SCALIA SCRIBBLINGS--SCATOLOGY TO ESCHATOLOGY--ONE LEADS TO THE OTHER--U.S. GOVT. GIVES ADVICE ON HOW NOT TO SEEM AMERICAN.....

IT REMINDS ME OF AN OLD BEST SELLER IN AMERICA--"THE UGLY AMERICAN"

Donald Trump has made being an American abroad hazardous to your health. It’s not only in movies that bullies are hated, but in real life. And there is no bigger bully currently on the international stage than Donald Trump. Since he is the president of the United States, this dislike —fairly or not—is passed on to Americans because of their nationality.

Apparently it has become so widespread that even the tone-deaf regime in DC has been forced to take notice. One of my mainstream news sources—I can’t recall if it was BBC or CNN—said that the advice given was to “not make it obvious that you are an American.”

However, it is not as easy as it may seem to try and hide your American identity. I, for example, have Italian citizenship and have lived in Germany for the last twelve years. I speak passable German—but it usually takes one sentence of noticing my accent before they ask either: “where are you from or are you American?”

It might be easier for an hispanic American who grew up speaking both Spanish and American to pass as Spanish or Central or South American. I don’t know enough about the Spanish language to know if their accent in Spanish might give their American identity away. But for us whitebread Americans, we don’t have that option.

Perhaps MAGA can use that as a reason to encourage Americans to stay home on their vacations. America is, after all, the size of a continent. But as a committed expat, I can tell you that it would be an American’s loss. And that is not a recent phenomenon. Mark Twain, great American author, wrote two books about his having lived and traveled in Europe. When you read them, you understand the value of not only traveling, but appreciating another culture.

I can identify with both of Twain’s books. I first came to Europe decades ago as a student in Vienna. Twain’s first book is “Innocents Abroad.” Remember, this is well over a hundred and fifty years ago. Twain talks about arriving in Europe and expecting to feel right at home. Because he spoke a European language? No, but because Americans (who almost all emigrated from Europe at the time) referred to their European country of origin as “the old country.” Which is exactly what my family called Italy. When Twain arrives in Europe, his reaction can be summed up as: “holy shit, this ain’t America.” When I arrived in Vienna one hundred years after Twain had come to Europe, I understood.

His second book is titled “Wandering through Europe.” After having lived in Europe for ten years and not learning a language, Twain had become affluent in the states and decided to come back and learn about the culture—and learn German. It produced what may be the most famous chapter addendum in history, which all Germans know, called “the awful German language.” Like a lot of Twain, it’s hilarious. And true.

But what can an American do? I recently went to a function of an international expat group to which I belong and wore a name tag that said: “I’m American. It’s not my fault. Don’t shoot.” Today in my cafe, an Asian couple were ordering their coffees in English—without having tried German. So I asked where they were from. Hong Kong. I told them after exchanging some sentences— “I’m American. But it’s not my fault.”

Now, this is not something which Americans should have to deal with. Trump’s bullying the world should not make us have to be apologetic for being what we are. After all, we liberated Europe—twice. We have given the world lots of technological advances relied on by all number of nations. But, here we are.

So, keep a low profile and move quietly. Hard for an American….