I’m in full agreement and in the past I’ve visited the US many times - sometimes many times in one year alone. But the key aspect of this change in desire to go to the US in so many Europeans is not the claim of threats of terrorist events happening whilst visiting. It is the perceived threat from the US authorities. Trump’s excessive efforts to lock down the US (actually it is as much about denying entry to people who criticize him) has created a perspective that simply attempting entry to the US is unsafe. No-one thinks its that dangerous once you get there - except for all the (local citizen) idiots who walk / drive around armed to the teeth.
So my above assessment becomes interesting in contrast to this perspective. Few outside the US think there is a high risk of terrorism affecting them if visiting the US. Overall, there is some risk of terrorism there but compared to many (most?) other countries it is low. So the efforts to stop terrorism there appear disproportionate and appear to be acting against the economic interests of the country.
Achieving zero risk of terrorism is impossible. That unfortunately is the fact. No surveillance, no policing, no checks, no intelligence, no restrictions are ever so complete and so accurate that the risk goes to zero. But worse, the more rigorous these things are, the greater the negative impact on the people and the economy of the country. Therefore it is a question of what controls / monitoring is effective whilst not inhibiting the way the country runs and the freedoms & privacy of its people (and visitors). For me, based on the evidence above, the US is getting this balance wrong.
This is not a new thing. I didn’t notice it so much on my first trip in the late 80s, although it was a culture shock to be in a country that shared our language but had such different rules and culture. Being barked at in customs to “stay behind the line” which was drawn on the floor. Also public loo doors at the airport so short that you could practically see what people were doing!
It was very evident last time I was there just over 20 years back that things had changed. Perhaps this was because it was about a year after 9/11. Everyone was plumper, driving small Japanese cars and restaurant meals were the size of a mountain. We did a road trip across the US and it did feel far more monitored even then. We were stopped on a freeway somewhere in the mid West for no other reason than the police officer wanting to know who was driving there late at night. Friends said there were cameras everywhere. A ton of questions were asked at the airport going into the country. What I noticed was the reluctance to criticise the US, the emphasis on patriotism and the flag, zero criticism of the government.
On both trips outside NY, there also seemed a culture of deliberate ignorance within some communities. Little access to newspapers (this was pre social media). I remember a young less well to do friend of a friend being so excited to meet someone from England and asking so many questions about British music and culture. Before the internet there was no source of such information to be found except perhaps on cable channels if you had them.
I haven’t been there since but US friends do seem to be heavily influenced by social media and I’m sure AI will be a great tool to ensure everyone stays a good citizen.
I think much of the arguments on the forum are to do with most posters not liking Donald Trump anyway, and just use that hatred to criticise anything he does. If he gave every American $1000, posters on here would think that there was an ulterior motive, anything to stick the knife in. I think most of the things he has instigated are good for the American people, and it 's like us leaving the EU, it might cost money now, but in the long term it’s the right thing to do and will make our countries more independent and create wealth and jobs. It’s not good to buy everything in from other faraway lands while your own workforce stands idle with people losing their skills. It’s not good for the environment shipping stuff thousands of miles, and it’s not good for communities if there is no work…Idle hands and all that.
I wish our government would be more careful with the people coming here, either legal or illegal. They should take a leaf out of Donalds book. We wouldn’t need half the cameras and security if people were properly scrutinised when entering the UK.
Since Swimmy left boarder control it’s just gone to the dogs…
It’s a fine line between keeping your own country safe and in work, and total isolation Spitty.
You wouldn’t allow every person who passed by your house to come in and go through your cupboards would you…? And there is a limit to how many people could actually comfortably fit into your house.
