wondering if anyone else experiences this…
in the states, I am perceived as foreign, when not in the states I am considered american. in the states, I feel like the culture is to either (1) lean in to being american (which comes with some implications of country, republican, etc) or (2) fight like hell to disassociate with America(ns). trying to figure out why that is.
personally, I have picked number 2. whatever the public perception of American is abroad is not something I want to associate with, but I cannot escape that due to my accent. I don’t really identify with a lot of the american maximalism, ethics, loudness, etc, but cannot seem to effectively communicate that to people who aren’t american.
has anyone else experienced this? I suppose if someone is so eager to put me in a box anyways, they aren’t worth being my friend…
I’m an American who has lived abroad for most of the last decade, spread between Europe and Asia. In my personal experience, no one cares. Of course I’m generalizing but for the most part people take you for who you are, not your nationality at the end of the day. It seems to be a uniquely American thing to care as much as we do about stuff like this. It makes sense considering how insular, xenophobic, and nationalistic the US can be, but abroad, no one gives a shit.
There is one caveat: MAGA is nearly universally ridiculed. Don’t wear your MAGA gear abroad.