Quote:
Originally Posted by anti fishstick
I do care because it means it will make traveling easier/less hostile for Americans.
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That's for sure. I have probably traveled more internationally during the Bush years (my 20s) than during any other administration before it (and also lived abroad for 3 years), and I have witnessed a great deal of change in the attitudes towards Americans while abroad. I remember on 9/11 going to the US embassy in Iceland to sign the book of condolences that the Icelandic nation was preparing to send to the US. There was a line of people stretching for several blocks down the street, waiting patiently just to sign their name. Most of them were Icelanders. It blew my mind.
But from that point on, the sympathy and support for the US slowly eroded, to the point where it just became easier to use my Icelandic passport to cross many borders. I look forward to no longer being ashamed (or afraid!) of my American passport. What a relief it is to feel the shame lifted off our shoulders as a nation again, and to hear the sincere joy in the voices of others countries' citizens as they congratulate us on our vote!