To any non Americans , do you find on your travels that Americans many times come across as rude and arrogant?

Question

I find this to be maybe the case due to our culture we have been fed via TV. If you notice many of the people on our shows or media all act very arrogant and generally rude and insensitive many times, so I think it is not really our fault , just the way we have been brought up by television.

yeah, that is our excuse.

what do you think?

Again, I am not saying Americans are bad people, I just think they are brainwashed to act "cool" and "arrogant" and therefore fake too much.

And it also effects how sensitive and friendly they seem.

Answer 1

Personally, I have never come across a rude or arrogant American. My Aunt however, just got back from New York and said it was fantastic but the thing that spoiled the holiday was the rudeness and bad service in restaurants etc.. This shocked me as i always thought the Americans were really on top when it came to customer service.

Answer 2

I have traveled quite a bit and I do find that a lot of Americans are quite rude and boisterous when abroad. Of course lots aren't but I don't notice any other nationality behaving that way. I had the experience of traveling with some America's in Europe when I was younger and it was quite embarrassing as they seemed to have to let everyone know they were in the presence of Americans and to constantly tell people what was better about America. I just wanted to hind most of the time.

On the other hand I find the customer service to be very good in the US. People are generally quite friendly and polite in their own country.

I think some Americans get insecure being outside of the states or something.

My father is American and doesn't act like this although I have heard he did a bit when he first immigrated.

Answer 3

Sorry I'm an American and I had to see what others were saying... I do believe like someone stated above that Americans who have not traveled are more likely to be rude to non-Americans. I also find that here in America people ARE rude, not all but many. I like to call these people "haters" because no matter how nice you are to them or what you try to do or even if you have something they don't have they "hate" you. People tend to be just jealous of others having something they don't. I have actually found that the very southern tip of Texas is like this. I have traveled 45 of 50 states and a couple different countries and found that the majority of people in that area are "haters."

During my travels I have found though that there are many people who are very nice and very friendly especially to those who are from out of town. I hope that your travels to America bring you more encounters with nice and helpful people rather than the rude and arrogant ones or what I like to call the "haters."

Answer 4

I am in the UK. the first time I met an American was on a plane. she was travelling with her husband and she just kept nudging me and asking me where I had been. When i answered she would start to bragg about all the places she had been to, I told her I had been there too and she started to get irrate. in the end she said well...America's bigger than England. I thought what the hell is this and returned by saying 'dont be fooled about the size of a parcel it's whats inside it that makes it big' she scoffed and started writing a postcard. I could tell we were about to land and quietly said I think we are landing now. to which I got 'All the places I have been I think I know when a plane is landing young lady' I just smiled and watched out the corner of my eye as the plane hit the runway and her pen scribbled across her writing from the jolt. She scowled towards the front of the plane as if she could see the pilot and said 'does this guy know how to fly a plane?
I couldn't wait to get off in most cases I stay away from the americans because I find them noisy boisterous arrogant and they almost always complain about everything. It has been rare that i have met an american outside this box although I am sure that this is not all people in america and I have just been unfortunate to catch them in bad moods!!!!

Answer 5

I have travelled extensively in America (across about 15 states) and I think the people vary depending on where you are. For example yes I was surprised how rude some of the people in Atlanta and New York particulaly were but having said that I am always amazed by how damn rude some people in London can be as well! I think manners just aren't what they were.

Answer 6

That is really funny because I am an American living in Europe (Austria) and I find it to be the opposite!
Here I have seen people stay sitting on the bus or tramway when a pregnant woman or an old lady with a walker tries to get on. Where are their manners? Could you imagine not offering your seat to someone who truly needs it?
Men also have pratically no manners when it comes to women. No one holds open doors or helps a mom with a baby carriage up the steps, etc. They just look at you stupid. I'd be ashamed to call myself a man (if I was one) if I acted like that.
I have been rammed in the back with a grocery cart when I was 7 months pregnant and holding my 1 year old and they didn't even offer an "excuse me". People do it all the time here...just run you over with the cart, cut in line at the doctor's office, etc.
Also the parents are horrendous here. I have seen kids as young as 2 years old running around outside unsupervised. Most let their kids (I am talking like 7 or 8 year olds) outside until 10 or 11 at night.
When I went to a church festival that my daughter's Kindergarten had I thought I had never seen such rude people in my life. First, the teacher called up all the MOTHERS to the front to stand with their children in a circle and sing. I had this MAN (he obviously wasn't a mother), standing behind me so close that I could barely move an inch. If that wasn't bad enough, when the service ended it was like school had let out for the summer. I had ADULTS pushing and shoving my 5 year old just to beat us to the front door. I had to literally cover my daughter to protect her from getting trampled on.
That was the last time that I went to any function that involved parents and kids in the same room.
I grew up in a small town in America and my parents taught me manners. My father would have whooped me a good one if I had acted like any of the people here.
I don't necessarily agree that Americans are rude and arrogant at all.
P.S. if you want to talk about arrogant...the women here wear high heels even to the ZOO. Just really not normal.
Good luck!

Answer 7

It depends where you go. When we went to a restaurant in Massachusetts the staff and people were incredibly friendly and happy to see us.

However in New York things were very different, and some of the airport staff there were among the most rude and downright arrogant people I've met in my life.

(Example: At check-in the guy behind the desk simply said 'blue form' without even making eye contact and held his hand out. We didn't have one so had to go away and come back. When we returned he simply said 'SHUT!' and closed the till)

Answer 8

To be honest, I've always found Americans I've met very polite especially when I've been to America but mostly here in England too. Maybe a bit arrogant at times but then I don't think arrogance is necessarily a bad thing.

Answer 9

I had an American colleague some years ago who was a sweet gentle man. He described the type of Americans that you refer to, as "the kind of Americans, that Americans come to the UK to avoid."
I know exactly what he means and I hope that you do. It is no excuse to say that it is not their fault and blame it on American TV. Children are raised by parents, not the 'idiots lantern' in the corner.
Having said that, there are nice and nasty people in all societies. I try to be nice, and I'm sure that you do also.

Answer 10

It varies. but to an extent it is true. My impression is that if an American is polite and courteous it is sometimes taken as a sign of weakness. He/she is expected to be more aggressive and not submissive to others... UK manners sometimes tend to being modest and meek , rather the opposite of the American view. The average American may feel this is a rather weak or feeble way of being, but it is far better than the arrogant bluster if some.. It shows a little more class and culture. perhaps, where material things are not so important. x