Steves: Travel enriches our global perspective
Apr 27th, 2004, 12:15 PM
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Steves: Travel enriches our global perspective
Thought some of you may find this guest column in the Seattle P-I -- by someone who's talked about quite a bit here -- interesting.
Friday, April 23, 2004. "Our Place in the World: Travel enriches our global perspective" by Rick Steves
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinio...p;searchdiff=5
Two comments of his that stood out for me...
<i>I'd been raised thinking the world was a pyramid with the USA on top and everyone else trying to get there. But as I traveled, I met intelligent people -- living in countries nowhere near as rich, free or full of opportunity as America -- who wouldn't trade passports with me. They were actually thankful to be Nepali, Moroccan, Turkish, Nicaraguan or whatever. And I was perplexed.</i>
and...
<i>Travel has made one thing painfully clear. Americans are the haves in a have-not world.</i>
Friday, April 23, 2004. "Our Place in the World: Travel enriches our global perspective" by Rick Steves
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinio...p;searchdiff=5
Two comments of his that stood out for me...
<i>I'd been raised thinking the world was a pyramid with the USA on top and everyone else trying to get there. But as I traveled, I met intelligent people -- living in countries nowhere near as rich, free or full of opportunity as America -- who wouldn't trade passports with me. They were actually thankful to be Nepali, Moroccan, Turkish, Nicaraguan or whatever. And I was perplexed.</i>
and...
<i>Travel has made one thing painfully clear. Americans are the haves in a have-not world.</i>
Apr 27th, 2004, 12:43 PM
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Shame on you! Don't you know you can't quote that guy on this board? 
Truly great quotes as they might be. Here's a travel quote a friend sent me the other day about travel (not so reverent as your's, Capo, but meaningful good at any rate.)
<i>Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming,
WOW What a Ride!<i>
</i></i>
Truly great quotes as they might be. Here's a travel quote a friend sent me the other day about travel (not so reverent as your's, Capo, but meaningful good at any rate.)
<i>Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming,
WOW What a Ride!<i>
</i></i>
Apr 27th, 2004, 05:53 PM
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Capo, thanks - a nice article. Yes, oddly enough there are a lot of people out there who not only wouldn't trade passports but think THEY live in the best country in the world (me included, I guess). I agree that the "haves" aren't confined to America, but we're a distinct minority all the same.
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:05 PM
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I'd certainly be the first to agree that travel has "enriched" old Rick.
Was he really surprised to meet "intelligent people" in Nepal, Morocco, Turkey, and Nicaragua who didn't want to trade passports with him? He must be more daft, and out of it, than I even imagined.
Was he really surprised to meet "intelligent people" in Nepal, Morocco, Turkey, and Nicaragua who didn't want to trade passports with him? He must be more daft, and out of it, than I even imagined.
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:19 PM
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As usual, StCirq, you missinterpret anything Steves says or does because it suits your purposes to have a running feud with him because he does not meet your standards of your sophistication.
If you can do Europe better than he can, do it. If you can't, it is time to tone down your act because you just ooze jealousy.
If you can do Europe better than he can, do it. If you can't, it is time to tone down your act because you just ooze jealousy.
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:26 PM
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oh, get off the idea that anyone who doesn't like Rick Steves must be "jealous" of him. I don't like him at all and I am not remotely jealous of him, nor do I want his job. I prefer mine.
We all know who has the feud going on here, who are you kidding.
I dislike him a lot, especially when I have read some of his more infantile, idiotic, ignorant and sexist remarks. For example, he recommends a restaurant in Italy where he has received comments from readers that the owner gropes women when they are alone in back rooms or something like that. Not just flirts with them, but has actually done what could be charged as assault in the US. He makes light of this and continues to recommend this place with rather vague remarks about the owner's behavior towards women.
We all know who has the feud going on here, who are you kidding.
I dislike him a lot, especially when I have read some of his more infantile, idiotic, ignorant and sexist remarks. For example, he recommends a restaurant in Italy where he has received comments from readers that the owner gropes women when they are alone in back rooms or something like that. Not just flirts with them, but has actually done what could be charged as assault in the US. He makes light of this and continues to recommend this place with rather vague remarks about the owner's behavior towards women.
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:42 PM
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RS tries to come across as a "simple man" with the day pack and rumpled khakis/blue shirt - when he is really a very rich and often pompous jerk.
he has hit on a formula that has made him millions and now he wants to preach to all the gullible Americans.
oh - please!
he has hit on a formula that has made him millions and now he wants to preach to all the gullible Americans.
oh - please!
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:43 PM
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You're welcome, Neil. What you wrote -- '...the "haves" aren't confined to America, but we're a distinct minority all the same.' -- would have been a better way to phrase the concept than the way Steves chose to.
StCirq, you <i>seem</i> to have missed Steves' point, which is that he had been <i>raised</i>, as he put it, "thinking the world was a pyramid with the USA on top and everyone else trying to get there." I'm sure there are many people in the U.S. who still have this misconception, that everyone in the world would move to the U.S. if they could whereas, of course, that is simply not the case.
I'd been raised thinking the world was a pyramid with the USA on top and everyone else trying to get there.
StCirq, you <i>seem</i> to have missed Steves' point, which is that he had been <i>raised</i>, as he put it, "thinking the world was a pyramid with the USA on top and everyone else trying to get there." I'm sure there are many people in the U.S. who still have this misconception, that everyone in the world would move to the U.S. if they could whereas, of course, that is simply not the case.
I'd been raised thinking the world was a pyramid with the USA on top and everyone else trying to get there.
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:44 PM
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Lauren: the depths of your jealousy for ME are SO evident in every comment you make that I shan't even coment on them. That I would be jealous of Rick Steves is patently absurd. You couldn't GIVE me his life. You, on the othe hand, would give up an arm for either his OR my life. Frankly, I don't understand your obsession with either. Apparently your own life isn't interesting enough and you're looking for another's to take over.
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:51 PM
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I thought that capo was pulling our legs with this quote, but Steves has the same inanity on his web site.
Steves "was perplexed." Gosh! What shall the minions do now that the shephard is lost?
Maybe a clue lies buried in his paragraph. He actually "met intelligent people" -- out there somewhere. Hummmm?
Apr 27th, 2004, 06:54 PM
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Capo: that's exactly what I was responding to, Rick Steves saying he was raised to think that the world was a pyramid with the USA and trying to get there. My point was, WOW! Did it really not occur to him until he was - how old - that people in Morocco and Ecuador and wherever did not necessarily spend their days dying to get to the USA and life an American life? I mean, this seems rather sophomoric - did he really think that? How many countries did he have to visit before he came to this conclusion? Did he not even think of it before he began to travel? WHEN did it occur to him?
I don't ever remember thinking this, and I grew up in Rick Steve's generation.
I don't think his observations are particularly profound, but I wouldn't expect them to be.
But yes, I agree that his observations are probably true regarding the fact that many Americans think they are "on top" of the world. Funny, I don't think of us that way. I think of us as on top of the world in terms of income and technology, but I think of others on top in terms of quality of life and health and food and a lot of quality-of-life indicators that are beyond just "top of the world."
I don't ever remember thinking this, and I grew up in Rick Steve's generation.
I don't think his observations are particularly profound, but I wouldn't expect them to be.
But yes, I agree that his observations are probably true regarding the fact that many Americans think they are "on top" of the world. Funny, I don't think of us that way. I think of us as on top of the world in terms of income and technology, but I think of others on top in terms of quality of life and health and food and a lot of quality-of-life indicators that are beyond just "top of the world."
Apr 27th, 2004, 07:04 PM
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How is the septic tank doing in your Dordogne hacienda, StCirq?
Anyone considering renting it, might want to look here:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/andyfarrand/
Anyone considering renting it, might want to look here:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/andyfarrand/
Apr 27th, 2004, 07:17 PM
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Oh dear. I thought I had most of the meanies recognized on this board. And most of the pleasant, helpful ones. StCirq- say this isn't you! I thought you would rise above childish provocation. I shall return tomorrow to see if my disillusionment was really just a bad dream.
