It was a story in USA Today with a big, inky headline that caught my eye: “OVERSEAS WARNINGS ABOUT TRAVEL TO USA COULD HURT TOURISM.”
The shoe was on the other foot, the worm had turned. “A growing number of countries,” the story said, were warning their citizens about taking trips to the United States. Those countries included fairly civilized ones — the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, the Bahamas and the United Arab Emirates.
Concerns those countries have, it said, include “mass shootings, police violence, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT attitudes and the Zika virus.” An international tourism consultancy in Scotland was quoted about the potential erosion of “the positive image of the U.S.”
It would seem the negatives do add up.
I can’t help but think back to childhood and the rare occasions when somebody from our Baptist church would take a trip “overseas.” Nobody said “abroad” back then. People occasionally, and on purpose, went “overseas,” which is a lot better word, more evocative.
When the traveler returned, the curious churchwomen — always the women — would plan a meeting around teetotaler punch, cookies and a slide show, and the “experienced” tourist would proceed to tell stories that always had the same theme: “The trinkets were nice, but I’m glad to be home and to be an American.”
Ours was a provincial and smug society.
There was an obsession with foreign bathrooms — location, unisex-accessibility and quality of toilet paper. Especially when the person had been to France, you also heard about rude waiters and pickpockets. When the traveler had been to England, there was much discussion of bad food. If they’d been elsewhere, well, we just didn’t talk about it.
In the pre-terrorism days of yore, never once did the adventuresome pilgrim bring home tales of mass shootings, of course. We were warned not to go because of inferior toilets and rough paper. And having the stereotypes reinforced, we’d all feel lucky in unison that we were safe at home with no plans to go anywhere.
I’m planning a trip to France next month — it’s been five years — and already several friends have expressed concerns because of recent terrorist killings. I appreciate those concerns, truly, but have to say I continue to feel safer in France than I do in almost any U.S. city. I will take my chances.
I’m not wild about what the tourist books describe as the “fierce French drivers,” many of them behind the wheels of taxis, but otherwise I feel relatively safe, as safe as you can feel anywhere in these turbulent times.
This will be my ninth trip to France, and I hope not my last. On my third trip in 1996 I asked a Frenchman if he’d ever been to the U.S. and, if not, would he like to visit.
“Non, non,” he said with conviction, then used his index fingers to make pretend pistols. “Bang, bang,” he said, “John Wayne!”
Guess in recent years his fears have been reinforced, and today come government-issued.
Now I’m on the side of the seas with more dangers than you can shake a stick at, the kind other governments warn their innocents abroad about.
And, I hate to mention it, but I’ve been to more horrible restrooms in one trip along Interstate 40 across Arkansas than I’ve seen in eight visits to France.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.