I wasn't reiterating a stereotype. I'm married to an American, remember. I wouldn't be so crass.
What I meant is that it seems that most Americans that visit England do not make the effort to acclimatize, or tune-in to the nuances of the languages, culture, or even make the slightest effort to not stick out. My own family included (aside from my wife, who is very worldly). I think it because they travel less. My own father in law doesn't even have a passport and has no interest in leaving the US, ever, and sadly I've met a bunch of people that are the same way.
It's not about being egocentric. It's about tuning into language, body language, how people communicate. It's very nuanced. Most people from other countries at least make an effort, even if they fail at it. Most US tourists don't, for whatever reason. I think the other folks here, particularly Gotti who also spends time in both countries, understand what I'm getting at with this.
My cousin who lives in Oregon and has been coming here regularly his entire life, still doesn't seem to understand that you can't communicate with people here in the exact same manner as you do there and expect the same reaction. His wife, who moved to the US from India just a few years ago, gets it. I notice that she picks up on the nuances and blends into that manner when she comes here, but he doesn't.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing necessarily. I'm just saying that been my perception... from personal experience.
It works the other way around too. I pick up on the nuances, the differences when I'm in the US, and I adapt my communication approach in such a way that caters to it enough. Because frankly, I don't need every store attendant and person who phones the house to start asking me questions about where I'm from and all that. I notice that if I don't bother to do so, I get a lot more of those questions, and I have to repeat what I say a lot because while we're speaking the same languages, common expressions are generally phrased in a different manner. Just things like that. If it was that big of a deal to me, or something I considered negative, I obviously wouldn't be moving there.
What I meant is that it seems that most Americans that visit England do not make the effort to acclimatize, or tune-in to the nuances of the languages, culture, or even make the slightest effort to not stick out. My own family included (aside from my wife, who is very worldly). I think it because they travel less. My own father in law doesn't even have a passport and has no interest in leaving the US, ever, and sadly I've met a bunch of people that are the same way.
It's not about being egocentric. It's about tuning into language, body language, how people communicate. It's very nuanced. Most people from other countries at least make an effort, even if they fail at it. Most US tourists don't, for whatever reason. I think the other folks here, particularly Gotti who also spends time in both countries, understand what I'm getting at with this.
My cousin who lives in Oregon and has been coming here regularly his entire life, still doesn't seem to understand that you can't communicate with people here in the exact same manner as you do there and expect the same reaction. His wife, who moved to the US from India just a few years ago, gets it. I notice that she picks up on the nuances and blends into that manner when she comes here, but he doesn't.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing necessarily. I'm just saying that been my perception... from personal experience.
It works the other way around too. I pick up on the nuances, the differences when I'm in the US, and I adapt my communication approach in such a way that caters to it enough. Because frankly, I don't need every store attendant and person who phones the house to start asking me questions about where I'm from and all that. I notice that if I don't bother to do so, I get a lot more of those questions, and I have to repeat what I say a lot because while we're speaking the same languages, common expressions are generally phrased in a different manner. Just things like that. If it was that big of a deal to me, or something I considered negative, I obviously wouldn't be moving there.
