Quote Originally Posted by slohairt View Post
I know I'm straying a bit off-topic here, but I witnessed a lot of vicious Anti-Americanism when I lived in Ireland. Especially from the younger generation (of which I am part). The treatment meted out to the older American tourists was a bit better (they were probably spending a lot of money) but bad things were said as soon as they were out of earshot. The younger Americans, particularly backpackers or students, were often blatantly insulted or ripped off on a regular basis. It was assumed straight-away that they were "Plastic Paddies" in search of shillelaghs and leprechauns. Sure, some of them were, but most were just abroad for the first time and trying to experience and enjoy a different culture. I was often ashamed by my own Irish countrymen.

As a fellow North American, I felt a certain kinship with the Americans I met, who were overwhelmingly friendly for the most part. In fact they were often friendlier than the Canadians I met! It probably helped that, because of my accent, I myself was constantly mistaken for being an American! Most of the Americans upon hearing that I was Canadian didn't really consider me foreign. I know some might find that insulting but I didn't at all. It wasn't a matter of treating my citizenship as second-class, but rather acknowledging our similarities, which is something people in general should do more often.
this makes me rethink my trip to ireland.