“Welcome to America — Shut up!”
Last week, the 5 Min. Forecast noted how fewer foreigners are visiting the United States:
Since Sept. 11, the United States “has experienced a 17% decline in overseas travel,” claims a report from Discover America, a tourism advocacy campaign. The decline has cost the U.S. $94 billion in lost tourist spending, $16 billion in lost tax revenue and 200,000 jobs.
According to the AFP and 2006’s Pew Global Attitudes report, foreigners just don’t like us anymore: Last year, 39% of the French viewed the U.S. in a positive light, said the report. In 2000, 62% felt the same way. In the U.K., 56% of Britons had good vibes about the U.S. in 2006… down remarkably from 2000’s score of 83%.
“Looking to 2010, the Department of Commerce is projecting an increase in those numbers, but only of 1% over the course of 10 years,” notes Geoff Freeman, an exec with Discover America. “If I ran a business that had 1% growth in 10 years, I’d be fired.”
Addison left it at that, without comment. So I'd like to take up the matter of cause and effect.
No, it's entirely too facile to say that foreigners are recoiling against America's kick-ass-now and take-names-later foreign policy. But just in case you missed a couple of recent news stories, I'd like to bring them to your attention now… and assure you that foreigners with money to spend on travel are keenly aware of them.
First, we have the case of a British cabinet secretary… who happens to be a Muslim.
Britain's first Muslim government minister was disappointed after being pulled aside for questioning at a U.S. airport for the second time in a year, he said Sunday [October 28]…
International development minister Shahid Malik said he was detained for about 40 minutes at Dulles Airport in Washington on Sunday morning and his hand luggage was tested for traces of explosives. Malik was returning to London after talks on tackling terrorism with U.S. officials.
Last November, Malik was detained for an hour at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport as he flew in to deliver a speech on tackling extremism and defeating terrorism at an event co-organized by the U.S. Homeland Security Department.
"I am deeply disappointed," Malik said.
"The abusive attitude I endured last November I forgot about and I forgave, but I really do believe that British ministers and parliamentarians should be afforded the same respect and dignity at U.S.A. airports that we would bestow upon our colleagues in the Senate and Congress.
Dream on. The Transportation Security Administration is fighting back, by parsing what constitutes "detention." The TSA says Malik's screening took only eight minutes, which Malik says was true but then he was made to wait under guard for another half-hour while the TSA clowns did god-knows-what.
Given that, I can't wait to see what explanation the bureaucrats come up with for the treatment of some Finnish musicians:
When three of Finland's most popular musicians, including one described as that country's Bruce Springsteen, arrived for a recent tour in Minnesota, they expected a quick trip through airport customs.
Instead, immigration agents at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport subjected them to more than two hours of interrogation that the musicians considered so harsh and demeaning that they filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki.
"It was almost three hours of screaming, door-slamming and accusations, according to the report I received," said Marianne Wargelin, honorary Finnish consul for the Dakotas and most of Minnesota, which has the second largest Finnish-American population in the nation.
Erkki Maattanen, a filmmaker for Finnish Public Television who accompanied the musicians on the September trip, said his questioners seemed to think the entourage was smuggling drugs or intending to work without a permit. "I kept trying to tell them why we were here, but they'd just yell, 'Shut up!"' he said…
"They threatened us with severe punishments if we talk to each other," according to the complaint signed by musicians Ninni Poijarvi and Mika Kuokkanen, "Through the walls, I can hear officers yelling, screaming. They ask about the purpose of our trip — except we are only allowed to give yes-or-no answers. I try to talk about our plans to meet with Finnish-American folk musicians. Nobody listens. They interrupt me constantly and they yell, 'You are a liar!"'
And then, after a few hours, they were released with no explanation and no apology. Customs is supposed to be investigating. The result will be a sight to behold, I'm sure. The press release might well crow about how this proves the security types don't engage in ethnic or religious profiling.
All of this from the same U.S. agencies that tip off the screeners when undercover agents test the system in the event of, you know, a real act of terrorism.
Sphere: Related Content
As a traveler in my youth, I can attest that a bad experience with customs can have a long term impact. In 1969 I travelled to Grece and was met by the Army who quickly sheparded me to the airport for the next plane out. Seems some hippy-chic had imbarrassed the government and gotten shot for her trouble and all americans under 35 were persona non-grata. I’ve never returned. Similar mistreatment in France in 1965 has found me spending days and significant extra money to tour Europe without having to set foot on French soil. I was much better treated at the portals of the Iron Curtain and have returned many time both before and after the fall.
The first impression of a country is a lasting one.
Comment on November 12, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
[...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]
Pingback on November 12, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
Well Dino, you can rest assured that the shoe has shifted decisively to the other foot. French customs are a gentle sight to behold. And nothing compared to the dressing down we regularly see re-entering the U.S.
In Philadelphia recently, I once saw a thick-necked bull sergeant of an agent give a red-faced grilling to a French visitor that was so intense, she started to cry (she held out for 5 minutes first). Right there at the passport desk.
Her crime? She was a 70-some year old grandmother coming to visit her newborn grandson, who lived there in Philly, for the first time. And the agent wouldn’t believe her explanation about why she was staying three weeks but didn’t have a hotel reservation.
What’s even the point of that?
Comment on November 12, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
[...] ?Welcome to America ? Shut Up!? [...]
Pingback on November 12, 2007 @ 6:41 pm
Dear Dave,
It does not matter whether this is happening in the US or in any other country, the point is that it is always about Action & Consequences. That is, if you mistreat decent people who are travelling, then eventually they will NOT travel. Pure & simple.
Taking into account the significant numbers of reports of mistreatment that has occurred in the past 6 years, which are much more in number than the 2 cases sighted in your blog, I’m actually quite surprised that the decline is ONLY 17%???
I would’ve had my money on a percentage closer to 33%.
I wonder if the Discover America numbers are also ‘doctored’ much like the recent BLS, GDP & Inflation figures quoted by the US govmint?
Comment on November 12, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
Alert the media - Someone has had their feelings hurt - AGAIN!!
Comment on November 12, 2007 @ 8:10 pm
please stop e-mailing me
Comment on November 12, 2007 @ 9:39 pm
Sure am glad we listened to those who clamored for “federalizing” all of TSA. Hey, these people are career professionals! Guess the Abu Grahib impulse is not limited to a few soldiers- say, where is Karl Rove?
Comment on November 12, 2007 @ 9:46 pm
Sure, losing these dollars hurts and should be addressed…BUT! The terrorists didn’t fly planes into the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, nor any place else. They killed close to 4,000 Americans with 4 different airplanes. I wonder how the French or any other nation would act in our shoes.
Comment on November 12, 2007 @ 9:57 pm
Reply to Mike S. Sorry but your response does not compute, the last time I visited the USA over 10 years ago the immigration officials were obnoxiously rude and aggressive. Seems they are chosen for their basic stupidity then have their heads filled with rubbish, eg all foregners want to stay illegaly, (very few europeans would see this as a worthwhile or desirable option) and more recently ‘ All foreigners are terrorists’. It would also appear that just because many europeans dont agree with your current president about how to run the world, we must be only visiting the USA to commit terrorism. This realy is low level stupidity on your part.
Comment on November 13, 2007 @ 2:58 am
To Mike S The terrorist attack was a terrible thing (and there was a plan to fly into the Eiffel tower once in 199something but were stopped) but that doesn’t mean harrassing everyone. It’s akin to killing a fly with a hand grenade.
Hmm, perhaps they think by scaring off the legitimate travellers, only the REAL terrorist would go through all that bother and thereby be caught! Ah ha!
Very deep.
Comment on November 13, 2007 @ 6:41 am
There was a time when the Europeans started to build the European Union - and they succeeded rather well. Some 10.000 kms of borders re- moved, no more border controls for 300 million people. - There was a time when the North Americans started to create the NAFTA. Any success? A huge wall being created to separate Mexiko from the US + severe controls. Where would YOU rather live? With respects, Hermann Kuenzlen.
Comment on November 13, 2007 @ 7:27 am
This article only goes to show what I have suspected for some time: America has become ugly. Oh, we have faux-culture that we seem to think is the cat’s meow, but underneath all that appears to simply be a raving mob. The great experiment of the Founding Fathers is rapidly coming undone.
Per MikeS: If an event such as our 9/11 occured in a civilised nation — Finland, for example, or France, or Sweden, or… — they would have gone about securing their borders and airspace in a civilised manner with the cooperation and support of their neighbors. They would not have attacked two (going on three?) sovereign nations unprovoked, waving flimsy and transparent justifications while committing atrocities such as Abu Grahib.
To paraphrase the Great Mogambo: we’re freaking doomed, but in more ways than you might imagine.
Comment on November 13, 2007 @ 1:35 pm
I took my family from the UK to Disney in Florida two years ago. Never again. We were herded around the airport in New York, where we transferred, like prisoners of war.
I set off the scanner twice, the guy shouted at me that if I set it off again he would be forced to take me into a private room for a ‘more personal’ examination. At this stage I was desperately trying to find out what I had on me that was setting it off. I never really did find out - maybe it was the fillings in my teeth - who knows? Luckily, it did not go off again.
There were security bellowing at the queues to ‘keep in line’, ‘get your shoes off quickly’ etc etc
Finally we were all finger printed - even the kids. Which databases are they going to end up with. This was on top of what seemed like a 100 point grilling at the UK airport before we could board the plane. Because it showed that we had been to Egypt the year previously we got the third degree - they were questioning the kids as to the purpose of that trip. (The pyramids were nice!)
We are a straightforward white British family. America itself was great - the people were great, but customs stinks. If they don’t get it right soon, I would be surprised if any goes there in the future. You just don’t need the hassle - it is meant to be a holiday.
Comment on November 13, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
Pfft you don’t like it then stay home. Just don’t squeal for energy when Ivan turns off the gas . Don’t squeal for food when your arable land is no longer arable. Don’t squeal for U.S.troops when the hungry horde is at you doorstep . From third world countries you created. The smug euro trash can freeze and starve in the dark .
Comment on November 14, 2007 @ 10:18 pm
Well done Mage!
exactley the kind of coment the makes the rest of the world hate americans!
maybe one day when you wake up and find you are the victum of your own goverments doing you will realise who you should be affraid of, im glad im not in your shoes, and desperatley trying to convince my siblings to move out of America.
The world isnt just America.
Comment on November 15, 2007 @ 3:47 am
I am a Canadian who visits the US at least once or twice a year. I have never been treated with disrespect at the border. I currently am under the belief that if you treat people with respect, that will be returned. Of course I could be wrong. This would be an indication of the intelligence of the individual you are dealing with. The world does have its share of ignorant people.
I do have to admit though, that If I ever received the kind of treatment described above in this blog, it would definitely be the last time I ever visited the US of A.
Comment on November 15, 2007 @ 9:43 am
Well done Mage!
exactley the kind of coment the makes the rest of the world hate americans!
maybe one day when you wake up and find you are the victum of your own goverments doing you will realise who you should be affraid of, im glad im not in your shoes, and desperatley trying to convince my siblings to move out of America.
The world isnt just America
Make sure you eat your vegetables , get enough sleep , exercise , your family too. Because we will need cannon fodder for the coming resource wars. Of course we will need fertilizer too . Either way you will be a part of the USA . )
Comment on November 15, 2007 @ 1:57 pm