Ray, It's not just foreign policy which gets up people's noses around the world.
I had the unpleasant experience in the youth hostel in Kyoto in 1990 with our 13 year old son of hearing some of the more obnoxious people I've come across. Our son and I were sharing a room with an Iranian maths professor, who was attending an international maths something or other. He was English speaking and a very nice man.
The said obnoxious young men from the USA were foul-mouthed, loud, belligerent and laughing about how they had spewed down the wall, ignored the shoes off at the door rule etc.
With ambassadors like that, all the advertisements from the Council on Foreign Relations, State Department, or other officialdom are down the drain. People believe their own experiences before any propaganda.
In Switzerland in 1974, a loud, check-trousered Yank was demanding of a shopkeeper whether she took US$. She pretended she couldn't speak English and gesticulated down the road. I tried to use my school French to ask for a writing pad. After listening to my efforts briefly, she asked in English if I wanted a writing block. She was quite competent in English.
In 1970, while loading suitcases at the Auckland passenger ship wharf [I was a wharfie], an American lady wanted to tip me $1 [which then was about an hour's pay]. I explained to her that tipping wasn't what you do in NZ [other than in special circumstances] and I was quite happy to just do my job for the excessive pay I already earned Wharfies were a high-paid union. Though I wasn't a union member, just a "seagull" everyone got the union rate. She insisted and stuffed the money in my shirt pocket.
Which didn't worry me at all, but all I wanted was normal appreciation for what I did. I didn't feel at all offended because she was a nice lady and meant well and would probably feel weird not tipping for such good service. So I gratefully accepted her money [it being rude to be churlish], but did feel imposed on.
It would be nice if all cultural clashes were of the pleasant kind.
More offensive than the nice lady was George Schultz [Secretary of State] who treated NZ like some joke in regard to the worries in NZ about nuclear weapons and nuclear propulsion and the public's wish to be nuclear free. Then they went on to treat NZ worse than they treated their enemies and people like Saddam Hussein, who they gave much support to.
With friends like that ...
The problem for the USA is that of the Big Brother. While appreciated, big guys need to be careful they don't casually trample or bully little fellas, but deal with them on a voluntary, respectful and free exchange of goods, services, association and mutual support. Little guys can be obnoxious pains, but care is needed in dealing with them though a quick clip around the ear might be tempting. It's a bit like raising children - clipping them around the ear doesn't do good in the long run unless it really is malicious behaviour and not just an independent streak.
Mqurice
PS: A loud, obnoxious, bus-load of Kiwis in Greece [I think it was] in 1974 were embarrassing - full of beer and crassness. Hopefully they were mistaken for Yanks!! My wife and I were parked in our campervan at some spot which attracted tourists.
On my deficit ledger, I recall having trouble adapting to the tipping culture in Canada. I forgot to tip at a restaurant and no doubt the staff thought me a stingy barbarian ape. No doubt I've made all sorts of other ignorant cultural faux pas. Driving on the wrong side of the road being one of my worse efforts [cars coming the other way on the wrong side of the road remind one quite quickly of the situation]. Waking in the morning in a pleasant layby and starting driving on an empty road is a good way to make the mistake. |
