Fodor's Europe is NOT about You
 

Having been ill lately, I have spent some quiet hours reading and wondering about the posts and responses here--just what is the motivation. If you want to talk 'travel' this is the place. If you want to trash someone, talk about 'fat', 'Bushisms" why Americans are: (too fat, too loud, too dumb, etc.) then there must be a forum for all you airheads. This forum is about TRAVEL. Period!! and a good place to exchange information, not criticism, or blatent rudeness and extreme opinions. Hope that Fodors monitors this more carefully. Why don't all you nuts just go see a shrink and leave this forum to travel., etc.??

THANKS--HOW RIGHT YOU ARE!!!!

<BR>Several possible responses: <BR> <BR>*You get what you pay for. <BR> <BR>*It's the nature of the Internet. <BR> <BR>*What did you do when you were 12? <BR> <BR>*Don't let them get to you -- it's not that big of a deal. <BR> <BR>*Ignore them & they will go away.

The extremes of ranting about the behavior of TRAVELers (and "tourists") to europe do get pretty far afield from the subject of TRAVEL. <BR> <BR>But the subject matetr per se is not outside the scope of this forum. Many people are very concerned about "how to act", "how to look" - - and why "we" look and act different from the way WE think that "they" look and act. And Americans are often shocked to learn how others think "we" look and act in THEIR eyes. <BR> <BR>We DO talk louder, and it is noticeable. Some of us ARE fatter, and when combined with loud conversation, clothes that are perceived as funny, it makes for a certain degree of reinforcing stereotypes. <BR> <BR>For some people, these notions are barriers to traveling, and to enjoying travel, and if talking about them reduces those barriers - - whether behavior (needs to be?), is (or should be?) changed, the COMMUNICATION "about" such issues is NOT a bad thing. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Sorry Eeana, I hope you are feeling better, and I want to tell you that I agree.We who love to travel or like a particular country, truly love, are willing and want to share our happy experiances with others. As someone once said:"you can't find beauty unless you bring it with you."