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Thursday, January 15, 2026

50 Ridiculous American Internet Comments That Deserved To Get Roasted

Ulius Cesarius January 15, 2026

Nobody's perfect, and everyone has knowledge blind spots. It's healthy to recognize your shortcomings and be able to laugh at them. Sometimes, that means chuckling at yourself after you get called out online for saying something, well… less than smart.

Bored Pandahas collected some of the funniest moments when Europeans gently roastedAmericansfor writing bizarre comments online, from all over the internet. Scroll down to see some of the mostcringyinsights and witty takedowns.

Just keep in mind that none of this is meant to promote meanness. It's all for the sake of lighthearted humor. We all say dumb things from time to time, no matter where we're from.

Learning to respect other cultures doesn't happen overnight. It requires dedication, open-mindedness, and a willingness to acknowledge your own biases and knowledge blind spots. Traveling abroad, doing research about other countries' histories, and talking to people from differentbackgroundsand with different perspectives can help broaden your mind. As a rule of thumb, if you can recognize that you've said some dumb things in the past, it shows that you're maturing and that your self-awareness is growing

When traveling, it's not enough to put on a silly tourist hat, grab your camera, and enjoy the sights. It's best to go abroad with empathy and curiosity, instead of demanding the rest of the world conform to your expectations and assumptions.

It's very likely that you've personally witnessed some awful,disrespectfultourist behavior in your home country. Meanwhile, it's probably also safe to say that you've also met foreigners who were kind, friendly, and respectful of both your culture and other travelers.

According to Go Abroad, you should strive to minimize the amount of badtourist behaviors. In short, you have to be mindful of the local community, as well as the environment and wildlife.

For example, this can be as simple as not being noisy at night or respecting local religious traditions.

It should be common sense, but seeing as it's in particularly short supply these days, it's important to remember not to litter or damage landmarks. Not only is this immoral behavior, but depending on the country, you can get in some serious legal trouble, too.

Furthermore, during your travels, try to avoid taking part in activities that exploit other people or animals.

Meanwhile, becoming a better tourist is definitely possible with a bit of effort. You might not change how others perceive you, but you can ensure that you've done everything that you can to be respectful.

The first thing you should do is focus on research about the place you'll be visiting. Read up on the local culture, customs, traditions, laws, and religions. Go through other travelers' accounts about the challenges they faced. The more time you spend on research, the better prepared you'll be. Of course, we all make mistakes eventually, but at least you'll have a solid foundation for your trip.

Go Abroad also suggests eating, shopping, and staying locally for a more authentic experience. On top of that, you'll also end up supporting local businesses and, potentially, save money.

In the meantime, broaden your horizons and visit other places aside from must-see, super popular touristy destinations.

"When possible, try traveling more off-the-beaten path or visiting a destination in the off season. Slow travel also helps one discover a place and its culture more meaningfully."

The Guardian also stresses thatslow tourismcan be a great idea.

"Slow tourism is about spending more time in a destination, engaging in the local culture and getting to know local people," Dr. Peter Robinson, the head of the Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Management at Leeds Beckett University, told The Guardian. You could mix things up and go to the countryside instead of only visiting major cities.

Some of the screenshots that we're featuring today have been shared by members of the popular '[Stuff] Americans Say' subreddit. This is an onlinecommunitythat was founded all the way back in early 2013.

At the time of writing, this group boasts 391k members, or, as the moderators jokingly and ironically call them, 'commie socialists.' Meanwhile, currently online members are wittily referred to as 'hating freedom.'

These are both sarcastic comments about how some Americans have incredibly biased, non-factual, bizarre perspectives about life in European countries.

As the '[Stuff] Americans Say' moderators point out, the entire point of their community is to focus on satire and humor. There's no room for hate. "This is not a place to bring your hatred of Americans or America – we like to keep things friendly and toxic attitudes are not welcome."

Meanwhile, you shouldn't post any online conversations that you're a part of. Similarly, you shouldn't bait or troll other internet users just to get fodder for screenshots.

On top of that, the mods stress that you shouldn't automatically assume that someone is an American because they "said something silly or they messed up geography."

They also encourage their members to avoid low-hanging fruit. Certain topics are only allowed to be discussed in a weekly thread. Furthermore, it's best to focus on more lighthearted posts.

Which of these comments made you cringe and facepalm the hardest? Meanwhile, which of the roasts did you find to be the most satisfying?

From your perspective, what could be done to improve education, no matter whatcountrywe're talking about? Meanwhile, what do you think your biggest knowledge blind spots have been in the past? Tell us all about it in the comment section at the very bottom of this list.

Top Australian writers' festival cancelled after Palestinian author barred

Ulius Cesarius January 15, 2026

(Corrects Tuesday story and an earlier version of it to add context about decision to disinvite Abdel-Fattah in paragraphs 4-5, her previous statements about Israel in paragraphs 7-8)

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - One of Australia's top writers' festivals was cancelled on Tuesday, after 180 authors boycotted the event and its director resigned, saying she could not be party to silencing a Palestinian author ‌and warned moves to ban protests and slogans after the Bondi Beach mass shooting threatened free speech.

Louise Adler, the Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors, said on Tuesday she was quitting ‌her role at the Adelaide Writers' Week in February, following a decision by the festival's board to disinvite a Palestinian-Australian author.

The novelist and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah said the move to bar her was "a blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship".

The Adelaide Festival Board said on Tuesday it had disinvited Abdel-Fattah, because "given her past statements" it would not be culturally sensitive to include her in the event "so soon after Bondi", a reference to last month's shooting ⁠rampage on a Jewish event that killed 15.

The board ‌did not cite any specific statement made by Abdel-Fattah that led to the decision.

Disinviting Abdel-Fattah was done "out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event", the board said in a statement. "Instead, this decision has ‍created more division and for that we express our sincere apologies."

Abdel-Fattah's past comments about Israel have been criticised by some Jewish and pro-Israel groups, and the Jewish Community Council of South Australia had lobbied against her participation at the Adelaide festival.

In March 2024 she wrote on social media platform X: "Armed struggle is a moral and legal right of the colonised and brutalised... Western governments which use the blood of Palestinians as the ink to write international law have zero authority ‌to define genocide, terrorist, self-defence, resistance, proportionality."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday announced a national day of mourning would be held on January 22 to remember the 15 people killed in last month's shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.

Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State militant group, and the incident sparked nationwide calls to tackle antisemitism, and prompted state and federal government moves to tighten hate speech laws.

The event would not go ahead and remaining board members will step down, it added.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, British author Zadie Smith, ⁠Australian author Kathy Lette, Pulitzer Prize-winning American Percival Everett and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis are among the authors who said they would no longer appear at the festival in South Australia state, Australian media reported.

The festival board on Tuesday apologised to Abdel-Fattah for "how the decision was represented".

"This is not about identity or dissent but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse around the breadth of ‍freedom of expression in our nation ⁠following Australia's worst terror attack in history," it added.

Abdel-Fattah wrote on social media that she did not accept the apology, saying she had nothing to do with the Bondi attack, "nor did any Palestinian".

Adler earlier wrote in The Guardian that the board's decision to disinvite ⁠Abdel-Fattah "weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation, where lobbying and political pressure determine who gets to speak and who doesn't".

The South Australian state government ‌has appointed a new festival board, saying this was to "safeguard the festival for the future", after the previous board resigned.

(Reporting by ‌Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates, Michael Perry and William Mallard)

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50 Ridiculous American Internet Comments That Deserved To Get Roasted

Top Australian writers' festival cancelled after Palestinian author barred

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