The "Ugly" American
 

When travelling in Europe, sometimes I wonder why in many places, Americans are kind of looked down upon. I used to feel slighted and unfairly treated.

Then I saw it, we travelled with one of my mother's friends and she was the "ugly American" that has brought us a bad name all over the world. Expecting everyone to speak English, commenting on how STRANGE everyone else's food and culture are, scouring the city for a McDonalds.. Just expecting the entire world to be the same.

Of course when faced with rudeness they reply with "Damn, we saved your asses in World War II, can't you be grateful?" Sure, most folks are. But don't expect to be waited on hand and foot because of it.

I'm sometimes embarassed to call myself American when I travel abroad because of these people. They are every day acting as our cultural ambassadors. It's no wonder many folks around the world look down on us. We don't always exactly put our best foot forward.

I know exactly what you mean. I don't feel like I'm any "better" than anyone else because of where I live. I often wonder how I ended up being American (sounds weird I know), but how did Fate decide I belonged here but not in, let's say, the Sudan? Life could be worse, but it could be better. America is just a place, not Heaven. I feel very bad for those who shun other cultures. I mean, there are people who won't even eat at an Indian restaurant because they don't recognize the cuisine...We are so limited here in what we are willing to try. Americans are very much about comfort.

I hear you! I'm fortunate enough never to have traveled with an "ugly American" but I've seen them all over the world... I can see where it would leave a bad taste in people's mouths.

When I travel, I try to get as much exposure to the local culture as possible. I can eat Burger King at home; how many chances am I going to have to eat at Jules Verne or Man Wah or a food court in Singapore? (And it really annoys me when they skimp on the spices, even when I ask them specifically to make my food spicy, because "Americans can't eat spicy food.")

I still call myself American when I travel, to try to prove the point that not all Americans are so gauche. :)

I get really pissed off when people ask me if my Mexican friends speak English. . .just because they are from Mexico.
The weird thing about it is my friends are the daughters of one of Mexico's elite. They live in a phat mansion in Mexico City(they also have a nice beach house in Alcapulco). She only wears designer clothes(we're talking $500 for a scarf). But her English is a tad bit off.
It's really mean and aggravating when she speaks Spanish to me(what words I know) and to hear someone whisper 'D- Mexicans, she need to learn English!'

That's kind of my point... Why does being an American make you inherently better than someone else who's not?

If it's someone from another country I'll guarantee you that in 99% of the cases, they speak english a hell of a lot better than I can speak their native toungue.

Imagine travelling with this family friend in Spain. She actually thinks that speaking slow and loud (in English) will help someone who speaks no English to understand her -- especially when she knows a little Spanish?

They need to make you take cultural sensitivity training before you're granted a passport
:D

Ktsnake I know what you mean. I feel like this. When I go off this post I don't expect anyone to speak a world of English. Which is why I am really hesitant to go off this post alone b/c my German is not the best but my husband's is better so I go with him (I would go with him anyway of course :) ) Many people know that I am an American just by looking at me and so they just speak English but I don't expect them to. My husband told me that many countries do their finances in English so I guess that's how people know it. I know it is also thought in schools over here. My father in law has a saying. People are people no matter where you go... and its true. Sometimes I am just shy b/c I don't want to go down as the "stupid American" b/c my German isn't that great but I do know that a smile is the same everywhere. Sometimes its hard over here b/c I do miss home but I honestly think I am so lucky b/c I get to see these beautiful things that many people never see. So I am also greatful!!!!!

I actually feel like an idiot when I encounter a bilingual person because they can get by in English and another language. I believe that foreign languages should be taught starting in kindergarten here, because we are not an isolated nation and not everyone in the world should have to learn English to appease us! We need to become more open minded, and learning another language can be a start. I WISH I was bilingual and I envy anyone who is!

I don't like the melting pot analogy any longer since I heard another comment I like better: We are a salad! We have individual flavors that, when blended together and made cohesive with one common "dressing" (ie purpose) of freedom and tolerance, we are complete! I am personally a tomato! The fruit oft mistaken for a veggie! LOL

Re: The "Ugly" American
 

As the saying goes, "if you want things to be like they are back home, STAY HOME!"

For the record, I've seen Germans be big-time complainers (and I'm half German, and witnessed this).

Yup, I've heard that America is a tossed salad, and Canada is a "cultural mosaic". :D

When I was planning to go to Paris, I pulled out my college French books and brushed up on my vocabulary. I went on a tour and met a Korean woman who was about my age and told me that she studied French for six weeks before her trip. She figured that most French people don't speak Korean. I was really impressed. Her English was pretty good for someone who had never lived in an English speaking country. Her French was even better. You could tell that she really made an effort to fit in to the French culture.

When I was in Paris, most French people were very nice and patient with my mediocre French. Most people spoke English, but that is because they worked in the travel industry. I have nothing but positive things to say about Paris except that the Louvre was too crowded near the Mona Lisa. :)

I also found the French very nice and helpful. They were patient with my high school French (which unfortunately gets mixed with Spanish - yep, I speak Franish) and many did speak quite good English. My group encountered a sweet little lady on the Metro who helped us get off at the right stop for the Louvre, even though she spoke very little English.

Cream, LOL at the Mona Lisa! Doesn't it seem really small and unimpressive in that large room? :p

Some gems that I overheard while I was in Europe.

On a train from Cannes to Marseille:
"I hate this f***ing language, they should speak English like the rest of the world"

In Barcelona:
"The KFC here is not as good as the KFC in (name of American city), they need better food here"

In a cheese shop in France
"Your nacho cheese here sucks"

Luckily, the majority of Americans I met in Europe were not like this.

Whats so funny about the Philippines and traveling there, is that even in the most rural parts, a LOT of people know English and love American culture.

The Mona Lisa was really small compared to how I pictured it. There were hundreds of people waiting to see it. I felt like a pinball being bounced around that room. :p

on a tour group (never ever go on a tour group), some lady started to compare different house and historical stuff to what she had in her hometown, which happen to be Cleveland. Uhm, ok, I'm sure Cleveland has many mediviel houses and castles.

Those are good. Years ago, my sister was in Mexico and heard this gem from a fellow American tourist:

"I'm sick of that stanky white cheese that's always on our food! I can hardly wait to get home and get some good ol' Velveeta!"
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Even now as we plan a trip to Santa Fe, I am reading up on the Indian culture and how toursts are expected to behave.

It's a lack of polish and not being well traveled that make most people behave boorishly. The others, well there will always be
a segment of society that is uncouth.

"The Ugly American"- GREAT book BTW!

I, too, was surprised by how small the Mona Lisa is. Some of us stood on a bench on the other side of the room so we could see it over the heads of the crowd.

What really gets me more than a little annoyed is when people look at me and my darker than average skin and automatically assume I'm a Mexican (or other Hispanic) and attempt to try their awful Spanish on me. they wind up earning the ASS part of 'assume' when I turn around and speak to them in perfect Noo Yawk-accented English.

Don't get me wrong, though -- I'm proud of my Hispanic heritage and am perfectly fluent in Spanish. (As long as I think in Spanish and not in English -- it makes for some horrendous grammatical barbarisms when you mix them up!)

A Mexican speaking Spanish to me would have me pegged for a 'Puertorro' (Puerto Rican) or Cuban really quickly because of the accent and idioms I use compared to their Spanish. Actually it's Venezuelan Spanish, which sounds similar to Spanish spoken in the Caribbean but with its own slang and idioms that are distinct to that country.

Having spent two years in Germany courtesy of Uncle Sam, I did take advantage of the local culture. Yes... I also had to try out a Big Mac and a beer at the SuckDonald's in the Trier Marktplatz! No Booger King unless you were on base. Most times I chowed down on the famous schnitzel at Mom's Place (what everyone called the local restaurant in Spangdahlem town). Even ate pizza European style -- with a knife and fork. And I knew quite a few people who pretty much became 'barracks rats', never setting foot outside the base for their entire tour.

When I was in Puerto Rico during winter break, this man who was on our cruise ship started harrassing one of the women who worked in one of the stores in San Juan. He started questioning on her on why the Puerto Ricans don't want to become part of the United States. The woman explained that it was so the Puerto Ricans could maintain their own culture and their own values. The guy just didn't get it. He kept saying stuff like, "I don't get why you wouldn't want to be an American?" and "I think it sounds better say 'I'm an American' than 'I'm a Puerto Rican'". I didn't even know the guy and I was still embarrassed that a fellow American would harrass this poor woman and tell her that basically America is better than her country.

Re: The "Ugly" American
 

ktsnake, you totally read my mind. I was telling my husband about this last night that sometimes I don't like telling people that I'm American because of the conclusions they'll leap to once they find out. I get tired of having to defend myself, or saying "but I'm not like them!" These days, if someone asks me if I'm Canadian, I'm likely to say yes.

I always try to speak the country's native tongue when I am travelling - however I had a bit of a traumatic experience (I was only ten) when visiting the south of france. I started to learn french at the age of 5, however I have learned to speak Canadian French which is different from Parisian french and different from the dialects in the south of france. Anyways I asked for a dinner menu - wouldn't have had any problems in Quebec - the lady told me she would find someone who spoke english - I was so crushed and frustrated because I knew I had asked correctly for the menu, but Quebecois is different so I refused to speak anymore french the rest of my vacation and made my dad do all the talking :p .

Reading this, I am reminded of that Ace character from RW-Paris. I want to take him by the ear and throw him on a plane that will take him to whatever rock that one crawled under. Gross. :rolleyes:

I lived in Rome for six months last year, and I was amazed by the number of Americans who were completely clueless. Most of the major tourist and shopping areas are bilingual, but I thought it was amazing how many people would compliment me on my excellent English, never stopping to think that I could actually be an American, too! :rolleyes:

By far the "ugliest" ones are in the bars. The only drunken people I ever saw walking down the street talking loudly in that fresh from the frat house way were other Americans.

I'm in summer school now taking French. Half the class (4 or 5 people) have actually travelled to France. However, I cringe, because I'm sure their butchering of "la langue sacrée" and their crude manners (even by American standards) was a "great" representation of America. I'm sickened by people who make it a point to keep things "just like home" when they go abroad. Ok, sure maybe drinking water straight out of the tap isn't always such a great idea, but will it kill you to respect their culture? Some of the best food out there is in the hole in wall places where they don't speak English. But no, they have to go seek out a McDonalds (which frankly sucks in any part of the world). And we wonder why the rest of the world laughs at us.

OOh, actually, this is something I've been worrying about. I'll be going to Italy for ten days(near Naples) in August, and it's the third foreign country I'll have visited besides Brittain and Canada, and the first one where English is not generally spoken. I've taken spanish, but no Italian in my academic career, but I'm trying to learn enough to survive over the next few months. Does anyone know what the Italian sentiment towards Americans is right now, and what sort of important etiquette and culture tips I should follow? Also, how should I dress to be inconspicuous(avoiding things like those damn "fanny" packs, hawaiin shirts and baseball caps are of course obvious whether traveling or not!)?

Which is why my husband has NO desire to EVER go back to Quebec!!!!!!! (with the exception of seeing some family members and visiting his father's grave)

He grew up in Montreal

Oh, I have two:

On a tour group outside of Monterrey Mexico,
"These are the nastiest enchiladas we have ever had. This sint what they are supposed to taste like. We lived in Waco, Texas for 10 years. We KNOW What Mexican food is supposed to taste like."

I couldda died of embarrassment. I was hoping that the tour woudl leave them behind.

2) One of my fraternity brothers over lunch discussing the English Only movement in Texas at the time (Requiring all business and such in Texas to be done in english to be considered legal - Currently, many state documents and ballots are bi-lingual)

He said, "By god, if English was good enough for Jesus to speak, its good enough for the peoples of Texas."

Silence. Nothing but silence. I wanted him to give up his letters right there. lol.

I used to office with a woman from Bangladesh. She was awesoem and remains one of my good friends to this day. Becasue her english wasnt 100% perfect, people always assumed she was stupid, and had NO patience with her. When in fact, she was cool, giving and CRAZY smart. Yeah, her english wasnt perfect, but ya knwo what? She was far from stupid. English was the 8th language she had learned, and had only been speaking it for 2 years when I met her. In her native country, she ran a shool for girls that had 1200 pupils. Stupid? Hardly.

:eek:

I would have died laughing.

Unfortunately (or probably fortunately) I have no ugly American stories. I've been to Mexico, Spain, Austria and Germany and I've found that as long as you make an attempt to speak the language, the people are super-friendly. In Germany (a high school trip) all we knew of the language was "Danke," plus the words for "Please" and "Good morning/evening" (which I have since forgotten), but everyone was really nice even so. (Maybe this is because we were 15 and 16 at the time and they didn't expect much of us?)

I am SO impressed with all of you guys that can speak other languages!!! I just never had the ear for it! Several posts back someone stated they should start our children out learning another language. I couldn't agree more. We do that here with French and those children are really fortunate. It's just too bad the number who can participate in the program is so limited.

I'm also impressed with those of you who can speak more than one language. I never had the gift :( I agree, they should start kids in kindergarten; 6th grade (the youngest that you could start learning a foreign language in my school system) is far too late.

How's this for an ugly American story:

I was in Singapore, and decided to take a day trip into Malaysia. The tour description was very clear - we were going to a fishing village, taking a tour, and having lunch. Most people, myself included, wore jeans and sneakers - good, sturdy, practical clothes.

A woman and her ~15 year old son joined the tour group (definitely American by their accent), and I almost fell over seeing how they were dressed.

The boy was wearing a lime green jumpsuit. He was probably visible from space. :rolleyes:

She was wearing a top, miniskirt, and stiletto heels. Umm, real practical. Was she planning on hooking up?? We took a tour of the fishing village by boat, and while climbing a ladder to get out of the boat, she broke a heel (big shock!) - and spent the rest of the tour hobbling about and sulking. :rolleyes:

Naturally, they complained loudly about the food.

*sigh*

WHAT? Southeast Asia probably have the greatest cuisine (I'm slanted becuase I love Thai and Indonesian food).

You do have a point in that English is fairly widely spoken, and will get you by in many places. The problem is that some people (usually Americans) just assume that everyone all over the world either speaks English or is stupid. Knowing English also doesn't necessarily help you if you leave the tourist districts.

When I travel, I try to learn a few basic phrases in the local language - things like "please" and "thank you" and "where is the restroom?" (always a good thing to know ;) )

Arya, apparently the food was too spicy and too fishy for them. Probably the closest thing to fish they'd had in their lives was Filet-O-Fish. :rolleyes:

I had a friend (well still have her, but anyhoo)who studied for 7 months in Egypt. She still insisted that everything be just like home. She ate McD's, KFC, etc and rarely strayed into the realm of local food. She even went out in shorts and a T, which is what every guidebook tells you not to do. It's not that you'll be assaulted (like Saudi Arabia) it's just that you will be hit on. She was just appalled when some guy walked over and said "Hey baby, you want a banana??" She generally ignored local customs and completely tried to impose her culture on everyone. Maybe that would have slid by if she was there for only a week, but she was living there for awhile. I'm just glad people thought she was English (instead of American).