5 ms·

Not sure why you're denying the grandparent poster's reality. Your response appears to be rooted in a rational conjecture of some sort. Do you have direct exp

by biddit 5y ago

Not sure why you're denying the grandparent poster's reality. Your response appears to be rooted in a rational conjecture of some sort. Do you have direct experience getting to know strangers while spending time in a foreign country? I can speak from experience - there are people, nearly everywhere I've ever traveled (swaths of Asia, Europe, and South America), who are interested in speaking with me, so long as there is a reasonable way for us to communicate. It's as easy as expressing interest in their culture/town/business/activity and being generally friendly and positive. edit: I should add, when I say "speaking with me," it infrequently goes beyond a simple brief conversation. Dozens of these interactions have turned into longer engagements, from dinner parties at people's homes, to activities like fishing, to being shown real locals spots. I have a loose network of "friends" all over the world now and have met a handful in my own country when they have visited.

dougmwne 5y ago
Sure I do, and it’s usually based on a friend of a friend, a shared interest or from me being there a longer time. It comes through me engaging with them like a regular person, not some fetishized “local.”
- zerkten 5y ago
  I didn't read the post from person you responded to in the way that you did. I can agree that Instagram and the availability of cheaper travel has had the impact you describe. I think my initial language and description might have gravitated towards use of the word "local" but that's effectively used as shorthand. The assumption of most reasonable people is that you need to make connections with people.
- s1artibartfast 5y ago
  This is such a cynical take. Some people travel to meet fun, interesting, and different people, while some locals are also interested in meeting fun, interesting, and different people. Sure, you wont understand what it is really like to be a local resident from a single conversation, or spending a day together, but you can connect and learn more than you knew before. You don't have to fetishize locals, to seek out their company and perspective over other tourists. Some of my fondest travel memories are from being invited into peoples homes for meals with their family, talking with them, and getting a tiny peak at their experience.
dominotw 5y ago
It all depends on where you go. Sure what you mentioned is a possibility if you are at some unknown south american destination vs brekenridge over Christmas break. American mountain communities for example HATE tourists for making everything crowded and unaffordable. It doesn't matter if you are "good tourist". There are only so many tourist destinations to accommodate rising number of tourists every year. Every single place is overrun with mobs. Backpacking to some remote asian town is fantasy not achievable to 99% of people with kids, mortgages , pets ,aging parents ect.
999900000999 5y ago
I've had the same experience. Both as a tourist and a native. People are beyond friendly to tourists. In my younger days some Japanese tourists were so happy to meet me we took pictures. As long as you respect no one owes you anything life is great. That said, I vastly prefer real life socialization over any app. The website being shown here is a bit counter productive. Your in a foreign country, just experience it. Don't stair at your phone all day.
- dominotw 5y ago
  > In my younger days some Japanese tourists were so happy to meet me we took pictures. I am guessing you are white? I experienced something similar when we went to china, all the locals were mobbing white people in our group to take pictures with them. I am not white and no one bothered me :). Pictures with whites is a trophy for chinese locals? We had some sort of "lunch with locals" where 'locals' were toasting to 'the beauty' of white women in our group. All non whites were completely ignored by the locals. I've never experienced such overt racism/sexism anywhere else, Really bizarre experience. screw the locals.
  - 999900000999 5y ago
    This doesn't align with what my friends have experienced. Regardless of skin tone they've been treated much better in Asia than in America. China , even to my friends of color has been amazingly great. They tell me you will get stared at, but it's nothing compared to the open hostility faced in America on a day-to-day basis.
    - dominotw 5y ago
      >This doesn't align with what my friends have experienced. ok ? But you are white. yea? What you described in your original comment is a white person experience. No asian is rushing to get their picture taken with an Indian, lol. I later learned that having your picture taken or having a white 'friend' is some sort of status symbol. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_monkey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_monkey > The phenomenon is based on the perception that association with foreigners, specifically white foreigners, can signify prestige, legitimacy, and international status. > Regardless of skin tone they've been treated much better in Asia than in America. This might be true but i was talking about overt racism. I've never experienced this total shameless overt racism outside china. It didn't even occur to 'locals' that totasting to white women's beauty had anything wrong with it, it just made sense to them that white = pretty. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/opinion/rent-a-foreigner-in-china.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/opinion/rent-a-foreigner-... " Clients can select from a menu of skin colors and nationalities; whites are the most desirable and expensive." this shit is disgusting. watch what the 'locals' think of you here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctbLEQCuJUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctbLEQCuJUg

by biddit 5y ago

dougmwne 5y ago

Sure I do, and it’s usually based on a friend of a friend, a shared interest or from me being there a longer time. It comes through me engaging with them like a regular person, not some fetishized “local.”

zerkten 5y ago
I didn't read the post from person you responded to in the way that you did. I can agree that Instagram and the availability of cheaper travel has had the impact you describe. I think my initial language and description might have gravitated towards use of the word "local" but that's effectively used as shorthand. The assumption of most reasonable people is that you need to make connections with people.
s1artibartfast 5y ago
This is such a cynical take. Some people travel to meet fun, interesting, and different people, while some locals are also interested in meeting fun, interesting, and different people. Sure, you wont understand what it is really like to be a local resident from a single conversation, or spending a day together, but you can connect and learn more than you knew before. You don't have to fetishize locals, to seek out their company and perspective over other tourists. Some of my fondest travel memories are from being invited into peoples homes for meals with their family, talking with them, and getting a tiny peak at their experience.

dominotw 5y ago

It all depends on where you go. Sure what you mentioned is a possibility if you are at some unknown south american destination vs brekenridge over Christmas break. American mountain communities for example HATE tourists for making everything crowded and unaffordable. It doesn't matter if you are "good tourist". There are only so many tourist destinations to accommodate rising number of tourists every year. Every single place is overrun with mobs. Backpacking to some remote asian town is fantasy not achievable to 99% of people with kids, mortgages , pets ,aging parents ect.

999900000999 5y ago

I've had the same experience. Both as a tourist and a native. People are beyond friendly to tourists. In my younger days some Japanese tourists were so happy to meet me we took pictures. As long as you respect no one owes you anything life is great. That said, I vastly prefer real life socialization over any app. The website being shown here is a bit counter productive. Your in a foreign country, just experience it. Don't stair at your phone all day.

dominotw 5y ago
> In my younger days some Japanese tourists were so happy to meet me we took pictures. I am guessing you are white? I experienced something similar when we went to china, all the locals were mobbing white people in our group to take pictures with them. I am not white and no one bothered me :). Pictures with whites is a trophy for chinese locals? We had some sort of "lunch with locals" where 'locals' were toasting to 'the beauty' of white women in our group. All non whites were completely ignored by the locals. I've never experienced such overt racism/sexism anywhere else, Really bizarre experience. screw the locals.
- 999900000999 5y ago
  This doesn't align with what my friends have experienced. Regardless of skin tone they've been treated much better in Asia than in America. China , even to my friends of color has been amazingly great. They tell me you will get stared at, but it's nothing compared to the open hostility faced in America on a day-to-day basis.
  - dominotw 5y ago
    >This doesn't align with what my friends have experienced. ok ? But you are white. yea? What you described in your original comment is a white person experience. No asian is rushing to get their picture taken with an Indian, lol. I later learned that having your picture taken or having a white 'friend' is some sort of status symbol. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_monkey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_monkey > The phenomenon is based on the perception that association with foreigners, specifically white foreigners, can signify prestige, legitimacy, and international status. > Regardless of skin tone they've been treated much better in Asia than in America. This might be true but i was talking about overt racism. I've never experienced this total shameless overt racism outside china. It didn't even occur to 'locals' that totasting to white women's beauty had anything wrong with it, it just made sense to them that white = pretty. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/opinion/rent-a-foreigner-in-china.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/opinion/rent-a-foreigner-... " Clients can select from a menu of skin colors and nationalities; whites are the most desirable and expensive." this shit is disgusting. watch what the 'locals' think of you here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctbLEQCuJUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctbLEQCuJUg