Would it be a good idea / safe for us (couple from Europe) to road trip the US in the year 2023?

[rrampage]

Originally Posted by mkwensky

I did notice more homelessness now than 5 years ago but there seem to be less interaction coming from them. There seem to be fewer squeegee men and aggressive panhandling than before. Like I said they have always been there in the 'cool' places where international tourists like to go and most cities are doing sweeps or other things to keep them away from the parts of town that see a lot of tourists.

Yes, definitely. And very much there is a presence in smaller cities like Chattanooga. And then you have even quite small cities like Eureka, CA, with a presence.

The problem is that this is seen more as an "eye sore" than this actually being a sign of real systemic issues. "Patchwork" doesn't address any of the underlying issues. So you have a lot of "funneling" going on to cover up what lurks underneath. Certainly, this isn't the way to really deal with underlying issues. And there are certainly areas where things are "hitting the fan".

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by mkwensky

The issue with this particular OP is that if he were a typical European news consumer then the mass shootings should be more on their radar this year than BLM protests which happened more than 2 years ago. This tells me that this is either someone who consumes only right wing media or a troll.

On the general topic of road trips I'd say things haven't changed much between now and 10 years ago as far as the driving part of it goes. The only noticeable changes are that city amenities are more widespread nowadays even in small to mid sized metros, and that downtown areas of major cities have taken hits from covid shutdowns and the loss of office workers from work-from-home. As far as the social aspect of it if you're traveling as an early twenty couple and go to places with similar demographics then of course people open up to you quickly, but if you're 35+ and still want to enjoy a similar result at the same social setting then you are being unrealistic. I also can't say for sure but there might be a difference between the relative sociability of millennials vs Gen Z.

Right. I get very "troll" vibes from the post. The average European is more concerned about gun violence than protests. Europe is no stranger to protests. Look at the French! But I don't hear people asking if Paris is okay to visit with all the French protests. Or the protests in Barcelona.

Its only an issue when Black Americans are protesting. And their protests are labelled as riots, even when they aren't a riot. Or they let the riots override the protest. And last I checked, it wasn't BLM breaking into our capitol.

[Pincho-toot]

The amount of back-handed under-your-breath racism in this post is ridiculous.

I actually advise you don't visit. We don't need more propagandists who fear black Americans will hurt them, to come to this country and stir the pot.

[mhays25]

I suggest they DO visit. See different types of people as people, not "others."