Perhaps a good start would be: Check, OTHER on all forms. I was reading something this past month some of you may have seen. Black people now want to be called, African Americans. They do not won't to be called colored...the say it is an insult. The National Advancement for Colored people, NAACP are stuck with the word colored, and don’t know what to do to change it?
I'm confused by this, because to me it assumes that whites are the racists, so by not being white the people willing to be your friend by reason can't be racist, but that's crazy because they could be racist, just not to your ethnicity. They may still hate people from India, or Iran, or even France. But I'm sure that can't be what you mean. So I'll reply thus: Depends where you are. People are racist towards 'whites' too, and often people of European ancestry DO look different. It's not a 'default' skin colour. It's not even the most common. I've had my share of racism, which people don't want to believe or listen to because I'm an Anglo male, so 'how would I know what it feels like' but I have, in an area of Sydney that is incredibly culturally diverse. As for the OP, also: depends where you are. Some places it'll be fine, and others it won't.
We're not. I'm also starting to regret making this topic because now I think I've made myself out to be an ignorant asshole, so I might ask a mod to delete it. But I thank you all for the comments.
I'm sure that MOST black people don't want to be called African Americans. Most of them have zero connection to America!
I didn't get that impression at all! Don't beat yourself up over it. As for white people being racist... I don't know if you can call it "racist," per se. But my sister (an American) lives in the UK. Her husband is an Air Force pilot and they've been stationed there about two years ago. They've been all over Europe, sight seeing, exploring. And she said the French... just... hated her. lol I can't remember exactly what happened, but she said she did NOT get a warm welcome from them because she's an american. She went back a second time though, with her baby, and said people were much nicer. Can't be mean to a wee little baby!
Was she in Paris? They're notoriously bigoted toward any non-Parisian. I've been told most in France are mostly nice. I know a French person in the Zelda forum who does not have a problem with Americans, though she worries about our politicians. But that would be 'xenophobia', not racism. Racism is when you hate someone because of their skin color/ethnicity. Xenophobia is when you hate someone of another nation.
It may just be big-city-itis. I've just read a report of a (UK) study which concluded that Londoners are the rudest Brits.
That too. Folks out in the country and the suburbs are likely more nicer than in the big cities. You know all the people and have a close kin with them. In the cities, everyone's just a big blur of different colors.
Funnily enough, I found it harder - personally - when I was in Hong Kong because I felt like the Chinese people around me would expect me to behave the same as them, and I just don't. I can't. This actually touches much more on my struggle with my personal cultural identity than anything else, really. Sometimes I feel different - not because my friends have made me feel different - but somehow, something crops up that makes me realise I'm different. Within the Chinese community, this makes me feel uneasy because I feel like I should be the same, only I'm not. Within the English community, this makes me feel sad and awkward, because I feel like I should be the same, only I'm not. In the case of the English community, I feel like I'm one of them and want to be one of them, hence the sadness when I realise I'll always be slightly different. I feel like I'm not being acknowledged as a "whole" when people identify me only as Chinese, or only as English, but for a lot of people the concept of being bicultural is far too foreign. Even I'm still coming to terms with it. Anyway, by looking different, I don't have to spell out my differences - and sometimes I find that comforting because it corresponds with me not feeling like I'm completely known or acknowledged as a "whole" person when someone identifies me as just one or another. They already know there's something different. Not standing out is less comfortable for me, almost, which is odd I suppose. But then I did grow up in England so I'm very much used to being the only or one of very few foreigners/Chinese in the room. By contrast I'm not half as comfortable being in the midst of a whole room of Chinese people. I'm perfectly aware that white people can be discriminated against. The Czechs positively hate the Russians and both groups are very much white. One of my half-German-English acquaintances once told me how she was bullied in school because of her German blood and kids would call her a Nazi etc. Racism/discrimination happens usually to minority groups and where you are in the minority, you will face some kind of prejudice I think. It just so happens that I grew up in a white majority environment, so my experience of racism/discrimination is rather more usually that of white people being racist. Totally true about people simply not being racist against my particular ethnicity. Like the Czechs who hire me as their English teacher but still detest gypsies, for example. You're right that to assume just because they're not racist against my ethnicity means they're more likely to be also not racist against other ethnicities is actually pretty unfounded, now that I consider it.
Eighteen months ago my wife had a cardiac arrest. Fortunately, one of our daughters was with her, and managed to do her CPR. Another of our daughters was working (as a nurse) thirty miles away and got a lift from her (Filipino) friend and colleague. My wife was ultimately transferred to my daughter's hospital. Her Filipino friend popped in to see how my wife was getting on. The Filipino nurses on duty were ... I don't know ... but they couldn't understand how somebody who socialised with a white woman could speak their language.
