Geoff Dyer wrote an interesting piece about Americans over the weekend in the Book Review:
The archetypal American abroad is perceived as loud and crass even though actually existing American tourists are distinguished by the way they address bus drivers and bartenders as “sir” and are effusive in their thanks when any small service is rendered. We look on with some confusion at these encounters because, on the one hand, the Americans seem a bit country-bumpkinish, and, on the other, good manners are a form of sophistication.
Granted, these visiting Americans often seem to have loud voices, but on closer examination, it’s a little subtler than that. Americans have no fear of being overheard. Civic life in Britain is predicated on the idea that everyone just about conceals his loathing of everyone else. To open your mouth is to risk offending someone. So we mutter and mumble as if surrounded by informers or, more exactly, as if they are living in our heads. In America the right to free speech is exercised freely and cordially. The basic assumption is that nothing you say will offend anyone else because, deep down, everyone is agreed on the premise that America is better than anyplace else.
…Like many Europeans, I always feel good about myself in America; I feel appreciated, liked. It took a while to realize that this had nothing to do with me. It was about the people who made me feel this way: it was about charm. Yes, this is the bright secret of life in the United States: Americans are not just friendly and polite — they are also charming. And the most charming thing of all is that it rarely looks like charm.
Terrific stuff. Oh, and Dyer once wrote a wonderful collection of fictional essays about Jazz, But Beautiful. If you are a Jazz fan, this book belongs in your collection.
Dyer wrote a book about photography which will change the way you view images. It is called the Ongoing Moment. It does more for me than Sontag, because he writes like a person and not an intellectual.
As the book jacket notes indicate, referring to his previous book on travel, he doesn't own a camera and he doesn't take pictures. I wonder, since I have not read the jazz book, if he plays a musical instrument or if he just listens. If I had to guess, I'd say he lends his critical ear to the jazz book in the same way he lent his critical eye to the one about photography.
It's interesting, in the Jazz book each chapter is about a different artists--Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Ben Webster--and in each, he adopts the tone and mood of the specific artist. The stories he draws on are widely reported stories, so he looked at each peiece like playing a standard tune--you know the basics, here's my version. At first, I thought it was going to be pretentious but it really worked...well, beautifully. Thanks for that note about his photography book.
Generally speaking, I've found my fellow American visitors to Britain to be very polite and wary of doing anything that might offend. Granted, there have been a few jackasses, but for the most part folks from the US are well-behaved, though the bit about loud voices is well taken.
One thing that's mildly amusing is that (at least in the past 10 years or so) the Britons I've encountered seem unwilling to ask if you're American; I can barely count the number of times I've been asked if I was Canadian. :-)
I wouldn't have that problem. I'd be like, "Fug YES, I'm UMMMERICAN."
I’ve found my fellow American visitors to Britain to be very polite and wary of doing anything that might offend.
Oh, you shoulda seen me when I was in Japan this past November. I was extremely wary of doing something that might offend.
Never left the country. Really interested in going to Toronto, London, and maybe Tokyo.
Just thought of this: Luc Sante doesn't take photos either.
Luc Sante. That dude is the MAN
[6] Best part about Toronto - incredibly clean, eminently walkable city. Lots to see and do. For those of college age, however, the best part might be that the drinking age in Canada is 19. Much smarter than us IMHO.
[9] Its amazing, I turned 21 and largely stopped caring about the drinking age. :)
It's hard to imagine English people being put off by loud-mouthed Americans considering the homegrown louts they possess. Eh, the devil you know I guess.
[9] Cleanliness is overrated. Or, as Alvi Singer quipped to Paul Simon, "I'm into garbage, it's my thing."
I hesitated to comment on this thread, but this topic is somewhat of a pet peeve of mine. I have traveled in Europe a lot over the last fifteen years, and in my observation, Americans tend to be very polite. Moreover, (in my observation) I have not found Americans particularly loud or obnoxious. Rather, the rudest tourists that I have seen have been Germans, English and not infrequently Japanese. This is not to say that I have never been embarrassed or appalled by the occasional Yank, but overall Americans get a really bad rap. This has more to do with deep rooted anti-Americanism, I think, than anything else.
One more thing...due to my work I travel with many Canadians. At least when talking about students, they are no more polite or quiet or worldy than their counterparts south of the border, no matter how many Canadian flags they stitch on their Roots backpacks.
Anyway, that's just one traveler's view.
[9] Toronto is indeed a great city, but not very walkable this time of year.
Beltre to Sux. This has been an interesting offseason. Tit for Tat. Should be a fun season.
[13] College students are pretty much the same no matter where you go :)
Americans get a bad rap. Talk too loud on the train here, but otherwise exceedingly polite I think. Brits in SE Asia were worst have ever seen..drunken, obnoxious and completely uninterested in observing local cultural mores.
Got to check out that jazz book!