Americans tend to have a reputation of being loud and confident — if not obnoxious — especially when they travel.
A friend of mine told me recently that when she was in a Berlin restaurant earlier this summer, she happened to be sitting next to a group of Americans. According to her, they “spoke so loudly that I had a hard time hearing what the people at my table were saying. And they kept clapping their hands and shouting."
Granted, the place was a Bierstube, an establishment that focuses on, you guessed it, beer. So it’s likely that a lot of the customers were louder than they would have been, say, in an eloquent French restaurant. However, I also know that my friend is a quiet Scandinavian, who thinks people are shouting when they just raise their voices in excitement.
The story came to my mind when I was traveling in Europe with my family a few weeks ago. But the reason was not because we encountered obnoxious Americans shouting to each other. It was because we bumped into impolite Europeans. When our northern European airline announced that people with health problems or small children should board the plane first, travelers with no small kids or visible health issues stomped to the gate. And did not budge. I was so afraid that they would step on my son that I carried him onto the plane.
On the plane, we were disappointed to find our seats without extra legroom, like the airline had promised (so Stefan could sleep on the floor). When one of the stewardesses asked two middle-aged women who were sitting on those types of seats nearby if they were willing to switch seats with us, they simply told her no.
That was obviously their prerogative, but I had hoped they would have understood that flying with an 18-month-old toddler is much more pleasant for the whole plane if he has a chance to sleep.
Based on these — and many other experiences — I don’t believe there’s a nation that’s inherently any more polite than the next one. So maybe we should all stop relying on stereotypes.
Comments
Americans sure are loud
Wed, 08/27/2008 - 05:12 — Talking Loudly - Like An American (not verified)Americans sure are loud - if you took the average decibels of an America, and that of any other nation on earth, I can bet I know which would come up top :)
and you're a whiny American now
Thu, 08/07/2008 - 20:53 — bellaparolaDon't justify ugly Americans by pointing out rude people in (probably) their native land. It's an entirely different issue. As a non-American, you should know better.
As for the business of the ladies on the airplane, when I book the seat I want, it's because I want it and not so I can hand it over to you because you don't know how to book the seat you want. BUY YOUR KID A SEAT and let him sleep in his car seat, as he probably is used to doing every work day of your lives.
Wow. You folks have really
Tue, 08/05/2008 - 03:14 — Anonymous (not verified)Wow. You folks have really got your fingers on the pulse of Johnston County news on this blog.
ugly american dining in ZH
Fri, 07/25/2008 - 08:03 — Anonymous (not verified)While at a meeting in Zurich (a city I frequently visit), I joined a group of Americans who went into a random restaurant. At this Italian place, a guy from DC asked for parmesan cheese shredded into the olive oil for dipping, while a standard offering at say the Macaroni Grill here, it was a special request in ZH. When the bill came, they guy argued with the waiter about being charged for it by justifying his position with "well in America...". I was just about ready to say I'd pay for it when the owner relented. when we left the restaurant and the guy was replaying the incident, I told him if he justifies his position with "well, in America..." then he is out of line. Was he going to do the same thing when he is denied a free refill on a soda? When he asks for water (by not specifically saying tap water), gets bottled water which has to be paid for? He said he'd never be there again so no big deal to which I reminded him that it's not about him, it's about the next American to eat there. When in Rome, pal...when in Rome.