You are joining a long tradition of tourist-vs-traveller stories!
I actually did my thesis on this, and it's fascinating! Ever since the birth of "modern" tourism (just after the Napoleonic wars), people on holiday have been distinguishing themselves from "mere tourists" (including the "yells in own language", "gets ripped off" and "follows the crowds"). Similarly, walking suddenly became fashionable (before, it was a sign you were either poor or mad), and it was considered more authentic than riding, which in turn was better than being a lazy person sitting in a diligence. Which was still better than being one of those philistines who rushed through the landscape at 30 miles an hour in a train! XD
Wow! A whole thesis on this idea - awesome. I love that walking was considered a sign of madness...how times change, and also how perceptions of wealth change...!
Sometimes I wonder if the loudmouthed tourists actually provide an essential service. I keep reading lists online of Do's and Don'ts in foreign countries. "NEVER ask for ketchup in Northern Baldonia! It's a dire insult!" Well, crass tourists asking for ketchup might offend the Baldonians, but I can't help but think an annoying seed could be planted. A seed that reminds the Baldonians that they share the planet with other cultures and many ways of doing things. Their rules about ketchup are not a universal law.
You are joining a long tradition of tourist-vs-traveller stories!
ReplyDeleteI actually did my thesis on this, and it's fascinating! Ever since the birth of "modern" tourism (just after the Napoleonic wars), people on holiday have been distinguishing themselves from "mere tourists" (including the "yells in own language", "gets ripped off" and "follows the crowds").
Similarly, walking suddenly became fashionable (before, it was a sign you were either poor or mad), and it was considered more authentic than riding, which in turn was better than being a lazy person sitting in a diligence. Which was still better than being one of those philistines who rushed through the landscape at 30 miles an hour in a train! XD
Wow! A whole thesis on this idea - awesome. I love that walking was considered a sign of madness...how times change, and also how perceptions of wealth change...!
DeleteSometimes I wonder if the loudmouthed tourists actually provide an essential service. I keep reading lists online of Do's and Don'ts in foreign countries. "NEVER ask for ketchup in Northern Baldonia! It's a dire insult!" Well, crass tourists asking for ketchup might offend the Baldonians, but I can't help but think an annoying seed could be planted. A seed that reminds the Baldonians that they share the planet with other cultures and many ways of doing things. Their rules about ketchup are not a universal law.
ReplyDeleteHmm. Good point!
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