Prejudice Towards Foreigners

[Tingbudong 12]

Thanks Golden Gate.

Right now Im in Plainfield but thats just an apartment, so temporary.

When / If... we buy here Im going to look really hard at schools as number one deciding factor.

I work in Rockford which I hear is tops, but pretty high property taxes and probably pretty homogeneous, demographic wise.. Ie, could it be the whitest town in America. Oh wait.. I lived in Fairfield CT for a while too and that could give it a real run for its (old) money.

When I was two we moved to the Netherlands and I picked up a perfect Dutch accent in no time, so Im hoping he will not have any troubles linguistically and I AM hoping to make him feel fully American… but MI, especially Western isn't anything like the diverse, big coastal cities I've lived and worked in all of my life. Obviously.. LOL, Im pro-diversity and don't have racial or segregational tendencies but I do see that going on around here. I think the camouflage wearing, amish neck-beard sporting hillbillies in Greenville are considered a fully different ethnicity from your East Town Hipster.. right? That would be considered a mixed race couple?

Anywho.. time will tell and my job (shoe designer) is big in CA and NY, MA, WA, OR.. All places where its more ethnically mixed up and maybe better in the long run for a mixed couple and our little family. My current company, Wolverine, is great though and now that winter is over I don't want to leave any time soon.. LMAO ask me again next Feb though… Holy #######, was that winter brutal.. Im a Southern boy, grew up mostly in North Carolina and Florida. Acclimating to this lake effect climate is proving ROUGH.

[MIDUVIL 34]

I'm the foreign, I never felt discriminated, maybe it's because I'm easy going.

But because I'm reading a lot about discrimination, so those last time I'm more careful.

1 month ago I went on a well known store to ask some tops, I showed the woman the tag, she told me that they don't sell those anymore. I decided to search by myself, and found them.

When I went in the checkout, the other girl asked me for my ID ( 3-4 tops for a TOTAL of 7-8 dollars), around 2 dollars by top. I was surprised, it's the first time that I had to show my ID, after 6 years.

It was on a mall, where the majority of people are white (99.99 %).

[Golden Gate 530]

Thanks Golden Gate.

Right now Im in Plainfield but thats just an apartment, so temporary.

When / If... we buy here Im going to look really hard at schools as number one deciding factor.

I work in Rockford which I hear is tops, but pretty high property taxes and probably pretty homogeneous, demographic wise.. Ie, could it be the whitest town in America. Oh wait.. I lived in Fairfield CT for a while too and that could give it a real run for its (old) money.

When I was two we moved to the Netherlands and I picked up a perfect Dutch accent in no time, so Im hoping he will not have any troubles linguistically and I AM hoping to make him feel fully American… but MI, especially Western isn't anything like the diverse, big coastal cities I've lived and worked in all of my life. Obviously.. LOL, Im pro-diversity and don't have racial or segregational tendencies but I do see that going on around here. I think the camouflage wearing, amish neck-beard sporting hillbillies in Greenville are considered a fully different ethnicity from your East Town Hipster.. right? That would be considered a mixed race couple?

Anywho.. time will tell and my job (shoe designer) is big in CA and NY, MA, WA, OR.. All places where its more ethnically mixed up and maybe better in the long run for a mixed couple and our little family. My current company, Wolverine, is great though and now that winter is over I don't want to leave any time soon.. LMAO ask me again next Feb though… Holy #######, was that winter brutal.. Im a Southern boy, grew up mostly in North Carolina and Florida. Acclimating to this lake effect climate is proving ROUGH.

Northview School District is more diverse in Plainfield Township and also a good school district. My nephews went there. Rockford has great schools and you are right about the rest. Check out Comstock Park and Kentwood (probably the most diverse international population). Greenville - yeap, more blue collar people who grew up there - a bit far out also. I grew up in Grand Haven. I knew several kids who were adopted from Asia and all seemed well adjusted, though Grand Haven wasn't really diverse.

The weather - completely understand. I lived in North Carolina for four years and San Francisco for 14. Hopefully this winter will not repeat for another 20 years. I think it is less humid here, at least, than the south. One bonus

[Golden Gate 530]

I'm the foreign, I never felt discriminated, maybe it's because I'm easy going.

But because I'm reading a lot about discrimination, so those last time I'm more careful.

1 month ago I went on a well known store to ask some tops, I showed the woman the tag, she told me that they don't sell those anymore. I decided to search by myself, and found them.

When I went in the checkout, the other girl asked me for my ID ( 3-4 tops for a TOTAL of 7-8 dollars), around 2 dollars by top. I was surprised, it's the first time that I had to show my ID, after 6 years.

It was on a mall, where the majority of people are white (99.99 %).

Did you pay with a credit card or debit card? That is the only good reason I could see why they would ask for ID.

[Converts 9]

I come from a country in Southeast Asia, and have brown skin. It doesn't help when I always go to this area that has a lot of white and rich people. My parents-in-laws live there and I also babysit my nephews once in a while. They refer me as my nephews' and my parents-in-laws' maid. You know, because it's impossible for a brown person to have white nephews or white parents-in-laws. Sometimes they talk to me in sloooooow English, because apparently, just by looking at me, they assume that I don't speak English at all.

Oh, and I went to a craft store once and one lady thought that I worked there and when I said no she said "Sorry, you look like the kind who would work here." I just smiled and said '' under my breath.

[Converts 9]

I'm the foreign, I never felt discriminated, maybe it's because I'm easy going.

But because I'm reading a lot about discrimination, so those last time I'm more careful.

1 month ago I went on a well known store to ask some tops, I showed the woman the tag, she told me that they don't sell those anymore. I decided to search by myself, and found them.

When I went in the checkout, the other girl asked me for my ID ( 3-4 tops for a TOTAL of 7-8 dollars), around 2 dollars by top. I was surprised, it's the first time that I had to show my ID, after 6 years.

It was on a mall, where the majority of people are white (99.99 %).

Sometimes they will ask for your ID for verification, even if it's not your first time going there. We go to this popular department sometimes and once in a while the cashiers ask for our ID. My partner is a Caucasian and I'm from Southeast Asia.

[rlogan 2,036]

The most common form of abuse we see is the way people frame our relationship, and it is generally internet warriors, not people in person.

Gender warriors seem the most beside themselves to cast my wife as a sub-human: a stupid, incompetent victim that is being enslaved by the perverted privileged man of power. But it is a framing any malicious person can adopt, and there are plenty of them on this forum.

I can't think of a single incident in person where any kind of abusive thing was said or done. But on this forum I see these kinds of malicious statements just about every day. You would think that on an immigration forum people wouldn't be such bigots, but they're plentiful.

[JIJourney 96]

I am USC and us as Americans are not prejudice against foreigners. I have not met one person who is American who is prejudice. It is like a melting pot here and everyone is welcome.

[funkymunky 11]

My hubby's HM2 (who was not a well liked guy) insulted me in front of my husband, hubby's friend, one other guy they work with that was lower rank (it was a weekend and we had driven hubs friend back to get his xbox on base). He pretty much called me an illegal amongst other things and was just a big jerk. Needless to say that it did not go down the next day at work and hubs told him off in front of everyone including their CO and after that he was super nice and avoided eye contact with me.

I've also been kicked out of a bar because the bar girl refused to serve me and said I did not have valid ID - I had my foreign drivers license, passport and dependant ID on me and the same bouncer who let me in ended up escorting me outside. It was humiliating because I was completely sober and we were out with family and had just ordered food.

I've had people talk to me like I'm stupid and don't understand English and other small things like asking me where I'm from then saying things like no but where are your people from - some reason me being Australian and Asian is incomprehensible to them. I'm usually pretty good at ignoring it but it's still hurtful and thankfully it's the minority that have a problem.

[JoeDo 2]

I don't have my Visa yet, and my wife and son are already waiting for me there, so I can't vote...but, a Moorish-Arab muslim in the white New York? I'll let you know when I arrive

Edited July 30, 2014 by JoeDo

[ExPatty 502]

In my experience kids have more to fear for this kind of thing. If you don't fit in with other kids, believe me, they will let you know about it and it can be extremely pervasive.

Adults in general treat people better. Although many in the US speak against illegal immigration, I think most people do appreciate the US' history and don't have a problem with legals at all; they won't assume you're illegal, or make fun of your skin or accent.

[TBoneTX 45,266]

Two assaultive posts have been removed.

VJ Moderation

[clairegie 265]

I have experienced walking by women who talked about me like I wasn't there saying how they they're pretty sure I got here illegally or just married for citizenship. I also know of a guy that works with my husband that said to his face that I only married him to get a green card. My favorite is seeing the surprised look on their faces when I talk and they realize I do know how to speak English and also do not have a thick accent. All of a sudden, they're all smiles and gives better customer service.

It's all good though. These experiences are nothing compared to how nice majority of the people are in this town. I know in my heart I married for love, that I'm not taking a job (from a USC) that I did not earn, and someday they will meet a foreigner that will change their opinions..

[rlogan 2,036]

My wife takes offense to the politically correct feminist meme that she is a poor little exploited girl who needs to be rescued from her evil husband who was "forced" to take this inferior "submissive" wife from a foreign country.

It is never something done in person. It is in published articles that pretend to "investigate" foreign marriages, and on internet discussion boards where anonymity allows you to be a ####### - there is an article being discussed right now on another page of this forum where posters are pretending not to understand how insulting it is for my wife to hear this kind of #######.

Only one person I knew personally made any kind of negative comment about my wife, before she got here, and I was shocked. I didn't know he was prejudiced. So now guess what - he's married to an Asian wife too.

[YouAndMeForever 1,022]

I have never experienced any kind of prejudice.

Edited May 29, 2015 by YouAndMeForever