# The ugly American **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 8, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235 "2001-11-08T18:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/21 "2001-11-09T19:58:53Z")
How come you can’t say “Have a nice day” in England? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2001, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/22 "2001-11-09T20:23:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Work is sometimes perceived by Australians as a “necessary evil.” And, um, this makes them different from people of other nations _how_?? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/23 "2001-11-10T07:49:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by saudade \* > \*\*Gestures can be very funny…I remember that George Bush (Sr.) went to Australia and flashed what he believed to be a “Victory Sign” (palm inward, index and middle fingers in a “V” shape), but it was actually the local equivalent of the "go f_ck yourself" sign. I don’t know if this is true.\*\* I thought it was only offensive if you pulled the fingers back towards yourself, once or repeatedly, thereby “flipping” someone off. Vyvyan on the Young Ones did that so often and so vehemently, I wonder if Ade Edmondson ever sprained his wrist that way. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/24 "2001-11-10T10:27:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShibbOleth \* > \*\*When travelling abroad, if you meet someone you think may be a fellow American, ask them, “Are you Canadian?” > > This is because many Canadians take umbrage at being mistaken for Americans, but most Americans don’t care or are flattered at not being spotted as an American tourist. \*\* Ahem. I’m the exception. It pisses me off when people do this. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/25 "2001-11-10T13:17:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by magdalene \* > \*\*When travelling in a poor country, do not exclaim aloud over how cheap everything is at every opportunity. IT’S NOT CHEAP FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE. IT MAKES THEM HATE YOU. \*\* But **mags** , it is so CHEAP and BEAUTIFUL at SO many places! Why, do you know how much an average meal costs? Well, it’s ONLY about $2! Can you BELIEVE that? $2!!! And the beer! Oh! That’s ONLY about $0.25! IT’S SO CHEAP! AND BEAUTIFUL! Why, I could live here for 6 months on 1 paycheck! The people here are SO lucky! Everything is SO CHEAP AND BEAUTIFUL! . . . . . . . Friggin’ tourons (tourist morons)! I had a neat conversation a few years back in Indonesia with 2 women we met. They said they had had a conversation with a few other women travelers, and they had a few positive experiences with American male-travelers (no, not THAT kind of experience!). They told me how if they ever felt in trouble or in need of something while travelling alone, they felt comfortable asking an American for help. One girl was getting harrassed at a bar and an American guy walked over, got her out of there, hailed a taxi, gave her $20 in local cash and wished her a good night. Another got mugged in Spain, heard some men speaking english, asked for help, and was taken care of for 2 days with no guilt or strings attached or being asked for a payback. And the reason they said American men was that another girl had asked some Oxford english chap to escort her back to her hostel late one night, and was told to get a taxi, he had to get to bed… I myself have stepped into situations that almost got me in trouble, for travelling women here. A few Ukrainian pickpockets are pretty pissed off at me, I know. NO, I’m not saying that us Americans are any nicer or whatever- I work with South Africans, kickbox with Brits, Canucks and Irish lads, and I’m sure they ALL would help a lone woman traveller in distress - I’m just reporting what these women said. I wondered if it had to do with the fact that if it is an American, then statistically he is wealthier, college educated, etc. etc. whereas other English speaking travellers come from all walks of life- Including the jerk levels that think women shouldn’t put themselves into bad situations, so they get what they ask for… Back to the OP, when the Pope came to Denver a few years back for the Children’s Crusade (or whatever the heck his visit was for), they made a huge deal about which hand-signals were and were not appropriate since there would be people from all over the world there. They basically told everyone to just not use their hands when speaking because you could piss-off someone inadvertently. It was ridiculous. Full-page descriptions with translations and everything on page 3 of the local papers. Take care- -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/26 "2001-11-10T20:15:38Z")
Regarding the “V for Victory” gesture, there’s a pretty famous picture of Reagan, from when he was elected governer of California, inadvertently making that gesture with old glory behind him. As a side note, when in Greece, avoid using the “okay” gesture, (with your index finger & thumb forming a circle.) This gesture means “A\*\*hole!” there. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/27 "2001-11-10T20:58:24Z")
I can only tell you what I’ve gleaned from personal experience, but it is generally not appreciated by Parisians when you insist on spraying copious amounts of deodorant on them before engaging in conversation. It _is_ pretty fun, though. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2001, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235/28 "2001-11-10T22:48:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aguecheek \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Playdeaux \* > > \*\*A friend of mine refers to all Canadians as _Canucks_. I thought this was derogatory, but she thinks that’s what they like to be called. Are there any Canadians in the house? \*\* > > Don’t know about all the other hosers, but I for one take pride in being a true Canuck. > > [sub]Although, being a true Canuck, I’ll never talk about how proud I am to be one. Just how proud I am not to be American ;)[/sub] \*\* Am I the _only_ Canadian that doesn’t like to be referred to as a Canuck? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american/92235.md?page=1)