http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/16/wtour16.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/04/16/ixworld.html

Quote :

"'Speak softly, don't argue and slow down' By Philip Sherwell (Filed: 16/04/2006) Loud and brash, in gawdy garb and baseball caps, more than three million of them flock to our shores every year. Shuffling between tourist sites or preparing to negotiate a business deal, they bemoan the failings of the world outside the United States. The reputation of the "Ugly American" abroad is not, however, just some cruel stereotype, but - according to the American government itself - worryingly accurate. Now, the State Department in Washington has joined forces with American industry to plan an image make-over by issuing guides for Americans travelling overseas on how to behave. Under a programme starting next month, several leading US companies will give employees heading abroad a "World Citizens Guide" featuring 16 etiquette tips on how they can help improve America's battered international image. Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), a non-profit group funded by big American companies, has also met Karen Hughes, the head of public diplomacy at the State Department, to discuss issuing the guide with every new US passport. The goal is to create an army of civilian ambassadors. The guide offers a series of "simple suggestions" under the slogan, "Help your country while you travel for your company". The advice targets a series of common American traits and includes: • Think as big as you like but talk and act smaller. (In many countries, any form of boasting is considered very rude. Talking about wealth, power or status - corporate or personal - can create resentment.) • Listen at least as much as you talk. (By all means, talk about America and your life in our country. But also ask people you're visiting about themselves and their way of life.) • Save the lectures for your kids. (Whatever your subject of discussion, let it be a discussion not a lecture. Justified or not, the US is seen as imposing its will on the world.) • Think a little locally. (Try to find a few topics that are important in the local popular culture. Remember, most people in the world have little or no interest in the World Series or the Super Bowl. What we call "soccer" is football everywhere else. And it's the most popular sport on the planet.) • Slow down. (We talk fast, eat fast, move fast, live fast. Many cultures do not.) • Speak lower and slower. (A loud voice is often perceived as bragging. A fast talker can be seen as aggressive and threatening.) • Your religion is your religion and not necessarily theirs. (Religion is usually considered deeply personal, not a subject for public discussions.) • If you talk politics, talk - don't argue. (Steer clear of arguments about American politics, even if someone is attacking US politicians or policies. Agree to disagree.) Keith Reinhard, one of New York's top advertising executives, who heads BDA, said: "Surveys consistently show that Americans are viewed as arrogant, insensitive, over-materialistic and ignorant about local values. That, in short, is the image of the Ugly American abroad and we want to change it." The guide also offers tips on the dangers of dressing too casually, the pluses of learning a few words of the local language, use of hand gestures and even map-reading. Of course, US foreign policy - and perceptions of it - currently has the biggest impact on the image of Americans abroad. President George W Bush recognised this when he appointed Ms Hughes, a close confidante, to head the country's public diplomacy push. But Mr Reinhard and his colleagues are convinced that individual Americans can also make a difference. They also want to highlight the positives in foreigners' impression of the US as a land of opportunity, freedom, diversity and "can-do spirit" by boosting business and domestic travel to America. "In many parts of the world, America is not getting the benefit of the doubt right now. People prefer to dump on us instead. But for many people, corporate America is their main point of contact, and that's where we come in." Business for Diplomatic Action, which was formed in 2004, has already distributed 200,000 -passport-sized guides tailored to college students going abroad. The group's next target is to raise funding for a colourful pictorial World Citizen's Guide For Kids for children on school or youth group trips. However, a spokesman for the National Tourism Agency for Britain said last night: "Americans have a certain reputation which, for the majority, is undeserved. These guidelines sound like good common sense but they're not something the majority of our American visitors need. As tourists, they're out to enjoy themselves and have a good time. We continue to welcome them.""

4/16/2006 4:39:43 AM

Some of those rules should be observed everywhere.

4/16/2006 4:41:32 AM

If you don't like it, you can giiiiiiiit out.

USA #1! USA #1!

[Edited on April 16, 2006 at 4:43 AM. Reason : ...]

4/16/2006 4:42:22 AM

you think they make american-flag-print business suits?

4/16/2006 9:05:59 AM

Some of those rules should be observed everywhere.

4/16/2006 9:07:39 AM

just why in the fuck should we be catering to them?


i mean shouldn't they be practicing "tolerance" and "acceptance" of other cultures just as we're being forced to do?

fuck that, i don't get pissy when the irishmen comes and drinks too much or the arab holds his wife as his slave... i'm a big talkin fast talkin quick shootin son of a gun and damned if anyone anywhere is gonna make me change

4/16/2006 9:12:10 AM

all of those rules should be observed everywhere

except in certain, more intimate, situations... and that's true around the world

^ no you're not... you're being facetious
you're actually a fairly modest and well mannered fellow

[Edited on April 16, 2006 at 9:13 AM. Reason : -]

4/16/2006 9:12:19 AM

Hey for all of those who have actually traveled, answer how many people you met on your trip that actually resented you just because you're American.

I've seen some other Americans abroad who were loud and obnoxious, but have you ever been around chavs? OH MY GOD ALL BRITISH PEOPLE ARE LOUD IGNORANT SLOBS LOL

Have you been around Spaniards while they were on vacation? At least 30 times louder than the worst American tourists. I've found many British tourists to be less liked and louder than their American counterparts.

Amount of times I've ever caught shit for being American: once, by a Welsh man who asked me how exactly Bush got elected (and mostly in a joking tone. His wife got very embarassed and apologized for him). I responded by asking him that I'd answer the question if he could tell me why Prince Charles preferred Camilla.

By far the worst kids I've ever seen in public abroad were German children. On multiple occasions in multiple countries, I saw these kids throwing fucking loud ass tantrums, and their parents were screaming at them in public and causing a scene.

I met a physics major from Australia once who didn't know who Stephen Hawking is. Oh my god all Australians are ignorant as hell.

4/16/2006 9:37:33 AM

Whatever. I've got a few hand gestures for the rest of the world.

4/16/2006 9:54:05 AM

there were some austrailians in chapel hill the other day at some bar and they were the loudest drunkest people ive ever met. Neeedless to say they were pretty funny and makes sense concidering their country is made up of people with criminals as grandparents

but these rules should be followed by everyone outside of the bar experience.

4/16/2006 10:28:21 AM

Some of those rules should be observed everywhere.

4/16/2006 10:33:16 AM

Hah..an article promoting civility and politeness on the Soap Box. Classic.

Quote :

"I responded by asking him that I'd answer the question if he could tell me why Prince Charles preferred Camilla. "

LOL! If I ever become president, you're my ambassador to Great Britain!

[Edited on April 16, 2006 at 11:00 AM. Reason : .]

4/16/2006 11:00:17 AM

I've always thought that Americans in America have a reputation of being very friendly towards foreigners who come to live or visit. Several foreign exchange students have told me this, that the Americans are the nicest of any country.

Maybe it's different when Americans go to other places.

4/16/2006 2:19:42 PM

look, the fucking contitution gives me the damned RIGHT to act however i want to (within the law) wherever I go. I'm entitled to act superior (which I am by the way just for being an american) no matter where I go.

4/16/2006 2:21:59 PM

You people.

It isn't like this is a federal mandate.

4/16/2006 2:27:15 PM

Americans in foreign places are assholes.

I remember a journey in Vienna when some club girls soccer team was there for a tourney, maybe at most 15 years old. On the subway, the chaperones and the girls were literally annoying everyone. Speaking in loud voices, sitting in the seats reserved for the elderly and being generally rude. I got off at St. Stephans Platz, and much to my dismay they did as well. On the escalators, it is a rule to stand on the right, so people can pass on the left. These girls and their chaperones didn't care. A nice Austrian gentleman wanted to pass them on the escalators, and these girls did absolutely nothing, except stare and claim he was being rude. At this moment, I told the nice man to wait and I'd handle it. So I walked up behind the girls, started saying, "bitte" they paid no mind. So in the mean I hate american way I act, I calmly looked at them, and said, "Get the fuck out of the way you stupid cunts."

they behaved after that.

4/16/2006 2:27:34 PM

1.

Quote :

"On the escalators, it is a rule to stand on the right, so people can pass on the left."

thats not just a rule in europe

go to any major city that has public transportation with escalators

2.

Quote :

"At this moment, I told the nice man to wait and I'd handle it. So I walked up behind the girls, started saying, "bitte" they paid no mind. So in the mean I hate american way I act, I calmly looked at them, and said, "Get the fuck out of the way you stupid cunts.""

how long was this fucking escalator?

4/16/2006 2:32:32 PM

Quote :

"I met a physics major from Australia once who didn't know who Stephen Hawking is. Oh my god all Australians are ignorant as hell."

JerryGarcia

4/16/2006 3:02:43 PM

I would think it’s a group of teenagers as the source of problems rather than the fact that they’re from the US. All the rules said slow down and calm down… yet you have to make way for non-americans to run up an escalator because they can’t wait on the occasion there is a group going up in front up of them? I don’t think a company sponsored list of guidelines is the way to teach people to be considerate. If anything having companies think they are the ones in charge of teaching manners might be why some Americans end acting differently from the cultures they visit.

4/16/2006 3:05:38 PM

Quote :

"how long was this fucking escalator?"

There are some long as escalators over there. more than two storey equivalents.

4/16/2006 3:07:52 PM

thats crazy

4/16/2006 3:09:37 PM

The one I remember doing this on was probably a 3 storey escalator.

4/16/2006 3:11:47 PM

yeah the ones coming out of subways can be realllllyyyy long

4/16/2006 3:17:51 PM

yeah, the fact that they were ignorant of an insignificant bit of escalator etiquette really justifies you calling them cunts

4/16/2006 3:25:20 PM

ever been to dc?
some of those stops have huge elevators too. like bethesda

4/16/2006 3:28:11 PM

^^There are signs and everything smath..

4/16/2006 3:31:48 PM

i'd say calling a group of 15 year old girls "CUNTS" is just a little bit worse than their original infraction.

4/16/2006 3:34:51 PM

If you guys think Americans are rude, visit Italy. They're the rudest motherfuckers in public ON THE PLANET HANDS FUCKING DOWN.

4/16/2006 4:04:32 PM

after reading this i can only conclude that the north is at fault.
we should be exporting southerners instead, then people would not hate us. i mean, im an american and i hate new yorkers, so why should we expect europeans to feel differently?

4/16/2006 4:07:18 PM

europeans think that people from the south wear overalls and lynch black people. And the whole idea behind the polite southener is completely false.

4/16/2006 4:13:20 PM

Quote :

"i'd say calling a group of 15 year old girls "CUNTS" is just a little bit worse than their original infraction."

They had a bunch of infractions smath, and they deserved it.

Now back off my balls.

4/16/2006 4:19:34 PM

i'll back off your ball. i still think it's inappropriate to call them cunts though.

4/16/2006 4:30:04 PM

Quote :

"There are some long as escalators over there. more than two storey equivalents."

Quote :

"ever been to dc? some of those stops have huge elevators too. like bethesda "

Yeah and don't forget about the Rosslyn Metro and Wheaton. almost everyone get pretty pissed when people don't get to one side at Wheaton.

Quote :

"The longest single span uninterrupted escalator in the world is at the Wheaton station of the Washington Metro subway system. It is 155 m (508ft) long, and takes almost 3 and a half minutes to ascend or descend without walking. Four of the five longest escalators in the Western Hemisphere are in the Washington Metro system (the fifth is in Boston) including what was formerly the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere, located at the Bethesda station (475 ft), and also those at Woodley Park - Zoo (456 ft) and Medical Center (453 ft, or 138 m). "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escalator




[Edited on April 16, 2006 at 4:45 PM. Reason : V yeah, the one at Rosslyn fucks with my head--esp. when your drunk]

4/16/2006 4:33:08 PM

One in Prauge always freaked me the hell out. Son of a bitch was steep.

4/16/2006 4:38:44 PM

Quote :

"Sally Baldwin died 28 October 2003 at Tiburtina Station, Rome, Italy. The moving walkway she was travelling along at the station collapsed and she was crushed in the internal gearbox. It is believed that maintenance work on the walkway had resulted in several panels not being replaced properly, resulting in the accident."

WTF

4/16/2006 5:13:49 PM

the orlando airport has a 3 story escalator (i think). goes from tunnel to the parking garage up to the terminal.

the worst are the walkways, not the escalators. they werent built for fat ppl to avoid exercise!!!! walk you goddamn piece of shit.

4/16/2006 5:16:42 PM

they usually have to walk like 3 steps between walkways.
thats a lot.

4/16/2006 5:32:35 PM

Watch out for the bike roads in the middle of Munich sidewalks. Those guys are serious about their bikes.

4/16/2006 5:39:45 PM

Quote :

"Americans in foreign places are assholes. I remember a journey in Vienna when some club girls soccer team was there for a tourney, maybe at most 15 years old. On the subway, the chaperones and the girls were literally annoying everyone. Speaking in loud voices, sitting in the seats reserved for the elderly and being generally rude. I got off at St. Stephans Platz, and much to my dismay they did as well. On the escalators, it is a rule to stand on the right, so people can pass on the left. These girls and their chaperones didn't care. A nice Austrian gentleman wanted to pass them on the escalators, and these girls did absolutely nothing, except stare and claim he was being rude. At this moment, I told the nice man to wait and I'd handle it. So I walked up behind the girls, started saying, "bitte" they paid no mind. So in the mean I hate american way I act, I calmly looked at them, and said, "Get the fuck out of the way you stupid cunts." they behaved after that."

no wonder they think of us as pompous asses. calling a group of 15 yr old girls cunts is very telling. very telling indeed.

4/16/2006 9:52:15 PM

they also don't like us because we've invaded a country for no good reason

but yeah, its partly Jason's fault

4/16/2006 9:54:38 PM

It sounds like there are a lot of yankees that travel

4/16/2006 10:00:25 PM

None of the Australians I met while in Australia could tell me the origins of the seppo slang for yanks.

"Seppo is because you guys have septic tanks."
"don't you use septic tanks?"
"yeah."

Could someone clear the air for me?

4/16/2006 10:09:43 PM

man fuck australia.. they are all a bunch of criminals anyhow.

4/16/2006 10:19:10 PM

Quote :

"they also don't like us because we've invaded a country for no good reason"

non-idiots know that our government invaded a country, not every last american citizen

4/16/2006 10:21:02 PM

wikipedia says:

Quote :

"Seppo (Aussie Slang) An American. Used in Australia, mildly derogatory. From rhyming slang: septic tank – yank."

gg aussies

4/16/2006 11:09:28 PM

I guess they were just embarrassed at how retarded it was.

4/16/2006 11:38:53 PM

haha. Reminds me of the damn Cockneys in London.

[Edited on April 17, 2006 at 12:49 AM. Reason : .]

4/17/2006 12:47:14 AM

Quote :

"after reading this i can only conclude that the north is at fault. we should be exporting southerners instead, then people would not hate us. i mean, im an american and i hate new yorkers, so why should we expect europeans to feel differently? "

Do all these countries have sweet tea? If not, then I bet you would have a lot of southerners bitching. Also, they would probably laugh at us. By the way, fuck you about the NY comment.

4/17/2006 1:11:19 AM

Biscuits are the main thing I missed when I was in Australia.
Second only to my girlfriend.
Who am I kidding? Biscuits were number 1.

4/17/2006 2:23:38 AM

Quote :

"no wonder they think of us as pompous asses. calling a group of 15 yr old girls cunts is very telling. very telling indeed."

Is that why the guy laughed at them and thanked me? And is that why the guy was calling them worse things in German? Seriously pull your head out of your ass.

4/17/2006 2:46:10 AM