Thomas

I just spent a week a in Munich working, and liked it so much I spent
another week there. As I was paying myself for the second week, I stayed in
a hostel off the Goetheplatz. Now I know American tourists are everywhere in
Europe, but Munich seems to has the most. During my time at this Hostel I
only met one other person from the UK.
Ok back to my point. It seemed to me that most young Americans seem to seek
out other other young Americans and form their little groups...
During this week I met Canadians, Australians, Spaniards, Italians etc who
I had no problem with and who had no problem with me. But... not sure if
they were scared or shy.. most Americans would just say a polite hello and
and move on to their little group and talk amongst themselves.
What is it that makes Americans so insular???

Charles Hawtrey

"Thomas" <> climbed onto an orange crate
and shouted:

    >What is it that makes Americans so insular???

I don't know. It's probably the same thing that makes other people
generalize about "Americans."

Aramis

"Charles Hawtrey" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > "Thomas" <> climbed onto an orange crate
    > and shouted:
    > >What is it that makes Americans so insular???
    > I don't know. It's probably the same thing that makes other people
    > generalize about "Americans."


Come on now, Charles, your defensiveness is showing. Even overlooking that,
generalizations are not inappropriate, as a rule. Generalizing, and
categorizing is how humans deal with the world. You've got to know what's
ordinary, to know when and how to react to something that's not.

Americans, generally, are very insular. Because you don't like to hear it,
or because there are exceptions, does not make it a ludicrous statement.

As for why- it's because they have the "fact" that they are; the greatest
nation on earth, the truest democracy, the freest, and the most ingenious
people that ever walked the earth, drummed into their heads from the moment
they can speak. They have less exposure to other
societies/cultures/countries during their education than any other developed
nation and, as a result seek the comfortable when away fro home. On some
level, they explore the world to find how "not American" things are, to
reinforce their beliefs.

Aramis

that, too.

We ALL think that.


"Runge" <> wrote in message
news:cfm4do$le4$...
    > They think europeans carry deadly germs
    > "Thomas" <> a écrit dans le message de
    > news:...
    > > I just spent a week a in Munich working, and liked it so much I spent
    > > another week there. As I was paying myself for the second week, I stayed
    > in
    > > a hostel off the Goetheplatz. Now I know American tourists are
everywhere
    > in
    > > Europe, but Munich seems to has the most. During my time at this Hostel
I
    > > only met one other person from the UK.
    > > Ok back to my point. It seemed to me that most young Americans seem to
    > seek
    > > out other other young Americans and form their little groups...
    > > During this week I met Canadians, Australians, Spaniards, Italians etc
    > who
    > > I had no problem with and who had no problem with me. But... not sure if
    > > they were scared or shy.. most Americans would just say a polite hello
and
    > > and move on to their little group and talk amongst themselves.
    > > What is it that makes Americans so insular???
    > >
    > >

Lennart Petersen

"Thomas" <> skrev i meddelandet
news:...
    > I just spent a week a in Munich working, and liked it so much I spent
    > another week there. As I was paying myself for the second week, I stayed
in
    > a hostel off the Goetheplatz. Now I know American tourists are everywhere
in
    > Europe, but Munich seems to has the most. During my time at this Hostel I
    > only met one other person from the UK.
    > Ok back to my point. It seemed to me that most young Americans seem to
seek
    > out other other young Americans and form their little groups...
    > During this week I met Canadians, Australians, Spaniards, Italians etc
who
    > I had no problem with and who had no problem with me. But... not sure if
    > they were scared or shy.. most Americans would just say a polite hello and
    > and move on to their little group and talk amongst themselves.
    > What is it that makes Americans so insular???
Don't know. But as long they're travelling for pleasure and paying with
their own money I'll guess they're free to do whatever they like.
And that's for anyone travelling on vacation. Do whatever you like as long
as you don't disturb,harm anyone else or violating laws.

Runge

They think europeans carry deadly germs

"Thomas" <> a écrit dans le message de
news:...
    > I just spent a week a in Munich working, and liked it so much I spent
    > another week there. As I was paying myself for the second week, I stayed
in
    > a hostel off the Goetheplatz. Now I know American tourists are everywhere
in
    > Europe, but Munich seems to has the most. During my time at this Hostel I
    > only met one other person from the UK.
    > Ok back to my point. It seemed to me that most young Americans seem to
seek
    > out other other young Americans and form their little groups...
    > During this week I met Canadians, Australians, Spaniards, Italians etc
who
    > I had no problem with and who had no problem with me. But... not sure if
    > they were scared or shy.. most Americans would just say a polite hello and
    > and move on to their little group and talk amongst themselves.
    > What is it that makes Americans so insular???

Charles Hawtrey

"Aramis" <> climbed onto an orange crate and
shouted:

    >"Charles Hawtrey" <> wrote in message
    >news:...
    >> "Thomas" <> climbed onto an orange crate
    >> and shouted:
    >> >What is it that makes Americans so insular???
    >> I don't know. It's probably the same thing that makes other people
    >> generalize about "Americans."
    >Come on now, Charles, your defensiveness is showing. Even overlooking that,
    >generalizations are not inappropriate, as a rule. Generalizing, and
    >categorizing is how humans deal with the world. You've got to know what's
    >ordinary, to know when and how to react to something that's not.

I have to admit you've got a point. Generalization is a useful way of
categorizing people as well as things. It's helpful in organizing
one's understanding of the world to recognize that Americans are
insular, the French are arrogant and seldom bathe, Russians are surly
gangsters, the British are cold and aloof, and so on.

    >Americans, generally, are very insular. Because you don't like to hear it,
    >or because there are exceptions, does not make it a ludicrous statement.

You're absolutely right that Americans don't know much about
geography. On the other hand Europeans have the advantage that few
places in Europe are more than an afternoon's train ride from another
country. We are both cursed and blessed by being a large country that
is separated from most of the world by two oceans.

    >As for why- it's because they have the "fact" that they are; the greatest
    >nation on earth, the truest democracy, the freest, and the most ingenious
    >people that ever walked the earth, drummed into their heads from the moment
    >they can speak.

All of this being true, of course. <g,d&r>

Mxsmanic

Thomas writes:

    > Ok back to my point. It seemed to me that most young Americans seem to seek
    > out other other young Americans and form their little groups...

True of all foreigners.

    > What is it that makes Americans so insular???

Nothing. Most people are like that when abroad. What is it that makes
you notice Americans in particular? Think about it.

Mxsmanic

Aramis writes:

    > Come on now, Charles, your defensiveness is showing.

Actually, he's essentially correct.

    > Even overlooking that, generalizations are not
    > inappropriate, as a rule.

It would be illogical to state otherwise, wouldn't it? As a rule, that
is.

    > Americans, generally, are very insular.

It isn't insularity that makes them associate with each other.

    > On some level, they explore the world to find how "not American"
    > things are, to reinforce their beliefs.

Thank goodness nobody else on the planet does that.

Mxsmanic

Runge writes:

    > They think europeans carry deadly germs

What leads you to this conclusion?