I was going to say, get to work, then I remembered why I don’t like the Doors.
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What is America?
- Thread starter Parzival
- Start date
I was going to say, get to work, then I remembered why I don’t like the Doors.
Buc-ee's is an experience that a video can not do justice for. Love me some Buc-ee's.
-Mike
-Mike
From times living or traveling in Europe, some things I've heard about America and Americans from an outside perspective;
One is the "Ugly American" type - especially in tourism areas. Fat, ignorant, arrogant, rude, and rich. Which sounds unfair, until you live in an American tourist destination and see how the locals feel about other Americans who come there.
Another is the "friendly American" - the sense that Americans are amazingly warm, welcoming people.
A counterpoint to that is one I heard in Spain, that Americans are like peaches; fuzzy and soft on the outside, but they don't let you into their hard core. Whereas the Spanish saw themselves as like walnuts, a hard stiff shell on the outside but once you're in, there's nothing held back.
In Germany I noticed mixed feelings and comparisons. I was there right after the Iraq War started. No one person put it into as many words, but the theme that I picked up on was that Germans, because of their 20th century history, felt they could never take for granted that they were the "good guys." Americans, on the other hand, did tend to presume that.
For at least one other German I knew, though, there was another dimension. He liked to go on vacation to the US' Midwest. He would rent a camper and just drive for days across the Great Plains. I admired Germany's compact, walkable communities, but to him that was cramped and he reveled in being able to drive for hours of open road and open sky.
One is the "Ugly American" type - especially in tourism areas. Fat, ignorant, arrogant, rude, and rich. Which sounds unfair, until you live in an American tourist destination and see how the locals feel about other Americans who come there.
Another is the "friendly American" - the sense that Americans are amazingly warm, welcoming people.
A counterpoint to that is one I heard in Spain, that Americans are like peaches; fuzzy and soft on the outside, but they don't let you into their hard core. Whereas the Spanish saw themselves as like walnuts, a hard stiff shell on the outside but once you're in, there's nothing held back.
In Germany I noticed mixed feelings and comparisons. I was there right after the Iraq War started. No one person put it into as many words, but the theme that I picked up on was that Germans, because of their 20th century history, felt they could never take for granted that they were the "good guys." Americans, on the other hand, did tend to presume that.
For at least one other German I knew, though, there was another dimension. He liked to go on vacation to the US' Midwest. He would rent a camper and just drive for days across the Great Plains. I admired Germany's compact, walkable communities, but to him that was cramped and he reveled in being able to drive for hours of open road and open sky.
I lived in the Mediterranean (Sicily) for a few years. My wife and I would regularly travel to those countries you've mentioned. And what you've said is on point.
Regarding the Ugly Americans, we'd accidentally hooked up with a few. Rude, mouthy, arrogant, embarrassing, intolerable beings. You just don't treat the nationals of the host country this way. Twice, I'd had enough and did some ass-chewing. Needless to say, once revealed, we disconnected from them. But it proved to me that the Ugly American moniker was a real thing. Really came to light while trying to get into a club in France. Two of them had signs saying "No Americans Allowed". Ouch LOL.
Of course, in each country, that wasn't the prevailing attitude. Most everyone was warm and accepting of anyone, even Americans. I miss those traveling days. Finances, being what they are today, won't allow that again. I suppose we could book a cruise or flight and go as tourists, but being a tourist in not the same as being a traveler.
German side story: Wife and I took a taxi to the German car dealership to pickup a new car to drive back down to Sicily. Just shootin' the breeze with the driver, I mentioned I was in the Navy. "Oh, ja, I was in the Navy, too. Two times my ship was sunk by American torpedoes. One time I was in the water for several hours, watched many shipmates get eaten by sharks." Oh, hell... I hope he didn't figure this was a chance for payback...
Also lived in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain 4 years as a teenager. With all this time out of the US, I, like you, view America pretty much from an outsiders point of view. A book I read, "Third Culture Kid" (I think there's one for adults, too) really helped explain why I feel like a perpetual observer.
Back on topic...one video to show an alien. Hmm. There are vids of beauty, fairness, fun, graciousness, intelligence. There are also vids of cruelty, intolerance, stupidity, self-righteous arrogance, senseless murder. I don't think I could pick just one. I'd have to host a movie week for our out-of-planet visitors to experience both sides of America. I wonder if aliens like popcorn LOL.
I remember waiting in line at a crepery (sp?) in Paris and listening aghast as a middleaged American woman lectured the crepe maker on how to make her crepe. As soon as she left I apologized to him. He shrugged it off in perfect Parisian fashion.
If their 1st impression was the magazine rack a the grocery store, they'd just head right back! 
The Americas - north and south - lands that were invaded by Europeans from many different countries about 500 years ago and possibly visited by Vikings about 500 years before that. Evidence of alien visits to the southern continent about 2500 years ago
If the indigenous peoples of North America (aka Native Americans) were indeed the first ones here and established nations, and did not uproot an existing population, then they were indeed invaded by Europeans. It may have begun as exploration, but it ended up as invasion.
If the people of North America had sailed to Europe and done the same, it would also have been an invasion, whether or not the Europeans had originally migrated there from somewhere else.
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Barely a month after the Berlin wall came down, I met a german guy at a coffee shop. He had just seen the movie Animal house and thought it was soIf their 1st impression was the magazine rack a the grocery store, they'd just head right back!
hysterical he was sending a copy home. I implored him not to give germany the impression this was America.
John Bellushi was a VERY funny guy, but he and the others are not representative of American colleges. (I hope)
The first time I visited Paris, I learned some very basic French phrases before the trip. I always do that for any country I'm visiting where English isn't the first language. It creates good will, even if I'm butchering the language.
On this trip, I was in line at bakery, and there were 2 women in front of me in line that were obviously American. How did I know? They were attempting to order, loudly, in English. They got through the order, and when it was my turn, I smiled at the employee and rolled my eyes. He gave me a knowing look, and I laughed and placed my order in (bad) French.
I've seen this happen on other trips, and I sometimes get the feeling that we as Americans expect the rest of the world to bend to our needs when we travel.
She wasn't the ugliest American I saw on that trip. That was the redneck who came a short and curly from getting into a fist fight with someone in the line at Versailles.
D
I used to laugh at my American friends who would talk to Germans in Englush, with a slight German accent. Like that helped. 
Boris badinoff, world famous no goodnick.I used to laugh at my American friends who would talk to Germans in Englush, with a slight German accent. Like that helped.
I've always wondered...why do these kinds of Americans even bother traveling abroad? They can act aggressively ignorant right here in the good ol' US of A! Why are such people anywhere near the Louvre or the Parthenon? They should just go to Las Vegas and pretend they've traveled to distant lands!
According to perception rankings, based on Travel Industry polls from companies like Expedia, Skyscanner, and Tripadvisor, Americans are ranked as culturally unaware but generally generous.
On the other hand, British tourists often top the list for worst behaviour in terms of public mischief, especially in party-heavy destinations. They are the most likely to cause a scene, especially when drunk. Currently they are not exactly welcome in Spain, for instance.
Australians to can be similar in Southeast Asia.
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So, basically.....
There are great, kind people, obnoxious, rude people, and everything in between in the US....just like everywhere else.
As long as we're all comfortable making sweeping generalizations, the highest percentage of obnoxious people from specific country I've run into while travelling overseas (St. Martin, the Yucatan in Mexico, and Italy, primarily) have been....ready?....sit down...this will be as surprising to you as it was to me, 'cause I've always enjoyed our trips to our neighbors to the north...
Canadians. On MANY occasions, whether we're on the beach making small talk or in a fun surf shack, once many of them find out we're American, they launch into a tirade about what they view as our country's faults. Some have even dogged us down the beach while we politely try to explain that we're not interested in political discussions, especially on vacation.
Go figure. Still...that doesn't mean that's what Canada is. Just that there are a few asswipes that live there and travel.
What is America, as in the USA? It's meant to be what the Constitution says it is. A government of the people, for the people, and by the people. All men are created equal with certain inalienable rights. The pursuit of happiness, reaping the benefits of the promotion of the general welfare. It's a beautiful document. Sure wish we could stick to it better.
There are great, kind people, obnoxious, rude people, and everything in between in the US....just like everywhere else.
As long as we're all comfortable making sweeping generalizations, the highest percentage of obnoxious people from specific country I've run into while travelling overseas (St. Martin, the Yucatan in Mexico, and Italy, primarily) have been....ready?....sit down...this will be as surprising to you as it was to me, 'cause I've always enjoyed our trips to our neighbors to the north...
Canadians. On MANY occasions, whether we're on the beach making small talk or in a fun surf shack, once many of them find out we're American, they launch into a tirade about what they view as our country's faults. Some have even dogged us down the beach while we politely try to explain that we're not interested in political discussions, especially on vacation.
Go figure. Still...that doesn't mean that's what Canada is. Just that there are a few asswipes that live there and travel.
What is America, as in the USA? It's meant to be what the Constitution says it is. A government of the people, for the people, and by the people. All men are created equal with certain inalienable rights. The pursuit of happiness, reaping the benefits of the promotion of the general welfare. It's a beautiful document. Sure wish we could stick to it better.
