South/Central America is truly a unique connection with the U.S. Mostly because the US has truly screwed over just about ever country in some shape or form. Although when locals in Buenos Aires try to blame the U.S. for all their problems I'd like to tell them to slow their roll...but I just let them speak their mind. After a few conversations I've learned the U.S. isn't the only country that bleaches out its history.

But anyway, yeah, I can be ashamed of U.S. visitors as well. When I lived in Peru for the latter half of COVID the only people not following the health requirements were people from the U.S. Now, of course, travelers from the US make up the majority of tourists in Latin America due to the proximity, but it's still an issue. I think much of it is we're taught in school that the US is just so much better than everywhere else there's this kind of national nepotism built in.

I think it might have been perceived that things were "better" with Obama. But, if I'm being honest, I don't think many Trump supporters travel internationally (and many locals in South America like Trump...at least compared with the current administration, but that's an entirely different topic altogether)

It's still why I say I'm from the U.S. So I can at least show locals we're not all full of ourselves.