Basic Trope: American tourists are ignorant and ill-mannered.
- Straight: Alice and Bob visit Tropestan from Eagleland. They speak in loud voices (where it's more customary to be quiet), wear their beachwear in situations where it's not appropriate, Alice doesn't cover her head and wears a tube top and "Daisy Duke" shorts when visiting the Church of Crystal Dragon Jesus. They get drunk on local liquors, and show no interest in learning or respect for the customs and culture of Tropestan. They complain about the food and the smaller portion sizes, and pretty much only want to eat cheeseburgers. Compared to most of the people of Tropestan, they are noticeably overweight, and Bob wears a garish Hawaiian shirt and sandals with socks underneath.
- Exaggerated: An entire busload of American tourists turns a small Tropestan village upside-down with their loud rude behavior that the locals try various times to politely discourage. When the tour bus leaves, everyone sighs in relief, only for a just as obnoxious bus to pull up.
- Downplayed:
- Alice and Bob are a little loud without even realizing it, they do try to understand the culture even if their sources are a bit dodgy, and even though they do speak the local language they sometimes politely ask the locals to speak English.
- Most tourists from America are perfectly normal and respectful... it's just that the jerks are loud and attention-getting so they get all the press.
- Justified: Alice and Bob believe that being far from home gives them a shield of anonymity.
- Inverted:
- Aerith and Rob visit America from Tropestan. They gorge themselves, get drunk regularly, and sleep around, all under the impression that these are normal American behaviors.
- Alice and Bob don't stand out during their trip to Tropestan, but the locals act obnoxious and rude to them anyway.
- Subverted: Alice and Bob may look garish with their outfits, but they demonstrate quite a bit of knowledge of the local culture.
- Double Subverted: The knowledge that Alice and Bob demonstrate is situtional at best, such as showing behaviors that are considered acceptable in northern Troperstan but highly offensive in southern Tropestan.
- Parodied: Alice and Bob are visited by space aliens that wear Hawaiian shirts and have no respect for their culture or customs.
- Zig-Zagged: Alice and Bob visit various countries, some of them don't mind the way they act, others tolerate it, but others quickly grow sick of them.
- Averted: Alice and Bob either don't go on vacation, or don't go on vacation overseas.
- Enforced: ???
- Lampshaded: "Ugh, American tourists are so rude!"
- Invoked: Alice and Bob travel abroad, without learning about the country they're visiting, or about its customs and etiquette.
- Exploited: The tourism industry in Tropestan charges more for tacky souvenirs, because it knows that Americans will buy things like T-shirts and bobble-heads, even though they could take home something better if they were willing to look for it.
- Defied: Alice and Bob research the language, customs, and culture of Tropestan long before setting foot on its soil. They learn to lower their "normal" tone of voice, how to dress appropriately, what the food is like, whether or not tipping is necessary or acceptable, how to interact with people, and educate themselves on cultural sites.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Implied: Anytime Alice and Bob call out the locals for talking behind their backs they never act shocked or ashamed about it.
Back to "Ugly American" Stereotype.
