The "Ugly" American

[Kevin]

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.