Posted on 06/19/2026 5:34:59 AM PDT by MtnClimber
It’s heartening to see foreign soccer fans, especially the Europeans, marvel at their U.S. discoveries. They’ve been awed by Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, and Bass Pro Shops, the best examples of Americana. But what we’re seeing also makes us wonder how long America will still be America.
“Soccer fans like Freddy from Germany are embracing U.S. culture as they crisscross the country — and going viral,” says Danielle Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute.
“Thousands of Europeans are seeing more of America this summer than many New York Times staffers ever will,” tweets Jimmy G.
Germans and Scots are singing “American Pie” while the English sing “Sweet Caroline” at a … Texas rodeo.
Mashable tells us visitors are “posting wide-eyed reactions to the parts of American life locals usually move through without thinking twice.”
“The verdict is in,” reports Fox News. “Europeans are obsessed with rural America during 2026 World Cup stay.”
It must be shocking for the visitors who have relied on the American legacy media to form their opinions to find that the U.S. is mighty diverse and much more than Manhattan, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other elitist Democrat-dominated burgs. Our heartland, that sneered-at flyover country, is vibrant, rich in culture, ever welcoming, overflowing with enterprise.
While the foreigners’ instant affection of uniquely American customs and attractions is gratifying, we still have some uneasiness. The summer soccer “mania” sweeping through the country — “everyone’s talking about the World Cup” – feels as if it might inspire a wave of “we should be more like Europe” propositions that are frequently voiced, especially from the political left.
Chris Arnade sums up many Americans’ Europe envy when he writes in the Free Press that “The U.S. emphasizes material wealth, opportunity, and individual liberty, while Europe places more value on community health, shared resources, and a sense of place.”
In other words that doesn’t sound so comforting but more accurately describes the situation: Europe had dedicated itself to socialism, requiring everyone, whether they wish to or not, to be part of the commune that is doomed to fail.
Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times says that “for liberals like” him, “Europe has often seemed a charmed place with sound lessons for America.” It has “softened the harshest edges of capitalism, provided safety nets,” provides free or cheap university educations, and offers “universal health care, free or subsidized child care and solid public schools.”
Europeans, he says, “place more value on abortion rights than gun rights,” and tend to put in fewer work hours every week.
But, to his credit, Kristof points out in his August 2024 op-ed that “that Europe is struggling today. The U.S. economy last year grew six times as fast as in the European Union, 2.5 % to 0.4%.”
“France offers almond croissants, luxury brands and an enviable way of life. But if it were a state, it would be one of the poorest per capita, on par with Arkansas,” he continues.
Europe’s economy still lags behind America’s. This is not a new story but an old one of two types of economies moving in different directions.
“In terms of per capita income,” says economist Tyler Cowen, “America has opened up a big and apparently growing lead over West Europe.”
Meanwhile, Europe’s population is peaking and is in line to fall “for the first time since the Black Death in the 14th century,” says Kristof. But not to worry. Mass immigration from from Third World countries will take care of that.
While it has focused on trivial matters, Europe has become reliant on the U.S for defense, which is how countries over there pay for their safety nets, (poor) health care and many other taxpayer-provided gifts that Europhiles (erroneously) believe make a nation strong.
Europe is also home to rape gangs run by overwhelmingly Muslim immigrants who have reportedly racked up 250,000 young victims of vile sexual assault, trafficking, torture and lifelong trauma since 1955. Rather than shut down this criminal enterprise, British authorities, says an inquiry supported by a handful of truth-seeking Parliament members, “ignored repeated reports, criminalized victims instead of perpetrators, destroyed evidence, and allowed known rapists to walk free on bail.”
High-ranking officials, such as school marm Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was once the country’s director of public prosecutions, have had little interest in justice, covering up the crimes as if they never happened. Yet they were happy to take a knee for the death of George Floyd, who would have survived his 2020 encounter with law enforcement had he only cooperated.
These spineless functionaries failed their own people because they feared they would be branded racists. They have given up on Western civilization because they’re afraid they will get their feelings hurt. And it’s not happening only in Britain. Migrant crime is a continental problem.
Some across the Atlantic are fed up. The Scots and Irish have protested the migrant takeover that has been forced on them. Sweden has tightened its immigration policy. The European Parliament has even voted to “send them back.” Here and there, we see economic liberty being considered alongside welfare-state reform, particularly in, again, Sweden, which is undergoing a capitalist makeover.
It’s impossible to know if Europe will at some point unite to decide Western Civilization is worth saving, fully unleash the power of free markets, or even learn that the welfare state not only drains wallets but dehumanizes rather than uplifts.
What is certain is that we don’t need to be more like the Europe that will soon be arriving at a dead end. No, to save itself, Europe needs to be more like us — or at least those of us who value liberty, industry, personal responsibility, and civil society.
We hope that’s the message all those Europeans infatuated with Americana take back with them to their leaders.
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Can Europe recover and re-join Western Civilization? They could, but I don’t think they have the will.
There are almond croissants around here. Don’t have to go to France for em.
Every story and personal experience (I was in Boston this past week and it looked like Scotland) is positive.
Foreigners are picking up all that is great about America: freedom, ribs, guns, Ranch dressing, ginormous meal portions, big SUVs, and free soda refills.
Americans are watching Brazilians, Scots, Vikings etc. and soaking it in. All the Karens seem to have gone on vacation. Everyone is very nice.
Both are realizing the media have portrayed the “others” wrongly, and that the MSM and their leaders are lying filth.
The only people with mixed feelings about these happenings are the WEF, Fauci, the DNC, and UN.
That GDP is not just some sterile number. In terms of GDP per capita, The UK would rank behind every US state. Germany would rank ahead of only the poorest state - Mississippi....and that won't be true for much longer. Mississippi is going to surpass Germany in that too very soon.
I could talk about how the UK imprisons TWELVE THOUSAND people per year for their online posts.....how Germany does the same only a slightly lesser scale....how the EU is trying to impose online censorship....how France conducted lawfare on the most popular opposition candidate and ruled her ineligible for public office for years for the very same accounting all political parties in France do....how Germany is seeking to ban THE most popular political party in the country....how the government of Spain is swamping the country and creating hundreds of thousands of new citizens by fiat for expressly political reasons (because they feared losing elections) and on and on.
I could talk about how Europeans have no right of self defense the police or the courts are bound to respect.
but I trust most people - including a majority of Europeans themselves - are starting to realize the Gaia Worship, Socialism and Open Borders they have embraced are a disaster and not something anybody should wish to emulate.
It’s ironic that the left hates America and nationalism but the world cup is turning into a celebration of nationalism and American exceptionalism. I love seeing the soccer fans embracing their ethnic pride and freely displaying it in America. If only soccer was as entertaining as the fans.
They finally went somewhere other than NYC, LA, San Francisco, Miami, Disneyworld, and discovered there's a great big continent sized country out there called "America" that they had never been to before. It was not at all what they had been told it was.
Having lived in 4 European countries starting in the 1990s y'all can imagine how I feel watching this. Welcome to the party guys! I've only been telling you this for THIRTY FIVE EFFING YEARS.
I love how the Brazilians swarmed the Art Museum in Philadelphia but were guarding the Rocky statue to avoid The Curse.
It’s like watching paint dry, to me.
And it’s not just the white foreigners getting the hospitality. I’ve seen black Brits and a few people from Japan getting American hospitality and not a lecture. One black guy made a funny video talking to his European self about how bad it is in England vs America, comparing our food to beans and toast.
Our Betters are likely having panicked conference calls - “it wasn’t supposed to work out this way.”
The world is ever changing and has been ever since time
began. What it will look like in another 100 yrs is hard to
actually behold. Food may be a tablet, a swig of this or
God only knows what else. Hell we have humans circling
the the moon and surviving on who knows what all. Not
food as we know it but something that furnishes the needs.
Take care to all............
Keep in mind that the people that can afford to fly a trans Atlantic flight and stay in a hotel in the Boston area during the biggest summer sporting event other than the Olympics are NOT POOR.
These are the wealthy Brits, Scots etc. The tickets for these games are almost as expensive as a Taylor Swift concert.
The French national team rented out the Boston Ritz Carlton hotel. The entire hotel. I suspect you can not get a reservation at Grill 23 or Abe & Louie’s or even the Capital Grill.
You have that right, but we lucked out. My son's coworker offered us two tickets at $150ea. We hopped on that.
While not a huge soccer fan, and I only tune in during World Cup, it was enjoyable seeing the game in person. The vibe is unlike any professional sporting event I've attended.
I’ve found that Europeans in particular get hooked on jerky, especially since it now comes with all different flavorings.
I would like to see a World Cup game just once too.
I also would like to go to the Winter Olympics once. Cortina , Italy would have been nice.
Seeing a baseball game at Fenway is cool even when the RED SOX SUCK and are in LAST PLACE. I would also go to Wrigley IF I was in Chicago in the summer. FYI, Fenway is sold out all the time in the summer just from tourists visiting Boston. It is one of the cool things to do. Like visiting the USS Constitution and the Warren Tavern.
I have been to a couple Nascar races at Loudon, NH. Pretty cool to do once or twice. The only issue is that there are NOT enough bathrooms for 100K people. I do not understand the whole camping for a week at the track though.
Tomorrow my son and I are going to the motorcycle races at Loudon, NH. This is the oldest motorcycle race in the country. 150+ mph top speed down the front straight. 1.9 mile track. The cool thing is you can also walk into the infield. During the practice races you can walk into the pits.
Europe is lost.
“Mixed Feelings About The World Cup In America”. I love soccer, helps me fall asleep.
YES THE PROUDLY USA SOUTH.
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