Prejudice Towards Foreigners

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

If you experienced being mistreated and suspect it might have had to do with you being a foreigner, explain what happened.

[Jenn! 918]

I think it's more a race/religion thing than a foreign thing, at least in our experience.

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

I think it's more a race/religion thing than a foreign thing, at least in our experience.

Can you describe a situation or incident where it occurred?

[alienlovechild 75]

She's not here yet so I don't know what she'll experience on the topic. If we think somebody is making a big issue of it, one of us will explain she's a foreigner by birth but she's no illegal immigrant.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Foreigners who don't speak English well get treated worse than those who do, IMHO.

[Nessa 23]

no. but my life is pretty much military base, i do everything here, i work here, go to the gym, buy food, gasoline, everything, and half the peeps in here are foreigner so i'm just one of them.

[bora bora 1]

Foreigners who don't speak English well get treated worse than those who do, IMHO.

I agree

My husband has never mentioned that he feels he is treated differently because he's a foreigner - maybe that is because there are so many in this area - I don't know.

He works with Pakistanis and Americans at work so he's not the only non-USC.

[~krakatoa~ 27]

Yes, several times that I learned how to ignore them.

The first time I was untreated fairly was in a local library. I told my husband that we return the books we borrowed separately and there was a line. We waited our turn and when it was my turn, the librarian looked at me (actually stared from head to foot) and turned to my husband who was behind me and asked him to hand his books. The lady thought my husband and I weren't together. She then told me to use the computer and made a remark "you know how to use a computer right?". I smiled and just finished my business independently. She did not send anybody else from the long line to the computer desk. My husband and I have the same number of books. Fast forward to now, the lady librarian is cordial to me now and gives me compliments every time I drop by.

Another was when I was out in the morning for a jog, a guy in a flashy red sports car slowed down and seemed to follow me. It happened a few days after I got here. The guy scared the #### out of me. The guy smiled at me and said "hello, how are you? would you like a ride? i haven't seen you before.... I'm Mike. ". I did not smile or say anything, instead I called my husband (thank God I have my cellphone with me that time) and walked fast toward a fire station. The guy then left.

And at work.....

On the road......

There will always be jerks and rude people. I just have to protect myself and my interests, not just for me but for my husband's sake as well. I don't want him to get worried for me. He has enough worries at work.

But on the bright side, my encounters with nice people far outnumber the bad ones. I learned how to weed out the bad experiences from the good and try so hard not to let these things affect me.

ETA: I can't generalize that these people are being discriminatory. I think most of them are horny fucktards!

Edited June 21, 2008 by krakatoa

[~krakatoa~ 27]

Yes, several times that I learned how to ignore them.

The first time I was untreated fairly was in a local library. I told my husband that we return the books we borrowed separately and there was a line. We waited our turn and when it was my turn, the librarian looked at me (actually stared from head to foot) and turned to my husband who was behind me and asked him to hand his books. The lady thought my husband and I weren't together. She then told me to use the computer and made a remark "you know how to use a computer right?". I smiled and just finished my business independently. She did not send anybody else from the long line to the computer desk. My husband and I have the same number of books. Fast forward to now, the lady librarian is cordial to me now and gives me compliments every time I drop by.

Another was when I was out in the morning for a jog, a guy in a flashy red sports car slowed down and seemed to follow me. It happened a few days after I got here. The guy scared the #### out of me. The guy smiled at me and said "hello, how are you? would you like a ride? i haven't seen you before.... I'm Mike. ". I did not smile or say anything, instead I called my husband (thank God I have my cellphone with me that time) and walked fast toward a fire station. The guy then left.

And at work.....

On the road......

There will always be jerks and rude people. I just have to protect myself and my interests, not just for me but for my husband's sake as well. I don't want him to get worried for me. He has enough worries at work.

But on the bright side, my encounters with nice people far outnumber the bad ones. I learned how to weed out the bad experiences from the good and try so hard not to let these things affect me.

ETA: I can't generalize that these people are being discriminatory. I think most of them are horny fucktards!

Sorry, I got carried away. And thanks for letting me vent.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

krakatoa - vent any time!

[jundp 191]

ETA: I can't generalize that these people are being discriminatory. I think most of them are horny fucktards!

Well, I HOPE the librarian wasn't but the others, maybe so. I'm the USC and I couldn't be any more anglo-looking if I tried, and I get some of that stuff too

I think that it's true that those who speak English well probably have less trouble. Although once an accent is detected people do get curious, I've noticed.

[Welshcookie 17]

no. but my life is pretty much military base, i do everything here, i work here, go to the gym, buy food, gasoline, everything, and half the peeps in here are foreigner so i'm just one of them.

This is the main reason we are moving to a part of Florida where there are two big bases...my hubby worries about my son "sticking out like a sore thumb" so sending him to a school in a community where many military people have foreign spouses seemed like the way to go.

[pedroh 21]

not often, but if they do are discriminatory, they get a can of whoopedro.. mainly is the 'i wanna speak with someone who speaks english' kind of comment, which I don't take offense, I rather laugh at.. damn ignorant rednecks who can't understand proper english..

but as a foreigner i've noticed this.. people will mess with you if you can't defend yourself... people mess with illegals because they don't speak english and they know they won't call their manager or the cops or whatever.. but if they see you can raise hell, like moi, they'll leave you alone

Edited June 21, 2008 by pedroh

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I don't think it was too much about him being foreign, rather the wrong religion. I think a lot of people are more confused about him on that topic than anything else.

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

A lot of people have mistaken Jinky for being hispanic - even other Filipinos. So far, just two major incidences:

One involving her going to a check cashing place and having her foreign currency check confiscated from her because the guy thought she was trying to pass a fraudulent check. Being 7 months pregnant at the time and with a 6 year old in tow probably triggered off in this guy's head that she's poor and desperate.

The other time - a guy sitting in his parked van and talking on his cell phone, leaned on his horn for a couple of seconds while shouting at her and our baby to shut up. She was placing the baby in a cart and trying to console him while he cried.

In both incidences, I wasn't there and I wonder if the outcome or the person's actions would have been different had I been there with her.