Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - From where does the expression"ugly American" originate?What does it really mean?

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From where does the expression"ugly American" originate?What does it really mean?

Seriously, who knows the origin of this expression? Couldnt this be said of any nationality? Please, I can't emphasize enough that this isnt a troll question. Serious answers please!!!

It was a book, "The ugly american, not sure of the writer, maybe someone will tell us (Nevil Shute(?) Anyway, it was later mafe into a film with Marlon Brando.But,,the ugly American was a good guy who tried to help the people, and along the way, the meaning was changed around by those who never read the book.

There was a book and movie of that title. I think Graham Greene wrote the book. Marlon Brando in the movie. Sorta like the phrase catch 22 from the book and it has a specific meaning in the book.

"The Ugly American" is the title of a book published in 1958, about America's policy in Southeast Asia.

See: http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/fall98/uglyamerican.htm The Ugly American was a book published in 1958, authored by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick. According to the website, it was this book which "coined the phrase for tragic American blunders abroad" even though, interestingly, these blunders apparently had little or nothing to do with tourism, and everything to do with "American arrogance, incompetence, and corruption in Southeast Asia."

It was the title of a book published in 1958 about American generousity (the hero was an American technician, loved by the locals but physically ugly in appearance) and diplomatic misdeeds and missteps in a fictional Southeast Asian country. The authors were William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick (who later wrote "Fail Safe"). http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/fall98/uglyamerican.htm To an extent this book inspired the creation of the Peace Corps.

Gee, we all expressed lots of independent intelligence in the space of 15 minutes!

Interesting brief commentary by Patrick M. Patterson on the book, The Ugly American. http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/~patrick/Admin/ugly_american.htm Patterson quotes the authors as writing: "we would not wish any reader to put down our book thinking that what he has read is wholly imaginary. For it is not; it is based on fact."

The book (and movie), accurately described above, was loosely based on the building of the "Friendship Highway," which was built with American engineering know-how and money, from Bangkok north to the Mekong River, via Korat and Udorn, in Thailand. It ended at the river on the Thai side, across from Vienten, the capital of Laos. (Recently, a bridge across the Mekong has been built, but the Laotian government will allow no one on it.) The "Friendship Highway's" Brando character was the head engineer, and while blundering through native customs, succeeded in winning the hearts of the locals, who eventually saw the commercial merits of an important highway where none existed before. This was during the Eisenhower Administration, when, post WWII and Korea, we tried to provide economic assistance in Southeast Asia. When I was in Northern Thailand in the mid 60's, (on an all expense paid one year tour) we travelled up and down the Friendship Highway many times. At that time, the Thai people were still wonderfully thankful for this "new" highway. I believe it still serves as the major, perhaps only, north south highway in Thailand. Man, is this board knowledgeable, or what!

One more website, a bit of an expansion on what Marc said about the book helping to inspire the Peace Corps. http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/2002/0205/205pchist3.html The website says that, in a "Factual Epilogue" to the novel, the two authors describe the basic philosophy and m.o. of what what would eventually become the Peace Corps.

The term is still VERY much alive in South America, particularily in Chile where a democratically elected government was ousted in favour of a brutal dictatorship.

BILL Thaks for your service in Vietnam and your insight into the phrase

Just out of passing interest, the Graham Greene novel is "The Quiet American"

>Just out of passing interest, the >Graham Greene novel is "The Quiet >American" ...and a new film version has been made.

...it's a silent film.