The Ugly American
I have been reading DR1 lately, trying to find another
Jack Russell terrier so I can breed Eve. In reading
the blog I have read several entries by Americans who live here. I have
been surprised at the amount of rude and disparaging remarks they have made
about this country and its people. Now I will admit things are not
perfect here, but I choose to live here and accept my environment.
I have had minor "comfort level" complaints, but by in large I love living here and the Dominicans who are close to me have become my family.
Now back to DR1. The site is visited by many Europeans
and Americans. Many of the Europeans
post positive and informative information about the
country. They write about property for sale,
job openings and answer tourism questions. Leave it
to the Americans to bitch and moan about what
is wrong with the DR. Many of the Americans give
answers to the questions that are posted. In the same
post they find a way to bash the country.
For example, an American living here lost her dog. She
wrote a post, giving details on her pet and providing
a reward. She also noted the dog had a tracing device embedded into her coat. An
American responded to the post, telling the pet owner about veterinarians she could call in the area, but they also included a comment on how,"York-Dominicans bring dogs here from shelters in New York and sell them here for hundreds of dollars and her dogs chip was probably removed and sold. The writer also included "there are no morals and values in this country." He continued, "you can pay anybody any amount of money and they will do anything here." Excuse me, was he speaking of Santo Domingo or New York City. Their is enough moral decay in the US to last several lifetimes.
This island is not immune to con artist and thieves, but every region of the world has low lifes. Some Americans seem to think the land of Jefferon and Lincoln is
perfection wrapped in a dream, but it isn't. If most American
bloggers on DR1 feel this way, why are they here?
I recently had and encounter with an American, that left me shaking my head. The American was here for two weeks on vacation. He seemed nice a first, but then he
opened his mouth. He knew everything and had been everywhere, and wanted
everyone to know it. He had an opinion on every subject and an answer to every question. Most of his answers were wrong, so naturally I corrected him. He became
incensed that his knowledge was being challenged and became even more
arrogant. At that point I removed myself from the situation, because Byron does not do arguments with strangers in public. That situation left me with this, why do so many Americans come here with bad attitudes and are not friendly or courteous?
Why can't more people be like Rafael from PR or Cliff
from Canada. They are genuinely good people, who I
enjoy being around. That also goes for Jim from Houston, James from
Florida and my many friends in SF an DC. I have met
some really cool Americans who visit several times a year and they are
a delight. What I don't have time for are the many "ugly Americans" who come here
with a nasty attitude, a sour demeanor and the ability to put a black eye on everybody's good time.
Jack Russell terrier so I can breed Eve. In reading
the blog I have read several entries by Americans who live here. I have
been surprised at the amount of rude and disparaging remarks they have made
about this country and its people. Now I will admit things are not
perfect here, but I choose to live here and accept my environment.
I have had minor "comfort level" complaints, but by in large I love living here and the Dominicans who are close to me have become my family.
Now back to DR1. The site is visited by many Europeans
and Americans. Many of the Europeans
post positive and informative information about the
country. They write about property for sale,
job openings and answer tourism questions. Leave it
to the Americans to bitch and moan about what
is wrong with the DR. Many of the Americans give
answers to the questions that are posted. In the same
post they find a way to bash the country.
For example, an American living here lost her dog. She
wrote a post, giving details on her pet and providing
a reward. She also noted the dog had a tracing device embedded into her coat. An
American responded to the post, telling the pet owner about veterinarians she could call in the area, but they also included a comment on how,"York-Dominicans bring dogs here from shelters in New York and sell them here for hundreds of dollars and her dogs chip was probably removed and sold. The writer also included "there are no morals and values in this country." He continued, "you can pay anybody any amount of money and they will do anything here." Excuse me, was he speaking of Santo Domingo or New York City. Their is enough moral decay in the US to last several lifetimes.
This island is not immune to con artist and thieves, but every region of the world has low lifes. Some Americans seem to think the land of Jefferon and Lincoln is
perfection wrapped in a dream, but it isn't. If most American
bloggers on DR1 feel this way, why are they here?
I recently had and encounter with an American, that left me shaking my head. The American was here for two weeks on vacation. He seemed nice a first, but then he
opened his mouth. He knew everything and had been everywhere, and wanted
everyone to know it. He had an opinion on every subject and an answer to every question. Most of his answers were wrong, so naturally I corrected him. He became
incensed that his knowledge was being challenged and became even more
arrogant. At that point I removed myself from the situation, because Byron does not do arguments with strangers in public. That situation left me with this, why do so many Americans come here with bad attitudes and are not friendly or courteous?
Why can't more people be like Rafael from PR or Cliff
from Canada. They are genuinely good people, who I
enjoy being around. That also goes for Jim from Houston, James from
Florida and my many friends in SF an DC. I have met
some really cool Americans who visit several times a year and they are
a delight. What I don't have time for are the many "ugly Americans" who come here
with a nasty attitude, a sour demeanor and the ability to put a black eye on everybody's good time.
posted by The Byron @ 10:11 AM
5 Comments:
At 7:25 PM,
Anonymous said…
Byron, I don't think DR1 is a good reflection of what is ugly. Ugly knows no boundaries. It actually has a different name: "Imperialism." As you know, I visit countries in the Far East. There are some websites dedicated to foreigners who go there. For example, there is a website that is dedicated to gay foreigners who go to Thailand. One of their recent topics is "which country provides the cheapest rate for sex." Other subjects include bitching on various behaviors of Thai guys or Thai society. And guess what? The people complaining are mostly westerners, Europeans Americans etc. The common denominator being that they have money and feel they are doing a favor by spending it in a third world country.
As for people who know everything? Oh gee, don't get me started. They come from all nationalities. Maybe I should take you and Richard on a world tour and show you how ugly people can be. hehehe.
On that note, keep the blog moving. I really enjoy reading your observations. And good luck with the matchmaking.
Dave in SF
At 12:28 PM,
Anonymous said…
I like where you are taking your blog... Less on drama and more on substance... BRavo
At 7:40 AM,
Anonymous said…
I agree with Dave's post above: Americans can be ugly anywhere abroad. Having traveled a lot to DR and throughout Europe, I've learned to avoid my fellow American travelers (of course there are exceptions and i've made many good friends while traveling.)
Much of the blame lies in the belief that we Americans are the center of the world and because of that surely everyone else in the world must value our (often wrong) opinions about everything.
As far as DR1 goes, I read the posts, take what's useful and laugh at the rest. Many of the posts read like a bunch of bitter, angry, has beens, who couldn't make it in the States... and clearly are not doing too well down there either.
At 6:58 AM,
Anonymous said…
Did I hear my name being mentioned? I would have responded sooner, but my pc has been acting up lately. I go to DR1 on a daily basis to read local news about DR and the message board as I hope to get an apt. in SD sometime next year. I agree with Byron that the amount of Dominican bashing is very common on this site. Many posters depict Dominicans as lazy, liars, irresponsible, deceiving rascals that will do just about anything to take advantage of you. My question is: If Dominicans are such terrible people, why don't these posters move back to their own countries?
From Puerto Rico,
Rafael
At 12:42 PM,
Anonymous said…
I'll be traveling to Santo Domingo for the 8th time this spring.
I found that in general, if you treat people with respect you will
get respect in return.
Communication is important.
Many people there are learning English and I try to communicate in Spanish as much as I can.
One thing I've noticed is that people understand more than you think they do.
People can pick up on negative comments through language, tone, facial expression and body language.
The most interesting thing for me is that most of the drama I've personally observed in the DR involved Americans and not Dominicans
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