Does and Don’ts in Intercultural Encounters

 Is loud, obnoxious, boorish, arrogant  Believes in America’s superiority  Is too casually dressed  Is ignorant of, or oblivious to, local customs  Is constantly in a hurry or on a schedule  Lacks historical perspective and is ignorant of geography

 Example 1: An overweight American woman complained to the staff at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam that the stairs were too narrow and steep for her to see the upstairs rooms.  An American businessman, visiting a company in Japan, kept patting everyone on the back. In Japan, that gesture means you are doing a bad job

 The U.S.A. has been the world’s dominant culture for the past 50 years People in other cultures respect Americans’ love of freedom, individualism, free speech, democracy  People in other countries also resent Americans’ obsession with materialism, nationalism, violence, drugs, and sex

 Talk Loud  Speak in a loud voice in a restaurant, church, mosque, or museum.  Discuss sensitive issues at a high volume when using public transportation.  Use profanity too.

 Eat only at American food franchises  Don’t try local dishes or foods If you do, ask for catsup, mustard, or mayonnaise Always ask for ice in your drink  If your pint of bitters isn’t cold enough send it back  Mention (loudly) that the food might be contaminated or “dirty”  Whip out Purell, sanitary wipes or bottled water at every opportunity

 Wear clothing with American flags  Wear flip flops, tank tops, and shorts to a monastery or mosque.  If you must dress up, wear an oversized sport jersey (U.S.A. teams only) and sneakers.

 Assume everyone speaks English  If people don’t understand you, talk louder and slower  Corollary: Assume no one speaks English while insulting people and their culture.

 Remain ignorant of, or oblivious to, local customs Don’t learn anything about the local currency Talk about how “cheap” everything is. Wear shoes indoors, touch people on the head, show people the bottom of your shoe

 Always be on Western time Ignore the social rhythm of the culture you are in. Hurry through everything you do. Assume everyone else is on your schedule. For example, don’t expect restaurants to be closed in the afternoon. Do expect restaurants to be open at 5 pm for dinner.

 Mention how much better everything is in America “You call that a burger?” “That’s not a toilet, that’s a hole in the ground.”  Compare the other countries government or infrastructure wit the U.S. “You mean, people live like that?”

 Get drunk or high in public.  Then act out inappropriately  Constantly hit on and try and score with the locals Assume women in foreign countries are anxious to sleep with you because your American.

 Complain about everything  Ask why the streets are so dirty  Tell people not to smoke in bars and restaurants  Criticize menus for not offering low-fat, vegetarian, gluten free, organic foods.

 The stereotype of the bumbling, ethnocentric, hegemonic American is diminishing More American travelers understand they are on a journey, not visiting a “zoo.” Americans now are more open- minded, less opinionated that travelers from other cultures. American travelers are now more culturally diverse. American travelers no longer seek to replicate the comforts of home. Americans are more likely to be ethical travelers, e.g., eco-friendly, green travelers, volunteering

 A survey of 4,500 hotel owners revealed that: French were rated the worst tourists (arrogant, tight-fisted) Spaniards were 2 nd from the bottom (noisy messy) Americans ranked 9 th among the top 10 best travelers