Sunday,
September 17, 2006
Ugly Americans or Ambassadors of Good Will ???
The
ANNOTICO Report
Sometimes
we Americans who are only 250 years old as a 13 Colony country, and only
94 years old since we became 48 states (Arizona, 1912), [Alaska and Hawaii only
in 1959] perhaps can be excused as being somewhat "provincial"
when we visit places like Italy and Europe with 2500 years of Culture, but
our airs of "arrogance" or "superiority" are misplaced
and justifiably unappreciated.
Because
you have the Biggest Wallet or are Physically the
Strongest certainly has nothing to do with Wisdom or Culture. A degree
more of Humility and even Respect by Americans for other Cultures is in
order.
Remember
it is THEIR Country, You are the Guest, and in Europe THEY Founded Western
Civilization. Take the opportunity to be Ambassadors of Good Will,
and show them we are Not all either Arrogant Bullies
like Geo. Bushes and Donald Rumsfelds, or of a Binge
Drinking and Bowling Mentality!!!
Why do American tourists point, laugh at European works of art?
By Alyssa Perez
September 17, 2006
Walking along the
ancient streets of
No.
Instead, the
American tourists in my tour group giggle, point and laugh at body parts of the
various works of art.
Forget the fact
that they have traveled thousands of miles and are in one of the most
fascinating ancient cites in the world. They
And Americans
wonder why Europeans don
At times, I am
quite embarrassed to be an American in
As we walk the
French Riviera, they stare -- stopping in their tracks, eyes wide, mouth agape
-- at the topless women.
I walk in front
of the group pretending to be a local, completely embarrassed. I even go so far
as to speak in my native Spanish, broken Italian, or very basic French, rather
than English, so as to separate myself even more so from my American tour
group.
Now, I do not
want to seem uppity. I, too, would allow a long glance to some exposed body
part or other, but I would never gawk and giggle. I wish that some travelers
would show some self-control. Perhaps learning about the country and culture of
the people one is to visit before jumping on that eight-hour Virgin Atlantic
flight would be helpful.
That way, an
international traveler would be aware of certain indiscretions and cultural
quirks before encountering them and being unaware as to how to handle
themselves in the situation.
The well-informed
tourist will not come off as extremely rude and ignorant.
American tourists
are in essence ambassadors to the people of another country. Therefore, they
should represent
An American would
take great offense at a tourist laughing at George Washington. Therefore,
Americans should take care to show respect to foreign heroes, culture and
history.
Perhaps try a new
dish instead of demanding a hamburger. Maybe one should learn a few basic
sentences in the foreign language of the country he or she is visiting instead
of yelling loudly in English at the local people.
Tourists should
be open-minded and willing to step out of their comfort zones to an extent. Who
knows? Maybe one will discover a new passion, a new favorite food or a unique
location not found in a mass-produced travel book.
Wouldn
The
ANNOTICO Reports
Can
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