Go home, Yankee!” shouts a dark-haired European with a thick Russian accent. “We don’t want you in our country!” yells another, as two students run frantically down the road, trying to escape the obscenities being thrown at them from various natives.
Sound familiar? Perhaps it shouldn’t.
Many students who have recently studied overseas have found that they were treated with respect and courtesy, and faced only a few mild occasions of anti-Americanism. In January 2007. The Boston Globe article “The Many Stripes of Anti-Americanism” by Neil Gloss, reported a study that found 43 percent of respondents in 44 countries held a “somewhat favorable” view of the United States, and 21 percent had a “very favorable” view. In fact, 70 percent Germany and France respondents viewed Americans in a positive light.
Saadia Khan, senior speech and hearing science major at UB, spent last semester in Prague, Czech Republic. “People didn’t care that I was an American,” said Khan, “I never ran into any problems in the Czech Republic.” She explains that in Eastern Europe she didn’t experience much animosity towards Americans and that her experience was generally pretty enjoyable.
During her time abroad, however, she traveled to other parts of Europe where anti-Americanism was rampant. “When we were in Istanbul I met a Dutch girl who really did not like Americans” said Khan. “She kept telling me how closed-minded and stuck-up we were, and really made me feel bad for being American. She even told me that America was the last place she would ever want to go to.” Other than that exchange, Turkey was pretty enjoyable and trouble-free. “They were some of the nicest people I ever met, always welcoming and friendly,” said Khan. She was traveling with her sister, so she was unable to comment on how Turks act towards American men. She also said that she never met any Turkish women.
In general, Khan would say that people were unable to separate the average American citizen from the Bush administration. “In Spain they would tell me they hated our accents.” She describes another bad experience she had with some English people in a Moroccan hostel: “Some English people we met down there had a really bad opinion of Americans and thought that they were all stupid and really conservative.” They shared the sentiments of the Dutch girl Khan met in Istanbul and said they would refuse to ever visit America if given the chance. The criticism got so bad, the girls began telling people they were Canadian to avoid harassment.
Revealing Research
The Pew study also found that Americans are sometimes typecast as violent and greedy. These stereotypes do not come only from the actions of our leaders and our foreign policy, but from some of the beliefs many Americans hold near and dear to their hearts. For example, the right to bear arms is inalienable in this country; in most European countries, handguns are illegal.
Dr. Harvey Palmer, Associate Professor of Comparative Politics at UB, explains some of the reasons why these malicious labels are attached to Americans. “Some people in foreign countries think you need a handgun to protect yourself when walking down the street in America. However when they get here they quickly learn that isn’t true,” said Palmer.
He explains that because of the consumer-driven, capitalist nature of the United States, people automatically assume that Americans are greedy and interested only in money. “People rely on stereotypes, the personal exchange is a starting point and stereotypes are overgeneralizations,” said Palmer. When first meeting an American, people will view them through the stereotypes they have grown to accept.
The foreign media outlets play a huge role in the attitudes people form towards Americans. “Often times when working within the confines of the media profession, and having to write in a short, concise way, journalists rely on stereotypes to help tell their story,” said Palmer. With ultra-violent incidents such as the Virginia tech tragedy, and one of the highest violence crime rates in the West, people abroad attach a certain amount of violence to American culture. “It’s hard to change minds about Americans being violent when you see stories like Columbine being reported.”
Different Attitudes
Jacqueline Paduano, a senior psychology major at UB who traveled throughout Europe during her spring break in Florence, said people generally do not dislike Americans. “People definitely dislike Bush, but know there are two different types of Americans. They do not like people who agree with and support Bush.”
Aside from our politics, citizens throughout the world, especially in Muslim countries, believe that Americans possess questionable morals. A simple look at the sex-driven entertainment business, or the clothing style and behaviors of a few recognizable American stars can explain why this stereotype exists.
Paduano experienced this firsthand when going out with her friends in Florence. “The Italian guys would be all over the American girls because they thought they were all easy,” said Paduano. “One guy grabbed me and kissed me in the street out of nowhere.” She described a time when she was at a club and eight Italian guys surrounded her at once, prompting her to call to her friend in panic. According to Paduano, it is believed throughout Italy that American girls are easy. “When I was there, the American embassy was meeting with the Italian embassy because some American girls were drunk and flashing people at Basilica Cathedral, and there were talks of not allowing Americans to drink anymore,” said Paduano. “Most of the girls weren’t easy, but all of them drank.”
Erik Andres, recent graduate of Canisius College spent one semester in Lille, France and one semester in Brisbane, Australia. He explains that most Australians have a high opinion of Americans possibly due to their ownAmericanized, laid back culture. Though he had some troubles in France, he describes his overall experience as positive. “People wanted to meet Americans. I did get some crap but generally I found that people did not dislike Americans,” said Andres.
He thinks that because he was a student people were more willing to talk to him and that it was easier for him to avoid being cast into the typical American stereotype. He explains, “Some Americans are just bad cultural representatives, and some Europeans just don’t like Americans.” He describes a specific time in Brussels when a woman began yelling at him and complaining about Bush. “I listened to her and was like, ‘Yeah I know, but what am I supposed to do about it?’” said Andres. He thinks the opinion is based on political issues and cultural differences.
There is hope in the future as technology closes the communication gap and globalization seems an impending fate for all peoples of the world. “As more people get on the internet and interact with each other using blogs and things like that,” said Palmer, “the stereotypes will fade and people will view each other as citizens of the world.”
