Posted on 04/12/2025 6:35:28 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Strolling in bright sunshine across the immaculately raked gravel of Paris's Tuileries gardens, Barbara and Rick Wilson from Dallas, Oregon, were not exactly in disguise. But earlier that morning, on their very first trip to France, Rick, 74, had taken an unusual precaution.
Before leaving his hotel, he'd taken a small piece of black tape and covered up the Stars and Stripes flag on the corner of his baseball cap.
"We're sick about it. It's horrible. Just horrible," said Rick, as he and his wife contemplated the sudden sense of shame and embarrassment they said they now felt, as Americans, following President Trump's abrupt moves on global trading tariffs.
Barbara, 70, even had a Canadian lapel pin in her pocket – a gift from another tourist - which she thought might come in useful if further subterfuge proved necessary.
"I'm disappointed in our country. We are upset about the tariffs," she explained.
A few yards away, towards the crowds gathering outside the Louvre Museum, another American couple was also trying to keep a lower profile than usual. Chris Epps, 56, an attorney from New York, had decided he would dress a little differently on today's tour.
"No New York Yankees hat. I left it in the hotel. People might come up to us, treat us differently. But so far, so good," he added.
To be clear, there are no indications that Americans are any less welcome here than before. Our interviews with a random selection of tourists were also carried out shortly before President Trump reversed some of his tariffs.
Nonetheless, the shock and anger generated in Europe by events of the past week have added fuel to perceptions of a much larger transatlantic rift – of a shifting of the tectonic plates of international relations.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Paris will always be a spot for anti-American and anti-tourist attitudes.
Try Lyon or Toulon or Alsace, anywhere else. The French outside of Paris are lovely people.
Well they do treat the Germans nicely. They even lined the streets with trees so the German soldiers did not have to march in the sun.
And like I care, I care as much as I do how Whoopi feels.
So many Americans travel expecting locals to know English and they are loud and obnoxious. Locals are usually kind, appreciate people caring about their country and wanting to see their way of life.
Like so much of life, you find what you're looking for.
Visited Paris in 2000.....had no problems with anyone. I knew a little French and could say hello, thank you, good bye, etc. They seem to appreciate you trying.
This “story” is pure propaganda by the virulently anti-Trump BBC.
Exactly. This is nothing new. When I was in Paris in 1976 with my sister and her French husband, there were times they told me not to speak (English).
Agreed. Before traveling to another country, I’ve learned how to say, in that country’s native language, “I’m very sorry, but I cannot speak (insert language here). Do you speak English?” That simple phrase has made travel much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. I’ve even been treated well by the French!
My daughter speaks fluent French and even teaches it as a high school teacher, she has been to France several times and lived there for some nine months while attending the University of Bordeaux. She has never had a problem there.
Looks like BBC is still mad about the huge hole in their budget from USAID money being cut off.
these people are no different than that suck ass fellow employee who changes depending on who is in the room... treat them as such and go on about your business.
I suspect these people were already ashamed of being American, before they went to Paris.
Nowhere in the article does it say that the French treated them differently.
For the record, the French aren’t particularly warm, cheerful and friendly to ANYONE.
It was certainly an issue in 1964 when my dad was assigned to a base in France while in the Air Force. The frogs hated us but loved our dollars.
In 1998 (when Clinton) was president, I got the same advice about going to Paris with my 16-year-old son. Multiple people told us to wear Canadian pins and to not indicate in any way that we were Americans. We did not do that and were treated well. I had four years of French in high school (by then very rusty), and I used it when I could, but if I was trying to communicate anything the least bit complicated, the French person would switch over to English. Waiters were nice to us. Twice they upgraded our seats (once at a Moliere play and once at the Folies Bergere theatre).
the French have always turned a nose up toward Americans so what they gonna do...turn it up farther?
“I’m disappointed in our country. We are upset about the tariffs,” she explained.
Fedora.
All men look good
I know a person who returned from a trip there a few months ago. Said it was dirty.
EU should be ashamed of what has happened to their countries.
Who wants to visit a nation without free speech that is becoming part of a caliphate?
“Before leaving his hotel, he’d taken a small piece of black tape and covered up the Stars and Stripes flag on the corner of his baseball cap.”
Because he can afford Paris but not a new ball cap?
Because he is too dumb to know an old man wearing a ball cap in Paris shouts “American”?
Because a piece of tap on a ball cap is high fashion?
Because he is actually signaling that he wants Paris to know he is embarrassed to be an American?
I traveled the world for 20 years on business. Europeans love to discuss US politics. Russians despised Obama even though he was Putin’s boy toy but I would not trash him. I told them to visit me in the US if they wanted to discuss Obama. I was in the middle with of nowhere England, went to a local pub with a customer the week after Trumps first election, was asked rather loudly and sourly what I thought of my new president. I replied that I was as thrilled and asked what they (he and his wife) thought. He jumped and up and screamed “about damn time!”. We started eating and drinking at noon and didn’t leave until 7. The next whole pub celebrated with me.
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