Though they often seem to be lacking in self-awareness, Americans are well-acquainted with their own stereotypes. Yes, we get it; we’re loud, we’re brash, we’re fat, we love NASCAR and think everyone should speak gosh darn American. These stereotypes in a way are almost self-imposed. We see ‘Team America’ and we assume that sardonic parody of patriotism is how the rest of the world views us, but that’s not always the case.

There are tons of stereotypes about Americans we have no idea about because they’re things that are so normal to us we don’t even notice them. Take cheese, for example. We LOVE cheese, and sure, other countries love it too, but to an Easterner, cheese is a gross, spongy, smelly alien substance. We know our political system is definitely on the wacky side of things, but do we even comprehend how our election looks to the rest of the world, nervously praying Donald Trump doesn’t get the nuclear codes?

On this episode, we’re joined by a few foreigners to talk about all the weird things we do as Americans, but have no idea about. Cracked editor-in-chief Jack O’Brien is joined by Japanese comedian Aiko Tanaka and British comedian Katia Kvinge to talk about our weird food culture and our even weirder dating culture. Later, Jack is joined by Cracked editor and resident Canadian Mark Hill to talk about why American technology lags far behind along with our politics.

Footnotes:

6 Ways US Elections Look Insane To Non-US Citizens: http://goo.gl/sBRH9L

18 Simple Ways Other Countries Are Just Better Than America: http://goo.gl/n8DdqW

19 Ways Americans Don’t Realize Life In America Isn’t Normal: http://goo.gl/LtRu9k

Deep inside us all behind our political leanings, our moral codes and our private biases, there is a cause so colossally stupid, we surprise ourselves with how much we care. Whether it’s toilet paper position, fedoras on men or Oxford commas, we each harbor a preference so powerful we can’t help but proselytize to the world. Guest host Soren Bowie will be joined by Cody Johnston, Michael Swaim and comedian Annie Lederman to discuss the most trivial things we will argue about until the day we die. This next LIVE episode of The Cracked Podcast will be on Saturday, May 14th at 7pm at the UCB Sunset Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets are $5 and on sale here: https://goo.gl/znDZRH

7 years is a wonderful amount of TIME! Scott celebrates 7 years of Comedy Bang! Bang! with Jason “Heynong Man” Mantzoukas, Paul F. Tompkins, and show favorites. We’ll hear from one of the original members of The Beatles, a keeper of time, shoe shiners, and a character with a keen sense of direction. Join us for singing, freestyle rapping, and a surprise phone call!

Paul F. Tompkins welcomes everyone back to SPONTANEANATION, the place you are free to be yourself! This week, Paul’s special guest is Jason Mantzoukas of How Did This Get Made? and Transparent! They chat about the last time Jason told his family he loved them, the correct inflection when saying “How Did This Get Made?,” and the comforts of  Magnum, P.I. Paul is then joined by Shulie Cowen, Matt Gourley, and Amanda Lund to improvise a story set in a Rented Cabin in The Mountains. And as always, Eban (only the best) Schletter scores it all on piano! SPONTANEANATION LIVE returns to Largo on Saturday, June 4th, with improvisors Nyima Funk, Colleen Smith and Chris Tallman, with special interview guest Robyn Hitchcock! Tickets are available now: bit.ly/SPONT616

This week we talk to Jimminent Turlybirther, the Confidential Courier. What’s he couriering? We’ll see if he’ll confide.

Credits

Arnie: Arnie Niekamp

Chunt: Adal Rifai

Usidore: Matt Young

Jimminent Turlybirther, the Confidential Courier: Tim Baltz

Mysterious Man: Tim Sniffen

Craig: Ryan DiGiorgi

Producers: Arnie Niekamp, Evan Jacover, Ryan DiGiorgi

Editor: Chris Rathjen

Theme Music: Andy Poland

Magic Tavern Logo: Allard Laban

Funny person Jessica McKenna (Party Over Here) joins Andrew all this week to answer some racism questions. Today they discuss diversity in Orange County. Be sure to call us at (323) 389-RACE to ask if anything is racist.

This week, Devin and Amy break down Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain.” Will Jack Twist & Ennis Del Mar’s eternal love win your heart? Or will you “quit” this movie? Grab your favorite shirt to smell and listen in!

John Mulaney (Oh, Hello) joins Paul, June, and Jason to discuss the insane 1986 science fiction film Solarbabies.

Comedian Chris Gethard takes one phone call. One hour. No names. No consequences. Every week, Chris opens the phone line to one anonymous caller and he can’t hang up no matter what. This week he talks with a sad boy who gets mistaken for a quiet girl about his dad moving out. 

The first time David Gregory met Kara Swisher, she insulted him. “That’s my move,” she says. That’s no surprise to those who’ve followed her work as perhaps the most feared and admired journalist in Silicon Valley. In her conversation with David Gregory she talks about arrogance in the tech industry and how she landed on the tech beat before such a thing even existed. Subscribe to The David Gregory Show for new episodes every week. It’s your chance to eavesdrop on surprising conversations with famous and interesting people, and hear them get personal about their beliefs, faith, and the things that have mattered most in their lives.

Andrew Ti and special guest Jordan Firstman finish the week off by discussing a question from an Economics teacher whose class is harder for ESL students. As always, leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

Comedy duo Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld join the Sklars to discuss their new Vimeo series “Lonely and Horny.” Jake and Amir talk about their work dynamic at CollegeHumor and creating more than 700 videos together. They all break down Quick Hits of the Tennessee Titans’ family movie night being interrupted by an automatic sprinkler system. Later, actor Christoph Waltz stops by to share his love of DePaul basketball and the NBA, specifically New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis.

Drew Droege, our amazingly special guest joins Casey and Danielle as they discuss the demise of Cut Fitness, Kelly Bensimon’s 2010 Playboy spread and Bethanny’s tailgate chic shit show. They also all drink black water. For you. They do it all for YOU!!!!

Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. We love you Prince. This week Erin tells us about her clogs purchase and Bryan talks about his gay agenda and ignoring parents on their death bed. Plus, Harriet Tubman is on the new 20 dollar bill and everyone is pretty pissed about it. Also Alison Rosen is here to discuss her favorite pantsuit designers, cosmetic smells and trash tv.

Comedy legend Paul Reiser of Mad About You and Diner joins the 1st timers club on today’s Comedy Bang! Bang! Paul chats with Scott about getting back into stand-up after a very long hiatus, accidentally getting a role in the film Diner, and the importance of the finale of the ABC sitcom Mad About You. Later, our good friends Victor and Tiny return with news of unlocking the secret to help Victor with his stage fright as well as a brand new song about the apple tree they’ve been living under.

Going mad with Paul Reiser.

Laura Walker is the president and CEO of New York Public Radio, the largest public radio station group in the US, and a well-known leader in podcasting, though its flagship station WNYC. In fact, it was the first public station to release a podcast, which sparks a conversation about how podcasting fits in with the station’s mission as a public broadcaster, and why the organization stuck with the medium in the late 2000s when much of the excitement around podcasting had worn off. Laura discusses the recently launched WNYC Studios and its $15 million fund to incubate innovative new audio programming, and details the station’s goal to bring gender balance to iTunes top podcasts chart. She also tackles the question of the so-called “public radio exodus” into for-profit podcasting—and her answer might surprise you.

Journalist and Time contributor Joel Stein joins Sarah and Susan on this week’s Crybabies! We’ll see if Bruce Springsteen, Huckleberry Finn, and some old Friends are enough to get the tears rolling.

A listener wants to know why people tend to inversely react to feedback given to them. James and Stephen don’t agree that this is a universal truth, but instead attempt to dissect the underlying issues by looking at humans’ insecurities, and the systematic pressures put upon them from a young age to excel in every area of education and development.

Comedian Kaseem Bentley debates a few stories with Kevin before discussing the movie “Safe House.” After Kamau concludes the heated dispute, they talk about Denzel’s captivatingly dark character, Tobin Frost, in the film. They also describe why Denzel is the only actor who could pull of this character and break down the visceral waterboarding scene. Check out United Shades of America on CNN this Sunday and Kamau’s first comedy special, “Semi-Prominent Negro,” on Showtime April 29th.

Singer-songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs performs on an improv4humans with Matt Besser music episode, featuring Tim Meadows, Eugene Cordero and Katie Dippold. Her songs inspire scenes about a detailed plan on stealing vinyl from a music store and dealing with a bad case of skin cockroaches. Also, we learn the real story behind Banksy. Buy Jenny’s music at jennyowenyoungs.com. Sign up for Seeso.com to watch Besser’s stand-up special “Besser Breaks the Record” and “The UCB Show,” which were filmed live in UCBLA.

Jordan Firstman joins Andrew to talk about the race of Tarzan. Make sure to leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

The Shrimps take on the The Blouses at Pan Pacific Park. Mark McConville and Chris Tallman call the action.

The Shrimps on Twitter: @pistolshrimpsbb

The Shrimps on Instagram: thepistolshrimps

Pistol Shrimps Radio on Twitter: @ShrimpsRadio

Matt Gourley on Twitter and IG: @MattGourley

Mark McConville on Twitter and IG: @MarkMcConville

Gov. Chris Christie (Jon Gabrus) spills the beans on his famous Obama hug, his favorite swimwear, and which member of the E Street Band he’s assassinated. Plus: Mark wonders how water can come from space.

Actor Kurt Leitner played Lester, one of the students in the classroom of Dead Poet’s Society, a film that was highly influential for Matt. Kurt tells us about going from being a body double on set to becoming one of the supporting poets, organically coming up with the name Lester for his character as well as the character name of Spaz, his chicken walk making it into the trailer, and why his character didn’t stand on a desk in support of Mr. Keating. Plus, we hear about the truly once in a lifetime experience of being directed  in a playground atmosphere by Peter Weir and improvising with Robin Williams.

Audience faves The Accidental Gay Parents return. This time Trystan is pregnant. To join the conversation about this episode, go to longestshortesttime.com!

The multi-talented Paul Scheer of How Did This Get Made? joins Leonard to talk about his podcast unearthing gems like the Village People’s Can’t Stop the Music, wearing out the VHS tapes of movies he recorded as a kid, and the ground rules for doing a remake. Plus, Paul recommends some of his favorite films from the golden age of Hollywood including the 1934 comedy-mystery The Thin Man.

Adults have a much more difficult time mastering new skills, from foreign languages to perfecting a golf swing, than adolescents. Stephen and James believe that the principles of deliberate practice, as opposed to experiential repetition, may be able to help those over the age of thirty cognitively develop the skills that they’re emotionally ready to learn. Listen on to hear the pillars of deliberate practice built up one by one.

Brody Stevens, comedian and the Prince of Periscope, joins Howard and Brett for a special tribute episode to Prince. Howard and Brody debate what year “Erotic City” was released and reflect on listening to the prolific musician back in the day during the top 5 Prince songs chart. His top 5 movies inspire conversations about Prince’s multiple talents and the pros and cons of millennials’ technology usage. During Two Charted, Howard breaks down his bumpy road trip to his great shows in Bloomington and Chicago.

Jordan Firstman joins Andrew to talk about an Instagram star using makeup to look like Snoop Dogg. Make sure to leave us a message about anything you think is racist at (323) 389-RACE.

The greatest songwriter of all time (self-proclaimed) has written 18,000 songs and counting, including one brand new song for us. Watch out, Tom Petty.