Estadounidenses Abroad: Stop Being the Loud Idiots Everyone Hates

• 🌍 The world sees Americans at their worst - online and in person

• 🤡 Loud, drunk, arrogant travelers are our brand abroad

• 📉 U.S. reputation has cratered since the pandemic

• 🗣 Nobody outside cares about your U.S. politics

• 🛂 Your passport = responsibility, not a party pass

I want to talk to the Estadonidense reading this. See, this is one of those wonders you wouldn't know unless you spoke Spanish. We call ourselves America, but in truth, every person on 2 continents is American. You know how we say Mexican, Colombian, Canadian? We have no United Statesian, but Spanish does. It doesn't allow us to be that arrogant.

This post is kind of about Medellin, and it really ties all of the things I talk about together, but it's very specific here. I'll tell a little story here, I was in Brazil recently for a very cool event which was a dream come true, 8 laps around Interlagos in a BMW M3 Competition. Quite literally, the moment I've waited a lifetime for. Upon arrival in Sao Paulo, there was a group in customs who was loud, obnoxious and undoubtedly United Statesian (Yeah, get used to it). Speaking in slow exaggerated tone in English to the customs agent; angry, lazy, arrogant and entitled. When I got to the window, there was a sign saying the agent spoke Portugese and Spanish. I put down my passport, slid it to him and I could hear the light sigh of disapproval. He wasn't the agent that had the arrogant tourists, but he heard it, everyone in the customs hall did. I spoke to him in Spanish, answered his question and by the end we had a laugh. I won't confirm or deny it was at the expense of the loud idiots.

The lesson here is a little grace, humor and most importantly - respect go such a long way. This is a lesson that is totally wasted on many from the US. I want to hit you with some harsh truths if you're from the US. This is going to be painful for some to hear, but you have to know.

Your Passport Isn’t Just a Book

That little blue book isn’t a toy. It’s not just stamps and airport flexes. It’s a responsibility. Every time you cross a border, you carry the weight of 330 million people. You might not realize it, but the world is watching.

Here in Medellín, and everywhere else, your behavior is multiplied. If you’re loud, drunk, fighting in Parque Lleras, or trying to buy sex like it’s Amazon Prime, you just told an entire city who Americans are. And you made it worse for the rest of us.

Our Reputation Internationally Is at an All Time Low

The world doesn’t see the quiet, respectful travelers. They see the clowns. The TikToks of drunken idiots screaming at airport staff. The guys bragging about coming to Medellín for “baddies.” The fights on planes. That’s the content going viral. That’s the brand of the United States.

Pandemic divided us. Social media put it on blast. Now every country sees Americans as loud, angry, and unhinged. You think that’s exaggerated? Go stand in customs behind a group of drunk dudes from Florida. Watch the sigh from the immigration officer. That’s our global reputation, and it’s rotting.

Our Arrogance Is Our Downfall

We walk into other countries like they owe us something. Like we’re the main character. Guess what? Nobody owes you English. Nobody owes you comfort. And nobody wants your politics screamed at a bar in Medellín at 2 AM. Your rights mean nothing here.

Everywhere you go, people already know where you’re from. The accent gives it away. You don’t need to pound your chest about it. What would happen if you flipped it? Showed a little humility? Tried to speak the language? Listened instead of lectured?

The arrogance is killing us, and it’s why you’re not welcome in more and more places. Remember this please - YOU ARE A VISITOR IN SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME. ACT LIKE IT.

The United States Thinks Everyone Cares About Our Politics

Let me break it to you: the world doesn’t care about your latest culture war fight. They’re not on Team Red or Team Blue. They don’t care about Biden, Trump, JD Vance, AOC, etc or whatever meltdown Fox and CNN are running tonight.

When you shout about U.S. politics abroad, you just look self-obsessed. You’re in Colombia, Brazil, Thailand - pick a country. People there have their own struggles, their own politics, their own realities. You know what they hear when you rant about America? Noise. Arrogant noise. Let me put it to you bluntly... Being so into politics is the same as believing that the stripper at the strip club loves you. She is only out for herself, and she is telling you what you want to hear, so you will give her attention and money. Sound familiar?

Stop assuming every conversation has to revolve around your backyard. It doesn’t. Nobody gives a shit about your politics. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY.

We Are That Group of Idiots I Saw in Brazil

Let’s be honest. There are more of them than there are of us. More idiots than respectful travelers.

That customs hall in São Paulo told me everything. A group of loud, lazy Estadounidenses making a scene. The officer sighed before I even got to his desk. Why? Because the reputation was already burned. He already saw me as that group.

And here’s the brutal truth: he’s not wrong. For every person trying to travel with respect, there are 10 treating another country like a frat party. That’s the math. That’s why we all get the side eye.

If You Are Going to Stay Here, LEARN THE LANGUAGE

I hate to burst this bubble for those of you who have never been to Medellin or anywhere else in the world, if you are planning on living here for more than a few months, learn some Spanish. Learn enough to get by. People in Medellin will give you props for trying. If you're coming here expecting to have some people that speak English, you'll be sad, especially when you realize that about 5% of people in Medellin speak English fluently.

It surprises people when I speak in Spanish, especially with my appearance, but I always say that if I lived here for 9 years and didn't speak at least enough Spanish to get by, I'd feel like an abject failure. There is no excuse to live somewhere for a while and not learn the language except arrogance, I suppose. Don't be that guy/girl.

Look, I get it, learning a new language is hard. It's one of the hardest things you can do, but the rewards are incredible. If you can speak in English and Spanish, your options of being able to talk to people anywhere in the world are so much better. Also, I get great service when I go places because I talk in Spanish. This isn't a secret, it's logic.

The Lesson: Grace, Humor, and Respect

It’s not hard. Speak a little Spanish. Smile. Don’t be a dick. Treat Medellín and the rest of the world like it’s someone’s home; because it is. If you don’t, you’re proving every stereotype right. You’re the TikTok clown. You’re the loud guy in customs. You’re the walking Idiocracy meme.

Your passport is power. Stop wasting it.