Many things were on Monsieur Cabot's mind as waited at the crosswalk for the light to change. When the last car had passed he strode onto the street, in a hurry to get to the post office and mail some documents. Lost in thought, he nearly collided with a couple who had halted in the middle of the crosswalk, and who appeared to be looking around for something. They were obviously tourists. Monsieur Cabot worked his way around them and entered the post, where about a dozen people were waiting.
A few moments later Bob and Bonnie got in line behind Monsieur Cabot. They spoke in voices so loud that Monsieur and everyone else could not only hear, but could not help but hear, their conversation.
Bob: "I'll get in this line in case it moves faster."
Bonnie: "Good idea. Are you sure you know how to get there. We really should be there when it opens, you know."
Bob: "No problem. It's not far."
Bonnie: "Like yesterday?"
Bob: "Are you bringing that up again? We got there, didn't we?"
Bonnie stepped forward and touched the arm of Monsieur Cabot, who had been wishing for muzzles or a shotgun to silence the grotesquely noisy couple.
"Pardon, Monsieur. Parlez vouz anglais? We are trying to get to the Loo-ver by the time it opens. Can you tell me the fastest way to get there?"
Monsieur Cabot, turning to her slightly, said "Non," and then turned away.
Bonnie: "He doesn't speak English."
Bob: "Yeah, right."
Before Bonnie could answer Monsieur Cabot turned, looked her straight in the eye, and said in perfect English, "You are a preposterous hippopotamus."
While I made up a few of the details of this story, the worst of it is true: I was trying to write a postcard in the corner, cringing.
I imagine Bob and Bonnie spent a week in Paris, and had a wonderful time seeing the sights and eating in restaurants. They may also have been much hornier than usual. But they were both perturbed at how reserved and rude the French were. They would gladly take their money, but getting them to answer a few simple questions was like pulling teeth. Back in their Dallas suburb they could ask anybody anything, and anybody would smile and appear genuinely happy to help.
Truly the Dallas suburb and Paris are two very different places, and it is absurd for Bob and Bonnie to expect Parisians to behave like them, or even to like them. Bob and Bonnie do not know to modify their behavior when they visit a different culture. Paris is a city of several million, but receives about ten million foreign tourists every year, and has been such a mecca for centuries. Bob and Bonnie may be culminating a lifetime dream with their visit to the City of Light, but most Parisians wish they would go away, or at least maintain a low, "European" profile.
Fortunately, most visitors to Paris do maintain a low profile, including most Americans. Unfortunately, there are more than a few inconsiderate bad apples who give us a reputation for being loud and obnoxious.
In general, Americans are different from Europeans. We come from a massive country where we mostly encounter one basic culture from one end to the other. Europeans live on a continent with several dozen national languages, and many of them are multilingual. They are far more adapted to traveling in foreign lands, as there are many such foreign lands a few hours drive from their homes.
Another factor is the huge disparity in population densities. Europe is five to ten times as densely populated as the States, with cities and towns much more compact than their American counterparts. Europeans are more likely to have to queue for services and to push their way onto a bus or subway. Since European land prices are high due to great competition, their homes and apartments are usually much smaller than American or Australian ones.
Consequently Europeans have less personal space than Americans. When together Europeans stand close to one another and talk quietly. Most would never shout across a crowded post office: they walk over and say hello to their friend. Living in a diverse and crowded continent, they have developed a keen sense of respect for their neighbor's sensibilities. They instinctively understand it is rude to invade another's personal space with unnecessarily loud talk. That person may have his own thoughts or conversation to pursue. Europeans also put a high value on "minding their own business."
Most Americans stand further apart than most Europeans when conversing, and our voices are often loud enough to resound and echo off small post office walls. Although we are a smiling, friendly, and open people, our different sense of space is more responsible for the Ugly American label than any other characteristic.
Americans, however, should not carry a chip on their shoulders, or try to imitate the sometimes icy European reserve. Many people genuinely enjoy meeting and talking to Americans precisely because we are more natural and less reserved than some other cultures. And as an American traveler do not lament your lack of worldliness--it is perfectly okay to not know everything (sometimes anything), and to ask questions. Just don't let yourself become one of those sorry travelers who separate themselves from people and the world with a "sophistication" that is actually arrogance.