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Insolent tourists: counterattack? | ||
Tags: Travel | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| mrwarper Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member Spain forum_posts.asp?TID=Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5226 days ago 1493 posts - 2500 votes  Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishC2 Studies: German, Russian, Japanese | Message 17 of 32 03 June 2011 at 4:40pm | IP Logged | ||
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I remember Euros being referred to as 'monopoly money' from a 3 years old, and back in the day it was a very common joke all across Europe, with all the bright, shiny (new) colors. I've also been told or told myself 'real currency' or 'take potatoes out of their mouths' jokes many times abroad, but they were just jokes that we would keep to ourselves, not something you would happily tell anyone from the place, or say in a loud voice, of course...
The problem with many tourists, even some Italian ones, is that apparently they've never heard the old adage 'when in Rome, do as Romans do'. So instead of being rude in return of their rudeness, it might be pointed out to them that no one around behaves like them. However, in this era of political correctness, I don't think telling someone off, even in the smoothest way, can be considered polite anymore ;( Edited by mrwarper on 03 June 2011 at 4:41pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6582 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 18 of 32 03 June 2011 at 5:25pm | IP Logged | ||
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If I don't count when I've been out travelling myself or guiding foreign friends around Sweden, I can remember a
single encounter with a tourist. It was like ten years ago. I think he asked for directions. I gave them to him. I guess I don't live in one of the more touristy places of the world … 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| mrwarper Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member Spain forum_posts.asp?TID=Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5226 days ago 1493 posts - 2500 votes Speaks: Spanish*, EnglishC2 Studies: German, Russian, Japanese | Message 19 of 32 03 June 2011 at 6:14pm | IP Logged | ||
Lucky you:) Whenever I see a [delete]herd[/delete]group of them, I start getting ready for the -almost- inevitable moment when one of them will make me cringe... Is it really so hard to pay attention to basic stuff? I remember when an American girl I was co-students with told me that when she arrived to Barcelona a few days before she was in a short top or t-shirt, slackers, and flip-flops, and she was so shocked -and soaked- when she discovered she had arrived in the middle of a huge, rather chilly, downpour. Of course, silly me, why would she expect from a tropical country anything other than charring, sunny weather? I don't know if this is normal, but I check the weather at my arrival destination before taking any flights :) 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5009 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 20 of 32 03 June 2011 at 6:29pm | IP Logged | ||
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I believe it's good to remind them of proper manners in a polite way but sometimes it is hard to decide what to do.
A friend of mine works as a tourist guide from time to time. An american tourist asked her: "Do the Czechs usually have water supply at home?". Some of the tourists expect to see a museum of medieval ages and communism when coming here and can't accept the truth even when faced with it. What would you say in such situation? I honestly don't know. And usual trouble are loud turists, I'd say the loudest are Germans. Not only in Czech Republic but in other European countries as well but there's quite nothing you can do about those, unless it's late in the night. I had to remind a friend about proper manners once. In France. She was making jokes about the language and couldn't understand I didn't find it funny. But I remember a blunder of mine as well. Skiing in France and standing in a queue for a chairlift. And there comes a lady in her middle years (no idea what nation), making a way before me and a friend by walking on our skis (not healthy for the poor equipment, especially when considering figure of the lady). So we got on a chair lift with a few people we didn't know and I started talking about the lady, using many creative czech curse words, and didn't notice the people were suspiciously silent. They were czech. Edited by Cavesa on 03 June 2011 at 6:30pm 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 5130 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 21 of 32 03 June 2011 at 6:49pm | IP Logged | ||
A few years ago, I watched a film titled "L'Auberge Espagnole" (its English title is "The Spanish Apartment" but I could swear when I saw it that it had a working English title of "European Soup"). Anyway, the movie is full of tasteless language jokes, from all sides. Still a funny movie, though. People make bad jokes about pretty much all languages around the globe. You can get offended by it, or just gently remind the person that the joke's really not all that funny. R. == 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5009 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 22 of 32 03 June 2011 at 7:46pm | IP Logged | ||
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You know, I am not against language jokes in general. I'll laugh to a good joke about language (even my own, those actually tend to be the best) and sometimes to a bad one, but I just can't stand when an adult woman, older than I am, enjoys quite the same joke whole week in France. The more when it is a joke worthy of a small child. Actually is there a thread about language jokes somewhere in the forum? Edited by Cavesa on 03 June 2011 at 7:46pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lianne Senior Member Canada thetoweringpile.blog Joined 5115 days ago 284 posts - 410 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Esperanto, Toki Pona, German, French | Message 23 of 32 03 June 2011 at 8:36pm | IP Logged | ||
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As much as I dislike obnoxious tourists, I don't think it's fair to call people obnoxious just for being excited to be somewhere that you call home. I know I can go to another city in Canada and still be jumping up and down with excitement. It's the joy of travel. If I saw someone visiting Winnipeg and acting really excited about everything, I certainly wouldn't think that's obnoxious. I would just feel proud of my city.
That being said, I don't appreciate Americans coming up and calling our money Monopoly money (unless it's in a friendly teasing way), nor being asked about igloos, polar bears, or beavers. You have to be a Canadian or a close friend of one to make those jokes. :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 5130 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 24 of 32 03 June 2011 at 9:01pm | IP Logged | ||
Everybody needs friends like Bob and Doug McKenzie. See SCTV for reference, although Chicago, where SCTV is based, has its own special brand of self-mockery. R. == 1 person has voted this message useful |
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