Ronnie's Blog Spot

Who is the Ugly American

Who is the Ugly American?

I had this discussion with my son. He had some interesting insights, from the perspective of a much younger person. He noted that when he went to Nicaragua a few years ago with his brother, he had a much better time of it than his younger brother did. (Tiffen is 18 now, but was 16 at the time. His brother, Michael, now 16, was 14.) Although both had traveled extensively as very young children when I lived abroad, this was the first international trip they had taken on their own, and since we moved (back) to the United States.

A couple of things he pointed out had to do with dress and with attitude. For example, he said Michael wore his hair much longer than most teenage males in Nicaragua. At the time, Michael was also very much into skate-boarding and had adopted that mode of dress – another look that kept him apart. He also said that although Michael was always polite, he never demonstrated any enthusiasm for any of the activities suggested by his family in Nicaragua.

In our conversation, he said that Michael just wanted to do things the way he did them back here in Gainesville and had a hard time dealing with the different ways things are done in Nicaragua. Although both my sons lived in Nicaragua when they were younger, Michael has become the consummate all-American boy and his interests are decidedly “gringo.” Tiffen, on the other hand, has a greater curiosity about the world at large and has worked to recapture his Spanish language skills.

Other thoughts have to do with some experiences of my own.

I recall something that jumped out at me when I visited Haiti many years ago. There were some black American tourists in the restaurant where I was eating and my companion – noticing how loud they were – had some disparaging comments about their behavior. The biggest insult, however, was when he called them “white blacks.” When I asked what he meant by that, he said they were acting just like Americans – or in the Haitian parlance, like whites – in other words the proverbial ugly American.

I don’t think most Americans necessarily go out of their way to be “the ugly American.” Quite simply, I believe there is just a lack of awareness about doing things some other way. Instead of adopting a philosophy of “when in Rome,” many Americans expect the Romans to do as they do. It can make for antiseptic and uninspiring travel – why stay at a Holiday Inn in Prague or go to a Starbucks in Beijing or a McDonald’s in Lima. If that’s all you are after, you might as well just stay at home.

Personally, I have never had any real ugly American experiences. I don’t stand out as an American per se – at least that’s what I’ve been told – and am often taken for someone from a Mediterranean country or when in Latin America as someone perhaps from Brazil.
I do speak Spanish and I used to have enough of an affinity for languages that I could pick up the basics of getting around wherever I was, so that I did not immediately come across as someone expecting everyone around me to speak my language – English. And I’ve never shied away from using public transportation which provides a whole other kind of perspect

I think other ways Americans traveling abroad for the first time can come across as “ugly” is by our consistent demand for speed and for doing things fast. I’ve seen Americans described as rude because they wanted to get down to business immediately upon sitting down for lunch instead of realizing that the lunch process was a process and that two or three hours could be spent over a meal before business might be conducted.
And of course, it is never smart to make comparisons with how things are done at home.
For better or worse, you are where you are. That’s one sure-fire way to be considered “ugly.”

posted by Ronnie @ 12:25 PM