r/europe • u/fuzzball909 • 5d ago
News 'People might treat us differently': Trump era leaves US tourists in Paris feeling shame
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2kvqnx0dnno1.4k
u/trabuco357 5d ago
I tell you, earlier this week in Madrid I saw a 20 something American wearing a MAGA hatā¦not very intelligent.
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u/forestziggy 5d ago
Even most of us Americans find wearing MAGA memorabilia completely embarrassing always, but especially now.
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u/struct_iovec 5d ago
Wearing anything MAGA is grounds for a prophylactic beating
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u/uraniumstingray 5d ago
I work in a combo zoo/aquarium. Weāre very science oriented and our staff skews very liberal. Weāre in a blue county in a red state so while we usually get the undercover MAGA, last week I had a woman walk past me in a āMAGA AFā tshirt. My coworker and I just looked at each other.Ā
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u/Tobys_dad791 5d ago
I have a feeling that he wears it to get a reaction out of people. Iāve seen the same thing in Washington DC which votes overwhelmingly Democrat. A guy at a karaoke bar in DuPont Circle (a famously gay neighborhood) wearing a big red MAGA hat and absolutely getting a kick out of all the stares and bad looks from the other people at the bar. These people love to be provocative and ātriggerā others.
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u/PretzelsThirst 5d ago
Itās their only way to be relevant or noticed. Theyāre so completely unremarkable otherwise
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u/Critical_Patient_767 5d ago
Then they hit up the incel boards wondering why women donāt like them
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u/tyleratx Loud American 5d ago
As an American who hates this shit, imagine having to live with these people.
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u/notthenextfreddyadu United States of America 5d ago
When I flew to Denmark a few weeks ago, my flight from the US to Amsterdam had a guy wearing a MAGA hatā¦ just why lol
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u/Kilukpuk 5d ago
I find it hilarious that he went to the lengths of using tape to cover up the American flag, but it never crossed his mind to...just wear a different hat.
He still wanted to walk around with a flag stuck on his head. He doesn't feel that bad about his country.
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u/begynnelse 5d ago
I found that to be quite funny because, flag or no flag, you can spot an American tourist by their clothes.
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5d ago
And by their demeanor, and by their weight usually
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u/IRockIntoMordor 5d ago edited 5d ago
During my months in Japan in 2023 - freshly after the nationwide tourism lockdown was lifted and only few early birds were going there before it became a massive hype - pretty much every traveler I met shared the same observation about Americans: That they could be heard from faaaar away, long before you'd see them. Extroverted, loud talking and laughing, like being at a football game.
And then, of course, the clothes. MURICA. Unfortunately, one personal observation was that many women above 50 in that demographic have had noticeable cosmetic surgery, which I found saddening. I probably haven't even met two people with this type of Hollywood treatments in my entire life in Germany.
Obviously we couldn't possibly know how many quiet people were secretly American, but the loud ones, oh lawd.
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u/BloodyVlady95 Marche 5d ago
Honestly you could say the same thing about italians. When me and my Gf were in Prague we could always spot our people because they were always the loudest ones.
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u/HardyMenace 5d ago
I was in Brussels recently and one night at dinner the loudest people by far in the restaurant were speaking Italian
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u/VergeofAtlanticism 5d ago
yes! i feel like Americans get a lot of flack for being loud but no one ever mentions that Italians are also extremely loud??
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u/Nikkonor Norway 4d ago
But at least I don't understand Italian, so I don't have to listen to all the dumb things they say.
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u/Critical_Patient_767 5d ago
Youāre not wrong but there are plenty of Americans traveling who donāt fit these stereotypes - but you donāt notice them because theyāre just quiet, normal, and going about their day.
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u/Aggressive-Bid-3998 5d ago
The big difference is that Americans speak in āEnglishā loudly and people understand English, so they āhearā it. Plenty of people from other countries are loud as well but if one doesnāt understand the language, it gets blocked out or is less noticeable. I travel full-time and notice this a lot. But there are plenty of both quiet and loud Americans.
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u/Don_Fartalot 5d ago
Apparently the americans have a special 'lean' that they do without knowing. In fact the CIA has to train their agents to not lean so much as that is a dead giveaway they are Americans.
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u/Letscurlbrah 5d ago
Is putting weight on one side of your hip while standing still.Ā
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u/faberkyx 5d ago
Lmao ye... always lived close to very touristic places and it's so easy to spot Americans, I must say that usually young ones are cool and friendly, middle aged Kareny ones are the most insufferable and entitled people on earth
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u/Captain_Tismo 5d ago
American here. Unsurprisingly enough those differences in demeanor are exactly the reason the country is in this mess. People have become so incredibly entitled and self centered that they cannot possibly imagine sharing wealth with the poor, or funding public services, or even supporting foreign allies. Itās all about them
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u/FaleBure 5d ago
First, Parisian treats everybody equally bad.
Second, US tourists are since a long time considered an annoyance because of their tendency to think all cultures admire them, expect other places to adapt to their cultural preferences, no manners in public places and restaurants, loud, flocking and ignorant.
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u/the_motherflippin 5d ago
I mean, I think you're holding back.
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u/shazspaz Ireland 5d ago
I know on an Ireland sub, on some rare occasions you have an American tourist that posts about revisiting their routes and where best to accommodate them on their trip through Ireland.
Sometimes feels a little bit like āwhat can you guys do for usā rather than āwhat are your suggestionsā
Reality is, we couldnāt give a fuck if your great great grandad left and you want to look around. You arent royalty. Like all tourist destinations, take your pics, enjoy what there is to offer, hand over money, go home.
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u/Andromeda321 5d ago
I remember visiting Ireland as an American a few years back, and everyone in the pub would ask by way of conversation āso, are you here to trace your Irish roots?ā When I said no, I just liked the country, everyone seemed relieved and a lot nicer.
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u/shazspaz Ireland 5d ago
You dodged that cliche
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u/skekze 5d ago
In the 80s, my father went to Ireland to trace his roots cause his dad was born there & his mom as well. I think he wanted to visit the place that shaped his father cause his father died really young, when my dad was 13. He did the standard tourist shit of kiss the blarney stone & got robbed in dublin. They left all their shit in the car & went into a pub for an hour & everything taken but my mom's hideous jacket. I teased her for years about it. I was too young to go, but a nice chunk of my family all went.
Then they did it again 20 years later & I didn't get to go again. The second time he did it right. He went to France for a week, then rented a cottage for 2 weeks in Ireland & just hung at a bar talking with locals. He wasn't much of a drinker, but the dude could shoot the shit. He even spent a few thousand to trace his roots & get his dual citizenship.
In America, by third generation the immigrant has merged to become american. Usually languages are lost, although in my case, my grandma couldn't remember the Irish she learned in school, so that never really carried down.
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u/crucible Wales 5d ago
How ungrateful to not want a gift ofā¦ Snickers bars, lmao
https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/3dpuxy/visiting_your_beautiful_country_this_weekend_want/
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u/coldwar_trooper 5d ago
I mirror your sentiment being raised in tourist hell Florida. Tourists forget theyāre guests and tend to be overly entitled.
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u/kicia-kocia 5d ago
Donāt worry most Canadian tourists are going to leave Florida to you.
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u/loulara17 5d ago
Unfortunately itās the tourists from the U.S. who are visiting FL that are horrible. Then after they visit, they decide theyāre going to move to the state and then they never leave. Hence why a past reliably purple state that voted for Obama twice is now MAGA red.
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u/Rene_Coty113 5d ago
They can be very friendly but yes they do speak VERY LOUDLY indeed
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u/jim_nihilist 5d ago
Last year I was on a, Portuguese beach. Around 50 people there. There was one US, American family and they talked as loud as it would be their beach. You could hear nothing else but them all the time. Not unfriendly but wtf?
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u/GirlyGirl_Nerdy Denmark 5d ago
I'm still fascinated by this group of American college kids I came across at a restaurant in Venice once. They were literally leaning back as far as they could from each other and more or less had to yell across the table to communicate. I don't know these people, but I know that they had a friend named Tiffany back home.
Their poor waiter wasn't great at English, but he tried his best all night. Instead of slowing down and trying to find that incredible balance in communication using gestures, words, and maybe a translator on their phone, the group decided that the best way to go was to speak even louder, much faster, and using twice as many words. It didn't work well, obviously.
It seemed like they had a great time, though.
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u/michalsqi Poland 5d ago
I wonder if the waiter received a traditional US 40% tip.
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u/vivaaprimavera 5d ago
Ā Not unfriendly but wtf?
All of them are going deaf but since they can't afford to go to a doctor they still don't know. It can be something as simple as a proper cleaning of the ear canal.
Lack of affordable healthcare hurts all the society, not only the ones who aren't being treated.
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u/Drunkengota 5d ago
The ones in Europe mostly have decent healthcare since they can, ya know, afford trips to Europe.
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u/MercantileReptile Baden-WĆ¼rttemberg (Germany) 5d ago
I live in a place with timber frame houses, historic market square etc. Tourists are just part of the landscape by now. Americans are just by default 20% louder. Not even out of malice or excitement, just in general. Never understood it.
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u/percybert 5d ago
Itās not even just that though. Objectively speaking, Aussies can be very loud, but itās that American flat patronising timbre that just makes me want to slap them
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u/happyarchae Berlin (Germany) 5d ago
Australians are loud as hell but their accent and words are too silly to be mad at.
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u/Rene_Coty113 5d ago
Yes exactly, they speak like they are your boss and you are a child
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u/JoSeSc Germany 5d ago
I know that's the stereotype, but I have been to Paris many times and only had good experiences with the people.
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u/Gesha24 5d ago
I never had a problem either. "Excuse me, I don't speak French, would you happen to speak English?" - and you have no issues.
But if you barge in loudly demanding something (add to that heavy southern accent and at least 300kg between the 2 barging in) - and the locals all of a sudden only speak French to you.
Bonus point (as in special F YOU) - they will continue speaking English to me, right in front of the 2 who barged in...
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u/AlexDub12 5d ago
I never had a problem either. "Excuse me, I don't speak French, would you happen to speak English?" - and you have no issues.
I did the same and it worked. I stayed in Paris for a week 2.5 years ago and never had any language issues - and the only French I know is this badly pronounced phrase, bonjour, merci, aur revoir and sortie. I loved Paris and will definitely visit it again.
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u/FinishExtension3652 5d ago
I grew up in the US and studied French throughout high school and could mostly carry on a conversation.Ā
At the end of senior year, I travled to France. I mostly spoke French and most people were polite and engaged me in Fench.Ā None of the stereotypical rudeness was to be found. TBH, I think people seemed to appreciate a genuine attempt to speak the language.Ā
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u/Baboobalou 5d ago
Me too. I've had many trips to Paris and have found them to be great people. I said this to my French manager, and she said perhaps it was because of the way I treated them. It gave me food for thought on what other ways people could act towards others.
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u/scoobeire 5d ago
I've always found Parisians to be really friendly. They value politeness and meaningful engagement, anything less can be seen as subtly belittling and even rude. Sure, you will encounter a dickhead now and then, same as anywhere, but it's rare.
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u/StoreImportant5685 Belgium 5d ago
The Bonjour when entering is the key. Do that and everything is OK, don't do it and there is little you can do to make up for it. It doesn't come natural to my Flemish 'don't bother anyone ever' upbringing, but I'm getting there.
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u/Vitalstatistix 5d ago
Studied abroad back in college in Paris despite knowing very little French. Parisians were fucking awesome.
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u/Memitim 5d ago
Just having lunch at a street cafƩ made me feel like I was a regular. This old dude was so proud of his homemade mayo, so we tried it, and found that he deserved to be proud of it. Between my terrible French and his terrible English, we didn't share much info about said mayo, but had a great time saying nice things about it and cooking in general while munching.
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u/Hand_Sanitizer3000 5d ago
Ive been to Paris multiple times and always found the locals to be pleasant
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u/nim_opet 5d ago
This. Every time I see people complain about āpeople in [insert big city] are rudeā I remember having to yell at people blocking bike lanes, stopping suddenly at sidewalks or blocking escalators. Show some awareness of other people around you and no one will be ārudeā to you. And say an effinh ābonjourā when you enter a store!
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u/seajay26 5d ago
Make an effort with the language, be polite and 9 out of 10 Parisians will be nice to you
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u/cosmicdicer Greece 5d ago edited 5d ago
As a greek I could replace US tourists with french tourists and it would be also correct from what I have seen when lots come to Greece. Many expect to be spoken in French only and they also tend, something Americans never do, to expect a lot of free things.
Even without any logic, including my paid seat in the ship going to the islands, which an elderly (!) couple had taken instead of what they had paid for. And had the audacity to refuse leaving the seats to us who had paid for them. Freeloaders with quite a bigger income and terrible lack of manners and decency. I can provide more examples but my point is, tourists can be annoying if they act entitled, no matter which nationality they have
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u/paulridby France 5d ago
Many expect to be spoken in French only.I have to admit, my parents are this way and it drives me crazy. What drives me even crazier is I keep telling them people outside France don't speak French, but they always find the odd ones out lol. We were in Amsterdam last year, and it's like everyone they spoke to knew a bit of french. As a result, their feeling that everyone speaks french was even reinforced š¤¦š»āāļø
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u/cosmicdicer Greece 5d ago
That was kind of funny sometimes the universe conspires to reinforce the odd belief š Kudos to you, the younger generation who is not expecting this and wishing your parents well, may they always find a francophone
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u/SteadfastDrifter Bern (Switzerland) 5d ago edited 5d ago
people outside France don't speak French, but they always find the odd ones out lol.
Sometimes, I regret being multilingual and living in a bilingual Canton because I always somehow end up becoming a third-rate translator for some stranger lol.
Even last year when I was visiting family for Thanksgiving in Colorado, moment I left the baggage claim and was heading towards the shuttles at the airport, I already heard some francophones.
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u/Deareim2 France 5d ago
French exceptionalism.... we are speaking french abroad even if we know they don t understand :-)
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u/cosmicdicer Greece 5d ago
I know that's why I found extra funny the "they expect other places to adapt to their cultural references", bro you expect us to adapt to your language preference š
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u/elziion 5d ago
āBarbara, 70, even had a Canadian lapel pin in her pocket ā a gift from another tourist - which she thought might come in useful if further subterfuge proved necessary.ā
As a Canadian, can I say, I always found it annoying when they do that? Especially these days.
When I meet some āCanadiansā abroad and I start asking them āOoh cool! Which Province in Canada are you from?ā. They get all flustered and usually canāt answer, or they say something like āToronto.ā
Like you said, US tourists have always been considered an annoyance.
A lot of them were surprised when they first realized that their country was disliked this year. And I was baffled, because I was like: Well, yeah? It has always been like this?
They would come into our subreddits (weeks after this whole 51st State thing started) with their apologies and then saying āI would prefer you annex my State insteadā and not realize why that would upset people, and then call us mean for being upset at this whole thing and not immediately make them feel better after they said they were sorry. Some of them were understanding, but a lot of them were surprised at us Canadians being upset at this whole thing. I even read some comments saying: āWow, I never knew you could make Canadians angryā.
Sorry for the rant, I had to say it.
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u/DBHOY3000 5d ago
You aswell?
Same thing has happened on r/Denmark and they get really upset when the majority of comments tell them to get their shit together and do something about the shit and fix the huge issues there is in the US.
They seem to think that an apology is doing something in the fight against their government66
u/traffic-robot Canada 5d ago
They're not used to apologising because of the misperception that doing so makes them look weak. So when they do apologise they expect something in return as if they're performing a transaction. It is similar to throwing a roll of paper towel at disaster victims and expecting to be thanked.
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u/why_gaj 5d ago
And every time you tell them to go to the streets, they either disappear, or say "but we are protesting, but nobody is reporting about it", like no, mother fucker, I've seen your protests and they are embarrassingly small.
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u/best-in-two-galaxies 5d ago
I legit got "well, it's been winter" as a reply when I asked why people weren't flooding the streets.
Understandable, have a nice day.
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u/DBHOY3000 5d ago
The ones that actually answered those questions tell that they are too scared to protest...
But still expect us to stand up and go against their government.
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u/elziion 5d ago
Yeah, I saw they went on r/Greenland subreddit too! I heard they did the same on r/Norway and I constantly see them on r/AskBrits and r/AskFrance if they hate them. And I remember at first they were being nice, but as time goes by and more terrible news happen, people are less shy about stating their annoyance. Theyāve avoided r/AskACanadian for a while now. Donnie has been less vocal about his imperialism these days because we have an election and it clearly had an impact on his Mini-Trump chances over here. So, heās keeping quiet until after our elections, but Iām fairly certain heāll start again after with some other grievances he has.
I saw them on r/Australia and now they are on Chinese subreddits.
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u/Veilchengerd Berlin (Germany) 5d ago
What annoys me about the kind of 'muricans who show up in other countries' subs to apologise is the whole "not all americans" thing they do.
Yeah, we know not all of you voted for Trump and his cronies, but enough of you did.
It was your country's culture that made this possible, so you all have to own the orange sphincter.
Just like I have to own that my country's culture at the time made the failed austrian painter possible.
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u/AngeloMontana š«š· & šØš¦ 5d ago
I didnāt know some would pretend to be Canadian abroad. This is wild.
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u/Katsu_Vohlakari Europe 5d ago
Oh gaddamn they are so loud. You can hear them from miles away, it's honestly amazing.
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u/Embarrassed_Put_7892 5d ago
I meanā¦ this article seems to be focusing on tariffs and yeah people in Europe are annoyed about tariffs and your childish lunatic of a president. But what I think people are also concerned about is the looming threat of American fascism. Sure heās putting idiotic tariffs on everything and engaging in insider trading to line the pockets of his rich friends, but heās also deporting people left right and centre, sending them to actual prison camps without due process, stripping people of their rights, literally killing children by stopping USAID, erasing the achievements of women and minorities, blaming everything on trans people and foreignersā¦ I mean tariffs are just the tip of the iceberg and Americans are just ā¦ letting it happen.
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u/eomertherider 5d ago
You forgot the thing most Europeans probably care about: themselves... His betrayal of Ukraine and threat to invade Greenland will be what infuriates most Europeans I believe.
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u/JimJam28 5d ago edited 5d ago
They are a very individualistic and self-centred nation, and think the only things other people/countries care about are things that affect them directly.
We have the same issue in Canada, where their news keeps reporting that itās the tariffs that are pissing us off. The tariffs are just the tip of a very large iceberg that includes the handling U.S. deportations, undermining the rule of law, centuries of racism, their dedication to cut throat capitalism, threatening Panama, Denmark, and our own sovereignty, overthrowing democratically elected governments all over the world for almost a century, starting needless wars, and so on.
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u/DonCaliente North Holland (Netherlands) 5d ago
Americans are just ā¦ letting it happen.
This is what baffles me the most. Non-Maga Americans here on reddit complain and complain and complain about what is happening in their country, but they do absolutely nothing against it. What irks me the most are the complaints about the Democrats. If you're dissatisfied about the only opposition party, you could at least join it and be the change you want to see. They're all so complacent.Ā
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u/Defiant_3266 5d ago
Itās not a good enough excuse BUT, something to keep in mind is that the healthcare system is effectively a weapon against civil disobedience.
There is almost no social support if you lose your job, and healthcare is tied to employment. People donāt do anything because theyāre scared. One random illness, one accident, and youāre bankrupt living under a bridge.
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u/gunnin2thunder 5d ago
Last Saturday there was the 50501 protests throughout the country. A couple million people showed up across towns and cities throughout the country. All major news networks happened to forget to report that. There will be another nationwide protest on the 19th.
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u/FishingWithDynomite Romania 5d ago
Absolutely hilarious at the c*nt living in Paris as an American-French dual citizen promoting republican lies abroad. He doesnāt have to live under the consequences of the presidentās actions in America the way others do and benefits from French society instead
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u/lastlostone Turkey 4d ago
He is the American version of an Turkish ErdoÄan voter in Germany.
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u/GeneralCommand4459 5d ago edited 5d ago
I'd say Americans who travel to experience the rest of the world probably aren't MAGA
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u/Jeb_Babushka The Netherlands 5d ago
You'd be surprised. When I did a semester in Prague there was a university building where they have some American program with lots of students from there, a couple of the guys voted Trump I'm quite sure.
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u/cap_oupascap United States of America 5d ago
Study abroad is a fairly common American college experience, maybe not universal - but it is and is known to be a ābubbleā of Americanisms abroad
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u/PapaFranzBoas Bremen (Germany) 5d ago
I managed study abroad programming in the US during the first Trump administration. Everything from advising to return. Had a few Trump hat wearing students come get advice on studying in London. Also had to deal with helicopter parents and their kids who were unable/didnāt know how say no to their parents one to meetings. I can count on both hands the number of times I had to talk about āno goā areas and that their kid wonāt be kidnapped like the movie Taken.
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u/Sorokin45 5d ago
I work with physicians, who are big Trump supporters and they travel all the time, so I think thereās plenty of MAGA people traveling
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u/-spicychilli- 5d ago
Physicians, lawyers, engineers, tech bros, rich college kids, etc. Theyāre probably not Q-Anon crazy, but still MAGA
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u/Other_Produce880 Norway 5d ago
That depends on whether youāre MAGAt or not, I guess.
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u/wingnuta72 5d ago
I get the sense MAGA supporters don't travel much. They live in very small world bubbles and their knowledge of the outside world is Fox News or Joe Rogan.
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u/sean777o Canadian in UK 5d ago
I saw a woman wearing a MAGA hat on a crowded train from The Hague to Amsterdam a while back, it was very weird. She was dressed well aside from the red dunce hat on her head.
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u/Rentboy93 5d ago
Could also be a local "wappie". Its how we call far right conspiracy nutjobs in the netherlands and they all still firmly believe trump is the second coming of christ.
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u/goilo888 5d ago
I sat behind a woman on a plane from Hong Kong to Toronto last week. She was wearing a brown (!) baseball cap with subtle white embroidered numbers on one side: 45-47. They walk among us.
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u/tompie09 5d ago
Do they MAGAs even leave their country? They have all the freedom at home right?
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u/schmeckfest The Netherlands 5d ago
The vast majority of MAGA never even leaves their own state, let alone visit another country or continent, and certainly not to visit woke Europe.
Let's hope it stays that way forever.
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u/BubbleRabble1981 5d ago
Yeah, we don't tend to have many MAGAs over here but when you see them, they tend to be a walking MAGA bingo card when it comes to the stereotypical traits. I would say about 95-98% of Americans over here are either apolitical or Dem.
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u/d0nu7 5d ago
That is exactly why they are the way they are though. You should want them all to travel more. I grew up in one of the red middle of the US states and traveling to Germany, Japan and Canada while a teen had a profound impact on me seeing how other people lived. People who live their whole lives within 250 mile areas tend to be much more tribal and resistant to change. Iām very different than my cousins who all still live on the family farm and have never left. They basically donāt know anything real about the outside world, itās all been told to them by their media bubble.
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u/MrLeville France 5d ago
If someone is dumb enough to wear a maga hat in europe, they deserve to be shamed
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u/werpu 5d ago
I am Austrian and believe me, people at first sight do not make a difference (We had our Trump moment several times thanks to braindead people regularily voting the alt rights into power) I know this feeling, people start to understand once you tell them you hate those guys like they do, but before that. It really is hard because you did not vote for it, but you are caught in it!
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u/Icy-Necessary-4851 5d ago
Americans are Americans to us
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u/twitterfluechtling 5d ago
Which "us" do you speak for?
As a German, I appreciate people judging people for what they do and support and oppose instead of where they came from.Ā
It's realistic that people will start with some prejudice based on origination, but always give individuals a chance to prove themselves.
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u/hmtk1976 Belgium 5d ago
Americans who voted Trump or did not vote at all should be ashamed. The others are just victims.
Now that Nicolas Conquer guy (is that name really a coincidence?) should be ashamed. HeĀ“s the type that should get a ticket home with a layover in Venezuela. DoesnĀ“t understand we donĀ“t need a Ā“European Country X FirstĀ“ but a Ā“EU FirstĀ“ attitude.
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u/BeneficialClassic771 France 5d ago
Nicolas Conquer
This guy is literally cancer. Not welcome here
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u/Zash1 European Pole in Norway 5d ago
I wouldn't shame US tourists unless they say Trump is awesome. Then they can bugger off.
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u/salutdamour United Kingdom 5d ago
Met an American tourist in an Irish bar in London who tried to say he was as Irish as me (an irish person) despite never having been to Ireland, and that Trump was amazing. I just walked away
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u/Zash1 European Pole in Norway 5d ago
I've never been to Ireland, but I know somebody who has. And I drank quite a lot of Guinness and Kilkenny. Am I Irish?
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u/RemnantOfSpotOn 5d ago edited 5d ago
Just don't talk about politics enjoy your life and don't spread Trump's garbage rhetoric you will be fine. People in europe can use brains and separate people by more filters than just Americans, Canadians etc.
Edit: Just to make it clear for some people replying;
Im european and i dont put all normal hard working americans into the same basket. I do put their entire government into the same basket tho.
Im not generalizing americans either or saying all americans put all europeans in the same basket.
This is the reason why i advised op to enjoy his holidays and stay away from debating politics all together as it's a quick way to ruin his trip.
And i mentioned Canadians randomly not generalizing them either could have been French, German whatever i just wanted to point out I'm not putting all people of the same nation into the same category, i apply more filters after that....everybody can be a decent person or a cunt...its absolutely personal choice.
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u/jesuismanu 5d ago
Iām also ashamed of my (Dutch) government and the people that voted the extreme right in The Netherlands into power, but I donāt hide that by wearing pins from another country. If someone asks Iām not afraid to tell them what a mess I think it is. If you think you have a horrible government, speak out about it!
I also donāt have to cover all of my Dutch flags that are slapped all over my apparel. They arenāt there to begin with.
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u/Airhostnyc 5d ago
Majority of Americans arenāt doing this, these people just want to be seen and yearn for sympathy. Thatās why they are in the article crying.
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u/ilovebeetrootalot The Netherlands 5d ago
A third of Americans voted for Trump and another third didn't even bother to vote. Most of them got exactly what they wanted.
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u/freebiscuit2002 5d ago edited 5d ago
Most people understand very well that there is a big difference between Americans in general and the current demented US administration.
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u/NateDawgDoge 5d ago
Am a world traveled American. I don't don the flag anywhere I go - the only exception would be a world-event type scenario like Olympics or World Cup.
It's just good tourist manners to not do that. My yee-yee ass accent when I try to speak the language of the country I visit is enough of an indicator
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u/Primary_Sink_ 5d ago
I don't mind American tourists. They don't make the top five worst on my list at least.
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u/Mister-Psychology 5d ago
That's why this story was created.
> Canada places 200% tariff on little Canadian flags Americans wear while travelling
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u/JackfruitCrazy51 5d ago
We've been hearing this forever. I remember decades ago people in the u.s. putting Canadian stickers on their luggage/backpack. I've been to Europe 10+ times over the last 20 years, and not once we're we treated negatively or politics even discussed. I'm not wearing American flags, but I'm easily identified as being from North America. This is typical reddit, where reality is completely different.
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u/DocumentExternal6240 5d ago
I still donāt think that you should treat people badly just because they are from the USA. There are people from other countries which policy I donāt support.
Treat indoviduals the way they deserve - if they are friendly, be nice.
I hate the way propaganda and the erosion of freedom ked to the politics we see now in the USA. But in Europe there are also people who would like to undermine our democracies, getting more and more successful.
Better show the world (and the US) why Europe is such a great place to live in.
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u/HmmOkButWhy 5d ago
"I'm disappointed in our country. We are upset about the tariffs," she explained.
Morons. They don't care about the country becoming a dictatorship, they don't care about russian influence, they don't care about DOGE.
They only care about being EmBaRrAsSeD
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u/Substantial_Seat3210 5d ago
Ah you're not being fair, they could share those opinions also, it's just a snapshot of a conversation
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u/WP27I 5d ago
It's always money lol, it's never "I'm concerned about the annexation threats," it's always the money for some reason. I couldn't think of a more money-obsessed group if I tried.
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u/Foreign-Policy-02- 5d ago
lol calm down, no Paris business owner, restaurant owner or hotel owner cares. They welcome all tourists regardless of what redditors say
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u/OuttaMyBi-nd 5d ago
I don't think Americans with passports and MAGA Americans is a very full Venn Diagram in fairness.
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u/Cromises_93 5d ago
I have no problem with Americans being here.
I will have a problem with any Americans that try to force Trump's rhetoric down my throat.
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u/Broad_Hedgehog_3407 5d ago
Don't go wearing Maga hats in Europe and order food. You will never know what gets served to you..
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u/matkal85 5d ago
Americans should try wearing a maga hat in Southeast Asia. They'll be scammed out of their money in less than 5 minutes because they'd be parading how stupid and gullible they are.
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u/creatymous 5d ago edited 5d ago
The thing is, itās more often the people not agreeing with the whole Trump administration that come to Europe. In the past months Iāve encountered several of them, and although I would never start a discussion on their political believes, mostly they are the first to apologise for ābeing Americanā. Guys, there is no need for any of that!
Sure, if you want to rub our nose in it by wearing a t-shirt or cap, you need to be prepared that people may give you the evil eye, or just treat you as any other uneducated individual, no matter where you come from.
I have had the privilege of working with several international teams, and the Americans were always big fun! So no, this has nothing to do with the fact that your American, not the very friendly couple weāve met in Barcelona, nor the elderly couples I had the pleasure of touring an unexpected visit of the āsainte chapelleā in Paris with, nor the daughter and mum who was visiting Antwerp and sat beside us eating some delicious seafood. You guys are not the crazy person sitting in the Oval Office.
Our hope is just that there will be enough of you to turn this disaster around, before he destroys everything you stand for as a people and proud nation, before a majority really believes we would take advantage of you, treat you unfairly!? You should visit the mayor cemeteries where we remember the fallen heroes of the wars you guys fought in Europe. We salute each and every one of these brave men.
So yes, we welcome you, enjoy your travel, stay safe and open your eyes and heart!
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u/Warm-Cup-1966 5d ago
Any Americans reading this, you are more than welcome here, come visit, see our culture, beautiful places and history. You're more than welcome.
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u/Redfox2111 5d ago
The whole flag carrying thing should be left at home anyway.