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The Ugly American is the title of a 1958 political novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer. It became a bestseller, was influential at the time, and is still in print. The book is a quasi-roman à clef; that is, it presents, in a fictionalized guise, the experience of Americans in Asia (that is, Vietnam) and allegedly portrays several real people, most of whose names have been changed. The novel, taking place in a fiction nation called Sarkhan, describes the United States' losing struggle against Communism -- what was later to be called the battle for hearts and minds in Southeast Asia, because of arrogance and a failure to understand the local culture. The title is actually a double entendre, referring both to the physically-unattractive hero, Homer Atkins, and to the ugly behavior of the American government employees. In the novel, a Burmese journalist says "For some reason, the [American] people I meet in my country are not the same as the ones I knew in the United States. A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously. They're loud and ostentatious." Ultimately, the phrase "ugly Americans" came to be applied to Americans behaving in this manner, while the positive contributions of the Homer Atkins character were forgotten. But despite the dual meaning, the "ugly American" of the book title fundamentally does refer to the plain-looking engineer Atkins, who lives with the local people, comes to understand their needs, and offers genuinely useful assistance with small-scale projects such as the development of a simple bicycle-powered water pump. It is argued in the book that the Communists are successful because they practice tactics similar to Atkins'. According to an article published in Newsweek in May 1959, the "real" Ugly American was identified as an ICA technician named Otto Hunerwadel, who served in Burma from 1949 until his death in 1952. Another of the book's heroes, Colonel Hillandale, appears to have been modeled on the real-life Air Force Lieutenant General Edward Lansdale, an expert in counter-guerrilla operations. From Wikipedia under the
GNU Free Documentation License Is the age of the "ugly American" now over? How has tourism changed in the West? Q. How has tourism changed throughout the world? Who are the tourists of today? Are they any more culturally or environmentally sensitive than those of the generations of the past? Asked by cafegroundzero - Mon Nov 12 12:26:09 2007 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments A. I think the "ugly American" will always exist to some degree. There's always the one tourist who thinks that because he/she has money to spend in a foreign country, that culture, customs, and common decency should be ignored to cater to them. Luckily there are many more tourists who are traveling to explore and embrace the traditions of another land. TV and the internet have done much to educate people to branch "outside the box." Answered by johnsredgloves - Mon Nov 12 13:42:32 2007 Is the Mid-Western American Accent ugly or cool to people in other countries? Q. I have been wondering this quite a bit recently. I have been caught up in accents a lot lately, and I really like the way the Australian, and English accents sound; but I was wondering what do we (mid-western) Americans sound like to the rest of the world? Asked by Brandi=) - Wed Jun 24 01:12:03 2009 - - 7 Answers - 0 Comments A. Every ones accent is very strange to others and everyone envies everyone Else's so don't worry about it just talk the way you do people would appreciate more that you are being your self than you pretending to be something your not! Answered by Luis T - Wed Jun 24 01:16:39 2009 Would The Nazis kill ugly idiots from the American South ?
Q. I was wondering if they would be exterminated since they are unbearable to live with . Also would they just get rid of ugly People too just plain ugly ? Asked by Peter Griffin - Mon Jun 29 21:06:19 2009 - - 8 Answers - 0 Comments A. I think they should start off with you. You're pale and disgusting. Answered by Ultimate Truth - Mon Jun 29 21:24:25 2009 From Yahoo Answer Search: "The Ugly American"
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 news.google.com The News-Press We've not always lived by those principles, and it helps to admit that - but also to insist that today's ugly American is Hugo Chavez. news.google.com New York Times Still, maybe the ugly part that surrounded Mr. Robeson's history here is as important to remember as his achievements and his flaws. It was long ago. ... and more » news.google.com Wall Street Journal But when Fadi mouths off to an Israeli soldier at the checkpoint, the ugly scene that follows puts an end to all hesitation. It's off to Illinois, ... and more » From Google News Search: "The Ugly American"  dubyasworld.com 401px x 241px | 29.30kB [source page] February 21 2005 The REAL Ugly American  labs.gothamistllc.com 100px x 100px | 25.30kB [source page] Name TUA 30 Day Rank 10 45 comments Location Studio City From Yahoo Image Search: "The Ugly American"  failuremagazine.blogspot.com (Man of Steel) Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:08:00 GM This Sunday's New York Times book review contains an essay by Michael Meyer about the misunderstood book, ". The Ugly American. ." Similarly, Failure magazine explored the legacy of the book way back in 2001, in what was the first part of a ...  peacecorpsworldwide.org John Coyne Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:57:18 GM Lederer and Eugene Burdick s novel . The Ugly American. . Today, the phrase is shorthand for our compatriots who wear tube tops to the Vatican or shout for Big Macs in Beijing. But as summer vacation season begins (at least for those who ...  themoderatevoice.com KATHY KATTENBURG hu, 20 Aug 2009 21:04:47 GM What's more, we're not just talking about a small fraction of a larger population, but also a small group enraged by right-wing lies, and organized by right-wing groups and private insurers that do not represent the . American. mainstream. ... From Google Blog Search: "The Ugly American" |
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