Ah, the United States of America, the land of the free, the home of the brave, and, dare we say, the land of overrated things? Now, don’t get us wrong, the USA is a remarkable country with its fair share of greatness, but let’s be honest here – there are quite a few aspects that have been hyped up to the moon and back.
Someone asked, “What’s the most overrated thing about the U.S.?” Now, this thread received thousands of comments, but we have selected the top 20 overrated things in the US for you!
1. Hollywood
A discerning Reddit user commented, “Hollywood. It’s the total opposite of glamorous.”
Another replied, “Hollywood Blvd. It’s nothing but people trying to sell you worthless stuff and hand you ads.”
Someone else added, “Yup. It’s pretty nasty. And tiny too! I bet hobos make up half of the population of that city.”
Hollywood has this nasty habit of setting ridiculously high beauty standards. Have you seen those flawless, airbrushed magazine covers? They make us believe that we’re not good enough unless we look like supermodels or have six-pack abs.
2. New Year at Time Square
One said, “IMO: New Year at Times Square. In comparison to the displays around the world, the amount of time just purely waiting, and the hype around being crammed in such a small space without being able to use the bathroom because you might lose your spot…. I’ll pass. Edit: Wow, I didn’t realize how many people felt the same way. High fives to all of you!”
Another added, “Back in 2011-2012, my ex (who is not from NY) really wanted me to take her and some of her friends to see the ball drop. I told her literally 20 times that it would be a miserable experience. She kept insisting, saying things like, ‘It can’t be that bad’ or ‘You’re just exaggerating’. I finally gave in, knowing full well of the horror that was awaiting me.
We got to Broadway around 5 pm, and there were easily over 1 million people there. We had to get into these ‘paddocks’, which were large fenced-in areas at each block. Also, we were 15 blocks north of 42nd Street. We waited 7 hours with no food, water, or means of going to the bathroom (If you leave your spot, you had to go to the back of the line). The whole time, they were all complaining about how miserable they were.
Everyone we talked to there was not from NY, and to make matters worse, we almost got trampled to death a few times. At midnight, we couldn’t really see the ball due to the fact that Broadway runs a bit diagonal, and as soon as it was done, we left to find a bathroom. Nobody had fun, and they all wished that they stayed home and watched it on TV. There were a lot of ‘I told you so’s coming from me after that.”
So, after enduring hours of freezing cold and bladder torture, what do you get in the end? A 60-second countdown, a shiny ball dropping, and a few fireworks. And just like that, it’s all over.
3. The Famous Ones
A Reddit user wrote, “Pretty much every establishment that needs to use the word “famous”. There are way, way too many of them. World’s famous this, or nationwide favourite that. Sorry chuckles, but I’ve been in plenty of states, and even more countries; I’ve never heard of it in my life. Yeah. Overrating in the US is overrated.”
Another person agreed to it and said, “Madison Square Garden, I keep hearing, is the world’s “most famous arena”. Even though the Knicks have been stinking up the joint since the turn of the millennium.”
Do you think America’s “famous” places are seriously overrated?
4. Fake Ads
A Reddit user wrote, “The constant marketing and “everything is a chance to advertise” mindset. Even TV commercials are worse here (cheaper, louder, faker) than in other places; we’ve also got LOTS more of them. From one of my local VW dealers. Beware and watch at your own risk. Old fat Northern white guy dancing in Hawaiian shirt–literally thousands of kilometers from Hawai’i”
Another person shared similar thoughts and mentioned, “I was watching a football game today. A college one, mind you. It was like the Ford Pre-Game Show, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, etc etc etc. I’m gonna guess in a few years; we’ll have “The Apple 10-yard Line!
In the interviews, they’re handing the coaches and stuff Gatorade bottles and towels, holding it up in front of the camera for a second before he takes them… It’s disgusting. And this is “college sports,” a supposedly not-for-profit, educational endeavour… and no one seems to see how messed up it is.”
You’ve seen the commercials. They’ll promise flawless skin or weight loss miracles, but those are empty promises because these companies only want to make some quick bucks!
5. Hershey’s Chocolates
Let’s start with the taste, or should we say lack thereof? Hershey’s chocolates have this distinct flavor that some people describe as “unique,” but let’s call it what it is: a bit on the bland side. Sure, it’s sweet, but it lacks the depth and richness you expect from good-quality chocolate.
One user said “Hershey process” milk chocolate is popular in North America. It was invented by Milton S. Hershey, founder of The Hershey Company, and can be produced more cheaply than other processes since it is less sensitive to the freshness of the milk.
The process is a trade secret, but experts speculate that the milk is partially lipolyzed, producing butyric acid, which stabilizes the milk from further fermentation. This compound gives the product a particular sour, “tangy” taste, to which the American public has become accustomed, to the point that other manufacturers now add butyric acid to their milk chocolates.”
Another added, “Seriously, whats with that? Hershey’s has to be aware that their chocolate makes it taste like you just threw up in your mouth, and they’re ok with it. Why?”
6. Government
Ah, partisan politics, the bane of our existence. The government is divided into two camps, constantly bickering and fighting like schoolyard bullies. It’s like they forgot that they’re supposed to work for us, the people!
Someone commented, “The idea that members of Congress represent their constituents.”
Another responded, “I can complain if I don’t vote. I don’t know who you voted for, but the people on the ballot at the last election were people that I did not want running the country. The two-party system is a rigged sham. The media is corrupt and present a corrupt dichotomy. A vote for any of the people on my last ballot would have been a wasted vote.”
7. Florida
One said, “Florida. My god, that state is an awful place. Outside the US, Florida is massively hyped up as this amazing tourist destination FYI. There are so many other amazing places to go in the US.”
Someone else added, “”The only reason to visit Florida is to identify your daughter’s body.” – Patton Oswald (with a T)”
Yeah, you’ve heard the stories – outrageous headlines about bizarre crimes that make you question the sanity of these people. Florida has its own special brand of crazy, for sure. While it might make for entertaining headlines, it’s not exactly something to be proud of. Sorry, Florida, but your reputation precedes you.
8. Healthcare
Someone commented, “How good our healthcare system is. If I hear one more time that it’s the “best in the world”…”
Another person agreed to it and said, “Well, we do have some of the best doctors and hospitals. The problem comes with trying to pay for it.”
One replied, “I had a prof once tell us about the time he had back pain in the US. They had a nurse come in for 2 mins, a doctor come in for 30 secs, and a prescription written. It cost him $800, excluding the prescription.”
Healthcare in America is way too expensive! And don’t even get us started on prescription drug prices. It makes us question: why are they charging us an arm and a leg for something that should be accessible to everyone, right?
9. The Car Culture
A Reddit user wrote, “As an American who moved to Europe, for me, it’s car culture. Yes, it is amazing to drive down a windy road in the country, blaring music and stopping where you like. Driving in a city, tho is what most trips are for, and it SUCKS and I hate not having other options in most places. I much prefer living in a place with wonderful transport and cycling options and rent a car on weekends when I need one rather than take two tons of metal with me wherever I go.”
Another added, “It’s the country driving that actually I hate. Hours of boredom while utilizing 100% of your concentration if you’re being safe. All the wasted productivity. Or you can go through the nightmare of air travel. I think Amtrak is a better option if you’re someone who doesn’t like doing nothing for hours or being crammed into a sardine can with wheels/wings, and that’s saying something considering how behind America is on rail.”
Another person shared similar thoughts and mentioned, “Yup, the car culture is killing public space and life in the streets. I have actually written my bachelor thesis about that.”
Being stuck in traffic is a never-ending nightmare! We spend so much time stuck in our cars, wasting valuable hours of our lives that we could spend on more meaningful things, right?
10. Freedom
One user said, “Freedom. EDIT: Well seems my highest-voted comment made you discuss things, so at least we have that going. And to everyone making statements against this comment:
USA has a high poverty rate, a high rate of drug addicts(hard drugs), you have to pay huge amounts of money to get a higher education, not everyone can afford to see a doctor or get medical treatments, the government gets run by commercial interests, about 30% of the population is or have been in prison, your country spies on you constantly and any news can be grossly angled to suit someone else’s interest. Not even to mention the firearms policy or the fact that you go to war every 5 years or so.
So yeah, you have all the freedom, sure. The freedom comes only when you have enough money to pay your way out of everything. EDIT2: Cross the jail stuff that was hearsay. I was a bit wound up and didn’t check my sources. I’m sorry for that. I still believe it to be true that USA is less free than many other first world countries.”
Another responded, “We have less freedom than we both acknowledge and than many other first world countries. Thus overrated value of freedom. Not just overstated.”
Do you think the ‘American Freedom’ is overrated?
11. Las Vegas
A discerning Reddit user commented, “For me personally, it’s Vegas. It’s all winning and parties in the commercials. In reality, it’s having fun losing around $1000-2000 at the expensive casinos, more if you’re that kind of person and $200-500 at the lower-end casinos. Sometimes people win, yeah, but it’s extremely rare to get the ecstatic one million dollar jackpot.”
Another replied, “Wait, you mean those gigantic, luxury-filled, exuberant casinos are more in the business of taking money than giving it out?
I find people talking about becoming rich through gambling crazy; you are literally standing in a giant monument to the fact that the house always wins. There wouldn’t be a billion gambling/betting apps and shops if it wasn’t profitable.”
The bright light and the hotels might make you feel like a high roller, but let’s be real here. It’s all smoke and mirrors because, behind the glitz and glam, there’s a whole lot of bad vibes! You’ll find gamblers, crowds, and expensive food everywhere.
12. Land of Opportunity
A Reddit user wrote, “*Dependent upon socioeconomic class, race, gender, and immigration status.”
Another person agreed to it and said, “Oh yea, it was great for the generations before us, but with people moving in and jobs moving out, prices increasing and wages not (and other factors), it’s a lot harder to make that comfortable life.”
America might have opportunities, but let’s be real here – not everyone gets an equal shot at success.
13. Twinkies
One said, “Twinkies. They’re in so many books and films. It was such a letdown to finally eat one; they are awful.”
Another added, “I think they changed the recipe when Hostess declared bankruptcy a couple years ago. They aren’t nearly as good as they used to be.”
Twinkies have this reputation of being a heavenly, sweet indulgence, but let’s be honest here – the flavor is pretty meh.
14. Texas
Someone commented, “Texas. Everything is pretty much the same size in Texas.”
Someone else added, “I visit family in Austin, the least “Texan” place in Texas, at least twice a year, and everything is much bigger there. I went to a movie theater there and ordered a medium soda, thinking it would be a medium. Turns out a medium is about 1.5x the size of a large where I’m from. That and random stars everywhere, like people hanging metal stars on their fences and such.”
They say that everything’s bigger in Texas.” Yeah, Texas is huge, but bigger doesn’t always mean better, right?
15. Schools
One user wrote, “I’d say our education system. Not that some of our schools aren’t top quality, but the cost of it is absurd. Even a state school is expensive as hell.”
Another person shared similar thoughts and mentioned, “I wanted to consider grad school in the US, but those tuition fees… international, granted, but when your domestic is so high… I don’t know how you guys handle it.”
Someone commented, “Considering we’re force-fed growing up how important college is, state schools need to be much less expensive. I can understand schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Mines, etc., being pricey, but the fact that going to Colorado or Colorado State would have cost close to 15k a year is ridiculous.”
We’re told that higher education is the path to success, but at what cost? Many of us graduate with mountains of debt that take years, if not decades, to pay off.
16. McDonald’s
This user shared, “McDonald’s, not sure how that became a success here in the old continent.”
Another responded, “A Big Mac meal in Denmark costs more than a burger meal at a default burger joint. Yes, they are slightly quicker than the burger joint, but the taste ain’t quite there. Really mystified about their success.”
The fries might be addictive, but the rest of the menu? It’s a tasteless assembly line of blandness. The burgers are thin and flavorless, the chicken nuggets are like rubbery mystery meat, and don’t even get us started on the salads that are drowning in dressing!
17. Los Angeles
A Reddit user wrote, “Los Angeles. I don’t dislike it, but people outside California definitely hype it up; it’s not spectacular by any stretch of the imagination.”
Another added, “Los Angeles is a pretty bad place.”
One wrote, “I live in California, and I hate LA.”
Ah, the cost of living in Los Angeles is one hard punch in the wallet!
18. The American Dream
The American Dream promises equal opportunities, but not everyone starts at the same starting line! The playing field is far from level.
One user said, “”The American Dream.” Get a job. Go to college. Get married. Have kids. Pay for kids to go to college and get married. Retire, if possible. Die.”
A discerning Reddit user commented, “Honestly. The American dream is just a lifetime of preparation. You spend all of your schooling days preparing for the next stage of schooling, and then in college, you prepare for having a job. Once you have a job, you date people in preparation to get married, and once you get married, you prepare to have kids. Once you have kids, you prepare to send them to college, and once you do that, you prepare to retire. Then you just sit around, waiting to die.”
Another person agreed to it and said, “The American dream. For most people my age (30) struggling in decent jobs just to get by, the American dream is a myth.”
19. Democracy
Someone commented, “Democracy. Most politicians are just hand puppets for the big money corporations.”
Another responded, “That’s because USA’s democracy is broken. You vote in politicians that do what they want and not what the people they represent want or need. But what can you do when your system is so corrupt and rigged that it’s never a question of the best candidate but of the least bad one.”
We need to inspire and engage citizens, making them believe their participation can bring about meaningful change!
20. Disneyworld
A Reddit user wrote, “Disneyworld. Overpriced and overhyped.”
Another person shared similar thoughts and mentioned, “I agree with you. Going to Disney is way too much like work.”
Another added, “meh. I prefer Disneyland Paris. Their version of space mountain is waaay better than it is in merica land. EDIT: It’s also only a short drive from Paris and is way less crowded.”
Who wants to spend their precious vacation time standing in line? We really need a fast pass on life so we can skip the queues because Disneyworld is super overrated.
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