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One of the most interesting things about traveling the world is noticing how people from your country are a bit different from the place you’re visiting. In America, you’re mostly around fellow countrymen so it’s hard to notice the things that make us stand out.

But when you travel abroad, you quickly notice that no matter how hard you try to blend in, there are a lot of dead giveaways that show people you’re from the states that go way beyond your accent.

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A Reddit user named ILoveTallWomen asked the online forum “Non-Americans of Reddit, what is a dead giveaway that somebody is American?” to see what they think makes us stand out. “I’m not American and am curious about what other foreigners think,” they added.

There was one answer that people in the thread repeated over and over again—Americans are very friendly people. Countless commenters noted that Americans will approach anyone and start up a conversation. As a person from the U.S., I think that’s a positive stereotype. There’s nothing wrong with being overly friendly.

​People also noted that Americans tend to carry themselves with a lot of confidence and have an abundance of infectious enthusiasm.

On the negative side of things, a lot of people also noted that Americans are loud and have questionable fashion sense. We stand out abroad because we love staying comfortable by wearing white socks and sneakers on just about any occasion.

Maybe we’re happy because our feet don’t hurt?

Here are 17 of the best responses to the dead giveaways that someone is American.

Upworthy Podcast: Dead Giveaways Someone is American

On a recent episode of Upworthy Weekly, hosts Alison Rosen and Tod Perry discuss the internet’s hottest, most uplifting and most amusing topics – including d…

1.

The most popular poster shared a list:

• Wearing sneakers with anything
• Big smiles, firm handshakes
• Lots of Northface products
• Renting Segways for sightseeing tours (sometimes using those on cobblestone)
• Using big adjectives generously (“Wow, your aunt’s kidney stones sound awesome!”, “This Euroshopper beer tastes great!”)
• Clapping and cheering
• Telling one’s whole life story within 15 minutes of meeting them
• Loving stories and narratives in general (which makes them fun companions) — [Deleted]

2.

“Apart from the accent? Mostly its the ‘prepared for anything’ look they have about them (fanny pack, backpack, bottled water, camera pouch) compared to various other tourists – Asians tend to herd together for safety, while Europeans vary between blend-right-in Scandinavian to designer-brands-everywhere French and traffic-laws-are-for-others Italian. But Americans are the only ones who seem to view a perfectly civilised, modern city like some kind of uncharted jungle that doesn’t have places to shelter in the rain or buy cheap bottled water.” — Yorkshire_Pudden

3.

“Incredibly loud but incredibly friendly.” — kevio17

4.

“I asked my wife (Japanese) she said ‘In Japan I can spot Americans by the way they dress. Compared to Europeans, Americans tend to lack fashion sense.'” — RegionFree

5.

“When you can hear them before you see them.” — C1t!zen_Erased

6.

“‘On the streets they are instantly recognizable. They walk in an ugly indifferent manner, usually with their hands in their pockets. Or they’re leaning against a pole or wall with a newspaper in their hand and gum in their mouth. According to the people who met them they are more human than the English, for example, whenever someone needs help they do it quicker and better than the English.’ — My Grandpa in the Netherlands. In a letter to his sister. June 4th 1945.” — MidnightWineRed

7.

“North Face jackets. I went to college in the US (I’m not American) and when I went home for my first winter break wearing my brand new North Face jacket my friend asked me if I was given American citizenship with the purchase.” — merbonobo

8.

“I’m English, but I’ve lived here for 14 years. It’s pretty obvious just from your demeanour. Americans generally are more confident in the way they present themselves, most other countries tend to be more reserved. Walk into a room full of different nationalities, I guarantee the American person will be the first to introduce themselves. It’s a confidence thing, and I admire it.” — zerbey

9.

“When I was visiting Germany in college, a girl said to me, ‘Do you know how I know you’re an American? You wear white socks.’ Needless to say, I haven’t worn white socks since.” — ars3nal

10.

“We (Americans) describe distances in driving time, as opposed to miles or kilometers. My European relatives always make fun of me for having no clue how far away the next town is, but knowing exactly how long it takes to get there.” — hbombs86

11.

“Canadian here…the dead giveaway is when they call me ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie’ or ‘darling.’ I fucking love Americans and I love those terms of endearment!” — AraEnzeru

12.

“Dead giveaway: They’re surprised we can drink a beer (or any alcohol) in public in my country.” — P1r4nha

13.

“European here … there’s a noticeable trend among Americans to wear jeans, t-shirts, and hooded sweaters when they’re abroad. Lots of branded goods too (North Face, A&F, Hollister, Ed Hardy mostly). And in summer, a great percentage of the cargo-shorts-wearers are Americans. But among all that, visible tattoos on otherwise ‘normal-looking’ people (i.e. not looking like street thugs) are a common indicator too. Americans love tats.” — I_AM_A_IDIOT_AMA

14.

“In WWII, my grandpa’s company had a problem with German spies. At night the guards could not tell if intruders were returning patrols or enemy soldiers; especially since the spies spoke with flawless American accents. Before opening the gates, they tried asking questions like “What’s the capital of Nebraska?” but it didn’t always work since the Germans were highly trained and could answer most of the trivia questions. Finally, they stumbled upon a simple but effective test. They would ask them to sing the 4th verse of the Star-Spangled Banner. He told me ‘If they start singing, then you shoot ’em. No American knows the 4th verse.’ Turns out the whole song had been included in one of the German espionage training manuals.” — [Deleted]

15.

“They ask you what you do.” — Askalotl

16.

“They say ‘like’ a lot and seem to start sentences with ‘so’ for no apparent reason. Good bunch, though.” — [Deleted]

17.

“MM/DD/YYYY.” — dusmeyedin

This article originally appeared on 2.20.23

Sometimes life feels like a nonstop string of lessons we need to learn in order to be the best humans we can be. And much to our frustration, some of those lessons get repeated over and over, and some of our learning comes far later than we wish it would have.

Learning firsthand is often necessary for our own growth, but sometimes we can glean wisdom from what others have learned, especially folks who have been around a while. Older doesn’t always mean wiser, but there are some things that age and experience offer that can be useful for younger people to pay heed to.

A Reddit user posted on Ask Reddit, “What’s a hard hitting life lesson you learned way too late in life?” and people chimed in with some valuable insights. Some of the answers clearly came from a place of feeling hurt or beaten down, but the most popular answers are little gold nuggets we may have seen but not picked up ourselves.

Here are some of the top answers:

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1. It’s okay to say “no.”

“The importance of setting boundaries and saying no. Turns out, people won’t love you more for sacrificing your own well-being to please them. Wish I had known that sooner, would’ve saved a lot of unnecessary stress and burnt-out moments.” – HappyPenguin112

“”No.” is a complete and perfectly acceptable sentence. I struggle with this myself regularly.” – phlostonsparadise123

“If anything, setting boundaries and saying no will earn you MORE respect than saying yes.” – Nonrandomusername19

“There are so many benefits to learning to say no. Even just the time saved alone from things that don’t serve you.” – LilyLove_xoxo

2. Work-life balance isn’t negotiable.

“Work life balance is critical, and hustle culture is stupid. The only people who notice all those extra hours you put in at work are your family and friends.” – GigabitISDN

“‘I work 80 hours a week!’ ’40s are nothing’ Yep. Yep… that’s why your wife divorced you and you never see your kids. Because you put your job over them.” – slamuri

“Seriously. I had a CAREER. I trained up within the company, I got certified as a professional in the industry, and I was doing well and was well liked. It was a crazy busy and high paced job though, and I wasn’t able to stay on top of it all without giving myself to it almost constantly. Checking emails at home, and even my time off that was time with my family turned into time spent panicking about work and how I will get everything done and make everyone happy.

I couldn’t stand it anymore and abruptly left the industry. Now I have a better paying job that is more my speed, a true 8 hour day, and doesn’t take any of my personal time. Never let work take over your life; it’s just work. All it does is give you the money you need to do life. Don’t let it absorb your happiness.” – BoobySlap_0506

3. Don’t assume everyone will think or react the way you do.

“Quit expecting you from other people.” – goddess_of_fear

“I’ve heard it as: Never assume other people’s brains work the same way your brain works. Because they don’t.” – Invisig0th

“My version is don’t expect yourself in others. Biggest stress reliever of all time!” – iam_caiti_b

“My hardest time with this is work ethic. I was taught to have pride in every job you do- no matter how small the task, do it to your best ability.

I expect this from everyone around me as it’s such a basic premise to do things well and extremely frustrating when someone does a job haphazardly.” – Top_Chair5186

4. Stop comparing.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – assinmysock

“I’d be a lot further in life if I had stopped trying to keep up with the Joneses.” – abearmin

“Stop comparing where you would’ve been if you’d done things differently, with where you are. Just enjoy where you are. :)” – Yet_One_More_Idiot

“Or, as my grandma would say, ‘There will always be someone prettier, smarter, richer, etc. than you. Think about what you HAVE rather than what you don’t have and you’ll be much happier.’ She was right.” – SweetIcedTea73

5. Just say no to the smokes.

“Smoking isn’t worth it.” – SweetIcedTea73

“Yyyyep! I’m watching my dad slowly after smoking his whole life. Just avoid that sh*t.” – piespiesandmorepies

“Stop for your children. They need you more than you need the nicotine and lung cancer. You’ve got this.” – techzeus

“This is the one folks.” – Pun_dimen

What lesson do you wish you had learned earlier?

Sometimes we’re not in the mood to be touched, and the same goes for our pets. While cats are notorious for snubbing humans who dare to touch them without explicit affirmative consent for exactly 3.5 pets, dogs are different. Dogs like to get head scratches, butt pats and for some reason slapped on the ribs somewhat aggressively. I don’t know why dog owners do the last one but I’ve seen it enough to think it’s a thing that dogs enjoy.

The point is dogs generally want you to pet them as often as humanly possible and until it feels like your arms are going to fall off. They try to climb up on your lap because being as close to your cornea as their snouts will allow is comforting to them. But apparently, dogs also get into moods where they don’t want to be touched by their humans.

Weird, right? A chocolate lab on TikTok is simply not in the mood for pets and his reaction to his owner attempting to pet him has commenters in stitches.

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The dog, Colby, looks as if he’s trying to relax when you see his mom’s hand reach out to pet him. He doesn’t break eye contact with his human, Morgyn Seigfried, as he gently pushes her hand away with his back foot. She tries several times, and each time Colby has the same response.

“Let’s not make this more embarrassing than it has to be,” one commenter wrote.

“He said pet me…WITH YOUR EYES,” another person said.

While some were imagining what the dog was saying internally, others just found it hilarious, especially because he uses his hind leg to reject the affection.

“Such a boss move to use the back leg and not the front paw,” someone wrote, complete with a crying laughing emoji.

“The fact that he used his rear leg makes the exchange even better,” another commenter said.

Colby is clearly over Seigfried’s need to touch him, as you can see for yourself below:

@morgynseigfried

looking me dead in the eye too 🥲 #dogsoftiktok #dogs #dogvideos #labsoftiktok #chocolatelab #labrador #dogsoftiktokviral #doglover #doglovers

This article originally appeared on 5.5.23

Teachers are almost always teaching even when it’s not in their lesson plan.

Those that were born to be teachers find teachable moments everywhere and one woman found herself in one of those moments. Though this one was likely just a bit more personal than she probably would’ve liked.

Emily Elizabeth posted a TikTok video about how she found herself in a predicament in front of her classroom full of 10 and 11-year-old kids. The teacher explained that she was noticing a lot of commotion and whispering among the little girls in her class while she was wearing white pants. After reminding the girls to stay on task, the whispering continued, prompting Emily to be more direct.

That’s when one of the girls asked to speak with her privately dropping the bomb that no one that gets periods wants to hear in public.

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“She goes, ‘I’m sorry Ms. Emily, but I just want to let you know that I think you might have got your period,'” the teacher recalls.

But instead of freaking out or being flustered, Emily decided to swallow her embarrassment and use the moment as a teachable experience. She promptly told the concerned girls that it was fine and that she had a change of clothes that she could wear. Just before excusing herself, the boys noticed something was wrong so they curiously asked. Emily informed them that she had gotten her period and while she was annoyed, she was perfectly fine.

One of the boys even sent her an email double checking that she was okay in a less public way. The sweet reaction from her class warmed her heart and the hearts of viewers.

“That boy who emailed…his parents must be incredible,” one commenter says.

“You set an excellent example! And to not hide it from the boys who asked because that would have spoken SO LOUDLY to the boys and girls about normalizing periods,” another writes.

“The email, you sound like an amazing teacher with an amazing group of kids,” someone says.

You can watch Emily tell the entire story below:

@emilyelizabeth.w

Let’s normalise talking about periods for girls AND boys … trying to find the silver lining 😅 #fyp #melbourneteacher #teachersoftiktok #teacherlife

This article originally appeared on 10.2.23

Gwyneth Paltrow made her Hot Ones debut this week where the actress slash lifestyle guru fielded in-depth questions from host Sean Evans. Known for his killer research on each guest, Evans went right for an urban legend surrounding former President Bill Clinton.

As the legend goes, Paltrow was on hand for a special White House screening of her 1996 movie Emma. During the film, Clinton was rumored to have fallen asleep, so Evans asked if that actually happened. A laughing Paltrow confirmed that, yes, it’s true.

“He was snoring right in front of me,” Paltrow said as Evans started cracking up. “I was like, wow, I guess this is going to be a real hit movie. But it was, so f**k you, Bill Clinton!”

Speaking of hit movies, Paltrow also shared her thoughts on American Fiction writer Cord Jefferson’s Oscar speech where he called out Hollywood for dropping money on a $200 million superhero film instead of “20 $10 million movies.”

“I absolutely understand where he’s coming from,” the Marvel star said via Variety. “This big push into superhero movies … you can only make so many good ones that feel truly original, and yet they’re still always trying to reach as many people as possible, which sometimes hinders quality or specificity or real point of view.”

“I look back at some movies I made in the 1990s and think that just would not get made now,” she said. “You get more diversity of art when there is less at stake and people can express their true voice and make a film the way they want to make it.”

Or, you know, Bill Clinton falls asleep halfway through the film. That happens, too.

You can watch Paltrow call out Slick Willie at the 9:30 mark below:

(Via Variety)

Remi Wolf already had something to look forward to this spring, as she will join Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour as an opener on April 30. Now, the beloved pop singer is set for a big summer as well. On Thursday, March 21, Wolf announced Big Ideas will be released on July 12. The record will be her sophomore studio album following her 2021 Juno debut.

“Cinderella” is here as the lead single, and it arrives with a video co-directed by Wolf and Ragan Henderson. In it, Wolf is dressed in a jazzercize outfit and dancing freely in a Los Angeles field. Eventually, she’s joined by equally colorfully dressed dancers, and by the end of the video, viewers will almost certainly also be dancing.

“‘Cinderella’ is a lyrical collage of the ups and downs and mood swings and transient lifestyle I was experiencing while writing this album,” Wolf said in a statement, as per a press release. “Constant travel and rapid changes led me to feel such a rollercoaster of emotion — moving from feeling really insecure to feeling really good to feeling manic and depressed and then feeling OK again, while desperately craving a grounding figure to tell me I was doing a good job.”

The native Californian continued, “So, this song was me stepping in as my own fairy godmother, telling myself that I was in control. Sonically, I wanted the song to have a sense of ’70s nostalgia while still feeling like a record made today. And I wanted to make something where you can’t help but dance and move and feel good while listening. I recorded this at Electric Lady in New York at the beginning of 2023. I initially made the song with just myself and Solomonophonic — and then I was able to bring in some amazing horns players to round out the sauce.”

Watch the “Cinderella” video above, and check out the Big Ideas album cover art below.

Remi Wolf’s Big Ideas Album Cover Artwork

Big Ideas is out 7/12 via Island Records. Find more information here.

Troy Duffy’s Boondock Saints (1999) isn’t a stellar movie, but the original film does have begrudging charm and does hold a place in cult-film history. After all, this was the project that had Willem Dafoe conducting a “firefight” and also made many Norman Reedus fans light up and follow him to the ends of the (apocalyptic) world with Happy Keanu in tow. Of course, Reedus has also become known for his Death Stranding turn and will appear in The Bikeriders alongside Tom Hardy and Austin Butler, but he’ll always be Daryl Dixon and, to a degree, Murphy MacManus.

Reedus and co-star Sean Patrick Flanery did appear in the followup, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2007), but it’s fair to say that many viewers might have erased that film from memory like the MacManus Brothers washed away the dirt of Ireland in a WTF shower scene. However, the franchise is apparently not dead. Really? Yes. Deadline reports that John Wick production house Thunder Road, is in the thick of things:

The rebirth of the 1999 cult favorite film The Boondock Saints is upon us. Thunder Road, the producer behind the John Wick films, has stepped in and joined rights holder Dragonfly Films to make what they are calling a reimagining of the action film franchise about the fraternal twin Irish brothers who raise holy hell to rid their Boston hometown of all criminals.

In the current configuration, Troy Duffy will step aside as directing, after creating and helming the original and the 2009 sequel The Boondock Saints: All Saints Day.

Both Reedus and Flanery are onboard, and the duo will welcome new “Saints” to their cause. At this time, the threequel does not have a director, and yep, it will not be Duffy. He will, however, apparently be writing “a series of books” to further detail the Saints’ stories. There’s no word yet on whether Dafoe will reenter the picture, but he did make a tiny appearance in All Saints Day, so never say never (do gratuitous violence).

(Via Deadline)

A professional athlete like beach volleyball star Geena Urango is always thinking of the future. What’s the next play? The next match? The next tournament? And, ultimately, the next phase of their career? It’s that ability to plan ahead that has served the AVP champion well, on the sand and the topic of money.

In the latest episode of Cash Class, accredited financial counselor and personal finance expert, Lissa Prudencio sits down with Urango to dig into her journey — from promising young athlete to podcast host and entrepreneur. The Mexican-American athlete needed a crash course in financial literacy at the beginning of her career. After turning pro, Urango learned she’d be solely responsible for filing her taxes, funding her career, and building her wealth. She sought advice from financial mentors — accountants, counselors, managers, and other pros — on how to navigate building her brand from the dollar up. And now, she’s hoping to help other young athletes do the same.

“Everything is on your own dime,” Urango tells Prudencio. “That’s the hardest part about a lot of these athletes starting to play this sport is, they’ve got to learn how to properly manage their finances. Ultimately, I just want to do whatever I can to help grow the sport and to encourage some of these younger athletes — to give them some advice on how to navigate this territory.”

That advice — from Urango and Prudencio — focuses on building a financial cushion, by saving, investing, spending less, and taking control of your debts. If you’re operating your own small business, tapping a professional to guide you through the process of tax write-offs and money management may be the best option. (It was for Urango.) But there are plenty of small changes all of us can make to ensure we’ve got a sturdy financial foundation to build upon.

To hear more of Urango’s story, how she’s helping the next generation of athletes and tips on how to better organize your own bank account, watch the full episode above.

Before “Barbie World” became as inescapable as every other aspect of the Margot Robbie-starring film, music fans were wary of Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s newfound friendship. After all, Nicki and Megan Thee Stallion appeared to be fast friends during the “Hot Girl Summer” of 2019, and we all see how that ended up.

So, it comes as no surprise that Minaj’s most enthusiastic fans, the Barbz, have taken it upon themselves to call out Ice Spice for perceived disloyalty over allegedly recording a verse for Kanye West. Earlier this week, influencer YesJulz shared a screenshot of a text thread between herself and West — presumably from before she was “fired” from YZY for supposed breaches of contract — in which Julz claims she sent the beat for Kanye’s song “New Body” to both Doja Cat and Ice Spice to see “who sounds best.” Only a day later, Kanye reported via his Instagram Story that the “Munch” rapper had indeed sent verse, but lamented that “her team is saying we can’t use it.”

Members of Minaj’s fanbase — and even her entourage — sent shade at Ice Spice for even sending the verse in the first place, as Nicki had previously refused to clear her verse on the track for the first installment of Kanye’s Vultures project. The Song, which Nicki and Kanye originally recorded in 2019 for placement on his since-canceled project Yandhi, had seen multiple revisions, leaks, and other issues, which spurred Nicki to deem it “past its time” and refuse permission to use it — something West took very personally, calling her out in a listening party rant that seemingly put paid to any friendly feelings the two artists have shared. It’s also telling that he went to two ostensible Minaj proteges in Doja and Ice, perhaps hoping to get under her skin. Or, at least, that’s how many Barbz seem to perceive it, as seen in the representative examples below:

There’s a lot to be said here, but I think this sums it up best:

The use of AI in pop culture has been a pretty touchy subject, as many observe that it can take opportunities away from actual humans, but it’s already being implemented in some big projects.

Late Night With The Devil is the upcoming horror film starring David Dastmalchain as the host of a fictional variety show Night Owls with Jack Delroy. On Halloween night 1977, Delroy invites a formerly possessed girl to attend his live taping, and all hell literally breaks loose. It’s a highly anticipated horror movie that premiered at SXSW last year, though now the creators are getting pushback over the use of AI in the film.

Viewers pointed out that a handful of the still images in the film appear to be AI-generated. It includes title cards for the fictional show, which feature some eerie-looking skeletons.

After the discovery made the rounds on various social media platforms, Late Night with the Devil directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes released a statement to Variety defending the film’s use of AI. “In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the ’70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film,” it reads. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We can’t wait for everyone to see it for themselves this weekend.”

On the surface, using AI to create a number of unimportant images might not seem like a big deal. But when companies start adding fake celebrities into their projects or studios start using it to write scripts….then maybe we should be afraid. It’s what the devil has always wanted.

Late Night with the Devil comes to theaters on March 22 before streaming on Shudder on April 19.

(Via Variety)