You are your nation's most important ambasssador when you travel abroad.

[ddeclue]

For better or worse when you travel abroad, your words and actions inform your hosts on exactly what it means to be an American.

Your behavior abroad is the most important impression on those you meet as to America and Americans. Indeed your face to face encounters with other people in foreign countries define "America" and "American" far more powerfully than anything your government or their government or the media or the movies ever could.

You can be thoughtful, generous, kind, humble, courteous, intelligent, open minded, respectful, hard working, merciful, forgiving, quiet, and have a sense of humor.

You can bother to learn something about the country's history, language, culture, geography and people before you go.

You can avoid angry confrontation and embarassing your hosts. You can respect their pride in their own country and treat them and their country with the dignity you would hope they grant you and your country were they to travel here.

Or...

You can be loud, arrogant, petty, shallow, stupid, rigid, entitled, lazy, complaining, and humorless.

You can insult your hosts, complain about your accomodations, ask for ketchup, not eat the local food, complain about your transportation, tell them how much better you have it in America, belittle their government, their history, their culture and their standard of living.

You can be that ugly American who thinks that talking loudly and slowly in English and waving money around is going to make them understand you better.

It's all up to you.

You are America's MOST important ambassador.

You can be America's BEST ambassador or you can be its worst. Whatever you do, people will remember you and judge the rest of us by what you do.

It's all up to you.

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[Bicoastal]

1. I agree completely. Exactly what prompted this, though?

[ddeclue]

4. Some of the assinine comments I've seen here tonight on DU

that gratuitously insulted the British Royal Family and the government of the United Kingdom and which complain that Obama isn't being an ugly enough American.

I've spent about 20% of my life living in foreign countries (about 8 years) and have lived and traveled abroad extensively in Europe, Asia, and South America and I really get annoyed at the yahoos that give such a bad impression of Americans whenever they take their yahoo attitude with them while traveling abroad because they are such an embarassment.

:)

[Bicoastal]

7. Well listen, I know EXACTLY the thread you're talking about...

...and I say don't worry about 'em. The one or two people who were saying such things are never getting out of their basement and going anywhere--not because they're necessarily impoverished or loners, but because they don't have the intelligence, curiosity, or courage to ever leave their pitiful little bubble of ignorance.

It's a bit shocking, but it's clearly the exception around these parts and not the rule.

[ddeclue]

10. Surprisingly quite a number of them accidentally get the basement door open

and somehow stumble into an airport...

:(

[spoony]

16. And travel as someone's luggage, no doubt.

I mean, they won't let pets in the cabin, so I assume they have a pen for these cavemen.

[roguevalley]

21. I love the UK. I miss being there every day. I have a passport

cover that I bought for myself and my parents that says in French, English and Chinese "I didn't vote for Bush." Since Barack and Michelle have healed ENORMOUSLY the rift that exists to some extent, we have to continue it. The rioters were after the ideas of the G-20, not the American president. That should be a tip off. I love England, Scotland and Wales. Never had a bad day. I adore Ireland because my mother came from there and it really does rule. Anyone who wants beauty, good treatment and pure enjoyment should go to the UK at least once. London is awesome. Carfiff is beautiful and Edinburgh? Rules.

EDIT> this was reported in the press: "It is reported that the Queen was so taken by Mrs Obama she even said: "Now we've met, will you please keep in touch?"

[babylonsister]

2. You forgot the plus. We now have a president we don't have to be ashamed of.

That will help tremendously! :fistbump:

[hendo]

3. Was there another stupid American tourist story?

Stupid American tourists..

[ddeclue]

6. No but there would be if some of tonight's DU posters were to travel to England.

(not you though... :)

[supernova]

5. Agree 100%

:-)

[BlooInBloo]

8. Does this mean no more "Fuck it stinks here (burp)" comments?

[izquierdista]

9. Blending in

Having spent most of the last 4 years out of the country, I have learned how NOT to be seen (as American, that is). You can get a warm welcome anywhere by being concerned and interested about the people you interact with. And Americans don't have a lock on the "ugly tourist" category. There are ugly Germans, ugly Japanese, ugly British, and the adjective 'ugly' can be stuck on a tourist of any nationality who has a superior attitude, as if he is an anthropologist out to study the savages.

[Canuckistanian]

11. Then some of your "ambassdors" need to be recalled

Honestly, I've seen the WORST behaviour from Americans visiting Canada.

I've even personally seen the stereotype of Americans loudly wondering where our snow is - in July.

But nowadays, I realize that they're Republicans.

[ddeclue]

12. We apologize... I'd ask you to send them back but we probably don't want them here either..

:blush:

Sorry 'bout the yahoos...

:blush:

[Canuckistanian]

15. No apology necessary from you

Or almost anyone else here on DU.

DU has restored my respect for Americans.

[w0nderer]

13. now LRP due to wife

When my to-be-wife visited me prior to me leaving for U.S.A. ...
she learned how to say "hi" and "thank you"
she learned how to maintain cultural 'distance'
She asked me when hearing 'i can't stand this f**king food' ... is this normal behaviour

she was saddened it was

....
i wouldn't have married her had she not been a good ambassador
much as i love her, respect from where i'm from is big
just like i respect where she is from

some people just respect people ...all over
gotta love that

she took me to see Obama
she told me, this is the american dream of DEMOCRACY

[krabigirl]

14. Agree. Oh, and the same goes for people living everywhere.

[JohnnyLib2]

17. Agreed.

Good timing.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

18. Damn, Doug

but you are good at pontificating.

Have to give you an 'atta boy' for the string of creative adjectives though...

[14thColony]

19. So true.

I've lived outside the US for all but three years since 1993, mostly Europe but also Asia, and Central America a little bit before that even. I've seen the Ugly American in all his/her glory. And they're amazed when local people take offense. After all, they were just being honest! As an earlier poster said, I do my best to blend and avoid that crowd. I will say though I do love 'Brits on Holiday' - some of them are so over-the-top that Americans can appear gentil and refined by comparison. So much so that I've had hotel staff in mainland Europe appear visibly relieved when I produced a US passport and not a UK passport. The Ugly Tourist comes from many, many countries. And he usually shows up wherever I am for some reason.

[nichomachus]

20. On the other hand

I was sitting in a bar in Vancouver BC one day. I was minding my own business, reading a local paper and drinking a beer. Four guys a few stools down were having this animated discussion about how stupid Americans were. I was listening, but ignored them.

Every once in a while, the bartender would look over at me and give me a knowing smirk. Finally, after about a half hour of this, one of the guys looked over and said. "Eh, you're not American, are you?"

I simply said, "Well, if you guys were as smart as you think you are, you'd have figured that out a long time ago."

The bartender guffawed. After that, I got along pretty well with the four guys -- and they even bought me a couple of beers.

[4_TN_TITANS]

22. Sure as heck can't afford to travel internationally anymore.

Lucky I was able to tour Europe years ago. Every American should experience the difference between our short-sighted society and the steeped in history societies that Europeans have.