And what's even funnier is the fact that just about everybody will understand English enough to get the gist of what one is talking about. My dad decided that he wanted to go to France. So he took two years of classes in French before he went on his trip to France. He didn't use any French while he was in France. I find that hilarious. My dad said, when he came back, that "They understood our English, not British English (which has slightly different slang words and when heavily accented can be very difficult for me to follow, but then I have problems following some southern drawls and urban slang) but American English dialects."
Bravo for your dad. It is sad that,so many Americans don't make the effort that, the French have learned our language just to sell burgers to us.
Now, to answer some points that Kory brought up. 98% of US citizens are immigrants or decendents of immigrants. Most of them came from the "Old Country" with languages other than English. Few knew English before comeing to the US. There is no official language of the US. You can get any gov't form in any language that you want. There is no law saying that you must know English to live in the US. So why is it that so few people are fluent in any language other than English? Because there's no reason to be. When you can communicate in any way you wish, you typically choose to communicate in the easiest way possible. And since most people understand English, people use English.
This is only partially true. You are forced into English, even if not by decree. Try to get an equal education or higher paying job without it, and you will quickly see that we are very much a one language country.
Now onto the funny issue with complaining. I got news for you, they're not complaining because they think the US is better or some such nonsense. They're complaining because they don't like what they got. Go to any store in the US and you will see lines of people waiting to complain about one thing or another. When I order a burger without mayonaise on it, I expect to get a burger without mayonaise on it. If my burger comes with mayonaise on it, I will complain and demand a new burger without mayonaise, and continue to do so until I get my burger without mayonaise. (I once went through 8 burgers at McDonalds because they kept giving me burgers with mayonaise on it.) When you order and pay for a porsche, you expect to get a porsche, not a honda.
I'm not sure how to tie this in. I will say though that I personally harbor tremendous fear of people spitting in my food if I send it back... *shrugs*
Now onto ignorance and not enjoying the local fare. When most people go to other countries for pleasure, they typically go with the express intent to enjoy the local fare and to learn more about the country they are visiting. I really don't understand people who go to France to have a McDonalds hamburger (like my dad) when they can typically get one within two miles of thier home. So what can I say? I have no idea why they act that way. But there is the other US traveler, and that's the businessman. He's pissed that he's on the road. He's pissed that he's away from his sex partner. He's really pissed that the French businessman he came to have a meeting with decided that he didn't want to see him. So, he's 3000 miles from home, he's on a limited budget, he's not getting any sex tonight, and he's got nothing done that he came to do. So he's on a short fuse and ready to rip someone's, anyone's, head off. Basically, beat a dog and it will bite you.
Ok, but that is a very small percentage of the tourists. It also has nothing to do with appreciating the differences in the societies. He may be pissed, but the fact that he is in France has nothing to do with typical business problems.
Now history. Yea. What can I say. It's happened. So the businessman with three masters degrees in Ancient Roman history, Mideval European history, and Napoleanic history doesn't really feel like talking to you about what he knows. And he really doesn't feel like spending four days touring the Louvre which he saw back in 1972 after he finished his first masters degree in Napoleanic history. Yea, he really doesn't know anything about the history and foundation and culture of Europe. If he had a really open mind, and he wasn't so sure of his superiorty, he would have let you spend fourteen hours regailing him with little known information about the Roman governance of France, and King Louise XIV wars with the rest of Europe and his building of the Sun Palace, which bankrupted the country along with his costly wars. That and clearly the guy's a dick. After all, he spent thirty minutes waiting for the manager at the McDonalds to give him a hamburger without mayonaise on it.
Again, I will say that a handful of scholars on history does not mean that Americans appreciate or acknowledge the effects of history pre-dating our country.


I feel you are half agreeing and half chiding, so I'm not entirely sure of where to take the direction of these replies.. You obviously put a lot of time and thought into it though. Thanks

-Kory


Bonded to Krista

mary jane's Pimp
Rana's Korybjörnen™
Sophy's brodersvenske
SynEve, my Sugar Mommy
Katinka's Big Brother
Two Wongs' Biggest Fan
Maddy, my B!tch
SPETTIO!!!!!!!!!!! loves me