DO EUROPEANS REALLY HATE AMERICAN TRAVELERS?
April 19 | One of the hottest trends on social media these days is Americans thinking they can’t travel anywhere outside the U.S. without a torrent of vitriol directed toward them due to the current administration’s outright hostility toward our once cherished allies.
But is this true? Do Europeans really hate us? Should we plaster Canadian flags all over our luggage to try to trick people into thinking we’re Canadian? Should we try speaking in a different accent? How should we act if someone confronts us?
Y’all, in the wise, immortal words of Holly Johnson, RELAX.
Do Europeans really hate us?
No. No they don’t. Europeans hate our government, and with good reason. But there is no hatred toward the average American tourist who is kind, respectful, learns at least a few words of the language, and keeps their damned voices down in public. In other words, Europeans don’t hate us because of our government, but they would (and do) hate us for being lousy travelers. So don’t be. And lay off the “jokes” about Canada or Greenland becoming part of the U.S. It’s not funny, it’s offensive af, and it’s trying to make light of deep, well-founded fear and anger that Denmark, Canada, and Greenland… and indeed all of the EU… is feeling right now. And tell your uncle to leave the red hat at home. Or better yet, stay home himself.
Should we pretend we’re from a different country to avoid issues?
Please NO, omg. Honestly there is so much wrong with that approach I don’t even know where to start. First of all, you’re not fooling anyone so just rid yourself of that thought right about yesterday. Second of all, Americans “pretending” to be Canadians by plastering maple leaves all over their backpacks is just so deeply offensive to a country that is right now being inexplicably targeted by their neighbor with the biggest and most lethal military in the world… you guys. Come on. Please don’t pour salt in the wound. You will be pegged as Americans immediately, so own it and double-down on being an excellent example of thoughtful and respectful tourists. You’ll quickly find that you’ll be rewarded with kindness and respect in return.
What if we’re confronted about our government’s actions?
Well then it’s a great way to start a dialogue. And chances are, you won’t be “confronted” the way we think of the word… rather, you may be politely asked for your thoughts. And feel free to be brutally honest. A shop keeper in Florence who spoke very little English recently put her question into Google translate to ask what I thought of the president. I Google translated back my answer, and we had a great chat about the situation.
Here’s the thing: Americans have some intense Main Character Energy. I say this with love but, stop thinking the world revolves around you. No one in Europe is going to be mad at you if you’re cool, I promise you that.
I will say that on a recent trip to Rome (and I found the same thing when I traveled around Europe during the George W Bush administration, though not as intensely) I was treated with probably more kindness, more empathy, and more sympathy than I expected. Europe is a collection of nations that have had to deal with variations of what we’re dealing with, or got too close for comfort to it, in their very recent past. And some European nations have some horrors in their past that they’re still trying to atone for to this day. They know exactly how it feels. While many folks may not understand the complexities of our system of government, they do understand not voting for something horrible but watching it unfold anyway. If someone asks you about our current political climate in the U.S., this is a great way to bond and share ideas.
The bottom line is: be a good tourist, and Europe will be good to you in return, no matter who is in the White House. They don’t hate you, I promise.
