Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Reuters: US is unfriendly to visitors
With a headline sure to confuse any reader and/or cause more hate for the U.S.A., Reuters has proclaimed the U.S. as "unfriendly to visitors". What is their "proof"? A survey of how "rude" immigration officials are!
Somehow, in Reuters' mind, a rude immigration official makes a whole country "unfriendly". Apparently, Reuters is only too happy to conflate a harried immigration department -- no doubt one over taxed because of concerns over terrorism -- to the relative "unfriendliness" of everyone in that country.
Sounds like stereotyping to me.
US is unfriendly to visitors: surveyThe United States is the world's most unfriendly country for international travellers, a survey suggests.
The global survey showed the US was ranked "the worst" because of rude immigration officials and long delays in processing visas.
Somehow, I doubt we would find too many Americans that would be all upset over how long it takes foreigners to get into our country. After all, the 9/11 hijackers just waltzed into this country without a word said, for the most part. And, from what I recall, THEY weren't too "friendly", themselves.
And, of course, Americans are wrong about everything. Our immigration laws and officials have, according to Reuters, caused "more fear" than "terrorism or crime"
"The survey shows there is more fear of our immigration officials than of terrorism or crime."
Talk about absurd.
I am now waiting for Reuters to have headlines like the following:
"England unfriendly for dental care", or "France unfriendly to restaurant goers"
...but I won't hold my unfriendly, American breath.
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