I imagine real MAGAs would be assholes where ever they are.
You oughta try living around a few. At least you have the pleasant feeling they will go away eventually.
I am about to travel internationally. I’m not very worried about being mistreated for being American. Even in Denmark, the airplane officials were very helpful and pleasant. (Denmark, a nation we directly threatened. And i needed help because my flight was messed up, but that certainly wasn’t about me, the whole airport was full of people affected by it.)
The group I’m going to visit mostly know me. The ones who don’t… They’ll probably learn that I’m frightened to be an American right now.
Back when America was bombing Afghanistan, and was very unpopular internationally, i did consider trying to pass myself off as a Canadian, although i never actually did so. (I certainly didn’t apply a fake-to-me flag to my gear.) But America was still a solid ally to Canada, then, even if we had some disagreements. Now that America is threatening Canada, i feel that would be weird and creepy, in a way it didn’t feel back then.
Sort of like we’re just helping ourselves to something of theirs, w/o asking, for our benefit, because they’re conveniently there.
We just spent 11 days in western Canada, and never saw or felt any anti-US sentiment at all. Never felt a need to pretend to be Canadian or even mention politics. Canadians were almost universally friendly and welcoming.
You know, unlike here (and on Reddit), most people aren’t obsessed with politics. They get on with their lives and interact in a human manner.
My first thought was that there was a problem with tourists who were stealing flags.
What about gutters that are between a street and the kerb, rather than high on the side of a building?
This one has me thoroughly baffled.
The only thing worse than a discussion about politics is a discussion about religion.
ISTM If Americans want to go abroad and don’t want people to know they are Americans all they have to do is be unfailingly polite and courteous, and dress conservatively.
It’s from an old TV commercial for a candy bar that I don’t think you have in the US. Older Canadians would probably get it, but younger ones would probably be clueless.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
“…that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” That quote is often very misused.
I must say that all of these questions are very much contextually coded for a Canadian …of a certain generation.
Ask any of them to someone from Quebec or anyone under 50-ish and you’ll get blank stares.
Heck, I’m a Canadian of a certain generation and I’d flunk a bunch of them.
That’s the only meaning of gutter that I recognise. 
(Plus bowling, of course.)
Pretty sure you could ask the average American “Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?” and they wouldn’t be able to answer you.
You’re probably right…took me a minute. But if you asked who is minister of foriegn affairs? Or who was the first Prime Minister? Fuggedaboutit.
There’s probably a good percentage of Americans who couldn’t answer “Who is the President of the United States?”
I always die a little inside after seeing those videos online of people failing to name all 7 continents. Clearly the interviewees are cherry picked, but those cherry picked people can still vote, and it counts the same as you or I.
If I was going to hazard a guess, it is less a case of stealing the Canadian flag and more a case of hiding behind it out of shame.
Exactly, and I would hazard a guess that they never thought that
I’m not. I’m ashamed of some of America’s official actions lately, but it’s a big diverse country, full of a lot of different people, and I’m happy if people realize we are not all MAGA devotees.