Germany forum < Racism in Germany - how bad is it?

  • Carsten Pfau

    Hi

    posted by  Carsten Pfau in Germany forum 

    Hi Ken,

    thanks for your post. Well, to be clear, I am not saying that there is zero racism or no rejection of foreigners among Germans. In a country with some 82 million people, you´ll find anything. Still, what I am saying and what I am convinced of - Germany is among the LEAST racist or anti-foreign countries in the world. I fight you and anybody else on that ;-)

    If you have lived in other countries and especially if you have lived outside Europe, you know what I mean. If you are black, or asian, or somehow diffrent from the average German, you might be stared at. So what? Maybe people stare at you in silent admiration. Maybe you are very good looking, who knows. Guess what happens if Boris Becker or Claudia Schiffer go grocery shopping in Germany - they´re stared at, a lot!!! Can´t get a job in Germany? Well, join the club, there are hundreds of thousands of highly qualified Germans who can´t get a decent job either (and there are millions of unqualified people who can´t get a job no matter what). However, I truely believe that you will eventually find the right job, even in Germany, if you are as qualified as you say you are. Racism, as the word suggests, is directed towards your race (not for example your religion or your sexual orientation). There might be people in Germany who don´t know any better and reject you because of the colour of your skin. That is indeed very sad and I feel truely sorry for those people. However, I still believe that a large mayority in Germany would welcome you. If you didn´t feel safe and accepted in Germany or amongst Germans, I would feel very sorry. However, I am sure that racist behaviour is worse in other countries and other regions of the world, and it is not even seen as something bad. There might still be racism in Germany - but I would place a bet that 9 out of 10 randomly chosen Germans would say that racism is bad. Try the same in the Middle East, in Latin America, in certain areas of the US, in Russia, in China...

    Besides skin colour and country of origin, there are of course other aspects to consider. For example, gay people are openly discriminated in many, many countries. In some places in Latin America, gays are recommended to ask for an Exorcism to be performed - I am not joking. It is not easy for gay people in Russia, in some areas of the States, or even in European countries. If you are openly gay, you might get stared at in Germany - because you are different, which doesn´t mean "bad" or "negative". At least, you can chose to be openly gay in Germany and most likely, people will leave you alone (exceptions occur, I am aware of that).

    Again, my point is: Germany may not be perfect, but it is NOT a racist country. Some Germans stare at you because you´re different - let them, just think of yourself as a celebrity and enjoy the status ;-)

Post a reply

Other replies