Donald Trump is ruining my life as an expat

[cali]

<snip>

I’ve been traveling through Southeast Asia for about five months now. When I left the US in early December, Trump was still just a novelty candidate. Now he’s the presumptive Republican nominee for president. There are plenty of reasons to be worried about Trump’s potential rise to power: he’s xenophobic, misogynistic, and ignorant about foreign policy and economics alike. But on a personal level, he’s also ruining my life as an American expat—and giving me a firsthand glimpse into just how badly Trump could damage the international reputation of the US.

Wherever I go—Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, a beach in Sri Lanka—the conversation inevitably goes straight to Trump the moment people find out where I’m from. Other US expats have also shared their own tales of how Trump has become the first order of business in any encounter abroad.

“The question about Trump I get consistently is whether he represents what Americans are thinking these days,” says one friend who lives in Tokyo. “I have to say, ‘Yes, some,’ to which the typical response is, “Should we be worried?” Or, “To what extent should we be worried?””

The problem here is bigger than American expats’ personal sense of embarrassment. When you travel abroad, you realize that people in other parts of the world pay far more attention to international news and politics than most Americans do. During one 2008 conversation with some Danes in a warming hut at the edge of a glacier in Patagonia, they explained the US housing market collapse more clearly than most of my fellow journalists were doing back home.

<snip>
http://qz.com/688242/donald-trump-is-ruining-my-life-as-an-expat/

[rbrnmw]

1. thank you for posting this

scary

[Angel Martin]

2. I'm not sure that's a story that will hurt the Trump campaign

for many of them, if foreigners are worried about what America might do with Trump in charge, that is a feature not a bug.

[jtuck004]

14. Until he is crowned and the US becomes a piece of stinking pariah in the int'l community.

What's really ironic is that our enemies who might have shot a missile at us might be just as likely to hold their fire, knowing
that the effects of such a coronation would far worse than anything they could do to us.

We could save them a lot of money and bloodshed.

Or, maybe they attack. Who is gonna tell their kid to go die to protect the real estate swindler?

[KT2000]

3. SIL finding the same thing

she travels for work mainly in Europe and everyone wants to talk about tRump.

[awoke_in_2003]

32. I was in the smoking area at work...

and one of our Brazilian customers (we do flight training) brought up Trump. How do you say "this country is chock full of flaming fucking idiots" in front of customers?

[KT2000]

33. good point

it is so embarrassing.

[redwitch]

4. You could fib and say you are Canadian.

I think I would do that.

[truebluegreen]

5. Been doing that for years.

No, decades.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

6. K&R for visibility

[oldandhappy]

7. Others have told me the same.

Have a glorious time with your travels/explorations. What you are doing is the best for keeping a mind open and growing!!

[JustAnotherGen]

8. They aren't the only one

Costa Rica for two weeks Christmas to early January and the D.R. in April...

He brings shame on us.

It brings me back to a Pub in Dublin Ireland in 2006 and a picnic on Pampellone Beach in France in May 2007 - Having to state "I didn't vote for him" and having nothing to say but nod in agreement when a French woman said about Bush - He is stood-speed.

I think people approached me alone in the Bush years and my husband and me during this year because we don't look the part of the Bush or Trump supporter. We are indeed a safe bet . . . Except for the Northern Leaguers we encountered on the beach in DR - but that's another country's shame to bear.

[LiberalArkie]

9. I just got through listening to an old Firesign Theater LP and they really make more sense

than trying to listen to Trump give a speech. I worry about our nation.

[Zoonart]

11. All just Bozos on this bus

"It's a soundproof room, they can't hear us in here."
"What?"

[LiberalArkie]

12. Actually Don't crush that dwarf, hand me the pliers. I think of George Tirebiter when I think of

T-Rump

[Doc_Technical]

25. "In other news,

final steps were taken in or near Washington to secure the merger of the U.S. government with TMZ General Corp,"

[ancianita]

10. I got a brief finger wagging over dinner in Maputo, Mozambique, on the "barbarity" of US

government's treatment of its poor, and the population's lack of caring about its government's foreign misadventures.

[AntiBank]

13. Mozambique: 6,000 flee to Malawi in fear of executions and sexual abuse from government forces

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mozambique-6000-flee-malawi-fear-executions-sexual-abuse-government-forces-1545422


Glass houses and all........

[ancianita]

23. I hear you. My experience was a few years ago. The question now is, who pays for these

government forces.

[Brickbat]

15. Same as it ever was.

Had the same issue with GHWB back in the day.

[AntiBank]

16. Trump embodies that well-worn if still stinging observation about the country he hails from:

'America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without passing through civilization.'

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/24/the_genie_grown_monstrous_how_donald_trump_the_all_american_frankenstein_devoured_the_gop/

[world wide wally]

17. But Trump said that everybody loves himself

[kimbutgar]

18. Same thing when we were in Italy and Zurich in March

When people found out we were Americans they asked if we supported trump, we were very adamant that we thought he was an insane crazy man. We apologized for bush and said we pray trump is nowhere near the whitehouse. But a certain segment of our population stewed in racism by Obama's electionand right ring media brain washed them to think trump is qualified to be president because he is also a racist mf'er

[JCMach1]

19. I used to have to explain W...

[mountain grammy]

20. I was in total denial in 1980. Never thought the actor could be elected.

I won't make that mistake again.

[LeftishBrit]

21. I sympathize

It wasn't that great having to explain Maggie, either!

[TwilightZone]

22. He'd been in politics for more than 30 years by then.

It wasn't the big surprise that history has revised it to be. He'd been politically active since the 1940s, campaigned for Truman in 1948, was politically involved for the next three decades, and was extremely well-connected. By the time he ran for president, particularly the second time, he had a political machine that would rival nearly anyone.

[mountain grammy]

28. Like I said

I was in denial.

[TwilightZone]

29. As I like to joke, he was a much better actor as president than in Hollywood

You weren't the only one. About 55% of the country was right there, too, and many more "admired" him. His political organization did such a good job selling him that to this day, people still believe a lot of the nonsense, 35 years later.

[mountain grammy]

30. I remember his idiotic anti medicare ads..

[forest444]

35. The one Carter ALMOST got him on in the debate - if one of Bush's moles hadn't stolen Carter's notes

To say nothing of the arrangements Poppy made with Iran to retain the hostages until Inaugural Day.

Boy, he was good - really good. They should base a Bond movie on him some day.

[Different Drummer]

34. That was my first Presidential election.

I voted for Carter because I thought Reagan was a dunce.

[Califonz]

24. I tell people I'm from California.

I don't feel much affinity with most of the rest of the USA, except perhaps for the blue states.

[RKP5637]

27. Yeah, I know exactly what you mean! n/t

[dana_b]

42. Reagan & Arnold

that's all I'm gonna say.

[Califonz]

43. Californians do get starry-eyed over celebrity candidates. Name recognition is everything here.

Probably why Clinton is polling so well here in California, and DINO Feinstein got re-elected so often.

I often wonder why the GOP doesn't recruit more movie star (current or former) candidates here.

[dana_b]

45. Oh let's hope not!!

Otherwise we'll have lieutenant Governor Jon Voight or Govrenor Chuck Norris.

And yes, you're right about the polls but I am hoping that they just aren't getting ahold of a lot of younger, newer voters with cell phones.

[RKP5637]

26. I used to travel extensively overseas in my work. I'm glad I don't do that anymore. I would be so

embarrassed to be in a meeting today introduced as the American representative.

[tirebiter]

31. Spent some time in South America

Back in the mid '70's. Went through a town in southern Ecuador, along the Gringo trail on the way to Peru, that had legal unions, clean drinking water, and a university. was surprised to find a belt for sale in the marketplace that had a buckle with the town's two greatest heroes on it: JFK and Che Guevera. I mentioned to the guy selling it that JFK and Che weren't exactly friends. His response was that they may have been in opposition to one another but they both represented what their town needed. I''ve taken that as a lesson. Just one of the reasons I'm a Democrat.

Then again when I went to Europe in the summer of 2001, (preSeptmber for context) we got a lotta love. People were still in the afterglow of Bill Clinton and the depressioin of W had not yet set in. Of course this was still W's honeymoon period of not having done much of anything. The last time I had been in France was 1965 and DeGaulle had just pulled out of NATO and the franc was nearly worthless. We got a lot of bad vibes then but Clinton was admired and we were admired for electing him and that made things entirely different

[Thespian2]

36. Same thing I heard traveling

in a foreign country...no one had a good word to say about tRump...most just laughed when his name was mentioned...

Oh, the country was the USA...from Maine to Florida...

[Takket]

37. i really just don't get this country...

i remember in 2004 when bush was running for reelection, reading and article with international polls of bush vs. kerry. i remember there were only TWO countries where bush polled ahead: The USA, and, for reasons beyond my comprehension, the Philippines.

Why is it basically the only country on earth that couldn't see what a disaster Bush was, was the US (well, a tiny bit more than 50% of it in fairness to all us kerry voters!)? Now its the same with Trump.

[4bucksagallon]

38. LOL.. Ruined your life?

That would more than likely be true unless you were in the Philippines where they just elected Dirty Duterte head of the Davao death squads President. It doesn't get any worse than him in a democracy....

[Surya Gayatri]

39. I'm an ex-pat living in Europe. The situation has deteriorated to the point that

I just reply with: "It makes me sick to talk about it", when asked.

[One_Life_To_Give]

40. As opposed to those who made Trump possible.

This odd election cycle didn't happen by itself. The root cause goes back much further and implicates people and policies from years back. This had been atleast 30 years in the making. If we can't learn to recognize and deal with the underlying causes that allow a Trump to get this far or even a Sanders to gain any significant following then this can only end one way.

[Johnny2X2X]

41. Trump is the next president.

Sickening but true. I supported Sanders and voted for him, but knew Hillary was a great candidate too so when it was time I had no trouble getting behind her. The damage done by the Sanders campaign to the party since has made a Trump presidency more likely than not.

And the rest of the world should be very worried. They need to start building their armies and developing advanced weapons because it's going to take the whole world rising up against the US to stop our new fascism from taking over. And these righties have been just itching to use nuclear weapons for 70 years. This is what's on the line, other countries should be worried because Trump plans to use nuclear weapons.

[Brother Joe Observes]

44. “Should we be worried?”

Yes. All of us!