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Vent: It gets quite frustrating traveling as a nonwhite american. (alien.top)

submitted 11 months ago by CanalBloody@alien.top to c/digitalnomad@expats.zone

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Tired of constantly having conversations like this:

"Where are you from?"

"USA"

"But where are you really from?/But whats your nationality?/Are you actually american?... like.. full american?"

American isnt a race! American =/= white. Yes im "full american" even though im ethnically latino! If you want to know my ethnicity/race then just ask me that instead of implying im not a "real" american.

I know most people asking this arent doing so from a place of malice, but damn does it get tiring after the 100th time.

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[–] idiskfla@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (4 children)

This is really true. I’ve always been fascinated by Japan and Japanese culture.

I was admittedly surprised when I learned less that fewer than 20% of Japanese passports and that a Cambodian childhood friend who moved there 15 years ago, learned Japanese, works for a Japanese company, said he never felt like a part of society because he wasn’t ethnically Japanese.

Japanese overall are some of the kindest, most polite people you’ll encounter. But there’s still a great divide between being ethnically Japanese and not being ethnically Japanese.

I moved to the US as a child, and as soon as people hear my accent when I travel overseas, many will say “you sound American.” I also feel more American than Cambodian at this point in my life.

[–] sepia_dreamer@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Less than 20% of Japanese ‘have’ passports? Is that what you meant?

[–] idiskfla@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Oops, yeah

[–] Top-Parsnip1262@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Actually I'd argue it's even deeper than that. Overseas Japanese are seen as outsiders too and even kids who spent significant time overseas are sometimes treated differently.

[–] idiskfla@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah, I’ve heard this

[–] kristallnachte@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Japanese overall are some of the kindest, most polite people you’ll encounter.

Most people just say Polite.

It's not as much a warm kindness, as much as a polite presentation.

[–] HestusDarkFantasy@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Absolutely. There's a politeness you feel when out and about in public in Japan, but Japanese people can actually act pretty coldly to you as a foreign tourist.

[–] 1ATRdollar@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

I have a friend who is German and lives in Basel, Switzerland (German speaking part of Switzerland) but will never be fully accepted because he didn't grow up there. Talk about insular.