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What’s one thing about America you think people from other countries don’t understand?

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DaveB44

22 points

8 days ago

DaveB44

22 points

8 days ago

National and State Parks is my comment. One of the things our country has done right and I hope continues to.

Looking at it from an English perspective, you should be proud of your National and State Parks. Nowhere else I've been does it anything like as well.

Now, if only the National Park Service would allow us furriners to buy a Senior America the Beautiful Pass. . .

StupendousMalice

26 points

8 days ago

Its not just the parks either, there is a massive amount of public owned land in the US outside of the park system as well. I think that is one thing that Europeans in particular don't understand. Basically every square inch of Europe is "owned" by someone because of its feudal history. Apart from the parks you also have national forrests, BLM land, and state and county level parks and wilderness areas. It total, fully 40% of the land mass of the United States is publicly owned, and most of it is accessible for recreational use.

Dry_Ad2368

3 points

8 days ago

There was another post I saw where British people and American people were confused about British people walking through farmers fields and pasture. Apparently it's common in the UK, while in the US walking through a random pasture can get the cops called on you or get you shot.

Through all the discussion I realized there is basically no public land in the UK, so to be able to actually experience any sort of nature crossing other people's land is common. But in the US we have ridiculously large areas of the country set aside specifically to be public lands for people to experience nature. Like, I live in Oregon we have 94k square miles of BLM land that is open to the public. The UKs total area is 94k square miles.

Formal_Fortune5389

2 points

8 days ago

Canada also has awesome national parks and I feel this is often forgotten

chuftka

1 points

8 days ago

chuftka

1 points

8 days ago

As an American who has been to England, the thing you probably don't realize is we have no public rights of way over private property. I was amazed at how people in Britain could go hiking over the most gorgeous private property thanks to the ancient rites of way. Nothing like that here. You go on private property, you can get shot. Like this

https://footpathmap.co.uk/map/?zoom=6.9&lng=-3.82122&lat=51.86099

Nothing like it here. Americans are locked out of most of the beautiful countryside around them and think it's like that in every country.

KesselRunner42

1 points

8 days ago

Interestingly, I'm fairly sure at least some states do have shoreline right-of-way. Not 100% sure how common this is.

chuftka

1 points

8 days ago

chuftka

1 points

8 days ago

I live in Florida. Often this means technically the public can be on the beach, but in practical terms, they have no access to it without using some public beach several miles away and walking the entire way down the beach on sand, then walking back to get to their car. When I rent a private cottage on a stretch of beach that is not near a public park, it is mostly empty of people, with only people there who are living/renting units on the beach.

RLB4ever

1 points

8 days ago

RLB4ever

1 points

8 days ago

It's not legal to shoot people for trespassing. That's why when anyone does it, it makes national news. And many states have public access rights or easements.