Racism

que mas da si eres blanco,negro o amarillo lo importante son las personas,su formas de conducta, la amabilidad y la sencillez de cada ser, porque ninguno somos diferentes a otros ni porque formes parte de otro estatus social o de un país desarrollado en general todos somos iguales y al final nadie va ser eterno en esta vida....

Hi judith!

As this is the anglophone forum could you please post in English?

Thanks
Armand

who cares if you're white, black or yellow are the important people, their modes of behavior, kindness and simplicity of each being, because none of us than others or because they become part of another social status of a developed country overall we are all equal and in the end no one will be eternal in this life ....

I partially addressed this issue on my blog some years back, when I first arrived in Brazil.  I am from Austin, Texas, and am fortunate to have grown up in a city where diversity is celebrated, and mixed families are the norm.

I never cease to be shocked to hear of other cities in the U.S. that do not know this reality.  I watched a movie the other night about race relations in New York, and was saddened to see how people live their lives labeling others based on their ethnicity, culture, and/or skin color.  I know that this is a way of life for many places around the globe.  What I had hoped is that the city I now call home (Goiânia) would be as much a paradise on earth as my hometown, but was quickly saddened (and appalled) at my new reality.

When I took a Portuguese class for foreigners, they were instructing us on how to call people by their hair & skin color, which I found very offensive.  I tried explaining to them that I do not do this in my own language, so I preferred not to learn this in another.  (That didn't go over very well!)

Discrimination comes in many forms here.  A dermatologist told me (didn't bother to ask) that "because Americans don't take regular baths, like Europeans, we have more skin disorders"... to which I gasped, wondering what exactly it was that she studied in school to get her degree – and why she even said that if I had no such thing?!  She went on to tell me that I am probably sensitive to light since I have “light eyes” - and then I had to ask her if she'd minored in ophthalmology. That seemed to throw her off somewhat.

Here, everything is explained by the fact that I am "so white" or that I have “light eyes” – everything: whether it's feeling pain from a scalding wax session gone awry, a zealous manicurist carving moats around my nails, or a daydreaming beautician who has burned my forehead during a blowout, preferring soft (you know, “mood”) lighting for the house to stadium lighting for the space center (because I'm sure they can see it from there)...

I am consistently called "white girl" or "blondie" here, by anyone (even people believing that they are half a shade darker) to which I call them "racista" ...and they are surprised. I am also discriminated against by the German-Brazilians, as I do not have blue eyes nor blond hair...  (I'm a green-eyed brunette.) In this particular city, chiefly in the wealthier circles, there is a general disdain for Americans. (I've also addressed that on my blog.)  There seems to be a rift as well, with many Japanese-Brazilians. I've lived here 5 years now, so I can attest to numerous examples of anti-American behavior & sentiment.

I've even been accosted in what should be a safe setting, such as physical therapy, by anti-American propaganda – and been asked to explain myself and my country for “trying to colonize the entire world.” It's like there is a different version of History being taught here. More than a few people believe that Canada was once a colony of the US?!? …and these are educated people. It used to really frustrate me when I arrived, but I now see it takes patience, willingness to help them see the truth, and a good sense of humor. Once I started laughing, I quit crying.

Something that a lot of estrangeiros (foreigners) may not realize is that "gringo" or "gringa" is not a term of endearment.  Growing up in Texas, we hear both English & Spanish.  The only time the word "gringo" is used is in a derogatory way.  This is most evident in the southern part of the state.  It is slur, just like the n-word.  As Wanderlust pointed out, it is a disrespectful term no matter who is using it.

While vacationing in Fortaleza, a woman laughed as she told me in a low voice, "I could have swooooooooorn you are a gringa!" To which I replied with a smile on my face, "That's funny, because I'm not a gringa - I'm an e-stran-gei-ra!" She looked mortified, and avoided me for the rest of the day.

I cannot speak for the rest of Brazil, only the city and region in which I live, and others I have visited.  The same goes for my home country.  I have only been to 11 of the 50 states as an adult, aside from airports, and I saw (and felt) the differences in each state, region and city.  At 18, naïve to the ways of the world, my best friend and I set out on a cross-country trip, thinking the rest of the U.S. would be like Austin.

We happened to pull into Memphis on the eve of a race riot (which threw us for a loop!) and were shocked that there were no mixed couples to speak of in the other cities we stayed in.  Black guys were actually offended that we would flirt with them.  It was too weird for us.  We joked that we thought we'd only crossed the state line, not gone back in time! Needless to say, we hightailed it home. 

Sadly, in the city where I live now it is rare to see mixed couples. People tend to do a double or triple take, and don't approve.  It makes me not want my family to ever come visit, as they wouldn't be treated well. I don't think there's any extended family that would feel comfortable here: they'd not meet any of the criteria for a warm welcome. I'd rather go back home to the capital of the Friendly State, and see what it is to feel normal again… just one of many different beings living and sharing life together.

There are so many factors to our individual selves… our experiences, our upbringing, our available education, our attitude, our temperament, whether we woke up on the right side of the bed, or not... where does our sense of morals come from?  Our only hope is to treat others as we would want to be treated. Respect others, and gently show them the way, if they haven't the concept of respect. 

Ignorance is a problem whose height & depth must be known in order to overcome it.  Prejudices stem from familial and socioeconomic factors, as well as individual experiences.  Although it is frustrating, we have to try to be patient with those who truly do not know, and show them the way.  As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.  Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism, or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” …and really, that's what discrimination boils down to: selfishness. It's mentality that says, “I want to feel superior, and be #1 at any expense – even yours.”

kiwiinkorea wrote:

Hi I am a New Zealander living in South Korea. I have experienced a little bit of racism here. Koreans are very proud of their accomplishments and their country and don't really like 'others'. That said there are approximately 1 million foreign people living and working here. I think they really just tolerate us as they realise they need us. A fellow expat once said to me that if they could clone us then they would do that instead.

Racism is everywhere I think. I have lived in Australia where racism is quite commonplace. Bit sad really, why can't people just get on with 'it' and let people live their lives? Black, white, yellow, hell if everybody was white the world would be a lot less interesting.

i really agree with you and also i believe who is the best that have the best behavior against the others.

Ha-ha, Hailey!

Canada was colonized by both France and Britain, much like the United States, although the U.S. was also colonized by Spain (Spain lost out on land claims in Canada).  Unlike the United States, Canada was governed by Britain up until WW1, though it still had strong ties to France.  (Canadians, please correct me if I am wrong.)

I know! I don't get it. 

Britain colonized a good portion of the world - and some areas are still governed by Britain today... yet, there is more Anti-American sentiment than Anti-British. I'm sure that most of it stems from strong feelings about recent conflicts (since the Korean war) but in 99% of these cases (excluding Iraq ) the U.S. government was petitioned for help with one side or another. 

Regardless, life would be so much easier if we could all just get along!!

Indonesia has a reverse racism problem.
White is right is big out here.
I get asked to go to the front of a queue in a shop, get invited into offices while there's a long queue at the counter.

I did it at first because I didn't realise what was going on but I politely refuse now.
I believe racism to be wrong; even when it's done in a positive way.

mas fred,
It's good to be white in Indonesia. There's a huge racism among indonesians. It's just everywhere.

indobe wrote:

mas fred,
It's good to be white in Indonesia. There's a huge racism among indonesians. It's just everywhere.

I lived in a small town for the first few years. I notice the inverse racism but didn't think much of it.
There was little other obvious bigotry based on the usual things to hate.
I've since seen some racism from the Indonesian population towards the Chinese section of the community and a few in the Muslim group, the largest section of the population in Indonesia, with serious issues against Christians and anyone else not Muslim.
The only religious total stupidity I've personally witnessed was a Christian priest, dressing as a devout Muslim and trying to convert people to Christianity, a Muslim bloke who saw my skin and informed me I was a non believing dog (Major insult) and a Jehovah's Witness trying to convert a Muslim to her faith in McD's.
(I should mention, I don't have any faith in McD's except the sure belief I'll get fatter - Sorry for the bad joke)
Silly sausage was asking for trouble but didn't get any while I was there.
I stress, the vast majority don't seem to share that stupidity.

In general, I find Indonesians to be extremely friendly.

I visited London recently and I took a bus with my wife to a place near Croydon. The bus seemed to have a lot of very aggressive blacks on it who spent their time insulting the few whites that got on the bus. It was a very scary.

El_Jost wrote:

I visited London recently and I took a bus with my wife to a place near Croydon. The bus seemed to have a lot of very aggressive blacks on it who spent their time insulting the few whites that got on the bus. It was a very scary.

I'm sad to report that as probably true.
There are some gangs of black kids who do exactly that.
I had exactly the same problem in North London.
The other problem I had was with orthodox Jews in the same area.
They wouldn't even talk to me, not one of them.
I went into a pizza shop to satisfy my hunger but walked out with anger to add to it instead of a pizza to get rid of it.
The ignorant buggers wouldn't even talk to me.

I hope it's a very vocal minority of the black population of London but I know it's only the extremist end of the Jewish population.

I've also had problems with the Muslim population in Rotherham, south Yorkshire. Odd really as I'm also a Muslim.
Some people just see the skin colour and act stupidly from there.

Funny old world.

Look up what Kramer (of Seinfeld fame) said when he had to defend "racist" remarks

I'll do that tomorrow.
Some foolish people would say my above post was racist in nature.
You have to be truthful when a problem exists or you feed the extreme right wing.

You are right, we don't need to feed the right wing, nor the left wing for that matter...

I live in London, UK.

I don't think anyone would have racial issues down here, it's very mixed.

Hopefully it's the same when I go to Cambodia in the near-future .

Blogver.com wrote:

I live in London, UK.

I don't think anyone would have racial issues down here, it's very mixed.

Hopefully it's the same when I go to Cambodia in the near-future .

I'm a Barnsley lad and we tend to be realistic on any subject. Political double speak is something for other people.

I loved the diversity in Sheffield, partially because I discovered a love of finding out about other cultures but mostly the amazing variety of food.
Apart from anything else, racism is daft because the people who believe such rubbish miss on on all the good stuff other cultures have to offer.
The Indian festival of light, the wonderful curries, the amazing Turkish food and Chinese new year to name but a few.

You have to be potty not to love all that stuff.

However - there are also problems. Many big cities and towns have Muslim ghettos. Areas where non Muslims are often made very unwelcome. I, as a white Muslim sometimes felt very uncomfortable in these areas. There are a few Asian gangs around and I've had a couple of run ins with them. One group decided it was a good idea to play baseball using my van as the ball. I was a very unwelcome white kafir in a Muslim area.
A shahada (Declaration of faith) changed their mind but doesn't change the fact they were there and willing to attack someone for being the wrong skin colour or faith (Probably just an excuse to be idiots).
Same went in North Leeds and North London. Gangs of black kids hanging around waiting for a victim. Only one close encounter but I know others have had worse.
Same goes for those Jewish guys with the ringlets and black kit. They were about as rude as you can get. Just refusing to speak at all because I wasn't one of them.
It's these things that allow the gutter press to make up stories and feed racism.
This sort of thing is true and must be noted and dealt with before we can consign racism to history.

I stress, these are a small minority causing a big problem and not typical of any given group.

I live in Edinburgh and i have been a muslim 16 months now. where i live, i have had negitive things said to me.... should not be forced to ware the 'scarf'(took me 5 months to pluck up corouage to wear it], and im married to a terrorist, etc.
 
The hardest thing for me was my family. My younger brother has not spoken to me since i started wearing the hijab, he saw me at the shop i work in and walked away.....his wife told me he was embarrassed to see me ware it. It is his loss and im not going to appologise for who i am now or what i ware.

I will not let people who are ignorant and can't see past thier noses, and who feel the need to belittle others whether it is because of thier skin colour or thier faith get the better of me or make me feel uneasy.
The only way to stop racism is to teach the children in schools that we are all the same under the skin.
That racism is

I'm an Egyptian and expat in S.Korea, I've met nice people and I've met a lot of raciest people from all over the world. some people talk to me nicely and once they know I'm Muslim they stop talking to me. And actually I applied for a job before and the Korean manager refused to hire me because of my religion and his words were "You're nice girl, well educated but you're a Muslim".
some people here call me brown because of my dark skin. One thing drives me insane is if a foreigner have a problem and called police, the police will not do anything, simply because I'm a foreigner.
When I stand in a taxi line the taxi drivers pick up the Korean person who stands behind me.
Not all of Korean people racist but racism does exist and unfortunately it's in everywhere. I hope people learn how to live together in peace and harmony.

haggishunter wrote:

I live in Edinburgh and i have been a muslim 16 months now. where i live, i have had negitive things said to me.... should not be forced to ware the 'scarf'(took me 5 months to pluck up corouage to wear it], and im married to a terrorist, etc.

You have that right.

When my next door neighbour found out I was Muslim, the daft git threatened to burn my house down.
Not too worried as I moved to Indonesia the following day.

Be yourself and stuff anyone who gets stroppy about it.

Having different color of the skin automatically seperate people, different culture put walls. I guess its a natural reaction by any foreigner in living out his homeland..All i am doing now is just making sure it does not affect me. learn their culture as they learn mine...

DON'T let the numpties and dunderheids get to you. They are the one's with the problem.
Mind you the police where i live take it searousily as do the housing assosiation.

mm, well, racism is a 6 letter word but a very strong word in fact in each stablishment/government department there is always a policy. Why do you think? Because it exist. Where i work i encounter a few but most of the time i just ignore them but if they become too offensive then i am like a volcano i am just going to erupt at some point.

I meet so many Indians Abroad who complain about being ill treated because of the color of the skin.

What they don't realize is we Indian are one of the most Racist , Casteist people on earth and it's so common that they don't even realize that they are discriminating based on religion or color of our skin.

Things are improving in Cities , which has witnessed a stream of visitors from across the globe but the interiors are still stuck in a time wrap.

Just the other day , a honor killing made national headlines , the brother of a girl brutally killed both the girl and the boy because she fell in love with a boy from lower cast and brought bad name to the family.  sad but true.

why do people always worry about this i dont knw.. but when it comes to hungry,pain,happy,sad.. etc. everybody feels the same way so as humans v live n we die someday.. so why this?
people cant be divided by the colour of the skin..

I read somewhere that the worst disease in the world is ..... RACISM.

^
Einstein said that about America.

It was also used in a garth brooks song ... we shall be free

nedlivingstone wrote:

You are right, we don't need to feed the right wing, nor the left wing for that matter...

Actually an airplane needs both the right and left wings

El_Jost wrote:

nedlivingstone wrote:

You are right, we don't need to feed the right wing, nor the left wing for that matter...

Actually an airplane needs both the right and left wings

as does a bird and a butterfly but people who want to live a good life, don't.
Extremes of politics or religion are always bad news.

Everybody trumps Garth Brooks...

Julien wrote:

Do you feel racism in your country? Is it complicated to integrate yoursleft with local people or are you used to it?

I really like London because the city is a lot of people from everywhere, and everybody seems to be integrated. I don't feel racism here. Just at work we've got a small team of 12 people ... and 5 nationalities

Julien, London is my less favourite city...

The first time I visited it, people were so rude and they screamed at me just for asking for directions. After that I tried not to go there as often as possible.

After living in England for a while, I found out that some of them are actually very racist, there are different levels of racism tho. Asian people experience it more considering the number of Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi living there and they create those "communities" and don't really integrate into the British lifestyle.

Apart from those idiots think they are better than anyone, I met a lot of nice people who didn't care about race. So racism is every where, depends on who you meet.

Well!i tried to read all comments but some how i done,Its better we try to do the respect the elders and do love the younger and same age have better than us,Even whatever some are the black,white,arabic asian or any belongs to the nation and than we will have to learn and see the good society,although now the world is a global village,i request to all to read and feel of this message,thanks for attention!

We are all in the same family.. human being rite ?

Human beings,right? Not rite. Or am I wrong, or right?

Pass

Jo Ann wrote:

I will avoid writing a long post, so this will be kind of an introduction, beware!
Being Mixed, I am never at my place, so to speak. Too Black in Europe, too White in Africa. Sometimes I wonder if I became a Zebra overnight. Where is my place?
I lived in Portugal when I was about 10/11 yo, in the 1990s. It was the skinheads wave moment back there and I was so afraid of even going to school cause I had to go alone...
Back in Angola, a few years ago, I was called "White" in the street. I was already 20, but I was in shock. I have been used to being called "Black" and defend myself, saying that the colour of my skin does not sum up who I am. I could as well say the same thing about the fact of being called "White".
I guess the main shock came from the fact it was coming from my Angolan fellows. I was supposed to be like them. If I am not accepted in my own country, where really is my place?

Althought you wrote this comment a long time ago, it's actually represent what I feel and experienced.  I guess "our" place is within ourself, pride and honor.  It helped me to think that being mixed, we are more unique in a sense that no one really can categorized us and for me it's so special although sometime we could feel a bit lonely because we are not really belong to 1 group of nation.

We are an expatriate everywhere we go.... !LOL!

Nice comments!

In the country where I come from, Indonesia, racism is very obvious. The native people (or malay-looking people) don't like the Chinese descendants for no reason (well there was this reason but that was back like hundred years ago when we were still occupied by the Dutch). Being a Chinese descendant and a Christian in a pre-dominant Muslim people is a serious problem. We had this huge riot in May 1998 where people burn and rape Chinese people in our capital Jakarta. It was such a horrible time.

I totally agree with this~ I was like 12 that time and my father was still outside when the riot happened. All I can do is hiding in the dark room with my mom and sisters worrying what might happen to my dad~ =.="

That's why I didn't like where I come from and always feels like I wanna run away to the other country~

racism exists because most people are hypocrites.....they are offended when others exclude them because of their race but yet they do the same to others maybe without realising it...the only way to stop it is to start with oneself...