thedrifter
03-05-03, 09:32 AM
Posted 3/3/2003 10:58 PM <br />
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Ugly sentiments sting American tourists <br />
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY <br />
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As an A-list celebrity, actor Vince Vaughn employs an array of weapons to cope with...
thedrifter
03-05-03, 09:33 AM
Sometimes the complaints left him speechless, like the time he was told " 'America had no culture' by a kid wearing a Kobe Bryant T-shirt and listening to rapper DMX."
But one incident really stung.
"Man, it was bad," says the Rat Pack-y star of Swingers. "These girls saw us and were kind of flirting, and they kept asking us if we were American. Finally we said, 'Yes,' and they just took off.
"One girl turns and says, 'We were hoping you were Canadian.' Canadian? Since when was it cooler to be Canadian?"
Contributing: Ellen Hale in London, Noelle Knox in Brussels, Vivienne Walt in Paris, Jody K. Biehl in Berlin and Laura Bly
Tips for blending in
Concerned about being a magnet for anti-Americanism during your next trip abroad? Bruce McIndoe, CEO of iJet Travel Intelligence, offers his tips for staying under the radar:
Avoid American fast-food restaurants and chains.
Keep discussions of politics to private places, not rowdy bars.
Take a rain check on wearing clothes featuring American flags or sports team logos.
Keep your passport out of sight.
Keep cameras, video equipment and maps tucked away.
Soften your speech; Americans typically overshadow their hosts in the volume department.
Sempers,
Roger