Many years ago, I had a coworker who kind of fascinated me. He was considerably older than me, yet he was different than most guys his age. For one, he was an artist. A professional artist, and he had interests that, generally, tended to be the domain of younger guys, such as concerts for all sorts of alternative acts and such. In short, it seemed like he was an interesting guy, and generally speaking, I enjoyed working with him.
However, there was one time when I was almost shocked by how close-minded he was, and how he was hearing what he wanted to hear, and not what was actually being said.
He knew that I had dual nationality, and that my other nationality was French, so maybe that had something to do with it. After all, this came just as French bashing was beginning to be extremely fashionable, right around 2002.
Somehow, we got on the topic of how Americans are perceived in the rest of the world, and I said something that I thought was pretty straightforward, and would not be so controversial with a man who, again, seemed more open-minded than most.
Boy, was I wrong!
What I said was this: at least nine times out of ten, when you go overseas and hear some very loud tourists, you can bet that those tourists are American.
What he heard was that nine out of ten Americans, if not more, are loud and obnoxious every time that they go overseas.
While both statements can be seen as extremely judgmental, the fact of the matter is that it has been my experience that this is true. Americans famously take enormous pride in their nationality, and I know of no other nationality that basically claims superiority over all others. Think about it: we Americans believe in "American exceptionalism" politically. We feel that this is God's country, we chant "USA Number One!" at some public events. Many times, we hear the exact same expression done in a more refined way, something to the tune of this being the greatest country in the world. Our politicians, and many others who separate form the world of politics, often will say, "God Bless America," and no matter who is sitting in the Oval Office, or what party they are from, almost every major speech ends with "God Bless America." Our kids pledge their allegiance to the flag of the United States before every school day.
And let's face it, there is no other country that goes quite as far as Americans tend to do to pat themselves on the back regarding their own exceptionalism and greatness.
In short, we stand out by believing so much in how we stand out. Lately, of course, we seem to loudly stand out for all of the wrong reasons, but that is a conversation for another day. To some degree, that was kind of the case back then, and would be so even more over the months and years to come, as the momentum for an invasion of Iraq and our precious "regime change" for a sovereign nation came to cause tremendous friction with much of the rest of the world. Remember, the vast majority of the world was opposed to any war with Iraq, and barely a year after September 11th, when the rest of the world sympathized with Americans, we became the most reviled and least trusted nation in the world, as our president assured us that he knew Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) that, in fact, were not discovered anywhere, yet which were relentlessly used as justification for urgent action. We all know what happened next.
Indeed, much of the rest of the world stood vehemently opposed to the invasion of Iraq. This was especially true of the Middle East, although that was neither surprising, nor of any serious consequence to most Americans. Most of them would just shrug at this, and either say that of course they would be opposed to it, or maybe might outright liken Muslims in general to terrorism. That seemed to be the flavor of the day.
Other countries, including some hugely influential nations, stood opposed. That included both China and Russia. But again, most Americans hardly recognized this as a big deal, because traditionally, these were rival nations, as well. So again, of course they are going to stand opposed.
But the nations that irked Americans the most were the western European nations who opposed any American invasion of Iraq. I remember many voicing extreme displeasure at the haughtiness and arrogance of these wanna be sophisticated Europeans, sitting in their cafes and denouncing all Americans.
However, one nation bothered Americans more than all others with their staunch opposition, and received tremendous amounts of public hatred as a result.
Of course, I am talking about France. Americans acted in outrage that "the French" were surely acting out again, showing how much they despised Americans. All that France had done was oppose the Bush administration's desire to invade Iraq, which the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world was also opposed to. Yet somehow, since it was France, Americans took it personally in a way that they did not quite do with anyone else. French fries and French toast, as well as other things, were renamed, with "French" being censored with - irony of all ironies - the word "freedom." French win was poured down into the gutters, and there was a de facto boycott of all French good. Late night comedians - even those who were critical of the Bush administration's proposed invasion - had long lists of nasty jokes and criticism directed towards France and the French.
So, for that guy, I became the Frenchie guy who was complaining about Americans, and who was stereotyping all Americans.
I repeated what I said, and asked him to listen closer, because it was not what he thought I had said. He heard that 90 percent of Americans are obnoxious when they go overseas, as opposed to what I had actually said, which is that when you hear loud and/or obnoxious tourists in foreign countries, there is a 90 percent (or greater) chance that they will wind up being Americans.
It went on like that, back and forth, with him growing ever more outraged each time he heard what he thought he heard, until at some point, I stopped him for the umteenth time and told him that this was not at all what I was saying. Not sure why he snapped out of it then, specifically, but at some point, he finally did hear what I was saying, and then calmed down instantly. He conceded that, indeed, it was entirely possible that nine times out of ten, if you hear loud tourists in other countries, it would wind up being Americans, and he then said that he felt that he himself had shown that side of being an "ugly American" during that conversation, hearing what he wanted to hear, and not what was actually being said.
The thing is, right now, Americans are not at their most popular around the world. Only a decade and a half has passed since that ridiculous invasion of Iraq, and the vehement hatred towards certain people (Muslims and French in particular) that Americans showed towards people then opposed to their actions. Now, it is possibly even worse, because let's face it: many around the world cannot understand how Americans would elect a complete jackass into the Oval Office to represent them for at least four years. Trump represents the ugliest side of Americans, and for them to elect him into their highest office (millions quite enthusiastically) does not generally sit well with most people around the world. And the one country where they seem somewhat happy about it, the Russians, are now also being targeted by another group of Americans opposed to Trump. These Americans seem almost intent on restarting another Cold War, albeit one without the strong ideological differences of the first one. I do not know the extent to which Russia - or rather Russians, because there is a difference - interfered with the last American election. However, I do not embrace this all too quick tendency to jump on the worst stereotypes and essentially hate another nation or nationality. Russians are not the bad guy, although they are perennially seen and portrayed as such in American media. That was the case decades ago, and it seems to be coming back in fashion these days, as well, unfortunately.
Much of this is not being ignored around the world. Everything that happens here in the United States seems to happen more loudly then when similar things like this happen in other countries. You might here a news story or two, or read a headline or two, when another eccentric billionaire - say, Silvio Berlusconi - rises to power in another country. But the headlines coming from America bombard the rest of the world. The news stories are relentless, and many people have grown tired of hearing about it all.
That is why it would probably be wise for Americans, specifically, to try and learn some ways not to stand out quite as much when they travel overseas. Because even though some Americans truly seem to travel with a chip on their shoulders, believing that if they are there and spending their hard-earned money, that the people there had better bend over backwards to accommodate them. Many times, that translates to a desire for these people in other countries to learn English, and to kiss the boots of all Americans, tourists or not, simply because they are Americans.
However, the world is not waiting for Americans to bless their lands with their presence, and to throw roses before sacred American feet, anymore than Americans are willing to do that when foreign tourists come to the United States and spend their hard-earned money here.
So, if you are an American, and have plans to travel somewhere, here is a link to some of the big don'ts that you probably should make every point of avoiding, lest you contribute in some small way to the tensions and the general ugliness that exists presently between Americans and many people around the world.
So, for that guy, I became the Frenchie guy who was complaining about Americans, and who was stereotyping all Americans.
I repeated what I said, and asked him to listen closer, because it was not what he thought I had said. He heard that 90 percent of Americans are obnoxious when they go overseas, as opposed to what I had actually said, which is that when you hear loud and/or obnoxious tourists in foreign countries, there is a 90 percent (or greater) chance that they will wind up being Americans.
It went on like that, back and forth, with him growing ever more outraged each time he heard what he thought he heard, until at some point, I stopped him for the umteenth time and told him that this was not at all what I was saying. Not sure why he snapped out of it then, specifically, but at some point, he finally did hear what I was saying, and then calmed down instantly. He conceded that, indeed, it was entirely possible that nine times out of ten, if you hear loud tourists in other countries, it would wind up being Americans, and he then said that he felt that he himself had shown that side of being an "ugly American" during that conversation, hearing what he wanted to hear, and not what was actually being said.
The thing is, right now, Americans are not at their most popular around the world. Only a decade and a half has passed since that ridiculous invasion of Iraq, and the vehement hatred towards certain people (Muslims and French in particular) that Americans showed towards people then opposed to their actions. Now, it is possibly even worse, because let's face it: many around the world cannot understand how Americans would elect a complete jackass into the Oval Office to represent them for at least four years. Trump represents the ugliest side of Americans, and for them to elect him into their highest office (millions quite enthusiastically) does not generally sit well with most people around the world. And the one country where they seem somewhat happy about it, the Russians, are now also being targeted by another group of Americans opposed to Trump. These Americans seem almost intent on restarting another Cold War, albeit one without the strong ideological differences of the first one. I do not know the extent to which Russia - or rather Russians, because there is a difference - interfered with the last American election. However, I do not embrace this all too quick tendency to jump on the worst stereotypes and essentially hate another nation or nationality. Russians are not the bad guy, although they are perennially seen and portrayed as such in American media. That was the case decades ago, and it seems to be coming back in fashion these days, as well, unfortunately.
Much of this is not being ignored around the world. Everything that happens here in the United States seems to happen more loudly then when similar things like this happen in other countries. You might here a news story or two, or read a headline or two, when another eccentric billionaire - say, Silvio Berlusconi - rises to power in another country. But the headlines coming from America bombard the rest of the world. The news stories are relentless, and many people have grown tired of hearing about it all.
That is why it would probably be wise for Americans, specifically, to try and learn some ways not to stand out quite as much when they travel overseas. Because even though some Americans truly seem to travel with a chip on their shoulders, believing that if they are there and spending their hard-earned money, that the people there had better bend over backwards to accommodate them. Many times, that translates to a desire for these people in other countries to learn English, and to kiss the boots of all Americans, tourists or not, simply because they are Americans.
However, the world is not waiting for Americans to bless their lands with their presence, and to throw roses before sacred American feet, anymore than Americans are willing to do that when foreign tourists come to the United States and spend their hard-earned money here.
So, if you are an American, and have plans to travel somewhere, here is a link to some of the big don'ts that you probably should make every point of avoiding, lest you contribute in some small way to the tensions and the general ugliness that exists presently between Americans and many people around the world.
Accidentally Rude Things Americans Do When Traveling You're not in Kansas anymore...
http://www.fashionbeans.com/content/accidentally-rude-things-american-do-when-traveling?rtg=3166-mLw62n¶m4=fsb-fni-fbss-3166-us-de¶m5=10155231403581186¶m6=23842798016480531
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