Valid or Not, Americans Feel Unwelcome in Europe

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, February 28, 2003 | KEITH JOHNSON and PAUL GLADER

[TroutStalker]

Shay Berry has made plenty of trips to Europe, but last week he saw a few new things in Berlin: the Bundestag, the Brandenburg Gate -- and some overt anti-Americanism.

As the visitor from New York sat in a west Berlin bar, a man asked whether he and his friends were American, and then told them, "I just want you to know I really hope Sept. 11 happens again." Says Mr. Berry, a basketball coach at Fordham University: "I knew there were some anti-American feelings in Europe, but I never thought I'd run into something like that."

[dennisw]

Thanks for the post for those who have no wsj access.

[Fester Chugabrew]

"I just want you to know I really hope Sept. 11 happens again."

Can you say, "BAR FIGHT?"

[Drango]

Just say NO to France and Germany.

[scab4faa]

Hey if they don't want us going there, fine, then we should stay here spend our money in our own country and lets see how fast they start crying when they don't see our billions of tourism dollars. Screw em.

[UncleSamUSA]

I myself have been to Europe on numerous vacations and I had tentative plans to make a two week visit there this summer.

Those planse are now cancelled. I will not set foot on that awful continent for a long, long time. France will NEVER see me again. I have never been to Germany and never intend to go.

There are plenty of things to see in the good old US of A and I intend to keep my travel plans and my money back home in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Let Europe and its socialist/communist America haters rot.

[Enemy Of The State]

Who cares if the Euro-weenies like us or not...they sure need us a lot more than we need them.

[Paul Atreides]

"There is an 'anti-American policy' feeling, anti-Bush and antiwar, but it's not at a personal level," he says. "Many Americans have no sense of balance or perspective. They are easily manipulated by the propaganda machine."

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

[Semper Paratus]

I was in Greece 2 years ago and can say for certain that the Greeks like Americans far better than the French.

[Procyon]

I don't travel to foreign countries as a favor to them. I don't travel to foreign countries in order to seek approval from the natives. I'm not Jimmy Carter.

Let's not become agouraphobic: afraid to leave the house because the neighbours' dogs might bark at us.

[Paul Atreides]

The Jacques chIRAQ emoticon:

3<=8

[Pete'sWife]

The 60th Anniversary of D-Day is next year. I wanted to visit the beaches and burial sites at Normandy, and follow the route taken by our soldiers through France to Berlin.

Until I can figure out a way to accomplish this without actually standing in France or Germany, I'll stay home.

[billorites]

My family and I spent two weeks in Southern France last summer and the French people could not have been nicer.

Everyone was polite, friendly and helpful. Makes me very much want to return.

I hope foreign tourists to the States are treated as well as we were.

[Doc Savage]

Follow the money. There isn't a Frenchman alive, who, if deprived of American dollars to stoke his tobacco and alcohol addictions, would drop to his knees and perform a Lewinsky on an American just to save himself.

When the French start to hurt financially because the "Ugly Americans" aren't filling their bistros, they'll start doing lip exercises 24 hours a day.

[Kay Soze]

Thi is why I cannot fathom how a US Conservative can go on the National Review sponsored German lines cruise with Buckley Jr. on the danube!

[Cardenas]

TOURISTS SHOULD GO TO THOSE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN FRIENDS AND CANCEL TRIPS TO FRANCE,GERMANY, BELGIUM, RUSSIA AND MEXICO.

[Cardenas]

TOURISTS SHOULD GO TO THOSE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN FRIENDS AND CANCEL TRIPS TO FRANCE,GERMANY, BELGIUM, RUSSIA AND MEXICO.

[Timmy]

I go to France quite often (half a dozen times a year) on business. Have also been to Sweden several times, and Spain and Italy once each. I have never encountered anti-Americanism. Quite the contrary, the regular people are very friendly to Americans. So, a few morons have been nasty. So what? Several Germans were KILLED in Miami a few years ago.

So, if you don't want to visit France, don't. But quit being so silly about it. The European elites hate America. But so do the American elites. Regular people, in both places, have more sense.

[ConservativeConvert]

I lived in Rome for several years and always got the distinct feeling that they were not crazy about Americans. That was 1995-98...I could not imagine being there NOW. I currently work for a travel company specializing in Italy and believe me, there are TONS of people planning their high-season trips for this summer. Personally, I don't get it. I would NEVER be planning a trip to Europe with the current situation and on the eve of war.