In the past, many expatriate Americans have worn their national identity beneath a chameleon exterior the way most of us wear socks with too many holes in them. As absentee voter registrations continue to soar in the months preceding this year’s presidential elections, evidence is surfacing that Americans abroad may be embracing a new, and visible, cultural identity.

But wasn’t the American identity visible already, when glimpsed outside its national boundaries?

Everyone’s seen the ugly American: the stereotype abounds. We’re too loud, we’re pushy, and we only eat McDonald’s. We don’t try to blend in; we refuse to embrace the cultures we visit. That provocative blend of rude, ignorant, and arrogant, good-hearted and harmless so astutely pegged by The Oregonian’s Susan Nielsen as the unfortunate reputation won by Americans everywhere has been overtaken by something new.

In an op-ed piece entitled “Enter the new kind of ugly American,” Nielsen argues that the new American image “reflects the worst parts of the United States” as did the previous version, except “…we’re no longer just big tourists with happy fistfuls of souvenirs. We’re prison guards with a mean streak.”

Jennifer Joan Lee’s article in the International Herald Tribune, “Online campaigns gather steam to get Americans to vote”, suggests that Americans living abroad are embracing a more positive image as the 2004 elections appear on the horizon.

She offers up several web sites promoting absentee voter registrations, the majority of which are democratic. Woven throughout the piece is the landmark role played by the Internet, which Lee credits with increasing absentee voter participation at an unprecedented rate:  

“‘The Internet has fundamentally changed the ability of U.S. citizens abroad to participate in U.S. politics,’” [says Bob Neer, founder of USAbroad.org]. “‘Before the Internet, it was difficult and expensive for people to participate. Now, millions and millions of people have a really new opportunity to organize.’”

Lee attributes the high numbers of registrations for absentee ballots to the fact that just over 500 votes made the difference in the election of our current President. Numbering somewhere between six and seven million in population, American expatriates wield a significant amount of voter power, “enough … to make up a 51st state” according to reporter Simon Payn.

The Internet has managed to serve as a means of including the world in the decision Americans will make in the upcoming election. The web site, www.tellanamericantovote.com, founded by Claire Taylor, an American living in Amsterdam, “allows non-U.S. citizens to encourage their expatriate American friends to register and to vote,” in addition to “giv[ing] Americans access to step-by-step absentee voting instructions.” Taylor explains,

“The bold opinion of our Dutch friends and neighbours inspired us. The U.S. President affects the whole world and we want to give the world a chance to have their say … After the election, a lot of people were saying, why does everyone in America want the war, why did they support Bush? … But you forget that half the U.S. didn’t vote for Bush. That’s always a discussion — I am having to defend the U.S. policies when I don’t necessarily support them myself.”

American expatriate and Paris resident Laurie Chamberlain broke a 25-year silence to reclaim her American identity as a political activist:

“While I was protesting against the war last spring, I could have just blended in with the French peace movement, but I love my country, and what it stands for … It breaks my heart to see what is happening to it these days. That’s why I carried a sign saying, ‘I am an American.’”

At long last, Americans seem to have been given the green light to take action on an issue which will affect the world over the next four years.

By voting, we can elect the next American President.