News No Longer Safe To Travel To America?

[Virtues]

Politics is only a valid problem for the people living in a country. The "real problem" for travelers & tourists is what affects them directly. Are border crossings safe? What are the local laws? What are the local problems? What can they expect in forms of problems?

If I'm flying through Heathrow to Israel & back? I couldn't give a rip about the PM or what's going on in the House of Lords/Commons/etc.

Is it possible to like this more than once :hilarious:

 

[eloc]

I think mindfulness is a bit of hijacking of buddhist philosophy. I did mindfullness training with this guy in Brisbane (Manish Singh - brisbanemindfulness)- it really was very good. I think we did 12 weeks once a week and it helped me with my PTSD brisbanemindfulness He was toying with doing the workshops in India as well if travel was your interest. He is from California so you can get the US input though I think his practice and trainings is a mix of Buddhist practice and the modern take of mindfullness.

 

[eloc]

i know security in Australia -is a hard thing for me to manage with my PTSD. Ilive in a country where security threats re terrorism are much higher than in US and Australia andd we survive by being lighthearted about the situation - kind of like how Drs have quite dark humour about death and dying as a coping mechanism so when I come through a really tense security screening where the staff appear anxious and almost gunho then it is really quite activating - no or litlle risk of a security incident but very much a risk of having our already existing trauma added to/aggravated. And imagine if you are anxious because of your PTSD not because of any security issues but you are bullied because of that.

Meant to add - Manish singh at Brisbane Mindfullness centre may be able to give guidance re best places for training to become mindfulllness teacher

 

[joeylittle]

I think mindfulness is a bit of hijacking of buddhist philosophy.

I think @Ms Spock might be referring to Jon Kabat-Zinn, who is specifically the creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a program with admitted roots in buddhist philosophy, but which has also undergone rather thorough scientific evaluation, which legitimizes the practice for many health-care institutions.

Jon Kabat-Zinn - Wikipedia

He's a pretty interesting guy.

 

[joeylittle]

The first sentence tells me that you are not interested in the one thing that is the sole foundation of the problem!

a) Disagree
b) No, it simply means she's following the Admin request to not continue debates about the results of the US election, here.

 

[Deleted member 38644]

I agree with Friday, however... if I were not an American, I would really not want to come here at...

Lol your response was right on

A person told me today if they wanted to travel to the U.S they would buy a boat because the President and airplanes are in a mood like indigestion lol I never been out of the country myself although

 

[Justmehere]

One thing to remember, it's a huge country. Traveling to visit east Los Angeles, California vs Vail, Colorado... are two very different things. In a few areas of the country, I simply don't travel alone at all. Other parts, sure. Easily. Same goes with how one is traveling to the country and for what purpose - and where they are traveling from. It is what it is.

This complexity sort of touches on a bigger point. It's hard to paint a broad brush that accurately describes all the people and conditions of a nation as safe or unsafe. It is usually much more complex than that.

I have traveled to developing nations where I feared for my life, and others where I felt safer than I did in some parts of the US.

Some of it is also about understanding where you are traveling and preparing accordingly, and not being stupid or ill informed.

I heard a joke recently about the TSA. About how when flying into the US, they will take away all the water bottles because they might be a bomb. And collect the water bottles, because they might be a bomb. And put them in a bin next to long lines of people going through security, where there are the most people... because...

Just an example of how our government sometimes does stupid stuff in the name of security but it doesn't actually mean we are more or less secure, or that there is more or less danger.

Is the US less safe than it was in the past? Not really. Our crimes rates have remained near a 20 year low. Link Removed

Are travelers here likely to FEEL less safe? Maybe. The news culture has been on a long trend towards emphasizing fear, and expanding every danger allegedly lurking around every corner. It is what gets people to watch.

While there has been well publicized increase in racist or other stupid nonsense in recent months, that's not the full picture.

There are so many good kind people here, who would and do welcome travelers here and would go out of their way to help folks feel welcome and safe. We are a nation that has not yet fought a foreign war on our soil, and I have a friend who thinks this is part of why we have such a friendly culture. Whatever the reason, we do have a pretty friendly culture. Even with the recent political chaos, while a few were emboldened to be a**holes, so many more Americans reached out to welcome refugees, immigrants, and travelers even more than they have done in the past.

It's a mixed bag.

 

[watundah]

If you're white, you're fine. If you aren't, it depends on destination. Regardless, it always pays to be vigilant. I came thru US customs on Sunday and was surprised that all foreign visitors are now fingerprinted. That bothered me. A reflection of our recent escalated xenophobia...

 

[Justmehere]

I have been fingerprinted traveling to another nation - nations where I was a minority, and nations where I was not a minority.

It's been long standing practice that all races get fingerprinted through customs coming here. That's been going on for many years and is actually nothing new.

There is a rise in xenophobia and dangers for minorities in other ways though.

Being white can make getting law enforcement help easier, and that can help with safety in huge ways. However, being white doesn't make all travel totally safe and fine. There are dangers and safety issues that transcend race.

Gender is another important factor, also not unique to the US. Single women traveling alone are general less safe than men. In the US and around the world.

 

[Beemo3780]

I think it's perfectly fine to come to America, just so long as you fit the "American" stereotype. My worry would more so be if you are American and are traveling to other countries.

My husband just turned down an international business trip because where he was supposed to go had some safety concerns for Americans. I have a few friends in the doctors without borders program, and one of them had a kidnapping attempt recently and was told later on that it was because he was American. Not many people are fond of Americans right now.

I grew up in both America and Canada, and have been stuck at the border a couple times, but for really dumb reasons like my address wasn't updated on my license, and even then it was like a half hour. I couldn't imagine being detained at the airport like people were recently.

 

[8888]

Some areas are safer than others within America, my area is pretty safe. It's got to be safer than a warzone. There are terrorist attacks in other countries so its really the world that is unsafe, not any one particular country.

 

[Powder]

If you are going to fly, be aware that tensions could be (not sure in general) high due to the recent amount of viral videos depicting very "hands-on" and aggressive approaches to dealing with unruly air passengers, some of whom are probably just tired and confused.

Whatever has happened to the people who appeared to be mistreated by airline staff members in actuality, the public and consumers now feel more likely to be assaulted by airline staff.

I do NOT fly often. But I have definitely noticed a trend: airline staff seem more Stressed out and more Mean and Aggressive than ever recently.

Compared to pre-911, there is a definite shift from their being almost willing to bend over backwards to ensure your comfort and happiness to the opposite. Flying seems to now ensure your discomfort and anxiety, even if you do not have specific anxiety problems related to cramped conditions, flying itself, or terrorists.

The last time I flew as a mom with two kids, I was yelled at as a matter of course by the flight attendant. It was a domestic Southwestern flight. Southwest claims to treat their customers well. They did not. I was trying to make my way to the restroom when that was allowed, but was not able to and was yelled at by the attendant to go back to my seat as she planned to take the drink cart through soon. I had to hold it for like 35 mins. It was horrible to be in pain with a full bladder and feeling like a scolded child. I should have just ignored her and went.

This same attendant did nothing but glare at me the whole time from entry to exit, for no reason. The other passengers were very friendly and nice. One man switched seats with my daughter so my crying child could sit next to me. Other men were also gentlemen like (I am a white woman, and these were white men, in the South, and that may explain it in this cultural milieu). I also had on a wedding ring and am clearly middle-class. I noticed that everyone else treated each other well.

What I see is passengers having a foxhole relationship and taking care of each other across normal grouping lines however, due to the harsh treatment of the staff treating the passengers more like temporary detainees in some cases than customers. There is a sense that with the threat of terrorism on the rise, everyone is a potential enemy. Some writers of color have discussed it in their work, and there is a lot of tension in general, despite one's appearances.

So with my PTSD, I've leaned toward NOT flying if I can help it due to the stress it caused me and the fact that I could see myself getting really angry and yelling at staff if provoked next time, because sometimes, I simply can't tolerate the rudeness.

As for safety, I again feel safer driving, even though it's statistically more like to have an accident with a car. I would prefer a fender bender to a shooting madman or seeing people have a medical emergency trapped in a flight or airport. I am nervous about all forms of travel. Especially now.

Have your passport, update or upgrade your photo ID, carry these with you, especially if you are not an average looking white person, is the advice I was given by an African American friend. She carried hers on a lanyard due to her tendency to pass out. Good medical tags if that is the case might help. Good advice for everyone.