Are you Racist?
By jamed28
@jamed28 (1903)
Philippines
September 4, 2010 2:09am CST
I am a Filipino, and I used to feel I am discriminated every time, I am in a foreign land. I went to Hongkong last 2007 (I am not relating this to the tragic hostage taking incident in Manila this year since this happen 3 years ago). And as I had experienced there, most of those HongKong nationals a very mean. They were uneasy whenever I went with them in an elevator. As if you are carrying a deadly virus. You might be thinking maybe I look dirty or what. Excuse me I am not, I just look like a typical South East Asians. The worst that had happen to me there was when I rode a ride in Disney land. It was a train roaming around the park. It just so happen that I sat beside a Chinese who is wearing a long jacket. I said my excuse when I sat but unfortunately, I sat on his long jacket, and he burst in anger shouting at me in there language. I don't understand what he is saying since I don't speak their language, but I know he saying bad words at me. All I did was to say my sorry, but I don't think he understand me neither. So I just sat away from the guy, who still looked at me as if he wanted to swallow me alive. I am not saying that the general Chinese in Hongkong are similar to the guy at Disneyland, but many of them think of us as an inferior race.
1 person likes this
21 responses
@Absinto (2385)
• Portugal
4 Sep 10
I am to you 
you made a discussion just like mine hehe
No hard feelings.
I am not a racist. I accept everybody by their personality and not by there culture. It is dumb to do that. If people are racists then they shouldnt have the right to visit other countries because of their hate.
you made a discussion just like mine hehe
No hard feelings. I am not a racist. I accept everybody by their personality and not by there culture. It is dumb to do that. If people are racists then they shouldnt have the right to visit other countries because of their hate.
1 person likes this
@merraine1428 (445)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
im not a racist, anyway, i don't think we need to feel bad on how they see or perceive us. let it be, just let them do their thing. and just do your thing as it is, make them feel like "hey, this guys not worth this treatment, he's better than me". if they don;t recognize your efforts, leave them alone, its because we can't please everyone.
i've never been discriminated by fellow asians but if time come that they will discriminate me, i'll not mind them, i'll ignore them, it will hurt inside but wouldn't it hurt more if you get ignored (its a silent revenge)? hehehehehehe
1 person likes this
@jamed28 (1903)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
Well easy for you to say because as you said it, you've never been discriminated before. And if ever you will be discriminated, you'll not mind them and just ignore them. What I did was, I didn't mind them at that time. Because if I do mind them I may not be able to right this post in the first place, I may be in prison right now. I know the feeling of being discriminated, I bet you don't know since you don't experience it yet. And that feeling didn't stop me, but instead it pushes me to improved myself and prove them that we Filipino are not what they think we are. I may not mind those racist during that time, but I never ignore it. Ignoring it is accepting that you should be discriminated.
@merraine1428 (445)
• Philippines
5 Sep 10
i'll join your fight against racists, but of course, mine would be like those you said: improving oneself,,, hehehehe ^^
1 person likes this
@emarie (5442)
• United States
5 Sep 10
I'm Filipino as well as many other things and where I was raised, there were so many different type of races there was really no time to be racists or at least take it seriously.
In my opinion, I don't think being Filipino would cause someone to dislike you. But then again I've never been to China so I wouldn't really know. I have been to Japan before and for me it was more like 'oh it's an American' thing.
It is possible to some cultures and counties other counties and ethnicity seem 'inferior'. My husband told me that in Japan, they are sometimes mean to people from Okinawa (which his family is from) because they think they're superior over them. I'm not sure if it's the same with other Asian countries or not. But I know that Filipinos don't really have a set place. I've been part of discussions that don't know weather to place Filipinos as Asian or Pacific Islanders. So we're like a little mutt 1/2 bread to some people I guess.
But either way, no one should let any kind of racism get them down. In the end, the whole situation could have been a misunderstanding or he could have just been pissy about his coat and would have done that to anyone. Be proud of what you are and maybe next time you'll be able to say Sorry in Chinese. And if I remember correctly, when apologizing in Chinese you should also bow.
1 person likes this
@LetranKnight25 (33121)
• Philippines
5 Sep 10
I've only heard of Fiji because of the "TRUMAN SHOW" movie lead by jim carrey. i wonder if it's nice to have a vacation there too.
@jamed28 (1903)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
So you're from fiji? I'll keep that in mind. But for now, I'll stick to my country first. I can't afford to go out of the country right now. Unlike before, I was sent by my company aboard, that is why, I'd experience being discriminated. It is really sad to experience such a thing, specially if you welcome them to your place and treated them well. I have a brother in law, who invited his co-employee in China to visit our place here in the Philippines. We are so very nice to him, which is very typical to a Filipino everytime they have a visitors specially if the visitor is a foreigner,
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
5 Sep 10
I had a teacher in school once, who stated to us that every one of us is racist in some way, its just most of us are racist in a way, where we are not really considered racist by the general population. Still, there are some that have racist views so far to the extreme, that they don't bother to keep certain thoughts from being voiced at all.
In general, I'm not racist. Still when you see someone that might look a bit different from you, you might look at them twice, if its a race that you might not be used to interacting with. Still, that's true for many things. Still no race is inferior to another. In fact, there are many races that hate each other, but I'm almost certain barely any of them remembers why. That is just the way its always been.
1 person likes this
@CTHanum (8234)
• Malaysia
5 Sep 10
hi jamed28!
first of all i am not a racist.here in malaysia we have different races and it is the best way to respect each races when you are surrounded but different people everyday.but it does not mean i never faced the same situation like yours.so i bear in my mind that racist are everywhere.and i don't care about them.just let them with their thoughts.
1 person likes this
@lakerfanster (2577)
•
5 Sep 10
I am not Racist, I think Racism is a disgrace but I do think that some people hide behind racism when people say things that clearly aren't racist but they are accused of it.
@smilepleeeaz (784)
• India
4 Sep 10
No I am not racist. And I hate people who are racist.
I dont find any point in judge and discriminating people on the basis of their caste, creed, color of skin and place to which they belong.
According to me the knowledge and character of a person should be the parameters on which we should judge and not upon their color of skin. No body had a choice to born in a particular caste , place and having a particular color of skin.
Whatever we are like and however somebody is like, its what God has chosen for him. So by discriminating on such basis simply means that we are insulting the God.
Its sad to know that even in the modern era of today, people are discriminating others on such basis and are being racist. Nobody has a right to judge someone as inferior. All are created by God, and what makes a difference among two humans is their knowledge, their talent and their character. And not the color of skin, place of birth and language they speak.
1 person likes this
@kristeena (358)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
I am also a Filipino and am not a racist. We have all differences but we have one common denominator, we are all people. Racial discrimination is a common experience of our fellow countrymen when they come to other countries. It's really hurting when we heard such cases.
1 person likes this
@jhyan007 (467)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
...it's sad indeed specially if we were looked down, however there is nothing more we can do..rather than showing them that we are affected, it would be best that we will show them that "hey! im far more better than you"....we should show them that we are not what they think they we are and that we also worth their respect..
1 person likes this
@sjhaeki (795)
• Philippines
5 Sep 10
first of, yoh fellow Filipino.
next.... each and every country and even within our own Philippines - within its regions - there will always be the issue of racism, in our country's case regionalism. foreign people will almost always have this insecurity when in a foreign country and natives who are new to these sort of people will either look at them with curiosity, taunt them for their differences, be hostile with them or be hospitable and perhaps treat the foreign people with all expected feelings and attitudes.
yes, being in contact with the bad side of people is always hurtful unless you don't actually care about it but we must not forget that there are also those who would welcome us. I believe it is not only the tourists that get uneasy or anxious but also the natives, both sides don't know much of the other and perhaps both are influenced by prejudices about the other. knowing that, conversation is hard to establish even if there is a universal medium, it is not expected that everyone is fluent about it.
i haven't experience such incidences since i've never been out of the country and this may be a hard to accept advise but let us just be indifferent about the negatives and turn them into some focus to evolve. because everyone can get discriminated even in his/her own territory.
@heylingling (1)
• Canada
5 Sep 10
I'm so sorry to hear that have been happen to you ,i'm sure that chinese peple all were warmness,kindly .
1 person likes this
@jamed28 (1903)
• Philippines
6 Sep 10
In fairness to those Hongkong nationals, They are hardworking and discipline people. I was walking around the city and reached a traffic lights. I am about to cross a street, together with other Hongkong-ers, as I look at the road, there is a sign don't walk. So everybody stops, put the road is so clear, I mean even the sign is don't walk you can cross it safe since there is no vehicles passing. But then nobody crosses, until the lights turned "walk". You cannot also see Hongkong Nationals just merely standing or sitting in a side streets doing nothing. I think all of them are always busy. I even named our tourist guide "Cynthia Luster", a famous martial artist in the 90's, because she was always in a hurry. I went to a mall around 8pm, you cannot see any Hongkong National "window shopping" (people staying in a mall just to roam around) there. Well they are great people.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
4 Sep 10
I am sorry that you feel like that. It was a shame that you felt discriminated in Hong Kong. I am not a racist person. I come from England and I am happy that my home country is a multi cultural society. I am keen on traveling to different countries and I respect each different nationality. When I was traveling on a ferry in Sydney I was sitting at the front next to an old lady. A man came in front of us. She banged her newspaper on the man's backside and told him to get out of our view. The angry man that you mentioned was acting very strangely indeed because sorry is usually enough. I have visited Hong Kong and I found all the people pleasant enough. It is terrible if the Filipinos are thought of by some as an inferior race. I know many members on My Lot come from the Philippines and they seem like lovely people. I noticed in the Maldives that the staff on islands come from other countries like the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Laos and Vietnam. It is sad that some maids that come from the Philippines are paid little money. It is bad when another nationality take advantage of people as cheap labor.
@jamed28 (1903)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
Well said madam. It just so happen that we Filipino have a difficulty of earning in our own country, so some of us went abroad to work. And most of the jobs that they are in to are those jobs that the citizens of that country would unlikely be doing. This is the reason why we are discriminated. In Hongkong, there are thousand of Filipino Domestic Helpers in there. So I still understand why some of them considered as inferior race.
I do appreciate your sorry madam. But you don't need to apologize. This things don't only happen to Filipinos. There are more worst cases of racism in the world. And it is sad to know that we human having the smartest mind on the planet, were still thinking like animals once in a while. PEACE!
@syankee525 (6261)
• United States
4 Sep 10
i can say im not i've blessed to be able to meet many people in my life, people of all work of life from many different countries. and i love meeting new people specail from other countries to me it gives me a chance to learn new things about other culters and peopple.
to me its about respect, yeah we might be different in many ways, different belife or whatever but as long you respect me i will respect you
1 person likes this
@jamed28 (1903)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
Are you from a third world country? Well I guess not. I do understand you man, I never mean everybody outside the Philippines discriminate us. I still believe there are lots of people other who are humane enough to consider us like themselves. I do respect them all.
@LetranKnight25 (33121)
• Philippines
5 Sep 10
Hello Jame28d
I am not a racist, but i feel bad for what they did to you in hongkong. it seemed that every one who is not a hongkong-er there is discriminated. even beautiful women that i have watch who is from Japan was also a victim of discrimination. I feel now, that it was never a good idea to go to hongkong because of their attitude to people who are not like them.
they're playing a dangerous role, what happens if no one goes to them or if they experience something worse than SARS
Let this be a lesson to us Filipinos, most specially when OUR time would come. the time if Philippines becomes a first world country. we shouldn't repeat the mistakes of other asian people. and Discrimination is one of them.
I think a LOT has noticed this when ever they go to hong-kong. how pathetic it is.@jamed28 (1903)
• Philippines
6 Sep 10
As I'd observed in Hongkong, Most tourists there were, Japaneses, Koreans, Indians, and the Malays (South East Asians like Filipino) But as I can recalled, they are mean mostly to Malay races. I even encountered there a Filipino look-alike in which later I found-out that old woman was a Thailander, she bought something from a convenient store in which at that time I was also buying, When I was about to pay at the counter, the old lady interrupted the cashier and asking something that she left a while ago when she payed for her stuff. The old lady was speaking in English at first and she was very kind when she ask the cashier, but the cashier in which I guess is a Hongkong national, replied in a loud voice speaking mostly in their language and gesturing to the lady to go away. The old lady had a teary eyes then, in which I thought was a Filipino. So I ask the old lady in Filipino "Nay, Ano po ba naiwan nyo?" ("Mom, What had you forgot in here?"), hoping she'll understand me in Filipino, but the old lady look at me and reply in a language I don't know. At that time a tourist guide came and help the lady out. I never left the seen, and until I heard the tourist guide mentioning Thailander. Well at least I found out that it is not only the Filipino who are experiencing racism there, or just maybe they thought the old lady was a Filipino.
@Graceekwenx (3160)
• Philippines
4 Sep 10
I am sorry but i also feel the same. I am a Filipino too and I am not a racist. I honestly feel discriminated by a Singaporean client (sorry if there are singaporeans out there). They have this notion that Filipinos are cheaters and a country of maids and cheap people. No matter how hard you try to please them, their perception on Filipinos never change. I am not generalizing on all singaporeans though as our company has a branch there and they are all so nice.
1 person likes this
@camomile07 (1420)
• Germany
4 Sep 10
There are many racist people around the world, I also had some similar experiences in Spain, but I'm not a racist.
In my opinion, nobody should be it. Different people, languages and cultures makes world more interesting, as we can learn a lot of things from other people, their habits and thoughts.
@bautistaanna04 (306)
• Philippines
5 Sep 10
hi jamed28.
i'm a filipino as well and i'm not a racist. i respect other races the way i respect my own.
fortunately, i haven't met any chinese people that hates us because of the hostage drama in Quirino grandstand. but it hurts me when they look at us like the worst race on earth. as everyone has always saying, it is a little injustice to judge the whole nation for the mistake of some citizens or a single man.
