I’m an Aussie visiting America and there’s one thing they ALL say here that everyone back home would find extremely rude: ‘I hate this’
An Australian visiting LA was left offended by a ‘rude’ response a store clerk gave him when he said thank you – and she’s not the only one who does it.
Turan William Salis, an Aussie livestreamer, said the woman simply replied ‘mm hmm’ – a response deemed ‘sarcastic and rude’ by most people Down Under.
‘I was just buying something from the shop and I said “thank you” and the lady said “mm hmm” and I thought, that was a little bit rude,’ Turan said in a video.
‘And then someone told me in America saying “mm hmm” is how they say “it’s okay” or “you’re welcome” after you say “thank you”.’
The Aussie’s culture shock then turned to sheer confusion when people told him that in the US, saying ‘you’re welcome’ after a thank you is considered rude.
‘Like, what!?’ he exclaimed.
And he isn’t the first one to be left stunned after encountering the ‘strange’ local phrase, with many agreeing the reply had also caught them off guard.
‘I’m an American living in California and I can’t stand it when people say “mm hmm”, it’s my pet peeve, it can be rude in some instances,’ one said.
An Australian visiting LA was left offended by a ‘rude’ response a store clerk gave him when he said thank you – and she’s not the only one who does it
But a local explained that saying ‘you’re welcome’ or similar is akin to making a big deal out of doing a simple, kind gesture, which is why Americans find it impolite.
‘It’s because we don’t feel like we did anything special, almost like we don’t really deserve the gratitude for doing something that should be standard,’ she said.
Americans agreed that the typical Aussie reply of ‘no worries’ or ‘you’re welcome’ would raise a few eyebrows in the states.
‘”Mmm hmm” is like no biggie, “you’re welcome” is kind of rubbing it in their face that you did them a favour,’ one said.
‘It’s passive aggressive,’ another added.
While someone thought ‘tone and context’ were everything, others said that the common reply is generational and that younger Americans tend to say ‘no problem.’
This comes after an Australian traveller in the states infuriated Americans by reeling off the things that she hates the most about their people and culture.
The anonymous woman was interviewed by a US-based content creator on the street and asked to share her opinions about the country and its locals in a video.
The Aussie said that she couldn’t believe how much Americans loved their nation and how fond they are of greeting people, calling it ‘a lot’ to deal with at times.
