I hope this is not too stupid of a question, if it is I already apologize in advance.
Basically my girlfriend and I who are from Germany are planning to travel to the USA. We were hearing stuff that some Americans socially divide people by their ethnicity. I just wanted to ask online whether this is true and if there could be any concerns because my skin is very bright and my girlfriends skin is very dark.
Normally we never really cared or talked about this since at least in our community (where we are from) no one makes a thing out of it and we both just identify as German. But I heard that in some procedures in America you have to say what your ethnicity is? We even heard things like that in some places they divide people by “skin color” and base different cultures on that (we noticed that people from America even speak and behave differently based on whether they identify as “black” or “white”) and even have schools for primarily people with dark skin or so. And this concept is very new to us since our skin was never any topic for us and we are somewhat insecure that someone could say something since we look so different and are a couple and we don’t know if this could be “weird” for some Americans?
I assume that’s probably not the case and I’m somewhat misinformed, which is why we just want to make sure there isn’t anything that we have to know or potentially have to be concerned about.
I’ve lived all over the US. You won’t have any such issues. Enjoy your trip and take some nice photos!
If you get lost or need some help, say you are visiting from Germany and need some help. People will be glad to give it.
It kinda depends on where in the country you’re going.
West Coast, and Northern East coast is going to be a hugely different experience than the middle of the country or the southern coast.
There’s more of an urban/rural divide here than you’re describing. Their experience in Houston, New Orleans, or Atlanta is going to be a lot different than small town Louisiana or Alabama
I live in the deep South. No one will bat an eye. I’ve seen more interracial couples down here than anywhere else in the US.
Middle of the country? Haha
Nobody gives a fuck
Hey! We have corn. And wheat.
Soybeans are offended!
Big cities, you will be fine. If you’re planning to hit up rural areas then maybe it would be an issue.
I’ve lived all over the place, it’s not going to be an issue anywhere. Some people may have opinions, but they will keep to themselves.
Are you comfortable being a bit more specific about what area you’re going to? Vermont and Louisiana would be drastically different experiences.
Not really, it’s not the 50’s or 60’s.
99% of people don’t give a shit.
Okay that’s good to hear
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We were looking into hiking and exploring national parks, maybe around Great Smoky Mountains and visiting Nashville (Tennessee) cause we’re country music lovers.
If you’re visiting mostly tourist areas and big cities, you’ll be fine. You might notice some people doing a double take, but it should be pretty harmless. Now if you go to rural, bumfuck nowhere places, your experience might be different.
I live near there and honestly nobody’s likely to care enough to give you trouble
You have nothing to worry about. There’s a handful of areas across the country with people who are outwardly racist, these places are nowhere anybody would ever have a reason to visit on vacation. It’s not the norm. If you have a weird accent most people will immediately be welcoming.
if you visit Minneapolis or St Paul (“the twin cities”… in Minnesota) let me know. I can give you some good recommendations on places to go. (if you want to be outside, dress accordingly. I like camping at the Zumbro Bottoms, there’s also Itasca State park, which is the headwaters for the Mississippi.) (the cherry on a spoon is a must see, though maybe not in winter.)
The Smokies are beautiful, I’m sure you’ll both have a good time. Chattanooga is worth visiting if you have the time, it’s a good mix of college town and rural Appalachian beauty.
Just be aware of your surroundings and whether or not anyone is giving you the stink eye or staring you down, and assume any dude giving you shit has a gun (ie, don’t escalate and just leave). I don’t say that to scare you, carrying guns is just very normal in large swathes of the south, so tailor your threat response accordingly. The majority of people are not gonna be a problem, especially in urban areas. But anyone telling you it never happens is living in denial.
I live in Nashville (and my sister lives in Germany). You should be fine. It’s a great place to visit.
Any place in the world has the small chance of a drunken idiot making a fool of themselves by revealing themselves to be racist. We’re no different. But you’re not going to be harassed by police officers or anything like that (unless you’re doing something worthy of their attention anyway).
The only places where I’d be the slightest bit concerned would be in the small town rural areas between Nashville and the national park. Even then you should be fine, but the odds of running into a racist idiot will go up from like 1% to 3%. And even if you do, it’s not like you’ll be in danger. They’ll just do their best to make you uncomfortable by saying something nasty. They won’t refuse you service or anything crazy like that.
Honestly, even in those areas you’re likely to be looked at suspiciously because of your foreign accent more than the color of your skin.
I would highly recommend staying away from the US for the next 4-20 years if your skin tone is anything darker than paper
if they are at least multi millionaires and good at knowing which asses to kiss they will be fine.
Almost nobody is going to care unless you go places nobody cares about.
We don’t segregate people by color, but some people self segregate. There are areas with more black people or more white people, but there is no laws that say you or her can’t go somewhere because of skin color.
I am assuming she is black. There is a small chance that some people will say rude things to one of you because you are with someone of a different color. Don’t confront them, just walk away. The cops would love to ruin their whole day, so govern yourself accordingly.
We see a lot of Germans in the tourist spots, your accent will be considered adorable and we will love to know where you are from and will likely fail to repeat the name of your home city unless it is Berlin, Frankfort, or Munich. If you are from Bayern, you are from Bavaria. If they ask you to say something in German, “etwas” is funny, but you will have to follow it up with an actual sentence. Throw in an “umgebung”, it’s a fun word to us.
Also you need to understand that America is very large. Germany is smaller than our states of Illinois and Indiana, look at those states on a map and understand that things are further apart than you may think.
If you can manage the 2hr drive, Chattanooga has an awesome aquarium with a massive glass walled tank.
Ask the hotel desk where are some good local spots to get food, but the best places are not in the information pamphlet they may hand you. I hope your pants fit loose, our food can put weight on you very easily if you take in too much of our hedonistic freedom. Tip your servers, that is how they afford to live.
Ich höffe das Eures Urlaub wunderbar sind und der Amis sind freundlich. Ich weiß das Sie Amerika lieben werden. Mein Deutsch schlecht ist, tut mir leid, es ist zwanzig Jahre her dass ich Deutsch gelernt habe.
Bro ain’t you gonna face structural racism on your eat pray love vacation.
No you don’t. Just don’t act like the death valley Germans and you’ll be fine.
There’s a huge difference between living somewhere and visiting it as a tourist. Most places encourage tourism and are happy to demonstrate their hospitality. Stick to the tourist areas, start interactions by saying “We’re tourists from Germany…” and you’ll have no problem.
I’m not sure what other people here mean when they deny that there is racism in the US. There are plenty of racists in this country. It’s true that they’re much less likely to hang you from a tree for being in the wrong neighborhood – I guess if your standards are that low then we have indeed made great progress. But again, they’re generally not going to mess with tourists in tourist areas.
start interactions by saying “We’re tourists from Germany…”
Right now, I guess 1/4 the people they interact with in USA might give the fash salute in joy or something
Don’t come here. Shit’s fucked.
Your description sounds to me like someone was trying to explain how the US is a melting pot of cultures and they did an extremely poor job 😂
Essentially because we are a country of immigrants people with similar cultures tend to group together. For example there are parts of cities that are predominantly Italian or Chinese. Not because we are racist but because that just happens naturally. People want to share an experience a culture similar to their home country.
Obviously there is always a chance that someone will say something but just ignore them or tell them to mind their own business. You have our blessing to treat those people with absolute disrespect.
We were hearing stuff that some Americans socially divide people by their ethnicity. I just wanted to ask online whether this is true and if there could be any concerns
Unfortunately it is true, but it’s not everywhere. Generally speaking, the larger the population of an area, the less likely you’ll experience hostility. Coastal cities with large populations are highly unlikely to give you trouble. Rural aeas with lower populations have a higher chance of giving you trouble.
We even heard things like that in some places they divide people by “skin color” and base different cultures on that (we noticed that people from America even speak and behave differently based on whether they identify as “black” or “white”) and even have schools for primarily people with dark skin or so.
Yes, segregation was a dark chapter in America’s history. Officially, segregation was outlawed, but unofficially it still happens in some areas. Some of the conservative regions are trying to go back to the days of segregation and slavery. They create laws that aren’t specifically racist, but still have that effect.
As to different cultures, we have a lot of them. Most of the country speaks English, but we have a lot of different accents that seem like a different language entirely.
I dont know German, but I would draw a parallel to various English accents in the UK. Irish, Scottish, Cockney, Geordie, and so on.
As to the way white and black people talk, I suspect it has more to do with wealth and social class rather than race. Poor white people and poor black people tend to socially isolate from one another, creating distinct accents. But it’s not uncommon for intermingling.
I have a coworker who grew up in a poor black neighborhood and he has a “black accent” (for lack of a better term). If your only interaction with him is on the phone, it would be easy to assume he’s black.
I assume that’s probably not the case
Go there. Test it out. Troll them. Record them. Have fun!
If you’re not pro Trump I would just tell you to boycott the US until it gets its shit together, especially considering that you’re planning to go to a red state.
When I was young I always dreamt of travelling to the US some day. By the time I could actually have afforded it, George Dubya had rolled around and madness took over. So I thought I’d wait for sanity to reassert itself. Still waiting but I have little hope at this point.
Been to various parts of the US. Met open racists on a few occasions. How likely you are to encounter them will vary by location, but your experience will most likely be great. There are many racists in America but most of them are not the kind who will choose some black tourist in the middle of the city to harass. You’d have to get pretty unlucky to get more than a snide look. Most of the people you will interact with as a tourist will be customer service reps, who, generally speaking, will be extremely cordial, even if they were to be the kind of American who has some issues with race. The one color Americans respect more than black or white is green. If you have money to spend, they’ll be only too happy to help you spend it. Cops will treat you better if you have money too, and not even in the sense of bribes. Dress like you have money and they’ll treat you like you do.
That said, non-racial crime is still very much a thing, especially against tourists, so keep to the safety of well lit, populated areas as much as you can unless you have a local to tell you where it’s safe.
Oh, and try some authentic Mexican food if you can. It’s delicious.
