Do Americans really know how much the world hates us?

RE · Do Americans really know how much the world hates us?

APNEWS.COM • 2026-05-31

Do Americans really know how much the world hates us?

Millions of people around the world wanted blue jeans and McDonald’s and road movies and Manhattan skyscrapers and California beaches, or at least they thought they did. Little by little they found out that some of those things weren’t worth having and all of them came with asterisks.

I can't speak for all Ameerikans, but I'm well aware of it. Back in the 70s & 80s when I did my Summer Euro Tours on the rails. on a motorcycle, in a rent-a-car and on a sailboat,there wasn't a countrry I visited where Yanks weren't the most despised touristas, by far. I took to sewing an Australian flag on my backback and greeting everyone I met with a "G'day, mate" in a passable Down Under accent and proved my bona fides with my fairly thorough knowledge of Sydney, Bondi Beach and the arcane rules of Australian Rules Football. I did get caught a couple of times when I had to flash my passport at border crossings, but by then I was friends and my new traveling companions were very sympathetic to my plight of being from the Great Satan. I can't imagine how bad it must be by now. I'd be terrified of either being kidnapped, beaten to a bloody pulp or shot on sight.

RE

TDoS · **Today** at 04:59 PM

Quote from: RE on Today at 05:56 AMBack in the 70s & 80s when I did my Summer Euro Tours on the rails. on a motorcycle, in a rent-a-car and on a sailboat,there wasn't a countrry I visited where Yanks weren't the most despised touristas, by far.

Wow! Pretty good for a kid wandering Europe on money earned from delivering groceries and whatnot to help support mom because of a dead beat dad. Shit I could barely afford to hitchhike to the Cabinet Mountains of Montana to try out some survivalist skills back then.

Do Americans really know how much the world hates us?

RE

TDoS