We Americans have a bit of a reputation. We're loud, we're ignorant, and we often make sure everyone around us knows that we're loud and ignorant.
On a beautiful April day, a group of family and I visited Pompeii. Like many, we were excited to see the ruins, impossibly preserved areas, and the casts of people who were perpetually stuck in their final moments.
It was a very cool place. We did see all that and more, because Pompeii is huge. Most people head to the main points on the tourist map, but there are places where you could easily get lost and not see anyone for 10-15 minute on this particular day.
At one point, near one of the main squares of Pompeii, an American woman stopped us and asked us to take a photo. She asked that we take it of her and her...boyfriend? Son? She appeared to be in her 40s and he appeared to be in his 20s, but they certainly didn't give off a mother-and-son vibe.
After the photo - they posed in a way that gave no hint of their relationship - the woman asked us if we knew where the plaster casts of people were.
You might think she'd say "Do you know where the plaster casts of people are?" or “Have you two been to any of the spots in here that they have the plaster casts?”
She did not say either of those things.
She instead went with “Do you guys know, like, where the dead bodies are? Like, I know that in the movie – well, I didn’t see the movie, but there’s like, a dog? Where is that?”
What?
She reiterated. She again wanted to know about the movie, the dog in the movie - but she hadn't seen the movie - and where are the dead bodies?
We told her that we hadn't seen them yet, but good luck.
It was uncomfortable, but we laughed it off as an odd, kind of uniquely American situation. She asked us in such an entitled way that it felt like "How can you not know where it is? Tell me these things or I will think less of you."
As luck would have it, the next area we went to had two plaster casts of humans! We were excited and showed the requisite respect and somber attitude you might feel when you see a human form trapped in its death-gasp.
Moments later, the mismatched couple entered the area, saw the casts, and promptly turned to the nearest worker. This worker, mind you, was not a tour guide. He appeared to be a maintenance worker, sweeping something up.
The woman, addressing a man who clearly spoke no English, said to him, "Are there more? Because like, in the movie there’s a dog? Where was that?” If you can imagine, the man did not know how to respond.
She grew a little bit frustrated because this man didn't understand her. She thought "Maybe if I try again he'll learn English and know exactly what I'm talking about." This must have been her thought anyway, because she then started mid-sentence and said "But like in the movie, there was a movie – I didn’t see it though. They had a dog from here. Do you guys know where that was?”
Baffled looks all around. First from them because they had no idea what she was saying, then from us because we understood her words and had no idea what she was saying, then from the woman because she was rude and entitled and didn't get the information that she was hoping for.
She left.
We walked out of the area, watched where she went, and turned the opposite direction.
That's why the American tourist has an iffy reputation.
On a beautiful April day, a group of family and I visited Pompeii. Like many, we were excited to see the ruins, impossibly preserved areas, and the casts of people who were perpetually stuck in their final moments.
It was a very cool place. We did see all that and more, because Pompeii is huge. Most people head to the main points on the tourist map, but there are places where you could easily get lost and not see anyone for 10-15 minute on this particular day.
At one point, near one of the main squares of Pompeii, an American woman stopped us and asked us to take a photo. She asked that we take it of her and her...boyfriend? Son? She appeared to be in her 40s and he appeared to be in his 20s, but they certainly didn't give off a mother-and-son vibe.
After the photo - they posed in a way that gave no hint of their relationship - the woman asked us if we knew where the plaster casts of people were.
You might think she'd say "Do you know where the plaster casts of people are?" or “Have you two been to any of the spots in here that they have the plaster casts?”
She did not say either of those things.
She instead went with “Do you guys know, like, where the dead bodies are? Like, I know that in the movie – well, I didn’t see the movie, but there’s like, a dog? Where is that?”
What?
She reiterated. She again wanted to know about the movie, the dog in the movie - but she hadn't seen the movie - and where are the dead bodies?
We told her that we hadn't seen them yet, but good luck.
It was uncomfortable, but we laughed it off as an odd, kind of uniquely American situation. She asked us in such an entitled way that it felt like "How can you not know where it is? Tell me these things or I will think less of you."
As luck would have it, the next area we went to had two plaster casts of humans! We were excited and showed the requisite respect and somber attitude you might feel when you see a human form trapped in its death-gasp.
Moments later, the mismatched couple entered the area, saw the casts, and promptly turned to the nearest worker. This worker, mind you, was not a tour guide. He appeared to be a maintenance worker, sweeping something up.
The woman, addressing a man who clearly spoke no English, said to him, "Are there more? Because like, in the movie there’s a dog? Where was that?” If you can imagine, the man did not know how to respond.
She grew a little bit frustrated because this man didn't understand her. She thought "Maybe if I try again he'll learn English and know exactly what I'm talking about." This must have been her thought anyway, because she then started mid-sentence and said "But like in the movie, there was a movie – I didn’t see it though. They had a dog from here. Do you guys know where that was?”
Baffled looks all around. First from them because they had no idea what she was saying, then from us because we understood her words and had no idea what she was saying, then from the woman because she was rude and entitled and didn't get the information that she was hoping for.
She left.
We walked out of the area, watched where she went, and turned the opposite direction.
That's why the American tourist has an iffy reputation.
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