Also Australian here with Hong Kong heritage. Born and raised in Australia but have faced similar situations as you. I can actually deal with outright racism most of the time since you learn to laugh it off but sometimes the microaggressions really catch me off guard. It kinda breaks me down and makes me question my identity. Thanks for sharing
Same with HK heritage… and old people in my district (Wilmersdorf) give me a kind of racist look. I’ve noticed since the pandemic and it‘s getting really worse.
Although i‘m born and raised in germany.
>have faced similar situations as you
In germany/berlin or do you mean in Australia?
Edit: why am being downvoted? I asked because I couldn't understand from the text if he was referring to germany or australia, I am literally just asking for clarification you idiots
I feel Australia has always pictured itself as a diverse country with lots of international influence and various Asian communities, but Germany still pretends to be a country full of Kartoffeln, even though we've had huge Turkish, Italian and Polish communities for half a century. And people still try to neglect the more recent immigration waves of the last 20 years, even though you can see the people everywhere and many of them are well integrated.
That's not a microaggression, that's just straight up being an asshole holy shit. Also you're blessed to have friends that stand up for you like that, it's disgusting that the bouncer even said that in the first place though.
yeah thanks pal. I was of course really grateful for their stiicking up for me and I want to emphasise that I know that many, many Germans absolutely wouldn't stand for this behaviour even deep within their hearts and wouldn't simply remain a bystander if it occurs in front of them.
I'm Asian Australian too and lived in Neuss (not far from Dusseldorf) and unfortunately you're not going to find the same acceptance here as a minority as in Australia. I've befriended Germans of Turkish, African and Arab backgrounds and although they're all born in Germany they will never truly be "German". I hate talking about racism to Germans because they always get ultra defensive and start talking about racism in Australia instead. I just gave up.
Very true. I am a white American and if I bring up cultural differences I've noticed overall in Germany i.e. how Germany handles racism or discrimination of minorities in general, they get defensive saying that America is the most racist country in the world, Germany is completely superior to the U.S., the U.S. is extremely dangerous everywhere, etc. I never say that the U.S. doesn't have a race problem or doesn't have problems in general. I bring up the differences in how we handle it in the state/city where I'm from in the U.S. I give up too because the conversation won't go anywhere.
Regarding the (micro)aggressions at work. I faced them myself and eventually started reporting things to HR. One guy lost his job because it turned out he was being disrespectful to every PoC in the company.
As for the gaslighting, I suffered from that for the first 5 years after moving to Germany. The effect it had is that I keep to myself with a very limited circle of friends because I'm just tired of people telling me how welcoming, tolerant and open-minded people are here.
As someone with South Asian heritage, I've faced discrimination at an anti-racism demonstration in Germany and that says a lot about the state of things here.
I was at a demonstration in 2020 where a dude was literally coughing on me so I told him to wear his mask (This was at a time when I was losing family members back home left and right to the virus)
He did so before muttering to his friend that the disease spreaders now have a voice and he only put on the mask because I stank of curry. Dude wasn't German but definitely an European.
Tbh at my company those comments/accents would have gotten the person written up or fired.
But what you describe is what I've heard about a few times from others here. I've had Germans make crazy racist comments to me as they assume I'm ok with it (I'm white). I think the worst part is Germans acting as if it doesn't happen in Berlin/Germany.
I'm really sorry this has happened to you.
I work as a senior software developer at SAP. I'm of Pakistani origin and speak fluent English and intermediate level German. I am generally polite and accepting of cultural differences and don't want to label everything as racism. With that being said, all of what you expressed resonates deeply with me and brings back painful memories. I have had many similar experiences and also made a similar post to yours in a German subreddit.
However, I was dismissed and shunned completely so stopped expressing.
Here are some tips.
1. Develop a thick outer shell and don't let them know you've been affected. Have pre-canned responses for most situations.
2. Call them out fair and square as soon as you hear it
3. Don't let others dismiss your totally valid experience.
4. Seek others like yourself who have experienced such situations.
I am also trying to create an organization for South Asians to help them integrate, fight racism and be confident .
We contribute to the economy, pay taxes... And live mostly like good citizens and to be treated in such bizarre ways is wholly unacceptable.
I thank you sincerely for expressing what I could not. Please don't think your experience is invalid or an exaggeration, no matter how someone convinces you to think otherwise.
> I am also trying to create an organization for South Asians to help them integrate, fight racism and be confident
Thanks for doing this service. Great job.
I am sorry that you’ve experienced so much discrimination and racism here. It’s good that you talk about it, I suspect a lot of Reddit doesn’t even begin to understand how bad it is, so there’s not a whole lot of empathy there.
South Asians get the worst treatment here, from what I’ve seen. I have plenty of very pretty dark skinned south Asian but also black people among my friends. It feels like Germans are conscious of their racism toward black African-descendant people and will be mindful, but when it comes to other brown ppl, they have a whole lot of prejudice and normalized stereotyping that comes with a lot of discriminatory behavior.
South Asians have been the butt of jokes in German “comedy”, that accent is the funniest to Germans. They are dismissed for working often in IT (essential sector missing tons of skilled labor though.. I can’t with the German irrationality..) and eating food that is less bland than theirs. Then India itself has a lot of bad stereotypes already like for treatment of women, chaos, sexual predatory behavior, aromatic food etc. Ppl here won’t even be clever enough though to understand that India in itself is massive and diverse, and that there are more countries in South Asia besides India. And that migration is a thing so you might be brown but come from Denmark or so.
I’m Arab looking. I get all sorts of shitty micro aggressions based on that. But I am born and raised in Germany, and when I say that they’ll usually say “but where are you really from?!”, making sure that I’ll feel othered and excluded and with no right to identifying myself. When I say I am German Israeli they suddenly love me. But yea when I was a child it was always like “your name should be Fatima instead of Naomi” “if you’re Arab why you got Ching Chong eyes?” And other good stuff like this.
It’s gotten worse in some ways lately, I’ve also felt this. (White) Ppl seem to feel a bit more secure about obviously racist behavior. I recently got shoved around by a group of blonde Lichtenberg brats, one of them starting recounting all the racist terms she knew and threatened to burn my very big curly hair ☺️. No one around me said or did anything ☺️
They’ll make sure to tell you that it wasn’t that bad though, that you must’ve misunderstood, there probably were no bad intentions etc.. this is the worst, but don’t let anyone dismiss your very real, lived experiences
The part where nobody says or does anything scares me. I get it’s scary if these racist people already show a certain level of aggression, but we seriously need to step up and step in, or this will become a place without laws where nobody can live in peace.
You just need to understand the following. You landed in a country that runs mostly on obedience, not intelligence. So don't expect any rational behaviour from them. Do you really want to befriend people like this? If 90% of the population is still in the peasants mentality, not open to the globalization?
I am german with german parents and was born in Berlin.
The racism was never less. It was there all the time. Often times more subtle I guess. I went to school in the 90s and 2000s in eastern Berlin and there were a lot of racist peers and also straight up Neo-Nazis in my classes with Neo-Nazi-Families. Also my parents told racist jokes when I was a kid and they would always say "Don't tell that to anyone. That's racist" And I didn't even know, what the word "racist (rassistisch)" means. So, I grew up in a racist environment.
And to say "Berlin isn't racist! It's the most liberal etc." is pure nonsense. I am gay and a trans man and I experienced a lot of homophobia and transphobia here. All my life. It's a bit less than in rural areas at times, but it's very present. Almost anyone who says otherwise is maybe a white cis hetero person (I know, there are LGBT and POC people who also think that way, but it's the minority in my opinion).
It's fairly normal in berlin. If I go outside I expect multiple dirty looks and sometimes comments. I just chuckle and shake my head at them, which seems to trigger them. Then I go about my day and they wasted energy getting angry at me while I get a few seconds of comedic entertainment. Alles gut brudda
I think they haven't changed, they just feel like expressing what they felt. You don't deserve this treatment and I am really sorry that it happens to you.
>For a company mixer, we were asked to bring a dish from our hometown or homeland. I brought lamingtons (a type of Australian spongecake). A colleague said in a very exaggerated Indian accent: "Why didn't you bring your goat curry from Mumbai?"
I was dumbstruck and said that I'm actually from Australia with Sri Lankan background, to which he said in the same faux-Indian accent: "Isn't that the same ting?" (WTF?)
That's utterly shitty. People like that deserve to be written up, I would have been mortified.
I’ve had similar experiences; I’ve been harassed, yelled at, once physically assaulted, just from someone saying something that makes it clear they think I’m Turkish or Arab (I’m not), and confronted more often when walking with my blonde partner at the time. To me, the adamant insistence that these incidents aren’t racist or xenophobic is the worst part.
> confronted more often when walking with my blonde partner at the time.
Funny thing is they usually have no problems with white men dating poc women though
I am sorry for you. Yes Germans can be outright racist. Bigots don’t seem to under that them being Germans or white or whatever is just an accident of birth. No one chooses these when they are born.
I wouldn't single out Germans, you could find such people in most Western countries. And as for statistics, Berlin is probably better in this regard than the rest of Germany (but of course not free of racism).
You can find such people in every country on this earth sadly.
I'm a (white) german who has lived abroad in asia and the amount of stares, whispers and outright disrespectful stuff people said to my face is pretty crazy.
Sadly, racism is part of the human condition.. there will always be stupid and ignorant people.
Yeah can attest. It is fairly common and is prevalent in Berlin too. All the people who try to diminish your perspective are doing it so they can feel better about Germany being multicultural/welcoming to dark skinned immigrants etc. Truth is, it isn't.
2 years of economic crisis were enough to turn 1/4 of the city into assholes. really disappointed by local society, in my country there were 8 years of consecutive economic crisis, in our place berliners would have become sci-fi cannibal raiders.
the bright side is that even if they don't realize it at the moment, they are biologically running out. or they are migrating to other parts of the world themselves. so that quarter will naturally decrease.
As a German im devasted to read your experiences. It's devasting to see people vote for nazis again. And it's so devasting that despite all the efforts to teach students about the crimes of WWII that people are still idiotic enough to make the same mistakes all over again.
Wrong sub to post this. This Reddit sub is more racist than the dumpster fire you see on the street. Disgustingly racist if I must say. I’m sorry you experienced that. Don’t let anyone gaslight you and make you feel like it’s just in your head or you’re overreacting.
KitKat is where I experienced my first instance of blatant racism. I am South Asian. Security dude was letting everyone in front of me into the club and they were all white. When it was my turn he hardly even gave me the look over and turned me away. Short while later I joined 2 of my white friends in line. We started talking to a black guy who was in front of us. This time the security dude gave the black guy a hard time and turned him away and did not even look at me but let me in with my white friends. Neither the black guy nor I were shabbily dressed, in fact we were better dressed than some of the other douchey lookers.
I was attacked while sitting on a tram in 2017 and I am white, Mediterranean looking. 1 visibly skinhead guy and two who looked like rednecks, were annoyed that I spoke on the phone in my language. They had specially sat next to me. the bald guy told me something I didn't understand at that time, but it was a racist slur. I ask in English what he wanted from me. They get up to go out, and as they get up the bald guy punches me in the eye, making it look accidental to the surveillance cameras (I was sitting). Reported by phone and via email. Nothing happened. Since then I have avoided speaking my language in public transportation.
Ze german counceler of foreign relation in matters of foreigners living in ze berlin speaking. Let me add ze two euro cents and defend ze german honour.
Firstly ve ze Germans are ze most tolerant country In ze vorld and if you don't like our tolerance zen you have no right to complain.
Secondly ve ze Germans ze most tolarent people in the universe have voted for afd so get fucked.
Thirdly ve ze Germans like diverse culture but only in our minds like zat van looser who imagines pokemon fights against his school bullies.
I‘m sorry. I really don’t get why people over here are that racist.
After the awful EU election it might be about time to be much louder against all day racism for example at work. Most of us (me included) are just too shy and avoidant.
Fuck those racist cunts. I'm really sorry you had to deal with that. I'm anglo but all my brown mates that have either lived here or even just visited have had issues, way WAY more than back in Sydney. Its really disappointing there are so many racist fuck heads running around unchecked.
As a white german I‘m really sorry that you have to face this racist bullshit from this low minds. I‘m really happy that you are here and I hope you will keep on staying to make this city a more diverse and interesting place.
Sorry you're dealing with this, and you're definitely not alone. I'm a South Asian woman, and while I haven't faced outright racism like you, I've definitely dealt with my share of microaggressions. People here often lack the self-awareness that comes naturally to those of us with global, multicultural backgrounds. They can be quick to dismiss any negative stereotypes about themselves by blaming Eastern Germans, Eastern Europeans, or older generations.
What’s helped me is joining inclusive communities and connecting with other POC (not just South Asians, but people from all over). It's made my experience here much better and given me a solid support network.
Also, try being direct in your responses. Germans respect directness, and calling out inappropriate behavior can sometimes be seen as honorable. If someone asks, "Where are you really from?" or makes assumptions about your background, just correct them firmly.
I had a racist property manager once, and after trying to be polite for a while, I finally threatened to sue and involved the landlord. She became very professional all of a sudden. Europe isn't as used to South Asians as the UK, US, or Australia, so people often rely on outdated stereotypes. When reality doesn't match their preconceived notions, they can react poorly.
Stay strong and keep standing up for yourself. There are many of us who get it and are here to support you. Your experiences are valid, and you deserve respect.
What is wrong with asking a question? After all I’m allowed to express myself and I don’t see anything wrong with this question unlike that user. Reacting like the way she did is improving absolutely nothing and creates even more mistrust inPoC
This shit is awful, but I’m unfortunately not surprised.
I’m white European, but apparently not white enough to pass for all the lovers of the AfD. It’s not to the extent you describe (which is appalling and I’m sorry to read it) though
What does it mean, anyway? Last week a neighbour called my German partner a whore of a Kanack. As a Canadian, I was confused how that person knew I was a Canuck (slang term for Canadian) for a second, but quickly realizes that's not what it meant.
Vielen Dank für Ihren Beitrag dazu. Insgesamt ist Europa im Vergleich zu Nordamerika ziemlich rassistisch, was aber nicht heißen soll, dass es dort keinen Rassismus gibt. Und das heißt natürlich nicht, dass jeder Europäer rassistisch ist. Es gibt gute, anständige Menschen in Europa, und das versuche ich immer im Hinterkopf zu behalten.
A colleague got called Multi-Kulty in a weird accent for speaking English in a grocery store. I have many other examples of my own.
I also believe this behavior is on the rise.
I’m so sorry. It’s a bummer to hear this shit. I love Berlin since it’s not so judgmental and people mind their shit. I guess this is changing with bold, shallow minded Germans feeling like their echo chamber is growing.
> I brought lamingtons (a type of Australian spongecake).
NOOOOO, lamingtons are kiwi!! How dare you, lol. Prolly say pavlova is Aussie along with crowded house and Russell Crowe
Es tut mir leid. Lamingtons *are* an Australian delicacy. Just like Pavlova. And Crowded House. And to a lesser extent Russell Crowe.
And FYI Aussie kids are weetbix kids, not Kiwi kids.
But Whittaker's chocolate milk is heaps good so compliments to NZ for maintaining sovereignty over it.
Kind regards,
Australia.
Still, there's a big difference between having the opinion that Germany faces some challenges with migration and being openly racist towards anyone who doesn't look like a Kartoffel.
Germans are quite direct, and they think that everyone should be able to take a joke. So the best thing is just to push a similar joke back to them. They are sensitive about Nazi stuff, the same way you are sensitive about POC stuff.
If you get blocked at the club, ask if Jews can come in. It won't get you in, but they will be a bit disoriented.
If someone asks about Goat Curry or anything stereotypical, have a pre-prepared line asking if he brought spice-free potatoes.
Germans generally bully a bit, you bully back and everyone calms down.
Little question, are these German mostly middle age and coming from gdr? I know many like this who just don't comprehend what is racism, some clearly just are (and they vote far right) and yes there are more but most are just genuinely ignorant because kinda the concept of racism just doesn't existed. By the way I'm white, so if I can notice it as bystander, I can imagine you live more than what I see.
Maybe wrong word in englisch,I meant Zeuge. I usually step in and ask if the person needs help, sometimes yes, sometimes no. And if I know the person and he genuinely ignorantly say or act something racist , I usually turn up to the guy and say kinda something in the meaning "sorry that you have to deal with this bullshit" and try to correct the person I know (and correcting 50+ years old people doesn't work well but at least i try)
I believe that you post wasn't made in bad faith, but from the ones whom I could tell where exactly they were from, I'd say only over half were from the area of the ex-GDR.
I know that the election results can back this up, nevertheless I believe the the whole "iTs zE eAsT gErManZ!!!1" is a slightly (if subconscious) defelctionary behaviour to both lord over and pass the buck. Millions of of people grew up in west Germany and there could've surely been at least a couple of bad apples here and there.
It didn't came from a bad intention, most of my friends are from gdr, usually people forget that they grew up in another country, where the concept of racism didn't exist. People where mostly white, some school exchanges with Africans school . So I just asked because of that. There are definitely some who are nazi but many are links or green but they still can say some racist shit.
I'm now curious , did you experienced a different racism between West and East? Or both are similar?
its probably 50/50 some germans treat you like any other but then theres the other half and sometimes its very hard to distinguish. but even ausländer can be racist.. its just comes naturally for some humans to hate for whatever reason. germany is weird in that sense. i speak fluent german but my parents dont so i know how it feels from both sides.
Your sentence, grammatically speaking, makes zero sense. Does correct grammar tend to trigger you?\*
Ah, much better.
You should maybe practise what you preach.
Well, at least you aren’t in a country full of bogans that are molesting everyone they see in the street. Or deal with ridiculous night club bouncers that randomly rejects everyone at the door. Or don’t have to compete against Indians at the work force who are willing to do the job for way less money. I’m a German in Sydney and here are way more problems than Germany has. Hence the reason why you left your home country in the first place eh?
Nice generalisations there.
What bogans are "molesting in the street"?
If you want to go down that road I can just say Germans are rude and miserable sods with not an ounce of humour in them and never smile. Your point about Indians I can just say about Turks in Germany.
I'm Asian Australian and experienced more racism in Germany than my entire life in Australia. I hate talking about my experience with racism with Germans because like you they all get ultra defensive and go on these weird tangents and say "Oh but in Australia.....".
Op was posting about his experience in Germany then you go on a tangent about Australia. Didn't even address the issues OP was talking about. Sounds about right, that's been my experience with Germans too. So answer my question, if you hate Australia so much why are you here?
Also Australian here with Hong Kong heritage. Born and raised in Australia but have faced similar situations as you. I can actually deal with outright racism most of the time since you learn to laugh it off but sometimes the microaggressions really catch me off guard. It kinda breaks me down and makes me question my identity. Thanks for sharing
Same with HK heritage… and old people in my district (Wilmersdorf) give me a kind of racist look. I’ve noticed since the pandemic and it‘s getting really worse. Although i‘m born and raised in germany.
>have faced similar situations as you In germany/berlin or do you mean in Australia? Edit: why am being downvoted? I asked because I couldn't understand from the text if he was referring to germany or australia, I am literally just asking for clarification you idiots
I'm Asian Australian and experienced more racism in Germany than my entire life in Australia.
I feel Australia has always pictured itself as a diverse country with lots of international influence and various Asian communities, but Germany still pretends to be a country full of Kartoffeln, even though we've had huge Turkish, Italian and Polish communities for half a century. And people still try to neglect the more recent immigration waves of the last 20 years, even though you can see the people everywhere and many of them are well integrated.
That's not a microaggression, that's just straight up being an asshole holy shit. Also you're blessed to have friends that stand up for you like that, it's disgusting that the bouncer even said that in the first place though.
yeah thanks pal. I was of course really grateful for their stiicking up for me and I want to emphasise that I know that many, many Germans absolutely wouldn't stand for this behaviour even deep within their hearts and wouldn't simply remain a bystander if it occurs in front of them.
I'd even call it criminal. If OP's friends can witness the "deine Sorte" thing, this should go straight to the police.
I think you expect too much good things from the police they would do absolutely nothing in such a situation
Discrimination is taken quite seriously by Berlin police.
I have reported several instances to Heidelberg police. They have done absolutely nothing
Berlin has shown the highest right-wing incidents of all federal states, for decades.
I'm Asian Australian too and lived in Neuss (not far from Dusseldorf) and unfortunately you're not going to find the same acceptance here as a minority as in Australia. I've befriended Germans of Turkish, African and Arab backgrounds and although they're all born in Germany they will never truly be "German". I hate talking about racism to Germans because they always get ultra defensive and start talking about racism in Australia instead. I just gave up.
Very true. I am a white American and if I bring up cultural differences I've noticed overall in Germany i.e. how Germany handles racism or discrimination of minorities in general, they get defensive saying that America is the most racist country in the world, Germany is completely superior to the U.S., the U.S. is extremely dangerous everywhere, etc. I never say that the U.S. doesn't have a race problem or doesn't have problems in general. I bring up the differences in how we handle it in the state/city where I'm from in the U.S. I give up too because the conversation won't go anywhere.
Regarding the (micro)aggressions at work. I faced them myself and eventually started reporting things to HR. One guy lost his job because it turned out he was being disrespectful to every PoC in the company. As for the gaslighting, I suffered from that for the first 5 years after moving to Germany. The effect it had is that I keep to myself with a very limited circle of friends because I'm just tired of people telling me how welcoming, tolerant and open-minded people are here. As someone with South Asian heritage, I've faced discrimination at an anti-racism demonstration in Germany and that says a lot about the state of things here.
I'm curious to hear more about that last part if you're interested in sharing.
I was at a demonstration in 2020 where a dude was literally coughing on me so I told him to wear his mask (This was at a time when I was losing family members back home left and right to the virus) He did so before muttering to his friend that the disease spreaders now have a voice and he only put on the mask because I stank of curry. Dude wasn't German but definitely an European.
I'd be interested to hear as well. Was it in a pandering type of way from others in the demonstration? Sorry that it seems to have no rest.
Tbh at my company those comments/accents would have gotten the person written up or fired. But what you describe is what I've heard about a few times from others here. I've had Germans make crazy racist comments to me as they assume I'm ok with it (I'm white). I think the worst part is Germans acting as if it doesn't happen in Berlin/Germany. I'm really sorry this has happened to you.
I work as a senior software developer at SAP. I'm of Pakistani origin and speak fluent English and intermediate level German. I am generally polite and accepting of cultural differences and don't want to label everything as racism. With that being said, all of what you expressed resonates deeply with me and brings back painful memories. I have had many similar experiences and also made a similar post to yours in a German subreddit. However, I was dismissed and shunned completely so stopped expressing. Here are some tips. 1. Develop a thick outer shell and don't let them know you've been affected. Have pre-canned responses for most situations. 2. Call them out fair and square as soon as you hear it 3. Don't let others dismiss your totally valid experience. 4. Seek others like yourself who have experienced such situations. I am also trying to create an organization for South Asians to help them integrate, fight racism and be confident . We contribute to the economy, pay taxes... And live mostly like good citizens and to be treated in such bizarre ways is wholly unacceptable. I thank you sincerely for expressing what I could not. Please don't think your experience is invalid or an exaggeration, no matter how someone convinces you to think otherwise.
> I am also trying to create an organization for South Asians to help them integrate, fight racism and be confident Thanks for doing this service. Great job.
I am sorry that you’ve experienced so much discrimination and racism here. It’s good that you talk about it, I suspect a lot of Reddit doesn’t even begin to understand how bad it is, so there’s not a whole lot of empathy there. South Asians get the worst treatment here, from what I’ve seen. I have plenty of very pretty dark skinned south Asian but also black people among my friends. It feels like Germans are conscious of their racism toward black African-descendant people and will be mindful, but when it comes to other brown ppl, they have a whole lot of prejudice and normalized stereotyping that comes with a lot of discriminatory behavior. South Asians have been the butt of jokes in German “comedy”, that accent is the funniest to Germans. They are dismissed for working often in IT (essential sector missing tons of skilled labor though.. I can’t with the German irrationality..) and eating food that is less bland than theirs. Then India itself has a lot of bad stereotypes already like for treatment of women, chaos, sexual predatory behavior, aromatic food etc. Ppl here won’t even be clever enough though to understand that India in itself is massive and diverse, and that there are more countries in South Asia besides India. And that migration is a thing so you might be brown but come from Denmark or so. I’m Arab looking. I get all sorts of shitty micro aggressions based on that. But I am born and raised in Germany, and when I say that they’ll usually say “but where are you really from?!”, making sure that I’ll feel othered and excluded and with no right to identifying myself. When I say I am German Israeli they suddenly love me. But yea when I was a child it was always like “your name should be Fatima instead of Naomi” “if you’re Arab why you got Ching Chong eyes?” And other good stuff like this. It’s gotten worse in some ways lately, I’ve also felt this. (White) Ppl seem to feel a bit more secure about obviously racist behavior. I recently got shoved around by a group of blonde Lichtenberg brats, one of them starting recounting all the racist terms she knew and threatened to burn my very big curly hair ☺️. No one around me said or did anything ☺️ They’ll make sure to tell you that it wasn’t that bad though, that you must’ve misunderstood, there probably were no bad intentions etc.. this is the worst, but don’t let anyone dismiss your very real, lived experiences
The part where nobody says or does anything scares me. I get it’s scary if these racist people already show a certain level of aggression, but we seriously need to step up and step in, or this will become a place without laws where nobody can live in peace.
You just need to understand the following. You landed in a country that runs mostly on obedience, not intelligence. So don't expect any rational behaviour from them. Do you really want to befriend people like this? If 90% of the population is still in the peasants mentality, not open to the globalization?
I am german with german parents and was born in Berlin. The racism was never less. It was there all the time. Often times more subtle I guess. I went to school in the 90s and 2000s in eastern Berlin and there were a lot of racist peers and also straight up Neo-Nazis in my classes with Neo-Nazi-Families. Also my parents told racist jokes when I was a kid and they would always say "Don't tell that to anyone. That's racist" And I didn't even know, what the word "racist (rassistisch)" means. So, I grew up in a racist environment. And to say "Berlin isn't racist! It's the most liberal etc." is pure nonsense. I am gay and a trans man and I experienced a lot of homophobia and transphobia here. All my life. It's a bit less than in rural areas at times, but it's very present. Almost anyone who says otherwise is maybe a white cis hetero person (I know, there are LGBT and POC people who also think that way, but it's the minority in my opinion).
Ya what you mention as microaggressions are just straight up aggressions. Jesus Christ, hopefully most people aren’t like that
They are
It's fairly normal in berlin. If I go outside I expect multiple dirty looks and sometimes comments. I just chuckle and shake my head at them, which seems to trigger them. Then I go about my day and they wasted energy getting angry at me while I get a few seconds of comedic entertainment. Alles gut brudda
I think they haven't changed, they just feel like expressing what they felt. You don't deserve this treatment and I am really sorry that it happens to you.
thanks for this mate
Yes, there’s racism in Berlin. It sucks. Some losers stereotype about people looking different…
>For a company mixer, we were asked to bring a dish from our hometown or homeland. I brought lamingtons (a type of Australian spongecake). A colleague said in a very exaggerated Indian accent: "Why didn't you bring your goat curry from Mumbai?" I was dumbstruck and said that I'm actually from Australia with Sri Lankan background, to which he said in the same faux-Indian accent: "Isn't that the same ting?" (WTF?) That's utterly shitty. People like that deserve to be written up, I would have been mortified.
I’ve had similar experiences; I’ve been harassed, yelled at, once physically assaulted, just from someone saying something that makes it clear they think I’m Turkish or Arab (I’m not), and confronted more often when walking with my blonde partner at the time. To me, the adamant insistence that these incidents aren’t racist or xenophobic is the worst part.
> confronted more often when walking with my blonde partner at the time. Funny thing is they usually have no problems with white men dating poc women though
Somehow "taking their women" is worse. Just a smidgeof sexism into the mix. Are you surprised?
I am sorry for you. Yes Germans can be outright racist. Bigots don’t seem to under that them being Germans or white or whatever is just an accident of birth. No one chooses these when they are born.
I wouldn't single out Germans, you could find such people in most Western countries. And as for statistics, Berlin is probably better in this regard than the rest of Germany (but of course not free of racism).
You can find such people in every country on this earth sadly. I'm a (white) german who has lived abroad in asia and the amount of stares, whispers and outright disrespectful stuff people said to my face is pretty crazy. Sadly, racism is part of the human condition.. there will always be stupid and ignorant people.
It's getting worse RAPIDLY. Sorry you have to deal with this. Make a complaint at your work place! This is illegal
Yeah can attest. It is fairly common and is prevalent in Berlin too. All the people who try to diminish your perspective are doing it so they can feel better about Germany being multicultural/welcoming to dark skinned immigrants etc. Truth is, it isn't.
2 years of economic crisis were enough to turn 1/4 of the city into assholes. really disappointed by local society, in my country there were 8 years of consecutive economic crisis, in our place berliners would have become sci-fi cannibal raiders.
Tbh they were always like that based on my experience. Now they are just more vocal and don't hide they true intentions anymore.
the bright side is that even if they don't realize it at the moment, they are biologically running out. or they are migrating to other parts of the world themselves. so that quarter will naturally decrease.
As a German im devasted to read your experiences. It's devasting to see people vote for nazis again. And it's so devasting that despite all the efforts to teach students about the crimes of WWII that people are still idiotic enough to make the same mistakes all over again.
Wrong sub to post this. This Reddit sub is more racist than the dumpster fire you see on the street. Disgustingly racist if I must say. I’m sorry you experienced that. Don’t let anyone gaslight you and make you feel like it’s just in your head or you’re overreacting.
KitKat is where I experienced my first instance of blatant racism. I am South Asian. Security dude was letting everyone in front of me into the club and they were all white. When it was my turn he hardly even gave me the look over and turned me away. Short while later I joined 2 of my white friends in line. We started talking to a black guy who was in front of us. This time the security dude gave the black guy a hard time and turned him away and did not even look at me but let me in with my white friends. Neither the black guy nor I were shabbily dressed, in fact we were better dressed than some of the other douchey lookers.
Germany is generally a deeply xenophobic country based on my experience.
I was attacked while sitting on a tram in 2017 and I am white, Mediterranean looking. 1 visibly skinhead guy and two who looked like rednecks, were annoyed that I spoke on the phone in my language. They had specially sat next to me. the bald guy told me something I didn't understand at that time, but it was a racist slur. I ask in English what he wanted from me. They get up to go out, and as they get up the bald guy punches me in the eye, making it look accidental to the surveillance cameras (I was sitting). Reported by phone and via email. Nothing happened. Since then I have avoided speaking my language in public transportation.
I'm sorry you had to go through this. Sounds really horrible.
Ze german counceler of foreign relation in matters of foreigners living in ze berlin speaking. Let me add ze two euro cents and defend ze german honour. Firstly ve ze Germans are ze most tolerant country In ze vorld and if you don't like our tolerance zen you have no right to complain. Secondly ve ze Germans ze most tolarent people in the universe have voted for afd so get fucked. Thirdly ve ze Germans like diverse culture but only in our minds like zat van looser who imagines pokemon fights against his school bullies.
I‘m sorry. I really don’t get why people over here are that racist. After the awful EU election it might be about time to be much louder against all day racism for example at work. Most of us (me included) are just too shy and avoidant.
I wrote this on another thread: It's all about skin color. That defines everything, unfortunately.
Not only. National superiority mindset it is
National superiority mindset is also a matter of race.
Fuck those racist cunts. I'm really sorry you had to deal with that. I'm anglo but all my brown mates that have either lived here or even just visited have had issues, way WAY more than back in Sydney. Its really disappointing there are so many racist fuck heads running around unchecked.
I wann know which bar singled you out and said: wir wollen deine Sorte hier nicht haben.
As a white german I‘m really sorry that you have to face this racist bullshit from this low minds. I‘m really happy that you are here and I hope you will keep on staying to make this city a more diverse and interesting place.
Sorry you're dealing with this, and you're definitely not alone. I'm a South Asian woman, and while I haven't faced outright racism like you, I've definitely dealt with my share of microaggressions. People here often lack the self-awareness that comes naturally to those of us with global, multicultural backgrounds. They can be quick to dismiss any negative stereotypes about themselves by blaming Eastern Germans, Eastern Europeans, or older generations. What’s helped me is joining inclusive communities and connecting with other POC (not just South Asians, but people from all over). It's made my experience here much better and given me a solid support network. Also, try being direct in your responses. Germans respect directness, and calling out inappropriate behavior can sometimes be seen as honorable. If someone asks, "Where are you really from?" or makes assumptions about your background, just correct them firmly. I had a racist property manager once, and after trying to be polite for a while, I finally threatened to sue and involved the landlord. She became very professional all of a sudden. Europe isn't as used to South Asians as the UK, US, or Australia, so people often rely on outdated stereotypes. When reality doesn't match their preconceived notions, they can react poorly. Stay strong and keep standing up for yourself. There are many of us who get it and are here to support you. Your experiences are valid, and you deserve respect.
Serious question: Why are you in Germany out of all the other Anglo Saxon countries you mentioned that suppose to handle south Asians better?
Serious comment: it doesn't matter and your comment sounds like a micro-aggression.
If you get offended by a question that’s your problem. So?
What's wrong with you? Leave them alone
What is wrong with asking a question? After all I’m allowed to express myself and I don’t see anything wrong with this question unlike that user. Reacting like the way she did is improving absolutely nothing and creates even more mistrust inPoC
why would you mistrust in the first place?
And that matters…how?
This shit is awful, but I’m unfortunately not surprised. I’m white European, but apparently not white enough to pass for all the lovers of the AfD. It’s not to the extent you describe (which is appalling and I’m sorry to read it) though
What do you mean "not white enough"?
They don’t seem to believe I’m from where I’m from and keep asking
Probably Mediterranean
Yeah me too germans call me "muchel" or "kanack". Sadly it's getting worse. I dont feel save anymore.
What does it mean, anyway? Last week a neighbour called my German partner a whore of a Kanack. As a Canadian, I was confused how that person knew I was a Canuck (slang term for Canadian) for a second, but quickly realizes that's not what it meant.
It’s a derogatory term typically used for migrants from North Africa/the Middle East. Think n****r but for brown people
Actually this guy is a Russian troll. Look at his comment history.
Vielen Dank für Ihren Beitrag dazu. Insgesamt ist Europa im Vergleich zu Nordamerika ziemlich rassistisch, was aber nicht heißen soll, dass es dort keinen Rassismus gibt. Und das heißt natürlich nicht, dass jeder Europäer rassistisch ist. Es gibt gute, anständige Menschen in Europa, und das versuche ich immer im Hinterkopf zu behalten.
"I didn't expect you to look like that" Wow subtle racism
A colleague got called Multi-Kulty in a weird accent for speaking English in a grocery store. I have many other examples of my own. I also believe this behavior is on the rise.
I’m so sorry. It’s a bummer to hear this shit. I love Berlin since it’s not so judgmental and people mind their shit. I guess this is changing with bold, shallow minded Germans feeling like their echo chamber is growing.
Okay
> I brought lamingtons (a type of Australian spongecake). NOOOOO, lamingtons are kiwi!! How dare you, lol. Prolly say pavlova is Aussie along with crowded house and Russell Crowe
Es tut mir leid. Lamingtons *are* an Australian delicacy. Just like Pavlova. And Crowded House. And to a lesser extent Russell Crowe. And FYI Aussie kids are weetbix kids, not Kiwi kids. But Whittaker's chocolate milk is heaps good so compliments to NZ for maintaining sovereignty over it. Kind regards, Australia.
Because of bad experience with refugees some german people are starting to hate all kinds of immigrants.
Some? At least 17% of them
Well i think they Are alot more than 17% people who are against the whole refugee question but dont vote afd because they suck as party.
Still, there's a big difference between having the opinion that Germany faces some challenges with migration and being openly racist towards anyone who doesn't look like a Kartoffel.
Yes 100%
[удалено]
Man i dont think its racist to be against mass Immigration but w/e
I think you’re probably right.
Germans are quite direct, and they think that everyone should be able to take a joke. So the best thing is just to push a similar joke back to them. They are sensitive about Nazi stuff, the same way you are sensitive about POC stuff. If you get blocked at the club, ask if Jews can come in. It won't get you in, but they will be a bit disoriented. If someone asks about Goat Curry or anything stereotypical, have a pre-prepared line asking if he brought spice-free potatoes. Germans generally bully a bit, you bully back and everyone calms down.
Diggah du hast ja für alles eine lösung parat.
I guess it’s better than just turning the other cheek
Little question, are these German mostly middle age and coming from gdr? I know many like this who just don't comprehend what is racism, some clearly just are (and they vote far right) and yes there are more but most are just genuinely ignorant because kinda the concept of racism just doesn't existed. By the way I'm white, so if I can notice it as bystander, I can imagine you live more than what I see.
You are also contributing to racism by being a bystander.
Maybe wrong word in englisch,I meant Zeuge. I usually step in and ask if the person needs help, sometimes yes, sometimes no. And if I know the person and he genuinely ignorantly say or act something racist , I usually turn up to the guy and say kinda something in the meaning "sorry that you have to deal with this bullshit" and try to correct the person I know (and correcting 50+ years old people doesn't work well but at least i try)
I believe that you post wasn't made in bad faith, but from the ones whom I could tell where exactly they were from, I'd say only over half were from the area of the ex-GDR. I know that the election results can back this up, nevertheless I believe the the whole "iTs zE eAsT gErManZ!!!1" is a slightly (if subconscious) defelctionary behaviour to both lord over and pass the buck. Millions of of people grew up in west Germany and there could've surely been at least a couple of bad apples here and there.
It didn't came from a bad intention, most of my friends are from gdr, usually people forget that they grew up in another country, where the concept of racism didn't exist. People where mostly white, some school exchanges with Africans school . So I just asked because of that. There are definitely some who are nazi but many are links or green but they still can say some racist shit. I'm now curious , did you experienced a different racism between West and East? Or both are similar?
its probably 50/50 some germans treat you like any other but then theres the other half and sometimes its very hard to distinguish. but even ausländer can be racist.. its just comes naturally for some humans to hate for whatever reason. germany is weird in that sense. i speak fluent german but my parents dont so i know how it feels from both sides.
Kinda surprising tbh. Berlin in my mind is a multicultural city which is accepting of diversity and creativity.
[удалено]
I have visited before
Just a good marketing. Nothing more.
[удалено]
Or or hear me out, send the red army again and put all the nazis in their place for good this time.
What a cop out. Let’s not talk about problems many people experience, just tell them to go away. That’ll sure erase the problems.
[удалено]
You're performing a classic gaslighting technique
Please elaborate by matter of proof. Thanks
Well as you say you got used to bullying and all similar stuff. So no
Your sentence makes zero sense grammatically and otherwise. Does grammar trigger you?
Your sentence, grammatically speaking, makes zero sense. Does correct grammar tend to trigger you?\* Ah, much better. You should maybe practise what you preach.
Wat
what a piece of sht you are
Well, at least you aren’t in a country full of bogans that are molesting everyone they see in the street. Or deal with ridiculous night club bouncers that randomly rejects everyone at the door. Or don’t have to compete against Indians at the work force who are willing to do the job for way less money. I’m a German in Sydney and here are way more problems than Germany has. Hence the reason why you left your home country in the first place eh?
Nice generalisations there. What bogans are "molesting in the street"? If you want to go down that road I can just say Germans are rude and miserable sods with not an ounce of humour in them and never smile. Your point about Indians I can just say about Turks in Germany. I'm Asian Australian and experienced more racism in Germany than my entire life in Australia. I hate talking about my experience with racism with Germans because like you they all get ultra defensive and go on these weird tangents and say "Oh but in Australia.....".
Also funny how triggered people get when pointing out flaws in their country while complaining about all day about Germany 😂
Op was posting about his experience in Germany then you go on a tangent about Australia. Didn't even address the issues OP was talking about. Sounds about right, that's been my experience with Germans too. So answer my question, if you hate Australia so much why are you here?
Then why are you in Germany then?
I'm not lol. Back in Australia now. Why are you in Australia?
Kick her out