Kristy Kelly: What a Cruise Ship Taught Me About Global Views of America
We took our June wedding honeymoon in December on a Royal Caribbean cruise to Mexico and met people from all over the world. I usually steer clear of religion, politics, and sex in polite conversation, but one topic proved unavoidable. Travelers from Sweden, Canada, Brazil, and an African nation all shared a similar view: in their eyes, the United States is acting while their governments are still talking.
I’ll admit, the sentiment surprised me. Based on social media, full of pundits, commentators, and the ever-present keyboard warriors, I expected the global opinion of our government to be far more negative. Online, the loudest voices paint a picture of dysfunction. Offline, at least among the people we spoke with, the perception was far more complicated.
Each of them described challenges in their own countries and said they wished their governments were more decisive. They expressed frustration with political systems dominated by long-tenured leaders and slow responses to urgent problems. Their comments weren’t glowing endorsements of American policy; rather, they were reflections of their own national frustrations.
A traveler from Sweden explained that while their social safety nets are strong, citizens shoulder a heavy financial burden to maintain them. A Canadian described strains on public services linked to immigration backlogs. A Brazilian couple talked about rising food insecurity and what they viewed as government inaction.
The most unexpected conversation came from a woman representing an African country. She drew a direct connection between unchecked migration and historic patterns of colonization, offering a warning, in her words, that powerful interests could reshape a nation in ways citizens don’t foresee. She said she prays for American children “who will never grow up free.” Her conviction was striking, even if her view is not universally shared.
These were passing conversations with people I may never see again. Still, as an American, I found myself standing a little taller. I don’t agree with much of what our government does, but I can acknowledge that stagnation is rarely our defining problem. Good, bad, or somewhere in between, our country acts.
It’s easy to fall into rigid sides of an argument, especially on issues as complex as immigration. But listening to people from other nations reminded me that many countries are grappling with the same pressures: finite resources, public expectations, and questions about how much responsibility a nation holds and to whom. When citizens feel they are struggling while others receive support, resentment grows, regardless of geography.
These conversations didn’t offer solutions. What they did offer was perspective: the challenges we debate at home are part of a much larger global story, one where nations are trying to balance compassion, security, resources, and identity, and where no country has found a perfect answer.
And maybe that’s the real takeaway. We spend so much time convinced our problems are uniquely American that we forget most of the world is wrestling with the same questions. If nothing else, that should give us a little more humility about what we criticize, and a little more gratitude for what we have, even when we disagree with how it’s being managed.
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