Sharing another perspective

When U.K. native Josh Goodall visited Dallas, Texas, in June to follow the World Cup, the Lone Star state wasn’t quite what he expected. “In the UK media, it’s almost been portrayed that Texas is like the Wild West … people might be sort of unkempt,” Goodall said, adding that characterization wasn’t at all accurate.

He did notice that just about everything is indeed bigger in Texas, but Goodall found that to be a positive quality. “The U.S. and Texas are loud, proud, and unapologetic,” Goodall said. “And I think you guys have every right to feel that way because of how amazing your country is.”

While visiting the U.S. to follow the World Cup, many tourists have discovered that American culture is not like they had been led to believe by their local media outlets. Some content creators have gone viral by sharing their new perspective on social media.

International public opinion of America is fairly bleak. According to a June poll from Pew Research Center, the majority of people living in non-U.S. countries believe America does not “contribute to peace and stability around the world.” More than half of international respondents have an unfavorable view of the United States. In Germany, for instance, just 27% of citizens have a positive opinion of America.

Negative perceptions of the U.S. may have a lot to do with media representations across the globe. Cully Stimson, acting director at the Institute for Constitutional Government at the Heritage Foundation, says British media outlets, for example, have portrayed America negatively since at least the 1980s.

But that perspective isn’t broadly shared. Outside of large cities like London, people tend to be much more optimistic about the States. “There’s a huge disconnect between what the people in Europe who are not overtly political think about America versus the people who are shaped [by the media], and the center of their universe is all politics,” Stimson said.

Even though he prefers to take news with “a grain of salt,” cynical narratives about America still managed to shape Josh Goodall’s perspective. “When you hear it so often, it’s hard not to believe it,” he said.

But when he traveled to the U.S. for the first time in September, he experienced American hospitality firsthand. During a stint in Phoenix, Ariz., he met a few guys at a coffee shop who offered to host him. “The media really just shows you headlines, whereas traveling shows you the true American people,” he said. “The America that I met was very different to the USA that I was sold online.”

World Cup tourists are coming to the United States to experience soccer, not politics, and that may give them the freedom to experience America’s positive qualities, says Cully Stimson. “They’re really seeing how big and diverse this country is,” he said. “We have our flaws, but that’s not what they’re focused on.”

During their stay, international content creators have gone viral for discovering aspects of American culture. Evidently, Walmart, Waffle House, and ranch dressing have been major highlights. The TSA even issued a memo asking visitors to stow souvenir sauce in checked luggage. “Who knew dip-lomacy could be achieved through addressing the obvious: Ranch is the king of condiments,” the administration said.

Some visitors have discovered that Americans aren’t as racist, unwelcoming, or politically divided as suggested by their local media outlets. Despite some exaggeration about “gun violence” in America from outlets like the BBC, Josh Goodall didn’t notice one person carrying a gun in public during his visit to Texas.

“We owe America a huge apology,” British content creator Oliver Warren said in a TikTok video. “America is nothing what the media tells us.” Thanks to social media, these fans are shaping international narratives about the United States, says Stimson. “They’re their own media outlets,” he said. 

Stimson says most tourists will go home after their countries get eliminated, meaning the “love fest” for America will shortly end. It’s too soon to say whether the positive reviews of the United States will have any long-term sway on public opinion abroad, he said.

Tom Halsall, a British immigrant living in Chattanooga, Tenn., says he’s been encouraged by the influx of pro-America content from international tourists. “I don’t know if the World Cup needed America, but I think America needed the World Cup to be here at this time,” he said. “It’s just opened people’s eyes to what America is … and people don’t want to leave.” 

Some creators, including Josh Goodall, have launched crowdfunding campaigns to return to or stay in the States. “I just want to show the world the true U.S. through my eyes,” Goodall said. “I think it’s a great way to encourage people to travel more to get these experiences.”