As tech skills become more accessible to learn, a greater amount of people adverse to or outright incapable of critical thinking end up here. Those people tend to have a large correlation with particular political views, and flag anything that challenges them.
Partially, but there has also been a persistent strain of illiberal new, privileged left for the past 20-30 years who don't like debate on inconvenient or unapproved topics.
But now, in past 10-15 years, there is also a populist right-leaning faction that has also begun to emulate this by attacking free speech and gatekeeping discussions too.
This is sad because illiberalism harms both the precepts of separating people from the problems/ideas and also shuts-down and marginalizes thoughtful curiosity. This, in turn, calcifies and balkanizes ideological camps into sports team-like divisions without a universally safe public forum for inquiry and expression.
So even when it's the populist right doing something, it's the "privileged left" to blame for setting the example?
Even though this is a new phenomenon that didn't happen with the "privileged left"? I don't seem to recall HN silencing all criticism of Obama in 2009?
This article doesn't prove that any of the animosity is new. It mentions a spike of people who think it may happen, but I strongly doubt that is actually grounded in reality.
Isn't this largely projection about a minority with enough money to travel the globe every summer not liking the current set in charge?
As a non American happily living _not there_. When dealing with foreign tourists at the individual level, the politics of the white house aren't even close to the top of my mind
So don't worry, you're being a hypochondriac.
The first time this phenomenon showed up for Americans was “the Ugly American” phase of the late 1950s. The book “The Ugly American” was written in 1958, when America’s wealth and prestige was at its zenith as compared to Europe. American tourists to Europe had been perceived as loud and boorish for 100 years prior, as evidenced by travel writing of the period.
But the disparity between America and Europe had never been as lopsided as the late 1950s, in terms of wealth, social influence, military power and even moral weight, since many tens of thousands of young American lives were selflessly lost on European soil because of the moral failings of European governance. And so labeling Americans as “ugly” (couldn’t call them poor, weak, dumb, immoral, etc.) provided a particular release to Europeans and guilt-addled wealthy Americans alike.
I guess the US has reached that same degree of imbalance with most of the rest of the world in 2025 as we had in 1958, for this sort of article to be published in the WSJ. Americans are naturally loud, boorish and insular and always have been…part of our unique charm.
This cautionary article could have, and probably has, been written in various forms since the 1880s for American tourists crossing the pond by sail, steamship, and air.
Well, a lot of people voted Trump into power, again. Those people are the problem. However, that's no reason to show animosity against random tourists.
Was in Amsterdam, Berlin and Reykjavik in April for 9 days. Only thing that bothered me was running into people who wanted to talk Trump.. good or bad. I love talking to folks while traveling Europe or wherever just not having to talk about politics. I'm on vacation for fun and politics is buzzkill to "fun!"
This article is bullshit sensationalism with a side effect of keeping people apart from other people.
I suspect that there's 1% of the population that vehemently hates me because I'm MAGA. But 99% of the people in the world love others and will look past my failure to reach out and converse with me.
Don't let fear keep you from meeting other people.
Hate is the wrong word. "Despise" might be a better fit for many. At least in Europe I would think that might be true for the majority of people to some degree. However, that's no reason for bad treatment of an individual.
If people want to treat me badly for where I live, why should I give them any tourist money? I'm perfectly comfortable in the US (and nobody has been like that in Canada either where I visit frequently). I'm certainly not going to suck up to them by pretending to be Canadian.
I am still wondering what the general outcome will be of the new isolationist politics of the US. The world will keep moving on, with the US as a global power and without it. I fear the world will be worse when the US stops being a global power, but we will see (the US itself will obviously be worse off, though).
WTF!! Even this kind of a story is being flagged? What the hell happened to HN?
> What the hell happened to HN?
As tech skills become more accessible to learn, a greater amount of people adverse to or outright incapable of critical thinking end up here. Those people tend to have a large correlation with particular political views, and flag anything that challenges them.
Partially, but there has also been a persistent strain of illiberal new, privileged left for the past 20-30 years who don't like debate on inconvenient or unapproved topics.
But now, in past 10-15 years, there is also a populist right-leaning faction that has also begun to emulate this by attacking free speech and gatekeeping discussions too.
This is sad because illiberalism harms both the precepts of separating people from the problems/ideas and also shuts-down and marginalizes thoughtful curiosity. This, in turn, calcifies and balkanizes ideological camps into sports team-like divisions without a universally safe public forum for inquiry and expression.
So even when it's the populist right doing something, it's the "privileged left" to blame for setting the example?
Even though this is a new phenomenon that didn't happen with the "privileged left"? I don't seem to recall HN silencing all criticism of Obama in 2009?
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https://archive.ph/ehdIL
Tourists have always (40 years+) been a universally-hated species of inconsiderate, selfish brats.
What's new is projective scapegoating of nascent geopolitical frustrations about a regime onto the largely powerless populace.
This article doesn't prove that any of the animosity is new. It mentions a spike of people who think it may happen, but I strongly doubt that is actually grounded in reality.
Exactly. I was going to say the same thing:
> Over half of Americans reported they felt that U.S. travelers would be less welcome in other
So instead showing any animosity it's an article about a feeling about a hypothetical scenario.
It's the perfect example of pumping out anxiety and outrage and you look underneath and it's not based on anything specific.
Isn't this largely projection about a minority with enough money to travel the globe every summer not liking the current set in charge?
As a non American happily living _not there_. When dealing with foreign tourists at the individual level, the politics of the white house aren't even close to the top of my mind So don't worry, you're being a hypochondriac.
Agree. I am American and I live overseas. I haven’t seen any change in how I’m treated.
Let me guess, you don't wear a MAGA cap except maybe at halloween.
The first time this phenomenon showed up for Americans was “the Ugly American” phase of the late 1950s. The book “The Ugly American” was written in 1958, when America’s wealth and prestige was at its zenith as compared to Europe. American tourists to Europe had been perceived as loud and boorish for 100 years prior, as evidenced by travel writing of the period.
But the disparity between America and Europe had never been as lopsided as the late 1950s, in terms of wealth, social influence, military power and even moral weight, since many tens of thousands of young American lives were selflessly lost on European soil because of the moral failings of European governance. And so labeling Americans as “ugly” (couldn’t call them poor, weak, dumb, immoral, etc.) provided a particular release to Europeans and guilt-addled wealthy Americans alike.
I guess the US has reached that same degree of imbalance with most of the rest of the world in 2025 as we had in 1958, for this sort of article to be published in the WSJ. Americans are naturally loud, boorish and insular and always have been…part of our unique charm.
This cautionary article could have, and probably has, been written in various forms since the 1880s for American tourists crossing the pond by sail, steamship, and air.
Pffff, there is no animosity. We may have animosity towards Trump or some political moves. Not towards people.
The holiday season is obviously coming, with its share of articles written by the intern who has to checkmark his internship.
Well, a lot of people voted Trump into power, again. Those people are the problem. However, that's no reason to show animosity against random tourists.
Was in Amsterdam, Berlin and Reykjavik in April for 9 days. Only thing that bothered me was running into people who wanted to talk Trump.. good or bad. I love talking to folks while traveling Europe or wherever just not having to talk about politics. I'm on vacation for fun and politics is buzzkill to "fun!"
This happened while traveling with George W. Bush in office. It got old quick but it’s perfectly understandable to want to talk about.
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This is BS.
American tourists are reviled because they are loud and pushy.
And neurotic.
lol, only joking.
This article is bullshit sensationalism with a side effect of keeping people apart from other people.
I suspect that there's 1% of the population that vehemently hates me because I'm MAGA. But 99% of the people in the world love others and will look past my failure to reach out and converse with me.
Don't let fear keep you from meeting other people.
believe me a LOT more than 1% of people hate you if you indeed are MAGA, don't fool yourself
I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'hate'.
I prefer not to let the pathologically online people fool me into hating my fellow humans.
Hate or don't hate whoever you want, won't stop us hating you. It's very funny you think the maga platform is fueled by anything but hate
Hating humans is MAGA in a nutshell.
“In my bubble”
Out of curiosity, what about the MAGA philosophy appeals to you? And how would you rate the Trump administration so far?
Hate is the wrong word. "Despise" might be a better fit for many. At least in Europe I would think that might be true for the majority of people to some degree. However, that's no reason for bad treatment of an individual.
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Canadian flag pin on my backpack. My girlfriend lives there too.
If people want to treat me badly for where I live, why should I give them any tourist money? I'm perfectly comfortable in the US (and nobody has been like that in Canada either where I visit frequently). I'm certainly not going to suck up to them by pretending to be Canadian.
I am still wondering what the general outcome will be of the new isolationist politics of the US. The world will keep moving on, with the US as a global power and without it. I fear the world will be worse when the US stops being a global power, but we will see (the US itself will obviously be worse off, though).