Prejudice Towards Foreigners

[bora bora 1]

the other day hubby and I were at Superior in the check out line.. and I see the cashier looking at me and then she asks, "Do you live in the area?" and I am like yes and then she asks, "Do you shop here often?" and I am like yes... she wasn't being mean or anything just curiuos and I wasn't offended or anything..

because you see mostly Mexicans shop at that store at least in that area.. I must have looked out of place

in some parts seeing a white person is like spotting elvis.

I used to feel uncomfortable being basically the only white person whenever I go to stores etc.. but I don't anymore...

Yeah, being a minority is easy to get used to as long as people treat you right.

yeah people don't treat me bad or anything.. they just might look at me a little longer

This happened to me a lot when I was in Brazil. I'm tall, very pale, and blonde....so I stuck out like a sore thumb in the north of Brazil. People would stare at me, especially when I was with my dark skinned man. I got used to it...

When I spoke English in public (with a friend) people would REALLY look, but often smile.

Some people don't mistreat you, they are just curious so they treat you differently.

[Tarumba 9]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

[Big Papa Zone 93]

I lived (and will shortly live again) in a small, rural, one horse town in Southern Illinois, where you're considered an outsider if you're from another town, let alone another country. Suffice to say I've had to put up with a fair amount of #######. I get called a "faggit" a lot by some of the local good 'ol boys, but I put this down to the fact that their wives/girlfriends are very taken with my accent, and aren't shy in telling me so. B)

Bootylicious also makes a good point re having to behave yourself in the capacity of a proposed new immigrant. Stuff you'd not usually put up with you have to try and ignore in that situation. As long as it's not taken too far (i.e. someone physically assualts you) then I can't say I'm too bothered by it.

[pedroh 21]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

yea.. it has happened to me... Oh really?? you don't look Mexican!!! you look 'spanish' (whatever that means, I certainly don't look very Iberian or Andalusian)

[Susita 175]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

yea.. it has happened to me... Oh really?? you don't look Mexican!!! you look 'spanish' (whatever that means, I certainly don't look very Iberian or Andalusian)

That's OK, I'm whiter than white and speak spanish fluently with a Puerto Rican accent because I lived there with family so everytime that happens people want to know where I am from, and I say NY (I am all mixed up on both sides of my family, so it's just easier to say NY). They say NOOO, where are your parents from, and I say "New YORK" and they say, no.... what nationality are you?

Like it's not enough that I'm a bilingual New Yorker, I have to explain to them my whole family history.

Sometimes I get the people saying mean things about latinos (thinking all are illegal immigrants) in front of me thinking that I think like them or that I have no hispanic heritage and I get very offended because:

#1 I have family in Puerto Rico, and little do the ignorant people know, Puerto Rico is a part of the US and they can come and go as they please!!! #2 my fiancee is going to be an "immigrant" pretty soon and #3 all Americans are "immigrants" in some way shape or form, except for the native americans and #4 it's just plain mean!!!

I have two kids from a previous relationship, their father just happens to be Puerto Rican and my kids look more like him than me, LOL. Someone made a comment about my sons because I had a picture of them hanging up on the wall at work and they said "who's kids are these? they look mexican, we dont have any mexicans working here" I was right there and said, "they're mine" Ignorant lady.

Sometimes even I get the opposite, here's a scenario:

I used to work in Home Depot at customer service. A man and his wife that spoke spanish came to try to return something (a flood pump) and they told me in english that it was broken and then told each other in spanish different things like "we dont need it anymore" and "tell her it doesnt work so we can get the money back" etc. I didn't say anything I just returned the pump, but when the man was finished signing the receipt he asked "esto es mio? "this is mine?" and I said "no, esta es mi copia, aqui esta la tuya, que ud tenga un buen dia" and he turned bright red and left the store.

so maybe he learned to never judge a book by its cover or underestimate people's abilities.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

yea.. it has happened to me... Oh really?? you don't look Mexican!!! you look 'spanish' (whatever that means, I certainly don't look very Iberian or Andalusian)

Oh my god, I hate that #######!!! As if there was such a thing as "looking Mexican" (stereotype, much???) and if it was, I should be so freaking ashamed of it. Screw'em.- They need to get out more.

[almaty 19]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

yea.. it has happened to me... Oh really?? you don't look Mexican!!! you look 'spanish' (whatever that means, I certainly don't look very Iberian or Andalusian)

Oh my god, I hate that #######!!! As if there was such a thing as "looking Mexican" (stereotype, much???) and if it was, I should be so freaking ashamed of it. Screw'em.- They need to get out more.

amen to my little sis len

[HAL 9000 96]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

yea.. it has happened to me... Oh really?? you don't look Mexican!!! you look 'spanish' (whatever that means, I certainly don't look very Iberian or Andalusian)

Oh my god, I hate that #######!!! As if there was such a thing as "looking Mexican" (stereotype, much???) and if it was, I should be so freaking ashamed of it. Screw'em.- They need to get out more.

Tell them you are a Visigoth.

[Scott & Lai 12]

I used to work in Home Depot at customer service. A man and his wife that spoke spanish came to try to return something (a flood pump) and they told me in english that it was broken and then told each other in spanish different things like "we dont need it anymore" and "tell her it doesnt work so we can get the money back" etc. I didn't say anything I just returned the pump, but when the man was finished signing the receipt he asked "esto es mio? "this is mine?" and I said "no, esta es mi copia, aqui esta la tuya, que ud tenga un buen dia" and he turned bright red and left the store.

so maybe he learned to never judge a book by its cover or underestimate people's abilities.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

yea.. it has happened to me... Oh really?? you don't look Mexican!!! you look 'spanish' (whatever that means, I certainly don't look very Iberian or Andalusian)

Oh my god, I hate that #######!!! As if there was such a thing as "looking Mexican" (stereotype, much???) and if it was, I should be so freaking ashamed of it. Screw'em.- They need to get out more.

Tell them you are a Visigoth.

Naaah. I like the line "I am a narco queen" much better. Shuts them right up.

[franklie 0]

Quite a few people tell me I don't look latinamerican and expect me to be flattered.

yea.. it has happened to me... Oh really?? you don't look Mexican!

The shoe on the other foot.

I sang the wedding mass for my friends in Guadalajara, Mx as a favor to them. The groom was from the Mid-West, the bride from GDL. The groom is a typical American - he spoke only English. The bride was somewhat more bi-lingual.

I am as gringo as the day is long. My accompanist, the lady playing the organ, was the church organist and was surprised to see me. She was even more surprised to hear me sing the songs correctly as we practiced together before the Mass.

When I sang everyone was watching me instead of the priest. A common comment I got at the wedding reception was "No sabía que un americano podía hablar español." (I had no idea an American could speak Spanish.)

My reply was simply a big smile.

[Savanphil 3]

Hubby has been insulted as a "black man" but not as an immigrant.....honestly there isn't a way to tell he's Jamaican until he puts on his party clothes: white belt and white shoes.

Edited August 28, 2008 by Savanphil

[Krikit 1,164]

Hubby has been insulted as a "black man" but not as an immigrant.....honestly there isn't a way to tell he's Jamaican until he puts on his party clothes: white belt and white shoes.

I dated a guy from Jamaica for 4 years. We went wardrobe shopping.

[Sonshyne 2]

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

I agree.

[Sonshyne 2]

Hubby has been insulted as a "black man" but not as an immigrant.....honestly there isn't a way to tell he's Jamaican until he puts on his party clothes: white belt and white shoes.

Girl PLEASE don't even mention the white shoes!! My husband has 3 pairs of white dress shoes, and I can't even count how many tennis shoes