Also, I think we can all agree that RedKing can be an honorary Canadian while he travels if it will help him not to get robbed/kidnapped/etc.
I do not agree that RedKing can be an honorary Canadian while he travels because he thinks he'll get robbed or kidnapped. That is one of my most hated ways to behave while traveling.
Sorry to disappoint, bro. My first trip abroad, I saw enough "ugly Americans" that I didn't want to be associated with, that I had to find an alternative.
And you don't see how that course of action is making the problem even worse?
I do. But I don't feel that I would have much impact doing the opposite. Like I said, I don't do the Canadian thing when I'm actually staying in one place more than a day or so. It's mostly when I'm actually travelling. And it's hard to cancel out the blatant assholes by not being an asshole. It's kind of hard to
blatantly not be an asshole. Especially while covered in US flag patches or something.
And there are a whole other range of things that being recognized as an American entails, beyond just the unlikely events of murder/robbery/kidnapping. You're an instant target for pickpockets, beggars and con artists, because all Americans are loaded with cash (or so the perception goes). In China, people will usually be friendly as hell, and then try to ingratiate themselves with you so they can hopefully call in favors later, because they seemingly think we all have powerful friends and can make business deals and have politicians who owe us favors.
If you ask where a good place to eat is, you're going to get directed to the nearest McDonald's or overpriced tourist place. This actually happened to me in South Australia. I got sick of always getting directed to McDonald's or Hungry Jack (their franchise name for Burger King) that I adopted a (probably hideous) Australian accent, made up a cover story of being from out of town, and asked the same question. Suddenly I was getting pointed to little pubs, getting offered pie floaters and scrumptious egg-and-bacon sandwiches, getting pints of local beer, and just generally getting to experience real life instead of tourist life.