Comments on: Swiss Saturday: It’s Time to Stop Being the Ugly American

By: grannybunny

grannybunny — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 14:40:35 +0000

In reply to Maria Rose. I disagree about having "a standard language" in America. One of our beauties and greatest strengths is our diversity and our freedom of expression, enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

By: grannybunny

grannybunny — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 14:38:45 +0000

I’m glad you mentioned the problem with social media — instead of broadening our horizons, which is certainly its potential — tending to strengthen our “confirmation bias;” that is, our natural tendency to limit our exposure to viewpoints that coincide with ours. It’s a big problem Worldwide, as we grow more extreme and — hence — more divided and divisive in our opinions.

By: MK

MK — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 12:35:14 +0000

I am an American & generally travel only in the States where I have encountered ugly “insert nationality” folks in many places. Common courtesy seems to be a lost art. Saying excuse me or thank you is too much of a bother for many.

By: James E. Horn

James E. Horn — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 21:17:52 +0000

During my 25+ years serving abroad as an American Diplomat, I Often encountered “ugly Americans” both in the official American community but with Americans in general.

Not a shrinking violet, I had no compunction about approaching them during their tirades about the local people and their culture and reminding them that they were the “f**cking foreigners here. In one instance, I even said this to my mother.once, and she never went off again.

By: Dorothy

Dorothy — Sat, 07 Apr 2018 20:41:27 +0000

In reply to Maria Rose.

So true. Great post and great comment.

The “ugliest” tourists I’ve encountered were crowds of French teenagers. My first trip to London in the 80s included French spring break. Everyplace I went I encountered the teens behaving like … teenagers — self-absorbed, loud and oblivious to those around them.

By: Nacho

Nacho — Sat, 07 Apr 2018 20:39:01 +0000

Online customer service manager here. Americans and Australians ask for managers much more often than other countries, but once they’re speaking to us they’re always perfectly polite and willing to accept whatever compensation we offer them. We’ve got the most problems with British customers. They’re the ones who insist they’re right, and if they’re not right it’s our fault they aren’t.

I once had a British woman ask me if I was, “in some roundabout way, implying it was [her] fault” that she had booked a hotel room for 2 people, and they wouldn’t let her stay with a party of 5.

By: Maria Rose

Maria Rose — Sat, 07 Apr 2018 17:32:03 +0000

Glad you noted in the article that being rude and obnoxious is not just an American trait but more a trait of those who feel entitled. You find these “entitled” people all over as they feel life revolves around them solely. Unfortunately, as a person who worked in retail, I had to deal with this attitude many times, but they only reflect themselves as most people aren’t as snobbish. As for the comment about English only by the salesperson, I myself only request that living in the USA, even with multiple languages spoken all around me as we should have a standard language. If I ever venture to another country, I expect to follow the rules of that country and would have a translator app on my phone to help.