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[RedKing]

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. It also stems from a quasi-joke that me and a buddy had in college. We were studying so many foreign languages that we decided we should have one phrase that we knew in all of them, kinda like a Babel Text. Somehow we arrived at the phrase, "Don't shoot! I'm Canadian!" as a useful travel phrase.

From there, it was a pretty short step to wearing a maple-leaf T-shirt while going through the airports, etc. Plus, given that my travel weirdly seems to be concentrated in countries that are or were Communist, it stands to reason that they'd be welcoming of someone from Soviet Canuckistan. 

[MetalSlimeHunt]

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?

[Max White]

"Don't shoot! I'm Canadian!"

That's... Beautiful! I know what phrase I plan to learn in as many languages as possible.

[Darvi]

I know what phrase I plan to learn in as many languages as possible.

"Where can I get some booze?"

[Jackrabbit]

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 don't see how it'll affect people's perceptions of Americans if they don't know he is one. It's not helping the problem any but I don't think it's exacerbating it.

[Max White]

I know what phrase I plan to learn in as many languages as possible.

"Where can I get some booze?"

I said plan to learn. I already know that one!
It was a prerequisite for figuring out how to play Dwarf Fortress.

[RedKing]

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.

[optimumtact]

What are you talking about, Canadian's don't have sex with sheep.

Oh ho ho.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I don't see how it'll affect people's perceptions of Americans if they don't know he is one. It's not helping the problem any but I don't think it's exacerbating it.

Pretending to be a Canadian if you have enough awareness to know that Americans have a tainted reputation in the parts of the world that aren't America ensures that the only Americans people ever see in those parts of the world are those who do not have that level of awareness, and are thus probably annoying. It worsens the problem by design. Not to mention the implications of being so ashamed of one's own nationality that they'd deny it and pretend to be someone else.

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.

You are contributing to the issue of those not from the US being deprived of all but the most annoying americans by hiding your nationality. That is the value of doing the opposite. I'm not asking you to wear US flag patches, I'm asking you not to wear Canada flag patches.

[RedKing]

I don't see how it'll affect people's perceptions of Americans if they don't know he is one. It's not helping the problem any but I don't think it's exacerbating it.

Pretending to be a Canadian if you have enough awareness to know that Americans have a tainted reputation in the parts of the world that aren't America ensures that the only Americans people ever see in those parts of the world are those who do not have that level of awareness, and are thus probably annoying. It worsens the problem by design. Not to mention the implications of being so ashamed of one's own nationality that they'd deny it and pretend to be someone else.

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.

You are contributing to the issue of those not from the US being deprived of all but the most annoying americans by hiding your nationality. That is the value of doing the opposite. I'm not asking you to wear US flag patches, I'm asking you not to wear Canada flag patches.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that. In a travel situation, other people's exposure to me is going to be so brief that the only real long-lasting impression that I could leave would be either a negative one or no impression at all. Unless I singlehandedly fend off a terrorist hijacking while giving a grandmother mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and rescuing her puppy out of a tree. In the airport terminal.

Negative impressions are quick and easy to make. Positive impressions are built from longer, more substantive exposure. When I'm staying somewhere a week, two weeks, a month...the people I'm interacting with know I'm American, and I do my damndest to leave them with a good impression. I try to speak their language (or at least one they're familiar with), I respect their customs, I eat what they eat, etc.

My wife and I also are regular volunteers with our local International Affairs Council. We host foreign delegations at our house for home-cooked meals and dinner conversation, and make sure our children are involved as well. Those dinners do far more to help our international reputation than my wearing a Montreal t-shirt on an airplane hurts our rep.

EDIT: And since you're in the area, if you're genuinely concerned about improving our international reputation here's the website for the IAC. You don't need to be a paying member in order to volunteer.

[scriver]

There's alwo the problem that if the pre-perception is that all Americans are assholes, some people - especially those you only interact with for a short time - might shape you into that stereotype regardless (unless you're a complete saint) of how you actually act towards them, or blow minor stuff you do out of proportion. And then they'll keep thinking of you as an asshole after you've left them, reinforcing their beliefs that Americans are assholes. It's circular thinking at it's worst.