We took a close look at search queries on the Russian-language internet starting with the words "Why Americans…" and discovered what aspects of the lives of people in North America are of interest to Russians.
If you have been to Russia, you'll know that at home it's the norm to change footwear because often the pavements outside are covered with slush or snow. Furthermore, this also applies to other premises: Children change into indoor footwear at
They say that Russians rarely smile (and here's why). But there's the opposite stereotype about Americans - that they always smile. For Russians, smiling for no reason is very bizarre, and they feel there must be something behind it, or at least that it's not sincere.
Incidentally, Americans often search on the internet for why Russians are so gloomy because for Americans a smile is just a question of being polite.
An estimated 15-20 percent of Americans are classified as poor, with many more barely able to make ends meet. Having one's own washer and dryer at home is not a priority for many Americans. In Russia, the situation is very different. A Russian apartment might not have a cooker, but it definitely has a washing machine! And this applies not just to your own home but also to rented accommodations. You just don't wash your clothes by hand or take them to public launderettes. Still, many Russian cities have inexpensive dry cleaners and launderettes, but these are used only for bulky items such as sofa covers or expensive evening outfits.
As is well known, many Americans are overweight, and the country leads the world in obesity. While there are a fair number of fat people in Russia, their numbers are much smaller. Thus, Russians want to know why Americans are overweight: Is it a result of a love of fast food, or genetically-modified foods, or due to low physical activity? According to experts, American obesity is due to answers No. 1 and No. 3.
Credit cards and bank loans are ubiquitous in American society. This is not the case in Russia, where few have credit cards; (but nearly everyone has a debit card). Also, unlike the U.S., having a credit history in Russia is not so important when renting an apartment or applying for a job. In Russia, it's not compulsory to have a credit history even when you apply for a mortgage. At the same time, interest rates in Russia are much higher compared with America, and many people prefer to borrow from a bank only for big purchases, such as buying property, doing home repairs, or buying a car.
In Hollywood horror films, clowns often feature as the main villains, and Russians can't understand why they scare the heck out of Americans. In Russia, neither children nor adults have such fears. Clowns are usually associated with the circus and with entertainment, rather than with cruel masked jesters. Many Soviet and Russian actors became famous thanks to their clown roles: Yury Nikulin, Oleg Popov or Slava Polunin. How could one be afraid of them?
Since Americans love their smile so much, it's natural that they want pearly white teeth. In
In Russia, the wedding ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand because it's believed that this finger is associated with the heart. Meanwhile, rings are worn on the left hand in Russia by someone who is either divorced or widowed. Incidentally, some young women wear two rings at the same time: Their engagement ring and their wedding ring. They wear their engagement ring on their right hand and wedding ring on their left, while others wear both rings on their right hand.
Unlike in America, there is no middle name in Russia. At
The habit of saying
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