Abroad in London last year, Lex Berko ’09 witnessed a full-blown protest against the United States’ involvement in Iraq.
“I went to an anti-American protest outside of Downing Street, when Condoleeza Rice was visiting Gordon Brown,” she said. “There was chanting against America and the Iraq War…[people were] saying that Bush was the number one terrorist…this anti-American chant went to the tune of ’Who Let the Dogs Out.’ It was really intimidating to be around people who hated your country. I had to leave after 10 minutes.”
Many students who studied in Europe last year grappled with somewhat anti-American sentiment abroad, which, on more than one occasion, maintained a harsh perspective of the nation’s culture and politics.
But despite the fact that Europeans often criticized the U.S. government, students were usually not confronted directly about these issues, as this criticism was often more aimed at President George Bush than at American citizens.
“[The criticism] pointed at the administration rather than the country as a whole,” Berko said. “I think [Europeans] make a distinction between [the people] and the government.”
Other students agreed that while criticism of the United States’ foreign policy is widespread in Europe, this criticism did not foster resentment on anyone’s part.
“In general, everyone I met knew the difference between me being an American and the policies of [my country],” said Alex Footman ’09, who studied in Regensburg, Germany last spring. “However, the people I met in other countries unanimously disagreed with our policies.”
The country’s recent economic downturn, however, has actually made some Europeans more sympathetic to the United States, some students said.
“I found that people were less angry with Americans because of the weak dollar,” said Julia Milton ’09, who studied in Oxford, England last year. “America has become their vacation destination…their economy is doing better than ours, so there is [that] feeling of superiority.”
Some students found that the Europeans who they met boasted mixed and sometimes hypocritical views of the United States.
“The French say they hate America, but they love our hamburgers, and our capitalism, and they strive to have our economic strength,” said Michelle Brown ’09, who studied in Paris, France last spring.
Nevertheless, students agreed that Europeans are very excited about the upcoming presidential election, which is frequently discussed in the media.
“I left Berlin the day Obama spoke [July 24],” Footman said. “Two-hundred thousand people came into the city. They were selling Obama souvenirs. All the major roads were full of traffic. There was a lot of excitement.”
Despite the fact that non-citizens cannot vote on Nov. 4, many Europeans are still following the election closely.
“[Europeans] all feel personally invested in it,” Berko said. “They know more than I know about it. Everyone knows the policies [since] our primary debates were on the BBC. It shows that what our country decides matters to the rest of the world.”
Similarly, Milton attended a Super Tuesday party with British students, who stayed up until the early morning to hear the results of the primary.
Milton also noted that some of the Europeans she encountered were particularly excited to see that the American government is finally catching up to the rest of the world in terms of race and gender.
“[The election] has given Europeans more confidence in America,” Milton said. “Before, they thought we were a bunch of idiots.”
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