Video of passengers and gondolier ending up in canal water widely shared online
Please don’t be American, please don’t be American, please don’t be American.
Reads article … “Chinese tour group.”
Yes!
I love to hate on Americans (in a friendly way) as much as the next European, however American tourists aren’t that bad. This level of stupid assholery is 99% Chinese tourists, the missing 1% is Russians. No hate for Chinese, Russians, anyone that can behave themselves though- they probably hate their fellow citizens more that anyone of us ever could.
And 98% of those asshole Chinese tourists are the ones that travel with a group. It’s rarely like a young Chinese couple on their honeymoon. It’s almost always some middle age and older nouveau riche dickwad who is too afraid to travel by themselves.
Does the culture lack the simple teaching mechanism of “The guy said to sit your ass down, Li, so you shoulda sat your fucking ass down. I’m posting the video of your drippy ass on IG.”?
I wonder if it’s like a translation thing? I bet individuals in these groups don’t speak the local language but have a translator. Maybe the translator is too deferential and won’t actually translate orders properly so as not to offend their clients. Just pulling a guess out my bum; anyone with real experience know?
What I read a few years ago is that it’s potentially from the rise of many rural Chinese families becoming much wealthier in a short period of time and moving into the cities and being able to travel outside the country for the first time in generations, if anyone in their family ever had. Basically the “hillbillies” of China to put it very crudely.
As a whitewater river guide, there are two groups that will never listen to you and make your day hell: Asians and Indians. Every time.
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
In response to basic safety guidelines.
any stories?
Right? Like for once, it’s not one of us.
We did it boys ( and girls ) time to go home !
Woohoo, we
windidn’t totally lose by a landslide! \o/
Is China the international Mississippi?
I was also honestly surprised to read it weren’t Muricans
Haha ; take that China!
We have a Venetian saying for those situations “(de)scantabaùchi” which is hard to translate even in standard Italian, more or less it means “idiot-awakener”
Once everyone was safe and all, I refuse to believe that gondolier didn’t have a satisfying moment of thinking “serves you right, assholes!”
No one got hurt or died, so imo it’s fine to laugh here, and this particular quote was just especially good.
“It’s true that compared with 10 or 15 years ago, tourists weigh a bit more,” Andrea Balbi, the president of Venice’s gondoliers’ association, told the Guardian at the time.
Imagine you make the guardian because you rolled your canoe over?
How much of a slow day does it need to be for this shit to make “the news”?
You should see beyond what’s written: Venice has a big tourists’ problem, who are not only increasing in numbers but also disrespectful of the history, the city and the people working and living in it. This story isn’t anecdotical, it’s emblematic of a widespread issue of touristic consumerism.
It’s a shame tourists aren’t able to behave appropriately. It would be nice if the city where to fine people for not following basic orders.
Maybe it’s just me, but I thought the residents were always disrespectful of the city.
Something like Venice having the filthiest water of any city because the residents just dump their trash into it.
I dunno, I never really understood the reverence for Italian culture 🤷
They always seem to put the shittiest people on top while good people go unnoticed.
The italian mind for sure tolerates more contradiction than most, but that doesn’t mean italian people can’t complain.
Also, there is a lot of different factors at play in your comment. Even only in regards to sewers, can you imagine the complexity of designing, implementing and renovating a sewer system in a historical millenia-old city built on water?
Reverence is a projection, I don’t think italians demand reverence, but respect and empathy would be a nice start.
can you imagine the complexity of designing, implementing and renovating a sewer system in a historical millenia-old city built on water?
While I have limited knowledge about the exact construction of Venice. I’d imagine localised aerobic septic systems would be a tolerable solution. The water coming out of those will have a slight mildewy/musty smell to it but is (allegedly) potable.
If it’s my house, I can mess it up. If you’re a guest, you behave better.
That’s pretty dumb logic, but I can see Italians going for it.
First off there is nothing historical about this boat.
Second, stop letting tourists in such high numbers.
Vote me for the mayor of Venice!
Seriously, it’s a fucking canoe rollover. It’s not damaged . It’s not some historical statue. It’s not a big deal.
I went on a trip to a native American historical site, and the tour guide told us about a family that came and the parents watched and egged on the kids while they used rocks to mark up the walls.
The person who responded to you isn’t saying that this gondola is historical, rather that the attitude doesn’t stay only in that boat.
The same people standing in the boat to take a selfie are also doing stupid shit around irreplaceable history.
You can willfully ignore the connection between these things. All things, really. But if the world seems confusing to you, this is why.
You’re right. Let’s get back to all the great stories about corruption, genocide, and how a few humans may be left surviving a barren, overheated wasteland in a century or two. It’s been ages and I miss hearing about all that. Stupid gondola.
It’s an emblem of Venice, whether you like it or not. Things have a symbolic value separated from their historical or financial value.
Also, the people of Venice aren’t a homogeneous entity, they encompass various opinions, values, etc.
Finally, things aren’t black or white. People of Venice can rely on some kind of tourism while not wanting to be invaded by disrespectful tourists.
This cynic’s stance is lame.
Not every article needs to be about the most important thing in the world
I wonder where such self centered tourists are from
- opens article *
Ahh I could have guessed
Forgot the spoiler: Chinese tourists.
Oh thank God! Not Americans! (this time)
I think it’s mandatory that every tourist horror story has to include at least one American anecdote.
From the last paragraph …
In 2022, an American tourist sustained minor injuries after he fell into the crater of Mount Vesuvius as he tried to retrieve his phone, which had slipped out of his hand while taking a selfie.
And to top it off, Venice’ canals are full of raw sewage.
