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We all know what Europeans think about Bush. I've seen he protestors saying that he's worst than Hitler (particularly in Germany). So I figured I'd ask, now that his administration is behind us, did any of Americans living or visiting Europe back when he was in office face any hostility? What is aggressive or just some eager questions?
Lived in Europe during his whole era. Never a negative comment or any hostility directed toward me.
Did anyone ever shun you because you were american?[/quote]
No. Though I have shunned a few Americans.
Ever have to pretend to be Canadian?[/quote]
My accent does not seem to register in Portugal as an American one. People will ask if I am Canadian or Irish because they know my accent is not one of the British ones they are used to, but American is rarely their first guess. Thus, it seems like I don't have to "pretend to be Canadian."
You know it's interesting when you think of people who are hostile to americans you usually think of the french. But it seems from what I'm reading the british and the germans are usually the most hostile. And even the canadians (who aren't european but since you brought it up).
I visited twice while Bush was prez. Never felt any hostility whatsoever. The English, German, French and Dutch all treated me very well.
And for the record, I never felt the need to pretend to be Canadian.
And for the record, I never felt the need to pretend to be Canadian.
Me neither. Most Europeans seem interested on some level about America itself. Plus, the U.S. is huge, if you say you're from California or New York, there will be a mistique there. Even if you said Texas, there would be some curiousity.
If anything, the locals in the areas of Europe I visited during the Bush administration felt sympathy for Americans for having such a bumbling oaf for a president. Apparently, they don't believe the individual citizens are to blame for our crummy political system. The subject of politics wasn't the most common topic though, many people you run into while meandering through towns want to compare quality of life. They will ask, how much does a kilo of bread cost, a liter of milk, a liter of gas, etc. I need to explain to them that we don't have those kilo loaves of bread, we have sliced soft sugary pillows packaged in plastic bags for the most part, hehe. They want to know what percent of an average salary goes to cost of living. No one ever asked outright what my salary was, what my political affiliations are, etc.
These were my own personal observations and experiences, ymmv. Just had to throw in a disclaimer so I don't get attacked for sharing what I know.
Yes, there were Americans that said that there were Canadians, quite idiotic, really.
All the "antibush" crowd in Europe are creepos, burnheads and dropouts, they are a pest for everybody that does not vote for a "leftist" party but they are not antiamerican at all.
In fact, all their propaganda comes prepackaged from the US from the likes of Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, etc. Their culture is totally American. They don't know who Mozart was, but they love Snoopy and the Simpson and are potato couchs that know all the NBA scores, etc, etc.
I went to Paris during the Bush Administration and decided to confront the possibility of being negatively received as an American so, instead of trying to hide my nationality, I decided to hit it head-on.
Before leaving for the trip, I visited a local army surplus store and bought a lightweight camo US Army jacket. The name of the former owner had been peeled off but the US Army badge was still on one side above the front pocket. On the other side, I had embroidered in bright red "F&%* Bush" in the same font as US Army. Not only was I well received in Paris but I had my photo taken with many a Parisian and some even wore my jacket to have their picture taken.
Bush was a lemon and I made Lemonade.
My accent does not seem to register in Portugal as an American one. People will ask if I am Canadian or Irish because they know my accent is not one of the British ones they are used to, but American is rarely their first guess. Thus, it seems like I don't have to "pretend to be Canadian."
Great post. My conversant abilities in your language have mostly met with "Voce e Ingles?" Next in line is "Voce e Americano?", heard twice, with the added explanation that I spoke their language like their relatives in Massachusetts, since they tend to fish and hang drywall in New England ... a stereotype. Once, in the Algarve, I heard "Voce e Frances?" And once, on the Lisbon Cais do Sodre to Cascais train, a lady asked me "Voce e Italiano?" because she had lived in Rome for 3 years and that was the intonation she picked up. Two out of four ain't bad.
I did not feel hostility. However, two people in Europe in 2007 wanted to talk about Bush. One was a guy who worked at a rental car agency in Sicily who takes you to your car and shows you how to operate it. He told me Bush was a "petrolifero." On that same vacation, a retired man in Madeira, Portugal, was talking to me about the world, and when he topic of Bush came up, he said he was "oil hungry." They didn't like Bush, but they didn't hold it against me.
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