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From: cmcs01@abnjh.UUCP (J. Hasselbrook)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Quack, quack, Im an American
Message-ID: <261@abnjh.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Oct-83 01:25:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: abnjh.261
Posted: Mon Oct 10 01:25:52 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Oct-83 11:11:49 EDT
References: laidbak.175
Lines: 13

My family and I recently returned from a vacation in the Netherlands.
The observation (by laidbak!tsmith) that Americans are usually louder than
Europeans fits with my experience.  I found myself getting
lots of funny looks because I would raise my voice in order to save a few
steps when gathering my family together in a public place (our daughters are
aged 3 and 5, so you can imagine that there was a great deal of gathering
that needed to be done!)  A European Papa would have either left the whole
problem to his wife, or gone running after the children and addressed them
in a low voice from close range.  Americans easily get a reputation
for being loud and unmannered in this way.  Does anybody have any theories
as to why this cultural difference arose over the years?
Rick Thomas
ihnp4!abnji!rbt