[kindredspirit]

Just spent an entire day in a cafe here in my current Eastern European outpost, which happened to be in the town center where all the tourists walk by.

Had multiple groups of young, 20 - 30 something year old white American men and women coming through and what struck me as unbelievably obvious was:

1. Americans are getting fatter. They were by far the largest of all nationalities represented, being bigger than even the fat old German tourists. Amazingly, the men in their 20s and 30s seem to mistake their fatness with "heft & mass", strutting around their excess poundage like they were UFC fighters before a fight.

2. Americans are getting louder. The volume level on their conversations was beyond anything I've witnessed, including the loud and chirpy Italian tourists. It almost seemed like they were YELLING to show the world how HAPPY/OUTGOING they were, but in an exaggerated way. I actually couldn't believe their normal conversations had to be carried out at this volume, esp. when the entire city has a subdued, quaint, charming, quiet atmosphere.

3. Americans are getting more obnoxious. They were simply blind or oblivious to the annoyed stares of everyone else, and actually seemed to thrive off the negative attention they were drawing from their loud voices and "outgoing mannerisms."

[IshGibbor]

and Americans are still the best people in the world, go fuck yourself

[kindredspirit]

(08-18-2010 08:38 AM)IshGibbor Wrote:  

and Americans are still the best people in the world, go fuck yourself

It's okay -- I know how frustrated you must feel being stuck where you are with no options, no location-independent cash flow, and dreaming of a better life somewhere else.

[IshGibbor]

Really is that all you got?

I said what I said just to get a rise out of you and all you throw the "ohh I'm better then you because I get to travel a lot" statement.

I can see why those Americans bothered you so much.


To reply to your post, yes a lot of Americans (including myself, obviously) don't cater their personalities to other people's insecurities and comfort zones (rather we use people's insecurities to our advantage). Not all Americans do that (some play by the rules) but some don't give a shit. Those that don't give a shit tend to not be as healthy or socially acceptable but I do admire the freedom and inner conviction that they have of their reality, regardless if people like them or not.

I can respect a person like that (even if they are racist, sexist, schizophrenic etc) as long as they are not harming innocent people or harming myself. They have the right to do as they please (within the limits of the law). You have a right to remove them from your reality if you find what they do distasteful. If it bothered you so much you should have went up to them and told them to be quiet and start eating right
(but you decided to hop behind the security of a computer screen and post on an internet thread about it).

I'm just sayin....

Ish Gibbor

P.S. In response to your little pithy, I don't believe in dwelling on future oriented scenarios. I am having the best time of my life whether I am drunk as fuck in the ghettos of the West End of Atlanta, waking up to lift weights in Palm Beach, Florida or dancing my ass off in the reggae clubs of Kingston, Jamaica.

[kindredspirit]

(08-18-2010 09:55 AM)IshGibbor Wrote:  

P.S. In response to your little pithy, I don't believe in dwelling on future oriented scenarios. I am having the best time of my life whether I am drunk as fuck in the ghettos of the West End of Atlanta, waking up to lift weights in Palm Beach, Florida or dancing my ass off in the reggae clubs of Kingston, Jamaica.

I envy you. I'm missing out on so much.

Can you share some more thing about your life? Please?

[IshGibbor]

(08-18-2010 11:00 AM)kindredspirit Wrote:  

(08-18-2010 09:55 AM)IshGibbor Wrote:  

P.S. In response to your little pithy, I don't believe in dwelling on future oriented scenarios. I am having the best time of my life whether I am drunk as fuck in the ghettos of the West End of Atlanta, waking up to lift weights in Palm Beach, Florida or dancing my ass off in the reggae clubs of Kingston, Jamaica.

I envy you. I'm missing out on so much.

Can you share some more thing about your life? Please?

you are and you don't even know it...

[Mrs. Chocolate]

This thread will be interesting.

[Lumiere]

Take the flame war elsewhere guys

Its tedious

[gringoed]

With the rest of the world becoming more "Americanized" every day, while more Americans become more informed and conscious of diet and lifestyle (many McDonalds just started posting # of calories on their menus), we might start seeing a reversal of fatness in the decades to come. We'll always be loud though.

U-S-A! U-S-A!

[zanetti]

fat people used to annoy me

then i rewatched Collateral and thought about what Vincent (Tom Cruise) said about adapting to new circumstances, darwinism, evolving

to me these people that only watch TV, eat junk food and are obese now just seem to self-select themselves for extermination; they are unable to cope with current (western) society and its challenges. which is also why overweight people have trouble reproducing

this is no different from certain groups of people/primates being able (or not able) to adapt to changing climates, surroundings, other tribes etc thousands of years ago. the ones that did, survived; the ones that didn't, are gone now...

[hydrogonian]

I get the "Americans are too loud" thing. Until you know me, I'm a quieter guy by nature. I just don't say things to fill empty space, unless I'm gaming you. I watch, observe, and chime in when necessary.

Depending on the culture in which they grew up (many, many different cultures in the USA), being loud is often synonymous with being social. There are different variations of this. Most people who are like this come from middle to lower classes. Its very rare that you will see someone from the upper class behaving like this, of any race. It sounds classist, but I can tell you that its true. Even my reserved personality, by relative standards, has been a source of embarrassment to me, in hindsight, when socializing with wealthier friends and their families. I often dont realize that I was acting out until the next day. At events with people from my own class, my personality is funny and charming, more often than not. It is interpreted differently, unless I have my filter turned way up, by upper class standards.

Different variations of lower class American obnoxiousness:

The southern/conservative white variation is the "fuck you I'll say what I want, at at the volume that I want, and if you don't like it get the hell out" variety. When abroad, its changed to "fuck you, I'll spread my American charm throughout the world, it being the best form of charm, whether you like it or not" variety. The black and Latino version is of the "its not a party if its not loud, and its always a party" variety. All girls can be loud.

All of that being said, and not being loud myself, I get to objectively observe every nationality while abroad. I'll tell you this: Give a Brit male a beer and Americans have nothing on him in realm of obnoxiousness. Americans have nothing on Australian obnoxiousness, drunk or not. All nationalities have their warts. Americans are easy targets. But if we want to start a thread bashing specific nationalities, we could certainly do so for almost any one of them.

America is a large country. There are a lot of us. All you do when talking in generalities is make me less apt to want to socialize with you abroad. Teach me that all canadians, brits, or aussies that I meet abroad will bash americans, inclusive of me, in my presence or behind my back and I wont say a word to you. But then you'll be baffled as to why I don't give you the time of day and treat you like shit whenever possible. Its because your an ignorant low class retard.

[Lumiere]

Italians are also extremely loud

[exe]

I was in a hostel in Poland recently, using a PC in the computer area. Two gringas and a guy came in and started talking loudly. It was a small room and they were practically yelling. I got irritated and said, "Can you guys keep it down?!" They stopped for a second then one of the girls just kept going, "So, yeah, blah, blah.." I decided to escalate it with "Jesus-FUCKING-CHRIST!!!" Silence. You could hear a pin drop in that room for the next five minutes.

I was also in a hostel in Prague recently, in a dorm room with two gringas. Both were practically yelling at each other across the small room. I was about to say something but they quieted down and went to sleep.

I'm in Croatia now. Lots of Italians, most of whom speak at 1 or 2 notches above normal level and some are really loud.

[zanetti]

(08-23-2010 02:47 PM)exe Wrote:  

I was in a hostel in Poland recently, using a PC in the computer area. Two gringas and a guy came in and started talking loudly. It was a small room and they were practically yelling. I got irritated and said, "Can you guys keep it down?!" They stopped for a second then one of the girls just kept going, "So, yeah, blah, blah.." I decided to escalate it with "Jesus-FUCKING-CHRIST!!!" Silence. You could hear a pin drop in that room for the next five minutes.

aren't 99.99% of people in poland gringos/gringas or do you mean americans?

[exe]

(08-24-2010 02:48 AM)zanetti Wrote:  

(08-23-2010 02:47 PM)exe Wrote:  

I was in a hostel in Poland recently, using a PC in the computer area. Two gringas and a guy came in and started talking loudly. It was a small room and they were practically yelling. I got irritated and said, "Can you guys keep it down?!" They stopped for a second then one of the girls just kept going, "So, yeah, blah, blah.." I decided to escalate it with "Jesus-FUCKING-CHRIST!!!" Silence. You could hear a pin drop in that room for the next five minutes.

aren't 99.99% of people in poland gringos/gringas or do you mean americans?

i try not to use the term 'american' - although it's really hard not to - as some people may find it a bit arrogant. to me, gringo/gringa is someone from north america - or as the central & south americans would say 'norte americano'.

[exe]

I'm in Croatia now and there's lots of fat European tourists waddling around the beaches.

[zanetti]

damn euro's, waste of space

[Kona]

I deal with a LOT of American tourists.

This fat guy came on my boat this morning after eating the Lumberjack Special at Dennys.

He puked everywhere including on his fat friend. They were also shitty tippers but were wearing Rolexes. Americans can't afford to stay at the hotels that serve breakfast anymore, so Dennys is making a killing.

I don't know if they're broke because they're fat or fat because they're broke???

Aloha!

[bigbootyluvr]

(08-18-2010 09:00 AM)kindredspirit Wrote:  

(08-18-2010 08:38 AM)IshGibbor Wrote:  

and Americans are still the best people in the world, go fuck yourself

It's okay -- I know how frustrated you must feel being stuck where you are with no options, no location-independent cash flow, and dreaming of a better life somewhere else.

how many races have you been around? A group of english guys or a group of dutchies is TEN TIMES louder than a group of frat boys from America. Yes our women are fucking hogs, but god dammit, they are LOUD hogs, and they are big and beautiful, kindred!!!!

[afronoob]

(10-17-2010 04:41 AM)bigbootyluvr Wrote:  

(08-18-2010 09:00 AM)kindredspirit Wrote:  

(08-18-2010 08:38 AM)IshGibbor Wrote:  

and Americans are still the best people in the world, go fuck yourself

It's okay -- I know how frustrated you must feel being stuck where you are with no options, no location-independent cash flow, and dreaming of a better life somewhere else.

how many races have you been around? A group of english guys or a group of dutchies is TEN TIMES louder than a group of frat boys from America. Yes our women are fucking hogs, but god dammit, they are LOUD hogs, and they are big and beautiful, kindred!!!!

American loudness is I think more a function of natural exuberance,like kids on the first day of summer. Not really a conscious political statement. But I've observed here in Nairobi,the typical American in the restaurant unconsciously lowers his voice after a month long acculturation,but is still louder than the average Brit,Kenyan or Frenchman.

[kerouac]

Do you think Europeans were complaining when this guy was around?

Just playin, playa

I too notice that when I'm abroad I become more sensitive to how the American tourists act. I'm not sure if the other people view them with the same eyes that I do, but I have a feeling I'm more sensitive to how the Americans act.

Then, I meet the British and the Australians and I forget about how the Americans act because the Brits and the Aussies really make it easy to forget how loud and annoying the Americans can be.

Then again, there are classy people and there are un-classy people. I've met some really exceptional Americans while traveling through South America, and none of them fit the typical American tourist stereotype. Most of them were educated and came from good families. All of them were sensitive to being in a different culture, thus acting a certain way around that culture. Same goes with Brits and Aussies. If you find the educated ones they won't be loud and obnoxious.

[Aliblahba]

(12-08-2010 11:56 AM)kerouac Wrote:  

Then again, there are classy people and there are un-classy people. I've met some really exceptional Americans while traveling through South America, and none of them fit the typical American tourist stereotype. Most of them were educated and came from good families. All of them were sensitive to being in a different culture, thus acting a certain way around that culture. Same goes with Brits and Aussies. If you find the educated ones they won't be loud and obnoxious.

I concur. I use loud Americans to my advantage. Some people were surprised in places like London that an American could actually go abroad and conduct themselves well. Most of the loud ones stay in capitol/touristy cities and won't dare venture off the beaten path. Which is where you'll always find me. Outta sight outta mind.

[speakeasy]

Israelis are the loudest.

[rudebwoy]

When I lived in London, ugly American girls would talk so loud on the subway. It was as if too say "look we are American", funny thing is you could see the natives getting annoyed.

[zanetti]

i'm not american and don't live in the US; to me the "american accent" is actually a turn-on, as i imagine a french or latin accent might be to others here, so i don't mind it all that much

i think one reason why americans are louder than certain other nationalities may be that american schools/universities encourage students to be verbal and actively participate in classes whereas in many european schools it is more of passive approach, i.e. teachers speaking and students listening.

IME americans are not the loudest nationality; to me those would be australian, spanish, italian and people from arab/middle eastern countries.