“This should not be a problem in 2025.”

After one American lady went viral for grabbing a pickpocket by the ponytail in Venice, others say the ordeal has made them really feel patriotic.

Featured Video

Why are Americans uniting over pickpockets?

Last week, a TikToker shared a video of her American mom berating an Italian pickpocket, hand clenched within the thief’s hair. It’s now sparked a world dialogue about the place pickpockets do and don’t exist, and the American inclination to defend what’s theirs.

According to a Medium weblog, American vacationers supposedly beat up the pickpockets who focused them on the Paris Olympics in 2024. This unconfirmed rumor sparked discourse between European locals and Americans, who inspired them to take harsher motion in opposition to the thieves.

One American TikToker referenced the year-old rumor days after the pickpocket ponytail incident, saying that Europeans ought to observe swimsuit.

“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.”

@trashbuns ♬ Piano well-known music Chopin Deep deep clear magnificence – RYOpianoforte

Other Americans appear to agree, joking that the pickpocket incident gave them a uncommon feeling of patriotism throughout a extremely unstable political period within the United States.

Several TikTokers fake to salute because the National Anthem performs within the background. On-screen textual content 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 customers hopped on the meme as effectively, 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,” one other posts with a GIF of an individual swinging a lady by her pigtails.

In the feedback of the TikToks, extra Americans shared their ideas on why they could react extra 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,” one other says.

Some European locals observe that pickpockets don’t have a tendency to focus on them, which is why they haven’t taken motion in opposition to them.

“They aren’t going for the locals, they mainly target tourists lol,” a commenter remarks.

“No one is trying to pickpocket locals, lmao,” one other writes.

“Locals don’t get pickpocketed lmaoo they recognise you as tourists. Been living in Rome my whole life,” a 3rd provides.

The web is chaotic—however we’ll break it down for you in a single day by day e mail. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s e-newsletter right here.