How are Americans seen abroad

Americans hated abroad?
This is something Canadians like to claim.... after all, they make sure to wear maple leafs when going abroad, lest they be mistaken for Americans. But are Americans really as hated abroad as we are led to believe?

As you might be able to tell from previous entries, I have travelled just a little bit, and being American, I believe I am a fair authority in this. I also have lived in Canada for 3 years, and I can easily pretend to be Canadian (especially when I'm speaking French, and carrying Canadian currency & a Quebecois drivers licence). For the sake of this discussion, I will only consider countries that I've been to in after 2003- firstly, because prior to then I was too young and niave to judge this, and secondly because 2003 was a pivotal year in US-Int'l relations (becuase of the Iraq invasions). I will consider the following countries: Canada, Portugal, Belgium, Singapore, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Morocco. Not a whole lot of countries, but it covers 4 continents, and I think it's a pretty diverse base. (Note: I didn't include certain other countries because I don't feel I was there long enough to make any sort of judgement).

Out of the 8 countries I have listed, the only one where I would say I experienced open hostility for being American is none other than the self-proclaimed politest country in the world: Canada (that Canada is a polite country is another great myth that I could spend an entire entry debunking.... but I won't since many of my readers may be Canadian). Of course, you have to consider a few things. I've lived in Canada for 3 years, and therefore I've encountered many different types of people- inherently increasing the chances that I will encounter ouvert anti-Americanism. I also don't go around advertising myself as American- in any of the places above.

Having lived in Canada for some time now, learning a lot about the country, and being able to speak French allows me to easily pass off as Canadian, especially when I truthfully say things like, "I live in Montreal, Canada", affords me a really interesting perspective. Talking to a lot of Canadians, they say (rightfully so) that non-North Americans can't distinguish between Americans and Canadian. This prompts them, as I've already said, to port maple leafs when abroad, with the belief that Canadians are more respected abroad. I believe that my experiences serve as a counterexample to this proposition. I can say this particularly about Belgium, Morocco, Burma, and Thailand. IN this countries, when asked (as I often was) where I was from, I mixed up my responses: sometimes i was from Canada, sometimes i was from USA, and sometimes (in Burma) I was from "Ingagyo" (Mars). The latter unsurprisingly led to laughter and humorous small talk. As for Canada/US: often, particulalry in Belgium, the difference in response was imperceptible- except this one guy said "now are you actually from Canada, or just an American pretending?". Elsewhere, saying I was from Canada was a conversation stopper- people in non-western nations often know as little about Canada as Americans do, and are left with nothing else to say. Saying I was American almost never got a passive response. People enthusiastically would ask me which city I was from, what I thought about George Bush/ Barack Obama / Oprah/ Michael Jackson / etc.

In all of this, I propose several theories, especially about how Americans are perceived in "third world areas". 1) Through its exportation of pop culture, the USA is known and recognised more than almost any other country- possible rivals being the UK, China, and India (depending of course on the country you're in). Simply put, many things, from Hollywood, to Rock N Roll, are recognised, appreciated, and celebrated. And similarly, the birthplace of these things, the USA, is recognised, appreciated, and celebtrated. It also puts the US on the map more so than many other countries (especially Canada).

2) It's lack of colonial imperialism (compared to the UK and France in particular) means that many third world countries don't have a tense history with the US. French presence in Morocco, or British presence in Burma may remind some peoples of the days of colonialism, whereas with the sole major exception of the Philippines, the US doesn't have this sort of "baggage" with many nations. In fact, the US is itself a former colony of the UK (and, technically, France and Spain).

3) It's reputation of prosperity and "beacons of morality and democracy" may seem as a glimmer of hope for some people in impoverished/ ruthlessly rules nations. Many dream of emigrating to the US in the (perhaps nïave) hope of sharing in the "American dream". Others, like in the unique case of Burma, actually dream of an American invasion to usurp unappreciated rulers. The US, unlike most nations, started as an "experiment in democracy" and tries very hard to maintain this image (with mixed success).

4) Southeast Asia in particular is inundated with tourists that come especially from Europe/Australia- often acting very similarly to the oft-stereotyped "Ugly American". In a somewhat ironic twist, Americans making it to Southeast Asia (and to Africa for that matter), are a) rare, and b) often more adventerous/respectful travelers than others. Let me clarify myself with a specific example. I will use Thailand, because I lived there for about 3 months, and because it is the most touristy country in SEAsia (and hence one of the most touristy countries in the developing world). Most of the Western tourists (to say nothing of the Japanese, Chinese and Arab tourists) were from Europe or Australia/New Zealand, with France being particularly represented. I observed behaviours, especially among the French, that closely ressemble the "Ugly American" stereotype- making no effort to speak Thai, complaining about stupid things in restaurants/stores, walking around shirtless (which is somewhat of a thai faux pas), etc. - just irresponsible travel. American tourists are quite rare in Thailand, which is understandable considering how far away it is. Whereas for European holidaymakers Thailand is a common destination (analogous to our Mexico), it is only for atypical Americans. OFten, but of course not always, an American willing to go to an uncommon place like Thailand is not like the typical American traveller- and thus more open minded and respectful. Thais may recognise this, and thus respect Americans more because of it. Of course, I can't say so for sure, since I'm not Thai.

5) People aren't stupid and can distinguish a government from its people. The Bush government is almost universally loathed. I staunchly believes that this doesn't hold true for the American people. Of course, we may look like total idiots for having elected him twice, but that aside, actions of our president are not normally tied to us. More and more Americans of course are growing weary of Mr. Bush themselves.

All of these things said, there is definitely some truth in the statement that Americans are disliked abroad. I haven't been to every country, nor have I consulted specialists from every country. In Latin America, I'd imagine feelings are particularly mixed and perhaps negative especially in some places like Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela (and often with good reason!). Apart from having an enourmous complex, Canadians aren't normally rude to Americans in general (except in so far that Canadians are by no means the world's friendlist people). While some Western Europeans may have grown weary of Americans, this by no means true of all Western Europeans. Yes, I believe the Anglo-American friendship may not be at its highpoint, and many French people are certainly frustrated with Americans- but French people in particular have good reason to be- disrespectful tourists combined with hostile rhetoric would make for soured relations. What about Eastern Europe? Of course, there are those countries still dreaming of the glory of the USSR- like Belarus and Russia. But, there are also places like Kosovo, and other balkan nations that adore the US. North Africa & the Middle East? Again, I think people's images are greatly distorted. OF course Iraqis may not be crazy about American soldiers. And I'm not sure if there are any Arabs who support the US-led invasion of Iraq. That said, most Arabs are not fundamentalists and do not wish death to Americans. Likewise, most Americans who voluntarily travel to the Arab world recognise this, and treat their Arab counterparts with respect. Many Arab countries hold substantial investments in the US: like Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. What about Sub-Saharan Africa? I have not been here, so I can't speak from experience, but the US has a great history of aid-giving in this region, without any colonial baggage, so from what I understand, Americans are adored here. I know from experience that Americans are often appreciated in many parts of Asia. I know this is true in Israel.

Anyway, without becoming too much more tedious, I would like to suggest a reform to the belief that Americans are hated abroad. I would say this: Americans may encounter (often deserved) mistreatment in some parts of Western Europe (especially France), Latin America, "evil" nations like Belarus, Russia, and North Korea, and some parts of the Arab World.... of course, I don't think it would be quite as bad in all places as we might think- even Iran. In many other places, Americans are beloved more than other Westerners- despite Bush.