the ugly american

Remember that novel? Set in the south pacific...takes place in the embassy? A classic writing of where our place is in the world. I know where it is in Florence.

I knew these people were out there, when I ran into them in '97 in Cancun. Loud. Obnoxious. Expletive driven vocabularies. People intent on "owning" or "conquering" a town or city.

I crossed the river tonight to watch the Italian soccer team lose to the Netherlands. They simply got out-manned. As sad as that was, picture this...

On the ride home-no rain this time-I kept passing groups of americans, mostly undergrad looking kids. Some had beers in hand (it is legal over here), all were swearing. The F word never got so much use. People were talking about the succession of bars they were going to hit, f that, f this. What was the most disturbing was that the girls were using the f word the most. Dressed like tarts, swearing like longshoremen.

It was so disappointing to find this happening. The (natives of whatever country we are in) are left with the sour taste of americans like these. I am left with the sour taste of hearing my own language butchered. Hearing kids talk like this town needs to be owned before they leave. My sources on the inside tell me this means consuming all of the booze in a bar, or dancing on the bar, or being so sloppy drunk that either you get carried back, or you take a ride in an ambulance.

This happens every season, every year, every weekend. I wish I had that energy; that money. I would not guzzle it away...I would enjoy more dinners, good company...savor the culture, rather than trying to dominate it.

One does not notice the American tourist who behaves, appreciates their wine; drinks in moderation. No one sees the polite ones, the ones trying to learn the language, if only the pronunciation.

When you read about how I try not to embarrass, how Don E. does not embarrass, keep in mind that no one is noticing this. They only notice the others. I do not hear German speakers talking like this. No expletives...nothing. Americans. Americans abroad.