Well, there are probably racist attitudes and then the opportunities to display them. When you have a more diverse society, you can probably observe more acts of racism for a given level of racist attitudes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that less diverse societies are automatically less racist.
Again, not a personal issue- I don’t identify as American. That shouldn’t discount what I say though. My real point also isn’t the intent behind the words, but that it’s even asked–again, not saying Americans are evil etc. etc., but that it can be a struggle for minorities because no matter how integrated (?) they are in a society, it remains us=/=them. Not that there’s a malicious barrier per se (and there may be), but that non-minorities unconsciously build one by assuming otherwise. It’s just an observation I’ve made in the x years I’ve lived here.
I’m pretty good at telling someone’s nationality, but it’s difficult to tell who is Korean-nationality-but-third-generation-Japanese. Sometimes. I don’t know if this has ever been talked about in US, but personally I find it awful. Also don’t have much clue with x-generation asian americans. I guess it’s a nurture thing- your ‘nationality’, culture gives more clues than your ethnic background (ie fashion, hairstyle, etc.)
Why is it you want us=them so badly? Who gives a flying fuck. White people can be unbelievably boring. Again, ignoring the multitude cultural, physical, etc. differences between races fuels the fire.
I’m white and I get asked where I’m from frequently. The fact I live in one of the most multi cultural cities in the world has something to do with it.
I don’t want us=them, I’m just a universalist and this is one of the small things that bug me.
Interesting thread. Where I’m from asking a minority where they’re from is hugely racist but I can see why it isn’t as much in the US where everyone is probably a mix of relatively recent immigrants.
i was going to link this as well, here’s a broader opinion piece from the journalist that did the interview.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31698154
i don’t disagree with a lot of zidhai’s points, and I agree that the west has a problem with rape too but nothing on the scale of India. I’ve never been in a non Islamic country where woman are such 2nd class citizens.
You know i’ve got nothing against you Gringo but we’ve been over this umpteen times. This is not a where is it worse debate and when pointed out with a problem saying it is worse elsewhere solves nothing. Americas problem wilth college assault and the subsequent non-trials where they rarely if ever go to civilian courts are unique to America and not shared with any other country just as Britains police cover up regarding a few Pakistani men grooming white girls was unique to Britain , similarly patriarchy and a few other factors are unique to India.
Abhorrent attitudes towards the issue are present everywhere , GOP : Rape can be beautiful. , Roast busters
What is clear that when you look at the numbers America ‘tops’ the list with almost no developed nation nearing those numbers. Normalized numbers are a better indicator taking into account Americas population and even on that basis after rejuggling for difference in definition America is high on the list of developed and emerging countries. Keep in mind that even though the support structure in USA better , unreported rates of assault are still at staggeringlyhigh levels and since the USA does not face the multitude of problems emerging countries face this is a definite and worrying trend.
This seems highly unlikely. The article says Malaysia has 4 ethnic groups. India alone has 50+ ethnic groups and Pakistan definately has more than 4. I don’t know the history of Central and Western Asia but I’m certain a fair few of them are pretty diverse as well.
Yes we are.
I know that for a lot of Americans of Chinese descent this is a sticky point though because they feel that the emasculation of Chinese etc men in American pop media is prevalent. I do not know if this is true but I know that the portrayal of non-white minorities in a country like the UK is much more mainstream. All these points , the feeling of being percieved as ‘other’ and the general political incorrectness that is staple of American culture are grey areas though and open to interpretation.
What is indefensible is that some communities like the SIkh-American community have to deal with real and hardcore racism. They were targets of hate crimes post 9/11 , their children were harassed and to this day they say it is common to face cat-calls and obnoxious comments based on their turban. This kind of behaviour is relatively rare in countries like Canada and the UK and while they are perhaps more visible in those 2 countries and some of the comments could be ‘jokes’ it still not an excuse. Australia seems to fare the worst though with full blown race riots involving Middle Easterners and diplomatic incidents in the recent past.
“Hey mamasita, that is a sexy turban. You want to hang out with me?”
RE: Emi and “us vs. them” mentality, it is a two way process. There are Asian guys in the US who are more white than white guys. The difference between these guys and the more segmented Asians is the degree to which they are able to integrate into non-Asian society. If you are able yourself to disregard racial and cultural differences, you will be treated in the same way, at least if you live in a diverse and progressive part of the country. This is what I have learned over the past 10 years in California and New York.
However, many Asian immigrants in the US segment themselves from non-Asian society. They themselves are not comfortable and behave differently when surrounded by other US people. They join Asian clubs in college and only spend time with people of their same race. If they end up separated from non-Asians, it is due to their own behavior, probably more than it is due to the behavior of non Asians.
So, in my opinion, if you adopt a more open and positive attitude, your experience in the US will improve. I admit that it is not easy to change this mentality, and most Asian immigrants cannot do this.
All of a sudden, I’m in the mood for teriyaki chicken.
The only people that should get offended when asked where they’re from are Native Americans. Otherwise, we call came from somewhere else, and most people I know take pride in being Scottish, Irish, German, etc. even if they’ve never stepped foot on their “home” country.
Black people might also find this question a little puzzling since they know they came from Africa but probably have no idea exactly where. So, by asking them you’re essentially reminding them that their great x6 grandparents were sold to white slavers.
Okay, so don’t ask Indians (feather not dot) and black people. Everyone else is fair game. If you get offended, it’s probably because you find this too personal of a question or you just expect people to automatically know. If it’s the former, you’re insecure. The latter and you’re just an asshole.
America’s not even 250 years old yet. Give us a break already.
This is pretty stupid. The United States is a large place. Injuns have come from all over the US. When I ask an American where they’re from, I expect answers like “Des Moines”, “Los Angeles”, or “Milwaukee” (which, by the way, is Algonquin for “the promise land”). Injuns can hail from a number of tribe lands.
^Yes, because that’s exactly what I was talking about.
Edit: I used to live in a place with a lot of Indians (again, feather not dot) and while it’s not appropriate to ask what country they (or their ancestors) hail from, I’ve never met an Indian that didn’t take pride in what tribe they’re affiliated with. Just stay away from the drunk ones. They’re…dangerous.
Getting married brings out the best in some people.
I was going to say that I avoid asking black people where they or their families are from because the answer might pressure them to say that their ancestors were slaves, forcibly taken and sold as property. That seems like an unkind thing to ask people to say about themselves, so I try to avoid it. Also many slave families were deliberately split up, so one can’t trace back as well as with non-slave families. However, some people whose ancestors were slaves are (rightly) proud of what their families have accomplished since then, and the stories are inspiring, even if they aren’t necessarily representative of what it’s been like for most African-americans since then.
Black people who have a strong foreign-sounding accent don’t necessarily have this same issue, or will answer with a more recent location, so I might ask in those cases.
I realize that I’ve lived mostly in fairly cosmopolitan cities where virtually everyone (except native americans) is an immigrant of some sort if you go back more than 100 years or 150, and New York is a city where (I believe) more than half of residents came from somewhere else. The mix is fascinating and it’s part of getting to know a person to learn where they came from, what their hopes were in coming here, what cultural traditions they bring with them and which ones they have abandoned in favor of the New York (or wherever) lifestyle. “Where are you from” is basically as common as the question “What do you do,” and generates genuinely interesting answers that are part of getting to know people in a dynamic city like this.
I don’t know if that would be true in a place like Nebraska, which I imagine as much more homogenous and has relatively few people rushing to move there. In those places, asking “where are you from,” or the equivalent might well mark you off as an outsider, and the key question there is whether the community is welcoming to outsiders or not.
So, as with many things, context matters.
^ I live in Aussie and my neighbour is a well built black guy, married to a blonde and both are very successful and wealthy.
I thought the guy wasn’t Aboriginal - one day I asked him where he was from. He politely told me he is an ancestor of certain people, Australia is his ancestral home and he is a proud Black Aussie. (For equal measure he added he hated the pommies and he only answered me because he knew I meant well.) Very tricky and learnt to be careful.
When I ask black people where they come from, they say “I am from Ohio”, or something like that, and not “my ancestors of five generations ago were sold into slavery by the white man”. That might just be me though.
I was just asking where all the Australians are on AF. I love you guys. You’ve turned what’s possibly the worst word in the world into a term of endearment (the c word for those wondering).
You guys also happen to be the most racist people I’ve ever met. Fun fact - It was legal to hunt aboriginals until 1936.
If i pick up on an accent i ask people all the time where they are from. For example, my uber drivers have been from cape verde, nigeria, iran and many other places. I ask to make conversastion and see if there is any commonality, i certainly do not ask in a condescending fashion or in a racial manner.
As for white people, i ask all the time what their background is. Culturally we have differences that can be interesting to talk about.
If it’s racist to ask these questions, well ill gladly take that label and continue to make friends with different people.