Hacker News Reader

Comment by pmachinery | Hacker News Reader

Do Italians appreciate tourists in Italy angrily raising their voices and waving their arms around at them because the tourist didn't bother learning the language? That's what the other poster seems to be describing, rather than lively chit chat among friends.

View on HN

How many places can a person reasonably travel to if they have to be conversational in the local language first?

Yes, no, please, thank you, and 1-10 aren't 80-20, but can go surprisingly far.

If you can't visit a country without shouting at the locals in your own language and waving your hands at them, while acting like it's their problem you're just another dime a dozen ignorant asshole tourist, and not the VIP you think you are, then you shouldn't be visiting anywhere.

And to save any more missing the point stereotypes about Italians or New Yorkers waving their hands at each other in completely different contexts:

A stranger angrily waving their hands and unintelligibly shouting things at you would be frowned upon in any culture.

And that this has to be explained - again - to some people is unbelievable.

I actually wasn't sure if the original post wasn't just a parody of the archetypal ignorant English-speaker abroad, since it's such a staple of comedy.

Judging by the downvotes though, HN is absolutely crawling with similarly entitled egotists who blame other people for their own chronic laziness and ignorance when they condescend to grace other countries with their presence.

Having the floor collapse under you and then being expected to pay for it seems like a situation where angry shouting and waving would not be considered inappropriate in many cultures.

On the other hand, some cultures may suppress even severe anger.

You've rented your property out to someone who one day tells you the floor has collapsed. You don't know what happened, only that since the guest was staying there your property is now seriously damaged.

Would you approve of the person who you consider damaged your property waving their arms about and shouting at you?

I don't think most people would, in any culture, from New York to Boston to Italy.

If somebody just almost died on my property and in the heat of the moment I had the nerve to ask them to pay for the damage, I would expect that kind of reaction. As a third party, I wouldn't disapprove either.

Anyway, this seems to be the hill you want to die on. You shall have it.

I got on much better with the sabra security at TLV after raising my voice and waving my arms around. A colleague later explained my initial beating around the bush reservation had been on the rude side by their standards, but expressing my frustration was polite honesty.

(I was blunt upon departure and it went swimmingly.)

Bonus clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvwpNkJd82w&t=75

Reply on news.ycombinator.com