Before my time abroad, I spent a good deal of time imagining how I would be stereotyped as an American in Denmark. I had been told by friends and family members more well-traveled than me that Americans are often poorly received in the countries that we visit. We are understood as obnoxious, entitled, and ignorant. Picture this: the American loudly enters a cultural institution of a foreign country, large camera and fanny pack in tow, bewildered that those around him are not speaking English. Stories like this influenced my understanding of American stereotypes.
Surprisingly, I was never received this way during my travels (well, at least not to my face). If anything, how I was stereotyped had most everything to do with the recent presidential election. Upon meeting someone new from a country different than my own, more often than not the first question was “Who did you vote for?” A conversation about politics at large typically ensued.
While I never was treated as an obnoxious, ignorant, and entitled American, I also made a marked effort never to come across this way (precisely because I have heard it was a stereotype). If I was having a conversation about Danish culture with a Dane, for example, I would be sure to allow them to lead the conversation, and not ask questions or make assumptions that could be insulting.
I think that’s an interesting point about how American politics impacted the way you were received in other counties. I think that politics are a reflection of the culture of a country. Although, I wonder if people would have cared about who you voted for if you had gone abroad at a different time. For example, if you had got abroad after the 2012 election, would people be curious enough to ask “Who did you vote for?” I think that people is other countries might be more interested in American politics that they normally would be because Donald Trump is absurd and bombastic; he captures peoples’ attention (even if it’s in a bad way). It seems like he would be especially troubling in parts of Europe because he speaks cavalierly about undermining and leaving NATO.