Author Topic: Rude Americans  (Read 3418 times)

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orsuela

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Rude Americans
« on: January 08, 2007, 05:44:46 PM »
I am new to this forum, but have enjoyed the website for quite awhile.  My story has to do with the behaviour of one particular man.
My husband was offered a job in a different country.  We took it, and were excited with the new offer.  We had four children and I was expecting number 5.  Once we arrived in the said country (after flight cancelations, rental car and hotel reservation mess ups) we were exhausted and obviously stressed.  We were to stay in a hotel while our possessions arrived.  The hotel that was booked through the company's travel agent was a not a very good "family hotel."  If I would have been aware of this, I would have tried to change the reservations before leaving the U.S.  But we were just grateful that we had a bed and shower available.  The next morning, my husband went to enroll our children in a school, and left me with our youngest to work out the details of fixing the rental vehicle and hotel arrangements with the corporation headquarters in the States.  I needed internet access to do this, and because our possessions were enroute, I had to use the hotel area computer room.  This room was available to all guests.  The previous night when I went to use this room, a young girl was in there checking her email or something.  I didn't pay attention, I just mention this to show that it was normal to see young children in there.  Well, on this particular morning, I brought my one-year-old child with me.  I could NOT leave him in the hotel room, and being in another country--was not willing to entrust him to a babysitter I did not know.  This child is exceptionally quiet, and rarely talks.  Which is completely unusual for children (I should know, the other four sure aren't like him!)  So I felt sure he wouldn't be a problem in this public room.  Before going into the room, I bought him a snack (it was also common to see people eating in this room) so that he would be kept busy.  We entered the computer room and there was a man (I will point out that he was an American, like me) seated at the other computer desk.  I sat at the open computer, and noticed immediately it was not functioning properly.  I called the front desk and asked (in the native language) for help and just sat quietly waiting for them to come and help.  My son was beside me, and did not even make one sound.  I opened the snack bag and allowed him to take a snack and we just waited.  It was about 2 minutes later that the man stood up, came over to our desk and literally screamed at me "Well @&*#^#!  I hope you're happy!  You've forced me out!  Go ahead!  Use this *(&^%V terminal!"  He was screaming and bouncing up and down with anger.  I can not imagine what it was that bothered him so much, except the noise from opening the bag of snacks.  Neither my son nor I even peeped.  Then when he did leave, I went to that terminal, determined to finish quickly so the hotel staff would not see me crying.  On the screen was a porn site!!!!!  Now I can understand if I had rudely brought screaming, fighting children into the room while he was conducting bussiness online.  But to scream at a stranger for calling the front desk for help, and opening a bag because I interrupted his porn time, is complete rudeness!  I can only hope he is NOT a frequent global traveler, and that foreigners are not subjected to this person's amazing personality.  With sick people like this it's no wonder Americans are considered to be rude!!
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Lisbeth

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2007, 05:50:52 PM »
Welcome to the forum!

I think the man was very rude to curse and blame you for his problems no matter what your nationalities were.
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kingsrings

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2007, 05:55:43 PM »
Having traveled overseas as well, I can vouch that other nationalities can be just as rude. It's not at all a matter of nationality but of the person themselves. For instance, on a flight to Japan we had a Canadian woman get rip-roaring drunk and make a total big loud, obnoxious idiot of herself for the whole entire flight and also in the airport terminal and on the way out of the airport. It was very embarrassing to those of us Westerners who know how to behave, but my point is, it could of been anybody from any nationality acting that way.

Chartreuse

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2007, 06:09:01 PM »
I kind of think the jerk to nice person ratio is kind of standard worldwide.  No one nationality or culture got more than another, despite all the stuff we hear otherwise.  Of course, it's the same thing when we meet rude teenagers or bratty kids.  Nobody remembers the nice ones, it's just the bad examples that get remembered.

Of course that being said, I certainly wouldn't want to be lumped in with that guy, either.  Ew.  There are some things that just should be done in the privacy of one's room.
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sammycat

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2007, 06:21:44 PM »
Regardless of his (or your) nationality, that man was just crazy!  Rude doesn't even begin to cover it.  I think he was just so mad at being unable to view his porn that he took it out on the nearest target which unfortunately happened to be you and your son.  I hope you reported him to the hotel management.

Adah

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2007, 06:26:52 PM »
For instance, on a flight to Japan we had a Canadian woman get rip-roaring drunk and make a total big loud, obnoxious idiot of herself for the whole entire flight and also in the airport terminal and on the way out of the airport.

Oh my goodness! That sounds like my MIL!
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CrayonOutlines

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2007, 06:45:29 PM »
"Well @&*#^#!  I hope you're happy!  You've forced me out!  Go ahead!  Use this *(&^%V terminal!"  He was screaming and bouncing up and down with anger.  I can not imagine what it was that bothered him so much,

IMO, what bothered him so much was that hotel staff were going to come in the room and see that he was looking at inappropriate sites.  It had nothing to do with the noise of the snack.  It COULD have been that he felt guilty about looking at that stuff when there was a woman and a young child in the room, but I have a feeling that it was mainly that he was going to be found out by the hotel staff.  Don't worry -- you did NOTHING wrong.  Sounds like this guy was mad at his conscience and took it out on you.

Heavenly

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2007, 07:05:34 PM »
Or he did it for shock value.

Indicating that you could use his terminal and then leaving a porn site up tells me he was getting his jollies from more than just that porn site.  I would say that he was looking a woman with a child and decided to shock you--along the same lines of the phone breathers who just want to hear you cry and react to their vileness.  Sick, sick, sick.

kingsrings

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2007, 07:09:20 PM »
For instance, on a flight to Japan we had a Canadian woman get rip-roaring drunk and make a total big loud, obnoxious idiot of herself for the whole entire flight and also in the airport terminal and on the way out of the airport.

Oh my goodness! That sounds like my MIL!

Well, it's a small world I guess, isn't it?  ;)

Clara Bow

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2007, 09:29:30 PM »
Ummmm weirdo much? I have no idea what the problem was, unless he was afraid hotel staff was going to put him out for doing the perv thing in public (why would you want to engage in private activity in a public place anyway?? I won't even watch R-rated love scenes in movies in front of people if I can help it!). I don't think that you did anything wrong. I think that he was wrong and nasty to boot. Steer clear.
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ZipTheWonder

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2007, 09:37:02 PM »
He clearly mis-translated the sign that said "Business Center" to read "This Is Your Private Office When You Are Away From Home And On The Prowl."

I hope you alerted the front desk to him.  My guess is that both his outburst and leaving his favorite website open are meant to intimidate.  He needed to be put out of the hotel.

MadMadge43

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2007, 09:37:54 PM »
I think it's rather obvious that you "interupted him". He just could not "finish" his business while there was a proper looking young mother with child in the room.

Probably would have made any pervert annoyed, but to actually yell at you for it is amazing!

I hope you mentioned this to the front desk, especially because there's a young girl that is using the room unmonitored. That could be a horrible combination. He might not let himself be so interupted with her in the room. And if you haven't mentioned it yet, I would go down immediately and tell them.

I have been victim to way more than my fair share of perverts and realize the only way to stop them is to say something.

ptcruzinkim

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2007, 02:43:19 PM »
Good grief! What a big baby! Your child was better behaved and showed more class than that buffoon! Sorry you had to put up with that nonsense!

Evil Duckie

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2007, 03:09:45 PM »
He was undeniably rude. Unfortunately rudeness comes in all nationalities and walks of life.

As has been state he yelled at you because you interupted him and he felt guilty about it.

Thipu1

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Re: Rude Americans
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2007, 05:32:43 PM »
Any Librarian in any country you might choose to name has seen this sort of meltdown from so-called adults.  As other posters have said, it's guilt.

The guy who was using the public hotel computer to view porn knew that he was in the wrong.  He was much like a little boy who steals a copy of Hustler from his Dad's sock drawer and looks at the pictures with a flashlight. This man  probably also had entitlement issues.  He had control of the computer.  To him, that meant he had the perfect right (in his own mind) to complete privacy in a public space.  He was acting like a two-year old who has control of a coveted toy and doesn't want to share.  He was very, very wrong!

When you came into the room with your child it wasn't the noise of the opening snack bag that bothered him.  It was the invasion of what he wrongly perceived as his private space that bothered him. People who know they are doing wrong often have an expanded sense of entitlement.  You and your child didn't drive him out of the computre room.  His guilt did that.  You have nothing to apologize for and he has every reason to apologize but he won't.

Every librarian has seen this outrageous sense of entitlement.  It isn't, in any way, limited to Americans.  I've seen this with Canadians, Germans, French, Russians, Egyptians, Japanese and citizens of the UK. among others.  When some people get control of a computer they believe they are 'The King of the World' .   We've sometimes had to call Security to dislodge a patron from a computer.  These things can get ugly. :P