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11/03/2004: "Lazy, Unfriendly Europeans"

DTC sent an article today about "Ugly Americans" going to Europe.

http://www.ricksteves.com/pressroom/uglyamericans.htm

I read sections of the article and felt pressed to present my own opinions on the matter:

Europe is overrated.

Compare it to places where they value tourism (e.g. Tahiti, Hawaii, Thailand, Mexico, Jamaica)

Or countries where there's a modicum of hospitality (e.g. Japan/China/Taiwan etc).

You'll find that European countries (well I've only visited Paris and England) have too much culture and too little of anything else (courtesy, efficiency, cleanliness etc.).

Just think in California (or any of the places listed above), if you're AC breaks down-- the hotel manager does a lot for you.

The author of the article above is bent on character assassination of Americans that do not have a "good time in Europe" and personifies Americans as boorish and "ugly".

He goes on to contrast that a "good" experience/American in Europe consists of being respectful and tolerant of European culture and inefficiency (breakdown of AC is ok?).

While I agree that tolerance of other cultures is great, I have no sympathy for a country that is inefficient to fixing issues related to hospitality/service and unresponsive to requests for help.

IMO, it's indicative of a society that's become lax and inept due to crippling socialism and of a people that suffer from a narcisstic view of their own culture.

They forget that as tourists, we are consumers of their economy and surveyors of their culture.

As consumers, we deserve efficient and friendly service and hospitality; and as tourists, we expect tolerance and assistance as "guests" to their country.

I don't think "Ugly Americans" have anything to do with the bad experience I had in Europe. Instead, I think it had more to do with "Lazy, Unfriendly Europeans."

Replies: 6 Comments

As a sidebar to Dennis' comment, I found Egyptians -- at least those in the tourism trade -- to bend over backwards to serve Americans. However, this often included speaking in American pop-culture terms, smiling through obviously gritted teeth (this was around the time we invaded Iraq), and generally acting like laughing, dancing fools. This is not meant to disparage Egyptians, the few of whom I felt acted honestly were very laid-back and reasonable people, but rather to show what happens to a generally good, fun-loving, and open people when they are faced with the choice of prostrating themselves to Americans or risking the loss of what little tourism they have left in a very competitive market. If you want to look at a case where the Ugly Americans won, forcing a system that caters to the lowest common denominator, visit Egypt. You will be amazed by the history, but (hopefully) ashamed at how the people have had to train themselves to fit most Americans' definition of palatability. Oh, and if your A/C breaks, I guarantee you it will be fixed within minutes, with profuse apologies and a boisterous ingratiation for the few coins you may choose to throw the help. I know some might not want to admit it, but there is a direct trade-off between service (or palatability to American tastes) and culture. Personally, I can get HBO and a fold-down any day of the week. I'd much rather have the chance to have a real experience.

John said @ 11/03/2004 02:09 PM PST

"You'll find that European countries (well I've only visited Paris and England) have too much culture and too little of anything else (courtesy, efficiency, cleanliness etc.)."

Based on what I've heard from my egyptian and dubai origin co-workers, egypt is a place that I'd suggest you avoid as well. Apparently most requests of service is met with the expression Inshallah - which means "God willing", but really means "when i get around to it, god willing".

Dennis T Cheung said @ 11/03/2004 12:32 PM PST

To say that the person who wrote the original piece about Ugly Americans is engaging in character assassination would make far more sense if the person was actually European. Instead, the original author is Rick Steves, an American whose entire career consists of writing books and producing shows about travel to Europe. To have an article that critiques American travelers demonstrates how significant this problem is, as he is somewhat endangering his own career.

His profile is here: http://www.rolfpotts.com/writers/steves.html

The term Ugly Americans is not something that Rick invented either. Just do a search on google for it: "Ugly Americans." Here's another interesting piece about it:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0111/neff.shtml

I think you've missed the overall point about Ugly Americans. The specific example of the "broke a/c" is just a tree in the overall forest of how the typical American traveller goes somewhere else, and acts and expects it to be like home. Just think about all the overweight, loud, boorish people you see going to Las Vegas - and picture them in Europe instead. Do you think their behavior would change? Even if they took down some of the "I'm in Vegas, I'm here for a good time", do you think it would be appropriate?

Ugly Americans is a real phenomenon, and while I was in London, I was quite dismayed as Saiwing and I kept encountering the same tour group from Baton Rouge, LA. Loud, boorish, overweight - members of this group insisted on making constant comments about the metric system (how exotic!), how America is great for having dollar bills instead of dollar coins (insulting the local currency - brilliant), and joking about afternoon tea. Yes this is an anecdotal example, but the fact that it dovetails so perfectly with the stereotype of an Ugly American is remarkable.

Part of the problem here is that you, Steve, are not the typical American nor are you exposed to typical Americans. As I've opined before, California is not typical America (heck - Californians revel in that fact!). When I talk about America, I talk about people from the deep South, Texas, the Mid-West - you know, all the states that voted to re-elect George Bush. These are the same people who voted to validate our current course of saying "Fuck you world - we're America. God bless us." - do you expect them to behave in a contextually appropriate manner when traveling abroad? Heck - these are the people who don't behave all that appropriate in NYC [which is considered to be a separate country by some I suppose].

Finally, a statement of full disclosure: I do think about moving to London from time to time, but that doesn't make me a European-apologetic (heck, London isn't even considered to be part of Europe - it's more aligned with NY). That said - from what I've heard, if all the unfortunate awful stuff that happened to you and wendy happened to me while I was there, I'd be pretty damn pissed too.

Dennis T Cheung said @ 11/03/2004 10:43 AM PST

The way I see it:
1)Caribbean and Southeast asian islands are places where you go to get treated like loyality. But as far as culture concern, WHAT CULTURE? Everything they do, they do it to cater and entertain the tourist
2)Europe+Asia are places where you go to learn about other cultures*. You're there to observe and learn and hopefully, the natives will be kind and friendly to you.

*If you're loaded, just stay at 5-stars hotels and I'm sure you'll get the same royal treatment

Jenny said @ 11/03/2004 10:16 AM PST

"I have no sympathy for a country that is inefficient to fixing issues related to hospitality/service and unresponsive to requests for help. IMO, it's indicative of a society that's become lax and inept due to crippling socialism and of a people that suffer from a narcisstic view of their own culture."

No offense Steve (and I really do mean that, please don't take offense here), but you're kind of playing into the whole ugly American image here rather than refuting it.

I love our country and many aspects of our culture and values very much, but I do feel that many Americans don't practice the same respect abroad that we expect others to show here. That doesn't necessarily mean placating people who are rude or confrontational, but it does mean accepting that other cultures may place a higher value on social welfare than economic efficiency. The attitude that our prioritization of these ideals is the correct one and that others should adopt it is exactly the type of ethnocentrism that motivates the term in the first place. How is it any different from a Saudi coming here and complaining about women walking around with exposed faces and legs?

Basically, whenever there's a difference of language, values, dress, etc., the home country wins. Any deviation from that is a courtesy from the natives to the visitors. The only reason this doesn't come up in places like the Caribbean or the south Pacific is that we have already subsumed their culture through their dependence on our money, effectively making them American territories (if they aren't legally). I can certainly understand European, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries and cultures wanting to resist the same fate, and our assumption that the same rules apply to them is like saying that we want to subsume their culture like we have in places like Cancun. Anybody who thinks that will happen or wants it to happen is an "ugly American" in my book. And I'm way more permissive on this topic than most Europeans.

If people don't like the way they're treated in other countries, it's up to them not to go rather than the other countries to change. If that results in such a drastic blow to their economy, as it has in places like Egypt, they will change and people there will resent America even more than before. And then, when the people there dig themselves out of poverty far enough where they're not dependent on American tourism, or if America's economy slows to the point where we're no longer their biggest market... well, get ready to duck. There is a *much* larger issue at stake here than our individual comfort when immersed in a foreign culture.

John

John said @ 11/03/2004 09:55 AM PST

Working on a response...

Dennis Cheung said @ 11/03/2004 09:52 AM PST