# Anti-Americanism and travel **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 22, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691 "2005-03-22T07:06:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/41 "2005-03-23T06:35:47Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > One problem is, of course, that while there are definitely many Americans who talk too loud (for example), there are also many who are wonderfully kind, respectful and soft-spoken. But due to preconceived ideas, these latter types are assumed to be some nationality other than American. People don’t know when they’ve made a mistake. > > A few years ago my daughter and I were in Paris and visited Notre Dame cathedral. We were shocked at the people we saw talking loudly, chewing gum and generally being disrespectful of the fact that it is a church, darnit, and people were trying to worship there. We were surprised that the people misbehaving were also French. At least that’s what they were speaking. Ditto the people running their hands over the marble sculptures in the museum. I bet anybody looking at my slim, stylishly dressed, soft-speaking daughter just assumed she was European, not American. Yes, Europeans may not notice the Americans who AREN’T loud and obnoxious. A couple of years ago I was riding the Paris Metro with my girlfriend. I got into a little conversation with a woman sitting across from me. I was speaking in my heavily-accented French. The woman was trying to figure out where we were from, and guessing wrong. When she found out we were Americans, she was very surprised. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/42 "2005-03-23T11:11:40Z")
[QUOTE=altiod] (We got the last laugh as they had to leave as the bar closed but the owner invited us to stay and chat.) [QUOTE] I think you may have unwittingly found the answer. Americans receive lots of unearned privileges like this one, and the people who don’t get them can be a little testy about it. ---
**Author:** ![altiod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@altiod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/altiod)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/43 "2005-03-23T11:26:42Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] [QUOTE=altiod] (We got the last laugh as they had to leave as the bar closed but the owner invited us to stay and chat.) > [@](#): > > I think you may have unwittingly found the answer. Americans receive lots of unearned privileges like this one, and the people who don’t get them can be a little testy about it. Actually the owner _asked_ us to stay. He asked us because we have both have worked with Amnesty International and we know a little about the situation with Burmese refugees in Thailand. He has a friend who recently fled Burma and was interested in getting contacts. Or he was hitting on us. It was 3am. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/44 "2005-03-23T11:39:08Z")
When we have been in Germany we have always been well received. They buy my husband beer and talk nonstop about politics and sports. Usually sports and explaining the rules of football, baseball and hockey. When the oh-so-polite germans ask about my political views for the US, and it is translated for me by my husband, I state in my usual peeved voice, " They are all fucking stupid." Strangley enough, my statement never needs to be translated. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/45 "2005-03-23T11:44:54Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > Why? I understand that the building across from the US embassy was basically reduced to rubble but it wasn’t Americans that did that. I think that Kenyans resentment over the incident is purely emotional, not much to support it logically. Basically they disagree with american policies, and when ObL attacked the embassy over those policies, something like 3 americans and 260 Kenyans were killed. They see themselves as paying the price for American policies, and resent the US for that. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/46 "2005-03-23T12:03:28Z")
“American Hair”: Look at a group of yanks. Then look at a similar group of non-yanks. You’ll soon see what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/47 "2005-03-23T15:10:19Z")
I see groups of yanks and non-yanks all the time and I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can’t you elaborate for us? ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/48 "2005-03-23T15:41:37Z")
I think owl’s perfect “sophisticated European hairstyle” is that of Kip (Aaron Ruell) in [Napolean Dynamite.](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rgj.com/news/files/2004/08/23/51542.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rgj.com/news/files/2004/08/23/51542.jpg.php&h=406&w=450&sz=80&tbnid=BtEEHqhraaIJ:&tbnh=111&tbnw=123&start=205&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnapoleon%2Bdynamite%26start%3D200%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN) Am I wrong? ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/49 "2005-03-23T15:57:50Z")
I’ve lived in Chile and have travelled extensively throughout Europe, yet the strongest anti-American sentiment I’ve ever experienced was in my own home from my brother-in-law. My husband’s family is Indian and he is here attending college. One of the first things out of his mouth when we got into a serious discussion about his college experience was, “All American high schools are awful. They produce stupid Americans and those Americans reproduce and make more stupid Americans. All Americans are loud and stupid and fat.” I explained to him the quality of my high school education was outstanding and admitted that perhaps the public school system needed significant work, but indicated that painted an entire country, particularly one he was living in at the time, with such a broad brush was just as ignorant as he thought Americans were. I also suggested that if those were his sentiments and he was planning to go back to his native country anyway, I wasn’t sure why he was receiving an education in the States in the first place, particularly since he appeared to be failing most of his courses. I asked if they were too hard for him or if he just lacked the discipline to go. Still, I can see what those Dopers across the pond are talking about. You can spot a gaggle of Americans pretty easily, especially those who haven’t travelled much. They tend to do everything very loudly - they laugh loud, talk loud, dress loud. However, there are many people from different countries who act that way. I try to blend in as much as possible, but I’m sure sometimes people look at me and think, “Great, another yank.” I’m sure that sentiment will be even stronger when I visit India because I won’t be able to blend in as easily. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/50 "2005-03-23T16:01:36Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > And I do agree with **owlstretchingtime** , that there’s a hefty proportion of Yank tourists who stick out like sore thumbs. I just don’t understand the inability to lower the volume of their voices to that of their surroundings… I think I don’t speak loudly. A couple of my former coworkers complained that they couldn’t hear me when we chatted at lunch. The restaurants were not particularly loud. Some Dopers have met me in person. Do I really talk quietly? I didn’t think so; but my coworkers got me wondering. A couple other things from EuroTrip '82: [ul][li]In Italy (I don’t remember if it was Milan, Florence or Venice – but I think it was Venice) there was an elderly American couple. ‘Hey Murray! Go stand by that statue. I want to take a picture of it!’[/li][li]In Munich: My friend went to the American Express office to get some money. There was a family (parents and teenaged daughter) in line, and the mother was complaining to someone about their hotel. ‘There was a _towel_ on the floor!’ Geez, we’d been living in hostels for a couple of weeks, and these people were complaining about a _towel on the floor?_[/li][li]In Vienna: An American man was trying to get a First Class ticket on a train, for himself and his dog. The ticket agent calmy explained that dogs are not allowed in First Class. They are permitted in Second Class. The man (looked to be in his 50s) raised his voice a bit: ‘I’m an American, and I always travel First Class. My dog is a prize-winner, and _he_ always travels First Class with me! This is ridiculous!’ When we got to the ticket cage, my friend and I said apologetically, ‘We’re not all like that.’[/ul][/li]Generally we were treated well. In Oostende an old man brought his 8-year-old daughter up to us to ‘show her the Americans’ and tell her how the Americans freed their country from Nazi tyrrany. We were embarrassed, since we obviously were not part of that and both of us ‘had issues’ with Reagan. We heard several comments about boorish Germans, and I did see one German (dressed in a fringed buckskin jacket and floppy leather hat) who was obnoxiously drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/51 "2005-03-23T17:34:57Z")
[American hair?](http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0404/b7e3930b19af5f6c23c6.jpeg) [American hair?](http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/t/j/tjw224/donald%20trump.JPG) [American hair?](http://www.users.on.net/~nodez0rs/Bud/Orig/elvis.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/52 "2005-03-23T18:24:48Z")
[American Hair.](http://www.johnkerry.com/about/john_kerry/) ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/53 "2005-03-23T18:27:35Z")
English hair?? [http://www.masterclowns.org/kooky.htm](http://www.masterclowns.org/kooky.htm) English hair?? [http://www.islandconnections.com/images/branson/rba.jpg](http://www.islandconnections.com/images/branson/rba.jpg) English hair?? [http://www.posterworx.co.nz/images/music/Lp0591SidVicious.jpg](http://www.posterworx.co.nz/images/music/Lp0591SidVicious.jpg) I guess I’m still confused. Sorry, I don’t know how to make URLs show up as my own phrases. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/54 "2005-03-23T18:39:53Z")
[English hair.](http://digilander.libero.it/apallaro/immagini/Hugh-Grant.jpg) [English hair, revisited.](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00006LSFX.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) To make the URL show up as your phrase, type [url=“URL in here”]your phrase here[/url] (without the spaces). ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/55 "2005-03-23T19:15:47Z")
Or, when you are typing in the reply field, 1. click that icon of the “globe-and-chain link” (symbolizing the World Wide Web) above the reply field 2. in the pop-up box that appears, type in the text that you want to act as a hyperlink; click the OK button 3. in the next pop-up box that appears, paste or type in the URL you want to link to; click the OK button. Done! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/56 "2005-03-23T19:37:03Z")
[American Hair](http://www.davidhasselhoff.com/images/large/albummitch3(big).jpg) [American Hair?](http://www.mulletsgalore.com/) [American Hair?](http://www.thesimpsons.com/bios/bios_family_marge.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/57 "2005-03-23T19:37:21Z")
[American Hair](http://www.davidhasselhoff.com/images/large/albummitch3(big).jpg) [American Hair?](http://www.mulletsgalore.com/) [American Hair?](http://www.thesimpsons.com/bios/bios_family_marge.htm) ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/58 "2005-03-23T19:47:34Z")
I will grant that “the mullet” is American hair. Although I think I’ve seen Scottish hooligans with mullets -not sure. How about that woman on What Not to Wear with the mullet - anyone see that? Why do some women think that hairstyle is attractive? Do they think they are fooling anyone into thinking they have long hair? It’s no more “long” than a comb-over is “not bald.” ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/59 "2005-03-23T21:05:41Z")
[Dutch hair](http://www.stzk.nl/images/Logos/LOGOSTZK.JPG) [Dutch hair](http://home.tiscali.nl/~ekorf/images/Elsche%20_West-Friesland_1880_small.jpg) [Dutch hair [look at the eyebrows]](http://www.noworriez.nl/images/lubbers.jpg) [Dutch hair](http://www.woldhek.nl/imgnews/no/no_Wilders.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691/60 "2005-03-23T22:12:39Z")
Well, then, Dubya has European hair. And apparently Kerry didn’t. Hmmmm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-americanism-and-travel/295691.md?page=4)