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I completely understand what you mean. I am not white, but rather a mixed blood myself and yes, I do speak other languages, but when I am in America, I do speak English and do expect others to do the same. I'm from southern California, for me, the Mexicans seem a little racist mainly because,
1. they don't tend to hire others who don't speak their language
2. many of them hold jobs that don't even live there...(they live in Mexico) I would say many of which are illegal
3. Customer service don't speak good or enough english and find that sometimes they refuse to help because they don't want to deal with the language barrier.
4. Many of them don't care in general about the country, but only what they can get
5. I find myself moving north or east to aviod their locations.
6. I feel that they are holding our edu system, cause there are many of them who graduate without even knowing how to speak english! and those who do a small percent do go to college and those who do normally end up getting a major in spanish or mexican culture.
7. many of times I have noticed that they are rude to other races except for their own.
8. "RUDE"-- when I go shopping there always seem to be one of them pushing me out of the way with their cart or cutting to get a parking and throwing their trash on the roads. I know the government pays someone to clean it up, but for me I think it is a part every one's responsibility to do our par.. big or little
Now I'm not saying that they are all bad, just the ones, that come here for a better life, but only seem to want hand outs or demand them just because there seem to be more of them over us who have their citizenship. Why isn't the government doing anything about it. Can't they tell where it's going? Yes, doing something to stop all of this be a catasrophe for all sides for the moment and even for years, but if the government don't act now, there won't be the US that we once knew it.
You took the words right out my mouth..I agree, Rude is what it is all about. Did anyone stop to think maybe we wouldn't have all these traffic problems if we were not overrun by the League Of Nations! We would not have any congestion on the highways, and maybe we could all breath better.
I have lived in Northern VA for over 15 years now and feel like everyone like me (White/Black) has moved out. I feel like I am in a THIRD WORLD NATION. I go into Malls and other Public Places and I rarely hear English anymore. Most people inside the Beltway are non white.
I try to picture where people are from and I am confused because they just look Foreign and speak a Language that I do not understand. I go to a grocery store and the clerk does not know much English. In the places that cut hair most people are Asian. Most service and retail staff are from somewhere else. It is all very interesting but I wonder what happened to the White people who use to live here.
Is it racist to feel out of touch when nearly everyone around you is from a foreign country?
I cannot comment on the racist nature of this post as others have as I do not know the past posting history mentioned in those other responses.
I am from Texas, grew up in a predominantly hispanic area of town and went to school where I was definitely a minority in an 85% hispanic student population. I did not speak spanish growing up, but for some limited Tex-mex, until high school. I am quite comfortable living in and around "foreign" peoples (consider that Texas was indian and spanish long before any anglo speakers arrived, I am the closest thing to a foreigner there really. at least until the Vietmanese arrive in the 70's lol)
On my first trip to Herndon, VA I was amazed by how few english speaking clerks there were in the fast food restaurants. I had to order my dinner at Popeye's Chicken in spanish becuase the four counter girls did not understand "I want a number 3 combo" in english. I noticed there is a hugh latin american influx to the area. I have also observed this in North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, but not to the extreme that I did in Virginia. The influx from Mexico and northern Central Americans into Texas has been going on so long that there is an establish assimilation pattern that takes place over a couple or three generations, but that does not seem to exist in some of these other states yet and that may be why the new immigrants stand out so much. They do not have an established support system of fellow countrymen that speak english to mingle with and are relatively trapped into association with non-english speakers. This makes transitioning to english extremely difficult for first generation immigrants.
I can appreciate the "difficulty" of feeling at ease surrounded by foreign and unfamiliar languages, cultures and customs; but you will adjust as will they. It will take some time and if you make the effort you will be enriched by it. Don't worry if they don't seem to make any progress toward understanding you. You are only responsible for yourself and it will be their loss if they don't. They have as much to gain from understanding you as you do from understanding them.
America is a melting pot. When things melt, they merge and create a new thing. Look at Texas for example. Compare a third generation "Mexican" from Texas to a "Mexican" from Mexico and you will see little in common. They will each have a significant resentment of the other. Sure there will be some common ground they will grudginly admit to, but their language, behaviors, dress and even physical appearance will be growing further apart as time goes on.
Just a side note on racism. I have observed that racism is not soley in the perview of White Americans. It is enjoyed by every race, culture and ethnicity on the planet. It only seems to be racism when someone from another culture applies it. I have known Central Americans that despise northern Mexicans, Texas mexicans that are intolerant of blacks, vietnamese that are condescending to everyone except other vietnamese. Racism is not limited in it's scope or application. We all are more comfortable with what we know and are familiar with and resist things we are not. Those resistences are expressed in "racist" actions and words. Some are more extreme and less tolerable than others, some are almost inperceptible except to those who are being resisted. What we need to do is be more understanding to everyone around us and recognize when we are being intolerant from both directions. Know when you are being hurtful to others and try not to be. Know when others are hurtful of you that they are really afraid of something unfamiliar to them and sometimes may not even be aware of it themselves. Be tolerant of their shortcomings and see if you can help them become more aware, but in a non-threatening way. Some people are like hurt animals in that they cannot see reason for their fear. You may not be able to help them, but don't make it worse for you or them. Just try to stay out of their way if you cannot make a positive difference.
I have lived in Northern VA for over 15 years now and feel like everyone like me (White/Black) has moved out. I feel like I am in a THIRD WORLD NATION. I go into Malls and other Public Places and I rarely hear English anymore. Most people inside the Beltway are non white.
I try to picture where people are from and I am confused because they just look Foreign and speak a Language that I do not understand. I go to a grocery store and the clerk does not know much English. In the places that cut hair most people are Asian. Most service and retail staff are from somewhere else. It is all very interesting but I wonder what happened to the White people who use to live here.
Is it racist to feel out of touch when nearly everyone around you is from a foreign country?
I was just there and completely agree. Welcome to my world. It's like NY down there. Woo hoo, baby, good times.
I think it is okay to feel out of sorts if you are in white minority. I also agree that there is racism b/t all types of people. The Indian family in our neighborhood left because they felt there were too many Americans and did not want the influence of what they perceive as American culture (high divorce rate, premarital sex, lack of academic ambition). Also, the schools were too easy for their kids.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,700 posts, read 41,718,665 times
Reputation: 41376
Quote:
Originally Posted by PghPaNative
I personally would never live in that area myself, horrible!
we don't agree on much but i can feel you. i want to move out after college, after that, NoVA, never again. my mother even questions staying here in the DC area, just ain't feeling going back to HR. A family friend at my church is moving this week to Fort Worth. she makes six figures here and says it is just not worth the standard of living to stay here. it just don't make sense to move to an area just b/c u get a bump in pay. the wages up here are defintely not worth all the garbage u go through in a single day. I never thought that too much diversity could be bad. After two years here, i'm sick of being asked "does someone speak spanish/arabic/hindi/vietanmese?" at my sales job. some diversity is nice, NoVA just takes it over the top of tolerable.
Well we do agree on what you just wrote! I once asked someone up in DC if a certain area would be ok to travel too and they said well your coming from Hampton Roads, so your be just fine! I wasn't sure what they meant at that time, cause we were new here, I was sorta of shocked by that comment, cause as bad as the crime is down here...I always felt DC was much much worse!
I cannot comment on the racist nature of this post as others have as I do not know the past posting history mentioned in those other responses.
I am from Texas, grew up in a predominantly hispanic area of town and went to school where I was definitely a minority in an 85% hispanic student population. I did not speak spanish growing up, but for some limited Tex-mex, until high school. I am quite comfortable living in and around "foreign" peoples (consider that Texas was indian and spanish long before any anglo speakers arrived, I am the closest thing to a foreigner there really. at least until the Vietmanese arrive in the 70's lol)
On my first trip to Herndon, VA I was amazed by how few english speaking clerks there were in the fast food restaurants. I had to order my dinner at Popeye's Chicken in spanish becuase the four counter girls did not understand "I want a number 3 combo" in english. I noticed there is a hugh latin american influx to the area. I have also observed this in North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, but not to the extreme that I did in Virginia. The influx from Mexico and northern Central Americans into Texas has been going on so long that there is an establish assimilation pattern that takes place over a couple or three generations, but that does not seem to exist in some of these other states yet and that may be why the new immigrants stand out so much. They do not have an established support system of fellow countrymen that speak english to mingle with and are relatively trapped into association with non-english speakers. This makes transitioning to english extremely difficult for first generation immigrants.
I can appreciate the "difficulty" of feeling at ease surrounded by foreign and unfamiliar languages, cultures and customs; but you will adjust as will they. It will take some time and if you make the effort you will be enriched by it. Don't worry if they don't seem to make any progress toward understanding you. You are only responsible for yourself and it will be their loss if they don't. They have as much to gain from understanding you as you do from understanding them.
America is a melting pot. When things melt, they merge and create a new thing. Look at Texas for example. Compare a third generation "Mexican" from Texas to a "Mexican" from Mexico and you will see little in common. They will each have a significant resentment of the other. Sure there will be some common ground they will grudginly admit to, but their language, behaviors, dress and even physical appearance will be growing further apart as time goes on.
Just a side note on racism. I have observed that racism is not soley in the perview of White Americans. It is enjoyed by every race, culture and ethnicity on the planet. It only seems to be racism when someone from another culture applies it. I have known Central Americans that despise northern Mexicans, Texas mexicans that are intolerant of blacks, vietnamese that are condescending to everyone except other vietnamese. Racism is not limited in it's scope or application. We all are more comfortable with what we know and are familiar with and resist things we are not. Those resistences are expressed in "racist" actions and words. Some are more extreme and less tolerable than others, some are almost inperceptible except to those who are being resisted. What we need to do is be more understanding to everyone around us and recognize when we are being intolerant from both directions. Know when you are being hurtful to others and try not to be. Know when others are hurtful of you that they are really afraid of something unfamiliar to them and sometimes may not even be aware of it themselves. Be tolerant of their shortcomings and see if you can help them become more aware, but in a non-threatening way. Some people are like hurt animals in that they cannot see reason for their fear. You may not be able to help them, but don't make it worse for you or them. Just try to stay out of their way if you cannot make a positive difference.
Okay, sermon is over...you can all go play
America is more like a bag of trail mix, than a melting pot.
Hi everyone, this post has left me worried. We are about to move to VA and I am a foreigner. I am wondering if this 'negative' felling towards foreigners is common in northern VA or just in certain areas. I have been in the US for almost 10 years, I am well educated with an MA (paid for it myself ok), married to an American and if it wasn't for my accent, you would probably think I am American. Since arriving here I have tried my best to absorb US culture and traditions, I think it is only fair to change yourself in order to live in a different country.
That is not to say I have forgotten my own country, we do celebrate some of my customs and my daughter speaks a foreign language, however I don't expect anyone outside of my house to speak my home language or to make special accommodations for me just because I am a foreigner.
Now, since reading this thread, I am worried I will be judge as being inferior or somewhat of a 'problem' when we move to VA. What I want to know is if this feeling towards foreigners is a generalized thing or it only applies to certain races, areas or situations. Don't get me wrong, I love diversity and this is one of the reasons we choose VA, however I don't want to feel like I am inferior every time I open my mouth.
Please let me know your thoughts,
Thank you, Fab.
Last edited by fabforever; 05-26-2007 at 06:09 AM..
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lol)
