NationStates

It happens everywhere. When tourists (for example) go to a foreign country and find themselves in bemusement of how the locals do things. Or, if you're a native, watching the tourists scratch their heads at something you consider 100% normal. Sometimes it's fairly mild, like a misplaced word or gesture. It can also be rather severe, with someone or even multiple someones being upset or offended by what has happened. Be it the minor faux pas to the majorly embarressing clanger, what sort of things is likely to seem unusual to a visitor?

1. Formality of public events. Oftentimes when bands come to play in Crysuko, they end up somewhat blindsided by how formal the public treat it. A concert is treated like an opera, where you sit quietly and listen and then applaud at the end of the piece. Same for speeches given in public forums and other such events. When there's something a crowd ought to be listening to, you shut up and listen and then react when it's finished.

2. Similitude. Clothing in Crysuko is very samey, most workers are issued an appropriately coloured worksuit and boots, while intelligentsia generally wear a suit of some kind. Visitors tend to react like they've entered a society of Agent Smiths, a group of office workers all in the exact same suit, exact same tie and even shoes. Crysukons consider this type of conformity to be a sign of comradeship, even if it spooks outsiders.

3. Lax drug laws. It's no secret, you can purchase a wide range of recreational substances from shops openly selling them, and related paraphenalia. Tourists and visitors are often shocked at this, but to locals they're as normal to have in your local community as a general store or a public house. Said "Head shops" will gladly cater to tourists, but it amuses them greatly at how mindblowing a concept they are, and how shaky they can be when making even a small purchase.

4. Openly armed society. Crysuko is in all areas a nation of open carry, and national service laws mean that most citizens will have undergone at least a year of training and service. This gives you access to militia armories and gun clubs. Local militias are fielded and armed by their respective soviets, and make it a point of pride to have your local brigade be particularly large and well equipped, and frequently showed off to prove it. There's a well known video of a western tourist flying into a panic when a squad of militia seem to approach him on the street, only for them to clamly explain the nature of Crysukon gun culture to calm him down. This frequently freaks out those not in the know.

Pretty much Nortish society is highly rules-based. There are rules, official and unofficial, for everything, from what to wear at court to how to act in church, &c. &c. Jurymen are even required to wear court dress. Nortend is also quite religious, which also informs our sense of obedience to rules. Nearly every religious service must be „by the book” or else a minister may be fined, convicted and removed from his office.

A culture shock, is the informality of the alingan people also in important situations, and the non presence of rules to act in different situations. The alingan person to greet, to thanks or salute the other have their personal way to do, for example a small bow to thanks, alternative way to say "thank you" (like for example, "you 're very kind"), or does other gestures.

Another culture shock, is the languages, Alinghi have eight official languages, and this cause that in a group of friends, with a mixture or creating new one, speak a their language.

A tourist can find in some isolated street young people who fight with fists, the tourist can be scared, and then the fighter see the scared guy, they stop and salute him quite nicely, then the tourist is gone, they continued.

A culture shock that the cantonal government try to struck down is the illegal street matches between young people, the difficulty to struck down, is because its "consensual", and are not involved gun, knifes etc... and don't usually create death (and if caused death was not intentional), but bring people to hospital due the wounds

One type of "fight" ended to be regulamentated and became a sport, and not only a sport, but the "national sport", called "the Torro". According the rules the fight is divided by two phaese, the first phase begin with two opponents at 20 to 45 meters at other run with hands aligned bit over their shoulder and they will hit each other with objective to stump down the other opponent, the rules that they can hit open hand to open hand, or hand to shoulder, or shoulder to other shoulder, if one succeed to stuck down the opponent the opponent have ten seconds to get up and going to phase two otherwise he/she lose, if both is stucked down they have 20 seconds to get up and proceeding to the phase two, otherwise who will get up firstly will win (if no body in any case can get up they tied). The phase two is then two opponent even with open hand to open hand, open hand to shoulder, and shoulder to shoulder fight pushing themselves or continue to hit themselves with the objective to suck down the opponent. At the matches the athletes wears shoulder protection and a helmet. There was no stadium for the matches, but the matches was made in a street, in a tournament or single match a street were closed, the tribunes were built at the sides of the street, the reason is historical because the sport has origins from the streets, and the organization who regulated the sport decided to maintain the "street" as ring/fighting space . The sport name "Torro" derives from "Toro" what mean Bull, and the fight may recall a bull fight there the open hand are the "horns" and the shoulder is the "head".

Another

Everyone is drunk at all times ((even though beer is banned in a German state which is known for beer.)

In Ascvalion we tend to dislike tourists, largely due to the buffoons that think committing and recording acts of Vandalism is a quick way to viral status. What many are largely unaware of willingly is that Ascvalians react poorly to this, especially in Vallengard where there are many ancient constructions whether it's a building from the first century or a statue depicting a important cultural and historical figure. Such was the case in the 'Trent Disaster' when Vallengard was hosting a World Cup Match between Albion and Ascvalion, Ascvalion won practically easily but the Infuriated Albion fans took to Vallengards streets and begun to trash the place. One Alexander Trent decided to take it a step further by attempting to call the bluff of Vallengards citizens and ripped down a statue of King Elessar the second, who is famed as the Father of the Republic. to the sudden shock of the Albion Fans Trent was immediately domed in the head with a 50 cal. Sniper and Citizens and police began treating the Fans as an Invading Army. The resulting battle caused the death of 56 Albians injured 67 more of them with no casualties on Ascvalions side.



This is background to say simply that Tourists are and will be under heavy suspicion and will often be denied service for the charge of simply existing. They're not going to be bullied on the streets but they will be forbidden from approaching any National Monument and you know the Karen moments involving either The Buckingham Guards or Guards of the tomb of the unknown soldier in DC? Yeah in this scenario the Karen will be harassed by Ascvalians and earn a B@#ch slap from the Guards with zero consequences on the Guards part.

To top it off We admittedly reach into full blown pettiness, because when an Foreigner comes in for touring Airport security will go out of their way to send tourists in for a not so random search, and deny them entrance for literally any reason they darn well please. This not the case for immigrants and refugees just FYI

Basically the culture shock for Tourists is the sheer amount of hostility and distrust they receive

When a tourist enters Juansonia, it could be by road, airplane, ship, or train. Many drivers hoping to road-trip into Juansonia are surprised at the fact that their automobile is stopped by military or paramilitary units, and that they are ordered to step out of the vehicle. If coming in by airplane, they might be surprised instead by the complete lack of car rental options at the airport.

Our first culture shock on this journey is Juansonia's strict automobile regulation. Juansonia recognises no foreign licenses, allows no margin above the speed limit, allows no alcohol in the bloodstream, and shows no mercy for negligent drivers. Most urban streets are fully pedestrianised. A reason is required to get a driver's license, and "I have kids that need to go to soccer practice" doesn't cut it. Any motor vehicles entering Juansonia are stopped and searched. Outside commentators have said that Juansonia has almost unregulated borders, as long as you are willing to walk.

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After getting into the city, you see someone in a microskirt and crop-top leaning on a signpost. You walk up and ask the local, who you think is a woman, to flash you. He reaches into his purse, pulls out a flashbang, puts his index finger in the pin's loop, and asks in a tenor voice, "Are you sure that you want this?"

Yes, many Juansonian men would meet a Western-American sense of what a femboy is. Yes, Juansonians don't give as much of a shit about modesty. However, the term "to flash someone" refers exclusively to the use of flashbangs and similar devices.

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I'm not writing more anecdotes, but:

most Juansonians own, borrow, or are issued at least one firearm, and open carry is quite common. Seeing teenagers carry rifles to school isn't a cause for alarm.

Most Juansonians are irreligious.

Drugs, while not used often, are common enough that most people experimented with them while in University

The Capitol Hill zone is under martial law, and you will make way. A few tourists get shot or trampled while preparing a social media post. Locals get out of the way while continuing to chant protest slogans.

Juansonians are surprisingly polite in their mannerisms, even despite swearing almost once every fucking sentence.

Should we ask you, what you find shocking when you visit?

Apparently outlanders find our lack of profanity unusual. Likewise we seem "hostile" and "standoffish" because we don't smile or laugh constantly and rarely humour others, and we assume people that laugh with no apparent reason to either be intoxicated and/or dumb, or worse, that they are malicious or have ulterior motives. We do tend to grin and smirk a lot, which also doesn't help. Seemingly visitors are often perplexed how many issues, affairs, and business are conducted in good faith, as we appear too "trusting" and "naïve" to outlanders. We tend not to comment on this out of politeness.

Despite in no way being a dry culture, drinking habits are rather modest and restrained. Most people who do get drunk on the local beer and wine tend not to be locals. We are frequently thought of as weird for the "unusual" things we regularly put into coffee, e.g. cinnamon, honey, stevia, etc. rather than sugar. Doubly so because people here tend to have a sweet tooth. Some visitors find certain aspects of our cuisine odd or even horrifying, e.g. the frequent and widespread consumption of horse meat seems to irk some folks. Not others. To be fair y'all have way too many taboos about way too many animals and plants.

Another thing we noticed is that visitors are almost always either horror-struck or awe-struck by the extensive public transit systems and infrastructure and our "hostility" to cars. Which is just blatantly false; there's plenty of cars in rural regions, but you never visit those. In the cities there is a noticeable absence of "personal" cars, but "private" cars still exist for business purposes. Get used to walking and cycling—how did you thing we stay in shape? This is also why we drink so much coffee.

1. The prominence of Ta Moko (facial tattoos) which, unlike in the west, signify status and education. In fact in Tangatarehua someone who doesn't have a facial tattoo is assumed to be a member of the taurekareka class, who are generally associated with criminality.

2. The extremely strict class system. On a day to day basis it's probably not hugely prominent, but if you live in Tangatarehua for a while as a foreigner you will notice just how stratified, traditional and closed the society is.

3. The legality and prominent use of cannabis, with marijuana much more popular and common in Tangatarehua than alcohol.

4. The extreme amount of reverence paid to the Empress, who is seen in the national religion as a living goddess.

1: Senscaria, despite legalizing slavery, does not have it in all regions, it depends on what the colony desires, but it is still required to meet the quotas and follow technology standards, so only a decent portion use actual paid labor and only the homeland has it enforced. Slavery is still prevalent in the majority of Senscarian colonies, however, and those who escape are usually brought back similar to how the United States was in the 1800s.
2: The amount of pot smoking, yes, even the most oppressed do it, even hard drugs are enforced.
3: The charmlessness and uncaringness of the working and even wealthier classes. They really don't care about the seemingly random laws being signed in, they are intelligent despite the drug usage, it's just that they are very apathetic towards the government, as they have the mentality of "just get it done and over with". This helps prevent Senscaria from getting riots until the horde events come once every 10 years, even when it's in a state of constant war.

That there is no separation of church and state, that the Kaiser is worshipped as a living God. Yet it's not tightly enforced. There aren't laws to punish other religions or laws dictating silly things like how to properly admire a statue of him or anything. He finds such things laughably insecure. He knows he is a God and has nothing to prove. What he can do, accomplish, the feats of power he can exercise are proof in of itself. So people enjoy rather high personnel freedoms even though the nation is ruled by a Theocratic Monarchy.

The "culture shocks" that visitors of the United Realms are not too dissimilar to what other nations have mentioned or observed.

• The United Realms has some of the most restrictive laws and policies regulating guns/firearms, as its citizens are prohibited from owning and possessing firearms. Only law enforcement officers, security personnel, and members of the military are allowed to do so; upon resignation, retirement, or discharge, all are required to forfeit all firearms.
• All locally-made/grown/distributed foods and beverages are heavily regulated regarding exporting, leading to many tourists getting pulled during customs and security checks when leaving the United Realms. While some restrictions have been lifted, alcohol remains heavily regulated. All locally made/distributed alcohols cannot be sold internationally, and people are limited to leaving with no more than 500 ml (16.9 oz).
• The environment is highly regarded/revered in the United Realms. Due to its Mapuche heritage, tourists will find shrines throughout the islands, some of which are used by the locals. Not only are the shrines protected areas, but there are many laws prohibiting the disturbance or destruction of the environment, whether it is cutting down trees or fishing without permits, moving large rocks or boulders, or even taking small rocks or seashells from the beaches; most result in fines, although it is not uncommon for a tourist to spend 1-2 days in jail/detention.
• The Oronian royal family, as well as the other dynastic families, have generally received high/favorable ratings by its people, and there has never been attempts or debates regarding republicanism since it gained independence from Spain in 1828. And while there are no lèse-majesté laws, many locals are highly offended by tourists who speak poorly of the dynastic families or of monarchies in general; such tourists will often find themselves being turned away or even asked to leave whatever settings they are in.

Probably the things that "shock" our turists are some lies about our history:
1. The Union isn't a tyranical state and is outlaw slavery, as in the Black Legend is said Spanish Empire was a tyranical state with secret police (spanish inquisition) and slavery to the natives was a thing of all day.
2. Rights of communities like LGBT are legal and very supported.
3. Inquisition actually don't exists.

1) there are practically zero borders between states in duotona. given the scale of duotona, this means you could hypothetically drive from jakarta to vladivostok without being stopped once by government officials. in terms of real life, this would be comparable to the shengen zone in the eu.

2) marijuana and lsd, the two legalised drugs in duotona, are heavily normalised and are treated in the same vein as vaping is in the west. this is because whilst technically legal for those only over the age of 18, there is pretty high rates of underage usage, which the government is trying to crack down on as of recent.

3) the government system is also very confusing to tourists coming to duotona. many view it as entirely undemocratic, but if you were to ask a citizen about it, they'd either not care or kindly explain that they get to vote on not having elections and gladly let the DEU stay in power indefinitely. it's kind of like an election as to not have elections.

One of my nation's biggest cultural shocks is the pronunciation of my nation's name.

Most foreigners improperly pronounce it as Saar-oh-land-ee-ah, while natives consider the official pronunciation to be Zaar-oh-land-ee-ah, from when the nation used to be the Zar Dynasty. Both Zaar and Saar are used interchangeably, while Zaar is considered to be the official way of saying the nation's name, Saar is a lot more common due to it being an S.

The reason why it is an S instead of a Z has to do with British Colonization. Originally, Zaroland (as it was called back then) was a colony belonging to the Dutch up until 1795, when they were freed from the Dutch and established the Kingdom of Zaroland, which existed until the late 1800's when the British colonized the archipelago and dubbed it as the Saroland Colony. Saroland was a mistranslation of Zaroland and was never fixed to this day.

Neither pronunciation is official, similar to how Myanmar is both Myanmar and Burma, Myanmar is the new more accepted name while Burma was the original name that is still acceptable.

1. Thermodolia’s blasé attitude infidelity. Thermodolians tend to not give a shit about affairs, or mistresses or whatever. Even though the Thermodolian Christian Church technically forbids adultery most Thermodolians act like it’s completely normal to have a mistress or seven. This attitude extends to both sexes and sexual orientations as it’s also seen as normal for anyone to have an affair.

2. The hardline stance on corruption. Thermodolia has a near religious attitude towards anti-corruption, it’s too the point that politicians can have their reputations tarnished for as little as 25T ($50) going missing. The punishments for corruption are considered very harsh and generally one could spend decades in prison for any form of corruption.

3. Movies and speeches. During movies and speeches Thermodolians tend to be very vocal and will cheer, applaud, boo the villain in a movie, openly encourage the hero’s, etc. Staying quiet during a movie or speech or whatever is very rare and nearly unheard of.

4. LGBT rights. Thermodolia is actually quite progressive on gay rights and it’s seen as just a normal way of life to 85-90% depending on the polls. However Thermodolian culture is downright hostile of the rights of the TQ+ community with only around 20% of the population actually supporting them. The reason for this split is not really known other than the fact that gay rights in Thermodolia began much earlier (Thermodolian gays had the right to marry as early as 1930s) than many other nations while the fight for the TQ+ community only really began in the 1990s and after it spread from western nations. It’s possible that trans rights are seen as some strange thing westerners do which can lead to some issues.

5. Western paradox. Even though Thermodolia is effectively a modern nearly western style nation the culture at times will claim western ideas and people to be strange and odd even though Thermodolia has been similar to western nations since at least the mid to late 1700s

1-
Traditional Abrahamic attitudes to gender.
(Men having a duty to protect and financially provide for women whilst married women are expected to be supportive to men in a traditional role)
2-
Militarism
(The military is very well-funded, conscription exists and the military has a large role in political decision-making and law enforcement)
3- Entrenchment of the English Bolshevik Party
(An official branch of the armed forces, the Based Corps, pledges allegiance to the party, which has been the main party in power since 2030.)
4- Economic system
(National Bolshevism is the basis of the economic system).

Gun laws are extremely loose and people can carry weapons up to the AK 47 level openly or concealed in most places Even some criminals don't necessarily loose their gun rights for life, as long as they didn't shoot at cops, the military, or politicians, or rob the banks.

Changelings can freely fly about openly. As long as they are not caught lawbreaking, they have the same rights as anyone else, and many become boyfriends and girlfriends of other races who freely fill the love stomachs of their loved ones.

Graves have multiple (100+) occupants. Only murder victims, children and the rich/famous have graves of their own.

Megatronism is the biggest religion here, and we have a Decepticon Priest living here openly in a robot body.

It's ok to throw coins (but not other stuff) in geysers.

Swords and knives are also legal in most places.

Although rare, public executions happen.

Women who get pregnant willingly can be dismissed from their jobs if their bosses want that.

1. Date and Time

Like all countries, Qaru has its own unique characteristics There are a few holidays that are celebrated in East Qaru & West Qaru but nowhere else in the world. One of the most surprising ones is the time New Year's Day is held. Most countries in the world celebrate New Year's Day on the first of January. In Qaru however, New Year's Day is a couple of months later, on the first of March. Tourists are often surprised to learn that Qaruans don't celebrate the Gregorian New Year. In more insular parts of Qaru, people don't even acknowledge it is the year 2023 A.D, instead, they exclusively use the Qaruan altered Gregorian calendar, where the year (as of 27 May 2023) is PF 123. Another aspect of Qaruan life that tourists especially get confused with is the sense of time. Qaru (East Qaru & West Qaru) uses decimal or metric time. In this time, one second is only 86.4% as long as the standard second, so seconds in Qaru are slightly shorter in length than seconds everywhere else. 100 of these seconds make up a minute in Qaru. 100 Qaruan minutes is 1 Qaruan hour. From the perspective of Qaruans, there are 10 hours in a day. Time is written and displayed in such format as well, so if you ask a Qaruan what time is it, they may say "It's 7:78", or "It's 3:81", which confuses outsiders.

2. Cuisine & Dessert

Qaruan cuisine is known for being rich, vivid, and intricate in flavor. The taste of the nation's dishes is memorable. Snacks in Qaru, especially in East Qaru, are similar to how snacks were in the US in the 1970s and 1980s in how they are packaged (very creative & loud).

3. Music, Art, & Dance

Qaruans are very artistic people. The music is described as being very "in-tuned" and well-measured, as well as often having catchy melodies, especially East Qaruan music.

4. Driving

Driving in Qaru is often crazy. You'll have to be careful when driving in Qaru. People don't always obey speed limits, stop signs, and traffic lights, as they are seen as mere suggestions. The driving habits of Qaruans are situational, and not so concrete and structured. This is especially a culture shock to people living in first-world countries.

5. Architecture

Qaru's architecture is a mixture of multiple cultures, due to its multicultural roots.

Some aspects include, eating without a table being tabboo and mushroom wine being much more popular then grape wine.

Ephyrian culture is in no short supply of this. A non-exhaustive list concerning the big four: slavery, gender roles, sex and gender, and honour.

1. Slavery. The institution is legal and supported by the Ephyrian cultural philosophy of strength. Slaves may be Ephyrian or non-Ephyrian, as the only origin an Ephyrian is biased against enslaving is his or her own city. Ephyrians understand enslavement of a defeated population to be the right of the victors. Respect is given to those peoples who choose to die through suicide or fighting rather than submit to slavery. Those who do submit are deemed to have chosen slavery. There are more female slaves than male slaves, as male slaves are more able to organise and execute a revolt than female slaves, and many male captives or fit males in a defeated population are simply killed to ensure effective occupation, leaving the women and children behind to be enslaved.
   
   
2. Gender roles. Ephyrian society and culture is patriarchal in every respect. They can be considered misogynistic, as they openly consider women to be inferior to men, physically, mentally, morally, etc. Women are considered closer to chaotic nature, and must be kept under control to keep their impulses in check. Nevertheless most Ephyrians would deny that they hate women, and consider a hate for women on the basis of their obviously inferior nature both pointless and effeminate. Laws relating to male control over women treat females as property, and Ephyrians consider women to be 'natural property' of men, since if they are not 'owned' by men motivated by blood or marriage to protect them, they will be taken by men motivated to enslave them. Typically, women are strictly treated, expected to show constant deference and obedience to their male guardian, and will be punished for disobedience or disrespect. Often, the greatest culture shock in this respect is not the treatment of women by men, but the strong anti-feminist attitudes of Ephyrian women themselves. As the male order imposed on them does not arise from hatred of women, no self-hate is required for Ephyrian women growing up in the same culture to believe the same things. They simply and unremarkably see themselves as inferior and needing men to be properly grounded and ordered. Obedience is praised as a virtue, and women will seek to outdo one another for male favour and approval.
   
   
3. Sex and gender. Ephyrian culture approaches sexuality with an action-centred model rather than an attraction-centred model. There is no conceptual category of heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, or anything of that kind in Ephyra. No one calls themselves or anyone else any of these. The three categories are men who penetrate, men who are penetrated, and women. No stigma is attached to a man who beds another man provided that he is not in the female role. For a free and respectable male citizen to be outed as a receiver however can lead to disenfranchisement, exile, or even death. Women are deemed as built to be penetrated, and so there is no framework for female-female relationships in Ephyrian culture, as women cannot fulfil the phallic role. Nevertheless, it is known that Ephyrian women can form romantic and sexual pairings without much issue, as they do not consider it sex anyway, and so men are not able to be cuckolded by a woman.
   
   The nearest concept Ephyrians have to gender, though there is no word for it, is not a clear male-female binary but a masculine singularity. At the centre of this model are freeborn, adult men, who themselves define and are defined by the model. Everyone else, women, slaves, and young males, are collectively part of an 'un-male' category. The potentiality for each in this category is different however. Women naturally can never become masculine because they are not male. Being biologically male is necessary to be masculine in Ephyrian culture though it is not the only factor. Male slaves, if they ever had masculinity, are deemed to be without it by virtue of their submission to slavery. Young males are expected to grow into the masculine role and reflect its ideals. The Ephyrians naturally understand that the two sexes in nature are male and female, but do not consider these equal rankings.
   
   
4. Honour. Much of the gender roles aspect is explained by the Ephyrian culture of honour. The personal reputation of men and the reputation of the family are extremely important to the Ephyrians. Shame must be defended against both within the family, as family members may bring dishonour through their actions (or lack thereof), and outside the family, as tolerating an insult, outrage, or offence against the family or one of its members will lower the public image of the family as a whole. Honour conflicts can become violent, and the most violent expression of Ephyrian honour is the marida, a blood feud to extermination. Per the Ephyrian understanding of honour, only men can have a positive impact on the family's honour, and must be active to elevate their own personal reputations. This cultivates stereotypically masculine traits of dominance, decisiveness, and activity, though the unequal distribution of honour as a social currency means there is no shame for a man of a lesser social rank to be subordinate to a man of a higher social rank. Women by contrast are 'vessels' for honour, reflecting the honour of their husbands and fathers. Their actions carry the risk of disgrace and dishonour, particularly in sexual matters, further justifying the strict control they are held under. Male children are preferred to female children, as males can increase the overall standing of the family and is one more fighting arm for the de facto family militia, while more females increases the possible sources of dishonour and the number of those who need to be protected. The female posing a greater honour threat than the male is a core reason, other than the natural acculturation, for why Ephyrian women take the initiative in enforcing their patriarchal familial norms. Women who try to rebel against the patriarchal order risk bringing dishonour to the family as a whole, which then lowers the status of all the women in the family by extension. This may even put them in physical danger, strongly motivating them to police unruly female behaviour in their own social unit, and enforce obedience to their male protectors. In a marida, men will target women of the opposing family for rape in order to prove the enemy males incapable of defending their females. Rape can also start a marida, as can adultery, which is considered worse than rape as it actively involves the woman's betrayal.

1. Informal/familiar/egalitarian ways of addressing people:
People will often call all officials (and the leaders in their workplace) by their first names or even shortened versions.
Even in situations where formality is used, such as in a court of law, it’s always the case that people address, and are addressed, as “comrade [last name]” with the judge and defendant both addressing each other in this manner.
2. Gender equality: People in this culture are often shocked by the level of sexism in other countries, including sexism in both western countries and those of the east.
3. Law-abiding citizenry: Visitors are shocked at the extremely low levels of crime, crime rates are low to the extent that the stereotype of People’s Militia guards outside of major cities and some extremely backwards villages in the South-West and East Anglia, is that of people with very little to do.
4. Artistic creativity: Artists, despite having a handful of laws restricting them, are supported by the state economic system to produce anything not prohibited by those laws, without having to worry about money.

I - Total abolishment of gender roles and gendered clothes.
In Equai traditional gender roles as well as the traditional view on clothes doesn't exist which is the first visitors see in Equai with people of all genders and expressions being free to wear what they suit them best (and in some locations lack of there of). Traditional Gender roles are viewed as a system of oppression. Stereotypical muscular men are often seen wearing dresses.

II - Absolute gender and sexual equality
Another thing that conservative (but also liberal) visitors see in Equai is complete gender equality. Sexism, misogyny and other bigotry aren't present in Equaian society due to decades long campaigns and deep purges of reactionary elements in 20th century. Subgroup of this culture shock is also that about sexual liberty, which Equai encourages.

III - Total absence of police
Police in Equai doesn't exist as an institution which is a shock to most people considering Equai's crime rate is the lowest in Eurasian continent.

IV - Banned cars
What every visitor first see after passing the order into Equai is border patrol escorting their cars to a large parking complex with explanations that cars aren't allowed. Decades long government investments into fleshed out, fast and reliable network of public transportation made cars obsolete and hazard for pedestrians and cyclists.

V - Almost daily referendums and public direct democratic debates
Visitors from non-socialist countries are often socked by the numbers of referendums and public political discourses held. One of the visitors from Australia once commented that if his country had this political process he would move out. Its often weird for visitors to grasp the level of public involement in the politics of Equai.

I cannot tell you how many times an Overworldian visitor has come to the End, and would look one of our people in the eyes. I have recently learned that in most Overworldian cultures, it is apparently a sign of respect to make eye contact when speaking to someone, but that is not the case for us. Eye contact is seen as a challenge of character, is is actually seen as somewhat rude. In an attempt to relate it to what I have seen of Overworldians, I would say that it is equivalent to this "flipping the bird" gesture I have heard about, but possibly 10 times worse.

That is probably where the biggest disconnect between my people and Overworldians has been.