Americans and manners
Discussion
bad company said:
I travel to the USA frequently and am there now. The only American's I find consistently rude are the TSA agents at the airports. I flew into Miami last Thursday, got to the front of the immigration line and stood about 18 inches from the counter. The TSA 't
t' barked 'back off you're too close' and proceeded to give me a hard time for no obvious reason.
Once through the airport everybody has been great.
Thats Miami for you, next time, go to Tampa, always lovely.t' barked 'back off you're too close' and proceeded to give me a hard time for no obvious reason.Once through the airport everybody has been great.
I have travelled in the US alot and lived for a while in Texas. I think it's easy to misinterpret a direct style of speech with what we would consider rudeness. For example I noticed that in Chicago and New York for example people are just a bit more direct with each other. So in a business meeting in Chicago, where I first noticed the regional differences albeit in the workplace, the boss would say to the subordinate "go get us some coffees". (Very much in the Danny de Vito style). No "would you mind" or "please". However neither party took it as rudeness. I was a bit shocked as it was followed by "shut the door will ya" when the poor chap returned with our drinks. I imagine if I met these two socially the exchange may have ben a bit softer. In the south and in California I found people extremely courteous.
had ham said:
bad company said:
I travel to the USA frequently and am there now. The only American's I find consistently rude are the TSA agents at the airports. I flew into Miami last Thursday, got to the front of the immigration line and stood about 18 inches from the counter. The TSA 'tt' barked 'back off you're too close' and proceeded to give me a hard time for no obvious reason.
Once through the airport everybody has been great.
Thats Miami for you, next time, go to Tampa, always lovely.t' barked 'back off you're too close' and proceeded to give me a hard time for no obvious reason.Once through the airport everybody has been great.
Don said:
Amazing. I've found the Americans to be extremely polite.
The same for me. I've only been once, and I did stay in the "good" parts of Vegas, but it didn't matter whether I was in a 5 star hotel or the American equivilant of a corner shop, I didn't meet anyone who didn't seem happy to talk to me, and they were all extremely polite. Maybe that is a customer service thing, the standards of which are way, way above what you get here in the UK, but that said, all of the Americans I talked to who were not in a customer service role, or even at work, were still polite and chatty. bad company said:
The only American's I find consistently rude are the TSA agents at the airports. I flew into Miami last Thursday, got to the front of the immigration line and stood about 18 inches from the counter. The TSA 'tt' barked 'back off you're too close' and proceeded to give me a hard time for no obvious reason.
Once through the airport everybody has been great.
I've found this to be my experience albeit at the various NY airports. In fact the only one who was being nice was some JLO lookalike I was flirting with. One TSA dude looked like he wanted to taser me halfway through my interrogation. t' barked 'back off you're too close' and proceeded to give me a hard time for no obvious reason.Once through the airport everybody has been great.
Other than that I'm in agreeance with the other posters that American's are overly friendly/polite.
clived said:
OP, if you think American's are rude, would I be right in thinking you've never seen any Russians on holiday (with apologies to any unoubtedly very polite Russians here on PH ;-) )?
I've always found Americans to be very polite, but I agree with the above. I'll also throw in South Africans.....
OK, not sure many have understood the context here.
I've been to the US probably getting on for 100 times. I know the place exceptionally well. Their manners are usually very good at home, generally superior to ours.
However, I'm talking about the way they speak to people when they're OUTSIDE the US, and particularly when dealing with 'foreign' serving staff. By foreign I'm generally talking developing world. It's not a one off. I take a lot of holidays and have seen this in Mexican resorts, Caribbean resorts, cruise ships etc.
Have to say, haven't really noticed it on American travellers who make it as far as Europe or Asia.
I've been to the US probably getting on for 100 times. I know the place exceptionally well. Their manners are usually very good at home, generally superior to ours.
However, I'm talking about the way they speak to people when they're OUTSIDE the US, and particularly when dealing with 'foreign' serving staff. By foreign I'm generally talking developing world. It's not a one off. I take a lot of holidays and have seen this in Mexican resorts, Caribbean resorts, cruise ships etc.
Have to say, haven't really noticed it on American travellers who make it as far as Europe or Asia.
oyster said:
OK, not sure many have understood the context here.
I've been to the US probably getting on for 100 times. I know the place exceptionally well. Their manners are usually very good at home, generally superior to ours.
However, I'm talking about the way they speak to people when they're OUTSIDE the US, and particularly when dealing with 'foreign' serving staff. By foreign I'm generally talking developing world. It's not a one off. I take a lot of holidays and have seen this in Mexican resorts, Caribbean resorts, cruise ships etc.
Have to say, haven't really noticed it on American travellers who make it as far as Europe or Asia.
TBH, I don't think it's fair to single out Americans on manners abroad. I've been on Caribbean cruises and I've been embarassed at the way some people from the UK and Ireland spoke to the waiting staff onboard. The German family clicking their fingers at one poor waitress riled me massively however.I've been to the US probably getting on for 100 times. I know the place exceptionally well. Their manners are usually very good at home, generally superior to ours.
However, I'm talking about the way they speak to people when they're OUTSIDE the US, and particularly when dealing with 'foreign' serving staff. By foreign I'm generally talking developing world. It's not a one off. I take a lot of holidays and have seen this in Mexican resorts, Caribbean resorts, cruise ships etc.
Have to say, haven't really noticed it on American travellers who make it as far as Europe or Asia.
On the other hand, I've yet to meet a polite Russian anywhere...
I travel a great deal in my job (currently typing this from sunny Doha) and think there are good and bad everywhere.
I've seen some of the worse behavour from ex-pat's in the middle east towards their Thai nannies etc, its really embarrassing. As soon as they leave the UK where they would never be able to afford domestic help their manners also get left behind.
Americans I've always found a decent bunch, Russians nuts, Saudi's generally rude to everyone who they can do without.
I on the other hand am always a gentleman, the ladies around the world love it and always say "the English are so polite" (but don't tell the wife!).
I've seen some of the worse behavour from ex-pat's in the middle east towards their Thai nannies etc, its really embarrassing. As soon as they leave the UK where they would never be able to afford domestic help their manners also get left behind.
Americans I've always found a decent bunch, Russians nuts, Saudi's generally rude to everyone who they can do without.
I on the other hand am always a gentleman, the ladies around the world love it and always say "the English are so polite" (but don't tell the wife!).
stu67 said:
I travel a great deal in my job (currently typing this from sunny Doha) and think there are good and bad everywhere.
I've seen some of the worse behavour from ex-pat's in the middle east towards their Thai nannies etc, its really embarrassing. As soon as they leave the UK where they would never be able to afford domestic help their manners also get left behind.
Americans I've always found a decent bunch, Russians nuts, Saudi's generally rude to everyone who they can do without.
I on the other hand am always a gentleman, the ladies around the world love it and always say "the English are so polite" (but don't tell the wife!).
Too late, you just told the whole internet I've seen some of the worse behavour from ex-pat's in the middle east towards their Thai nannies etc, its really embarrassing. As soon as they leave the UK where they would never be able to afford domestic help their manners also get left behind.
Americans I've always found a decent bunch, Russians nuts, Saudi's generally rude to everyone who they can do without.
I on the other hand am always a gentleman, the ladies around the world love it and always say "the English are so polite" (but don't tell the wife!).
I have worked with Americans for many years and I find them very, very polite and pleasant people.
And they hug each other, which I find a bit weird, I can't remember the last time I hugged my own mother.
I even find myself saying 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' sometimes like they do, something I never did before I worked with them.
Why don't they say please and thank you to service staff? No idea, perhaps they went through these jobs as teenagers and now it's their turn to be waited on and they just want their grilled cheese sandwich without having to act like the cast from Downton Abbey.
And they hug each other, which I find a bit weird, I can't remember the last time I hugged my own mother.
I even find myself saying 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' sometimes like they do, something I never did before I worked with them.
Why don't they say please and thank you to service staff? No idea, perhaps they went through these jobs as teenagers and now it's their turn to be waited on and they just want their grilled cheese sandwich without having to act like the cast from Downton Abbey.
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