As you may have noticed, Prunella's been somewhat AWOL lately. The truth is, she (I) went abroad, an experience which has provided ample posting potential!
Let's start with a couple of observations on etiquette. Or, to be more precise, LACK of etiquette, on the part of Americans visiting another country. Still wondering why people from other countries "hate us"? Maybe these two observations, made within five minutes in the lobby of a French hotel, will enlighten you.
First, as I listened to two American women (evidently waiting for a shuttle to pick them up to take them back to the airport), I was horrified to watch one of them remove her shoes and place her bare feet on the lobby sofa. Disgusting.
Then, I watched as an American college student arrived in the lobby, apparently straight from her flight across the Atlantic. What did she do once she set down her bags? She unzipped a compartment, removed some anti-perspirant/deodorant, and proceeded to apply said item to her armpits right at the main lobby desk!
Then again, I'm not sure why I should have expected any better, since the minute I stepped off the plane into the French airport the American woman walking directly behind me began complaining to her companion about "how ugly this airport is."
What an ironic choice of adjective!
--Prunella
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Two writers stop e-mailing each other about what irks them in publishing, teaching, and other realms, and start sharing their thoughts online.
About Us
- Peeves and Rants
- We're Curly Curmudgeon and Prunella Peeve, writers who became friends in graduate school. For the past few years we've maintained our transatlantic friendship mainly via e-mail, where we often share pet peeves and rants about aspects of writing, publishing, teaching, and many other topics. Now we're making it all public. Why? We're not entirely sure. But we hope to find at least a few more like-minded friends in cyberspace.
Fellow Ranters
- "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks
- Advice Goddess
- Anonymous Publishing Vent Club
- Apostrophe Abuse
- Bitch, Ph.D.
- Complaint Box (The New York Times)
- Craigslist Curmudgeon
- E-mail Etiquette Matters!
- Grammarblog
- Miss Snark (archives)
- New Rules (Bill Maher)
- Publishing Contrarian
- Scathing Online Schoolmarm (University Diaries)
- Things to Be Miserable About
- What the Hell is Wrong with You? (Dr. Brazen Hussy)
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- Curly Curmudgeon (203)
- manners (75)
- Prunella Peeve (69)
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4 comments:
Ah, yes, the dreaded ugly Americans. It's true that Americans tend to be louder, larger, ruder, and less likely to try local foods and follow local customs and speak local tongues than other travellers. Still, as an American who has travelled abroad extensively and has lived abroad, I must confess that I get tired of being told that ALL Americans are loud, large, rude, etc. Not long ago, visiting a German acquaintance, I was told that he and his wife "felt like Americans" when travelling recently, and that was clearly not a good thing. Not all of us Americans are like that, I protested. But, yes, the stereotype does come from somewhere!
--Curly, who tries not to be an ugly American
Oh, and maybe we should change it to Ugly United Statsian, rather than tarring all American people! See:
http://peevesandrants.blogspot.com/2008/07/united-states-of-americas.html
--Curly
All very true, Curly!
--Pru
Um, the spraying your armpits in public is also very common in the UK! I saw one girl doing it in the study room/library of the British Museum. We had special permission to go there, and she squats on the floor, and proceeds to spritz CFC into the atmosphere and spray that horrific stink all around. And yes, those WERE rare books right next to her! Sheesh! i've seen them do it all over the university, on trains, nowhere seems to be sacrosanct. Indeed, the lack of anything but spray deodorants here is yet another rant...
--kimba
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