Safety for Americans abroad

[Ishmael]

Originally Posted by HighTemp

I with you on this one!

This election cycle, we have to choose between a criminal and a con-man.....
Sometimes I think as a country we have lost our collective minds.

Johnson/Weld 2016

[Gafferfan]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

I choose my words very carefully. You're the one who went out of your way to step in it.

"Have a nice day"

fool
fo͞ol/
noun
1. a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person.
"what a fool I was to do this"

Ok enough, one day we will meet and sit and have a cold one then! That sound o.k. Ken? Much better than this nonsense that I started without enough coffee in me! Apologies for my sarcasm.

[alaskaflyfish]

Don't worry about politics. Politics=corruption and you have no control of it anyway. Its all theater to make you think you have choice. What you do have control over is your own attitude. Be happy and take care to remain safe. Most of this is common sense. Whats funny is preconceived attitudes of certain world cultures. USA is the focus of this topic, BUT when I was growing up in Canada it was the Brits (businessmen) who were the villains (lying, greedy, and untrustworthy). My how things have changed!

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by sck5

Now I will make an inflammatory statement: Canadian friends! You are pretty much just like us over here in upstate NY! To be truthful, Ontarians are way more like us than Texans are.

but you see southern Ontario-ans aren't like the rest of us- they're not real Canadians.

They're kind of stuck in this purgatory of not being proper Canuks anymore but also not yet fully assimilated into the melting pot of the lower 49. Even worse, they believe they are quintessential Canadians!!.

As an aside, the two times I most felt unwelcome in Europe happened when I was traveling in rural France and was mistaken for a Parisian. Egads!

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by sck5

Now I will make an inflammatory statement: Canadian friends! You are pretty much just like us over here in upstate NY! To be truthful, Ontarians are way more like us than Texans are. I will happily pretend to be a Canadian whenever it seems necessary or amusing because

a: I dated a Canadian girl once
b: My ex-wife has Canadian cousins
c: It is the only nationality I can impersonate with any hope of being convincing
d: I have been there lots of times

I have no idea why I might ever do it but since this thread is about personal safety I am happy to say that I would do this in an instant if it would help and might even get away with it because Canadians are just like us!

If Canadians are just like Americans, then why pretend to be us when travelling?

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by chris mac

If Canadians are just like Americans, then why pretend to be us when travelling?

Because of the perception, real or imagined, that residents of other countries are more likely to dislike and therefor treat Americans less well than they would Canadians, and perhaps are more likely to be targets of crime/attacks/condescension than said Canadians. The US State Dept. and thousands upon thousands of American travelers have believed that to be true in some places at some times. And of course the point that Americans speak English with a Canadian accent (except for Beantowners, Brooklyn folk, etc. etc.) makes it the logical disguise as opposed to passing oneself off as Norwegian or similar.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sck5

?.. because Canadians are just like us!

Correction: upper-state Americans are just like us. It's ok to be wannabe Canadians. Canadian exceptionalism is well acknowledged around the world ;-)


Why go fast, when you can go slow

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Brob2

Because of the perception, real or imagined, that residents of other countries are more likely to dislike and therefor treat Americans less well than they would Canadians, and perhaps are more likely to be targets of crime/attacks/condescension than said Canadians. The US State Dept. and thousands upon thousands of American travelers have believed that to be true in some places at some times. And of course the point that Americans speak English with a Canadian accent (except for Beantowners, Brooklyn folk, etc. etc.) makes it the logical disguise as opposed to passing oneself off as Norwegian or similar.

Of course most of this view of Americans in "danger" when travelling comes from other Americans.
Now I wonder how much of this is weird American propaganda of fear and distrust.
We seem to love fear and distrust. Its all our news and other media talk about.
From fear in politics, to fear in not wearing the right under pants with your dress.


I started this thread and its a real eye opener for me.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Correction: upper-state Americans are just like us. It's ok to be wannabe Canadians. Canadian exceptionalism is well acknowledged around the world ;-)


Why go fast, when you can go slow

Are you a Leo?

[mako]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Of course most of this view of Americans in "danger" when travelling comes from other Americans. Now I wonder how much of this is weird American propaganda of fear and distrust. We seem to love fear and distrust.

Perhaps a lot of it is but depending on where you are, there may be real dangers faced in being American. I recall seeing hatred and seeing spit flying out of peoples' contorted mouths back when Bush had sent us across borders where we shouldn't have been. Back then it was survival to be incognito as British or whatever.

America's foreign policy has toned down these days and we've pulled troops out of a lot of places, so hopefully the threats aren't as they were. We're now about 85% independent of Saudi oil and our regional politics are driven more around coalition causes, not unilateral "you're either with us or against us" type cowboy stuff.

However, for a typical sailor visiting foreign ports of call hopefully the biggest challenge is the typical pickpocket or outboard-snatcher - same stuff we face in LA harbor or Biscayne Bay or wherever.

Interesting thread that you've started SeaDreaming, next time let's start something less controversial, like anchors and DDs

Cheers

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Gafferfan

Ok enough, one day we will meet and sit and have a cold one then! That sound o.k. Ken? Much better than this nonsense that I started without enough coffee in me! Apologies for my sarcasm.

That sounds good to me.

[SVNeko]

I've never run across an American posing as a Canadian. If any of you have, and there are a few on here claiming that, let's have specifics about it. Leave names out, but places, times and causes would be illuminating.

[Kenomac]

The fear factor in Amerika is greatly over exaggerated by the industrial complex of fear and the news media. Turn off the TV and especially the news.

Who would have thought five years ago, that the two of us a Canadian and an American would be spending two months of each year for most likely the next ten years, in the former Yugoslavia (Croatia and Montenegro), former Soviet Union. Bombing around the beautiful countryside in a rented Toyota via a car rental company named Boston Car rental, anchoring in stunning anchorages and having the time of our lives.

Get out, see and meet the world.... don't be afraid.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

. . . Get out, see and meet the world.... don't be afraid.

Best advice in this thread so far.

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by SVNeko

I've never run across an American posing as a Canadian. If any of you have, and there are a few on here claiming that, let's have specifics about it. Leave names out, but places, times and causes would be illuminating.

I have met several in France. I met one at a gas station, a conversation that started over my license plate. The son had met up with his parents but previous to that had been backpacking as a Canadian. He would readily admit he was American but thought it might be helpful to show as Canadian superficially. Folks sell online 'I'm a Canadian' kits for American backpackers that include sew-on flags for their knapsacks, so clearly there is a market for it. I think the typical reaction these days in Europe is to embrace American tourists, and it's the younger brit males that need to hide their provenance when on the continent. Ain't stereotypes a wonderful thing?