Cultural Sensitivity

[Gurndigarn]

The nationality that I am the least like is Native American, which I'm only 1/32 Native anyway. Natives respect the land and each other. I find that to be a very difficult thing to follow.

Ahhhh... that's only the stereotype. I've met some full or mostly full blood amerinds who really, really don't match it. Including my full blood foster-in-law siblings, and my half blooded adopted brother.

[blas]

My quote is from Seinfeld, because Elaine is one of my heroes.

[cinema guy]

British tourists tend to believe that everyone speaks English (or should) and that speaking English in a louder voice will make you understood. So British tourists in th US and Canada will appear to be reasonable human beings, but to the French (who always seem to be an object of English xenophobic diatribes) or Germans ("Two world wars, one world cup!" is common derisive catcalling), we will be the worst.

[Sofar]

British tourists tend to believe that everyone speaks English (or should) and that speaking English in a louder voice will make you understood.

I think people of all languages do that.

So British tourists in th US and Canada will appear to be reasonable human beings, but to the French . . . we will be the worst.

To be fair, the French are extremely touchy about accents. That is, they won't tolerate imperfect pronunciation of their precious language.

[Antisocial_Worker]

I've got to agree that SC is the universal language. I was once cornered in the bookstore where I worked by a French woman who wanted to have an in-depth conversation about the evils of slavery and racism in the American South, and would not shut up or move until she had finished expressing her European righteousness.

My second unpleasant encounter with foreign tourists occurred while working at the Blah Inn, where a Californian and his French travelling companions asked where they could go locally "to experience Native American culture." While this was more polite than the way I've heard others ask, what it amounts to is, "Where can I find some Indians to go stare at?"

Anyway, when I suggested Cherokee, NC, about 60 miles away from here, they asked what there might be to see in Cherokee. I noted the national park, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the library of the Cherokee language, the delightfully horrible downtown area of Cherokee itself, and then... I mentioned the casino.

That wouldn't do. It was terrible. They would not go somewhere, anywhere, where the Native Americans were being exploited in such a manner. That was shameful and awful, and he guessed they would just have to forego any kind of authentic Native American experience while in the area, and I'm certain in my soul that they all went back to their respective hives of intellectualism and told everyone about this exchange over martinis, at which point the other intellectuals fingered their turtleneck sweaters nervously and agreed at how dreadful and barbaric it was.

Never mind the fact that the casino is pumping millions into the pockets of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, outfits its rooms and public areas with locally-created art, all from Cherokee Indians, and is the reason that if the library and museum ever need to expand, they can buy Georgia and then have a fight as to which one gets which side of the state.

[JustADude]

They would not go somewhere, anywhere, where the Native Americans were being exploited in such a manner.

...

Never mind the fact that the casino is pumping millions into the pockets of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, outfits its rooms and public areas with locally-created art, all from Cherokee Indians, and is the reason that if the library and museum ever need to expand, they can buy Georgia and then have a fight as to which one gets which side of the state.

Please! Please! Please! Someone exploit me in such a manner! I LOVE being exploited by people giving me money!

[Mike Taylor]

I've only ever had one "Ugly Tourist" customer in my entire life. This particular fellow was a lower-middle-class English guy. If he hadn't said a word, you'd swear by looking at him that he'd just come the set of the Jerry Springer Show (which could have been entirely possible, since the studios were right up the street from where I worked at the time in Chicago). Being the nice, polite salesperson that I am, once I found out where he was from, I asked how he and his family were enjoying their stay.

Then I get an earful of what I swear is, word for word, Eric Idle's famous Monty Python monologue about Spain, except it was about Chicago. It was too hot and too bloody crowded (late June in the MIDDLE of Taste of Chicago, the Blues Festival, and leading up to the Independence Day weekend). The famous "Chicago-style" pizza was terrible (they were eating at places like Pizza Hut and Domino's instead of the real pizza joints like Lou Malnati's and Uno's) and not a "proper" pizza like back home. He just keeps going on-and-on-and-on. Nevermind the fact that there's all of this gorgeous architecture around him, museums filled with all sorts of art and historical artifacts, one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world is just a few blocks away from where he and his family were staying, lots of neat little shops and restaurants in the various neighborhoods to visit. It was all one big ugly hideous experience. My treating him well and being pleasant to him did not change that one iota.

Now, he is just ONE Englishman out of many, many UK, European, Asian, and other foreign visitors that I met there. The vast majority were really great folks, especially my French customers, who were probably the most pleasant ones I had. (What, Frenchies? No WAY!)

But yeah, the guy mentioned in the OP was a dickhead bar none. As a favor, I think I would have helped the Japanese shopkeeper throw his ass out.

[protege]

People like that just suck.

Just last night, tourists were bitching about the traffic to the US Open, how our roads suck and aren't laid out very well, etc. Well, our roads *do* suck. Anyone who's been on the Turnpike knows what I mean As to not being laid out very well...I sort of agree. It's not like we knew 50 years ago where people were going to live, and how those areas were going to grow. Besides, it's a *major* hassle to widen a road. Most of us simply told them to "go home." Don't like the traffic? You are the one *causing* it!