McPaper, of all places, has an article about how American travelers in Europe are encountering strong anti-american sentiment. The article has some amazing quotes, like:
If the past 100 years were widely considered the American Century, this new one is fast shaping up as the Anti-American Century.... A mother lode of goodwill fostered in the decades after the defeat of Nazi Germany has been reduced to dust in recent years.
"Man, it was bad," says the Rat Pack-y star of Swingers. "These girls saw us and were kind of flirting, and they kept asking us if we were American. Finally we said, 'Yes,' and they just took off. " One girl turns and says, 'We were hoping you were Canadian.' Canadian? Since when was it cooler to be Canadian?"
I can only hope that more Americans will travel overseas in the near future, so they will understand the price that we are paying for Bush's unilateralism and arrogance.
The article concludes with:
Tips for blending in Avoid American fast-food restaurants and chains. Keep discussions of politics to private places, not rowdy bars. Take a rain check on wearing clothes featuring American flags or sports team logos. Keep your passport out of sight. Soften your speech; Americans typically overshadow their hosts in the volume department.
Via Boing Boing
Posted by Geodog at March 5, 2003 01:46 AM
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As you say, as Americans we might not be well received in some other countries. Some are verbally attacking the US in their blogs as we type.
And one hopes that more Americans will travel overseas to ...
Nah, we don't have any reason to travel to anti-American countries. A work trip might land us in other countries now and then, but we can all ignore and avoid the anti-American folks. Walk proud and carry a big stick.
The world could get to be an awfully small place if we refuse to go anywhere where there are a lot of people who are angry at U.S. policies. Swinging around that big stick could end up just hurting ourselves.
Bush, Cheney, etc have brought this on America. Few of these people are naturally anti-American -- they have just become so as a result of being insulted and sneered at and having their opinions ignored.
Posted by: Geodog on March 5, 2003 09:40 AM