Wife Gets Firs Experience with Bigotry

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

HI Steven,

I am sorry that Jinky was insult like that. If the lady guess that she is Filpino, she should of reply to her in Tagalog. But not saying anything nice.

Just she could nasty things. .that lady is DUMB She is nothing but white Trash.

HUGS to Jinky. I hope she is ok.

Take care

yogi

Did I miss where Steven said this woman was white?

Wasn't the encounter over the telephone?

[Alex+R 0]

I think it sounds like she knew someone else who was Filipino (hence the accent recognition)

but that person wasn't that educated. It didn't sound malicious to me -- just ignorant.

[HAL 9000 96]

For the record I apologize for any offense implied to any hicks and/or rednecks out there that may take offense. I should know better.

We're used to it.

Yeah... like I know plenty of Mexicans that are used to a lot worse

[HAL 9000 96]

Lisa just brought up an interesting point... this reminds me of how much internalization of racism has occurred within some non-white members of some populations against their own members... in this very country. Go figure. For all we know the lady could've been from Manila.

Yet there is an assumption based on an obvious volume-based history here... at least implied. A very touchy subject indeed.

[~krakatoa~ 27]

Unfortunately, some people are just plain mean and ignorant.

Sorry that your wife experienced this..

I, too, experience these type of rudeness at work, not by my American co-workers, but 2 of my superiors. They long immigrated here from Pakistan (about 35 years ago, no offense meant, I am just telling my own experience) and they seem to think they are better and wiser than most people here. I work as a scientist in a research facility and sometimes they would openly embarrass me by saying things against me being a Filipina. They said that Filipinas are always scheming, always trying to do sneaky things to their advantage, and that they can't be trusted. Why the eff did they even hire me? If this goes on for too long, my tenure in this company will be cut short. I don't think money is worth all the agony. I should have listened to my gut instinct when they commented, in a panel interview, that "Most Filipinas who go to America either work as nurses or doing nails." Then one corporate lunch, a superior took me aside the parking lot and told me "See.. Years from now you'll progress and be the head of the research dep't., look at her (pointing to a Filipina, apparently an acquaintance of his, standing nearby, with a Burger King uniform and name tag), look how lucky you are. You sure don't to be like the rest of them."

After working my hours, I hurriedly went to my car to leave the company premises and I can't help but cry. I am so pissed. I don't think I can stay in a company with these kind of classless people.

ETA: I am suffering in silence too, and I am at my wits' end.. It will soon be over, I just so hope.

I hope you can find a better opportunity but I think you're right - you'll run into ignorance and bigotry in just about everywhere you go, but at least some places it isn't accepted or tolerated.

Edit: (sorry, this is Steven)

True. And thanks. And thank God for free will. I can choose to stay or not to. I just hope I will be happier in the next company. The most dreadful thing is to wake up in the morning and go to the same place, and be with the same group of people.

[Frank+Jocelyn 1]

There are are a lot of ignorant Americans who slept through history class. They don't seem to know that we were all immigrants at some point. All except for the improperly named American Indians, who we systematically slaughtered so we could take their land.

It is no coincidence that this, the most powerful nation in history, is entirely made up of immigrants. It is sad that some people are so ignorant they they don't understand the value of having peoples from various cultures continue to invigorate the American bloodline.

She obviously has some experience with Filipinos or she could never have guessed the accent. Her husband probably divorced her because she was such a b***h and then married a sweet, sweet filipina!

Just laugh at such ignorant people and be glad you don't carry such hatred in your heart.

[mRx 16]

Damn, Steve and Jinky. Sorry you had to be exposed to that.

That woman needs to be hit with a shovel.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Damn, Steve and Jinky. Sorry you had to be exposed to that.

That woman needs to be hit with a shovel.

Thanks, Matt....that made me laugh.

[athena_ny 1]

My wife's been working at Macy's in the Lingerie Dept. and she received a call from a woman looking for a specific size and brand of bra. As she tells the lady that the nearest store that carries the product is out of state, the woman asks her if she is Filipino and then asks her if she knows how to read! Jinky responded with, "I'm sorry?" And the woman then asks again, only spelling the word R-E-A-D. Jinky refered the caller to her manager and then broke down in tears.

I don't understand why people think they have a right to be insulting to people who work in service type jobs. ####### does her nationality have anything to do with the conversation?

It doesn't. People when dealing with those working in retail will find any reason to be nasty. I've been asked the R E A D question too and I'm a US citizen. People treat M like he's an idiot all the time, and he's not.

It makes me upset, but it never seems to go away. The people treating me like ###### has gotten better since I left retail. Too bad it'll probably be going back again when I go back to college full time. Heh.

[Scott & Lai 12]

HI Steven,

I am sorry that Jinky was insult like that. If the lady guess that she is Filpino, she should of reply to her in Tagalog. But not saying anything nice.

Just she could nasty things. .that lady is DUMB She is nothing but white Trash.

HUGS to Jinky. I hope she is ok.

Take care

yogi

Did I miss where Steven said this woman was white?

Surely you are aware that bigotry is a white-person's disease?

There are are a lot of ignorant Americans who slept through history class. They don't seem to know that we were all immigrants at some point. All except for the improperly named American Indians, who we systematically slaughtered so we could take their land.

It is no coincidence that this, the most powerful nation in history, is entirely made up of immigrants. It is sad that some people are so ignorant they they don't understand the value of having peoples from various cultures continue to invigorate the American bloodline.

She obviously has some experience with Filipinos or she could never have guessed the accent. Her husband probably divorced her because she was such a b***h and then married a sweet, sweet filipina!

Just laugh at such ignorant people and be glad you don't carry such hatred in your heart.

So, the American Indians sprouted out of the ground? Unless their ancestors originated here, they were immigrants, too.

[Frank+Jocelyn 1]

The American Indians came here about 11,000 years ago and are Asian in original origan. Mongolians to be exact. But I would say that 11,000 years pretty much makes them native. Asia was populated about 50,000 years ago, so technically Asians are not native either if you want to take the argument that far.

I guess you could say the only native people are the Africans, since all of us came from there if you go back far enough (1 or 2 million years, depending on who you ask).

[Scott & Lai 12]

The American Indians came here about 11,000 years ago and are Asian in original origan. Mongolians to be exact. But I would say that 11,000 years pretty much makes them native. Asia was populated about 50,000 years ago, so technically Asians are not native either if you want to take the argument that far.

My point is, if you go back far enough, all of us have ancestors who immigrated here. But by definition, if you are born here, you're a native.

I guess you could say the only native people are the Africans, since all of us came from there if you go back far enough (1 or 2 million years, depending on who you ask).

So, does that make me an "African American"?

[Frank+Jocelyn 1]

You make a good point about being born here. I guess the question is when does a person stop identifying with the heritage of their ancestors? By that I mean, when does a person stop calling themselves an Asian American or German American and just identify themselves as Americans?

Most African Americans are just as Americans as any other American, but most still identify themselves as African Americans, even though their family may have been in America for hundreds of years. But it would be unusual to find a person of German decent whose family has been her for a few hundred years but still considers himself German American.

[Jenn! 918]

I'm so sorry this happened to you, Jinky. Things like that really upset me too. I always think of the best comebacks after the fact.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

It only takes one idiot to ruin your day.

Just forget her, and instead think about all the people who were nice.

-MK