A curious comment from reddit

snow scorpion

I was wandering around reddit yesterday and stumbled across this piece of advice for people traveling in Ireland:

Assuming you're American, you can start by not wearing the American uniform. That's light blue jeans, college sweater or hoody, and baseball cap (fanny pack for extra US points). Nothing will mark you out as a yank faster than this sort of get up.

Seriously, spotting an American overseas is about as easy as spotting a fully grown giraffe in a small church. They just don't dress well (your compatriots, not the giraffe). And that's easy to fix.

One last thing: use the word '****' a lot in casual conversation. People will assume you're a native trying on an American accent.

Don't forget the trainers. Always in trainers, they are.

My question: why should anyone try to hide the fact they're from America?

Nino Brown

If you were on holidays in Baghdad for example it might be adviseable

super_furry

Al Quiada might be hiding in the bushes.

mikom

snow scorpion wrote: »

I was wandering around reddit yesterday and stumbled across this comment:



My question: why should anyone try to hide the fact they're from America?

To avoid scumbags like Begbie.........

http://cdn3.whatculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Trainspotting-Coat.jpg

snow scorpion

Nino Brown wrote: »

If you were on holidays in Baghdad for example it might be adviseable

Point taken.

Re-reading my original post I forgot to mention, the advice was given to people traveling in Ireland.

IRE60

super_furry wrote: »

Al Quiada might be hiding in the bushes.

or the tallaght band

SEPT 23 1989

good advise i would have thought

I would suppose it's the fact that the small minority of Americans that travel abroad are just so annoying, irritating, and sometimes rude that it just paints the whole country in a bad light. I've met numerous Americans who have also noticed this.

keithclancy

It doesn't matter what they wear.

For some reason when they talk, its like the volume knob is broken.

Also they go up an octave when finishing sentences.

If you see someone with a Canadian backpack or a "Canada" jumper on the continent, chances are they are American.

And then when you bring them up on it a lot of time they'll try to convince you they are Irish but born in Texas.

snow scorpion

snow scorpion wrote: »

My question: why should anyone try to hide the fact they're from America?

Trying not to look like a tourist anywhere is standard advice

Maybe in the case of spanish students, trying not to sound like them either

SEPT 23 1989

do they still wear the green elasticated trousers on visits?

jimgoose

keithclancy wrote: »

It doesn't matter what they wear.

For some reason when they talk, its like the volume knob is broken.

Also they go up an octave when finishing sentences.

If you see someone with a Canadian backpack or a "Canada" jumper on the continent, chances are they are American.

And then when you bring them up on it a lot of time they'll try to convince you they are Irish but born in Texas.

I keep hearing about this "nasal whine" business that Americans are supposed to have, but in over twenty years of working with Yanks and occasionally popping over there, I don't recall hearing it. I submit that the only Americans dumb enough to leave the Plains of Texas, the bustle of the Big Apple or the Pacific beaches and vineyards of like, California dude are the fat, middle-aged equivalent of the tattooed Santa Ponza crowd.

Hunchback

I disagree with the popular line that American tourists are annoying.

In my experience the vast majority are courteous, curious, interested and well-mannered. And I've worked in hospitality for 13 years.

My toes curl with embarrassment at the criticism we level at the tourists who actually bother to come and visit our island.

And I never knew so many of us have such delicate eardrums.

CKonetheonlyone

CKonetheonlyone wrote: »

I disagree with the popular line that American tourists are annoying.

In my experience the vast majority are courteous, curious, interested and well-mannered. And I've worked in hospitality for 13 years.

My toes curl with embarrassment at the criticism we level at the tourists who actually bother to come and visit our island.

And I never knew so many of us have such delicate eardrums.

I always get the impression that the ones who complain most about American tourists have never had to actually deal with them, or haven't even met any.

Just like the one's who call all Americans dumb, gun-toting, war-mongering and obese are the one's who probably never set foot in the US in their lives. Or if they have it was some mountain village in the Deep South judging by their impressions.

jimgoose

CKonetheonlyone wrote: »

I disagree with the popular line that American tourists are annoying.

In my experience the vast majority are courteous, curious, interested and well-mannered. And I've worked in hospitality for 13 years.

My toes curl with embarrassment at the criticism we level at the tourists who actually bother to come and visit our island.

And I never knew so many of us have such delicate eardrums.

I'd just add to this that despite the famous stereotype of the Dumb American, I don't recall meeting an actual dumb one either. They tend to be astute, aware, attentive, educated, and at worst a little naive about the world outside North America.

Even the mountain-men can be highly intelligent. A good few years ago I worked as an infrastructure engineer at Motorola, where I encountered a particularly wonderful specimen known as Alabammy Hal. He was an RF guy from the real boondocks, and looked and sounded it - dungarees, Amish-style beard, ate his mashed p'tater with a rib-bone ripped offa the joint, the whole lot. But this guy had about four degrees, including an M.Eng. from MIT, and I swear to furk he could smell a GPRS carrier on the wind, boy! :pac:

jimgoose

jimgoose wrote: »

I'd just add to this that despite the famous stereotype of the Dumb American, I don't recall meeting an actual dumb one either. They tend to be astute, aware, attentive, educated, and at worst a little naive about the world outside North America.

More than 5 out of 10 of the worlds top universities are American, but you'll still get a shedfull of posters talking about the whole nation being dumbasses. It's a world away from my experience.

jimgoose

Candie wrote: »

More than 5 out of 10 of the worlds top universities are American, but you'll still get a shedfull of posters talking about the whole nation being dumbasses. It's a world away from my experience.

The other thing people forget - maybe a lot of folk have no way of knowing - Americans, according to all the available empirical evidence, are very, very good at business. Scary good. :cool:

jimgoose

jimgoose wrote: »

The other thing people forget - maybe a lot of folk have no way of knowing - Americans, according to all the available empirical evidence, are very, very good at business. Scary good. :cool:

And fantastic at producing entertainment. Hollywood and Broadway produce most of the best visual entertainment there is, and most of us enjoy a lot of American tv, music and literature, as well as more local stuff.

I also have to say that some of the very nicest and kindest people I know are Americans so it makes me sad to see so much generalising yank-bashing.

keithclancy

jimgoose wrote: »

I keep hearing about this "nasal whine" business that Americans are supposed to have, but in over twenty years of working with Yanks and occasionally popping over there, I don't recall hearing it. I submit that the only Americans dumb enough to leave the Plains of Texas, the bustle of the Big Apple or the Pacific beaches and vineyards of like, California dude are the fat, middle-aged equivalent of the tattooed Santa Ponza crowd.

No, its not a whine, its just loud.

I think they grow up believing that increasing the volume of your voice gives the impression of confidence.

jimgoose

keithclancy wrote: »

No, its not a whine, its just loud.

I think they grow up believing that increasing the volume of your voice gives the impression of confidence.

I think it's more of a stereotype started by the tendency of New Yorkers to be a bit louder than normal Yanks because they grow up having to roar over the traffic noise, ya big Irish Bastid!

anncoates

Wearing jeans, hoodies and trainers and swearing a lot.

Really narrows it down alright.

keithclancy

jimgoose wrote: »

I think it's more of a stereotype started by the tendency of New Yorkers to be a bit louder than normal Yanks because they grow up having to roar over the traffic noise, ya big Irish Bastid!

Its a stereotype of Americans that travel outside the US, not a stereotype of Americans, since the vast majority never travel outside the country

topper75

There is hundreds of millions of them. And they are all dumb?

Yeah. Somebody's dumb right enough. He he.

tin79

keithclancy wrote: »

It doesn't matter what they wear.

For some reason when they talk, its like the volume knob is broken.

Also they go up an octave when finishing sentences.

Really? All 300 million of them. Wow that's one uniform society.

jimgoose

keithclancy wrote: »

Its a stereotype of Americans that travel outside the US, not a stereotype of Americans, since the vast majority never travel outside the country

My good man, I don't blame them. I'd never leave Texas if I lived there. :cool:

olliesgirl55

Shows like Jerry Springer and Real Housewives do not show Americans in a flattering manner. I have lived in America and have many American friends and found them to be loyal and courteous. There are quite a lot of rude ones too but I think that can be said of any culture.
I agree with the statement that Americans are naive when it comes to other countries.

razorblunt

Their outfits are appaling, beige pants with white hi-tec "tennis" shoes! ewww

But yes, they're not the worst bunch, always found them keen for a chat. Unlike those French a dozen huddled around a Guinness!

Rhotheta

I find that old female American tourists tend to be very rude and have a serious chip on their shoulder about something, generally speaking of course.

keithclancy

olliesgirl55 wrote: »

Shows like Jerry Springer and Real Housewives do not show Americans in a flattering manner. I have lived in America and have many American friends and found them to be loyal and courteous. There are quite a lot of rude ones too but I think that can be said of any culture.
I agree with the statement that Americans are naive when it comes to other countries.

It's a Federal State, much like Germany, i.e. you can't really stereotype Germans either, but they still go out at 6 in the morning to put a towel on a sun lounger.

In General though:

• The Healthcare sucks
• The Public Transport is complete balls
• The roads are awful
• The food is loaded with sugar
• TV is more ADs than TV
• TV has ADs about prescription medications the whole time and at the end of the ad it will have some crazy fast spiel about how the tablets might kill you.
• The News is constant shíte about terrorists, car chases and black guys robbing delis
• Walking somewhere is seen as 'suspicious' by the Police
• The police in a lot of states have a shoot first ask questions later policy
• Socialist programs for the greater good of the population are seen as some sort of Communist Ideology
• You go to use an ATM and find its only possible to use it if your in a car.
• Chain fast food places rule the place.
• A lot of places are not accessible due to there being no footpath
• People will drive 100 meters down the road to a shop
• Credit Card security measures are non-existent, they still use the magnetic strip and just having the card is seen as being the card holder.
• The holidays suck, with workers only getting a weeks vacation in many states and one extra day for each years service.
• Unpaid overtime is pretty much expected as the norm.
• People working in the service industry are expected to live off of tips

IMO if you grow up in the culture you will stick out a mile when visiting a European Country.

Muise...

I can't really blame them, OP. When I travel abroad, I like to see all the foreign-ness, so I avoid other Irish people and Irish pubs. It's bad enough listening to some Irishman chat up an innocent Yank in the snug of a pub in Galway; trying to impress with Tír na nÓg, a few bars of Sé mo Laoch and his Celtic horn. Imagine the redfaced shame of your fellows doing that in front of a whole country. :eek: