Current Events > Do the Europeans who don't like Americans even consider we're from there?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I mean white Americans at the end of the day are descendants of England, Ireland, Germany, etc. Yet when we go there we're often met with contempt.

Can't we just visit our ancestral lands without feeling like outsiders?

That's Europe for you.
Racism, while being a very real problem, is quite different here. It's not so much the skin color, but the fact that you're not "from here". You can be as white as snow, but as soon as people notice you're not a native of said country, you're an outsider. Though people with a different skin color tend to face that barrier a lot quicker as natives just assume they're not from the same country even if they're 3rd generation immigrants.

Of course this applies to different countries in various degrees and whether or not you're an immigrant or a tourist. I'm mainly speaking from the perspective of my country and neighboring countries.

TheSavageDragon posted...

That's Europe for you.
Racism, while being a very real problem, is quite different here. It's not so much the skin color, but the fact that you're not "from here". You can be as white as snow, but as soon as people notice you're not a native of said country, you're an outsider. Though people with a different skin color tend to face that barrier a lot quicker as natives just assume they're not from the same country even if they're 3rd generation immigrants.

Of course this applies to different countries in various degrees and whether or not you're an immigrant or a tourist. I'm mainly speaking from the perspective of my country and neighboring countries.

What country are you from?

I remember a story my high school Spanish teacher told us. She took the Spanish Club to Spain one year. They were in a restaurant and the employees started talking all kinds of shit about the group, how they're dumb Americans and whatnot. Then the teacher spoke to them in Spanish and their jaws dropped lol

Wish I was there tbh

LeoRavus posted...

What country are you from?

Belgium.

People here talk shit about the French, Germans, Dutch, Turks, Moroccans, Italians, pretty much all Eastern Europeans,... all the time. Never really hear a bad word about the Brits though.

You seem to have a chip on your shoulder about this, TC. Has this happened to you?

TheSavageDragon posted...

Belgium.

People here talk shit about the French, Germans, Dutch, Turks, Moroccans, Italians, pretty much all Eastern Europeans,... all the time. Never really hear a bad word about the Brits though.

What about Americans?

Here, no one really talks shit about any foreigner. I mean Trump did amp up the Mexican hate, but at the end of the day most Americans don't give them any shit. Any European is like royalty imo. People like them

LeoRavus posted...

What about Americans?

The stereotype "loud, ignorant American" is def a thing here, but you don't regularly hear people talking about it.

Only time I've ever interacted with an American IRL was when we were hanging out at the local skatepark as teens. He was on vacation with his parents and looking for a place to skate. Poor guy didn't really get a chance to as he was bombarded by questions on how life was like in the States. But my group of friends treated him with nothing but kindness and curiosity. Never thought to ask how others were treating him.

The most annoying Americans dont tend to leave America, to be fair.

TheSavageDragon posted...

Belgium.

People here talk shit about the French, Germans, Dutch, Turks, Moroccans, Italians, pretty much all Eastern Europeans,... all the time. Never really hear a bad word about the Brits though.

That's because skin color obviously matters, and it's pretty obvious darker skin people are looked down on more.

Do people throw bananas at Dutch soccer players? No.

They might say bad things about the French, but the things they say about the African immigrants are far far worse.

Aloc posted...

That's because skin color obviously matters, and it's pretty obvious darker skin people are looked down on more.

Do people throw bananas at Dutch soccer players? No.

They might say bad things about the French, but the things they say about the African immigrants are far far worse.

I never said skin color doesn't matter. And I straight up said people with a different skin color get treated differently. And the things they say about Eastern European immigrants are just as bad as they call them "assholes, rapists and criminals" as well. They are very much treated as subhuman by many just the same.
It's simply a wider concept than just the skin color here. The skin color is just the first obvious indicator that they're not from here. And we have the "I'm a patriot, fuck the brown people" racists just like America does. I can't count the number of times I've heard "But I'm a Belgian so my opinion/experience/life is more important" shit. I regularly lament the fact that many can't see past their own tiny world.

TheSavageDragon posted...

I never said skin color doesn't matter. And I straight up said people with a different skin color get treated differently. And the things they say about Eastern European immigrants are just as bad as they call them "assholes, rapists and criminals" as well. They are very much treated as subhuman by many just the same.
It's simply a wider concept than just the skin color here.

"Assholes, rapists and criminals" is not as bad as having bananas thrown at you lol.

It's a wider concept. And it simply is far worse.

Aloc posted...

"Assholes, rapists and criminals" is not as bad as having bananas thrown at you lol.

Semantics. Both get treated as subhuman.

Aloc posted...

It's a wider concept. And it simply is far worse.

Are you European? If not, kindly shut the fuck up about something you've only seen snippets of.

TheSavageDragon posted...

Semantics. Both get treated as subhuman.

Are you European? If not, kindly shut the fuck up about something you've only seen snippets of.

No it is not semantics lol.

I don't have to be from Europe.

People from Europe shit on the US all the time.

And frankly, what you describe Europe as is much worse.

How is it better that a British man discriminates against Eastern Europeans, Irish, and Pakistani people rather than just discriminating againstpeople from Pakistan?

Aloc posted...

No it is not semantics lol.

I don't have to be from Europe.

People from Europe shit on the US all the time.

And frankly, what you describe Europe as is much worse.

How is it better that a British man discriminates against Eastern Europeans, Irish, and Pakistani people rather than just discriminating againstpeople from Pakistan?

Okay, opinion is now disregarded. Imagine playing the "what kind of racism is worse" game. FFS.

TheSavageDragon posted...

Okay, opinion is now disregarded. Imagine playing the "what kind of racism is worse" game. FFS.

Not to mention the fact that when Europeans shit on the US all the time, theres a whole lot of reasons that arent racism.

People often dislike on Americans due to the ignorant, rude, loud etc. Stereotype.

I think most dont really mind those who show genuine interest in their past, if they arent acting like they are entirely German, or whatever it might be, despite it only being their great great grand parent who was German and they've never done a 'German thing' in their life.

Everybody are humans, no matter where they are from.
We got it hardcoded into our DNA to gather in groups that got something in common and have a us vs them mentality.
That is how we have survived until now.
Im not saying that everybody are like this, just that we all got it deep inside us and that it exist all over the world.

I do have a theory that the original Americans were obnoxious, dumb assholes. Like the anti vaxxer crowd "muh freedom". And that is why Europeans think that way about us. I mean look at America today or even just the east coast....it tracks

TheSavageDragon posted...

The stereotype "loud, ignorant American" is def a thing here, but you don't regularly hear people talking about it.

Only time I've ever interacted with an American IRL was when we were hanging out at the local skatepark as teens. He was on vacation with his parents and looking for a place to skate. Poor guy didn't really get a chance to as he was bombarded by questions on how life was like in the States. But my group of friends treated him with nothing but kindness and curiosity. Never thought to ask how others were treating him.

People who think Americans are especially loud have probably never been around a group of Haitians.

They're literally the loudest people I've ever heard in my life. It's almost like they're yelling at each other while having conversations.

I don't judge anyone on that, but yeah.