After posting a hate-filled rant about his European vacation, a man was berated and mistaken for being an American tourist (he's Canadian)
Billy Love was met with strong pushback after he made a video criticizing his European trip.
Initial commenters assumed he was American, and said he was the reason why outsiders "hate American people."
Love, who's Canadian, told Insider that he can see why the video got backlash but didn't expect so much of it.
A Canadian man has sparked strong reactions from non-Americans on TikTok after he shared a video recapping a Europe trip that did not live up to expectations. Several angry initial commenters mistakenly assumed he was American, with one top commenter hurling "f america" in response.
The creator Billy Love told Insider that while he understands why there was backlash, the incident has opened his eyes to the "deep-rooted hatred" he feels Europeans have for Americans.
In the clip from September 14, which has been viewed over 1.4 million times, Love said his trip to Europe in early September was "half amazing, half kinda dogshit."
"People love to glamorize Europe because it's stunning, but there's a lot of fucking shitty things about it too," Love began. He said he wouldn't go back to the Greek islands of Ios or Crete, where he said the people were "condescending" and treated him like a "peasant." He also said he wouldn't go back to Berlin and that the city culture wasn't for him.
While he praised Budapest and Prague, he also criticized their nightlife scenes as being "like a decade behind." By the end of the video, the only city he had an unreserved appreciation for was Amsterdam.
The comment section has been inundated with derision, from people making sarcastic jokes about the "positive uplifting personality" he must have brought on his trip. Though he never disclosed his nationality in the video, many viewers immediately assumed he was American. As evidence, some people pointed to the fact that he celebrated Amsterdam but only recommended that people visit the city's famous Red Light District.
A top comment amassing over 33,000 likes read, "We hate American people in general bc you think u are better then all of the world," adding an "f America."
"This video shows why Europeans hate Americans. You think everybody cares so much about you and your opinion but in reality nobody cares," another person commented.
"Please don't feel like you need to come back. We won't mind," another snapped back.
While most people were taken aback by Love's negative European experience, several comments turned personal and nasty, and began denigrating his looks. A few days later, Love made a follow-up TikTok responding to a comment by a user who called him a "fatso" and criticized America's "dirt, grime & filth." Love, who confirmed he is Canadian, laughed while showing pictures and videos of himself working out.
"How long until they realize I'm Canadian and built like an action figure…" he wrote in the description.
Love told Insider he thought it was valid that people attacked him for not researching the cities he visited enough. (He said he had booked a "one-way ticket" and was trying to travel in Europe "completely blind" and experience the cultures spontaneously.)
However, he said he was shocked to see the "sheer amount of deep-rooted hatred" some Europeans feel for Americans.
Love speculated that Europeans might not like American tourists because Americans "have a reputation for being loud, arrogant" and careless about other cultures, he said. He also thought Europeans could be driven by "envy" or "jealousy" of America.
"They really don't like that Americans believe they're the best, but that's only because they believe their country is the best," he said.
"I'm just here as a Canadian being like, can you guys both shut up and can we get drunk now? Anywhere but Berlin, though."
Read the original article on Insider
