When people talk about history's greatest inventions, they might go way back in time and say the wheel. Other people say sliced bread, which was such a novel idea at the time that it inspired a common saying still used today. But the most useful invention of all time might just actually be the microwave oven.

Just think about it. Before microwaves, what did you do with your leftover pizza? If you wanted it hot, you'd have to reheat it in an actual oven for maybe 10 minutes, and who has time for that? Or you'd be forced to eat it cold, which isn't the worst thing in the world, but still not the same.

And before microwaves, how did people make popcorn? You'd either have to have your own popcorn machine, or prepare it in a pot on the stove. But when you have friends over for a movie night, it's just way more convenient to throw a popcorn bag into the microwave, press the hand "popcorn setting" button, and not have to worry about anything else.

Another great thing a microwave to do is get you some really quick hot water. Need some water to make some hot cocoa, or oatmeal, or tea, but don't have a kettle? Just nuke the water and it will be ready to go in no time.

However, it turns out that microwaving water for tea instead of using a kettle is something that happens frequently in American, but not so much around the world. In fact, the rest of the world seems to think that microwaving water is absolutely disgusting. Don't believe it? 

On Twitter, you can find numerous tweet calling out Americans for using microwaved water for tea. This person even referred to Americans who do this as "savages." Who knew microwaving water was such a hot button issue?

This person seems to think that heating up water in a kettle is a basic human right. Water heated up in a microwave is considered human rights violation. Perhaps someone should check if microwaved water was ever mentioned at the Geneva Convention.

It seem that the reason many Americans microwave the water is because they don't have a tea kettle. But the rest of the world thinks this idea is so crazy that it's making them lose brain cells. Which begs the question, how often is this person talking to Americans about their tea preparation methods?

And this person "nearly vomited" at the thought of using microwaved water for tea. They know that the microwave doesn't change the water's molecular components, right? Whether it's in a kettle or in a microwave, it's still your basic H2O.

This person admitted to using a microwave when their kettle started leaking. And you can tell that this act of nuking the water has brought this person great, great shame. But if the tea tasted the same, is there really a problem?

However, this person does insist that using microwaved water for tea actually does a bit gross. But then again, if you don't have a kettle, why not get your hot water any way you can? When you think about, it's just being resourceful.

As weird as it is to some people to microwave your water, it can get even weirder. Apparently, this person knows an American whose tea-making process includes both a microwave and a coffee maker. Hopefully the rest of the world won't look down to hard on America just because of one rather odd cousin.

All in all, there's been a lot hatred directed at Americans for microwaving their water. And in response, many Americans fessed up to it. For this person, he does it simply because of his extreme kettle-shopping anxiety.

And this person decided not to fight the stereotype at all. Instead, she's owning the stereotype and all the other stereotypes that go with it. Perhaps this is the best way to handle the microwaved water controversy while casting aside all the shame.

Meanwhile, this person said they have a kettle, but also sometimes use a microwave. And if microwaving your water works for you, then just go for it. Hopefully one day we'll live in a world where kettle-users and microwave-users and accept their differences and finally live in peace.