I was having a nice conversation on a public bus from Maipu wine region back to Mendoza and an American man says to me as he exits the bus, “your loudness is the reason why Americans are hated.” A bold statement for a man exiting a bus who has obviously been listening to the conversation for the last 20 minutes. Stunned by the comment from a, so called countryman I looked out the bus door at the bearded man from Utah and simply said, “really?” My conversation about Australia, the winter/summer Olympics, American athletes and a few cultural jokes between 2 English speakers is the reason why the world hates Americans?
Not having the speed to process all of this and respond to the man who had been nothing but a man with a beard on the bus prior to now before the doors shut and he was gone into the backpackers abyss. I wanted to enlighten him to his surroundings and the context of his statement. We are in South America to start. Not Europe. Americans are not hated in Chile and Argentina, in-fact quite the opposite, we are accepted here as an interesting mix of opportunity and inspiration. Many conversations I start as inquires about the local culture end up spinning around to questions about the States and our culture out of curiosity and intrigue. Is that a good thing? Not always but in the conversations I have been engaged in it has been mostly positive.
So, I am still the loud American on the bus. Does that still mean that I am responsible for Americans image to the world? Not a chance! The true bad press for our country is our foreign policies and our governments love for wars and our big brother attitude to the rest of the world. Through this we have the ability rub people the wrong way and make our selves an easy target for criticisms. Being a big brother to the world, which many countries are happy we are doing so they do not have to, has consequences.
Having our 18 year old college graduates who still do not understand the world unleashed on Europe every summer to drink, do drugs, dance, and vomit of the streets of Paris provides the “loud Americans” stereotype that easily justifies the already bad taste in the worlds mouth coming directly from the “stupid” older brother they already don’t appreciate being bossed around by.
The real point here bearded Utah, is that me discussing Michael Phelps and Ian “Thorpedo” Thorpe along with Rugby with a couple of Aussies on a bus in Argentina is not why Americans are hated in the world. I will concede that I was speaking loudly. Were you on the same loud packed bus that I was on trying to carry on a conversation? If you truly believe that I am the reason that Americans are hated why did you wait 20 plus minutes to say something? Your actions were cowardly and not a help to the American image to the world.
So you know Utah, I have been living in Chile and Argentina for the last 2 months being an ambassador of the great USA spreading my passion for life that was cultivated in our great US of A along with my kind nature. I have listened to many people talk poorly about our country and I have had to apologize at times for our country and others taken stands to defend our actions, all in an effort to make the world understand the complex nature of the American Way.
Utah, if you want to change the world’s view of the US? Get involved in our foreign policy and I will try not to yell about Michael Phelps to Aussies on a bus.
<><> LTD
Matt/Todd
