A Woman Asked People In Other Countries If They'd Still Visit The US & The Answers She Got Are Eye-Opening
If you're unnerved about certain situations in the United States, you're not alone — many people abroad are downright slack-jawed.
TikTok Whatever side of the political spectrum you fall on, there's no question that these are tumultuous times in America—and if a series of TikToks is to be believed, many people across the world have definitely noticed.
From our problems with violence to our insane healthcare system, people abroad are deeply unnerved by contemporary America.
A TikToker found that many people in other countries are afraid to visit the US.
A therapist and TikToker named Jess, known as @strongtherapy on the app, was having a conversation with her fellow TikTok users about what people abroad think about uniquely American problems like gun violence and inaccessible healthcare, as well as the politically motivated violence we've seen in recent years.
After a Canadian TikTok user expressed that they were "too frightened" to ever make another trip south, Jess asked those abroad if the US was still on their "vacation list." The responses showed that many people in other countries are afraid to visit the US.
America's gun violence problem topped the reasons why many people in other countries are afraid to visit the US.
A British TikToker summed up many people's feelings about America—"I don't want to get shot because of taking too long to order food."
An American TikToker named Meg who just came back from a lengthy stay in Europe reported that Europeans could only talk about one thing when they found out she was an American—school shootings.
"What I experienced the most while traveling was people asking about school shootings," she said. "Genuinely wondering what the f--k is that or what are these mass shootings." She added that they would ask her, "Why? Why are you Americans okay with this?"
Australians said their country has issued travel advisories to its citizens about traveling to the United States.
Australian TikTok user @creature4hire says the Australian government warns members of certain minority groups that they may not be safe in the United States.
He went on to say that the travel advisories also "talk about the fact that drugs that are very legal in actually every other country on the planet will not be legal in America, and to be mindful that laws will change from state to state and one minute you're okay, the next minute you have crossed the border, you're breaking the law."
The advisories on the Australian government website show that many of the issues that have so many of us Americans unnerved nowadays are also the same reasons so many people in other countries are afraid to visit the US. Issues like the high likelihood of "terrorism," the lack of protections for LGBTQ people, the exorbitant cost of healthcare, and the extreme threat of gun violence top the country's list of American dangers.
Another Australian, radio host, podcaster and television personality Abbie Chatfield, also chimed in, and her answer to Jess's question couldn't have been more blunt—"Long story short? No."
"All the Australians I know that have moved over there have moved back," Chatfield said, going on to say the US "seems unsafe. It seems unstable."
Many Americans living abroad said they are afraid to return to the United States, while foreigners living in the US said they want to leave.
A woman named Tara Lynn who currently lives in Germany said she is in no hurry to return to American soil.
"I absolutely do not want to go back, I do not want to visit," she said. A man originally from Los Angeles who has lived in Shanghai, Seoul and Melbourne, Australia felt similarly, citing "gun violence, lack of affordable healthcare" and America's toxic political environment as reasons.
He also cited America's food, which he points out is banned in many countries across the world for being toxic and unsafe, including many everyday foods like chicken and farm-raised salmon.
On the other side of the coin was a German woman, Claudia, who has made a life here in America for the past 18 years—and her stay may not make it to 19 if she can help it. "Trying to figure out if... I can actually do [my job] in Europe—anywhere in Europe" Claudia said. "Can somebody let me know?"
America is still among the most visited countries in the world.
Bracing as these reactions may be, others pointed out that the United States consistently lands in the top five most-visited countries, along with nations like France, Spain and Italy.
And according to Pew Research, America's approval ratings overseas are relatively high, at a median 61% after, reaching an all-time low in 2020—though people surveyed also reported being unnerved by the US's political divisions even if they viewed the country favorably overall.
So perhaps it could be worse. Still, when one of your country's biggest allies warns its citizens about gun violence and inaccessible healthcare on their vacation abroad? That should probably give us all pause.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.