In honor of the 4th of July, I asked my teachers today about their perceptions of the United States. Unsurprisingly, both teachers had good and bad things to say about our country.
Sandra, my teacher for my private class, told me that she had an overall good impression of the United States. Many years ago, she’d seen the United States as a place with lots of money and good, successful lives. Since she started working with so many international students at Maximo Nivel, her idealistic view shifted slightly, but she still sees the US as a fundamentally good country. She believes that the American people want to friends with other countries. However, she held strong negative opinions about Trump, calling him a “racist” who uses his extremist views to garner support.
Antonio, the teacher for my group class, had similar views. He felt that the separation of church and state in the United States was a great advantage. He cited the example of capital punishment in Guatemala. Many years ago, it was legal, but the Pope interfered in the Guatemalan government, outlawing capital punishment. My teacher was of the opinion that it wasn’t right for the government to pass or change laws due to religious motives. However, he, like Sandra, felt that Trump has a negative influence on the American people, using white supremacy to change the mentality of the American people.
During my time in Guatemala, most of the opinions I have heard or seen about the United States was focused on Trump. Below is a cartoon from Antigua’s newspaper.
Furthermore, I have seen the following shirts all across town: in the market, shops, and restaurants. I suspect the trend was started by an American living in Antigua, but the sentiment still exists that “Donald, you are an ***hole.”
I think a large part of the negativity towards Trump is because of his strict immigration policies, the part of American politics that perhaps affects Guatemalans the most. However, most people I have met here are very accepting and welcoming towards Americans and don’t project those opinions onto tourists.