The American mind cannot comprehend this

To be fair. That's the Christmas market on the Altmarkt in Dresden and there's a huge parking garage right below it. 😄

54

Americans thinking that Europeans don't own cars is almost as dumb as Europeans thinking Americans never walk anywhere.

40
- i mean... I'm basically the only American i know that has actually chosen to walk as a real way to get somewhere in the last 5 years.
  
  the idea that most Americans literally never walk anywhere isn't inaccurate. especially for anyone living outside of a city.
  
  30
- Well, I was in a student exchange to Boise, Idaho about 20 years ago and did a daily walk around the neighborhood for some fresh air. Three days in, I was stopped by a frantic police officer with his fucking gun drawn because someone had reported me as some kind of child molester who was scouting for victims, because someone just walking was a completely alien concept there.
  
  I was taken to the fucking police station because the policeman thought I was making shit up either. My host family had to wiggle around with my German passport and threaten to get the Embassy involved until they decided I wasn't worth the hassle and dropped the whole thing... So I learned two things from that exchange:
  
  'Muricans do not know what "walking" is
  
  US police is next level power tripping
  
  24
- Well you obviously can't drive the truck to the bathroom. 🤡 jk
  
  1

Given the amount of alcohol involved in these christmas markets, it really is a good thing that there’s not much parking space.

37

What if I told you a car is not necessary for travel. Take the red ticket, and it all ends. You board your flight and go back to the west, back to your long highways and calculated suburbs. But take the blue ticket, and I show you how far these two feet can walk.

17

I think colours should be flipped

1

It's like none of you have actually been to a city in the USA having an event. Do any of you see times square on various holidays or have been to a parade?

12

I find these kinds of threads funny.

Someone makes an admittedly lame jokey stereotype about the US.

A bit like a broad stereotype about the French liking baguettes, the Scots hating Scots, the Brits having bad teeth and talking like Austin Powers, or Germans not having a sense of humour. Even the Germans don't get offended. They've been taught that this is meant to be funny, and that the rules of etiquette suggest they should not be offended by it.

But the real punch line is always some humourless Americans taking it at face value and getting genuinely offended. "They're saying we don't have public transport. They're clearly idiots!"

Do any of you see times square on various holidays or have been to a parade?

No. No one outside the US has ever heard of New York. Just like everyone in the US drives a pickup truck everywhere. lol

32
- We'll join in unoffended when there's a mass shooting joke.
  
  -1

I can't comprehend the joke.

11

Europe has working public transit, so parking garages aren't needed to the same level as American cities.

44
- There are lots of American cities with large open-air commercial areas which are car-free.
  
  For example, the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade.
  
  Which has a farmer's market.
  
  10
- Even though this image is the above ground view of a giant ass parking garage. You all eat this shit up hook line and sinker.
  
  2
It appears to be 'hurr durr 'mericans'.

-5
- I mean, yeah. We’re pretty damn retarded, if you ask me.
  
  3

yes because the average american has made a choice to have a car-centric society with car-centric infrastructure and could totally just not use a car to get 8 miles across town and back for their job every day how silly of us

9

get 8 miles across town and back for their job every day how silly of us

A half hour cycle commute really isn't far. Almost anyone can do that, almost certainly including your grandma.

The real problem is the lack of infrastructure.

7
8 miles isn't too far to bike! I used to ride about that to commute. When I started, it took me around 40 minutes to get there, and an hour and a half back. Slight incline one direction.

About six months in, I was down to 20ish there, and less than 40 back.

Winter sucked pretty bad, someone got me gore-tex mittens though. Still had my eyelashes freeze

6
No current American has made that decision. It was made for us after world war II

5
- We've chosen to allow it to continue
  
  3

The first time I took a cab in Germany, I went to a mall; dude drove right into the building. I was like "wtf is this dude doing?" As we passed a parking area and went through the concourse.

2

Time square is just like this and no cars involved.

2

This looks like a fancy neighborhood. I'm guessing it's mostly valet.

2

First time Dresden got called a fancy neighbourhood since 1945

1