Headed to the U.K. on Wednesday for a week for a business trip.

I haven't been overseas (except to the Bahamas) since 9/11 and "King George the Forty-Third" took office and I'm wondering how much things have changed for Americans overseas.

Last time I was overseas was 3 months in South Korea in the Spring of 1998.

Before that it was a week in Argentina in the spring of 1995.

I grew up in West Germany as a military dependent in the 60's, 70's through 1980 but haven't been to Europe since.

My experiences with the locals in foreign countries has almost always been positive in the past. I'm wondering how I'll be received in the UK when I'm there thanks to the stupidity of Bush's foreign policy?

I'm bringing my Obama button along just in case things get too rough..

What are your Bush era overseas experiences?

:)

Doug D.

He was knocked to the ground by a goon that said hated Americans. He was on crutches at the time after two years in wheelchair.

We were overseas a couple years a go. They didn't dare bring up American politics around us because they didn't want to offend Americans. But when I brought up Bush and said how I felt, they opened up and said they don't like him. They don't hate the American people, but they clearly do not like GWB and the occupation of Iraq.

I've been working to get Alan Grayson elected (and Ric Keller UNelected) to Congress in particular in the last 18 months so I'm definitely voting.

Have a safe trip anyway.

They stereotype us as loud, gum-chewing hicks and like to bust our chops for that, but they genuinely do like us. You won't experience any trouble. Identify yourself as an Obama supporter (button idea is great) and you just might have people striking up friendly conversations with you everywhere you go.

I was over there in November last year and had no problem. And I used to live there, but we moved back here shortly after Bush** was (s)elected. No doubt about it, THEY CAN'T STAND BUSH**.

is all our yesterdays. Hasn't been like that for at least 20 years.

That was what I was hoping to hear.

Thanks much,

Doug D.

other than to say we're no differnt as I've so many American friends all the way through from the youngsters over here to study who also like dancing to swing music through to my banjo pals who on the whole are old farts like me. Maybe the fact I blend in with them helps as I'm usually only ever to be to found in jeans, white tees , Reyn Spooners and Converses.

On the whole it was back in the 60's and 70's that Americans abroad has poor reputations.

:dunce:

...and disagrees with you. Fat arses, crimpoline (sp?) trousers....I know there is a stereotype because when I lived there I was regularly asked if I was Canadian and usually received surprised looks when I admitted to being from the USA. One person even said to me, "You don't SOUND American." Seeing as I have a noticeable NY accent it wasn't difficult to apprehend that they weren't talking about how I pronounced my words.

But I did say generally. I'm sure there are as many different perceptions of Americans in the UK as we have of Brits!

:hi:

I didn't mention the women - did I ? :rofl: No seriously - the sterotype image of an American was lost years ago when a new generation started coming over here.

You live there, and we don't. :cry: We just want to know one thing:

Can you still hear Americans approaching at 50 paces?

I'll tell you a thing funny though. I can usually recognise them by the crap trainers they wear. You should never have let Converse leave the USA. And - when we're out dancing the American girls are easy to spot : chrome suede soles on their sneakers for slip.

Isn't it a fact too that you were all advised to keep a low profile when abroad following 9/11 ?

It's difficult to find any here that aren't made in China anymore.

I notice in your profile that you're probably not far from where we used to live (NW of Verulamium)...and the dancing is to swing music? Very cool!

Yes, we're supposed to pretend we're Canadians when we travel abroad. (Which raises a whole new question of stereotype. What, we're supposed to wear fur caps embroidered with a maple leaf?) But when I traveled to the UK with a group last year, I don't think anyone within earshot had any doubt of our country of origin.

I miss England. Sigh....

:rofl:

Believe it or not, everyone doesn't like to speak about politics 24/7. Last night I was out with a friend from the UK and politics never came up.

Have a great trip!

Cheers.

I don't understand... is that really true?

Just kidding... I used to do nothing more than vote until Bush became Prez. I used to go out to clubs and I used to fly airplanes and I used to have a lot of fun. I've become a fanatic politico the last 8 years, particularly the last 5 and practically driven myself to exhaustion at times over this stuff.

I wonder what I'll do after Obama gets elected and we have huge margins in Congress?

Oh yeah.. I forgot I still have to win back the Florida State Legislature before 2012!

:)

is supporting Barack Obama. They all want him to win. The button is a great idea. My Obama t-shirt has been received very well.

I'm arriving back in the US on Monday, November 3rd. Just in time to get up early, go and vote, and then sign on to DU.....

Do you have an absentee ballot just in case?

I'll leave plenty of time to get to the Dublin airport that morning.

I'll have to make do with the obama button.

and everyone was very nice and respectful. My last trip was to Bangkok and the only political question asked was "Can Obama win?" When I said yes, the response was a sigh of relief and a big smile. :)

have a very negative view of Americans now. I think they blame us for their involvement in the Iraq War too. I hope you come back in one piece. :rofl:

It works both ways. I always get told by people around here that they just love to hear me talk. Well, guess what? When we go over visting my family, people just love to hear her talk. She's got a noticeable "southern" accent, not real bad twangy like but still you can hear it.

Still a lot of Brits think that Blair and now Brown is in bed with Bush... Gordon Brown's popularity rating I think is actually worse than Bush's. So politics is sore whatever way you go.

You'll be well received and liked anyway. Even with the Obama pin.

But there are some racist bigots in London too. Someone got shot in London apparently just for wearing an Obama T-Shirt, says this Daily Fail report http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1070975/Man-shot-times-street-racist-gunman--wearing-Barack-Obama-T-shirt.html (Sorry I can't find anything better). Dunno because the guy wearing it was... black? But "Man gets shot for wearing Obama T-Shirt" makes for good headlines.

Mark.

If someone shot me with a bb gun like that stuff their gun where the sun don't shine.

Doug D.

having lived in so many places in my life - I can be quite convincing as a Southerner or I can go for a much more neutral midwestern U.S. accent that people can't quite place. I can even keep up a New Jersey or NY (city or Long Island) accent for a while if I like. I find it fairly easy to have a good accent in foreign languages as well - probably because of spending so much time overseas as a child.

I would think that a Southern accent however would peg me as a redneck conservative and that I'd be better off with a more neutral midwestern accent. (There's always the Canadian accent - ou=oo as in aboot)

Doug D.

they are a super polite people, i don't think you need to worry about it

it is a diverse society because of their history, but everyone from whatever background seems to put a lot of importance on good manners and i think that's why things go so well

it's a shame the dollar is so weak and drinks in a pub or anywhere so expensive but you will want to go outside the expense account and enjoy a pub anyway -- no more smoking indoors so you don't have to worry about smoke

i really can't think of a bad experience i've had in the uk -- people were polite then and they are polite now

you should also revisit germany when you get the opportunity, it's great too! and maybe because of your past you actually speak german, that would be REALLY cool

i am a lifelong resident of the south, however, as i have lived for many decades in new orleans i guess i don't have a "classic" southern accent, so who knows how my accent affects the impression i make -- other than they can't understand what the feck i'm trying to say and i sometimes have to really slow down to make myself understood -- i don't think anyone assumes that if you are a traveler you are a redneck, rednecks sorta don't go anywhere by definition, right?

You'll be fine.

They might assume at first that you're a rightwinger (especially if you're from a Southern state - I'm from Texas, and enjoyed destroying illusions about Texans right and left), but once you express your support for Obama, or hatred of Bush, you'll be fine. There is a tiny minority if freeper types in the UK, and you probably won't encounter any of them, because they are (rightfully) too shamed by the dominant culture to openly express their beliefs in public.

The UK is perfectly fine. Please use it as an opportunity to remind them that at least half of America is also part of the modern world, along with Europe, Canada, etc.

And, enjoy! Lovely country.

I am my country's most important and either best or worst ambassador.

How I treat others abroad reflects not just on me but on all Americans.

My humility, courtesy, kindness, patience, forebearance, generosity, imagination, intelligence, hard work, sense of humor and resourcefulness or lack thereof all are keys to how my hosts will view ALL Americans after I am gone.

Although not really an issue in a UK trip, I have always made an effort to learn the local language be it Argentina, Korea, Germany, etc. and have made efforts to varying degrees of success to learn Spanish, French, German and Korean and am fairly fluent in Spanish - even to the point of doing door to door canvassing for candidates here in Florida in Spanish and could get through a meal, shop or airport or hotel desk in France or Germany if need be with my French or German - although most will speak better English than my French or German.

I did learn the Korean Hangul alphabet but beyond a few simple phrases (hello, goodbye thankyou yet, no, please, counting #'s, may I have a receipt, etc), I never managed much Korean.

In late November I will be taking a trip to China if our schedule holds and I've already got the Berlitz Mandarin loaded on the car sound system to learn some basic Mandarin on my weekly road trips.

Doug D.

i am dyslexic and tone deaf and supposedly high functioning autistic, hence, learning english was enough of a challenge for me, learning other languages ain't gonna happen

fortunately my experience is that people are kind

i really think you're going to have a blast in the uk -- the only language tip i can offer is, if you ask where is the restroom and they look puzzled, try where is the toilet :-) (don't know where you're going in the uk, in london i don't recall this issue but in northern england they either have a "british" sense of humor or they really don't know the euphemism of restroom for toilet)

you're going to have a blast!