I live in Edinburgh and my city is a popular venue for American tourists at this time of year, but they are renown for asking the most dumb questions. I just want others examples and views on why they are inclined to ask these questions.
Here are some pearls of wisdom from the mouths of Yanks
How long is the Royal Mile?
Is that France? (Asked while looking North over the Forth River to Fife from the castle)
What time does the One o'Clock gun go off?
Is the Castle built each year for the Military Tattoo?
Isnt it great that they built the Castle so close to the city centre?
My surname is Kowalski, whats my family Tartan?
There are many others that get published in the papers each year but these are my personal faves
2006-08-28 02:04:30 · 25 answers · asked by poli_b2001 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
Im sure we Scots do ask silly questions but they will generally involve, Whers the pub? while standing right outside and only speaking our native tongue expecting all forgieners to speak English
2006-08-28 02:11:32 · update #1
I'm sure we all ask stupid questions when we're abroad but the most stupid one I was ever asked of an (irate) American was 'But why don't you take American dollars? It's legal currency in where I come from!'
2006-08-28 02:20:24 · answer #1 · answered by Belinda B 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have worked for ten years in tourism, mostly with Americans. SO TRUE (bless em!).... I have lost count of all the dumb questions.
In a lock on the canal " Hey, is there something under the boat to make it go down?" - hmmmmm, yes, water.
Does the boat go the other way? - NO, we crane it out at the end of the week and put it on a lorry to get back - of course we go the other way!
Passing a ploughed up field on a tour "Hey what grows in that field?" - We have an excellent harvest of mud this year madam.
Why did the Queen build her house under the flight path (Windsor)?
And the list goes on, some even better than that. You've got some good ones there.
We have enough to write a book on it, if only someone wrote them all down.
2006-08-28 02:20:24 · answer #2 · answered by ii337 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The most amusing question that I have ever heard of was allegedly asked by an American tourist at Stone Henge. The tourist questioned the sense of building the Stone Age monument so close to the motorway which runs next to it.
Whether this was actually said or not is another matter: it was reported in The Sun after all!
2006-08-28 02:09:30 · answer #3 · answered by Here's Danny 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I am an American and while I agree that some Americans ask the most unbelieveably stupid questions, I do have to say that it is not only Americans who ask stupid questions. It is every nationality, not just us. I have not traveled out of the country as of yet but when I do I hope I am not grouped in with those that do ask stupid questions. If only people, and I do mean all nationalities, would think about the words they say before they come out of their mouths. But then again, if they did, what would we have to laugh at and make fun of?
2006-08-28 02:20:30 · answer #4 · answered by t_j_a_n_mommy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As an American, these don't surprise me at all. Makes me shake my head in horror at the stupidity of humans, but doesn't surprise me.
To defend the U.S., though. I've had tourists from England and Scotland that asked questions just as stupid. Like asking if people in the South really act like they do on "Hee-Haw." If we have outhouses. and married our cousins. That sort of thing. Or,
Is that Graceland? *while pointing at the State Capitol, which is in Nashville, while Graceland is in Memphis, some hours away.*
Or, when I was living in Clovis, New Mexico, which is on the Llano Estacado, or Eastern Plains, in the more northern part of the state,
Is Area 51 near here? Where're the aliens? *in reference to ROSWELL, which is three hours SOUTH of Clovis.*
But please keep posting these. They're hilarious. I think someone from anywhere has a stupid tourist question they've heard.
2006-08-28 02:20:12 · answer #5 · answered by graytrees 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the whole world is exasperated with America and her citizens!
Quite often this is justified, but it doesn't help for us to turn nasty. In any case, the Asker is good humoured. So let me find excuses for American naivety.
Three factors lead to "Americans" visiting more places than other nationals, asking more questions and being brash:
their economic strength
a larger population than other "western" countries
An awareness that in spite of their affluence they have no roots.
American education is broad but with a stress on their debt to Europe - for culture. As a country, they are consumerist and tend to think everything can be measured. So, there is a good deal of quizzing with multiple choice questions. All this tends to put these silly phrases and non-contextual facts into their minds. So they are a but for everyone's humour.
Some people understandably get furious, and certainly there is a serious, even a dangerous, side to this. When so much power and responsibility is put in the hands of people with so little understanding, the results could be catastrophic for the entire human race.
Thanks for highlighting those jewels!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S.
D*mmit, these Americans think they use English but twice I had to tell the spell-check that I knew to spell "humour".
2006-08-28 02:38:40 · answer #6 · answered by RebelBlood 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I live in San Antonio, Texas. The Alamo (made famous by John Wayne) but dating back to the early 1700's as a church (mission) is a favorite site for visitors from the UK. It's most famous for the Battle of the Alamo which was instrumental in giving Texas its independence from Mexico. Some of their questions are:
Why was it built in the middle of downtown San Antonio? (When it was originally built, the city was about a mile away.)
Where were the survivors buried? (You don't bury survivors)
Am I too late for the next battle?
I could go on, but why embarrass our UK cousins? :-)
2006-08-28 02:14:37 · answer #7 · answered by Angry C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Gods, the Tartan one is a classic!
Personally, I belive all people drop quite a few IQ points while partaking in the thing known as "tourism". Especially in organized groups, they're the worst. So it's all up to how much you had to start with.
2006-08-28 02:10:39 · answer #8 · answered by evil_tiger_lily 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hey, thats all part of the Festival experinece. I enjoy meeting visitors to Edinburgh, even if I have been asked if there was a lift to the top of the Scott Monument
2006-08-28 02:18:08 · answer #9 · answered by Twigs 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the very reason that, when I was at University in England, I developed a 'Mid-Atlantic' accent... it was the best way to not be called a "Wally".
I always liked the Blue Haired American tourist who would walk up to me and shout into my face: "DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH"... and this was when I was still living IN ENGLAND.! I would usually tell them that I not only could speak English... I could speak American as well.
2006-08-28 02:09:46 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋