Tourists

Despite the fact that this exact brand of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts are now commonly available in Japan, they are still the most popular souvenir to pass out to coworkers and friends when returning from a trip to Hawaii.

Amongst the plethora of oft-uttered anti-American statements people enjoy bandying about is the assertion that, when they travel abroad, they seek out American food and the most crass pursuits and sightseeing spots. Generally speaking, the idea is Americans seek to spend time abroad much in the same way that they spend time at home rather than immerse themselves in the local culture.

Few people pause to consider whether or not these behaviors are confined to Americans since hating and bashing the U.S. is so in vogue. There's not much incentive to consider whether such behaviors apply to all Americans or that they may actually be present in tourists from other countries as well.

One of my students who I affectionately (and anonymously) refer to as "Little Old Man" (LOM) spent the last 8 days or so in Hawaii. LOM is retired and spends his time in Japan doing a few part-time jobs but his main passion is, unsurprisingly, golf. What did he do in Hawaii? He played golf. What did he eat in Hawaii? He ate Japanese food. I asked him if the food in the Japanese restaurants in Hawaii was different from that in Japan and he said it was "very good" and was "the same". He added that it "wasn't American food". He stayed in a suite which he rents as part of a timeshare that caters to Japanese tourists. Other than that, he went shopping.

If what I'm saying comes across as critical of my student's behavior, then I'm not expressing myself well. I don't have a problem with how he chose to spend his time in Hawaii but I do have a problem with the hypocrisy of people who focus their attention like lasers on Americans and ascribe all sorts of uniquely awful behavior to them without reflecting on the behavior of people from all cultures.

It's human nature to both seek out similarity and novelty. We seek similarity because it represents safety and security. Novelty is sought out of curiosity but only in small doses. This makes sense from a survival perspective as those who were too adventurous were more likely to sample the poison fruit or blunder into the lion's den and be devoured. Those who never sampled anything new may have starved to death when they didn't brave tasting new sources of food or move when the environmental changes made life inhospitable.

Perhaps some people are better about fighting their natural impulses or have stronger curiosity or possibly they have enough a sufficiently varied life experience to have a broader base to draw upon when considering what they can safely sample or where they can securely venture. At any rate, it's important not to judge others by how they choose to enjoy themselves or live their lives just because you may make different choices in their shoes.