Sunday, February 10, 2008

Ugly American


Incase you don’t know it (and I didn’t know the entire extent of it till I looked it up on Wikipedia), Ugly American is an epithet used to refer to perceptions of arrogant, demeaning, thoughtless behaviors of Americans at home or abroad. "For some reason, the people I meet in my country are not the same as the ones I knew in the United States. A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously. They're loud and ostentatious. Perhaps they're frightened and defensive, or maybe they're not properly trained and make mistakes out of ignorance."

So, as they say, acknowledging that you have a problem is the first step to solving it. I admit, I become the Ugly American at points (although I don’t isolate myself socially or live pretentiously; and don’t think I’m frightened or defensive, nor improperly trained). I do it both at home and abroad. I know I have anger management issues and I’m trying to be a kinder, gentler person, but sometimes I just lose it (I’m an Aries for cryinoutloud!) – and around here, it really isn’t hard because there is so much fuel for the fire.

This weekend, I was for sure an ugly American. I dealt with a counter clerk at a shoe store. Long-story-short, I left my American (how ironic is that) Express card there and, thankfully, counter clerk had given me the wrong color bag; so I returned the next day to change the bag and he gave me my card back. At which point, I ripped his head off. There is more to the story than that: it started the first day when he threw the card back at me and said, “Bank unavailable” when he tried for the mere 30 seconds to put the Amex through – looking at me as if I had no money and was declined. There was more… but bygones.

He started arguing with me – which I HATE. I don’t get it when you are the customer and the sales person wants to argue with you. It is shitty customer service and I almost instinctively argue back (until I kill the topic and stomp on its grave with glee). Anyhoo, I tried to make a point that one should never argue with an American woman as we almost always can’t shut up and stop.

As a side note, I almost never ever flaunt the fact that I’m American (and I
wasn’t trying to above). When asked around here, I prefer to say that I’m
a dual-national and married to a Kuwaiti. Most people will just say,
“Oh….” As if I’m on the same level of cultural understanding about life
here. It is a qualifier somehow. There is a distinction between
Americans who have been in Kuwait for many years (and understand the culture
and/or who have integrated into the society) and those who have shown up after
2003 (mostly contractors or military folks who have a specific assignment for
1-2 years and will move on “leaving only footprints, taking only photographs”).



Using the word “American” in any context is obviously taboo. It is unpatriotic to have an argument/disagreement or raise your voice and use that word. We are not allowed to show the world that we are human and as such, flawed. Doing so in this part of the world would mean that you aren’t here to “win hearts and minds” and to “spread democracy”.

A soldier-looking type was milling around the store and overheard parts of my diatribe. He waited – standing close to my friend and I as we shopped – for an opportunity to “have a word with me”-- loud enough so that all the customers and counter staff could hear it. He stopped me and said, “You give Americans a bad name. You are a guest in this country. Your behavior is atrocious…” Yada yada blah blah blah. (He was so upset that he had turned red from the lower neck, up.)

Now, here is what I find ironic and fascinating (and I haven’t been able to stop pondering it): He, as an American, found it necessary to become arrogant and demeaning to ME – who was, in the first place, arrogant and demeaning. I have never been spoken to in this manner by 1) someone I’ve never met; 2) someone who didn’t know the entire story therefore making him judgmental; and 3) someone who just like me, was arrogant enough to think he could stop someone (considering 1 & 2) and have the audacity to speak to them like a child. The feminist part of me would say that perhaps he wouldn’t have done this, had I been a man.

Dude must be either an officer in the military or work for the embassy because the “guest in this country” is a dead give-away (as well as the haircut and the shave) for “I just got here, I’ve been told to behave myself, and I feel that I can dictate my point of view to everyone else.” I didn’t have a sharp retort (which is TOTALLY unlike me) and only said, “Well, thank you for your oppinion, SIR.”

Here is the short and stinky of this interesting predicament:

I should not have been so pissed off at the store clerk and ripped him a new one, first and foremost. I have since found a way to apologize and I hope it is sufficient. Crew-cut dude will never know that, however.
I don’t consider myself a “guest” in this country. Kuwait is my home. I consider myself (and I hope that others do too) a resident and member of the community; hopefully adding to the overall good of the country.
As far as giving Americans a bad name – I hope not. I try my damndest to be a kind person regardless of my nationality, but alas, we all have good and bad days.
I am going to try really hard not to jump to conclusions or be as judgemental as I sometimes am. In turn, I hope others like dude will do the same. As my sister says, “You never know what someone’s day has been like or what they are going through, so just let it go.” Yup. I’m going to try to be more like that.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

note: from a happy individual person pursuing individual enlightenment:

I have lived in Kuwait for 7 years , married a Kuwaiti, Born in Italy, raised between Italy and east and west coasts of the USA, traveled to 20 plus countries working on and living on yachts and yacht clubs a true "traveler in need of work" "traveling need work" was my motto... also is what a long strange TRIP dead head, Muslim from the states, in Virginia Muslim four years , worked in the Muslim American community, Owned my own yacht restoration Company was in Washington D.C. on 9-11 TWO kilometers from the pentagon)attended the following Hajj, made hidjri to Kuwait, never really returned because of the discrimination I faced in the states for being a Muslim met my wife through a few Kuwaiti friends in the states, with a one year courtship in , 4000.00 mahar, plus shopka; had a traditional Kuwaiti marriage (03/03/03)and married her in the states … married with three children, ....
When I first moved to Kuwait, I could understand their disoriented sense of what an American is::::: for my self I am 100% red white and blue with American Indian.. Both sides of my family history is well recorded from the early pilgrims like I am a Real mayflower descendant both sides mother and father date in early MASS. And New England, some were the first settlers in California from the east in New york after 1849 . My self unlike many Americans who actually know who the fuck their family is in American history , and be also form Two different Native American Tribes . I'm not an anarchist , or a hate monger just some one who accepted life and found a working peaceful path to trod upon in life.
But, now I'm really disturbed about the same things here in Kuwait, how Kuwait lives below its true potential I live here and when I go to shopping malls , and see how is really gaining here in consumer economy, yet when the world goes eco friendly and the dependency of oil reduces Tell me what Kuwait has to fall back on . Investments (well Kuwait build Dubai but Dubai rules the financial center with high quality money laundering, Kuwait is Not too Eco friendly .

please put in mind not everyone can be so free thinking about the real issues in Kuwait i really agree with you on that in the stores here. take a look at my perspective Id rip the store mgr a new ass-hole just for not running me down and calling me to return my card, and for not doing his company's agreement with ammex to report immediately to ammex about any one of their cars to stop all trans actions of the card (ammex gives rewards to business that play their game) ... any how I was raised around the streets in Naples (Napoli) in the 70s and middle 80's I learned a great there, and the streets in Boston new York, Virginia Colorado, and California.
if another American dude comes up to me when i get the Greco Neapolitan Franco-Arabic lingo flow of at so piss-ant(ottoman) frog(French) mutant from Lebanon talking shit to me, and a American dude talks to me, like that, first I'd say "take a hike", "appreciate your concern but its not your business"...
the reason i would say this is lets at how the foot print thinks ......-.-.-.....-.--.-.--.-.---.gone ……..by the time they get settled in they leave...they get into the government mind warfare programming. like doing b>a>S>i>C> computer programming ... they arrive here like herded cattle like sheep in the wild to the Kuwaitis. this is the pre-cursive mind-set, plus the need for English in daily life the brainwash factor (CNN. BBC,MSNBC) and their worried families calling and passing best wishes. yak yak yak,

the get it .... I have not heard the ugly American ....
let us go Freudian By that dude even opening his mouth put the bad Karma back on to him/her self by even mentioned in a blog, but is a prime example of what an Ugly American really is.
but I don't think it is cool to see the American military, or contractors walking around with their ID CAC cards showing, or guys wearing yellow gold... Hello dude don't try to advertise your self, selling to every on YOUR A stupid Fucking American with this fuck all every one here owes me attitude M.F....Saying to their bro's ( yeah we liberated these Kuwaitis they owe us act)

look ill get real blunt about it that's fucked up, I remind them that Kuwait paid the U.S.M.C. to liberate and Kuwait got what they paid for but the ARMY wanted long term employment contracts thu-the good "ol BUSH network... who did not want to kill Hussain, because he was the buffer to the real threat Iran, since 1978 American hostage, ordeal on thru to Clinton.....
you get the billion dollar trade, add NAFTA, and W. its really a fucked up perpetual cycle ......
you are right , because of the ignorant masses, we are subjected to these useless acts of common sense, that some people totally just do not posses here in Kuwait, in reality to truly observe Kuwait and all of the fine intricate elements of the society ......You must ....really must...by all means...Have uncommon-sense ,

lets keep it simple... KARMA- in dudes cases by him :saying it, thus being it, you'd been seeing em(with the bird), now don't wanna be him..... jive
I have been called much worse than an Ugly American in someplace's ...
I have worked in the private sector here in Kuwait and worked as a contractor for some time to get paid for what my work is worth.... reality....
fleetwing