Come on, give me your opinion.....

[Bill Rigby]

Oh, well, one more. The behavior of any nationality when away from their shores is never as polite as it is at home! However, the Brits seem to have some kind of a chip on their puny shoulders when it comes to travel or being let loose in a foreign land. I was in Sierra Leone a few years before the troubles and staying at one of the European style hotels (of the three 'good' hotels, one was run by a Lebanese - the Mammy Yono - and the other two belonged to French chains, one a Sofitel and the other where I stayed. One evening after I came back from the day's business, I sat on the terrace with my local contact - an American from Kansas City that I had been warned could be Mafia, but who was CIA in my opinion since he referred to the political situation in terms of US interests versus UK interests and supported the relatively new president who replaced the one who fled to London - when we noticed three girls on the terrace leaning over the balcony and much hubbub from the street below. They were being 'courted' by a group of about 25 Brits who had come ashore from a RN vessel anchored offshore. The Brits, all aged between 18 and 25, entered the bar area, proceeded to get stoned to a man and then began to be offensive to all and sundry. A couple of altercations amongst themselves arose and the management courageously intervened and asked them to vacate the premises. A group announced they wanted to eat and staggered to the stairs to the restaurant, but the assistant manager barred the way and told them he could supply sandwiches if they behaved themselves. The entire situation turned nasty and the management eventually called for help. A platoon of local 'paras' - they wore berets and camouflaged fatigues - came in bearing automatic weapons. A man with a chain of office eventually read the Riot Act (I kid you not; it really was a scroll with the wording of the Act on it). One group refused to obey, but another led by one who appeared relatively sober counseled leaving and tried to persuade the recalcitrants. Only after a show of force from the military and the urging of the saner one did they eventually go. However, they smashed glasses, tables and generally made a shambles of the area. I have compressed into few words an incident that lasted more than four hours and that left me with the sentiment that with representatives of the UK like this, no wonder they garner enemies!

I also got involved in an unpleasant incident in Tlemcen in Algeria with a bunch of Brits who seemed to resent enormously my friend and myself as Americans! I had to point out my English origins and the Canadian origins of my colleague to disprove their stereotypical 'thinking' or lack of it.

As for the pitiful tale of the jokes at English expense in a French environment, what a sad example of an inability to laugh at oneself! It seems Brits can lash out any amount of jokes at others' expense, but when they become the target, whining ensues. Sorry, but I always call things as I see them; put it down to my Lancashire origins.