Are All Travellers Secretly "Ambassadors"?

by Tasha in Epigrams and Interludes

Is there a new form of Nationalism sweeping the world? And by sweeping I mean…has been here all along but is only now being noticed now that the older, more traditional view of Nationalism is dying out with the last generation that required it? (Wow that went to a morbid place)

With the rise of the internet age and the breaking of the longstanding cultural divides, Nationalism can no longer be personified by the perpetual reciting of the national anthem before a flag. Most nationalistic displays are now seen either on a Commemoration/Independence day, or during an international sporting event such as the recent Football World Cup.

Still proud of the Socceroos, they played some damn good games! photo by: gi.te63

However it is the more subtle and lesser acknowledged form that I am referring to, the form of Nationalism dominated by global friendships, through travel and by my best friend...the internet. This is the simplest form of nationalism. The one where by declaring the simple fact 'I am Australian' you suddenly become an ambassador for that country to everyone you meet, everywhere you go.

Waking up this morning to read about the rioting last night in Glasgow, I immediately checked in with my favourite Scottish vlogger (who currently lives in London) to see if he had any more information/opinions on the subject. While he was doing an admirable job of keeping up awareness, when questioned on the why it took him so long to comment on the situation he quite reasonably replied "...give me the freedom to not always be the designated spokesperson for a place I'm currently not in".

I am not sure why exactly we collectively jump to the conclusion that a person's citizenship and nationality automatically gives them the answers, but on some level I understand. We, or in this case, I, took an event being reported, or not reported as the case may be, and found someone who made it personable, in this case Liam Dryden, and is someone who I am more inclined to trust, as well as someone I have the ability to question to recieve clarification.

And we would like some answers...

 It is a ridiculously flawed system, but a rather attractive prospect. In the last year of travel I have lost track the amount of times I have been been asked to explain past or current situations that I often have no idea how to answer. As an Australian I have been held accountable for Australia's trade policies, immigration policies, political agenda and stance on environmental issues. I have been asked why Australia chose not to become a republic, a referendum I might add, I was not old enough to vote in. 

While this can put people in a horribly awkward and uncomfortable position (seriously - try to explain to 20 Europeans, Australia's current refugee policies and Manus Island without curling up into a little ball of shame), especially if you do not agree with your country's policies (see previous annotation). However ultimately I believe this seeking of information is indicative of a new global awareness, which is a gigantic step forward for us as a race. It is much harder to ignore pain and injustice around the world when you can put a face to the country and situation. As our world expands and we put faces to those previously vaguely understood regions or countries, our depth of interest, empathy and understanding expands as well. 



This does however put us in a position of being ambassadors for our respective countries, which as travellers, is a tough sell. To some of us, the idea of not being a dick while travelling is a no-brainer, however we as people are all individuals. Some are academics, some are more people-oriented, all of us are biased, and some of us are, quite plainly, dicks. From South East Asia alone I could pull out a dozen stories of Australians behaving badly, including the middle-aged couple who were screaming at a Thai shop attendant because they didn't "speak Australian". Groan.

As much as our country should try and put its best face forward (preferably a non-racist, non-sexist face please!) so should we as travellers remember that, while we all have bad days, we are all intrinsically ambassadors for our nation, whether we like it or not. And while we should all try to be less judgmental, especially regarding a persons race or nationality, sometimes it also means explaining for the 49th time that - No, I did not ride my pet kangaroo to school. Yes, I have eaten kangaroo, emu and crocodile. No, I can not make you a 'dog's eye and dead horse' while you go have a 'captain cook' (what the actual fuck!?!). Yes, Australia is bigger than Texas, in fact it is almost the same size as mainland U.S.A. and No, we do not fry shrimp on the barbie.

 But look out for those Drop Bears...because they are 100% legit.


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