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Author: Subject: THE UGLY AMERICAN? CANADIAN?
dean miller
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[*] posted on 1-22-2008 at 05:39 PM
THE UGLY AMERICAN? CANADIAN?


THE UGLY AMERICAN?

There was a very popular best selling book printed in 1958 tilled "The Ugly American," by Lednerer and Burdick. It should be a required reading for any one visiting a foreign country

The rich good looking charming American Ambassador to the country is the villain. He is loud, arrogant , boastful and ignorant of the wants and needs of the small fictional SE Asian nation. He has an air of superiority and only considers the top social and economic strata of the nation as his equals. His policy and the American policy of that post Viet Nam era was to supply rice to a nation that was exporting rice, to build bridges where none was needed and super highways for ox carts

Surprising the "Ugly American," Homer Akins, is not the villain but rather the hero of the story. He is very crude short of stature, and not in any way attractive, but he listens and befriends the locals--he is known by them as the "Ugly American." He is aware that the nation does not need more rice, bridges over depressions and super highways. What is universally needed is a very low tech way to raise water from one rice paddy to another for irrigation. Homer and his native friend modify some discarded bicycles wheels and other items to create a pedal powered water lift.

This irritates the Ambassador so Homer is forced to leaves the US foreign service and establishes a company with his native friend manufacturing water lifts--He is the national hero the "Ugly American."

I would strongly suggest all who apply "Ugly Americans" or "Ugly Canadians" so freely reevaluate the term and it's almost pandemic misinterpretation and usage

I would also strongly suggest that all from the US and Canada who frequently travel abroad and especially to Baja obtain a copy and read "The Ugly American"
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bajadock
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[*] posted on 1-22-2008 at 06:34 PM


Thanks, Dean,
I have used the term without care for its origin. Good news is that the incorrect application has brought about education. When visiting another country, understanding your role as "guest" helps everyone.

Thanks for the lesson this evening.




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Skeet/Loreto
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[*] posted on 1-22-2008 at 07:25 PM


Very Good Dean!

Yes there are ugly Americans and Canadians> And Alos other Countries and even States.

Being in Texas I am often reminded that those "Ugly Californians"" are moving in and will use all of our Water!
Ugly Texas going elsewhere and doing Rodeos and being Cruel to /Animals!

If California and Hollywood have the msot Mental, Physical and Degerante People ,then Amarillo Texas has the most "Unforgiving, Uneducated, and Narrow-minded People" in Texas

The Book is a very Good book. Good Advice.

Skeet/Loreto.
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CaboRon
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[*] posted on 1-22-2008 at 08:57 PM


Thanks Dean,

I really have to go back and give it another read.

CaboRon




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dean miller
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 05:57 AM


300 people on this forum visted the post and one would assume read the post..

3 responded..

1%

Warms the heart..
sdm
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jorgie
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 06:48 AM


it was 'pre' vietnam.....and a very good book
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Skipjack Joe
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 07:13 AM


All right, I'll respond. Two things come to mind.

A. As I read your post it reminds me of British behavior for the last 200 years. Britain ruled the waves and treated it's empire pretty contemptuously. For every Dr. Livingstone and Sir Richard Burton there were tens of thousands of Spekes. One only needs only to look at Attenborough's "Gandhi" or Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" to see that the Ugly American existed long before us.

B. That book was written in the 50's when the US was at the height of it's power. An economic giant that came out of WWII unscathed while the rest of the world lay in ruins. Even the winners ended up being losers as England lost virtually all it's colonies after that. We are no longer in that position and some of the swagger and arrogance is gone as a result. Also, we are more well traveled now, more worldly, and ethnocentricity is less prominent. The fact that most Americans are now a mixture of cultures probably also has something to do with it. A very small percentage of Americans traveled abroad before and in the 50's and I think it showed in their behavior when they started to do so. So I don't think that book is as relevant as it used to be (although there are tons of examples you still see every day).

It's a big subject and those are my two cents.
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 10:35 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by dean miller
300 people on this forum visted the post and one would assume read the post..

3 responded..

1%

Warms the heart..
sdm


Without doing anything that would remind one of a scientific study, I've noticed that a thread of luke-warm nature will have around twenty times the hits as replies. Those with more hits have a hotter topic or have an enticing subject, such as this thread. It's like setting the hook with the first sentence of a story.
Just my observation
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 11:11 AM


There are numerous instances in the histories of all languages where a misconception leads to a technically incorrect interpretation of a word..........but the misconception sticks.

Are you really asking the world to discard the now conventional meaning of the term Ugly American?

It works pretty well, at times...................




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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 11:23 AM


Skeet--Shame on you for lumping all Californian's as Ugly Californians. We Californians have the same right to move to Texas, Oregon, Washington or anywhere we like---just as you do. I suppose you would think all New Yorkers are Ugly Americans too. But, every state has both good and bad people in it. I don't think the orgin of a person makes him or her ugly. It more a matter of how one behaves when going elsewhere. Be it Mexico or Europe or wherever one should try to blend in as best a possible. You moved recently back to Texas from Baja. You were a good person in Mexico and fit in well with the locals. But, I have seen Texans act ugly in Baja. Drunk and loud at dinner. Recently National Geographic wrote badly about North Dakota. The citizens of North Dakota took exception to the article and it made the national news. Its the person and not the State that makes a person good or bad. Not all Canadians are bad---at least 20% are good people.:lol::lol::lol:



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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 12:14 PM


Some....I say some.....Canadians should read the booklet, "How to use a trash can" before coming to Mexico. They have earned a bad reputation for themselves here and more so down on the mainland for this reason.
I lived in Maine for a couple of years and it was the same way there. When Canadians would come south out of Quebec and vacation in the small towns along the coast, they would trash the cities. I doubt if they do that at home.

OK....I'm slipping into my body armor now so, fire away.
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 04:33 PM


Yeah, the Ugly American was the nice guy in the book, but the term has been misapplied for so long that the change of meaning has become standard.

An alternative that's popular on this board is A-hole.




\"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.\" - Mark Twain
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Oso
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 04:41 PM


Yep, language will do what language wants. The term now joins normalcy, irregardless, hopefully and "I could care less" as having entered common usage by error but are now entrenched. The term will mean a boorish, obnoxious, arrogant, loud-mouthed American abroad for the foreseeable future.

The jury's still out on GWB's "untruthiness".




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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 04:50 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by Oso
Yep, language will do what language wants. The term now joins normalcy, irregardless, hopefully and "I could care less" as having entered common usage by error but are now entrenched. The term will mean a boorish, obnoxious, arrogant, loud-mouthed American abroad for the foreseeable future.

The jury's still out on GWB's "untruthiness".


Yes, I thought in the movie "The Ugly American" that the ambassador was the ugly one ..... but thirty or fourty years can really erode memories :lol::lol:

CaboRon

I thought the jury had returned a verdict on GWB and he is guilty as heck.




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Barry A.
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 04:53 PM


A jury of loons does not count!!!

barry
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Oso
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 05:01 PM


Just a historical footnote: "Normalcy" (instead of the correct normality) comes from Warren G. Harding, prior to GWB considered a prime contender for title of "Worst".



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Cap
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 05:02 PM


Is it possible that the author was pointing out through irony that beauty is in how one conducts himself and not exclusive to appearance?

Another common mistake in language is the mispronunciation of Forte, correctly pronounced it has no accent, and refers to the base (or strongest part) of a sword.
Just thought it was interesting.




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Oso
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 05:10 PM


Ah etymology! One of my favorite trivial pursuits. Did you know that "bigot" originally meant "one who does not share a common prejudice? It came from a Norman noble instructed,as a symbol of vassaldom, to kiss the foot of Charles The Simple, King of France. The old viking roared "Ne se, bi got!" (Not me, by god).



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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 07:22 PM


My OH CANADA friends NEVER throw away their Labatt Blue. They get too much income from recycling. :saint:



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BMG
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[*] posted on 1-23-2008 at 09:14 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by Oso

The term now joins normalcy, irregardless, hopefully and "I could care less" as having entered common usage by error but are now entrenched.


I appreciate the lessons I've learned on this thread.

Hopefully :lol: I can remember them even with my CRS problem. I never realized until now that according to some that I have not been using hopefully correctly.

"According to traditionalists, hopefully means in a hopeful way, not I hope."




I think the world is run by C- students.
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