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Generally speaking I found many of the Europeans Rude

Archives 2018 World Equestrian Games
#21

[QUOTE=palominomom;5142868]
BTW, there actually were lots of things that could have been handled much, much better, in my humble American opinion. Maybe next time you should go to a Tea Party instead…[/QUOTE] What’s with the dig? Have you even BEEN to a Tea Party…or do you depend on lamestream media for complete and accurate news? Perhaps, you prefer all the Ugly American litter left over from the One Nation Rally…maybe? I’m trying to understand how this has anything to do with WEG?

As Leo Tolstoy once said…“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.”

#22

[QUOTE=KSAQHA;5143290]
What’s with the dig? Have you even BEEN to a Tea Party…or do you depend on lamestream media for complete and accurate news? Perhaps, you prefer all the Ugly American litter left over from the One Nation Rally…maybe? I’m trying to understand how this has anything to do with WEG?

As Leo Tolstoy once said…“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.”[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah. I come here to get away from politics. To read about, HORSES! Or the WEG.

#23

[QUOTE=Thomas_1;5142845]
Don’t worry about it.

The stereotype over here is that Americans are all loud-mouthed know it alls. All mouth and no trousers or all flash and trash and no substance or depth.

I however prefer to just remember that you can’t judge whole nations by the bad behaviour and manners of a few.

So don’t worry. You know you’re right. You know it’s all great. You know there’s nothing wrong with the footing and the stabling. You know it’s all better than those who were giving you feedback could provide. You know that where there were difficulties it was just because it was a huge event.

Just tell them to piss off back to Europe.

Oh you just did! :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]

:yes: Thomas! I always love your answers to these kinds of highly intellectual threads :smiley:
It “sets up the bar a little higher” as us obnoxious rude Europeans like to say…

#24

[QUOTE=riderboy;5143335]
Oh yeah. I come here to get away from politics. To read about, HORSES! Or the WEG.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, me too…so, back to our regularly scheduled program.

#25

OI! I resemble that remark! You forgot to mention our bad teeth too :winkgrin:

#26

It was awesome seeing a few Scots in their kilts!
I avoided them when the wind picked up.

#27

As close as the team competition was, with just a rail separating like five or so teams, a rail down for one team meant catapulting another team into a medal spot. So people were not so much cheering another rider/country’s misfortune, but their own good fortune.
Think about it, if a German/Dutch/French rider had a rail down and that meant the US just secured the Gold, wouldn’t it make you jump out of your seat with excitement?

#28

I was at WEG for 6 days last week. Only rude person was the american lady who sat behind me for all of the GP Dressage. She talked very loudly to her buddy throughout all the rides. In the morning it was tolerable but by the afternoon she’d had a few beers to many. WOW, drunk DQ with an opinion on every ride. WHo just could not shut up. Fortunately for the last session (Friday nights Freestyle) she’d injured her back and was quiet.

I loved the Dutch, their bright orange and party attitude.

The Aussies in front of us were patriotic in their team shirts, but like the most of us, were polite and kept their comments between themselves during the rides.

#29

Compared to their genteel Southern hosts, any European is going to appear rude (bless their hearts!) ;):winkgrin:;):winkgrin:;):winkgrin:

#30

[QUOTE=Eye in the Sky;5143135]
Then I am pure evil - I jump up and down ANY time Duke makes a mistake playing against UNC or anyone for that matter. :lol: Of course, they do it too, so I suppose we’re all evil. [/QUOTE]

HAAAAAAA!!! I could not have said it better myself. For anybody but Dook, I am very sprotsman-like. But if Rat B*stard coached a WEG team, I’d cheer long and loud for every rail they knocked down!

#31

Part of being a good host, is that you take into account other people’s cultural differences.

#32

I thought as a whole EVERYONE was on pretty good behavior! I actually enjoyed seeing SO many different cultures in one place, all enjoying their country’s team, all for the love of the horses. I think it was fabulous! And I think the crowd was great about applauding ALL riders. And to see the different contingents cheering was great. In particular the fans for Mexico, Chile, and Canadia were great.

Now, as a side note, I admit that I would quietly whisper, “yay!” in my husband’s ear when a team had a rail down that helped one of the U.S. riders. :slight_smile: Sorry, but yes, like someone else mentioned, I do that for football, too. But I don’t whisper then! :slight_smile:

#33

Since most of the horses jumping are either German or Dutch or French, I don’t see why any europeans would cheer for a rail down, when that horse probably came from their country. Germans on German horses, Belgians on selle francais, Americans and Saudis riding european horses, etc., etc.

At local shows we’ve had BOs cheer when kids who left their stables fell off. Not very sporting of Americans, and Southerners to boot.

#34

I worked for a German company for many years and had lots of trips to Europe. I rarely saw what I perceived as rudeness to Americans there. They were usually awfully tolerant of American tourists who were very “service oriented” so to speak.

I also had a very rude American DQ right behind me for the first two days of dressage. These two had to score every movement and argue with every score from the judges. I thought I would have to leave to get away. Finally I just took out my cell phone and started to video them. They saw me doing it and shut up instantly… the next day they were gone. They never said anything but I was planning to explain that I was trying to capture the incredibly valuable information they were espousing so that I could put it on Youtube. I never got the chance.

#35

We had an Italian guy in front of us who thought we were talking too much during the eventing dressage (an Italian was in the ring), and was rather curt about it.

10 minutes later, the actual ticket holder for those seats showed up… :smiley:

#36

Finally I just took out my cell phone and started to video them.

EXCELLENT idea!

#37

[QUOTE=Peace;5142915]
This is what surprised me…It was the ugly Europeans this time. Like I said I was speaking in general terms. Maybe it was all the one’s I ran into over 3 days. Shouldn’t have posted it but was shocked…sorry

Was surprised last night when they would stand up and cheer when another country had rails down and that country was knocked out of the medals…[/QUOTE]

How about when everyone hooted and howled during the dressage competition? That is a feel good international effort isn’t it, after all, everyone got down and dirty together, right? Sorry for the cynicism, I just cannot stomach much of the goings on at the top levels anymore. I wish I could have seen some of the WEG, but after hearing some of the reports, I would probably have felt I threw away some very hard earned and precious money.

I stopped enjoying horse shows the first time I heard a loud blast of rock music preceeding the entry of a horse to the freestyle competition at the Capital Center. I have not been back since.

#38

Don’t let BelladonnaLilly (sp?) hear you say that

#39

Funny, I’ve found all the Europeans and everyone else for that matter to be very polite and pleasant and fun!

Even the poor ladies who came all the way from England, paid megabucks for their show jumping tix, and were stuck in not great seats where they could not hear the loud speaker. They went politely but firmly to the ticket booth and their problem was fixed.

However, I cringe that I have heard more than one report from non-U.S. citizens that have been to EVERY WEG since 1990…this one is by all accounts the worst in terms of the price gouging, the various difficulties in navigating around the complex, and etc.

For my part I have plenty of beefs, like paying megabucks for ‘Jumping Part 1’ months ago, silly me, thinking I was buying tix for the ‘first’ class, always a speed class…only to find out at noon that day that if I wanted to watch the WHOLE class I’d have to go shell out more bucks to watch the afternoon session! Really weak IMO. (Insult to injury was that the tix for ‘my’ seats were $20 cheaper on site than I paid last spring…’

So, when I have more time, I’ll poke around and see if anyone has started a ‘WEG critique’ thread. Have to say that the volunteers are ALL great, I think unfortunately the greed factor on the part of the organizers cast an unfixable pall on the WEG for me…

#40

I love you. You know, it a Whoop Whoop Whoop sort of way. :smiley:

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