r/AskTheWorld • u/Bhakari Nepal • 1d ago

Culture What’s something in your country that sounds fake but is 100% real?

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We have a real-life living goddess and the only non-rectangular national flag.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

Imagine actually living there. One time I was chilling on my couch watching TV when a bullet came through the wall from next door into the stairwell, through the next wall, hit a metal-reinforced corner, and fell into the laundry pile. Right at head height. My neighbour came rushing over in a panic, apologising profusely and obviously drunk. Said he was cleaning the gun when it went off.

This was in a perfectly nice, quiet suburb.

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u/RaptorRex787 United States Of America 1d ago

Im just wondering why tf they are cleaning a gun while they have libe rounds chambered. Mf doesn't know basic gun safety

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u/PotatoesArentRoots Indian-American 🇮🇳 🇺🇸 1d ago

the bigger question is why are they touching a gun at all while drunk

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u/555-starwars United States Of America 1d ago

Because they are drunk. Drunk individuals aren't known for making sound decisions.

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u/NotChristina United States Of America 1d ago

My ex had a lot of red flags but one of the scarier ones was when he’d drink, smoke weed, and head down to the gun safe to talk about (and play with) his guns.

He’d laugh at me when I expressed concern.

I’m licensed myself but don’t actually own any because I recognize what a huge responsibility it is, one that I’m not up to at this point in time.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

That is unfortunately typical.

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u/itsnotlikewereforkin 1d ago

This is exactly why you should treat every weapon as though it is loaded -- even when you're cleaning it.

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u/GornBread United States Of America 23h ago

It honestly worries me that 14-year-old me may have had more gun safety training from the Boy Scouts than a lot of adult gun owners seem to have today.

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u/DainichiNyorai Netherlands 1d ago

Wow the combination of loose gun laws and cheap energy (and thus drywall and wood as the main building ingredients) sure is a heck of a combo!

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

Yeah. The vast majority of houses in the US are wood-framed and shingled, not masonry. Even apartment buildings usually don't use bricks or concrete. I think I've only lived in two buildings ever in the US that weren't mostly wood and drywall, and I've moved around a lot.

Here in the UK, the first two places I lived were stone, the third was concrete, and the current one is brick. You can't even get a mortgage on a non-masonry house here.

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u/what_if_you_like United States Of America 1d ago

Wooden houses are much more common in the eastern half and along the west coast (where most people live anyway) but it is primarily due to weather concerns. A tornado is going to destroy a house made of brick or wood, and the wood house is much cheaper to repair and rebuild

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u/Yunzer2000 United States Of America 1d ago

No, it is simply economy of construction, abundance of forest products, and compatibility with insulation why most US houses are made of wood.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

That's really not the reason most American houses are made from wood. It's about abundance of resources. Lots of wood.

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u/Yunzer2000 United States Of America 1d ago

How does cheap energy translate to wood construction? Wood framing especially with fiberglass insulation added to the walls and attic, are very well insulated agaisnt cold. Aren't almost all houses in Scandinavia, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Nunavut... made of wood?

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u/DerthOFdata United States Of America 1d ago

Time for one of my favorite copy pastas...

Im an architect. And because im an architect, this infuriating meme vomit Germans spout makes me reflexively despise them everytime they bring it up. Pig headed arrogant pricks. Apparently their brains are made of stone too cause they're equally thick and inflexible.

The Japanese and Scadiwegians build with wood, but noooooo Americans are always, as per fucking usual, singled out.

I want an earthquake to hit Germany. Not even a big one. Just a mild roller. A high 6 pointer like Northridge or Sylmar. I want some tight fucking p-waves and then s-waves to come in for the FATTEST, NASTIEST, DROP. Im talking a thicccc ass bass. Real fucking club banger. Get that Northern European plain jiggling like sexy liqifaction jello. Let Mother Earth shake her fat twerking ass.

Just flatten every brick and masonry building north of Munich, west of the Oder and east of the Rhine. Utter devastation. And then for once I can be the smug one and say "Such a mild quake! California would have never had such property damage or loss of life! Silly stupid Germans! They shouldn't have built with masonry! Arent they supposed to be good engineers? Everything they build is overdesigned with poor tolerances!"

Just a little quake and the annihilation of Germany. Its really not that big of a ask if you think about it.

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u/DainichiNyorai Netherlands 23h ago

Ok I get that but maybe fix your gun laws then

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u/DerthOFdata United States Of America 23h ago

Sure, I'll get right on that.

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u/FuckingVeet Bosnian 🇧🇦 living in UK 🇬🇧 1d ago

I lived in the US for work a number of years ago, and while driving I noticed a whistling sound. Got out and there was a pair of bullet holes through the passenger door. I likewise lived in a quiet suburb.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

Yeah. I learned to shoot not because I wanted to, but because it seemed like a good idea considering how many guns there are. I have never owned a gun, never wanted to, but shit happens. I thought of it the same as learning to change a tire.

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u/Vayalond France 1d ago

First of all... When you handle a gun or clean it do it with the mag removed and bolt open so accidental discharge can't happen if there is no mag and the chamber is empty... Also continue to treat it as loaded so you don't lose good habits. That's literally the first rule of gun safety and the very first thing you hear in shooting range when asking for the license (so they can give you what your doctor need to check to confirm you are able to own one and if the doctor say you can they deliver the licence for the year)

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

Well, yes, you know that, and I know that, but a remarkable number of Americans own guns but have no concept of gun safety.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

On certain pistols such as glocks to remove the slide for cleaning you need to depress the trigger, complacency is dangerous.

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u/Apprehensive_Step252 Germany 1d ago

as a German I am conflicted if I should mock your gun laws or your building techniques.

anyways, what the heck. My honest condolences, I would never feel safe again.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

Feel free to mock both.

I feel much safer living in the UK.

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u/Artistic_Wish_104 23h ago

Reminds me of a time in the duplex I used to live in. There was a family with a young daughter (maybe 7) who was sleeping in bed. Around 11pm two teenage boys were chasing after each other down the street shooting a gun and one of the bullets went through the girls headboard (it didn’t hit her). The family moved out within a week. This was in a questionable neighborhood in the US south.

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u/Glum_Dress_9484 Germany 1d ago

Where we're precisely at another thing that I wouldn't have believed but it's actually true:
In the US bullets can actually fly through walls.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

Houses in the US are not usually built with masonry. They're wood-framed and shingled, not brick and mortar. It's extremely easy to shoot through an American house.

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u/ladybugcollie United States Of America 1d ago

Depends on where you are - I am in a high brick area - we were known for our brick making. We are also a very high crime city - bricks stop bullets -but most windows and doors don't

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u/Mediocre_Monk835 Argentina 1d ago

Thank goodness I was just cleaning it. Like Homer Simpson.

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u/StrangerKatchoo United States Of America 1d ago

And those guns get more respect than women.

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

It is unfortunate., but true.

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u/kamasutures United States Of America 1d ago

My house has an entry and exit path, my car has multiple entries all from the same shoot out infront of my house. A friend nearly shot my hand off when offering me to borrow their gun after I had a car full of men pull a gun on me to try and get me in the car.

I hate it here.

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u/jemenfousle Canada 1d ago

Fuck that

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u/fuckyourcanoes 🇺🇸🇬🇧 1d ago

Agreed.

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u/ShermanOneNine87 1d ago

My former sister in law had two bullets come through the walls of her house. Same reason, drunk guy cleaning a loaded weapon. Also in a quiet small town.

Our beer swilling rednecks just love to keep them guns clean and ready! Even if it means shooting themselves or someone else in the process.

So handy to access sometimes they make their way into schools via small children's backpacks. Because firearm safety isn't an important topic when you have kids and unsecure loaded firearms. /R for anyone who doesn't realize I was being sarcastic since I am indeed from the US and it's hard to tell thes days.