Ubud Hotels
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Ugly Americans?
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(Amy)
Bali is a place where you just don't let many things get under your skin, because the place is too beautiful and the people too kind to waste time being unhappy. But we had an experience the other night that I can't seem to shake.
The five of us were sitting at Napi Orti, a small outdoor sports bar of sorts, watching a Manchester United soccer (okay, football) game with about thirty other people. The crowd was about half international and the pockets of conversation were diverse and interesting. I was having a wonderful conversation with a middle-aged Scottish couple, their daughter who is teaching in Kuala Lumpur, and the lovely Balinese waitress. At one point, a twenty-something from Illinois joined our conversation. Noticing the kids, she asked what we were doing in Bali. I told her a little about our trip and she immediately asked, in a voice dripping with sanctimony, how we could possibly stand to go back to a place like the U.S.
I asked her what she meant and she told me that Americans were "unevolved" and they "just didn't get it". Most Americans don't travel because they're "uninteresting people from red states."
I told her that I had a much different experience of travel. Travel is optimally supposed to open your mind. If you have the resources to travel, you should be grateful every day for all of the new things you get to experience, not judgmental about those who haven't had the same experiences. I wanted to ask her if her schleppy parents back in the Midwest were funding her journey of "enlightenment" but decided to hold my tongue. In any case, using the words "travel", gratitude", "appreciation", and "open-mindedness" in the same sentence were enough for her to get up without a word and walk out the door.
She wasn't the first young American we'd met on the trip to express this sentiment, only the most vocal. Obviously there are many problems in the U.S., but an awful lot of people we've met on this trip would do almost anything for a chance to live there. I felt sad and just a little bit angry that her exploration of other countries didn't allow some appreciation of the U.S. We've neither seen nor heard much of the stereotypical rude behavior attributed to Americans abroad, but the girl from Napi Orti certainly didn't represent the best we have to offer.
(Jim)
Without going into a lot of detail, I'll echo what Amy said. There are a certain number of American misfits who are profoundly alienated from the most free, productive and generous society in human history. They dislike the very same country that desperate, ambitious and optimistic folks from every continent want to move to.
Latest Comments (1)
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Proud to be an American (reply)
May 12, 2008 11:34 EST by barbwengler
As Lee Green Wood sings: I'm proud to be an American. I agree with both of you. I love to travel and have done as much as finances allow, but no matter where I go I'm always happy to return home and consider myself fortunate to have been born here. It's not surprising that you've come across those of different thought. You are representing all of us when you connect with people around the worl... show all
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