I was irrate when I couldn't find a Red Lobster with American waiters in Siracusa..... it really spoiled the whole trip for the family. Also their Macaroni & Cheese was nothing like Olive Garden.
If it's not culturally what they ask or expect of each other, then, yes it pretty much is. You are asking them to follow your cultural norms instead of theirs.
Spend time in Central/South America (esp, please, hilariously, if you don't speak the language) and then see how slow things can get. Europe is a well-oiled machine compared to some of those places.
Well, there is an ENDLESS amount of lazy, rude people in the world. Its probably the norm. It maybe IS why Rome would rank high lol I admittedly get that feel, too...That said, will say I've taken the American customer service / organizational approach for granted. While I havent been around the world, I've lived places outside US mainland that lacked a sense of "urgency" in the culture, very casual. Places that didnt practice those occupational greetings and attentiveness near as much. Didnt realize how much I was actually being "catered" to before even spoiled in the ugly pushy US ways. Now chronic lateness, extreme inattentiveness and resheduling is a bad thing, those are bad traits. Casual and Detached are 2 different things. But I dont think being constant machine-like performer is the best thing either, whats all the "haste" for really. Maybe people arent actually so lazy, its just theyre human and you/we just arent THAT darn important to the next person.
I have been to central America too, but I am not paying 100s of dollars for hotels and 100 buck for food in those places.
I've been to Rome 2x and I have to agree the locals suck. They treat tourists like feces and the police are just awful. Beautiful city for sightseeing along with its history and culture. But jeez, I hate dealing with Romans.
I've been to Rome several times and loved it. When I hear stories like that from the OP, I write it off to either not understanding the culture (they often do some things slower there, not because they are picking on you, but rather because they have a more relaxed view about how to live), or simply bad luck. I can't speak to the problems mentioned about university classes and the like, having never gone to school there.
China culturally devoid? I guess the Great Wall, Forbidden City (just to name a few) are not culturally significant enough for you?
Go spend some time with the soulless local in major Chinese cities... they have little culture, often times were forced out of the countryside to work in mindless factories and their cultural identity in 2017 has little when compared to pre-Mao China. I have visited (and in some cases lived) all over the world. The major cities in China are some of the most depressing places on the planet. For all the disgusting squalid conditions in India and Africa; there is still a strong sense of family and joy found in family and basic human institutions that are in short supply in China.
Agreed. Have never had any issues in Rome or Europe in general. Unfortunately I have found tourists to be the rudest and unruly of the bunch.
I loved Rome when I was there, but I also had a friend living there to show me around and communicate for me (I don't speak a word of Italian and would naturally switch to Spanish when I tried). My friend did complain about some of the less than stellar parts of Italian culture and society (the racism, general lack of urgency like OP describes)- but thats a part of living there or visiting anywhere.
Quite an ignorant view from an outsider to stereotype. when did you actually visit China and do you know any Chinese families? There are still many traditions alive in China today that carried over. Chinese New Years, tomb sweeping are some cultural traditions carried over and it is very normal for the parents to live with their kids even after they have kids. The Chinese don't believe in nursing homes and there is a very strong sense of family.
I have spent over a year in China over the last 5-6 years. Yup, I know a number of Chinese families, including a sister-in-law. The younger generations in China have lost a great deal of their culture, which is to be expected based on Mao and the cultural garbage since then. Many parts of the world do not believe in nursing homes. The large cities in China are terrible from a quality of life perspective. The move to modernize has come at a terrible cultural cost.
Oh, there is a strong sense of family around Chinese New Year (February or End January). I did not even know there are quite a few Christians and Muslims in China until I met them. I won't say they are soulless, but making dough is what drives most of the population which is understandable, they got little time for real frienship or hobbies. (Like in most other mega cities this is not unusual) I really think you came across lots of migrant workers from the countryside without much educational background. Even with educated people you can say, there is a handful of people who have 'bad manners'. I do not think a foreigner can understand what the culture is really like unless they married a local woman or spent like 5 to 10 years within a local community. You just scratched the surface but I got to admit, Chinese should seek deeper meaning than money, power, a good education and good relations with their bosses.
Thank you for a balanced response. I also want to make it clear that I do not think that the Chinese people are "bad" or historically the culture isn't rich. China is in transition, and I personally believe the championed priorities are misplaced. It is very hard to take so many people and in many ways strip their culture and also change their fundamental priorities, which is exactly what the ruling party in China has done. FWIW The United States (while not as bad as China IMO) also has a lack of depth to their culture, as the fundamental priorities are often short sighted as well. I would say in the case on the United States, the fact that it is only 250 years old plays a large part.
Sure, that is why I think somebody like Marbury did well in China. He not only redeemed himself in terms of basketball, he also delved into the Chinese culture in Old Beijing. He did calligraphy, produced and acted in a play, tried more than just a sentence in Chinese. Probably one of the only athletes that really got a glimpse of traditional China.
