From: ian@sinix.UUCP (Ian Malone)
Newsgroups: rec.travel,soc.culture.usa
Subject: Re: Loud irritating obtrusive American tourists.
Date: 31 Aug 92 13:47:41 GMT
Organization: SNI AG Muenchen, STO XS

In article <frank2.28@underdog.ee.wits.ac.za> frank2@underdog.ee.wits.ac.za (FRANK D N) writes:
>It has been my experience when travelling abroad that the majority 
>of American tourists are loud, obtrusive and selfish. They are at their 
					      ~~~~~~~
Selfish?  How?

>worst in large tour groups, but individuals and families can be almost as 
>bad. They appear to have no consideration for fellow tourists and the locals 
>whose lands they are visiting. 

I think such board, sweeping insulting generalizations need, among other
things, some examples of what exactly your talking about.

>Many seem to travel - not to learn about foreign places, people and 
>culture - but merely to *do* a place and be able to tell their friends back 
>home that they've *done* it. When I was in Rome, I met two young American
>males who proudly told me :"Yeah, well we did Paris in half a day. If we 
>'bust' it, we could do Rome in about the same time.".  AAaargh! This 
>typifies the sort of travel philosophy followed by the people of whom I 
>write.

This is simply ridiculous.  Yes, those people are definately on a different
travel agenda then the rest of us, but it shows a remarkable lack of
deductive reasoning to conclude that this *must* be how all americans
travel. Oh, and who says 'bust' it?  Your grasp of American idioms obviously
validates these preposterous claims through the demonstration of your vast
understanding of American culture. Not!
 
>A result of this philosophy is that these tourists don't leave the USA at 
>home when they leave for their travels. They carry it with them everywhere 
>they go, and seem to expect all standards and facilities to comply with what 
>they are used to back in the U.S. 

Well, I must admit, it *is* hard getting used to European service.  This is
not a cut of Europe, it is just true.  American service is superior and
I, and probably many americans, have a hard time getting used to be ignored
by waiters, and recieving bad information because someone is 5 minutes
away from their dejeuner and can't be bothered to find out the information 
you need.
 
>I do not want to be guilty of generalising. I certainly have met many 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Yea, right.

>interesting, interested and considerate American travellers. Unfortunately, 
>they do seem to be in the minority.
>
>
>
>I would appreciate some insight on this issue.

Well, because the economy and standard of living in the States is vastly
superior to that of european countries, more Americans travel.  You don't
notice the quiet ones, just the loud ones.  Since *so* many americans do
travel, there are more obnoxious ones.

Besides, Americans enjoy themselves and are used to being free to express 
themselves.  Unlike many of the people I meet in Europe <I live here>,
Americans are not used to acting like scared, repressed sheep.  So they are
loud.  So they yell in the streets.  Gee, sorry.

As an american living aboard I am seeing this from both sides of the argument.
Yes, I am sometimes embarassed by other Americans, but at the same time I
really get fed up with the service and attitude here.  the shops are all
Closed, or everything is Not Possible.  But, as for your ragging on the
uncultured hoards of Americans infiltrating *your* tourist attraction, well,
simply, American Tourist Bashing is getting cliche.  Have you been living in a
cave?  People having been saying this kind of shit for years.....Or did
you just try hitting on one of our "loose american women" and get shot
down?

Oh, the Japanese, another successful society with an increasing number of
travellers, also display the same kind of loud, gleeful, confidence that
would probably make you uncomfortable, do you not like them as well?

Ian Malone
Happy In Germany, but not a German

>
>
>
>--
>David Frank       <frank2@underdog.ee.wits.ac.za>
>University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Or was this just flame bait?
Newsgroups: rec.travel