After one American woman went viral for grabbing a pickpocket by the ponytail in Venice, others say the ordeal has made them feel patriotic.
Why are Americans uniting over pickpockets?
Last week, a TikToker shared a video of her American mother berating an Italian pickpocket, hand clenched in the thief's hair. It's now sparked an international discussion about where pickpockets do and don't exist, and the American inclination to defend what's theirs.
According to a Medium blog, American tourists supposedly beat up the pickpockets who targeted them at the Paris Olympics in 2024. This unconfirmed rumor sparked discourse between European locals and Americans, who encouraged them to take harsher action against the thieves.
One American TikToker referenced the year-old rumor days after the pickpocket ponytail incident, saying that Europeans should follow suit.
"From an American perspective, you guys just let it happen. We're just showing you what should have been done ages ago," she says. "This should not be a problem in 2025."
Other Americans seem to agree, joking that the pickpocket incident gave them a rare feeling of patriotism during a highly volatile political era in the United States.
Several TikTokers pretend to salute as the National Anthem plays in the background. On-screen text on one TikTok reads, "How I feel whenever I see another video of Americans beating up pickpocketers on their European vacation."
Another reads, "How it feels watching the world learn that pickpocketing isn't a thing in America bc everyone is crazy."
Several X users hopped on the meme as well, posting their patriotic takes on the Americans vs. pickpockets discourse.
"The patriot in me arising when I see European pickpockets get handled by an American," one writes, alongside a video of Whitney Houston singing the National Anthem.
"When a European pickpocket tries to pickpocket an American," another posts with a GIF of a person swinging a girl by her pigtails.
How did social media react to the Americans vs. pickpockets trend?
In the comments of the TikToks, more Americans shared their thoughts on why they might react more aggressively to pickpockets.
"We only get 14 vacation days in our American life. Take it from me, I dare you," one writes.
"IDK about y’all, but we would literally fight for fun in school, so IDK what they're thinking," another says.
Some European locals note that pickpockets don't tend to target them, which is why they haven't taken action against them.
"They aren’t going for the locals, they mainly target tourists lol," a commenter remarks.
"No one is trying to pickpocket locals, lmao," another writes.
"Locals don’t get pickpocketed lmaoo they recognise you as tourists. Been living in Rome my whole life," a third adds.
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