Anti-American sentiment on the rise in Europe?

[screembloodymurder]

I was talking to someone who just got back from Greece, she said American tourists were being shunned. Restaurants had "We Don't Serve Americans" signs in their windows. They see Bush as the next Hitler and can't forgive Americans for electing the tyrant. Has anyone been in Europe lately? Is this widespread?

[wake.up.america]

1. I haven't seen such behavior in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy...

Spain.

My feeling is that many Europeans are becoming edgier about Bush's moronic behavior and may start taking it out on Americans in greater numbers.

We just can't understand how such a moron was re-elected.

The first time was excused, but another four years?

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Fraud

2000 was a coup and so was 2004

just that most americans are not willing to even consider this

[Neil Lisst]

3. It's bad now for Americans overseas, even Canada.

If you're outside the US, get ready to be asked to defend the US and what it is doing. And they don't want to hear you voted for Kerry. They consider it US policy.

"What is with you Americans?!" is the constant refrain.

You get the payback for the Bush actions towards citizens of other countries.

I used to look forward to travel, but now, I know it will entail a great deal of active anti-American sentiment.

[Clark2008]

13. Last time I went overseas, I wore my Clark O4 button

People loved me.

I guess I'll have to wear an anti-Bush button if we decide to go to Ireland or Scotland for our honeymoon. *sigh*

[anakie]

4. I have just got back from a cruise around the Mediterranean

I did not see anything like the signs but I am hardly surprised. There are a lot of Americans around the major areas not respecting the locals.

It is not hard to see why anti Americanism is on the rise right around the world. Case in point, on my trip we stopped at Istanbul. Magnificent city and friendly helpful locals. As we stopped at mosques during our (my wife and I)'s vist there you couldn't help but see disrepect being shown to local customs. I mean it is a no brainer that people should, especially when implicitely asked to, dress modestly and that women cover there heads whilst visiting Mosques.

Yet, many many American women, and other westerners as well did not wear scarves. And they had scarves to borrow at the door if you did not have one - for free. Do you think a Muslim seeing this may be offended?

I spoke to one American group during the trip and said they were too frightened to go into Istanbul and stayed on the ship. It's a scary world your Bush has created for some of it's citizens.

We had a great trip and especially liked Barcelona.

[rpannier]

9. You know in all honesty

the number of Americans that are disrespectful is so small, that it doesn't resonate in most areas except be those wishing to create an issue. I lived in the Czech Republic for four years and have lived in Korea for 7 years. I have traveled on five continents (No South America or Antarctica yet)and the number of instances where Americans make asses out of themselves is really remote. I have almost always been well received everywhere I've gone and I've been to some really remote areas of the world. I agree with you, if they want to go in a Mosque they should dress accordingly, just like if you go anywhere that is a national or religious shrine (The Vatican requires womens arms to be covered, Ho Chi Minh's mosoleum has a no shorts or hats policy (oddly the only person in line that was wearing a hat and was reprimanded was from China), etc) you need to comply with the rules for behavior and dress.

[anakie]

10. I agree

the number is small, but crikey they're loud.

[rpannier]

11. Gotta agree with you there n/t

[sepia_steel]

5. That just makes me sad.

I'd love nothing more than to see the world but not if i have to defend myself at every damn turn.

[nanbrown]

6. i'm in eastern france now

in a working class city called mulhouse in the haut rhine near the juncture of france, germany and switzerland. folks are mostly nice though some have been hostile. i speak and understand french and know what folks are saying on the trains behind my back when i've spoken in english. it isn't too nice. i used to live here in france with my french husband in paris - it was bad enough then(1988-1994.)

it has been my non-american friends who wonder why the american populace hasn't risen up against the gov't. i try and explain the american psyche and corporate media and the business/entertainment angle of our so-called news. they still don't get why we haven't overturned the present regime. then i tell them about american election systems. they still don't get it. some of them have a point, some of them just haven't liked americans for a long time. there is a lot of revisionist history and it doesn't all come from the united states. BBC world news did this very weird piece on the coming (hopefully) indictments a couple of nights ago. there hasn't been word one since and nothing on the italian intel bit with hadley. and again, most friends say, bush&co will get away with everything - again. sad to say, i agree. hope i am wrong about the power of fitzgerald.

the swiss are very non-comittal for the most part. and they love rich americans. too bad i'm not one of those.

i will say that france has yet to send a single euro to the victims of the pakistani earthquake. it is a bit of pot calling the kettle black.

remember, these are all industialized nations and even though their defence budgets are smaller than the U.S., they still depend on weapons sytems manufacturing.

[newyawker99]

14. Hi nanbrown!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Binka]

7. Europeans Love Me And My BUSH DOUCHE BAG T-Shirts

Distressed American made them. They love me here in Italy! I call Bush a cock sucker fucker....no language barriers for those three words!

[anakie]

8. I can imagine

I spent a very pleasant couple of hours with a guy from Chicago who hated Bush as much as I do. Great fun dissing Bush with an American.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

12. Well, here's my experience...

I moved to the UK about seven months ago, and I've met people from all over Europe and traveled to Germany and Austria (and soon to Spain.)

I think there's a tendency, as a liberal American in Europe, to assume that people are going to hate you. That was my assumption when I came here. It was wrong. A lot of people hate Bush (big surprise) but don't necessarily extend that hatred to ordinary Americans. That said, some do. It's impossible to stereotype an entire continent's feelings towards another country and its people. Mostly I just get a lot of questions from people who don't understand how Americans can vote for Bush.

Many continental Europeans do appear to hate American and British tourists. Low-cost airlines have made it possible for Brits to hold messy bachelor parties, etc. on the continent, and that's generally given the Brits a bad reputation. And American tourists have always had a bad reputation in Europe.

There have only been two occasions in the UK when I felt that I was being singled out for poor treatment because I was American, and in both of those cases it was very subtle.

The French? They'd hate us anyway, regardless of Bush. They have their reasons. And I don't care. If there's any country in the world that cannot criticize Americans for poor electoral choices, it's France.

Austria... I... I just don't know what to think. I was in a bar with 100 Austrian teenagers who were screaming the theme song for "The OC" at the top of their lungs. Then it hit me - The Governator. Austrian.