If It's Called Tourist Season, Why Can't We Shoot 'Em?

Touron (tur ahn): 1. A denigrative appellation for travellers. 2. A combination of the words 'tourist' and 'moron.'

As a visitor to the coolworks site, there's a good chance that you have a working knowledge of the hospitality industry. It follows then, that you've had firsthand experience with people the industry is being hospitable to, i.e. TOURISTS (or, if you prefer, tourons).
Admittedly, I ignore books and articles that give me 'exercises' to do. I blow them off everytime, and just continue my read. But if you'll indulge me for a moment, upon my oath I will make this quick and painless.
When you hear the word 'tourist,' what image comes to mind? What is your first visceral reaction?
Did you do it, or are you a fellow reading rebel?
Whatever image came to mind, it was most likely a simplistic generalization. We've all been tourists at times and we're all different, so you do the math.
I've been on both sides of that social gulf between staff and tourist. I know (lord, do I know) what it's like to
deal with a socially challenged guest. I also know what it's like to be travelling and at the mercy of staff who are 'dealing' with me.
I've ordered tortillas in Spain only to discover that, instead of an inexpensive piece of bread, I've asked for a pricey omlette. I've ordered kapow gai (a chicken dish) in Thailand, and, compliments of my pronunciation, received kapow gop (frog) instead.
Now those might not be choice examples, brought on as they were by my own ignorance and linguistic limitations. But I also know the frustration and vulnerability that arises when other people are in charge of my luggage, my transport connections, and my (relative) comfort.
As a traveller, you are forced to surrender control sometimes. Sometimes a lot of times. A rare few can do this gracefully, and most of us can grudgingly accomodate the phenomena. But many people have a hard time trusting that the world is going to take care of them, and in their insecurity they have a nasty tendency to overcompensate. And, true, some people are just bitches. Who're we kidding?
It is a parasitic relationship that exists between local employees and tourists. They need you as the infrastructure of their trip, and you need them so you can continue to live in cool places :-)
So. How do you handle someone who is overbearing, obnoxious, and socially aggressive? First (and it's a big first), don't personalize it. It's important to choose your battles in life, and the conflicts between staff and guest are pitifully trivial skirmishes. As someone once said, "Don't be the vigilant guardian of the smaller picture."
Now this part you may not like. You may scoff. But..... if a tourist is able to push your buttons, you would be better served looking at your own buttons than at the button-pusher. If you know yourself and have a healthy ego, there's usually no reason to be emotionally impacted by the actions of someone who doesn't.
Here are two things you may want to play around with the next time you're in a challenging confrontation:
1. Pretend the tourist is a very young child masquerading in an adult's body. Really, try looking at them as insecure children. But play along and treat them respectfully as adults. In the long run you'll both be happier.
2. Pretend the tourist is a zen master in disguise; a wise teacher who is giving you exactly the kind of experience you need to process and gain from.
And you know? It really is better, all the way around, if you can be nice to people. Maybe you can't cure world hunger or solve the problems in the Middle East. But you can be nice to people in difficult situations, and that is no small thing. On their end, you may have just been pleasant to someone who has never had anyone treat them with friendliness. That's a major thing, if you think about it.
On your end, how often do you go home angrily and stew about an interaction where you remained pleasant and emotionally stable?
Sure, you have the tools to put people in their place, either blatantly or subtley. As an insider, there's lots of ways (mostly passive-aggressive ones) to win. But, as someone else once said, "the problem with the rat race is that even if you win you're still a rat."