Luxembourg is a great place, and in general, people here are quite knowledgeable about other languages, cultures, and seminal early 90s American films about teenagers who spend their free time cruising around looking for weed and beer.
However, I’ve begun to see that people here are not nearly as open-minded or educated as they pretend to be.
Take last weekend, for instance, when I was invited to my French neighbor’s apartment for a party. Carrying a six-pack of beer, I knocked on the door and when he opened it, I smiled and said in my most charming Texas accent, “alright, alright, alright.”
He looked at me like I was nuts.
That reminded me of the time a few months ago when I was driving and saw a Dutch-Romanian colleague of mine walking her dog. This woman speaks nine languages and is a veritable cinephile. She told me that. So I rolled down my window, leaned over, and said to her, “alright, alright, alright.”
What did she do? She responded with, “yes, alright, Jerry,” as if I’d asked her a question. What a joke.
And at the supermarket the other day, I specifically chose the cashier with the little British flag on her nametag, thinking she’d get it. When she asked me if I had my client card, I squinted as I had just smoked a joint and was really high, and I said, “alright, alright, alright.”
Her response? Nothing!
I like Luxembourg. I really do. And it’s true that for the most part, people here are curious and aware of things outside their bubbles, and if at a departmental meeting at work, you point at your boss and say “winning,” you will find that one or two people get the reference. But as for “alright, alright, alright”? Nope, and I find that sad.
Jerry Dunn works for a major online marketplace and web services provider
