Strange Things Americans Do: Explained (part 2)

There’s no denying that the American Culture can sometimes be very strange. We don’t use the metric system, we (generally) don’t know how to drive manual cars and we love easy (but sometimes low quality) drive-through restaurants. If you’re questioning why Americans do such strange things, don’t worry! We’re here to answer your questions.

Here are some explanations for weird American behaviors.

Metric System

One of the most noticeable differences between the United States and the rest of the world is that Americans use the Imperial Measurement System instead of the Metric System. In fact, the United States is one of only three countries in the entire world that still doesn’t use the Metric System, and one of those countries (Myanmar) is in the process of switching over.

So, why do Americans still refuse to use the Metric System?

Why:

When Thomas Jefferson was writing the United States Constitution, the Metric System was still relatively new and was only used in France (where it was created). For that reason, the founding fathers of America decided to use the British Empire’s Imperial System of measurement instead of the Metric System. However, the Metric System quickly gained more popularity in other European countries and, eventually, the rest of the world.

The Metric System was so popular that there were several attempts to convince Americans to switch from the Imperial System to the Metric System. One attempt happened in 1975, when Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act. The Metric Conversion Act declared that the Metric System was the “preferred system of weights and measurements for the United States trade and commerce” but Americans still chose to use the Imperial System.

Although most Americans are still against completely adopting the Metric System, there are some examples of metric measurements sneaking into the American culture. For example, most drinks are measured in milliliters instead of pints and American footraces are measured in kilometers instead of miles (like 5K runs). Even the rulers in America have lines for both inches and millimeters.

Casual Fashion

If you look at historical photos from the early 1900’s, you’ll notice that people in the United States used to dress a lot nicer than they do now. Men would wear suits to class instead of T-shirts and women would wear nice dresses instead of leggings. So what caused the change? Why do Americans love wearing casual clothing?

Why:

Before World War 2, most Americans dressed like wealthy people by wearing suits and nice (but uncomfortable) dresses all the time. They thought that if they dressed like they were rich they would have more opportunities to be successful. However, World War 2 changed everything. Americans started to wear flexible, comfortable clothing because they were doing more manual-labor jobs. Women and men alike worked on building war machines and growing food for the soldiers in their gardens. After the war ended, people were so used to dressing casually that they refused to go back to wearing uncomfortable clothing.

People wanted their clothes to be comfortable, flexible and, eventually, they wanted them to be unique. Americans today not only wear casual clothing for comfort but also because they want to express their individual sense of style through their clothes.

Are you interested in learning more about the history of casual clothing in the United States? Check out this awesome article from the Washington Post!

Iced Everything

It is no secret that Americans LOVE ice. We drink ice tea and iced coffee all year round and are one of the biggest consumers of ice cream in the world. If you order water at a restaurant, the chances are that the glass will come filled to the brim with ice. (Whether you wanted that much ice or not.)

Why:

We can pretty much thank one man, Frederic ‘the Ice King’ Tudor, for America’s obsession with ice.

In the early 1800’s, Frederic’s company began to cut large ice chunks from frozen lakes in the north and ship them to warmer climates to preserve food and medicine. In a successful attempt to get more customers, Frederic started to advertise ice to people all across the North American Continent as a way for them to chill their drinks. Soon, tons of Americans were hooked on ice and, as they say, the rest was history.

College Sports Culture

Thousands of fans attend Iowa State Football and basketball games every year. These fans buy college jerseys, pay lots of money for good tickets and even plan entire months of their lives around college games. During an important Iowa State basketball game, you can find people camped out in front of Hilton Colosseum even in below-freezing temperatures.

So why do Americans love college sports so much?

Why:

A lot of people in America prefer college sports to national sports because they have a stronger connection to the universities. For example, there is no national football or basketball team in Iowa, but there are 3 major universities with excellent athletic teams. (Iowa State, University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.) Entire states tune in to watch in-state rivalry games like the Iowa versus Iowa State games.

 

Read part one of the Strange Things that Americans Do: Explained here!

Even though it is likely that you will experience moments of culture shock while in the United States, you are not alone. There are thousands of other international students or scholars on campus and the International Students and Scholars Office at Iowa State is always happy to help answer any questions about life in the United States.

What has confused you about the United States? Tweet at us or comment below and let us know!