Mean and rude!

[cashman]

gotta say when i lived in europe for a while, late 60s found the yank tourists very ignorant in the main, yet the times ive visited the states, have not met more obliging, polite,friendly people, n thats all over, EXPLAIN how this can be so please you USA members cos it beats me.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by cashman

gotta say when i lived in europe for a while, late 60s found the yank tourists very ignorant in the main, yet the times ive visited the states, have not met more obliging, polite,friendly people, n thats all over, EXPLAIN how this can be so please you USA members cos it beats me.

I always found North Americans very well mannered...all except Jewish New York matrons, who need bringing down a peg or two, which is done by being even more supercilious than they are, then they are like playful little kittens.

[garinda]

The Brits abroad -

Sun burned.

Boozed up, unable to walk unaided.

Loud, trashy clothes.

Novelty hats.

Covered in tattoos.

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by cashman

gotta say when i lived in europe for a while, late 60s found the yank tourists very ignorant in the main, yet the times ive visited the states, have not met more obliging, polite,friendly people, n thats all over, EXPLAIN how this can be so please you USA members cos it beats me.

Not quite sure what you mean when you say ignorant , if you mean they were clueless ie. no idea or understanding of foriegn cultures, not being able to speak the local language or sense of history I would agree , but if you mean ignorant , being bad mannered and uncouth I would tend to dis-agree .
I think there was a time probably during the 60s as you mention when the term "ugly american" came into use , think this was a leftover from WW2 , the older folks who came back over to Europe were probably making return trips and still had the wartime mindset of America being responsible for the liberation of Europe ( sorry folks , but without Eisenhower and his troops D Day would never have happened) much the same way the WW2 generation in Britain thought of 'Eyties' and 'Japs'
As for the younger kids who came over in the 60s, I think the problem there was a failure of the American education system , I dont think the Yank kids visiting Britain had any problems only the ones going to the mainland, up to about 15 years ago most American schools were mono-lingual no matter where the kids originated from , all the kids spoke English and if a new kid arrived in school un-able to speak English he/she was thrown in at the deep end and soon learned out of neccesity, the American kids had mistakenly learned from thier fathers and grandfathers who had served in Europe that a foriegn language wasn't neccesary (probably the same these days, wonder how many American troops in Iraq have made an attempt to learn Arabic)

[cashman]

perhaps i didn't express what i meant steeljack. found them clueless yep, but found them very weve got bigger n better than you types, which i call ignorant.did encounter some younger ones also, and they were just clueless,but nice, the older ones put me off visiting america. took me until 2001, since then ive been 3 times and the differance is incredible.

[Ianto.W.]

steeljack, I think there was a time probably during the 60s as you mention when the term "ugly american" came into use , think this was a leftover from WW2 , the older folks who came back over to Europe were probably making return trips and still had the wartime mindset of America being responsible for the liberation of Europe ( sorry folks , but without Eisenhower and his troops D Day would never have happened) much the same way the WW2 generation in Britain thought of 'Eyties' and 'Japs'

Got to aggree with you there steeljack, you can include WW1 in that for me to, as we would not have won either war without them. Grandma Godfrey from Doncaster used to say "overfed ,oversexed and overhere", she had a cafe in Frenchgate in Doncaster during the war and the American Airmen used to be regulars, she loved them though, and many corresponded with her after the war.

[MargaretR]

Sat in an Italian street cafe - listening to a loud group of young US adults discussing The Gunpowder Plot (true!!!) - when they decided that it had been a plot to blow up Margaret Thatcher I had to intervene with the true facts even though their version seemed more logical at the time

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by Ianto.W.

Grandma Godfrey from Doncaster used to say "overfed ,oversexed and overhere", she had a cafe in Frenchgate in Doncaster during the war and the American Airmen used to be regulars, she loved them though, and many corresponded with her after the war.

Yep heard that before , think the G.I.s answer that was , (about the Brits) underfed, undersexed and under Eisenhower

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Sat in an Italian street cafe - listening to a loud group of young US adults discussing The Gunpowder Plot (true!!!) - when they decided that it had been a plot to blow up Margaret Thatcher I had to intervene with the true facts even though their version seemed more logical at the time

Margaret , it works both ways , last time I was in the UK I had a family member (age mid 40s) ask me how far it was from L.A. to Los Angeles,

[MargaretR]

As further evidence of US person's lack of knowledge of geography and culture outside US -
In my teens I had a penfriend who lived in Great Falls Montana. I appreciated that she lived in wide open spaces but she expected me to know the Beatles (since they were my neighbours weren't they!)

[Eric]

Originally Posted by steeljack

Yep heard that before , think the G.I.s answer that was , (about the Brits) underfed, undersexed and under Eisenhower

actually, I think it was Churchill who said that the problem with the American troops is not that they were "over there" (which if my besotted memory serves me right is the title of a patriotic American WW1 song) but that they were "overpaid, oversexed, and over here." But during the first war, English troops, and my grandad rememberd this, called Candians "f***ing five bobbers." This was a referrence to the fact that they were paid 5 bob a day as opposed to the British troops who were paid a shilling. (But Canadian tourists are still the most popular visitors in Holland, which was liberated by Canadians in WW11.)

Maybe being an A**hole in someone else's country is common for many overseas visitors. But many Candians put up with a lot from visitors, after all, they bring in the big bucks. Kingston's major industry is tourism, and with Canada's booming economy, backed by our abundance of natural resources, the strong Canadian dollar will keep many Americans away. They, and their money, will be missed.

By the way, you are all welcome to visit, and you can bring any bad habits you may wish. Unfortunately, Barb will have to check her guns at the border.

[MargaretR]

I regard Canadians with respect - never hear of them starting wars or making diplomatic 'gaffs'. It must be lovely to live in a land of mountains ,lakes and forests - perhaps when global warming really kicks in I might emigrate.

[mallard]

I would say the the brit,s as well because they are always getting in bother when they go a way

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by Eric

(But Canadian tourists are still the most popular visitors in Holland, which was liberated by Canadians in WW11.)

.

funny you should write that , dont think I have ever met an obnoxious Canadian or Cloggie , both great nationalities (a crazy thought, but I think it has something to do with both groups being taller than the average ,)

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by mallard

I would say the the brit,s as well because they are always getting in bother when they go a way

That's why I have never been to mainland Spain Costas - Blackpool with sun - YUK!
It is essential to learn something of the culture and language of any country before you visit, or the locals (quite rightly) will treat you with contempt and you might as well have gone to Blackpool.