Our BetterMost Community > Quick Personality Quizzes
Has American Culture Ruined You?
ifyoucantfixit:
Well you are probably tired of hearing my opinion on this. but i woud like to interject one thing..I think when we went to Disneyland last time we had a wonderful experience with people from all over the world.. They were all there and enjoying the days and each other. along with the sites.. The group we ran into from Korea were all rude as could be. Cutting lines and shoving even small children. But I would never think that All Koreans were like that.. It was just some individuals.. Its the same with every race color and creed..Its an individuals problem not their country.
And thank you Dottie for the support as well.. I sometimes think i am a
lone oddity in the world. Especially these days..
Kerry:
"Brokeback Mountain" is a product of American culture! I rest my case! :D
Oh, and I don't think anyone so far has mentioned that America came to the aid of Australia during WWII. Thank you, America, for coming to Australia's aid. :)
opinionista:
--- Quote from: David on July 06, 2007, 01:04:36 am ---Some Americans do act very badly overseas though. I've seen it firsthand. I remember when we were in Spain (Marbella) and we were checking into the hotel there. An American in front of us started yelling and bitching at the hotel clerk because he wasn't fluent in English. This guy turned around and looked at all of us and said something like "I can't believe this country. Nobody speaks English here!"
--- End quote ---
This is something I don't like about some american tourists. When they come here some expect everyone here to speak English and don't bother to learn a word or two of Spanish. (I mean you can learn some from Sesame Street!) However, if you travel to the United States, unless the person is hispanic born, nobody bothers to speak in Spanish to you! You have to learn some English to get around.
In Spain almost nobody speaks English, if they do they do it badly. Their second language tends to be french because France is the next door neighbor. I have seen many tourists getting mad at the police officers who patrol the tourism areas in Madrid for not speaking in English. They simply answer, if you don't speak spanish to me, I can't help you. My sister and I have offered to translate for them many times. Some have even asked us how come nobody speaks English here, and I'm like hello? because you're in Spain and people here speak Spanish!
ifyoucantfixit:
I agree 100 % Natalie. That is a racist, and lazy way to be. I feel exactly the same as you..They are Ugly Americans. But it still isnt the way all americans are as you well know.
dot-matrix:
--- Quote from: opinionista on July 06, 2007, 12:38:20 pm ---This is something I don't like about some american tourists. When they come here some expect everyone here to speak English and don't bother to learn a word or two of Spanish. (I mean you can learn some from Sesame Street!) However, if you travel to the United States, unless the person is hispanic born, nobody bothers to speak in Spanish to you! You have to learn some English to get around.
In Spain almost nobody speaks English, if they do they do it badly. Their second language tends to be french because France is the next door neighbor. I have seen many tourists getting mad at the police officers who patrol the tourism areas in Madrid for not speaking in English. They simply answer, if you don't speak spanish to me, I can't help you. My sister and I have offered to translate for them many times. Some have even asked us how come nobody speaks English here, and I'm like hello? because you're in Spain and people here speak Spanish!
--- End quote ---
Ah now see here is something we can agree on. So many of my fellow American's have a sense of entitlement they take with them when they travel abroad. It gets packed in their luggage along their inappropriate attire, suntan lotion and pepto bismol. I have seen it time and time again in my travels. It very often goes so far that they think they are not subject to the laws of the land they visit just because they are Americans. I have heard people actually have the nerve to say: "You can't do that to me I'm an AMERICAN!" like that makes everything O.K. ! What's the policeman supposed to do jump back and say oh I'm sorry I didn't know. Sheeesh... It embarasses me terrible. Another thing they do that makes me want to hide under the table is make disparaging remarks. Innocent I'm sure but even innocent observations can come across as superior and judgmental, as in: "Your cars are so small here!" or "I can't believe this restaurant doesn't have ice cubes."
America due to it's sheer size creates an insular culture. Most Europeans don't really get that and it's significance because everywhere you go in Europe you are immersed in a new country, new culture, new language in a few hours. The vast majority of Americans go their entire lives without ever leaving American soil. Their only experience of foreign culture is what they see on TV or the foreign people they meet trying to assimilate into their communities. And for a rare few little hops into Canada to have their perscriptions filled or jaunts into Tia Juana or Juarez to see: "what they have for boys like you Jack Twist." American's aren't even the same from one coast to the other or one border to the other. And yet the actions of these misguided self absorbed jerks stems from the same one of two places ~ ignorance or arrogance.
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