich, white, and Norwegian.

[00:09:07]>> I feel like it's the same thing here in England. Like, if you took someone from the countryside or a small town, I'm not talking about council estates. Uh you tend to find families stay together a lot more, but if you took someone from like maybe a big city like Birmingham, you'll usually find that um their cousin and their wife is the same person.

[00:09:32]Yeah.

[00:09:33]I got to edit that out.

[00:09:37]>> If you took a similar sample of rich white Americans in the US, you would find that the statistics are almost exactly the same. The fact is that the US is hugely diverse and the American experience is completely different with and without money.

[00:09:53]>> Translation, the problem isn't healthcare or education, it's economic inequality almost exclusively.

[00:10:01]And speaking of inequality, many make the simple but powerful assumption that America just isn't safe.

[00:10:07]>> This is usually what foreign citizens say until they actually come here.

[00:10:11]>> Actually, I've got a really strong opinion on this. In one of my previous videos, I showed that in England, um, the crime rate per thousand people, right, starts at 40 per thousand people.

[00:10:24]Now, in Chicago, which is just a random city that I picked, it showed that the crime rate in Chicago was 40 per thousand people. Like I just said, England starts at 40 per thousand people. Now, where I'm from, which just so happens to unfortunately be the number one place for crime in England, the crime rate is 172 per thousand people.

[00:10:46]I personally, and I know this might lose me a couple of subscribers, but I personally believe that no guns equals more crime. Like for example, in small town America, right, do you really think that it is a common occurrence for you to get the watch taken off your wrist?

[00:11:04]If you think that there's a good chance that that person's got a gun, it's not going to happen very often.

[00:11:10]you try wearing a fancy watch and going walking around London. You should just give that a try. In fact, actually, don't don't try that at all. It is very good advice not to do that. Okay. Um I believe quite the opposite. I believe that America is a much safer place, especially in the small towns.

[00:11:32]>> By this same logic, Paris, Brussels, London, Madrid, and almost every other city in Europe is unsafe as well.

[00:11:38]>> True. Yes, there are guns, but most Americans have never seen or heard a gun being fired.

[00:11:44]>> Oh, >> in fact, most Swiss citizens are much more familiar with gunfire than us Americans.

[00:11:48]>> I didn't know.

[00:11:49]>> All this being said, so far, people still expect all Americans to relish in a life of our stereotypes. Guns, fast food, and freedom. Okay, so you replace the fast food bit that he just said with some of your home-cooked meals and then some of them barbecues I've seen you guys make. Then that sounds like a pretty good life to me. But the key word that he just said that's just going to get skipped over, he said the word freedom. Now, you guys might not think it because you kind of take it for granted, but um well, not all of you take it for granted, but that's something I think about a lot. I think about that a lot. A lot. The older I get, the more I think about it, the more I see my country, the more I wonder about that word freedom.

[00:12:35]What I'm saying is a lot of the world looks at America as overly patriotic.

[00:12:40]But here's an honest question. Have you ever met a Russian, Australian, a proud member of the UK? Overly patriotic.

[00:12:49]Surely every country should be patriotic, right? But what he just said there was a proud member of the UK. That makes me think that this video is old because a proud member of the UK is now called something else and that begins with an R. I'll let you guess what that word is.

[00:13:03]There's no shame in having pride in your country. Us Americans are definitely patriotic, but so is the rest of the world, as they should be. It's not a crime to be proud of where you came from.

[00:13:14]>> Can you say that again one more time just for the English people in the back?

[00:13:18]>> It's not a crime to be proud of where you came from, but that doesn't stop others from thinking we only complain and boast about America whenever we travel abroad.

[00:13:28]>> We don't think that.

[00:13:28]>> This is largely anecdotal. In America, Americans like to complain just like the rest of us. Only a few of them ever even leave the country. So, you're meeting an unrepresentative sample. But in their defense, many times they're right. Yes, this can hit hard in the pride spot, but maybe Europeans could stand to smile a bit more, right?

[00:13:51]>> Yep.

[00:13:51]>> No. Okay, fine. Back to the >> I agree.

[00:13:55]>> Leave me alone face. By the way, that part was written for our European representative by our European represent.

[00:14:02]>> He's right.

[00:14:05]>> I love all of you. Anyways, statistics viewed by outsiders show that the US is lagging behind. Similar to topics we've already discussed, there's another factor that we have to take into account. Reporting. Every nation reports its own statistics. This means that making statistical comparisons between two developed nations like the US and the UK is an exercise in futility. The data is just too close and won't reveal much except that the US counts people one way and the US counts them another.

[00:14:37]I totally agree. I don't trust my own government statistics at all because I could Google one thing, it'll show me some statistics and then I can go to my own town center of where I live and see that that is completely untrue.

[00:14:51]strange.

[00:14:52]>> That still doesn't make this misconception true. Americans are fake.

[00:14:58]Here's the thing. In Europe, citizens are almost proud of the fact that they're really standoffish.

[00:15:04]But once you get to know them, they're your friend for life. We're not proud of that at all. Back when I was a kid, you used to be able to go to a bus stop and while you were waiting for the bus, you'd be able to talk to anyone else who was waiting for the bus as well.

[00:15:15]Nowadays, it it's not like that at all.

[00:15:18]Nobody talks to each other. They simply don't. I used to be able to make friendships just by simply walking past someone on a regular basis and say good morning and that was it. And then eventually you start talking. If I do that to somebody that I don't know now, I'm the weirdo.

[00:15:39]It makes no sense.

[00:15:41]>> Well, here's a news flash. Once you get to know an American, they'll also be your friend for life. The thing is though, they don't use this as an excuse to be a jerk in the beginning.

[00:15:52]>> This list sounds great coming from an American.

[00:15:54]>> I was totally the one who should have read this one, but I digress. On a totally different but very popular misconception, Americans are the only ones who call football soccer.

[00:16:04]>> No, no, no, no, no.

[00:16:05]>> Actually, a lot of the world calls it soccer. Even parts of Ireland still call it soccer. Oh, what what do I mean by still? I'm glad you asked.

[00:16:15]>> I did not. It was actually the British who coined the term soccer.

[00:16:18]>> I know >> the word soccer is an abbreviation of association.

[00:16:23]>> I'm unsure as to why most English people don't know this, but to be honest, I'm not into English football, uh, soccer, um, as much anymore because it's just they fall over for any reason at all.

[00:16:37]And it's just it's just like it's not the same. When you were a kid, you used to smash into each other and continue with the game. That was it. It was just fun. But it seems like they try to fall over like ah man. Just you know what? We take the L on this one. Okay. And I'm okay with that.

[00:16:59]>> And first appeared in universities in the 1880s, sometime using the variant spelled soccer with a K. The word is sometimes credited to Charles Reford Brown, an Oxford University student said to have been fond of shortened forms such as Breers for breakfast and rugger for rugby football.

[00:17:17]>> Breers.

[00:17:18]>> Britain actually started using the word football in the late 20th century, possibly because people incorrectly saw it as an Americanism.

[00:17:26]>> This next one, Tristan couldn't believe.

[00:17:28]Could you not?

[00:17:29]>> I'm learning something.

[00:17:31]>> Here we go. To our American viewers, did you know that people in Europe make fun of you for using air conditioning?

[00:17:37]>> Do we?

[00:17:39]>> Why do they need it? Why don't they just leave the window open? At least in Florida. But here's why they might be joining us soon.

[00:17:47]>> During the 2003 European heat wave, 70,000 people died.

[00:17:51]>> This was in large part due to the fact that European homes and buildings are not typically equipped with air conditioning. We live in a >> while they laugh at the Americans for this. Hotter summers are going to force them to take appropriate measures, >> especially since children and the elderly are very susceptible.

[00:18:06]>> Again, I stand by mosquitoes. I'm not opening my window in the in the summer.

[00:18:11]>> Winter, absolutely. Open windows.

[00:18:14]>> Okay, >> moving into the top nine. That's a >> different weather condition.

[00:18:18]>> A weird number. Top nine.

[00:18:20]>> Top nine. Many parts of the world accuse the United States of accounting for 25 nice percent of the world's carbon emissions. Not so nice. But it also accounts for 25 nice percent of the world's economic activity. The truth is that several nations, including countries like Canada, have higher per capita emissions than the US.

[00:18:38]>> That's actually quite >> talk about how the world thinks Americans are ruining English.

[00:18:43]>> Actually, here we go.

[00:18:45]>> British English and American English have diverged from a common 16th century ancestral standard.

[00:18:50]>> Okay. In some ways, American English is closer to the original than British English.

[00:18:55]>> All right, I'm dyslexic and like I read perfectly. Like there's nothing wrong with it. I mean, you all see how much I type back in the chat and everything like that, right? But but the way I spell things, it's it's the way it sounds. And for some weird reason, English spelling is not the way that the word sounds. Yet, when I type something out, the American spelling seems to make a lot more sense. If do you know what I mean? For example, American English has for the most part retained the language's rtosity, pronunciation of the R in words like hard, while British has for the most part dropped it.

[00:19:33]Furthermore, this shift in British English happened around the time of the American Revolution when wealthier Londoners wanted to distinguish themselves from the lower classes.

[00:19:41]>> So, who's the wealthy one?

[00:19:42]>> This is only one example, but it goes to show that British English is not an unchanging standard anymore than American English. We have a lot of access.

[00:19:50]>> On a totally different note, did you know that Americans don't all live in the suburbs?

[00:19:55]>> Nope. Not true.

[00:19:57]>> But I want >> The fact is that in America, you have plenty of people that live in cities like New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Boston, and the list goes on.

[00:20:06]>> In fact, several regions of the United States are very European, like the Northeast Corridor, for example. The difference between the US and Europe is that if you want to live in the suburbs in the US, you can. But you don't have to.

[00:20:20]>> All right.

[00:20:21]>> Now, this next one is just offensive.

[00:20:24]>> Good.

[00:20:25]>> Americans are all dumb rednecks.

[00:20:27]>> Oh, >> well, there are certainly Americans who fit this stereotype. The vast majority don't. Most Americans live in cities near the coasts. Most of them are educated and most of them are not very different from Europeans in any significant way. Every country has a less educated populace that themselves, >> even sophisticated nations like history.

[00:20:51]>> Um, fair warning, the uh last five on our list get a bit dark and crazy. Okay, starting with the idea that >> America is imperialistic.

[00:21:01]In many parts of Europe, the United States is seen as an aggressive imperial power, even more so than Russia and China.

[00:21:08]>> I can't speak for Europe, but as an Englishman, that is simply untrue. This is largely because our military presence both in Europe and everywhere else. But in our strong defense, Americans never forced you to watch our movies, quarter our soldiers, obey our laws, or get permission to leave your own countries.

[00:21:25]The Russians that did, and much, much more.

[00:21:28]>> Food for thought. After World War II, the Americans liberated and left. The Russians liberated and stayed.

[00:21:38]I'm not allowed to say what I'm thinking, but I bet you can guess it.

[00:21:43]>> All right, number four is sure to be a shocker to a lot of foreigners.

[00:21:48]Americans don't actually all walk around with guns.

[00:21:52]>> It's just not true.

[00:21:53]>> Oh my goodness.

[00:21:54]>> Except for a few places, the only people you'll ever see carrying guns in America are the police. In fact, you'll see more people walking around with guns in Switzerland than you ever would in America. We don't think you walk about with guns all of the time, but my personal opinion is I would feel a lot safer if I owned one and my government allowed me to protect my family.

[00:22:18]>> Okay, >> 100%.

[00:22:19]>> We admit that like most stereotypes, there is some truth to this next one, but it's been wildly blown out of proportion. Americans are all crazy Christian right-wingers.

[00:22:30]There's something so right about saying it with that accent. Yes, there are a lot of Christians in America and while some of them are crazy right-wingers.

[00:22:38]>> Okay, so controversial opinion again. Uh I think that this is one of the reasons that England has lost its way. Where is over 37,000 churches in England and they are some of the most empty buildings that you can imagine. The morals and the values that come with being a true Christian is what helps hold communities together. Um, you can agree with me or disagree with me, but I genuinely believe that when they stop doing the prayers in school, when they stop regularly attending church, when you stop living by those morals and values, that's when things fall apart. Okay?

[00:23:14]People need something to believe in.

[00:23:16]They need a set of morals and values to live by. And that will only improve themsel, their country, and the people around them. Like I know I will get a lot of hate from any English people in my comment section just for saying that.

[00:23:31]And you know what? If you do give me hate for saying that, then hey, you're part of the problem. Um that's my personal opinion.

[00:23:44]Make England Christian again.

[00:23:46]>> Most of them aren't. In fact, if you ever get a chance to go and stay with one of those crazy Christian families, you'll see that most of them are just genuinely sweet people that go to church on Sundays.

[00:23:57]>> So, I'm going to talk from experience since I started this YouTube journey.

[00:24:01]Okay? I've had some of the most nice, kind, well-mannered people, okay, talking to me, sending me prayers and well-wishes over and over again. I've had no hate. It's been nothing but love.

[00:24:14]There's so many people, the Christian people that he's talking about right now that has literally invited me over there and said if I ever get make it to America are more than welcome to come and they'll make a barbecue or they'll show me around and everything. So actions speak louder than words and the actions that I have seen has been nothing but genuine lovely people. I've replied to emails and I reply to messages on a daily basis as many as I can and every single one of them is absolutely lovely. Now you got to remember these are some of the most badass people in the world. Like I've said before, they are fully capable of defending themsel, their family. Most of them have fought for their country or their family has fought for their country and yet still they are kind, polite and well-mannered and welcoming.

[00:25:01]So yeah, bring that back. Bring back those Christian values to England and I do believe it will help a lot. This next one sounds like a legit stand-up joke.

[00:25:16]>> If you get injured and can't pay for it, you'll just die in the street.

[00:25:20]>> Oh, I've heard that one.

[00:25:21]>> Many people in Europe think this is what happens in America.

[00:25:23]>> Yeah.

[00:25:24]>> As with most things that concern America, they're wrong.

[00:25:27]>> You can't be denied emergency medical care in the US. That would go against the hypocratic oath.

[00:25:32]>> The difference is that you get a bill in the mail a few months later.

[00:25:36]>> I'm really glad to hear that you won't just refuse someone like medical attention. But also, yes, I'll be honest. It does shock me that um you guys can run up to hundreds of thousands, if not millions in debt for medical attention, like things that are needed. Injured children, people with life long illnesses and things like that um have to pay massive bills. Um, I'll be honest, this one does actually shock me a little bit. I guess I need to educate myself on it a little bit more. But, um, I would like to think that if, let's, god forbid, there is a child that needs chemotherapy or something like that, I would like to think that uh, there is a way that maybe that family doesn't have to suffer financially because they're already suffering enough.

[00:26:36]I need to educate myself more on the subject before I can speak anything about it. But um yeah, this one does shock me.

[00:26:44]>> Of course, debt is another issue, but let's get into that right now.

[00:26:49]>> We're all in debt.

[00:26:50]>> Americans are all in debt.

[00:26:53]>> Actually, European citizens carry more debt than Americans.

[00:26:56]>> Oh, >> the average household debt in the US, OECD, is 113% of the household's income.

[00:27:01]In the UK, it's 156%. In Sweden, 173.

[00:27:07]And in Denmark, it's a whopping 305%.

[00:27:11]>> So, what are some misconceptions about the US that you'd like cleared up? Or do you live in America and want to put a stereotype to rest?

[00:27:19]>> Let us know in the comments below or tweet your answer to us at list25.

[00:27:23]>> Okay, so I think that was quite interesting to see actually. Uh, I believe this video is 5 years old. So, I think a lot of uh opinions have changed in those past 5 years. Uh, like a lot.

[00:27:36]And there's been a lot of changes in the world in those past 5 years. I don't agree with everything on this list, but then again, I might be a bit different to others because for some reason, I have a fire burning inside of me to hopefully provide some sort of freedom to my country in some sort of way. So, compared to the average European, um maybe I have a little bit more passion.

[00:28:01]Um, if I can put it that way. So, yeah, I am a little bit biased when it comes to stuff like this, but only because I want more for my own country. Uh, and I'm inspired to see some of the things that go on over there with you guys. I mean, that's all I'm doing this channel for is to look for inspiration and hopefully somehow inspire in some small way my fellow countrymen. Uh, I am eternally grateful for the support on the videos recently. Like really, like I try to reply to almost every single comment, like every comment I try to reply to. So, thank you so much. And I only react to things that people recommend me. So, please keep the recommendations coming. Put it in the comments below and let me know if you have any misconceptions about British people. I would not I would like to I would like to do my own version of this only the other way around. I would like you to ask questions about British people and then me answer those questions. That would be really nice. I don't know if I'm a big enough YouTuber or anything to be able to do that, but um that would be really nice. Again, thank you for being here. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Much love and God bless.