"They don't like Americans." (plane, reputation, weight, Hawaii)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think Americans and French people are known for being selfish and obnoxious. If you say you're American and then start "acting American" by yelling and acting like everyone owes you something, then they'll be rude back.
I've been all over the world and usually when I say I'm from America they seem a little hesitant because they're not sure what I'm going to do, but after I talk to them about stuff for a little while everything's fine.
But yes, if you act rude, most people will act rude back. It's up to you.
Thought that was the French mentality. America really doesn't care about the rest of the world. Neither owing nor owning but nothing. French & Italian want to mooch off & tag along American glories. It is not reciprocated often for the French, so it pisses them off when America doesn't really care that much about France (or anyone else).
Thought that was the French mentality. America really doesn't care about the rest of the world. Neither owing nor owning but nothing. French & Italian want to mooch off & tag along American glories. It is not reciprocated often for the French, so it pisses them off when America doesn't really care that much about France (or anyone else).
This is a perfect example of that obnoxious American mentality others speak of.
I'd say the French Canadian's aren't all that fond of people from the US as a general rule of thumb.
I've had mixed encounters in France--some people were just lovely while others were dismissive at best--even when I spoke to them in my admittedly bad French.
The Greeks and Croats love us, the Italians and Germans don't care one way or another, the Brits think of us as a favorite cousin who picks on them now and then.
I think the only people who specifically asked if we were Americans were Greeks and Croatians and when we told them yes, we were their new best friends. They wanted to practice their English, asked about US television shows, asked about different bands. One older Greek woman kept extolling her love for Tony Bennett.
By the way, the Greeks seemed to seethe over the Germans, and don't seem to have any love for the Italians, either.
I met a guy from Montreal the other day. He had a very strong French accent, but I was able to put together what he was saying, and he got to talking to me because I was wearing a shirt of a hockey team. He told me I would really enjoy Montreal because of the nightlife, hockey culture and because you can easily get by speaking English only. I then told him I've heard that people in Montreal (or maybe I said Quebec, I don't remember) don't necessarily take kindly to Americans or English-only speakers but I didn't know for sure. He quickly dismissed that and said I'd be fine there.
I guess some people are just more friendly than others.
Once on a train ride in Italy I got into an argument with a rabidly bigoted Englishman. The argument went on for about an hour, and I noticed that the other passengers were paying close attention and some were translating for others. When I got off the train, people came up to me to shake my hand and express their appreciation.
On another occasion I was hanging with a couple Canadians going across the border into Spain. They asked me to keep my distance because I was American, so I wandered back to the dining car and tried out my Spanish while I had a cup of coffee. It was a cordial chat. I went back to the same car as the Canadians but sat at the other end. Pretty soon an attendant came with a pillow for my neck. A little later another attendant came with a complimentary cup of coffee and tourist brochures to show me things I shouldn't miss. The Canadians were astounded. I was an ignorant tourist and the Spaniards were doing their jobs by helping me feel welcome, but I had to make that first contact.
I have seen Americans traveling in groups. They are inaccessible to the locals and pretty obnoxious even to another American. If you meet people one on one, who you are becomes more important than where you are from.
On another occasion I took a NYC Jewish lawyer out to dinner at an Egyptian restaurant. She actually accused them of serving pork. I ripped her a new one. It was obviously a Muslim restaurant, and she had to be a total idiot to make an offensive accusation like that. They were silent but mollified by my comments. I went back later in the week for a quick lunch, and they remembered me. We talked about Egypt, and they gave me a tape of Egyptian top 40 music just because I was curious about their culture. Everybody has their story. Let them tell it.
I tutor English As A Second Language at a local Community College. I get together with Spanish speakers and we swap language lessons. For half an hour we speak nothing but English, and for half an hour we speak nothing but Spanish. Then we pop a beer and party. Some of their friends were astonished that I was even there. As one of my students explained to them, "Hay gente buena y gente mala dondequiera que vayas."
I am not an American. Also, why should America care about the rest of the world? Neither owning nor owing but nothing. You are just not a part of their daily lives.
I haven't had a bad reaction that I can think of, normally a very positive reaction. In Paris an attendant at the train station was crabby to my wife and I when we asked if she spoke English (then Portuguese), but I think she was just crabby. I've had differing opinions about government and foreign policy many years ago (when I cared about that stuff). We didn't agree with each other, but were friendly.
I hear the phrase "they don't like Americans" repeated many times when I mention traveling overseas. I have been to Europe, Central and South America, and while in Europe spent a day in Morocco and not once have I had someone specifically ask if I was American and I have never been forced to identify my nationality. While some people have found out I was American by asking where I was from, not once did they take issue with it. Out of curiosity, has anyone here ever had Any negative reactions if they said they were American? Or is my theory that a lot of Americans need to stop being so paranoid true?
Europeans need to be more concerned about the millions of migrants who are storming into their countries, rather than the occasional American tourist that they hate for jealousy reasons.
But yes, some Europeans I know specifically hate Americans. They think all Americans live in big houses, drive big cars, and are exceedingly wealthy. Which is not true of all. Its just a stereotype. I've had to explain to my husband's relatives, who live in the UK, that I did not grow up rich as an American child. I didn't live in a big house, and don't drive a big SUV. When I first visited them in their home, they literally hid food from me because they thought I would eat everything in their house! I am a vegetarian for one thing, for another thing, I don't eat much and that should be obvious to anyone. They had been told that Americans were all gluttons. They believed it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
