I’ve lived here for 32 years now, came here as a soldier and stayed. I’m from Charleston where I had to deal with racism multiple times a day. I’ve had 2 racist incidents in my 32 years here. Seriously. I’ve been all over this country and have been accepted everywhere I’ve went. I also have been part of the medieval scene here for the last 5 years, as a melinated Viking no doubt, and still am accepted everywhere I go. I love being here. Taught myself to read, speak and write in German. As long as you try to integrate the people here have no issue with you. I love being here and will never go back across the water to live in that uncomfortable situation. I live in Rheinland-Pfalz. Mainz to be exact. Living here is the first time I actually experienced what freedom is. I’ll never give that up.
Douglas!!! Nice to meet you brother! Man…you just put a BIG smile on my face! I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying Germany and living it up! I might need to connect with you about becoming a Medieval Viking! That’s something that is definitely up my alley! Take care and stay in touch!
Viking !! XD sorry I had to interject and ask, are you more in the reenactment side of it or larping (or both?) If it's larping, might see you around! Glad you love being here!
@@MydieLy reenactment. Only larpers I’ve seen around our way is for LOTR and an occasional stormtrooper. We try to be as authentic as we can. Even fight with real swords. Not sharp, but definitely real.
@@douglassherrod1248 i love that! I am a big fan of Mittelaltermärkte und das Mps (Mittelalter Phantasie Spectaculum). Ich liebe Subway to Sally und Schandmaul😋💕
@@nadine8742 Subway to Sally war gerade in Mai beim Worms Mittelaltermarkt. Wir haben da gelagert. War super da!!! Wars du auch dabei? Ich lebe für mittelalter. Wir leben für Mittelalter!!! Ganz nette Leute und immer Spaß da zuhaben………Kirschbier beim Rostigenritter ist immer TOP!!!-
As a native white german I never experienced racism myself. But this video inspired me to share a story from a few years ago. My grandpa is living in this small german town. He was pretty bitter back than because his neighbor who was a very close friend and his wife died within a few months. All his children and grandchildren were living at least 200km away. In my case more than 400km. He was sad and lonley and I was very worried about it. Tried to get him to move closer to us but he was totally stubborn about it. Than a black family bougth the house next to him. The one where his friend lived. I can tell you he wasn't happy! They had three pretty small children, youngest one a baby. They didn't looked like you. They were from Tansania and as dark coloured as it gets. The men was fluent in german, the two older kids, too. My grandpa made a few pretty racistic comment about it. We fougth over it more than one time. During these figths I realized this men got to over 70 years without ever talking to one black person in his live. So I bascily told him to treat them with respect and expect them to do a few thing different since they are from an other country and just get to know them. About half a year later I visit again and make a very suprised face when I found my granddad in his garden playing with the two black kids. After they left I just asks him about it and he is just acting like it is the most normal thing ever. A few months later I visit again. This time all three kids are there in the house. It is raining. Even the youngest one who can walk by now is there, too. It is totally clear from the way they behave that they are totally comfortable and know the house in and out. When they leave they say: "Tschüß, Opa." Which translates to: "Bye, grandpa." By than I was grinning like an idiot and just ask my grandfather: "Did they just call you Grandpa?" He is like "What's so funny. Their grandparents are half around the world, kids need a grandpa." And I was just like: "Yeah. Of course. These poor kids." He wasn't lonley any more. Racism has a lot to do with biases. And the best way to figth biases is to replace them with experience. And if you don't, not only do you mistreat others, you may very well rob yourself of happiness.
@@Allieislinda I was very happy about it, too. Sadly he died a few weeks ago. He didn't spend his last years in loneliness because of it. There were 7 grandchildren at his burial even if his children just had four kids.
Honestly, I did not expect to hear “They treat us as human beings”. That blows my mind. I cannot imagine that anyone would just say “we don’t serve you ice cream” in the US. I’m glad that you feel safe in the EU, and I feel bad that you had to leave your home country to have that experience. Damn…
@@Wrigleysnun Happens in California too! "If you live anywhere south of the Canadian border, you're living in the South." --Al Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X)
I'm German and clicked on this video prepared to face the facts because I wanted to see what we could do better - I was not expecting that many positive experiences, I'm really glad you feel welcome here :D
If you want to ask on things that can be better, I have to admit, I understand German, live in Stuttgart as well, and always get the feeling that people expect me to just not be socially acceptable. That people associate me with the turkish-germans. I have been stopped before I go to certain bars by the bouncers who want to double-check to make sure I know that it's a particular venue. My black friends were even stopped last night after a group of us wanted to go to a gay event and they were asked if they knew it was a gay event without the bouncer even knowing who they were. I don't give a rats ass if people have had bad run-ins with certain people in the past. That does not mean everyone is the same. I find it particularly disheartening and extremely irritating, because I can't go out to a party or music event without at least one nutsack asking if I have drugs to sell. I had a better than average upbringing, and even still have a lot going for me, and yet it absolutely fills me with disgust to see this particular behavior. Back a few months ago, down by Tuttlingen, Germany, the police would board the trains, walk through and ONLY stop the people who didn't look German and ask for their passports. Everyone else who looked German "bio-deutsch" would just be ignored. I can't even walk across the border between Switzerland into Konstanz without being stopped by police. I and my boyfriend who is from Lithuania have not ever been able to board a flight here without him being tested for drugs, and literally the last time we tried to reenter Germany after a vacation in Greece, at the gate, we were stopped by police who had a hard time looking at my American passport. After a while, he finally gave it back after having been on the phone, while everyone behind us, a flow of "bio-deutscher" kept walking by without being checked and mentioned "you have a german last name." Yeah you f uneducated wheezebag. It's 2022. Do you not know any history of the US and it's immigrant past? I can not explain how irritating it is to have grown up going to a school district known for its academics, then moving, having the chance to go to private school, living with private piano lessons, voice lessons, if I wanted, learning tennis, golfing, volunteering, to come here, a place screaming tolerance, and then being treated as if I'm some criminal. Literally, this one lady began speaking in Schwäbisch before I had a better grip of understanding when I sat down on the opposite side of the aisle after having looked at me. About 3 weeks ago, this other lady grabbed her purse and held it closer to herself when I walked in and sat down in the train. Yesterday, I had drank too much because I went out with friends, and had to let loose. This guy literally began barking at me and began throwing sanitizer at me. Literally spraying me with it. If you want to learn of things to do better, treat each other with respect DESPITE what dialect they speak, where you THINK they come from, stop asking brown people for drugs at events. We brown people can want to just go and have fun. We're not all the same. Schools ought to do something about the way they only focus on negative things that kids during parent teacher conferences do because it causes morality to drop which honestly could be why Germans are so self-conscious. Learn to have manners again. To greet each other like normal again and not just when people go to stores. I've seen again and again how it used to be the standard here and not just walking around like someone has a stick up their ass, because for many, that is a sign of stuck-upedness like you're better than the next. Just because someone has had a bad experience with one or two small incidents, doesn't mean everyone is like that. And yes. People can make a change. There can be movements that happen. It happens all the time. Before 15-20 years, people from Central America were mostly seen as just lawnmowers, but now, most people are aware in the US that the civilization from about 500 years ago actually was about the same level as the Romans. People learn more about actual cultural origins, because people make it more accessible, and people talk more about it and are given better opportunity to talk about differences and similarities. At least 2 or so years ago, in high schools, it was cool if you could date someone who wasn't "white," or "white-passing" but Latino or black. Here, it feels like people shudder at the thought. The comment I made about schooling needing to also change wasn't just from me, rather it was from a social worker who works with young turkish germans who do struggle because they come here, and the negatives are focused on instead of positive reinforcement. They lose self respect, which is something that mostly fosters that irritation that so many are familiar with. People just want to be treated like normal humans. They're just so un-used to it that they get confused when it actually happens.
I’m an African American woman, and I visited Germany for the first time for a summer internship last year. For the two months that I was there, it was profoundly eye opening for me. Everyone was respectful and treated me very kindly. I felt like I didn’t need to fear about being treated differently because of my blackness. No one hovering over me in the stores acting like I might steal something. I just felt very accepted. And I did notice (like you mentioned in your video) that most people would talk to me in German first, which was pretty cool. There was just so much less chaos in the air. I don’t know how to explain it. But there’s an energy in the air in the United States that feels like anything could pop off at any moment, for any reason. And when I lived in Germany for that short time, I didn’t feel that at all. It brought me so much peace to my core. I’m now back in the States, but I’ve been intermittently toying with the idea of moving out to Germany permanently with my fiancé.
Try being just African, without the American attached to it. Not talking about Germany though, just travelling anywhere in general, they might treat you differently based off your name or accent when they know what country you came from. Even other black people in America look down on Africans, idk if it’s media branding/ brainwashing or something else that I’m not aware of
@@simba8665 as a German that is true. We get a lot of newly arrived economic refugees who came here based on the false narrative of streets of gold and are very frustrated to find the grass isn‘t greener on the other side. So as an American you get treated much better than as a refugee, not too sure about the same difference applying to tourists, though. American tourists are locked down upon by most Europeans for loud, obnoxious behavior, no matter the skin color
The so called tension u feel in the air which u did not feel in Germany is there is how America was formed and the relationship between the racial brought about with slavery which has left a mental stain on the American Public
as a black woman, living in Germany for 35 years,I have only encountered racism 2 or 3 times, am now a German citizen & LOVE living here...being a flight attendant of 25 years I have visited almost every country in the world & am always super happy to return to Germany..I visit all major US cities regularly / almost weekly & am very much surprised at how Americans dont realise that many aspects of life in USA are hopelessly outdated..e.g. shower heads, buildings, cars etc.. also the amount of homeless people in the streets IS STAGGERING!.. also such problems as mass incarceration, health care, police brutality are terrible & there is a strange tension in the air & many mentally ill people in the streets in USA..so Yes..I love being a black German & living in real freedom & not just the Hollywood professed freedom of USA..
@@DialloMoore503 oh unfortunately Nepal & Australia are some of the few places I havent been yet, but I Imagine it's a lot like India, but not so overcrowded..India is lovely & very hospitable & has the best food in the world, so if Nepal is similar should be worth a visit, less people more open space & mountains👍🏾😊 enjoy your trip
2 or 3 times is too much! And the "only" before that make me feel really sad. Hopefully in the future black people can say they never encountered racism.
I’m the daughter of a black soldier and a white German woman and have spent a lot of my life in Germany. My wife and I recently moved back to Wiesbaden, Germany from North Carolina and I honestly didn’t realize how much of my anxiety in the US was from the racism I encountered. I love being here. This is where we plan to live for the foreseeable future. I will say that I have experienced racism in Germany but I haven’t experienced it in a very long time and i’ve never experienced homophobia here.
Emma!!! Nice to meet you! First and foremost…I’m really sorry to hear about the ignorance and bigotry you experienced in the States. It’s really a shame to see how much the US is regressing back to hate ignorance. Glad to see you guys living your best life in Germany! Ironically…my wife’s sister was born in Wiesbaden!
It's really fascinating for me that you experience Germany like that. I'm not a person of color, but I am lesbian and I have some scars all over my body, so I think I have some kind of understanding for any kind of discrimination. Since I experienced it a lot, I don't want anybody to feel that way and I think that it's ridiculous to define ourselves by our skin color. But I gotta say, the discrimination I faced was in school and you know, there are always some mean guys and I hope this won't matter wherever I will go after school.
I moved to Charlotte 3 years ago from LA. Wow, the tension here is palpable compared to Cali. and we're not in the boonies either. Still can't get used to it. As an atheist, I'm forced to hang around the Jewish community because it is very inclusive of everyone. At least here in Charlotte. In LA it was the opposite. Not that I mind the Jewish community, I'm Jewish myself but being an atheist it's the constant reminder not to facepalm myself in public. Plus my wife doesn't allow me to talk religion or politics with anyone so it's constantly "yeah, the heat oh and the storm, yeah uh hah". I think it's time for us to leave the US. Glad you got out. Good luck to you.
As a white german: Thank you for this video! When I hear stories like yours, I feel the values we try to build our society around are being recognized. It actually motivates me to step up and take on whatever racism is left in our society (and there sure is more than enough to do something about it).
@@TheBlackfall234 Almost ;) but about 25% of us have migration background. I live in berlin, seeing people of color is an everyday thing for me. Many of them have the german nationality, were born and raised here. I feel way closer to them, than for example some f***ing neonazi (which we unfortunatly and shamefully still have). But thanks for asking :)
Seriously, as a black man living in Jamaica, I heard the same story. the German people are very open-minded.Acourse, we will always have bad apples among good apples.
@@TheBlackfall234 Nope a German is one who chooses to live here and repects the way of life that modern Germany has to offer, my Filipino son in law is more German then I ever will be. You are welcome here if you make the effort to blend in to our way of life, you are not welcome if you want to change that and bring us back to the middle ages, you know freedom of choice and the like, respect for the female body comes to mind and so on and so on, looking at you Wade..........
I`m a native German and i have to say that i really enjoy watching your videos. You come across very charismatic, not beating around the bush. Germany has become a pretty openminded country. The majority of people is well aware of the bad things that happened in this country. Our legacy is to make sure that such horrible things never ever happen again. People like you, willing to contribute to the society are very welcome. Regardless of your nationality, skin color, religion or what ever. I hope to see more from you and your family in the future.
Honestly, racists in Germany make it to the news in Germany, because they are that rare. Dog bites man isn't news, man bites dog is! And another thing that comes into my mind: "Germans stare at you" is a frequent remark from Americans on youtube, black AND white. This is a cultural difference, not a race issue. Germans seek eye contact. Thanks for the Video,
@@ThomasKossatz Yes but also german racists and far right trolls are very active online and use social media extensively for self promotion and pushing their politics. That makes it seem as if there were more than there actually are. If you look at actual percentages they really are just a small (although sometimes very loud) minority.
@@EvilGNU Of course you are right! And they are happy for each well minded person that enters into an online fight with them, because that multiplies the attention they get,.
I lived there 10 years, went as a soldier and married a local. I’m trying to move back now. I never felt scared, never felt threatened. But I also had to change the way I acted, I lived. I learned to be quieter, not so boisterous. Last trip back I had to explain to a few AA tourists that they needed to be quiet on the train that being loud is very rude. I now notice how loud Americans are.
My husband and I are thinking of moving to Germany at the end of the year. He’s latino (I’m black) and I’m super worried that he’s going to get called out in public. He’s just a very animated dude with a naturally loud voice, haha
@@Merrybandoruffians he will learn to be calmer. 😂 It’s justa changed culture , if you are open to growing and change it will happen. My parents are Dominican, it was hard changing that culture but I was young enough that I could. But coming back was hard. One memory was letting my 9 year old go to school alone. That would never happen here.
So another Thing to consider: yes i think WE are a calm Nation. But the Reaction If WE meet someone who is louder, is respectful (in many situstions). So i think you would Not have to leave the train because of a good loud Lough:) And a little more fun WE could Develop, so come and teach us:)
@@TierchenF95 that’s fine. I hope people do shame him into being quieter. I’m actually a pretty quiet person and his loud talking can be embarrassing sometimes 😂
I had been in the german armed forces and was in Georgia for some kind of exchange program. I was shocked to experience such open racism against black people. Our liaison seargent there told us about a story, where they had a barbecue somewhere and when they asked the black first seargent to sit at their table to have a chat, the US battallion commander openly said, he won't sit with him at the table together. Such behavior would never ever be tolerated by a german soldier, no matter the rank. To be said, the battallion commander had to find a new table to sit at ;-)
What a story! Georgia is definitely one of me places where if you look “different” or speak with an accent, you will be treated like an extraterrestrial. And yes sadly…as you’ve seen it exists in numerous American institutions.
I wish you were right, but we have our share of openly racist German soldiers. I just hope they are more often of the lower ranks, not our commanding officers. But we do have indeed incidents of anti-semitism, of xenophobia, of right wing extremism in our forces. So no, the German forces are no safe haven.
@@franhunne8929 I don't say they don't exist, but it isn't openly accepted. When I was at the Bundeswehr university, there was a big skandal about students having pictures of WWII-Generals like Guderian or von Manstein in their rooms. While it is debatable whether you should admire someone for his military efforts, who at the same time doing so supported a highly criminal regime, it was way too much fuzz about this. Even high ranking officers at the university had been dismissed of their duties because of this incident, because "someone had to take his hat", but how should they even know about those pictures in the private rooms of the students?
@@mrchronos3374 The officers won't know, but the sergeants that report to them, should - ever heard of Wöchentliche Spindkontrolle? I never was at that university, but I worked at the Bundeswehr administration and got reports from those incidents. There were far too many to be called singular ... The Bundeswehr attracted far too many right wingers. I hope it is different these days, left the job some years ago.
@@franhunne8929 The University is like a regular campus and the students (officers themselves) surely don't ever get any "Spindkontrolle" anymore ;-). And by the way, there is nothing wrong about conservatism (being on the political right side) as long it is no extremism. And it's just natural, that the military is attracting more people leaning to the right (because of the values, which are necessary to make such a job), but the mandatory conscription service surely helped to get more people leaning to the left into service (which is good). I think it was a fault to abolish the conscription.
I’m a black girl from Portugal living in Baden-Württemberg/ Konstanz. I totally agree with you. When I moved to Germany a lot of my friends were worried, saying the Germans are very racist. I tell them all the time that I’m Portugal you might experience more rAcism then here. Even though a lot of black people live in Portugal. Unfortunately racist exist everywhere, but I believe the Germans just try to learn from errors from the past instead of ignoring it.
I'm also a Black man from the America with my German wife raising my biracial kids. Yeah, I came here because I was sick and tire, of everything. In our 10 years here from Baden-Wuttemberg to Berlin, I've not had a single racial issue with another person. Nothing but positivity, friendly smiles and respect. My son has had two experiences with bad mouthing from kids, and my daughter had girls touching her hair, but kids have a level of ignorance that can be excused to some degree. Really only experienced racist or prejudice in the U.S. People also speak to me in German first here in Berlin. In BW they tend to speak to me in French first, maybe because we lived on the Dreiländerek or they thought I was a French speaking African, who knows. I've never been pulled over, never had a dirty look, idk. Maybe we're extremely blessed, Trey.
White German here. I really love to hear that you feel safe and welcomed here. As others already mentioned, if one looks different, stands out of the crowd, one will get looks and maybe comments. Just because the obvious difference is noticed, not necessarily in a negative way though. The famous German stare is mainly curiousity. I understand that this could be misinterpreted though :) But I have to say that the statement "a black person would not want to live amongst white people" leaves a bit of a bad taste. I would understand concerns regarding language, culture, job skills, climate, you name it. Many things could be a reason not to move elsewhere. But if the biggest concern is the colour of my neighbours skin, to be honest, I personally would consider this as racist. I mean, as an example, if I would think about moving to Asia or Africa, and I would check all or most of the boxes an the "pro" side, but a big "con" would be the colour of the skin of the natives, come on. To me it sounds like someone is looking for a comprehensable excuse without looking fainthearted. You know what I mean? Regardless, I am happy to hear that you guys feel safe and welcomed here in Germany. And I hope Germany will never disappoint you and offer the future you hope for.
Sadly, the US is so inundated with discrimination and fear of what is different…that people remain close minded. And sadly that tends to follow Americans when they move abroad. The best education in my opinion is going to places that we are completely unfamiliar with and learning as much as possible about people, history, language, food, and culture.
@@TreyDaze I have felt that, watching shows and stuff that a lot of "minorites from the USA" watch it's literally everyone is triggered because everyone is triggered because they "have to have expect" the next verbal or physical or actual violent attack around the next corner. For a while I thought that was a bit overrun but then well TikTok compilations and US-Americans learning about their own country and mishaps made me think "It is actually amazing they didn't revibe the Punk "No Future" movemnet from the 1970s-80s by now." There someone say the "Internet can't teach you."
That's the thing. I think most of the people who felt not welcome or not immigrated or something this way. It's because they stay inside their own people. Idk we have many Turkish people here and these ones who don't want to learn German (they live for fuxking 20+ years here) and are mostly with other Turkish people together have the problems. It's not that we don't accept them. It's more that they won't accept that they live in Germany and not turkey anymore. Idk. The children often went the same way. Stay in school and free time only with other Turkish kids. Idk why it's a thing among them. Because the most other nationalities don't act like this. They integrate very well. Maybe it's just our are but idk. And ofc it's not all Turkish people. But at leat here in west Germany many are like this.
@@soap3010 I think a) it's human nature and b) It's literally how the cities are created that a ton of refugess (also preferingly those cultures where everyone knows they just can't stand eachother) put in oen area and then we (white and other) people wonder why "hell breaks loose there" constantly and then you do not necessarily want to go down those allys especially not in the dark. I mean I literally live INBETWEEN people of colour, Muslims, Sinti or Roma, maybe a few black people or those who would be labeld such and yet this century has it I do not even know my own neighbours in my own house that well...nor the onces from the other side of the street. T-T....I think there are multiple situations that are like a Cat or Dog chasing their own tail coming together...
i see what youre saying, but please keep in mind that the US folks grow up and live with this disruptive mindset. Cant blame them cause they need to if theyre of a darker tone and dont wanne be shot at traffic control. sure, thats not a mindset that should be supported in any way, but even if you move abroad you cant just switch it off. Also it was a key point to this (very important) video.
I am born in Germany and it is such a relief to hear you say that. Considering our sad history I am soooo happy to hear that people who move to Germany feel safe, respected and valued! The majority in Germany doesn’t accept racists. It is a sad, unreflected behavior of some people that if they feel bad themselves they will make others feel uncomfortable because they project the issues onto others and blame them for everything. But most people have enugh respect, empathy and knowledge. Even if I was the poorest person in the world I would not be a bully or a racist, hitting on others. I hope more people of colour will move here and settle for good!
At least Germans and Germany acknowledge their past and actively took and continue to take steps to learn from their past and make changes. I can't say the same for the US.
Germans today are more lost than Germans 80 years ago ...they are more willing to follow whatever is promoted The difference today that Horkheimer and Marcuse are to decide what is " virtuous" and not Adolf... in other words not only some European populations are to "go " but all of them and Germans follow without thinking
@Zfen89not69 Thank you for the info. Yeah, I know about the wave of Jews moving to Germany. I heard there's a large Russian wave aswell, even before the war, but more so now. I might need to explore Germany more as an option. Area wise, what is a good region to start investigating? I'd like to be somewhere not too loud, clean, nice views (either nature or architecture or both) but have everything easily accessible without a car. I work from home, so industry and employment restrictions don't concern me. Thanks for the reply. I'd love to know the backstory to your handle 😆
There are very few countries that have had such a thorough reckoning with the darkness of their past as Germany has, and I’m not even talking about European cultures only.
Hi Trey, I don't usually comment on TH-cam videos, but your video touched me. As a Black Brazilian living in Germany, I can relate to your experience. In the two years, I have lived here, I have had minimal uncomfortable experiences. One of them is the traditional “German stare,” but I learned how to live with it, especially since I am the single POC living in a Dorf in Bayern, whose population consists of 1500 people . I have also had a very racist comment by someone considered back then “a close friend,” but I guess it is mainly because I am Brazilian rather than for being Black. Otherwise, things have been perfect in Germany. Before moving here two years ago, I lived in the US and Canada for several years, so I have experienced different forms of racism. The form that terrifies me the most is the one experienced in the US and Brazil, primarily due to the violence used against our people and, of course, the social, professional, and mental impact of such acts on one's life. I recently visited Brazil, where I was a victim of racism at a local shopping mall. When I shared my experience with my family - who still live there - they argued that I was not at a “Black Friendly” shopping mall and that I should not be there in the first place. It profoundly saddens how racism impacts the self-esteem of our Black People. There shouldn’t be a “Black Friendly” mall at all. We are all humans, independent of ethnicity or skin color. Unfortunately, such behavior is normal for them, as it is part of their day-to-day lives. I wish all the best to you and your family. Dani
Wow! I’m gonna be honest…I’ve never believed Brazil to be a place with race issues today. A lot of it has to do with growing up in South Florida which is Brazil 2.0 lol and race never being brought up between my Brazilian friends and I. But thank you for sharing your experience. I’m also glad that you’re time in Germany has been comfortable! This is a truly great place!
It is crazy to see that even though more than 50% of the Brazilian population are Black or mixed, racism is very present in everyone’s lives. I totally agree with you concerning Florida being Brazil 2.0 🤣 it was so surreal to go to the stores there and be greeted in Portuguese 😄. Wishing you lots of happiness, health and success in your journey. BR, Dani
Mhm what a sad story. I only want to assure you that basically every foreigner, even the palest of them, complains about "the German stare". Germans are totally unaware of this issue and rest assured that people don't stare at you because of your skin colour. We don't even realize that in other people's perception, we stare. We just look at things or people. In German culture, looking at someone is neither offensive nor impolite, and there is no culture of looking at the floor or avoiding eye contact. Germans find videos on Americans behaving weirdly in elevators hillarious as we just don't understand the problem.
I understand this!! I've been living in Japan for 7 years now. As a youtuber, many viewers ask about racism in asia (as you also mentioned). In my experience, American racism is specific to the US. In all of the other countries I visited and lived in, I've never had people refusing to service me or call me names just because I'm Black. In Japan, I feel completely safe. Like you said about Germany, everyone leaves me alone and goes about their business. If you speak Japanese, you can interact with people and really understand people (something many expats here don't do unfortunately), but I've never felt more human than when I'm outside of the US. In the US, I've always felt Black amongst everyone, Black people and other ethnicities. Everyone talks about race in the US to constantly remind everyone of their "role". It's hidden in our culture, in our jokes, and why we refuse to go certain places or do certain things. Abroad, and here in Japan, I am human first, American second, and then a woman...and then if we continue the conversation and they ask me about life in America, I may mention..."Btw, I'm called a 'Black American' in the States."😂 Of course people see that I'm Black, but in my experience, me being Black is irrelevant.
When I visited Japan as a German I was kinda disappointed because I had it quite often that shops/ cafes bars deliberately were ignoring me because I was not native Japanese. Yes of course my japanese is far from perfect but definitely good enough to understand what I wanted
I don't know about Japan, but in most of Europe we find it weird that people are called Americans, or Black Americans, Asian Americans, etc. To us you're all just Americans. And although enough people don't really like Americans, it's not limited to colour in any way.
@@lethfuil so true! 😉 Despite I like them if they are nice to me. When it comes to skin color it does not matter to me and I admit, I don't know if the person, who is near me is American or African, as long as he not talks to me and it doesn't matter anyway. If he asks a question or talks a language I can understand, I will help him/her.
The refusing service actually only tends to happen in very small sections of the American south still and tends to be seen as extremely socially unacceptable by the majority.
Not gonna lie my wife and I have REALLY thinking about moving to a different country and watching this video has really inspired us to look at Germany now thank you so much for this video!!😄
Popped up randomly in my feed but let me add something: when it comes to learning German everyone always mentions the articles (whether a noun is male/female/neutral etc). With so many people trying their best to learn the language many Germans won’t mind if you mess this up! We will still understand you and respect you for learning what many consider a difficult language ❤️
yeah it's really not important. Using the wrong one may sound strange for germans, but most of the time articles are redundant especially regarding the gender.
The German articles are sometimes very random - Der Löffel (The Spoon - masculine), Das Messer (The knife - neutral), Die Gabel (The Fork - feminine) or even Germans didn't know if it is Das Nutella or Die Nutella ;-) . There are some simple learning rules like "if it ends with -chen then it is neutral" but over all if you accidently use der/die Auto instead of das - nobody cares exspecially in Cologne where everything is dat (Löffel and dat Gabel with dat Messer).
Ich bin genau deiner Meinung,Deutschland und die Deutschen sind wunderbar ❤️ Ich lebe in Deutschland seit 1968 und habe nie Rassismus erlebt im Gegenteil, ich wurde immer gut behandelt. Ich war mal in Spanien in Urlaub und da habe ich Rassismus erlebt,und das paarmal 😢 Ich war froh als ich wieder in Deutschland war,hier habe ich mich wieder wie ein Mensch gefühlt. Ich kann hier in Frieden leben, und wenn man Probleme hat wird man nicht in Stich gelassen. Deutschland 🇩🇪 ist meine Heimat ❤️❤️ ich kann es mir nicht vorstellen wo anders zu leben. Ich bin Deutschland 🇩🇪 so dankbar das ich hier leben darf Danke 🙏 Deutschland 🇩🇪🥰✌️
@@naimapeukert8575 Mir bläst's das Hirn weg (um mal auf einen Englischen Spruch zurückzugreifen) sowas zu lesen. Ich beziehe mich dabei auf den "hier habe ich mich wieder wie ein Mensch gefühlt." Rein kognitiv verstehe ich was du meinst, aber... Man, kacke, das ergibt doch überhaupt keinen Sinn! Ich weiß, "Current year" und all das, aber wir leben im Jahr 2022, nicht in 17-hundert-nochwas. Wie kann es in sogenannten zivilisierten Ländern dazu kommen, dass sich Personen nicht "als Mensch" fühlen können? Bricht mir ehrlich das Herz. Ich freu mich, dass du dich bei uns sicher und... *sfz* wieder als Mensch fühlen kannst. *kopfschüttel* Ich check's nich. Ehrlich. Will nicht in meinen Kopf. Wie Integralmathe.
I can't speak for the Germans, because I'm Austrian, but I think we are quite similar in our mentality, so I dare to comment to this. Yes, there is racism here. There will always be somebody who looks down on you and considers that he is somehow "better" than you are. But this is not the majority and most people here don't accept racism when they witness it. One day I was in the subway with my baby in a stroller. The place which is reserved for strollers has already been occupied by a black woman with her child. So I tried to park my stroller next to her without blocking the entrance. One man felt entitled to complain about the black lady "taking away the place for our people". Before I even could open my mouth, the people around us started ranting on him. They forced him out of the train yelling "there is not enough place in this train for such an amount of stupidity - no place reserved for racists" and such things. I felt so sorry for this woman. She had done nothing wrong and her kid was crying, because all of the shouting and pushing going on. I was a bit irritated, because she was smiling. We then took a walk to the next park together and had a chat and I asked her "This was such a terrible situation, I'm so ashamed for this stupid man. How can you still be smiling?" She told me, that she's coming from the US and she is used to racism in every nuance. But it never happened that so many people stood up for her, that's what made her smile. So yes, there is racism and we can't get rid of all this stupid, ignorant, racist a**holes. But we can stand up, raise our voice against it... And for sure... We DO!
And you know what... I don't know why you are called "people of color" Usually I'm piggy-pink, when I'm sick I get a bit yellow or greenish, when I'm ashamed I turn bright purple, getting a bit of sun I'm crab-red and hopefully after a while I'm finally tanned. I'm a f***Ing rainbow, calling you colored? 🤣🤣🌈 (no offence - just kidding)
I feel like the difference here in Austria is, Germany has American soldiers so they've had black people for longer. My 74 year old mother says she's pretty sure she's never seen a black person until she was in her 50s. Most black people here are African immigrants and there definitely are too many racists. Honestly I bet as soon as a black man opens his mouth and has an American accent they'll be treated differently
@@stephjovi Yes, European generally* don't discriminate based on colour of skin but on national/cultural basis. So if you speak and behave as a German you are treated as a German regardless of colour, if you speak and behave as an American you are treated as a American regardless of colour (good) and if you speak and behave as an African you are treated as an African (not very good) and so on. So an African will probably feel that there are a lot of racism in Europe but a Afro-American will probably feel that it is very little of it. *By the general public that is, Europe of course also have some real racists.
Thank you so much for posting this video. I’m a Black (Dad)/Puerto Rican (Mom) south Floridian too! I lived in Japan for a couple of years and since being back in Florida early 2020, well, I’m sure you can imagine how I feel… Anyone who says that life is getting better in the US is coming from a lot of privilege for sure. It’s not. It’s scary. As a woman, as a black/Latina person, as someone who is LGBTQ with “Don’t Say Gay” in Florida, it feels like it gets harder every day. It feels like every time I read or turn on the news, there’s another sad story. But that’s just it, to many privileged people here it’s sadly just another story that doesn’t have any impact on their daily lives, so life goes on. It’s such an isolating feeling. It’s sad to say I can imagine many Americans reading my comment might agree with that. I’m light-skinned too, so I’ve got my own privilege, but I appreciate that you mentioned that you and your wife really had a hard time just knowing it was happening around you every single day, even if something didn’t happen directly to you on a given day. I always thought coming back from Japan that I’d move to California too, but like you said, that’s still the US. I’m visiting Germany, specifically Düsseldorf and Berlin, for the first time this October to see what it’s like and this question has really been weighing heavy on me. Thank you for sharing your experience, this has really helped! I think my one hurdle is just.. getting over the idea that a decision to move doesn’t have to be permanent if I don’t want it to be, and to just take the leap! Thank you again. Looking forward to future videos!
Hey Lexy! Ayyyy we’re pretty much the same lol! Thank you for sharing your background and experiences with me! You’re 100% correct. It’s a truly dark time to be in the US and with midterms coming up…it’s only going to get worse unfortunately. The ongoing war on women continues and I don’t understand how more and more people aren’t just blatantly uprising at this point. I try to be as optimistic as I can, but even in a state like Florida where we come from…bigotry, corruption, hate are so deeply intertwined into our state’s identity…it’s just crazy hard to think of a point when all of that comes to an end. I mean the largest Confederate flag in the world flies on I-75 near Tampa and people are just so content with that. That sort of thing would never fly here in Germany. You’re going to love it here! We went to the Pride Festival here in Frankfurt and we’re headed to the Pride Festival here in Stuttgart tomorrow! I linked my info in the description! Stay and touch and hit me up whenever you want!
@@TreyDaze Haha, yessss!!! How about that. Definitely a dark time, especially with the midterms looming in the near future. It’s like you said, an end to the way things are here is hard to even begin to imagine. People are so open with the hatred and the bigotry that now I’m more surprised when I have a good interaction with a stranger than when I see something bad. What a time. I know things aren’t perfect anywhere, but this is definitely not the place to be right now. I didn’t realize there were so many Pride events, that’s amazing to hear! I’m going through and watching your previous videos and I’m so glad you and your family are settling in so well! I’ll definitely be in touch! Stay safe and keep on posting!
@@TreyDaze Ohh I was at the Pride festival in Frankfurt too! Did you see the parade (on Saturday) or did you go to the "after-party"/show on Sunday? I unfortunately could only go to the parade, but it was fun and felt really freeing. I'm not sure whether I'm LGBTQ (right now I don't think so), but going there just feels like you can finally take a breath from societal norms. At least it was like that for me.
Hello, I am a German woman from Cologne. There is also Christopher Street Day in Cologne, where people from all over the world come together and celebrate. Of course there is racism in Germany, but I don't think it's as bad as in the USA. Just the way people with dark skin color have to get through a police check scared me a lot. I wish you that the attitude of the "white people" changes and your coexistence becomes more peaceful.
I highly, highly recommend England, but Germany is a wonderful choice too. Honestly the biggest thing thats gonna shake you about these places coming from the US is just how superior the urban design is. Growing up in suburbia & never knowing what a walkable, livable city designed for human interactivity is like, is something many Americans I don't think understand is missing in their life.
But maybe germans don't want to be colonised by you guys? have you thought about that? Europe is sick of foreigners comming like it is a free for all... It is time to stop this madness and decolonise europe...
@@cassandra8620 - Yes. Why not? What do you have against England? Do you have actual experience of living in England, or is your prejudice just based on ignorant rumour?
As a foreigner in Germany all i can say is i really don't care if a newcomer is white,black or purple.We as foreigners must contribute to the German society by work,paying taxes and so on.If someone is not prepared for the challenge of a new culture and possibly religion than Germany is not the place for you.Nobody will have problems in this country as long as they behave normally.This country is perfect for perfect people.Great video,keep up the nice work.Wish you all the best with your channel and a belated welcome to Germany.You seem like a nice guy and i am sure you're gonna like it here...
Yes, Europe don't have that black/white distinction. Espesially when you're actually a mix of several different ethnisity. Also the race thing is just silly and yhis videa shows that with all the different background he's still considered black just because of his look.
Greatings from Moosbach! I live in Moosbach and it´s nice to hear that your experiences were so good. With a Population of 2353 Moosbach is really a small Town but we welcome all people. It doesn´t matter if you are black, white or any other skin color you have.
We stayed the night at Zum Goldenen Löwen! Everyone was amazing and nice! If we’re ever in Moosbach again…I’ll let you know. Beautiful town with great people! 👍🏽
I was stationed in Ansbach, Germany 2018-2020 and I loved it so much that it’s been my mission to move back ever since 🙏🏾 after my contract ends next year I’ll definitely be booking my one way ticket 😄 🇩🇪
i'm a german poc (mainly lived in the north) and ofc i've experienced some racism but really not a lot and i've very rarely felt unsafe, usually it's just uneducated comments and stereotypes. but i think there's more racism towards foreign poc, the worse someone's german is the worse the racism is gonna be in my experience despite some bad experiences i can confidently say that germany is a very safe country
It is not that easy. First of all, in German we would say "poc poc poc" to the noise of a hen. German is a very descriptive language. We put words together to describe something or we would just call it by it's name. The point is, that you are right, if you speak broken english the "racism" is more. But that's also not correct because you stumbled across the cultural German racism that looks suspicious to everyone who is not from this area. Let a northern German with deep northern accent move to a small bavarian village, let him go to the bakery and let him order. At the moment he opens his mouth he is suspicious. The difference is, that you can see that a black person is different at first, but at that moment when this person opens his mouth in the bakery and speeks a deep Bavarian accent, all would be fine. As another comment mentioned, it depends on how much you try to fit in. Our cultural problem no is, that if someone looks different, he has to proof over and over again while a white person at first sight needs not. That is sad, but as it derives as a culture from the germanic tribes, it will be hard to overcome. For me personally this means, that I always check myself wether I run in such thinking in specific situations or not, and naturly trying to stop it, if so. On the good side, this makes Germany an inclusive society. Just try to fit in and you have a warm welcome. Edit: the poc commet above wasn't meant to be insulting. I wanted to say, why I don't like this word in German. My feeling is, that these word in Germany is an insult so I am not using it.
I am a white German, travelling the world full-time since 2004, and I have experienced quite a lot of racism, in Spain as much as in Sweden or in Portugal. There are closed-minded people everywhere.
@@mijp made my Day, thx:) i really had to think twice or thrice, what an poc is, sounds harsh for me, and also thought of Chicken picking, before i finally come to People of Colour:)
@@alexandersteinmetz6857 For me it is the same. I really do not want to offend people, but I also think, that we are importing a lot of problems instead of fighting our own problems. The USA has a segregative society. The refer to themselves as Germans, Italians, Latinos, Irish ... and do seperate from each other, Germany has a "proofing based" integrative society. We had body ownership, (Leibeigenschaft), they had slavery. We had splited tribes, they where all immigrants. So, different culture, different history, different problems of racism. A black person somewhere from Africa would also have other opinions. There is a black restaurant owner who proudly calls his restaurant "Zum Mohrenkopf". He came as immigrant but not from the States. So I really would beg blacks from the USA, to not be offended by some things, it is not meant to be racism. And it isn't, because this is a different culture. It is like the "Germans are honestly being blunt" thing. Instead, let us fight the problems we do have. That is far more important than fighting things, that not really exist here. You can fight a fire in a room, but if there is no fire, you ruin all your belongings for nothing.
Really interesting video! One thing: If people talk about (more) racism in "east Germany", they don't really mean the whole area close to the eastern border of Germany. What they really mean is the area of the former GDR. So the place you visited in Bavaria doesn't count as "east" in that sense. :D
And also, it would be proofed wrong. As northern Germans we have the sayings, Bavarians are unfriendly and not open to strangers. And it's also not true. There are racists, everywhere in Germany - but it's seldom openly accepted - so you can walk through East Germany also, with every skin color, the humankind could offer. But you never should be near a "Spaziergang" of Neonazis, AfD- and Pegida-symphatisants. No matter wich place in Germany. Just mentioning, that their leaders are mostly West Germans - So don't blame East Germany for people like Kalbitz and Höcke from Bavaria and Hesse, living now as oeconomic immigrants in Thuringya and Brandenburg.
@@ratatosk8935 true. While there are more right leaning people in "East Germany" you can encounter some of them everywhere of course. The actual divide is more a rural/poor areas vs urban/rich areas one (not too different compared to the US I guess). And there are more such underdeveloped regions in East Germany.
@@ratatosk8935 That's funny, coming from middle Germany, the saying here is you northern folks are the closed off and non-talkative folks and the Bayerisch are more warm-hearted, welcoming people. That is not to say you are mean or I don't like you, but you are generally more reserved and don't like to waste a single unneccessary word to a stranger. Different perspectives I guess, though we North-Hessians are also pretty cold to strangers.
Frankfurt is one of the greatest cities in the world. Very diverse, and well-educated population. Frankfurters are used to black people, because of the many military bases there, back in the day. So much to do, see, and eat. Very peaceful vibe. Enjoy yourself!
@@kalimba04 I just got from Frankfurt Germany yesterday. Frankfurt was great, but Hamburg on the other hand was very racist. As a black men from the United States I have to be honest. I would not mind going back to Frankfurt, but Hamburg you can not pay me to go to that part of Germany the people were very foul.
@@toreyjoseph1286 that's interesting. I've never been to Hamburg, but I've always heard it was a progressive city. I'm glad you enjoyed Frankfurt. I plan to revisit there, at the end of the year.
I'm an Aussie and I've lived with Germans over here and I have to say that Germans in general are absolutely great. They show me lots of respect and I give it back to them 100%. I love Germans.
I'm living in Germany 20 km away from Heidelberg since 1980 aged 5 yo and identity myself an Eritrean German (dual citizenship). I can recall a couple of stereotypes and prejudice mostly in times of economical- or immigration crisis but I never had to deal with significant racism. I never realized how progressive Germany is towards different ethnicities and took it for granted until I crossed the border the first time. Especially during a visit to my older sister who married in Germany an US soldier and lives in the US for 2 decades now. Without going into details, on several occasions I didn't felt equally treated to non-blacks and it was quite obvious n humiliating. What surprised me the most was every time my sister or black American friends were there too it seemed like they noticed nothing. It's hard to explain... as if they got numb, my sister as well after all the years. When we grew up together in Germany she would freak out over every little thing that didn't felt right to her. She is an American citizen now so didn't say anything though before she'd say that I got soft with all the socialist free stuff from the government Greetings from Mannheim in Baden-Württemberg
What your sister said sounds a little like Stockholm syndrom. "Got soft","socialist free stuff from the government"? Did she get "clockwork oranged" on Fox "News" and OANN? When did she start to think getting "hardened" by living in a Mad Max type of society is a good thing?
This town of Moosbach is in Bavaria, so in southern Germany (thus a part of former "West Germany). When people talk to you about "the East" (of Germany), they're refering to places in the states of Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
@@sukatz Well ... as far as geography goes, Pommern nowadays is the Polish province of Pomerania. As far as history goes, it used to by part of the German Reich (1871-1945). So lots of "landmines" here when talking about "East" and "Germany" ... ;)
Hi Trey! Some serious topic! Just a few thoughts here. First, there was a slight misunderstanding regarding "east". You were in eastern Bavaria, not in East Germany. That term generally means the 5 states in the former communist GDR, so Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen, and Sachsen. Of those, mainly the south-eastern corner is the one people have warned you about. Mainly Thuringia and Saxonia. They are our version of Mississippi and Alabama. The cities are ok, but in some smaller towns you could come across some of those people you really don't want to meet. Most people ARE fine, but the share of people who aren't is simply bigger than elsewhere. And it's less racist in the sense of color, it's more a general xenophobia. Not that that didn't exist everywhere to a certain degree. What may be different to America is that the fewer foreign looking people live in a place the more xenophobic people get. The fear of the unknown. In bigger cities, and especially in Western Germany (again, the old West Germany), the population is much more diverse and tolerant, exceptions notwithstanding. Second, when you began to declinate your "percentages" of "race", that's soo American. It doesn't work like that here. Nobody will ask you about what your father was or your second-degree uncle or your great-grandmother. There is an ugly ring of the Nuremberg laws in that where people were defined by their percentage of "Jewishness" or "Germanness". Also, people are not as obsessed about their "heritage" as Americans where many define themselves by the nationality or ethnicity of their ancestors, while really nobody in their "ancestorial" country would think of them like that but would just laugh at them when they would call themselve "Italian" or "German" without even speaking one word of the language. Hayley Alexis made a very interesting video about the differences regarding identity and race in the US and in Germany. Highly recommended, and she explains that much better than I ever could. th-cam.com/video/ayep0SWcN7c/w-d-xo.html and this one th-cam.com/video/K_TG6zbXCzs/w-d-xo.html So, nobody cares for you identifying as Latino or whatever. You're the American, for better or worse. ;-) Identity, if you must use that term at all, is much more defined by language and culture than anything else in Germany. Of course, there will be people who see a black man and have a film starting in their heads with all kinds of prejudices. But for instance, the prejudices are much more culture-based than color-based. You will probably experience that yourself someday, those people will treat you differently because you are American, whereas people from African countries or Arabs are treated much worse, especially when they are Muslims. No beating around the bush here, that kind of ethnic, xenophobic racism does exist. But it's much less of the institutional, systemic racism that is ingrained in the US, especially in the South. Not serving people like that guy in that shop did is not possible in Germany. Just like not baking a cake for a gay wedding would be against the law here. Does not mean that everybody would automatically be friendly, of course, but the law is definitely not on their side, nor the general attitude of the public. What shocks people here in Germany is how racism is such an every-day bureaucratic act in the US. The census questions about race or on forms for all kinds of things would be considered openly-racist here, and anybody who put that into a public document could go looking for a new occupation, because it's outright unconstitutional. And that's why I seriously question that statistic that says there are so and so many black or white people in Germany. That may be an estimate based on nationality, but you will never find a check-box for race or ethnicity in Germany. There simply IS no race statistic. People are people, race does not exist for the state. Again, racism is real, but not in that way. By the way, you may have noticed that you are asked about religion in some official documents which usually is shocking for Americans. That's mainly for tax because the state is NOT completely separate from the two main churches, and there is something called "Kirchensteuer", and you should have a look at your income tax on your pay slip, whether somebody entered something under religion for you. Presumably you are neither a member of the Catholic church nor of any of the Germany evengelical churches, so you shouldn't be paying taxes for that. Coming back to the census questions, this is a shocker for us and probably for everybody in Western Europe. I know that has something to do with things like affirmative action, but that itself is considered rather questionable here, as it does not really help to overcome racism but instead even cements structural racism. Education is free anyway, universities don't have and don't need quota for minorities, and generally, the system provides for everybody in the same more or less effective way. Having said that, there IS a bias towards education. Children of parents with higher education have a higher chance of gettting higher education themselves. It's a social bias, not a racist one. Our northern neighbors do much better in that regard. Social mobility there is significantly better, though Germany has gained a bit on that. By the way, I don't know if your son is in a Kita. If not, I highly recommend it. There is no better place for a kid to learn the language and get friends. Makes the transition into school much easier. Having said that, kids being kids, it can be hard on those who look differently. Not saying that it has to happen, but it can happen. Finding the right Kita and the right school may be extra important in this case. So, there are more things I could talk about, but it's already much too long. Take care!
Very well written indeed ... I especially agree with the "kids being kids" statement, even tho the "weird" experiences don't necessarily have to be bad. My nephew met a black child or person in general for the first time in Kita and he just wouldn't stop licking her arm yelling out "lade" which was his word for chocolate at that time. I'm glad they both got over it and she is still his friend :D
Ich weiß nicht, wo ihr alle her habt, dass Sachsen und Thüringen voller Rassisten sind. Er hat es sogar extra erwähnt, dass er viele solche Kommentare bekommen hat. Unglaublich bescheuert…ja hier traut sich die AFD und die Montagszügler offen auf die Straße. Dh aber nicht, dass die hier die Mehrheit bilden oder überproportional vorhanden sind. Mich ärgert sowas.
As a German iam never worried about leaving my house and what could happen to me. Super eye opening for me that this is not „normal“. I mean I know we have some areas that you should not visit at certain times etc. but in general I don’t have second thoughts visiting new places. Alone the fact that gun ownership is really restrictive in Germany helps with that a lot. I wouldn’t feel good thinking about my neighbors wielding guns in their garden. Another fact I was thinking about is that you get respect when you give respect. Be nice and helpful and people will thank you and give back. Germans value the „doing your part“-mentality a lot. Its not only the pay your taxes and speak the language thing…more like: be the guy helping in kindergarten grilling some food because they have a party, help your neighbor building something on his property without asking for something in return, get together and share your interests and hobbies, bring something new to the table. This sort of things.
So sad to see people still being racist or homophobic. It´s 2022 and still there are soooo many people caught in their ridiculous, medieval thoughts about this. Everytime i hear people talking something negative about people of colour i go like "Ey, without fu*** skin we all look the same! How dare you to judge somebody only because of skin-color" 😅 Great video btw, makes me feel a little better in my white, german skin. Seems we´re not so bad as our reputation... I wish you and your family a great time living here, your new homecountry! Stuttgart is a great place to live, the heart of "Schwabenland" 😉😊
I do agree with your comment regarding the whole race thing, but I can't agree specifically with the whole "It's 20XX year, and there is still X". Culture (and tech) isn't always going to progress the way you want, nor do all people agree that a certain way of thinking is more "advanced" compared to an other. I don't think I need to remind you that there are numerous examples in history (from the bronze age collapses, the dark ages, to the 20th/21st century ascendancy of various authoritarian governments) about areas reverting back to a culture they had some decades/centuries prior. We could very well have another even more destructive World War sometime this century, and because of such stagnate our tech and "regress" to a more great powers styled world circa early 20th century or even back to regional feudalism. Hell, maybe we won't have a world war and we go out into space in the 22nd century as a mostly united species, but after about a century or two of colonizing, we will likely again fracture once the people in others celestial bodies due to the relative speed of news and travel in space diverge from the culture back on earth. Culturally, our species will once again go back to the 16th-19th century way of looking at other nations due to the species not being "globalized and interconnected" as it was in the late 21st century... Don't assume that human cultural progress is some linear thing that only goes in one direction...
Husband and I faced little, if none, racism while living in Germany during the mid 70s - 80s. We lived in Durmersheim and worked in Karlsruhe. Returning to the states was a vile cultural shock. Wished we would have stayed in Germany.
@@katherinegriffith5546 And what is "our" truth? Isn't it interesting that you try to separate the "truths." But then you are proving my point for me. One more item - If you worked in Karlsruhe, there is absolutely no way that you can separate your truth, the German's truth, and the truth of the American military, especially in the 1970's and 1980's.
@@RWebster325 bro you are white not saying white people don't get racism but come on I came to Germany 1976 and I never experienced any kind of racism in that period. I'm still living here and had like maybe 1 or 2 encounters of racism so please don't assume she is lying or not telling the truth thx.
I think one important thing to note: Even in the most "racist" areas of Germany, you don't need to have your "guard up" if you are black. It rarely if ever happens hat violence is happening like in the U.S. This is not the south of the US where people are hunted by some crazy loonies with guns... at worst you get looks and maybe someone saying something rude.. no one is pulling a gun on you and hunting out of town.
I am an Austrian living in California and sadly the same goes for whites in America. I have never been treated as poorly as in black neighborhoods and I truly felt unsafe ( bc of a higher risk of gun violence and burglary). In Austria, when I am in a foreigner district I get treated just fine and feel pretty safe.
when people talk about racism in Europe-it's usually not classical racism about pigmentation in the skin-it's usually about culture/religion , in other words it's about Muslims -due to some problems with certain migrants (absolutely far from all Muslims create any problems ) religion is not a color it does however impact the culture -in some parts of eastern Europe and Greece there have been historical fights against conquering Muslims-and they hear about problems in western Europe, that is why they don't want migrants from the Middle east and north Africa , they don't mind black migrants from the US, France, Brazil, Kenya ect.
Please still be careful. Violent hate crimes might not happen as often, but they do happen. Black people or even white people with black hair and a tan being beaten to death or almost to death and left paraplegic.
I'm a black German from Hamburg, grew up here and love this place. I can only tell my experience from living in a big city like Bremen or Hamburg in the left leaning north. We are also a country with many immigrants from many different country's with many different cultures. As a black guy, it's pretty chill. Almost all people are open to me and see me as just a German guy. I only had a few racist interactions in east Germany where some guy was talking a bit of shit but nothing to outrageous and asshole are everywhere. In my childhood in every school there are some black guys, some Turks, some Asians like people from everywhere, so we are used to see different people as early as childhood. They have some cultural differences but they are almost all respected and accepted. We have our problems but when you compare it with the US and shit I heard it's not comparable to German.
hey You are right that there is a general trend, that the further south you go in Germany the more conservative and catholic the country becomes. But you brought up the two major cities of Hamburg and Bremen and those two cities happen to be historically very open and liberal because have been port cities for a very long time. So I do believe that you lived in Bremen and Hamburg is a much bigger factor than the general trend of the "liberal north". I grew up in a rural Area in the very north and as a kid I didn't know that black people existed outside of TV lmao as stupid as this might sound. People there are not racist in the sense that they actually support racism as an ideology but they are kinda close minded and like: "We don't like strangers here and we don't want any outsiders". It took me until my later highschool years to actually meet a black kid and befriend him. But yeah...times have changed quite a bit even up there. The internet happened. The older people died. The younger people are more open.
@@tonischumacher2 I wouldn't say that the South gets more conservative (used to live close to Stuttgart before migrating to Japan), but I would say that in Stuttgart especially people walk with "n Stock im Arsch" lmfao.
@@dydx_ obviously this is only a general trend and there is also other factors that play a role. Like for example people in urban areas tend to be more liberal than in the country. But this is not a rule. Just a statistical correlation.
I'm so glad I came across this video! My partner and I have been talking about wanting to move to Germany for years, but I've been really hesitant because our youngest child is black. I'm excited to look through your channel to see if there are any videos about your son's experience in school.
Native white German here. I don't care if you are black, yellow or your skin has red polka dots with green stripes. As long as you do what you do within the German societal ruleset (which is mostly don't be an obnoxious a-hole and mind your own business) I don't give a flying F about you! The exception to that rule above is staring that is something we do A LOT.
which is strange as I too am a native German but I grew up in Malta in the 60s and I DO NOT stare as I consider it impolite LOL Upbringing DOES make a difference, and I did not notice that Germans stare because I do not and therefore have missed this fact for over 30 years now.
Hm I don't know if being brain afk in the bus and just staring at a wall or the like, is the staring everyone mentions? Personally I tend to not actively look at people cause I really don't care about them and just look where I am going. Unless someone speaks to me, or I notice that someone needs help 🤷♂. Could be the anxiety and phobia of Stangers I dunno.
As a German, I can't have a say in that, I haven't experienced racism on any trip or was hostile to it. My best friend's wife is a black Brazilian and when she came to Germany 15 years ago she was terrified of the Germans and has never been alone. Every 3 months she flew back to Brazil and stayed there for a few weeks. Today she is one of the happiest people I know, organizes cultural events by Brazilian artists in Germany and lives a happy married life with one child. It took a long time for her to trust the people here. Many greetings
There’s a lot of fear about being a POC living in Germany due to the past. And sadly, much of the Western world outside of Europe doesn’t take the time to familiarize themselves with modern day Germany.
@@dan_kay But isn't the real problem that there are certain black-only neighborhoods in the first place? Being isolated from the rest of society…..no matter how structural, cultural or just unaffordable rents naturally creates a lot of anger.
@@guinessdraught2758 Yes, they are a problem, but not as you may think. It's the black folks in those neighborhoods who don't want white dudes living in their area. And they communicate that very clearly. I felt very unwelcomed in those areas, although I am the most chilled person on the planet when it comes to race, simply not giving a fuck.
Happy to hear that she made it here,but at the same time it's a bit scary how those stereotypes are still effecting some people around the World.It's bloody time people stop thinking about the German people as SS officers in black uniform shouting "achtung,achtung" all the time. I am 49 and i lived and visited quite a few countries in my life and let me tell you this:I have nowhere felt so respected,safe and financially stable as i feel myself here.But,it must be said that me and my family have done our best to learn the language,the culture. After 9 years in Rheinland-Pflaz we feel ourselves at home and we probably stay here forever.
I actually love the color of the wall behind you. :-) As a white German I don't feel comfortable adding much else to the conversation, but I wanted to leave you a comment for the algorithm.
Glad that i found your channel, nice content and as a native german, same age as you, its very interesting to hear what you think and experience. Also i am glad to hear that you have not experienced any racism here and hope it stays that way. I personally have never understood why a person with a different skin color should not have the same rights or be treated differently.
Thank you for this blatantly honest video! I’m a Black American woman, registered nurse with a masters degree. I don’t know how to work the system, but the logistics are such a hurdle for me to relocate my daughter and I. Im going to get us to a safer, happier way of life though. Thanks for letting me know I don’t have to cross Germany off my list.
In my opinion as a German, I would say yes there is racism here, but it's a very small minority and in most cases it isn't being shown on the same level like it is in the US. I believe most of the time you are going to feel rasist behavior it won't be more than a mean look. Clearly that's not OK either but it's not as bad as it can get in the US.
Yes, I don't know how that is in Germany, but in Norway racist comments and refusing to serve people in your own shop of racist reasons is illegal. That probably helps a lot.
@@TullaRask We got a simmilar Law in Germany, its forbidden to treat someone differently based on heritage, sex, gender, religion, way of life, disabilities or age. You might however treat someone differently if theyre being an "asshole". If you dont like the behaviour of someone youre free to restrict them from coming (if that behaviour is intrusive to others).
@@TullaRask It's illegal in the US too. I've never heard of anyone doing it and getting away with it. Prosecutors would be all over a business if they ever pulled a stunt like that.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. There is still a lot of room for improvement in Germany, but it is good to know, that you and other people from different countries feel welcome and good living in Germany. 🙂 Take care - Thomas
i´m a owner of a small fast food franchise and i have stores all over Germany. My worst experience was in a mall in a very small village close to Leipzig. I was in the store with just one other employee and a black woman with her children stepped to our shop but the employee didn't move to talk to her. She looked me directly in the face and told me she won't serve "those". i was totally shocked and did the order myself. The worst part was that i wasn't able to fire her, because i had real problems to get any people to work there. I was SOOO happy when i finally closed that shop. An other employee in Cologne (she is from Iran) she told me she lived some years in the deep east, and she could not stand the racism. BUT beside some bad spots most of the times especially in the metropol areas there is not very much racism. Germany is the country with the 2. highest immigration after the US and most of us know we need and benefit from it.
Wow! These are the stories I appreciate hearing because it helps provide a different perspective. I want to thank you for sharing and I hope you continue standing for what’s right!
may i ask what the name of that small village is? because i made a similar expirience in that region. The name of the village where i was is "Weißenfels". Imagin it is the same one :O. I was there for 4 Years and left because i could not stand all those hateful People. Now i life in Paris and even here i already had to notice racism :( (but luckly much much less)
The reunification of Germany was problematic and continues to be so. As a POC If you can stay out of the former communist part do so. Many capable and educated people left the East so what remains often are the people you want to avoid.
I came across your video, and I was so happy to hear that you have many positive words about the people in Germany and Germany itself. While racism is a horrible thing, I am happy you have experienced next to almost no racism in my birth country. I hope you and your young family will go on having a wonderful life in Germany and can fulfill all your hopes and dreams for the future . ❤️🇨🇦
Since this was a long video I will have a long comment;-) I am white, very white, born in Berlin, grew up in the Black Forest and worked in Munich. The village I grew up in had not one person of color till I was 14 years old and a native German married an Asian woman. Of course we all looked like "woow, look at her", just because her color was different. However, never once anybody in the village would treat her different then you would want to be treated and the skin color was just...color, nothing more and nothing less. The reason I think that Germans in general, not all, are not racist is because of WW2 as it is taught in school up and down NOT TO BE LIKE THAT. Don't ever make the same mistake again, humans are equal, period! Now, I do live in the US and I am married to a black woman and my whole family is black. I love them with all my heart and I never once thought of anything in regards to skin color as it is the heart and brain that make a person. I see often how my family has to deal with racism at work or in their daily live and I still don't understand it how a country that has 13% of black people does not understand that skin color is just a color. However, I would say I know why and it starts with education. Watch some videos from Hayley Alexis, a black woman living in Germany, and she mentioned in a video a couple of weeks ago when she went to Auschwitz to see German history from WW2. She was amazed that Germany is fostering their horrible past and educates kids about it so we learn from it. She then compared this to the US whereas there is nearly nothing done to make sure everybody understands that slavery was wrong and evil and that we have to make sure we never do that again. She mentioned that there are no farms as museums in the US to show how bad this time period was and educate everybody about it. In order to change the US it needs to change with the education so that this false narrative that people of color are of lesser quality gets flushed out over time. However, the way things go, it looks like it takes the opposite direction, thus making it worse for the future. I am very happy for you that you found Germany to be your new home. Think of your child and how much better his education and live will be growing up in a free society where he can thrive. Watch some videos from My Merry Messy Life, an American family with 4 kids. Best, Martin
Martin…as always…I value and appreciate your comments and sharing of your personal experiences. I always feel like I owe you some form of tuition after reading your comments because they’re so valuable and educational. Thanks a lot brother!
I don't understand where Haley gets that from. I went through school learning about slavery in the US during elementary, middle and high school. We went to a play about Harriot Tubman and I was from a small town in Kentucky. So even if she were to say rural schools don't teach it, I highly doubt that's true. Looking back, we were beat over the head on the subject.
Germany’s past is not the Germany of today, Brilliant country brilliant people with a brilliant future. Not so sure about uk embarrassed to be British at the moment.
I really appreciate you advertising Americans of any color coming over, settling down, make a good living and be a part of german society. We are already the place to be while the reality of living in the US closes in to “the purge” movie by the day.
@@TreyDaze great to have you, and like minded folks. The “new world” stopped being “new” - ugly Germany turns out to be the cosmopolitan center we all wanted it to be.
I'm a native white male german and I´m really happy and proud that the vast majority of immigrants and refugees feel safe and respected in our country and it terrifies me to hear how things are still going on in the US. For me it doesn't matter where someone comes from or what they look like, only the character counts. If you are tolerant and respectful everything is ok. I have a lot of foreign friends here and abroad who think very much the same way and I'm proud of that, too. For some, I don't know exactly where they or their parents come from, because it just doesn't matter. In my eyes a multicultural society is an enrichment for me and my country! But I see a great danger in the people who come to our country and don't respect our democracy, our values and our way of life. They are mostly young male immigrants from the Arab world. They believe in to be something better than others and that they are right because they are muslims and they behave racistly towards everyone else. Only Allah, the Coran and the Sharia count for them. They veil their sisters and mothers and forbid them to go to school or even go outside and have contact with people outside their own family to provide them from integration while they boast to each other about how many infidel sluts they have already fu**ed. And they despise me and spit at me when I tell them that in my eyes that is highly anti-social and absolutely unfair to the country that allows them to live in freedom and peace and feeds them. If I say something against them they call me a racist! The fact that my sister is an independent person whom I have nothing to dictate only confirms for them that I am weak and belong to the wrong religion, even if I don't think religiously but rather agnostically, which is even worse for them. But my word doesn't count for them or is wrong per se as long as I'm not a muslim. It simply must not be the case that e.g. (black) immigrants are afraid of not being respected and threatened by these lighter-skinned muslims because they are jews or christians! What these people are doing is racism towards all non-Muslims and is just unacceptable to me! If you want to live like this, see women and people of other faiths as subhuman and treate them like that, if you are absolutely intolerant, arrogant and presumptuous (and only because of your religion), then please do it somewhere else, where you are among your own kind! While I find it fundamentally horrible and absolutely wrong, I respect it if you choose to do so of your own free will. I want everyone in my country to be equal and everyone to respect everyone and everyone to be able to live in peace and freedom! We must not allow such religious minorities to destroy or endanger our values, for which we have fought long and hard after our terrible history. A German hip-hop lyric says something like: "Accept me, tolerate me or ignore me, but don't attack me, because then you lose yourself, then I lose myself and then we both lose!" And my parents taught me as a child: "If you don't want someone to do it to you, don't do it to anyone else either!" That can not be that hard to understand! I really wish for peace, freedom and harmony for the entire world! We are all of the same blood! Let's stand together against these uneducated, intolerant and presumptuous religious idiots to maintain a peaceful coexistence of all in freedom and dignity! Even if it's not possible all over the world, then at least here with us! ONE LOVE!
Do you think the killing of two Germans last week in Ludwigsburg by a "refugee" from Somalia is an enrichment? No, I don't want all those killers and islamists in my country.
@@MetalisForever666 No, it is not. But what does Islamism have to do with skin color? What is decisive is the will to integrate and the acceptance of our free-democratic basic order.
I'm really happy about your experience and actually a bit proud. Especially about the part were you talked about east germany. I was born in Erfurt and lived in Leipzig for a bit. It always makes me a bit sad seeing that quite a few of fellow germans paint a extremly bad picture of former GDR states even when this country got reunited over thirty years ago. Cool that you gave the people a chance and looked trough the prejudices! I wish you and your family all the best. BTW Leipzig is always worth a visit IMO, it's a beatuiful city. I would still live there if I hadn't gotten a perfect job in Hamburg.
Appreciate you speaking about this. My family is relocating to Germany. I came to visit in May and felt so at ease. Would love to connect with you and your family for our next visit!
@@TreyDaze narrowing it down to Mainz and Stuttgart. We have friends from the states in both. Stuttgart only because of my partners line of work but Mainz is a whole vibe. The city is so friendly.
It is a huge misunderstanding: There is a different meaning of racism in Europe as in USA: In the US racism is about the color of SKIN. In Europe nobody don’t care about skin - there is a lot of racism here, but it is about CULTURE and this is a much different thing. If you are from the US you have the same culture and meaning of life - therefore you may have no problems. Love from Austria 🇦🇹🥰
True spoken. If immigrants integrate to the culture of the country they live in they will have it much easier. Thay can have their communities, but they should not live it and live in it. That is a phenomenon that is consistant everywhere in the world. ... even for white expats in asia or africa. If you only live in your own bubble, you don't have to wonder if they treat you differently
@Sabine I don't think I get your point. So they get german education and learn professions in germany, succeed and then decide to move to the UK to find work over there? Where is the point of rasism in that? I am not sure if I do get your statement correctly. Besides... in nursing people from foreign country is often be preffered in germany. Reason for that is that culturaly several nationality do grow up more caretaking towards especially older people as germans do. Germany do have several recruitment programms in several countries for several different fields of professions becsuse they can't find germans willing or able to do the work. P.s. before this last statement starts a discussion, I just want to say, although I am of german nationality and born and raised in germany, my antsisters came from southeast asia on both sides.
@Sabine dann lass uns auf deutsch schreiben, denn ich glaube wir reden aneinander vorbei. Nur so nebenbei, ich bin Mitte vierzig. Und ja, wie ich schon schrieb "geboren und aufgewachsen"... das bringt mit sich, dass ich auch hier zur Schule gegangen bin. Und jetzt nochmal auf Deutsch... was ist mit den Leuten aus Ghana? Ließ dir bitte mal deinen eigenen Kommentar durch. Ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass du dich verhaspelt hast.
@Sabine p.s. Es spricht nicht gerade für Großbritannien eine Person als Anwalt einzustellen, der in Deutschland nur als Kloputzer qualifiziert ist. Ich sag nur
Hey Trae, I am just happy that you and your family feel safe and comfortable here!! I hope when the day comes and you make your first negative experience in that context, I hope it won't be too bad and that you will have built a support network that you can fall back on. I really hope y'all really find yourselves at Home a here.
I would like to share a short story that highlighted racism in the US for me. My German-born dark-skinned girlfriend flew to the USA to visit her American dark-skinned girlfriend. She lives in Texas. So my girlfriend got a rental car at the airport. After a few clicks, a police car pulled up in front of her. She stopped and the policeman approached her with his gun drawn. She had to get out immediately and put her hands on the hood of the car. The policeman treated her very disparagingly and worthlessly. But suddenly the situation changed when the policeman realized through her German passport that she was German. Suddenly the policeman showed off his knowledge of German and even apologized. But it became even more interesting when the policeman was called and asked by the colleague if the person (my girlfriend) is white or black, the policeman said "Neither, she is German!". Thereupon my friend asked why he would be so friendly now. He replied, "... Because you are a German - Germans are always decent, clean and dutiful". (...) The story shows well how mendacious and prejudiced racism is.
everyone is welcome who wants to work and live in Europe, I have black neighbors are from Senegal, are great. very friendly and funny, we all like them.
Congrats. It's breathtaking to see an Afro Latino doing well and living happy in Germany. I'm a Nuyorican from Manhattan. I'm a middle age mother of 4. Two are still at home. We are living in hell right now. I pray every minute of the day from my children to just make it to and from school safe. My daughter started showing an interest in learning German and had been doing research on the universities in Germany. My main concern was "our kind are not welcomed in Germany". And then we come across your video. But what about the cost of living over there? And how does someone start the process of moving out there?
Sadly im a clueless student from germany, but i still like your comment in hope that it gets some attention. Hopefully someone that can help you properly sees it. The cost of living shouldnt be much different from the US, although it increased a little due to the Ukraine conflict. Surely there are some institutions that support cases like yours moneywise. In general University in germany is almost free, you only pay for a regionwide bus and train ticket, for me its around 300 Euros every 6 month and i pay a little over 100 euros for food every month. And one thing is for sure, your concern is not needed at all, she wont be treated a single bit different from others, based on skin colour, ethnicity or else. Easiest way to start with, just choose a university you like and contact them, you will surely get an answer on what to do, or where to start :) If you or she has any other questions, feel free to ask, ill try to answer as much as i can (sorry for some bad wording)
WEEEPAAA!!! I’m here to help in anyway I can. The most difficult part about moving to Germany is the “getting here” part. Cost of living is like in the US…it’s all dependent upon where you live. We live in one of the more expensive cities in Germany (Stuttgart), but the benefits of being here or the other expensive city (Munich), are access to numerous companies. You will find several American based companies here. Do you mind if I ask you what you do career wise?
@@LovinPeaceVibehello, is Health Clinic record keeper/ Receptionist, something like working on an Informationdesk, in an Hospital. Can you describe your Job, please?
@@LovinPeaceVibe Checkout USAJobs.gov! There are TONS of opportunities here! That will at least get you over here. Then once you’re here…you can get an idea of where you’d like to live.
When I was a teenager we lived in a village near Frankfurt with a population of about 7,000. That was almost 60 years ago and most people there had never seen a black person. I was at a dance and there was one black girl there and everyone wanted to dance with her. She was the most popular girl on the dancefloor.
What really got me (not finished the video yet) is that you got nervous for your families` safety just staying in a town you don`t know. This really drives home what racism is about. Noone should ever worry about their safety because of their skin colour or nationality.
Interesting. You are right, but women all over the world have to fear for their safety wherever they go every day of their lives. It is funny, that racism is judged everywhere, while the omnipresent sexism is not woth mentioning. Sorry, did not mean this as attack, but I had to smile at your statement.
@@endlessstudent3512 Isn't it natural for anyone to feel a bit nervous about a new place? If you don't know the area you have to be more aware. It doesn't matter what your race or sex is.
@@ruthsaunders9507 Generally, not really. But maybe it's because I'm used to traveling foreign countries since early childhood, so maybe I'm just used to getting thrown into areas that are completely different to my home country. I'm generally calm and have never been afraid from the get go anywhere around the world (even in supposedly bad neighbourhoods). I tend to judge situations independently from each other. No reason to be afraid at all, until you notice that people start looking kinda off or something weird going on, which you can normaly already notice from afar (ex. how they look at you, facial expressions etc.). In that case, you can just avoid that situation altogether. Being aware of a truck speeding with no sign of braking and potentially driving you over and being afraid of getting driven over while there are no cars anywhere close, are very different situations. :P
I just watched your video. I am considering a move to Germany and found this helpful. I’m very disappointed in the US and the direction it seems to be going. You really sold me on Germany and I’m glad you’re finally in a place that treats you the way you should be treated
Was stationed in Baumholder in the Army. Met some brothers who were contractors while on mission in Grafenwhoer. They were constantly trying to convince me to make the move out to Germany lolz. They pretty much said a lot of the things you’re saying. I loved my experience while stationed out there also. Beautiful country & people.
One thing that I always find interesting is that the US is the only country that I could name that puts such a big emphasis on "ethnicity" in the sense that it is considered a big part of your identity, part of the census, etc. Contrast Germany, where ethnicity is not even part of our government documents (well, for obvious 1933-1945 related reasons). It's also interesting that in the US, this created (and still creates) a very much "us vs them" culture, which you have also referenced to - "Trey, there's no black people there, you'll have issues"...as if only being among "your people/skin color" means you can be left alone or respected in a community. Germany has problems with racism and hate crime, not going to deny it - but for us it is more based on behavioral patterns and religion, not skin color. Circling back to that, we have a problem with religious fundamentalism, in our case mostly Islam (whereas the US can be considered having a pretty big Christian fundamentalism problem in certain regions) - but that doesn't mean that we don't respect other people's religion or that you can't be free in your beliefs. The German expectation (mostly, and this goes for immigrants and locals likewise) is that we don't care how you look, speak or worship as long as you commit to adhere to our local rules, regulations, and cultural norms as much as possible. Concerning Islam, this means that nobody is going to bat an eye for you being a Muslim or following your religious traditions, as long as one simple, basic, and universal rule is respected: German law trumps religious law. If it's in the religion (Shariah Law for example), but not permitted in Germany, you won't make friends if you try to circumvent Germany's rules and acceptable behavior (regarding Women's rights for example). As long as whatever you do can fit within the framework of our society, we really couldn't care less... I personally work for the German Head Office of a US-led corporation that is basically everywhere on the planet, and this leads to a lot of "internal" migration being organized by the business. We have Black people, we have Indians, we have Pakistani, we have Russians or other Slavic people, we have Turks, we have Scandinavian People, Italians, Asians, the whole shebang - and all of those people that I have met have felt welcomed and integrated extremely well - the biggest hurdle was not racism, or culture shock, or religion, it was always the language. And that's how it should be in my opinion.
@kuldan5853 not sure what you mean by Christian fundamentalism problem in the US. The Salem witch trials were centuries ago and alcohol prohibition was overturned. The Amish and Mennonite communities live amongst themselves and do not go out to convert people. If you are talking about pushing back against crazy progressivism such as teaching people to be professional victims and not knowing what a woman is- then I’d say the country is in need of a change away from such ideology. If you want to blame the abortion debate on Christian’s then you are missing the point. You don’t have to be a Christian to disagree with abortion debate (too long of a debate to get into). I honestly don’t get your point?
@@nicoles9077 I was mainly aiming at the bible belt, Christian influence on politics in some states(for example this, while officially abolished, still happens in places: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_qualifications_for_public_office_in_the_United_States) Then the obvious that you have to pledge allegiance to "one Nation under God", which in itself is an infringement on religious freedom. Also the whole "teaching creationism in school and banning teaching about the evolutionary theory" that some areas do... I actually did not mean it as a comment on current political events (that's a whole different shitshow).
Oh, and not forgetting all the hate spewn by fundamental Christians against "non-believers" in public, be it in shops, supermarkets, or anywhere else where they encounter stuff that clashes with their own religious beliefs.. It might only be mean comments most of the time, but it is still a problem.
@@kuldan5853 dude I’m a 50 year old black woman who actually grew up in one of those Bible Belt states and I can say you sound like a typical left leaning Person who has a problem with some American traditions. You seem to forget that the US was mostly founded by religious individuals who were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. Christianity and Christian values are a part of American life. Most Americans don’t have a problem saying we are one nation under God because God was a part of our history for so long and we thank God for America. Problem is is that we have Americans (and plenty of foreigners)who hate this country for things that happened centuries ago and never give the country credit for changing. The US fought a civil war getting rid of slavery yet we have professional victims acting like we live in 1950”s America? Yes we have problems and we are not perfect, but as a 50 year old black woman not one time did a racist white person stop me from going to the library or studying. Asian Americans are the most successful ethnic group in America- that’s why people continue to come to this country. I’d say the biggest problem America has is fatherless homes and cultural rot because people have moved away from Christianity and/or spiritual grounding. When you have no spiritual grounding people fall for anything- victimhood mentally, government as a parent, not knowing the definition of a woman, just to name a few.
You really are to be congratulated for the wonderful, full-on way you tackle this subject of racism and how you rightly encourage people to take charge of their lives to improve their situations where they can, if they want. Listening to you, even tho I’m white and a retired person and living in Australia and a native German speaker, is just a pleasure. The only time I’ve really experienced racism of a kind is on the Swiss rail system when I spoke high German and was rudely abused during ticket check in the 1970s/1980s as a Nazi. It was a problem for me because my family had been refugees fleeing the Nazis, so being called one didn’t sit well.
Keep the awesome commentary and spreading of information going in the comments section guys! I really appreciate it and I know others appreciate it as well! 👍🏽
Let me ask you a question... How would it make you feel if we started sending masses of white people into Africa and all black countries and started overtaking and erasing away the native black culture and population? If the thought of it makes you uncomfortable, then you should know that that's exactly how white people feel when black immigrants are coming over to europe. Just because you didn't experience any overt racism towards you it doesn't mean people welcome you here. After all what people hate is mass immigration, and not the individual immigrants.
@@clownmazard8852 What has TreyDaze to do with Africa? However, just to inform you Hinterwaeldler: Europeans once sent masses of white people to Africa, overtook everything and erased native cultures - it's called colonialization, - and in particularly the Germans one towards the Nama and Herrero: Genozid! Did any "Non-white"-people EVER do Genozids in Germany? No wait, who did Genozids in Germanys? How could you sh*t out your stupidness so loudly in a commentary section, I don't get it.
I teared up when you said you had your guard automatically up entering this city in Germany. I always try to educate myself on this topic and it makes me more and more sensitive and so vulnerable I instantly start crying when I watch a movie about racism against black people. It hurts so much that the world cannot stop and learn from the past. Unfortunately I grew up in a very white environment and I never had any black friends but I do my best to support you!
As an AA, I was taken aback too because it’s so much apart of our conditioning to have your guard up in all or predominantly white spaces because one wrong move and you may find yourself jailed or dead. He’s absolutely right there are certain places I would NEVER go because I know how I’m going to be treated or I’m putting myself in danger. It’s still jarring to hear and say when you really think about how insane that is in this day and age but he’s right.
Idk what is up with Germany, but as someone who isn't black but born in Guatemala, it'd be hella nice to not be stopped at clubs being asked if I know they're this or that, or distinctly stopped when trying to board planes. My boyfriend from Lithuania is always swabbed for drugs, I'm always asked for drugs if I'm at a music festival or at an event. Like people make a beeline for me. There is so much more i could write but I have not the energy for it. Even turkish Germans are feisty because they want to be respected and not seen as "other," and no. Not every turkish person has a knife not says "i'll stab you," and honestly, the tendancy to stare is extremely rude in many countries. The fact that Germans have made it socially acceptable to not greet anyone anymore or let an older person have their seat anymore is despicable - and then to see certain groups treated as though they naturally have a tendancy for violence, instead of the effect of being "othered."
Hi. New sub, here. I, a single Black woman, yt searched the idea of living in Germany and your content popped up. This was a really informative video. Thank you. I’m interested in moving abroad but haven’t decided on where. I’m looking for a higher quality of life than I have in California. I work remotely in IT project management and would hope to continue to work in this field. I haven’t gone through your backlog of videos yet but I’m hoping to learn more about the move process and getting a job. I’ll be on the look out for more from you and others.
Thank you, for sharing your experience living in Germany as a black American. It is very important to share that since Germans are STILL confronted with accusations being a Nazi or narrow mindedness. Hell, just look at Hollywood Movies and 'Murican' TV. The Germans are still the bad guys in 95% of all cases/characters. I grew up in Germany - and yes, I am white albeit a "mut" of Pan-European decent - and have been married to my American wife - she is black from the Bronx - for 32 years now. We live in Vienna, Austria and have visited my folks in Germany quite often, specially since we had our two sons, and she is always so happy to be in Germany (the north mostly since that is where my folks lived) because she feels treated so respectfully and she likes the level-headed northern Germans demeanor very much. The Vienese are a lot like the New Yorkers, a little bad tempered and sometimes downright backhanded. For the first 5years of our marriage and before our sons were born, we talked a lot about moving to NYC but we never did because ahe felt so much more comfortable over here. I never quite understood that until the day I went shopping for a black-tie function with my brother-in-law (who is just the coolest gu on earth!) and we walked into Macy's. My Brother stepped in the door two seconds behind me but I noticed that the security personell that had completely ignored ME all of the sudden moved towards brother-in-law. And then the strangest thing happened: When I turned around and spoke to him they moved away. I was shocked to experience that in the great "melting pot" of NYC. Sure, there are some racists here in Germany and Austria but they are more Xenophobists that racists, meaning they dislike anybody foreign, white, brown, black or whatever tone of skin. Assholes live everywhere but it seems to me there are less of them here than in the U.S. Anyhoo, I am always delighted to see an asian or colored person in the parliament or police force or on TV that speaks the native dialect/venicular because it proves that the third reich is long and far behind us! Please stay save and keep up the good work! All the best to you and may you never meet an asshole 😊
But Germany rarely acknowledges their colonial past. I vividly remember my history teacher justifying it by saying Africans should be grateful for being colonized. Like 80% of the population wasn’t killed during that time in Namibia for example
I still feel so bad for not having had the guts to shout out on you in Munich's Central Station that specific Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago! You're so respectful and appreciative, I'm happy having you here - I'd have liked to tell you this in person, but I failed in doing so..... SORRY! The next beer and Kinder Schokolade bar will be on me, promised!!!
When you look different you stand out of the crowd and get looks. When you behave as a normal person you will probably have a normal life. There are always idiots who might give you a hard time.
Agree 100%.If i as a white guy visit an African country i will surelly get looks because i am different to them,but this doesn't mean they hate me or something.It's a completely normal reaction and it doesn't have to mean people are being racist.
A lot of young Germans don`t appreciate living here. So hearing your perspective and how you experience the country and people makes me really happy. Also reading comments from other black people who decided to move to Germany and haven`t really experienced racism over years, is great! A lot of non-Germans still think we`re all racists, but the majority definitely isn`t.
Thanks for posting this. My husband and I are a black/latino couple and we’re thinking of moving to Germany at the end of the year. As the black person in the relationship, im way more nervous about it than him. I’ve been to France, Italy and the UK and didn’t experience a lot of racism (more in Italy than anywhere else, but still honestly pretty mild) - but I wasn’t sure about how Germany would compare. Also, you mentioned that the logistics of moving to Europe were difficult. Would you mind making a video about how you guys prepared for your move and some of the things we need to consider/plan for?
The outside of people may look different but blood is red everywhere, joy is joy everywhere, love is love everywhere. The essential is invisible to the eyes. Germany needs nurses, teachers, handymen and people who want to learn a profession. But it is important to learn German. That might be the biggest hurdle.
Tbh, what we especially need here are people willing to have a family, favourably with more than 1 child, that want to live here. And yes, learning German is what leads to having the most success here, I think.
Trey, Great video. I’ve lived in many places in the US and I’ve experienced racism (I’m black, can’t be mistaken for anything else) ALL over the US. I retired from the military and moved to Germany late 2019. Never really did any tours in Europe so thought Germany was a central enough jump off point. I live in a former part of East Germany and this is the SAFEST I’ve ever felt in my life. I don’t feel apprehensive at all walking around the city. Sometimes, I think what little German language skills I have will get me in trouble, but the folks here appreciate that I’m trying and correct me as politely as ever. That’s what I worry about!!! I haven’t been able to make it back to the US since I moved here but I have one planned to tie up a few loose ends. I’m not renting a car. It’s going to be challenging but that’s an easy price to eliminate the chance of being stopped for “driving while black.” In the past, my military ID was enough to just get a ticket/warning. However, after what happened in VA, to a service member in uniform, in December 2020, I’m not taken any chances. Beyond that trip and the occasional birth of a new family member, I have no desire to be back in the US. I was once told to love it or leave it, and so I gladly chose the latter. Anyway, rant over. Hope this post found you well! 🤓 Looking forward to more content.
I am also a mixed breed, (Jamaica/German) born 1979, in Frankfurt-Höchst. Since then I have been living in the same small town with currently almost 5000 inhabitants. I've never had a problem with racism in any way. We have all kinds of nationalities here in the region and have done so for decades. I often hear that Berlin is not nearly as open as Frankfurt. Whether lesbian, gay, foreigner or simply thinking differently.
Uhhmm Denise, now im a bit baffled here? What the heck has your "breed" to do with the topic?? Meaning you , if i got that right , have a german passport, german citicenship , so the hell, to my understanding you are in fact a German as everybody else regardless of your "breed" . If you are born here in Germany , raised here, and lived here ,regardles of your colour or whatever else, you are a German, simple as that......
You have heard wrong. In Berlin (town, not the outskirt-villages), gay or lesbian pairs of all colors and mixes can make-out in the middle of the street and no one bats an eye.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. As a German I wouldn’t ever really say I’m “proud” of my country (due to obvious historical reasons I feel like that’s almost a bit of a cultural taboo here, which is fine, in fact one of the things I love about Germany is that we acknowledge our past and try to learn from it in the present). But I am very happy that your experience and others experiences in Germany (judging from the comments) have overall been positive. I definitely think there is still room for improvement. Obviously there’s still racists in Germany just as there are hateful people pretty much everywhere and there’s definitely still an issue with micro aggressions, like people not being very educated on different cultures, not knowing how to act around people different from themselves or not understanding the concept of cultural appropriation (I’ve definitely seen some very offensive Faschings costumes and heard some pretty ignorant, stereotyped takes on other cultures). Another thing might be that a lot of Germans generally have a quite acerbic, dark sense of humor, so they might make offensive jokes but not mean any real harm. They just generally make jokes about anyone or anything because the concept of “political correctness“ is less widespread. Generally, if a German roasts you in a kinda offensive way, it probably means they like you and are comfortable enough around you to be their weird, problematic self. But yea, coming from a white German who as spent a considerable amount of time in America around friends of color, I think the difference is that a lot of the racism in Germany is less systemic. Like yes some people are really stupid and say stupid things and we definitely need to do better and prevent them from gaining more power, but there’s less of a threat of actual violence and oppression behind it. Like, in Germany I’ve never had to worry whether me and my best friends (who happen to be Native American) are going to be accosted by police simply for resting in our car at a rest stop (something which has happened multiple times in America with cops searching the car for drugs bc my friends are brown I guess). I don’t have to worry whether someone I care about could be assaulted by police at a peaceful protest (again something which has happened in America). I do hope America will change but I also hope that your video will encourage more people to come to Germany (we could use more diversity tbh) and I hope that when they do they feel safe and welcome. Honestly, I feel white America could learn a thing or two from Germany in terms of how to acknowledge your horrific genocidal past. Still can’t believe that when I went to US college they had a special even on Columbus Day to explain why Columbus shouldn’t be celebrated and a bunch of people were honestly shocked like it was news to them. And I was like: yeah we learned about that in my German high school?! Like why didn’t you?!
why wouldnt you be proud? this was a great country to live in besides 1933-1945 and then east germany 1948-1990. and 1915-today. besides that rcism actually didnt exist. prejudice is emerging since 2015 thanks to radical left policies and not integrating new folks into society.
Why can't germans be proud of there country? yes, we had really bad years under hitler where things happened in germany, that hopefully never hapen again anywhere, but this time was 15 years out of over 1000 years of history. My city i grewed up is over 1200 years old and has a lot of history and the only think that kept in mind is the Concentration Camp Dachau. There are a lot of thinks in german history we can be proud of. I am proud to be a bavarian (german)! I'm proud of my hometown Dachau. And that fucking nazi time.... we can't change the past, but we can do it better, and in my opinion, we do, like the video proofs. So we can be proud that people of color love to live in germany nevertheless our bad history. And yes, it's still racism in germany, but its impossible to get it to zero. If you are that much people, you allways have a minimum percentage of idiots and assholes. But we can hold it by a minimum if we learn from our past, how we did I think, and raise/educate our kids in a open minded way. I think apart from this small percentage of idiots is germany a very welcoming country. For me, every one who is willing to work and is willing to integrate, is welcome in germany. I only don't like foreigners, who came to get unemployment benefits, but I also don't like germans which only want the benefits.
@@da_flore3746 lets be frank, ww2 was disaster, but things like this happend throughout history. communists did the same. isil today. african massakers of white farmers. but corrupt politicians force this narrative that only germans did bad things in history and brainwash people.
Hey Trey, I really wasn't sure what to expect in the comments but I gladly admit I've been so positively surprised with all the wonderful positive and loving mindsets, shared experiences and so on. I've had my own lists of topics to mention here but looking through the comments I see all of them more than named and explained. What an amazing video, thank you for that I really appreciate it. Nevertheless I also know that racism is real in Germany, in another extension than it is in the US probably - at least given by your statement and from what I've seen in news etc but maybe we have a more open discussion about it than the US is having. And maybe the reason for that is our past with Nazi Germany and our will to overcome that part of our history... another big difference concerning violence is the gun laws, you'll hardly get one in Germany while you're able to buy one in close to every store in the US. In the end I'm really glad you're feeling that welcome and safe here. Germany has some issues but it's still a very good place to be. Have a nice weekend! Leon
Coming from a (white) German, as you said, racism definitly exists in Germany. I grew up in a really culturally diverse area and remember my non-white friends telling me about things like racial profiling and stuff like that. It often sounded more subtle than what I saw on American media. The guy on Twitter is correct. Germany never had a large black population, but this results in forms of racism, that is more connected to bigger minorities in Germany (meaning Turkish and Russian folks). So it often is not only about skin color, but more about your culture/origin, which results more into Islamophobia and hate towards other white folks (eastern European specificly). This racism is something you might pass out on once people realize you are American because, they might consider you "western" and culturally closer/less foreign to them.
Think it's less racism than fear of foreigners. It's gone from the eastgerman refugees to sudetendeutschen to Americans after the war. To the italien Gastarbeiter "Itaker". To the russian-german-resettlers. To the turkish immigrants. There are allways resentiments when big groups of foreigners come to settle and change your culture. I wouldn't call that racism because multiple of those groups are no different race, but more fear of the foreign. When i think to the 60s to 80s, when a bunch of Italien people came to work here and therefor started to live here. They were clearly accepted as workers but the Immigration was seen as problem and partially is till now as some of them still dont speak german. Nontheless italia was the most beloved country for vacation and Pizza and Spaghetti got to be more or less "german" food over time - as Döner and türkish based food later on. I think you could say we just dont like visible and dominant minorities especially because of the immigrant youths within their battle of getting adult and accepted - when i think to my youth, you really didnt want to go where all those "russians" were. They overtook some really nice clubs. Then they grew up and you had the turkish problem - that you cant start an argue with one of them because you would get overrun by his whole family and friends. And when there are no foreign youths you dont like it's the own - when i think of how Punks were seen back then...
A few days ago I read a news magazine article about a black female politician who is now becoming the first black female minister in a German state parliament. Aminata Toure was born in Germany 29 years ago as the daughter of refugees from Mali. She was elected to the parliament of Schleswig-Holstein (SH), the northernmost federal state of Germany, for the first time five years ago, at the age of only 24 years old. Now she is going to enter the state's government at the age of 29 years. (I thought this may be interesting in the context of the topic of this video)
I'm glad that you feel welcomed here. I grew up in a small village with people who, at least back then, were racist. Being a blonde, blue-eyed girl, I didn't realise it at that time. But thinking back, there were clearly moments, we treated black people in a way that is not okay. I feel like people become more open-minded, the more contact they have with different people. I was shocked when my parents called me, I told them about my American fellow student and she started to cry. I was really worried about her (so were my parents) because I thought I offended her or said something bad. She told me that she was used to being called African-American (and didn't mind it) and was feeling overwhelmed by just being called "American". I don't feel like I can understand that but I was happy I didn't say anything bad. The second time I got goosebumps was when a black guy told me he likes Germany, because here he doesn't have to be afraid of the police.
Second video I've watched now and I'm super impressed by your extremely positive attitude / take on life in general. Quite frankly, I'm convinced you'd enjoy a lot of places just because of your attitude. You certainly seem like a "glass half full" kind of person. I'm super happy you like it here and I hope you can encourage a few more cool people like yourself to take the leap of faith. ;-) I have a couple black friends born and raised in Germany and their takes are a little different, unfortunately. They tend to point out a lot of the "subtle racism" that can happen on the day to day in Germany, e.g. you're shopping in a supermarket and a clerk gives 20 people a pass and then wants to check THEIR bag and the only noticeable difference between the other 20 people and them was the color of their skin... or the police going through a train and not asking anyone for their ID but then they do so with the one colored person. 😞 So I think we still have a long way to go, but at least it appears like things are getting better.
Hi Trey, I'm here thanks to the algorithm, but I really like your videos that I've seen so far. First off, I'm a white-as-they-come german Kartoffel, so _I_ don't experience (systemic) racism; but I've got many POC friends, and so I've got that second hand experience. I think your perspective is a little skewed for one of the best reasons: You come from a country where the colour of your skin alone marks you as "less" in many white people's eyes, to a country where being American alone gives you a priviledged status, especially in the areas that were under US occupation after WWII (iirc Stuttgart also had a US base). I myself am from Frankfurt, and I was ingrained with a deep respect for the United States military. So, as soon as you open your mouth and it's clear you're not from Africa, but America, most people will treat you differently. I'm sad to say, german racism today is more about nationality than ethnicity, and "arabic" (in the very widest sense) people have it far more difficult than black US citicens. Which is not to say that "being black" is no reason for harassment or abuse... An anecdote from a couple of weeks ago: I was at a gas station and had to change position. when I drove backwards, I nearly hit a woman that I had not seen before. I immediately got out, made sure she was okay, and apologized for the scare. She went inside, and I was still pumping when she came out again and headed straight for me. She _thanked_ me for treating her like a human being, and I was a little dumbfounded. Her skin was a couple shades darker than yours, and she told me that she worked as a nurse in a large hospital in Hannover, and how often she was treated as less, or like she were dumb, because of her skin (side note: no accent at all, so it was not like she was an immigrant as far as I could tell). By patients, not coworkers, but still, that made me so sad, I did not know what to tell her. I wish for a world where each person is judged on their own merit, not any prejudice based on how they look or where they're from, but I think we still have a long way to go. Maybe some steps less this side of the pond, and I think the United States has gone nuts and will get worse before it gets better, but still. I am happy you and your family can feel welcomed and at home in Stuttgart, and yes, I'll follow your channel. :) Have an awesome week, Ade!
Hi I‘m a white, German woman. I love reading/ watching about experiences of POC in Germany. Thank you for that. I don‘t really know any POC, so I don‘t have any experiences with their treatment here, but I always hope that we are not a racist bunch in general. There are situations and circumstances where you do can experience racism… or something similar. But I do think it‘s more about intelligence or money, rather then skin color. I was born in Poland and came here when I was 3. I remember people treating my Mother like some stupid idiot, just because she could not speak perfect German. And she is white. But she came from Poland. Back then at least people looked down on countries from the east/ poorer countries. I don‘t know for sure, but I can imagine that a black man from Ghana for example will be treated differently than a black man from the US. BUT if both of them speak tolerably good German, then they both get treated normally. What I can warn you about is the German stare. We are a curious people and we will stare at you if we find you interesting. Some people don‘t see POC a lot, so they will stare at you like you were an exotic animal at a Zoo. We do not mean it in a bad way tough. We are just intrigued. Some of us would even like to talk to you, but are just too shy to say something. Say hallo and maybe you will gain a friend. We are nice, but need some time to warm up. One other thing: I do agree that Germany is a safe country. From what I read on the internet or hear in videos, a woman in the US can‘t go alone outside in the dark? I never experienced this here. I lived in small towns, in the country snd in big cities like Hamburg and Stuttgart. I was never afraid to go out alone for a stroll or to party. I can‘t imagine living in fear like that. Hope you will have a good life here. All the best to you Edit: one more thing I‘ve just remembered. Have you ever heared of Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi? He was a black man, who had a German Mother and a Liberian Father. He was born in 1926 in Hamburg/ Germany and lived through WWII in Germany, then he moved to the US. He wrote a book about his experiences as a black kid in Nazi Germany. I don‘t know if this is true and I can‘t remember where I‘ve got this from, but supposedly he once said that he never experienced as much racism in Germany, as he did in the US.
It's so nice that you enjoy it here so much. I'm very happy for you and I hope that this country won't disappoint you. Watching your videos make me appreciate living here more.
I actually wanted to watch this video to get more aware towards racism happening in the country I live in. But I'm very glad to hear that you didn't experience racism here. As a white guy, not knowing a lot of black people, I can never really tell if there truly is as little racism here in Germany, or if this is just me experiencing my privilege.
Idk what is up with Germany, but as someone who isn't black but born in Guatemala, it'd be hella nice to not be stopped at clubs being asked if I know they're this or that, or distinctly stopped when trying to board planes. My boyfriend from Lithuania is always swabbed for drugs, I'm always asked for drugs if I'm at a music festival or at an event. Like people make a beeline for me. There is so much more i could write but I have not the energy for it. Even turkish Germans are feisty because they want to be respected and not seen as "other," and no. Not every turkish person has a knife not says "i'll stab you," and honestly, the tendancy to stare is extremely rude in many countries. The fact that Germans have made it socially acceptable to not greet anyone anymore or let an older person have their seat anymore is despicable - and then to see certain groups treated as though they naturally have a tendancy for violence, instead of the effect of being "othered."
@@Ian-dn6ld I'm sorry you're experiencing that. I've seen many times how people with turkish roots especially get associated with anti-social behavior, which I see as a big problem. Especially since they are a very big part of the german population.
This was very interesting to hear from a German perspective. I grew up in Berlin so having black kids around wasn't anything unusual for me and they never got teased because of their skin color either. My grandpa once told me a story - he worked as a coal miner in the Ruhrgebiet and once they had People from Ghana there who came as migrant workers. One of the other coal-miners referred to them as n-words (which had another connotation in german at the time and was used in a non-pejorative way) which irked the other guys because they found it to be anti-collegial to single them out for their skin color since they were in this tough job together. Then my grandpa basically said "or do you want us to refer to you as whitey, huh?" and everybody laughed at that. I think this perfectly summarizes german mentality - help your community, don't be a jerk and you'll be accepted, no matter who you are!
gotta say i love your bachground wall! and your videos of cause! glad you like it here in germany, we're honored to have people like you contributing to this country :D love from a fellow musical lover!
Hey JJ! Thanks for your kind words! My Wife and I are trying to see Hamilton performed in German sometime this year or next year! Much love to you and take care!
The first sentence in our german constitution "The human dignity is untouchable" .But lose YOUR typical "american thinking " in color of skin .It doesn't matter in Germany.I wish you all the best.
Idk what is up with Germany, but as someone who isn't black but born in Guatemala, it'd be hella nice to not be stopped at clubs being asked if I know they're this or that, or distinctly stopped when trying to board planes. My boyfriend from Lithuania is always swabbed for drugs, I'm always asked for drugs if I'm at a music festival or at an event. Like people make a beeline for me. There is so much more i could write but I have not the energy for it. Even turkish Germans are feisty because they want to be respected and not seen as "other," and no. Not every turkish person has a knife not says "i'll stab you," and honestly, the tendancy to stare is extremely rude in many countries. The fact that Germans have made it socially acceptable to not greet anyone anymore or let an older person have their seat anymore is despicable - and then to see certain groups treated as though they naturally have a tendancy for violence, instead of the effect of being "othered."
White Austrian here. Thing is, it's considered lowclass and bad-mannered to be openly racist. As such, you might have people make racist jokes to their friends and family but be perfectly polite in public, because otherwise they would look bad. Obviously, I am Austrian, but I think this applies to Germany as well. Your kid, however, might face some bullying in school. Kids have not yet learned how to be polite, but they do hear what their parents and family say. Parents will assure you, their child did not hear it from them, though... 🤣
I think it is more of an Autrian thing to be fake polite. My friends of Germany are way more direct and honest with their thoughts than my fellow Austrians ;)
Now AUSTRALIA HAS A THICK GERMAN BACKGROUND BUT IS VERY VERY VERY RACIST! You can’t hide racism too long it’s like a virus once it sets in it spreads. Lived there for YEARS all black family baby sat by a old white couple - never one problem! Not until I came to america - it’s a lot of other whites that want it to symbolize the Nazi times- even Americans trying to revamp it. Nazi didn’t even treat blacks bad it was blacks helping Jews, Hitler shook Jesse Owens had at the Olympics and allowed blacks to play…so to try and sow a seed that it’s racist? Yet non of those racist people came to the comments to deter blacks from moving there; says a lot ….but i side eye a lot so that just me
To also add Wisconsin the state and Minnesota have Rich German heritage but we see from the news those are Americanized Germans - they also have a lot of black and white issues like Australia.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
I’ve lived here for 32 years now, came here as a soldier and stayed. I’m from Charleston where I had to deal with racism multiple times a day. I’ve had 2 racist incidents in my 32 years here. Seriously. I’ve been all over this country and have been accepted everywhere I’ve went. I also have been part of the medieval scene here for the last 5 years, as a melinated Viking no doubt, and still am accepted everywhere I go. I love being here. Taught myself to read, speak and write in German. As long as you try to integrate the people here have no issue with you. I love being here and will never go back across the water to live in that uncomfortable situation. I live in Rheinland-Pfalz. Mainz to be exact. Living here is the first time I actually experienced what freedom is. I’ll never give that up.
Douglas!!! Nice to meet you brother! Man…you just put a BIG smile on my face! I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying Germany and living it up! I might need to connect with you about becoming a Medieval Viking! That’s something that is definitely up my alley! Take care and stay in touch!
Viking !! XD sorry I had to interject and ask, are you more in the reenactment side of it or larping (or both?) If it's larping, might see you around! Glad you love being here!
@@MydieLy reenactment. Only larpers I’ve seen around our way is for LOTR and an occasional stormtrooper.
We try to be as authentic as we can. Even fight with real swords. Not sharp, but definitely real.
@@douglassherrod1248 i love that! I am a big fan of Mittelaltermärkte und das Mps (Mittelalter Phantasie Spectaculum). Ich liebe Subway to Sally und Schandmaul😋💕
@@nadine8742 Subway to Sally war gerade in Mai beim Worms Mittelaltermarkt. Wir haben da gelagert. War super da!!! Wars du auch dabei?
Ich lebe für mittelalter. Wir leben für Mittelalter!!! Ganz nette Leute und immer Spaß da zuhaben………Kirschbier beim Rostigenritter ist immer TOP!!!-
As a native white german I never experienced racism myself. But this video inspired me to share a story from a few years ago.
My grandpa is living in this small german town. He was pretty bitter back than because his neighbor who was a very close friend and his wife died within a few months. All his children and grandchildren were living at least 200km away. In my case more than 400km. He was sad and lonley and I was very worried about it. Tried to get him to move closer to us but he was totally stubborn about it.
Than a black family bougth the house next to him. The one where his friend lived. I can tell you he wasn't happy! They had three pretty small children, youngest one a baby. They didn't looked like you. They were from Tansania and as dark coloured as it gets. The men was fluent in german, the two older kids, too. My grandpa made a few pretty racistic comment about it.
We fougth over it more than one time. During these figths I realized this men got to over 70 years without ever talking to one black person in his live. So I bascily told him to treat them with respect and expect them to do a few thing different since they are from an other country and just get to know them.
About half a year later I visit again and make a very suprised face when I found my granddad in his garden playing with the two black kids. After they left I just asks him about it and he is just acting like it is the most normal thing ever.
A few months later I visit again. This time all three kids are there in the house. It is raining. Even the youngest one who can walk by now is there, too. It is totally clear from the way they behave that they are totally comfortable and know the house in and out. When they leave they say: "Tschüß, Opa." Which translates to: "Bye, grandpa."
By than I was grinning like an idiot and just ask my grandfather: "Did they just call you Grandpa?" He is like "What's so funny. Their grandparents are half around the world, kids need a grandpa." And I was just like: "Yeah. Of course. These poor kids." He wasn't lonley any more.
Racism has a lot to do with biases. And the best way to figth biases is to replace them with experience. And if you don't, not only do you mistreat others, you may very well rob yourself of happiness.
Reading your comment made me cry. I’m so happy your Grandfather got to experience that!
cute story
@@Allieislinda I was very happy about it, too. Sadly he died a few weeks ago. He didn't spend his last years in loneliness because of it. There were 7 grandchildren at his burial even if his children just had four kids.
Thank you so much for the contribution. This is beautiful.
Such an amazing story... 😊😢😊
Thank you for sharing.
Honestly, I did not expect to hear “They treat us as human beings”. That blows my mind. I cannot imagine that anyone would just say “we don’t serve you ice cream” in the US.
I’m glad that you feel safe in the EU, and I feel bad that you had to leave your home country to have that experience. Damn…
Honestly, even today they’re certain places in the South that you will still experience this.
@@Wrigleysnun Happens in California too! "If you live anywhere south of the Canadian border, you're living in the South." --Al Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X)
It's like Jim Crow never ended. Jeez.
@@DirkLoechel, it never did. Jim Crow merely changed his clothes.
From the stories I'd expect some low key / closet racism in the US but full on 1930s? That's wild.
I'm German and clicked on this video prepared to face the facts because I wanted to see what we could do better - I was not expecting that many positive experiences, I'm really glad you feel welcome here :D
Same!
me too. i am so glad to hear he likes living here and feel save!
Lol... the same here, I thought now we get how horrible we are. I guess Germans tend to think not very good of themselves.
True!
If you want to ask on things that can be better, I have to admit, I understand German, live in Stuttgart as well, and always get the feeling that people expect me to just not be socially acceptable. That people associate me with the turkish-germans. I have been stopped before I go to certain bars by the bouncers who want to double-check to make sure I know that it's a particular venue. My black friends were even stopped last night after a group of us wanted to go to a gay event and they were asked if they knew it was a gay event without the bouncer even knowing who they were. I don't give a rats ass if people have had bad run-ins with certain people in the past. That does not mean everyone is the same. I find it particularly disheartening and extremely irritating, because I can't go out to a party or music event without at least one nutsack asking if I have drugs to sell. I had a better than average upbringing, and even still have a lot going for me, and yet it absolutely fills me with disgust to see this particular behavior.
Back a few months ago, down by Tuttlingen, Germany, the police would board the trains, walk through and ONLY stop the people who didn't look German and ask for their passports. Everyone else who looked German "bio-deutsch" would just be ignored. I can't even walk across the border between Switzerland into Konstanz without being stopped by police. I and my boyfriend who is from Lithuania have not ever been able to board a flight here without him being tested for drugs, and literally the last time we tried to reenter Germany after a vacation in Greece, at the gate, we were stopped by police who had a hard time looking at my American passport. After a while, he finally gave it back after having been on the phone, while everyone behind us, a flow of "bio-deutscher" kept walking by without being checked and mentioned "you have a german last name." Yeah you f uneducated wheezebag. It's 2022. Do you not know any history of the US and it's immigrant past? I can not explain how irritating it is to have grown up going to a school district known for its academics, then moving, having the chance to go to private school, living with private piano lessons, voice lessons, if I wanted, learning tennis, golfing, volunteering, to come here, a place screaming tolerance, and then being treated as if I'm some criminal. Literally, this one lady began speaking in Schwäbisch before I had a better grip of understanding when I sat down on the opposite side of the aisle after having looked at me. About 3 weeks ago, this other lady grabbed her purse and held it closer to herself when I walked in and sat down in the train. Yesterday, I had drank too much because I went out with friends, and had to let loose. This guy literally began barking at me and began throwing sanitizer at me. Literally spraying me with it.
If you want to learn of things to do better, treat each other with respect DESPITE what dialect they speak, where you THINK they come from, stop asking brown people for drugs at events. We brown people can want to just go and have fun. We're not all the same. Schools ought to do something about the way they only focus on negative things that kids during parent teacher conferences do because it causes morality to drop which honestly could be why Germans are so self-conscious. Learn to have manners again. To greet each other like normal again and not just when people go to stores. I've seen again and again how it used to be the standard here and not just walking around like someone has a stick up their ass, because for many, that is a sign of stuck-upedness like you're better than the next. Just because someone has had a bad experience with one or two small incidents, doesn't mean everyone is like that. And yes. People can make a change. There can be movements that happen. It happens all the time. Before 15-20 years, people from Central America were mostly seen as just lawnmowers, but now, most people are aware in the US that the civilization from about 500 years ago actually was about the same level as the Romans. People learn more about actual cultural origins, because people make it more accessible, and people talk more about it and are given better opportunity to talk about differences and similarities. At least 2 or so years ago, in high schools, it was cool if you could date someone who wasn't "white," or "white-passing" but Latino or black. Here, it feels like people shudder at the thought. The comment I made about schooling needing to also change wasn't just from me, rather it was from a social worker who works with young turkish germans who do struggle because they come here, and the negatives are focused on instead of positive reinforcement. They lose self respect, which is something that mostly fosters that irritation that so many are familiar with. People just want to be treated like normal humans. They're just so un-used to it that they get confused when it actually happens.
I’m an African American woman, and I visited Germany for the first time for a summer internship last year. For the two months that I was there, it was profoundly eye opening for me. Everyone was respectful and treated me very kindly. I felt like I didn’t need to fear about being treated differently because of my blackness. No one hovering over me in the stores acting like I might steal something. I just felt very accepted. And I did notice (like you mentioned in your video) that most people would talk to me in German first, which was pretty cool.
There was just so much less chaos in the air. I don’t know how to explain it. But there’s an energy in the air in the United States that feels like anything could pop off at any moment, for any reason. And when I lived in Germany for that short time, I didn’t feel that at all. It brought me so much peace to my core. I’m now back in the States, but I’ve been intermittently toying with the idea of moving out to Germany permanently with my fiancé.
Try being just African, without the American attached to it. Not talking about Germany though, just travelling anywhere in general, they might treat you differently based off your name or accent when they know what country you came from. Even other black people in America look down on Africans, idk if it’s media branding/ brainwashing or something else that I’m not aware of
@@simba8665 as a German that is true. We get a lot of newly arrived economic refugees who came here based on the false narrative of streets of gold and are very frustrated to find the grass isn‘t greener on the other side.
So as an American you get treated much better than as a refugee, not too sure about the same difference applying to tourists, though.
American tourists are locked down upon by most Europeans for loud, obnoxious behavior, no matter the skin color
The so called tension u feel in the air which u did not feel in Germany is there is how America was formed and the relationship between the racial brought about with slavery which has left a mental stain on the American Public
as a black woman, living in Germany for 35 years,I have only encountered racism 2 or 3 times, am now a German citizen & LOVE living here...being a flight attendant of 25 years I have visited almost every country in the world & am always super happy to return to Germany..I visit all major US cities regularly / almost weekly & am very much surprised at how Americans dont realise that many aspects of life in USA are hopelessly outdated..e.g. shower heads, buildings, cars etc.. also the amount of homeless people in the streets IS STAGGERING!.. also such problems as mass incarceration, health care, police brutality are terrible & there is a strange tension in the air & many mentally ill people in the streets in USA..so Yes..I love being a black German & living in real freedom & not just the Hollywood professed freedom of USA..
Thanks for sharing.
What do you think about Nepal?
@@DialloMoore503 oh unfortunately Nepal & Australia are some of the few places I havent been yet, but I Imagine it's a lot like India, but not so overcrowded..India is lovely & very hospitable & has the best food in the world, so if Nepal is similar should be worth a visit, less people more open space & mountains👍🏾😊 enjoy your trip
@@gigiarmany
Thanks!
2 or 3 times is too much! And the "only" before that make me feel really sad. Hopefully in the future black people can say they never encountered racism.
Nice share ....hope you'll having a great life in the future and grow old here in Germany...Best wishes
I'm an old Black guy, all I can say to Black people is:
-watch more TH-cam videos
-PLEASE travel someplace outside the US, at least once.
I’m the daughter of a black soldier and a white German woman and have spent a lot of my life in Germany. My wife and I recently moved back to Wiesbaden, Germany from North Carolina and I honestly didn’t realize how much of my anxiety in the US was from the racism I encountered. I love being here. This is where we plan to live for the foreseeable future. I will say that I have experienced racism in Germany but I haven’t experienced it in a very long time and i’ve never experienced homophobia here.
Emma!!! Nice to meet you! First and foremost…I’m really sorry to hear about the ignorance and bigotry you experienced in the States. It’s really a shame to see how much the US is regressing back to hate ignorance. Glad to see you guys living your best life in Germany! Ironically…my wife’s sister was born in Wiesbaden!
Another whiter country. Got it. Me too . As an Asian. Asian hate in the US are real! Especially from the some “you can’t say the name” people.
America has a transgender four-star general. Also won Woman of the Year. Homophobia?
It's really fascinating for me that you experience Germany like that.
I'm not a person of color, but I am lesbian and I have some scars all over my body, so I think I have some kind of understanding for any kind of discrimination. Since I experienced it a lot, I don't want anybody to feel that way and I think that it's ridiculous to define ourselves by our skin color.
But I gotta say, the discrimination I faced was in school and you know, there are always some mean guys and I hope this won't matter wherever I will go after school.
I moved to Charlotte 3 years ago from LA. Wow, the tension here is palpable compared to Cali. and we're not in the boonies either. Still can't get used to it. As an atheist, I'm forced to hang around the Jewish community because it is very inclusive of everyone. At least here in Charlotte. In LA it was the opposite. Not that I mind the Jewish community, I'm Jewish myself but being an atheist it's the constant reminder not to facepalm myself in public. Plus my wife doesn't allow me to talk religion or politics with anyone so it's constantly "yeah, the heat oh and the storm, yeah uh hah". I think it's time for us to leave the US. Glad you got out. Good luck to you.
As a white german: Thank you for this video! When I hear stories like yours, I feel the values we try to build our society around are being recognized. It actually motivates me to step up and take on whatever racism is left in our society (and there sure is more than enough to do something about it).
"white german"
As far as i know thats the only type of german.
@@TheBlackfall234 Almost ;) but about 25% of us have migration background. I live in berlin, seeing people of color is an everyday thing for me. Many of them have the german nationality, were born and raised here. I feel way closer to them, than for example some f***ing neonazi (which we unfortunatly and shamefully still have). But thanks for asking :)
Seriously, as a black man living in Jamaica, I heard the same story. the German people are very open-minded.Acourse, we will always have bad apples among good apples.
@@TheBlackfall234 Nope a German is one who chooses to live here and repects the way of life that modern Germany has to offer, my Filipino son in law is more German then I ever will be. You are welcome here if you make the effort to blend in to our way of life, you are not welcome if you want to change that and bring us back to the middle ages, you know freedom of choice and the like, respect for the female body comes to mind and so on and so on, looking at you Wade..........
@@noneofyourbiss2142 dna disagrees with you.
As a German I am really happy to hear that you and your family feel comfortable and welcome here in Germany! 😊
I`m a native German and i have to say that i really enjoy watching your videos. You come across very charismatic, not beating around the bush. Germany has become a pretty openminded country. The majority of people is well aware of the bad things that happened in this country. Our legacy is to make sure that such horrible things never ever happen again. People like you, willing to contribute to the society are very welcome. Regardless of your nationality, skin color, religion or what ever. I hope to see more from you and your family in the future.
Nice to meet you Alex! And thank you for your kind words! Germany is an incredible country! I hope we stay here forever!
Honestly, racists in Germany make it to the news in Germany, because they are that rare. Dog bites man isn't news, man bites dog is!
And another thing that comes into my mind: "Germans stare at you" is a frequent remark from Americans on youtube, black AND white. This is a cultural difference, not a race issue. Germans seek eye contact.
Thanks for the Video,
@@ThomasKossatz Yes but also german racists and far right trolls are very active online and use social media extensively for self promotion and pushing their politics. That makes it seem as if there were more than there actually are. If you look at actual percentages they really are just a small (although sometimes very loud) minority.
@@EvilGNU Of course you are right! And they are happy for each well minded person that enters into an online fight with them, because that multiplies the attention they get,.
Yes that is the key...Germans like you if you come to work and not live off teh system and you learn the language
I lived there 10 years, went as a soldier and married a local. I’m trying to move back now. I never felt scared, never felt threatened. But I also had to change the way I acted, I lived. I learned to be quieter, not so boisterous. Last trip back I had to explain to a few AA tourists that they needed to be quiet on the train that being loud is very rude. I now notice how loud Americans are.
My husband and I are thinking of moving to Germany at the end of the year. He’s latino (I’m black) and I’m super worried that he’s going to get called out in public. He’s just a very animated dude with a naturally loud voice, haha
@@Merrybandoruffians he will learn to be calmer. 😂 It’s justa changed culture , if you are open to growing and change it will happen. My parents are Dominican, it was hard changing that culture but I was young enough that I could. But coming back was hard. One memory was letting my 9 year old go to school alone. That would never happen here.
So another Thing to consider: yes i think WE are a calm Nation. But the Reaction If WE meet someone who is louder, is respectful (in many situstions). So i think you would Not have to leave the train because of a good loud Lough:)
And a little more fun WE could Develop, so come and teach us:)
@@Merrybandoruffians If you are very loud in trains, most people will look at you very annoyed, but this will probalbly be the total reaction
@@TierchenF95 that’s fine. I hope people do shame him into being quieter. I’m actually a pretty quiet person and his loud talking can be embarrassing sometimes 😂
I had been in the german armed forces and was in Georgia for some kind of exchange program. I was shocked to experience such open racism against black people. Our liaison seargent there told us about a story, where they had a barbecue somewhere and when they asked the black first seargent to sit at their table to have a chat, the US battallion commander openly said, he won't sit with him at the table together. Such behavior would never ever be tolerated by a german soldier, no matter the rank. To be said, the battallion commander had to find a new table to sit at ;-)
What a story! Georgia is definitely one of me places where if you look “different” or speak with an accent, you will be treated like an extraterrestrial. And yes sadly…as you’ve seen it exists in numerous American institutions.
I wish you were right, but we have our share of openly racist German soldiers. I just hope they are more often of the lower ranks, not our commanding officers. But we do have indeed incidents of anti-semitism, of xenophobia, of right wing extremism in our forces. So no, the German forces are no safe haven.
@@franhunne8929 I don't say they don't exist, but it isn't openly accepted. When I was at the Bundeswehr university, there was a big skandal about students having pictures of WWII-Generals like Guderian or von Manstein in their rooms. While it is debatable whether you should admire someone for his military efforts, who at the same time doing so supported a highly criminal regime, it was way too much fuzz about this. Even high ranking officers at the university had been dismissed of their duties because of this incident, because "someone had to take his hat", but how should they even know about those pictures in the private rooms of the students?
@@mrchronos3374 The officers won't know, but the sergeants that report to them, should - ever heard of Wöchentliche Spindkontrolle? I never was at that university, but I worked at the Bundeswehr administration and got reports from those incidents. There were far too many to be called singular ... The Bundeswehr attracted far too many right wingers. I hope it is different these days, left the job some years ago.
@@franhunne8929 The University is like a regular campus and the students (officers themselves) surely don't ever get any "Spindkontrolle" anymore ;-).
And by the way, there is nothing wrong about conservatism (being on the political right side) as long it is no extremism.
And it's just natural, that the military is attracting more people leaning to the right (because of the values, which are necessary to make such a job), but the mandatory conscription service surely helped to get more people leaning to the left into service (which is good). I think it was a fault to abolish the conscription.
I’m a black girl from Portugal living in Baden-Württemberg/ Konstanz. I totally agree with you. When I moved to Germany a lot of my friends were worried, saying the Germans are very racist. I tell them all the time that I’m Portugal you might experience more rAcism then here. Even though a lot of black people live in Portugal.
Unfortunately racist exist everywhere, but I believe the Germans just try to learn from errors from the past instead of ignoring it.
Greetings from the Seerhein neighbor! :)
I'm also a Black man from the America with my German wife raising my biracial kids. Yeah, I came here because I was sick and tire, of everything. In our 10 years here from Baden-Wuttemberg to Berlin, I've not had a single racial issue with another person. Nothing but positivity, friendly smiles and respect. My son has had two experiences with bad mouthing from kids, and my daughter had girls touching her hair, but kids have a level of ignorance that can be excused to some degree. Really only experienced racist or prejudice in the U.S.
People also speak to me in German first here in Berlin. In BW they tend to speak to me in French first, maybe because we lived on the Dreiländerek or they thought I was a French speaking African, who knows. I've never been pulled over, never had a dirty look, idk. Maybe we're extremely blessed, Trey.
White German here. I really love to hear that you feel safe and welcomed here. As others already mentioned, if one looks different, stands out of the crowd, one will get looks and maybe comments. Just because the obvious difference is noticed, not necessarily in a negative way though. The famous German stare is mainly curiousity. I understand that this could be misinterpreted though :)
But I have to say that the statement "a black person would not want to live amongst white people" leaves a bit of a bad taste. I would understand concerns regarding language, culture, job skills, climate, you name it. Many things could be a reason not to move elsewhere. But if the biggest concern is the colour of my neighbours skin, to be honest, I personally would consider this as racist. I mean, as an example, if I would think about moving to Asia or Africa, and I would check all or most of the boxes an the "pro" side, but a big "con" would be the colour of the skin of the natives, come on. To me it sounds like someone is looking for a comprehensable excuse without looking fainthearted. You know what I mean?
Regardless, I am happy to hear that you guys feel safe and welcomed here in Germany. And I hope Germany will never disappoint you and offer the future you hope for.
Sadly, the US is so inundated with discrimination and fear of what is different…that people remain close minded. And sadly that tends to follow Americans when they move abroad. The best education in my opinion is going to places that we are completely unfamiliar with and learning as much as possible about people, history, language, food, and culture.
@@TreyDaze I have felt that, watching shows and stuff that a lot of "minorites from the USA" watch it's literally everyone is triggered because everyone is triggered because they "have to have expect" the next verbal or physical or actual violent attack around the next corner. For a while I thought that was a bit overrun but then well TikTok compilations and US-Americans learning about their own country and mishaps made me think "It is actually amazing they didn't revibe the Punk "No Future" movemnet from the 1970s-80s by now." There someone say the "Internet can't teach you."
That's the thing. I think most of the people who felt not welcome or not immigrated or something this way. It's because they stay inside their own people. Idk we have many Turkish people here and these ones who don't want to learn German (they live for fuxking 20+ years here) and are mostly with other Turkish people together have the problems. It's not that we don't accept them. It's more that they won't accept that they live in Germany and not turkey anymore. Idk. The children often went the same way. Stay in school and free time only with other Turkish kids. Idk why it's a thing among them. Because the most other nationalities don't act like this. They integrate very well. Maybe it's just our are but idk.
And ofc it's not all Turkish people. But at leat here in west Germany many are like this.
@@soap3010 I think a) it's human nature and b) It's literally how the cities are created that a ton of refugess (also preferingly those cultures where everyone knows they just can't stand eachother) put in oen area and then we (white and other) people wonder why "hell breaks loose there" constantly and then you do not necessarily want to go down those allys especially not in the dark.
I mean I literally live INBETWEEN people of colour, Muslims, Sinti or Roma, maybe a few black people or those who would be labeld such and yet this century has it I do not even know my own neighbours in my own house that well...nor the onces from the other side of the street. T-T....I think there are multiple situations that are like a Cat or Dog chasing their own tail coming together...
i see what youre saying, but please keep in mind that the US folks grow up and live with this disruptive mindset. Cant blame them cause they need to if theyre of a darker tone and dont wanne be shot at traffic control. sure, thats not a mindset that should be supported in any way, but even if you move abroad you cant just switch it off. Also it was a key point to this (very important) video.
I am born in Germany and it is such a relief to hear you say that. Considering our sad history I am soooo happy to hear that people who move to Germany feel safe, respected and valued!
The majority in Germany doesn’t accept racists.
It is a sad, unreflected behavior of some people that if they feel bad themselves they will make others feel uncomfortable because they project the issues onto others and blame them for everything. But most people have enugh respect, empathy and knowledge. Even if I was the poorest person in the world I would not be a bully or a racist, hitting on others. I hope more people of colour will move here and settle for good!
At least Germans and Germany acknowledge their past and actively took and continue to take steps to learn from their past and make changes. I can't say the same for the US.
Germans today are more lost than Germans 80 years ago ...they are more willing to follow whatever is promoted
The difference today that Horkheimer and Marcuse are to decide what is " virtuous" and not Adolf... in other words not only some European populations are to "go " but all of them
and Germans follow without thinking
@@cutbyoccam1948
They don't acknowledge anything ...they repeat the same things
only their shepherds are different
@Zfen89not69
Thank you for the info.
Yeah, I know about the wave of Jews moving to Germany. I heard there's a large Russian wave aswell, even before the war, but more so now.
I might need to explore Germany more as an option. Area wise, what is a good region to start investigating? I'd like to be somewhere not too loud, clean, nice views (either nature or architecture or both) but have everything easily accessible without a car. I work from home, so industry and employment restrictions don't concern me.
Thanks for the reply. I'd love to know the backstory to your handle 😆
There are very few countries that have had such a thorough reckoning with the darkness of their past as Germany has, and I’m not even talking about European cultures only.
Hi Trey,
I don't usually comment on TH-cam videos, but your video touched me. As a Black Brazilian living in Germany, I can relate to your experience. In the two years, I have lived here, I have had minimal uncomfortable experiences. One of them is the traditional “German stare,” but I learned how to live with it, especially since I am the single POC living in a Dorf in Bayern, whose population consists of 1500 people . I have also had a very racist comment by someone considered back then “a close friend,” but I guess it is mainly because I am Brazilian rather than for being Black. Otherwise, things have been perfect in Germany.
Before moving here two years ago, I lived in the US and Canada for several years, so I have experienced different forms of racism. The form that terrifies me the most is the one experienced in the US and Brazil, primarily due to the violence used against our people and, of course, the social, professional, and mental impact of such acts on one's life. I recently visited Brazil, where I was a victim of racism at a local shopping mall. When I shared my experience with my family - who still live there - they argued that I was not at a “Black Friendly” shopping mall and that I should not be there in the first place. It profoundly saddens how racism impacts the self-esteem of our Black People. There shouldn’t be a “Black Friendly” mall at all. We are all humans, independent of ethnicity or skin color. Unfortunately, such behavior is normal for them, as it is part of their day-to-day lives.
I wish all the best to you and your family.
Dani
Wow! I’m gonna be honest…I’ve never believed Brazil to be a place with race issues today. A lot of it has to do with growing up in South Florida which is Brazil 2.0 lol and race never being brought up between my Brazilian friends and I. But thank you for sharing your experience. I’m also glad that you’re time in Germany has been comfortable! This is a truly great place!
It is crazy to see that even though more than 50% of the Brazilian population are Black or mixed, racism is very present in everyone’s lives. I totally agree with you concerning Florida being Brazil 2.0 🤣 it was so surreal to go to the stores there and be greeted in Portuguese 😄. Wishing you lots of happiness, health and success in your journey. BR, Dani
Mhm what a sad story. I only want to assure you that basically every foreigner, even the palest of them, complains about "the German stare". Germans are totally unaware of this issue and rest assured that people don't stare at you because of your skin colour. We don't even realize that in other people's perception, we stare. We just look at things or people. In German culture, looking at someone is neither offensive nor impolite, and there is no culture of looking at the floor or avoiding eye contact. Germans find videos on Americans behaving weirdly in elevators hillarious as we just don't understand the problem.
I understand this!! I've been living in Japan for 7 years now. As a youtuber, many viewers ask about racism in asia (as you also mentioned). In my experience, American racism is specific to the US. In all of the other countries I visited and lived in, I've never had people refusing to service me or call me names just because I'm Black. In Japan, I feel completely safe. Like you said about Germany, everyone leaves me alone and goes about their business. If you speak Japanese, you can interact with people and really understand people (something many expats here don't do unfortunately), but I've never felt more human than when I'm outside of the US. In the US, I've always felt Black amongst everyone, Black people and other ethnicities. Everyone talks about race in the US to constantly remind everyone of their "role". It's hidden in our culture, in our jokes, and why we refuse to go certain places or do certain things. Abroad, and here in Japan, I am human first, American second, and then a woman...and then if we continue the conversation and they ask me about life in America, I may mention..."Btw, I'm called a 'Black American' in the States."😂 Of course people see that I'm Black, but in my experience, me being Black is irrelevant.
When I visited Japan as a German I was kinda disappointed because I had it quite often that shops/ cafes bars deliberately were ignoring me because I was not native Japanese. Yes of course my japanese is far from perfect but definitely good enough to understand what I wanted
I don't know about Japan, but in most of Europe we find it weird that people are called Americans, or Black Americans, Asian Americans, etc.
To us you're all just Americans. And although enough people don't really like Americans, it's not limited to colour in any way.
@@lethfuil so true! 😉 Despite I like them if they are nice to me. When it comes to skin color it does not matter to me and I admit, I don't know if the person, who is near me is American or African, as long as he not talks to me and it doesn't matter anyway. If he asks a question or talks a language I can understand, I will help him/her.
@@SoneaT That's personal interaction and can vary, of course. :P
The refusing service actually only tends to happen in very small sections of the American south still and tends to be seen as extremely socially unacceptable by the majority.
Not gonna lie my wife and I have REALLY thinking about moving to a different country and watching this video has really inspired us to look at Germany now thank you so much for this video!!😄
Heyyyy!!! I wish you guys the best of luck in your decision! The US isn’t going anywhere…you can always return if you want! But most do not 👍🏽
Do it! Depending on your profession there might be a lot of jobs for you as well (Germany is currently suffering from a lack of professionals) :)
Weather is meh, but you get to a lot of hot country within 3 hours of flight =D
Popped up randomly in my feed but let me add something: when it comes to learning German everyone always mentions the articles (whether a noun is male/female/neutral etc).
With so many people trying their best to learn the language many Germans won’t mind if you mess this up! We will still understand you and respect you for learning what many consider a difficult language ❤️
i second this, a messed up article is a non problem, shit happens we won't be mad, we all make mistakes.
You know what, when I was learning German I was so worried about this but it's nice to know that it's not that big of an issue.
yeah it's really not important. Using the wrong one may sound strange for germans, but most of the time articles are redundant especially regarding the gender.
The German articles are sometimes very random - Der Löffel (The Spoon - masculine), Das Messer (The knife - neutral), Die Gabel (The Fork - feminine) or even Germans didn't know if it is Das Nutella or Die Nutella ;-) . There are some simple learning rules like "if it ends with -chen then it is neutral" but over all if you accidently use der/die Auto instead of das - nobody cares exspecially in Cologne where everything is dat (Löffel and dat Gabel with dat Messer).
@@DSP16569 Es ist natürlich DAS Nutella!! ;P
Ich bin genau deiner Meinung,Deutschland und die Deutschen sind wunderbar ❤️
Ich lebe in Deutschland seit 1968 und habe nie Rassismus erlebt im Gegenteil, ich wurde immer gut behandelt.
Ich war mal in Spanien in Urlaub und da habe ich Rassismus erlebt,und das paarmal 😢 Ich war froh als ich wieder in Deutschland war,hier habe ich mich wieder wie ein Mensch gefühlt.
Ich kann hier in Frieden leben, und wenn man Probleme hat wird man nicht in Stich gelassen.
Deutschland 🇩🇪 ist meine Heimat ❤️❤️ ich kann es mir nicht vorstellen wo anders zu leben.
Ich bin Deutschland 🇩🇪 so dankbar das ich hier leben darf
Danke 🙏 Deutschland 🇩🇪🥰✌️
Du bist toll ♥️
@@melaniek.8563 Dankeschön sehr lieb von dir ❤️
@@naimapeukert8575 Mir bläst's das Hirn weg (um mal auf einen Englischen Spruch zurückzugreifen) sowas zu lesen. Ich beziehe mich dabei auf den "hier habe ich mich wieder wie ein Mensch gefühlt."
Rein kognitiv verstehe ich was du meinst, aber... Man, kacke, das ergibt doch überhaupt keinen Sinn! Ich weiß, "Current year" und all das, aber wir leben im Jahr 2022, nicht in 17-hundert-nochwas.
Wie kann es in sogenannten zivilisierten Ländern dazu kommen, dass sich Personen nicht "als Mensch" fühlen können? Bricht mir ehrlich das Herz.
Ich freu mich, dass du dich bei uns sicher und... *sfz* wieder als Mensch fühlen kannst.
*kopfschüttel* Ich check's nich. Ehrlich. Will nicht in meinen Kopf. Wie Integralmathe.
eyy cooler Nachname.. noch nie jemanden getroffen der den gleichen hat wie ich haha
Du bist super ❤❤❤
I can't speak for the Germans, because I'm Austrian, but I think we are quite similar in our mentality, so I dare to comment to this.
Yes, there is racism here. There will always be somebody who looks down on you and considers that he is somehow "better" than you are.
But this is not the majority and most people here don't accept racism when they witness it.
One day I was in the subway with my baby in a stroller. The place which is reserved for strollers has already been occupied by a black woman with her child. So I tried to park my stroller next to her without blocking the entrance.
One man felt entitled to complain about the black lady "taking away the place for our people".
Before I even could open my mouth, the people around us started ranting on him. They forced him out of the train yelling "there is not enough place in this train for such an amount of stupidity - no place reserved for racists" and such things.
I felt so sorry for this woman. She had done nothing wrong and her kid was crying, because all of the shouting and pushing going on. I was a bit irritated, because she was smiling.
We then took a walk to the next park together and had a chat and I asked her "This was such a terrible situation, I'm so ashamed for this stupid man. How can you still be smiling?"
She told me, that she's coming from the US and she is used to racism in every nuance. But it never happened that so many people stood up for her, that's what made her smile.
So yes, there is racism and we can't get rid of all this stupid, ignorant, racist a**holes. But we can stand up, raise our voice against it... And for sure... We DO!
And you know what... I don't know why you are called "people of color"
Usually I'm piggy-pink, when I'm sick I get a bit yellow or greenish, when I'm ashamed I turn bright purple, getting a bit of sun I'm crab-red and hopefully after a while I'm finally tanned.
I'm a f***Ing rainbow, calling you colored? 🤣🤣🌈
(no offence - just kidding)
What an amazing story! You’re spot on as well! I can tell Germans and other Europeans don’t passively tolerate ignorance. And I appreciate that!
I feel like the difference here in Austria is, Germany has American soldiers so they've had black people for longer. My 74 year old mother says she's pretty sure she's never seen a black person until she was in her 50s. Most black people here are African immigrants and there definitely are too many racists. Honestly I bet as soon as a black man opens his mouth and has an American accent they'll be treated differently
@@stephjovi Yes, European generally* don't discriminate based on colour of skin but on national/cultural basis. So if you speak and behave as a German you are treated as a German regardless of colour, if you speak and behave as an American you are treated as a American regardless of colour (good) and if you speak and behave as an African you are treated as an African (not very good) and so on.
So an African will probably feel that there are a lot of racism in Europe but a Afro-American will probably feel that it is very little of it.
*By the general public that is, Europe of course also have some real racists.
@@cynic7049 Hmm it's a shame, but that's a good point.
Thank you so much for posting this video. I’m a Black (Dad)/Puerto Rican (Mom) south Floridian too! I lived in Japan for a couple of years and since being back in Florida early 2020, well, I’m sure you can imagine how I feel… Anyone who says that life is getting better in the US is coming from a lot of privilege for sure. It’s not. It’s scary. As a woman, as a black/Latina person, as someone who is LGBTQ with “Don’t Say Gay” in Florida, it feels like it gets harder every day. It feels like every time I read or turn on the news, there’s another sad story. But that’s just it, to many privileged people here it’s sadly just another story that doesn’t have any impact on their daily lives, so life goes on. It’s such an isolating feeling. It’s sad to say I can imagine many Americans reading my comment might agree with that. I’m light-skinned too, so I’ve got my own privilege, but I appreciate that you mentioned that you and your wife really had a hard time just knowing it was happening around you every single day, even if something didn’t happen directly to you on a given day. I always thought coming back from Japan that I’d move to California too, but like you said, that’s still the US. I’m visiting Germany, specifically Düsseldorf and Berlin, for the first time this October to see what it’s like and this question has really been weighing heavy on me. Thank you for sharing your experience, this has really helped! I think my one hurdle is just.. getting over the idea that a decision to move doesn’t have to be permanent if I don’t want it to be, and to just take the leap! Thank you again. Looking forward to future videos!
Hey Lexy! Ayyyy we’re pretty much the same lol! Thank you for sharing your background and experiences with me! You’re 100% correct. It’s a truly dark time to be in the US and with midterms coming up…it’s only going to get worse unfortunately. The ongoing war on women continues and I don’t understand how more and more people aren’t just blatantly uprising at this point. I try to be as optimistic as I can, but even in a state like Florida where we come from…bigotry, corruption, hate are so deeply intertwined into our state’s identity…it’s just crazy hard to think of a point when all of that comes to an end. I mean the largest Confederate flag in the world flies on I-75 near Tampa and people are just so content with that. That sort of thing would never fly here in Germany. You’re going to love it here! We went to the Pride Festival here in Frankfurt and we’re headed to the Pride Festival here in Stuttgart tomorrow! I linked my info in the description! Stay and touch and hit me up whenever you want!
@@TreyDaze Haha, yessss!!! How about that.
Definitely a dark time, especially with the midterms looming in the near future. It’s like you said, an end to the way things are here is hard to even begin to imagine. People are so open with the hatred and the bigotry that now I’m more surprised when I have a good interaction with a stranger than when I see something bad. What a time. I know things aren’t perfect anywhere, but this is definitely not the place to be right now.
I didn’t realize there were so many Pride events, that’s amazing to hear! I’m going through and watching your previous videos and I’m so glad you and your family are settling in so well! I’ll definitely be in touch! Stay safe and keep on posting!
@@TreyDaze Ohh I was at the Pride festival in Frankfurt too! Did you see the parade (on Saturday) or did you go to the "after-party"/show on Sunday? I unfortunately could only go to the parade, but it was fun and felt really freeing. I'm not sure whether I'm LGBTQ (right now I don't think so), but going there just feels like you can finally take a breath from societal norms. At least it was like that for me.
Hello, I am a German woman from Cologne. There is also Christopher Street Day in Cologne, where people from all over the world come together and celebrate. Of course there is racism in Germany, but I don't think it's as bad as in the USA. Just the way people with dark skin color have to get through a police check scared me a lot. I wish you that the attitude of the "white people" changes and your coexistence becomes more peaceful.
I highly, highly recommend England, but Germany is a wonderful choice too. Honestly the biggest thing thats gonna shake you about these places coming from the US is just how superior the urban design is. Growing up in suburbia & never knowing what a walkable, livable city designed for human interactivity is like, is something many Americans I don't think understand is missing in their life.
But maybe germans don't want to be colonised by you guys? have you thought about that? Europe is sick of foreigners comming like it is a free for all... It is time to stop this madness and decolonise europe...
England⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️you must be joking😂😂😂😂
@@cassandra8620 Yea,
Netherlands are wonderful too, don’t have to learn another language in the Netherlands.
@@cassandra8620 - Yes. Why not? What do you have against England? Do you have actual experience of living in England, or is your prejudice just based on ignorant rumour?
@@wiseonwords I think they were referring to British politics which are a bit willy-nilly at the moment. And have been since 2016-ish.
As a foreigner in Germany all i can say is i really don't care if a newcomer is white,black or purple.We as foreigners must contribute to the German society by work,paying taxes and so on.If someone is not prepared for the challenge of a new culture and possibly religion than Germany is not the place for you.Nobody will have problems in this country as long as they behave normally.This country is perfect for perfect people.Great video,keep up the nice work.Wish you all the best with your channel and a belated welcome to Germany.You seem like a nice guy and i am sure you're gonna like it here...
Thanks a lot! We love it here!
Pretty kind words from the red army least expected of all... XD
@@robertbretschneider765 Not sure what do you exactly mean,but my user name is purelly about the fanbase of Manchester United. 😁
@@TiborgSGE Thats where it came from? Okay. I was thinking about the sowjet red army and the west german terrorist organisation "Red Army Fraction".
*lol* "This country is perfect for perfect people"! Dont tell me youre perfect! You know NOBODY IS PERFECT!!!
If you live in America, people want you to think "I'm black."
If you live in Germany, people want you to think "I'm home."
Yes, Europe don't have that black/white distinction. Espesially when you're actually a mix of several different ethnisity. Also the race thing is just silly and yhis videa shows that with all the different background he's still considered black just because of his look.
Greatings from Moosbach! I live in Moosbach and it´s nice to hear that your experiences were so good. With a Population of 2353 Moosbach is really a small Town but we welcome all people. It doesn´t matter if you are black, white or any other skin color you have.
We stayed the night at Zum Goldenen Löwen! Everyone was amazing and nice! If we’re ever in Moosbach again…I’ll let you know. Beautiful town with great people! 👍🏽
I was in the military in Frankfurt and Manheim, loved it and am thinking of returning in retirement. ❤
I was stationed in Ansbach, Germany 2018-2020 and I loved it so much that it’s been my mission to move back ever since 🙏🏾 after my contract ends next year I’ll definitely be booking my one way ticket 😄 🇩🇪
I dont give a f....if you are black, green, pink...You are a human THATS IT 😂😂
i'm a german poc (mainly lived in the north) and ofc i've experienced some racism but really not a lot and i've very rarely felt unsafe, usually it's just uneducated comments and stereotypes. but i think there's more racism towards foreign poc, the worse someone's german is the worse the racism is gonna be in my experience
despite some bad experiences i can confidently say that germany is a very safe country
It is not that easy.
First of all, in German we would say "poc poc poc" to the noise of a hen.
German is a very descriptive language. We put words together to describe something or we would just call it by it's name.
The point is, that you are right, if you speak broken english the "racism" is more.
But that's also not correct because you stumbled across the cultural German racism that looks suspicious to everyone who is not from this area.
Let a northern German with deep northern accent move to a small bavarian village, let him go to the bakery and let him order. At the moment he opens his mouth he is suspicious.
The difference is, that you can see that a black person is different at first, but at that moment when this person opens his mouth in the bakery and speeks a deep Bavarian accent, all would be fine.
As another comment mentioned, it depends on how much you try to fit in. Our cultural problem no is, that if someone looks different, he has to proof over and over again while a white person at first sight needs not.
That is sad, but as it derives as a culture from the germanic tribes, it will be hard to overcome.
For me personally this means, that I always check myself wether I run in such thinking in specific situations or not, and naturly trying to stop it, if so.
On the good side, this makes Germany an inclusive society. Just try to fit in and you have a warm welcome.
Edit: the poc commet above wasn't meant to be insulting. I wanted to say, why I don't like this word in German. My feeling is, that these word in Germany is an insult so I am not using it.
I am a white German, travelling the world full-time since 2004, and I have experienced quite a lot of racism, in Spain as much as in Sweden or in Portugal. There are closed-minded people everywhere.
@@mijp made my Day, thx:) i really had to think twice or thrice, what an poc is, sounds harsh for me, and also thought of Chicken picking, before i finally come to People of Colour:)
@@alexandersteinmetz6857 For me it is the same.
I really do not want to offend people, but I also think, that we are importing a lot of problems instead of fighting our own problems.
The USA has a segregative society. The refer to themselves as Germans, Italians, Latinos, Irish ... and do seperate from each other,
Germany has a "proofing based" integrative society. We had body ownership, (Leibeigenschaft), they had slavery. We had splited tribes, they where all immigrants.
So, different culture, different history, different problems of racism.
A black person somewhere from Africa would also have other opinions. There is a black restaurant owner who proudly calls his restaurant "Zum Mohrenkopf". He came as immigrant but not from the States.
So I really would beg blacks from the USA, to not be offended by some things, it is not meant to be racism. And it isn't, because this is a different culture. It is like the "Germans are honestly being blunt" thing.
Instead, let us fight the problems we do have. That is far more important than fighting things, that not really exist here.
You can fight a fire in a room, but if there is no fire, you ruin all your belongings for nothing.
Yes, it's true. Stupid people (Like, morons) will pick on you if your German is poor, I've had that a few times in the past, and I'm white European.
Really interesting video! One thing: If people talk about (more) racism in "east Germany", they don't really mean the whole area close to the eastern border of Germany. What they really mean is the area of the former GDR. So the place you visited in Bavaria doesn't count as "east" in that sense. :D
And also, it would be proofed wrong. As northern Germans we have the sayings, Bavarians are unfriendly and not open to strangers. And it's also not true. There are racists, everywhere in Germany - but it's seldom openly accepted - so you can walk through East Germany also, with every skin color, the humankind could offer. But you never should be near a "Spaziergang" of Neonazis, AfD- and Pegida-symphatisants. No matter wich place in Germany. Just mentioning, that their leaders are mostly West Germans - So don't blame East Germany for people like Kalbitz and Höcke from Bavaria and Hesse, living now as oeconomic immigrants in Thuringya and Brandenburg.
@@ratatosk8935 true. While there are more right leaning people in "East Germany" you can encounter some of them everywhere of course. The actual divide is more a rural/poor areas vs urban/rich areas one (not too different compared to the US I guess). And there are more such underdeveloped regions in East Germany.
@@ratatosk8935
That's funny, coming from middle Germany, the saying here is you northern folks are the closed off and non-talkative folks and the Bayerisch are more warm-hearted, welcoming people. That is not to say you are mean or I don't like you, but you are generally more reserved and don't like to waste a single unneccessary word to a stranger. Different perspectives I guess, though we North-Hessians are also pretty cold to strangers.
As someone living in Bavaria, yep, skin color doesn't matter to people that much here. But if you don't drink alcohol, oh boy.
Luckily he didn’t stop in Dresden
As a black male from the US. I will be visiting Hamburg and Frankfurt for the first time in June I hope all goes well.
You’ll blend right in. Both cities are extremely diverse.
Frankfurt is one of the greatest cities in the world. Very diverse, and well-educated population. Frankfurters are used to black people, because of the many military bases there, back in the day. So much to do, see, and eat. Very peaceful vibe. Enjoy yourself!
@@kalimba04 I just got from Frankfurt Germany yesterday. Frankfurt was great, but Hamburg on the other hand was very racist. As a black men from the United States I have to be honest. I would not mind going back to Frankfurt, but Hamburg you can not pay me to go to that part of Germany the people were very foul.
@@toreyjoseph1286 that's interesting. I've never been to Hamburg, but I've always heard it was a progressive city. I'm glad you enjoyed Frankfurt. I plan to revisit there, at the end of the year.
@@kalimba04 I will now be headed to Cartagena Colombia in September.
I'm an Aussie and I've lived with Germans over here and I have to say that Germans in general are absolutely great. They show me lots of respect and I give it back to them 100%. I love Germans.
I'm living in Germany 20 km away from Heidelberg since 1980 aged 5 yo and identity myself an Eritrean German (dual citizenship). I can recall a couple of stereotypes and prejudice mostly in times of economical- or immigration crisis but I never had to deal with significant racism. I never realized how progressive Germany is towards different ethnicities and took it for granted until I crossed the border the first time. Especially during a visit to my older sister who married in Germany an US soldier and lives in the US for 2 decades now. Without going into details, on several occasions I didn't felt equally treated to non-blacks and it was quite obvious n humiliating. What surprised me the most was every time my sister or black American friends were there too it seemed like they noticed nothing. It's hard to explain... as if they got numb, my sister as well after all the years. When we grew up together in Germany she would freak out over every little thing that didn't felt right to her. She is an American citizen now so didn't say anything though before she'd say that I got soft with all the socialist free stuff from the government
Greetings from Mannheim in Baden-Württemberg
What your sister said sounds a little like Stockholm syndrom. "Got soft","socialist free stuff from the government"? Did she get "clockwork oranged" on Fox "News" and OANN? When did she start to think getting "hardened" by living in a Mad Max type of society is a good thing?
Monnem ❤
This town of Moosbach is in Bavaria, so in southern Germany (thus a part of former "West Germany). When people talk to you about "the East" (of Germany), they're refering to places in the states of Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
That makes sense! Thanks for the explanation!
Strangely the Danish equivalent of go to hell is go to Pommern
@@sukatz Well ... as far as geography goes, Pommern nowadays is the Polish province of Pomerania. As far as history goes, it used to by part of the German Reich (1871-1945).
So lots of "landmines" here when talking about "East" and "Germany" ... ;)
and Berlin...
@@sukatz wow... interesting. Do you know why?
Hi Trey! Some serious topic! Just a few thoughts here.
First, there was a slight misunderstanding regarding "east". You were in eastern Bavaria, not in East Germany. That term generally means the 5 states in the former communist GDR, so Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen, and Sachsen. Of those, mainly the south-eastern corner is the one people have warned you about. Mainly Thuringia and Saxonia. They are our version of Mississippi and Alabama. The cities are ok, but in some smaller towns you could come across some of those people you really don't want to meet. Most people ARE fine, but the share of people who aren't is simply bigger than elsewhere. And it's less racist in the sense of color, it's more a general xenophobia. Not that that didn't exist everywhere to a certain degree. What may be different to America is that the fewer foreign looking people live in a place the more xenophobic people get. The fear of the unknown. In bigger cities, and especially in Western Germany (again, the old West Germany), the population is much more diverse and tolerant, exceptions notwithstanding.
Second, when you began to declinate your "percentages" of "race", that's soo American. It doesn't work like that here. Nobody will ask you about what your father was or your second-degree uncle or your great-grandmother. There is an ugly ring of the Nuremberg laws in that where people were defined by their percentage of "Jewishness" or "Germanness".
Also, people are not as obsessed about their "heritage" as Americans where many define themselves by the nationality or ethnicity of their ancestors, while really nobody in their "ancestorial" country would think of them like that but would just laugh at them when they would call themselve "Italian" or "German" without even speaking one word of the language.
Hayley Alexis made a very interesting video about the differences regarding identity and race in the US and in Germany. Highly recommended, and she explains that much better than I ever could. th-cam.com/video/ayep0SWcN7c/w-d-xo.html and this one th-cam.com/video/K_TG6zbXCzs/w-d-xo.html
So, nobody cares for you identifying as Latino or whatever. You're the American, for better or worse. ;-)
Identity, if you must use that term at all, is much more defined by language and culture than anything else in Germany. Of course, there will be people who see a black man and have a film starting in their heads with all kinds of prejudices. But for instance, the prejudices are much more culture-based than color-based. You will probably experience that yourself someday, those people will treat you differently because you are American, whereas people from African countries or Arabs are treated much worse, especially when they are Muslims. No beating around the bush here, that kind of ethnic, xenophobic racism does exist. But it's much less of the institutional, systemic racism that is ingrained in the US, especially in the South. Not serving people like that guy in that shop did is not possible in Germany. Just like not baking a cake for a gay wedding would be against the law here. Does not mean that everybody would automatically be friendly, of course, but the law is definitely not on their side, nor the general attitude of the public.
What shocks people here in Germany is how racism is such an every-day bureaucratic act in the US. The census questions about race or on forms for all kinds of things would be considered openly-racist here, and anybody who put that into a public document could go looking for a new occupation, because it's outright unconstitutional.
And that's why I seriously question that statistic that says there are so and so many black or white people in Germany. That may be an estimate based on nationality, but you will never find a check-box for race or ethnicity in Germany. There simply IS no race statistic. People are people, race does not exist for the state. Again, racism is real, but not in that way.
By the way, you may have noticed that you are asked about religion in some official documents which usually is shocking for Americans. That's mainly for tax because the state is NOT completely separate from the two main churches, and there is something called "Kirchensteuer", and you should have a look at your income tax on your pay slip, whether somebody entered something under religion for you. Presumably you are neither a member of the Catholic church nor of any of the Germany evengelical churches, so you shouldn't be paying taxes for that.
Coming back to the census questions, this is a shocker for us and probably for everybody in Western Europe. I know that has something to do with things like affirmative action, but that itself is considered rather questionable here, as it does not really help to overcome racism but instead even cements structural racism. Education is free anyway, universities don't have and don't need quota for minorities, and generally, the system provides for everybody in the same more or less effective way. Having said that, there IS a bias towards education. Children of parents with higher education have a higher chance of gettting higher education themselves. It's a social bias, not a racist one. Our northern neighbors do much better in that regard. Social mobility there is significantly better, though Germany has gained a bit on that.
By the way, I don't know if your son is in a Kita. If not, I highly recommend it. There is no better place for a kid to learn the language and get friends. Makes the transition into school much easier. Having said that, kids being kids, it can be hard on those who look differently. Not saying that it has to happen, but it can happen. Finding the right Kita and the right school may be extra important in this case.
So, there are more things I could talk about, but it's already much too long.
Take care!
Very good comment.
Very well written indeed ...
I especially agree with the "kids being kids" statement, even tho the "weird" experiences don't necessarily have to be bad.
My nephew met a black child or person in general for the first time in Kita and he just wouldn't stop licking her arm yelling out "lade" which was his word for chocolate at that time. I'm glad they both got over it and she is still his friend :D
Ich weiß nicht, wo ihr alle her habt, dass Sachsen und Thüringen voller Rassisten sind. Er hat es sogar extra erwähnt, dass er viele solche Kommentare bekommen hat. Unglaublich bescheuert…ja hier traut sich die AFD und die Montagszügler offen auf die Straße. Dh aber nicht, dass die hier die Mehrheit bilden oder überproportional vorhanden sind. Mich ärgert sowas.
As a German iam never worried about leaving my house and what could happen to me. Super eye opening for me that this is not „normal“. I mean I know we have some areas that you should not visit at certain times etc. but in general I don’t have second thoughts visiting new places. Alone the fact that gun ownership is really restrictive in Germany helps with that a lot. I wouldn’t feel good thinking about my neighbors wielding guns in their garden. Another fact I was thinking about is that you get respect when you give respect. Be nice and helpful and people will thank you and give back. Germans value the „doing your part“-mentality a lot. Its not only the pay your taxes and speak the language thing…more like: be the guy helping in kindergarten grilling some food because they have a party, help your neighbor building something on his property without asking for something in return, get together and share your interests and hobbies, bring something new to the table. This sort of things.
So sad to see people still being racist or homophobic. It´s 2022 and still there are soooo many people caught in their ridiculous, medieval thoughts about this.
Everytime i hear people talking something negative about people of colour i go like "Ey, without fu*** skin we all look the same! How dare you to judge somebody only because of skin-color" 😅
Great video btw, makes me feel a little better in my white, german skin. Seems we´re not so bad as our reputation... I wish you and your family a great time living here, your new homecountry! Stuttgart is a great place to live, the heart of "Schwabenland" 😉😊
I do agree with your comment regarding the whole race thing, but I can't agree specifically with the whole "It's 20XX year, and there is still X". Culture (and tech) isn't always going to progress the way you want, nor do all people agree that a certain way of thinking is more "advanced" compared to an other. I don't think I need to remind you that there are numerous examples in history (from the bronze age collapses, the dark ages, to the 20th/21st century ascendancy of various authoritarian governments) about areas reverting back to a culture they had some decades/centuries prior.
We could very well have another even more destructive World War sometime this century, and because of such stagnate our tech and "regress" to a more great powers styled world circa early 20th century or even back to regional feudalism. Hell, maybe we won't have a world war and we go out into space in the 22nd century as a mostly united species, but after about a century or two of colonizing, we will likely again fracture once the people in others celestial bodies due to the relative speed of news and travel in space diverge from the culture back on earth. Culturally, our species will once again go back to the 16th-19th century way of looking at other nations due to the species not being "globalized and interconnected" as it was in the late 21st century...
Don't assume that human cultural progress is some linear thing that only goes in one direction...
Husband and I faced little, if none, racism while living in Germany during the mid 70s - 80s. We lived in Durmersheim and worked in Karlsruhe. Returning to the states was a vile cultural shock. Wished we would have stayed in Germany.
Ms. Griffith, I was in the US Army during the period that you state, I will say that you either ignored it or you are not telling the truth.
@@RWebster325 I was speaking our truth of the German's not the American military.
@@katherinegriffith5546 And what is "our" truth? Isn't it interesting that you try to separate the "truths."
But then you are proving my point for me.
One more item - If you worked in Karlsruhe, there is absolutely no way that you can separate your truth, the German's truth, and the truth of the American military, especially in the 1970's and 1980's.
Greetings from Baden-Baden Katherine. Durmersheim is about 10 km away from my home town. Glad to hear, you liked it here „im badische“ 😁
@@RWebster325 bro you are white not saying white people don't get racism but come on I came to Germany 1976 and I never experienced any kind of racism in that period. I'm still living here and had like maybe 1 or 2 encounters of racism so please don't assume she is lying or not telling the truth thx.
I think one important thing to note: Even in the most "racist" areas of Germany, you don't need to have your "guard up" if you are black. It rarely if ever happens hat violence is happening like in the U.S. This is not the south of the US where people are hunted by some crazy loonies with guns... at worst you get looks and maybe someone saying something rude.. no one is pulling a gun on you and hunting out of town.
I am an Austrian living in California and sadly the same goes for whites in America. I have never been treated as poorly as in black neighborhoods and I truly felt unsafe ( bc of a higher risk of gun violence and burglary). In Austria, when I am in a foreigner district I get treated just fine and feel pretty safe.
when people talk about racism in Europe-it's usually not classical racism about pigmentation in the skin-it's usually about culture/religion , in other words it's about Muslims -due to some problems with certain migrants (absolutely far from all Muslims create any problems ) religion is not a color it does however impact the culture -in some parts of eastern Europe and Greece there have been historical fights against conquering Muslims-and they hear about problems in western Europe, that is why they don't want migrants from the Middle east and north Africa , they don't mind black migrants from the US, France, Brazil, Kenya ect.
Please still be careful. Violent hate crimes might not happen as often, but they do happen. Black people or even white people with black hair and a tan being beaten to death or almost to death and left paraplegic.
@@e.458 Where? When?
@@e.458 Where??
I'm a black German from Hamburg, grew up here and love this place.
I can only tell my experience from living in a big city like Bremen or Hamburg in the left leaning north.
We are also a country with many immigrants from many different country's with many different cultures.
As a black guy, it's pretty chill. Almost all people are open to me and see me as just a German guy. I only had a few racist interactions in east Germany where some guy was talking a bit of shit but nothing to outrageous and asshole are everywhere.
In my childhood in every school there are some black guys, some Turks, some Asians like people from everywhere, so we are used to see different people as early as childhood. They have some cultural differences but they are almost all respected and accepted.
We have our problems but when you compare it with the US and shit I heard it's not comparable to German.
hey
You are right that there is a general trend, that the further south you go in Germany the more conservative and catholic the country becomes. But you brought up the two major cities of Hamburg and Bremen and those two cities happen to be historically very open and liberal because have been port cities for a very long time. So I do believe that you lived in Bremen and Hamburg is a much bigger factor than the general trend of the "liberal north".
I grew up in a rural Area in the very north and as a kid I didn't know that black people existed outside of TV lmao as stupid as this might sound. People there are not racist in the sense that they actually support racism as an ideology but they are kinda close minded and like: "We don't like strangers here and we don't want any outsiders".
It took me until my later highschool years to actually meet a black kid and befriend him. But yeah...times have changed quite a bit even up there. The internet happened. The older people died. The younger people are more open.
@Alfonso Di Grezia as a black 😭😭💀
@@tonischumacher2 I wouldn't say that the South gets more conservative (used to live close to Stuttgart before migrating to Japan), but I would say that in Stuttgart especially people walk with "n Stock im Arsch" lmfao.
@@dydx_ obviously this is only a general trend and there is also other factors that play a role. Like for example people in urban areas tend to be more liberal than in the country.
But this is not a rule. Just a statistical correlation.
Is there an expectation to be fluent in German to work in Germany?
And are there schools for English speaking kids ?
I'm so glad I came across this video! My partner and I have been talking about wanting to move to Germany for years, but I've been really hesitant because our youngest child is black. I'm excited to look through your channel to see if there are any videos about your son's experience in school.
Hopefully lots of people see this! So sad to hear the myths about other countries over and over again. Good job 👏🏻
Native white German here. I don't care if you are black, yellow or your skin has red polka dots with green stripes. As long as you do what you do within the German societal ruleset (which is mostly don't be an obnoxious a-hole and mind your own business) I don't give a flying F about you!
The exception to that rule above is staring that is something we do A LOT.
Das stimmt schon irgendwie xD
yeah, but we stare at everything extraordinary equally :D
@@endlessstudent3512 true! XD
which is strange as I too am a native German but I grew up in Malta in the 60s and I DO NOT stare as I consider it impolite LOL Upbringing DOES make a difference, and I did not notice that Germans stare because I do not and therefore have missed this fact for over 30 years now.
Hm I don't know if being brain afk in the bus and just staring at a wall or the like, is the staring everyone mentions? Personally I tend to not actively look at people cause I really don't care about them and just look where I am going. Unless someone speaks to me, or I notice that someone needs help 🤷♂. Could be the anxiety and phobia of Stangers I dunno.
As a German, I can't have a say in that, I haven't experienced racism on any trip or was hostile to it. My best friend's wife is a black Brazilian and when she came to Germany 15 years ago she was terrified of the Germans and has never been alone. Every 3 months she flew back to Brazil and stayed there for a few weeks. Today she is one of the happiest people I know, organizes cultural events by Brazilian artists in Germany and lives a happy married life with one child. It took a long time for her to trust the people here. Many greetings
There’s a lot of fear about being a POC living in Germany due to the past. And sadly, much of the Western world outside of Europe doesn’t take the time to familiarize themselves with modern day Germany.
Do some trips to certain blacks-only neighborhoods in the US. You'll make different experiences, as did I during my time in Texas.
@@dan_kay But isn't the real problem that there are certain black-only neighborhoods in the first place? Being isolated from the rest of society…..no matter how structural, cultural or just unaffordable rents naturally creates a lot of anger.
@@guinessdraught2758
Yes, they are a problem, but not as you may think. It's the black folks in those neighborhoods who don't want white dudes living in their area. And they communicate that very clearly. I felt very unwelcomed in those areas, although I am the most chilled person on the planet when it comes to race, simply not giving a fuck.
Happy to hear that she made it here,but at the same time it's a bit scary how those stereotypes are still effecting some people around the World.It's bloody time people stop thinking about the German people as SS officers in black uniform shouting "achtung,achtung" all the time.
I am 49 and i lived and visited quite a few countries in my life and let me tell you this:I have nowhere felt so respected,safe and financially stable as i feel myself here.But,it must be said that me and my family have done our best to learn the language,the culture.
After 9 years in Rheinland-Pflaz we feel ourselves at home and we probably stay here forever.
I actually love the color of the wall behind you. :-)
As a white German I don't feel comfortable adding much else to the conversation, but I wanted to leave you a comment for the algorithm.
Hey Sonia! Very nice to meet you and thanks for your kind words!
Glad that i found your channel, nice content and as a native german, same age as you, its very interesting to hear what you think and experience. Also i am glad to hear that you have not experienced any racism here and hope it stays that way. I personally have never understood why a person with a different skin color should not have the same rights or be treated differently.
Thank you for this blatantly honest video! I’m a Black American woman, registered nurse with a masters degree. I don’t know how to work the system, but the logistics are such a hurdle for me to relocate my daughter and I. Im going to get us to a safer, happier way of life though. Thanks for letting me know I don’t have to cross Germany off my list.
@@nataliac7506 Germany is definitely safe for us!
In my opinion as a German, I would say yes there is racism here, but it's a very small minority and in most cases it isn't being shown on the same level like it is in the US. I believe most of the time you are going to feel rasist behavior it won't be more than a mean look. Clearly that's not OK either but it's not as bad as it can get in the US.
Yes, I don't know how that is in Germany, but in Norway racist comments and refusing to serve people in your own shop of racist reasons is illegal. That probably helps a lot.
@@TullaRask We got a simmilar Law in Germany, its forbidden to treat someone differently based on heritage, sex, gender, religion, way of life, disabilities or age. You might however treat someone differently if theyre being an "asshole". If you dont like the behaviour of someone youre free to restrict them from coming (if that behaviour is intrusive to others).
@@TullaRask And it should be. I'd even make fines for that brutal in a "if i do that again my life savings a f-ed forever" kinda way.
@@TullaRask It's illegal in the US too. I've never heard of anyone doing it and getting away with it. Prosecutors would be all over a business if they ever pulled a stunt like that.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. There is still a lot of room for improvement in Germany, but it is good to know, that you and other people from different countries feel welcome and good living in Germany. 🙂 Take care - Thomas
i´m a owner of a small fast food franchise and i have stores all over Germany. My worst experience was in a mall in a very small village close to Leipzig. I was in the store with just one other employee and a black woman with her children stepped to our shop but the employee didn't move to talk to her. She looked me directly in the face and told me she won't serve "those". i was totally shocked and did the order myself.
The worst part was that i wasn't able to fire her, because i had real problems to get any people to work there. I was SOOO happy when i finally closed that shop.
An other employee in Cologne (she is from Iran) she told me she lived some years in the deep east, and she could not stand the racism.
BUT beside some bad spots most of the times especially in the metropol areas there is not very much racism. Germany is the country with the 2. highest immigration after the US and most of us know we need and benefit from it.
Wow! These are the stories I appreciate hearing because it helps provide a different perspective. I want to thank you for sharing and I hope you continue standing for what’s right!
may i ask what the name of that small village is? because i made a similar expirience in that region. The name of the village where i was is "Weißenfels". Imagin it is the same one :O.
I was there for 4 Years and left because i could not stand all those hateful People. Now i life in Paris and even here i already had to notice racism :( (but luckly much much less)
@@MrHollos you nearly nailed it. the shop was is Günthersdorf thats just a few kilometer from Weißenfels.
really a dark spot for Germany :/
you could say that about every country
The reunification of Germany was problematic and continues to be so. As a POC If you can stay out of the former communist part do so. Many capable and educated people left the East so what remains often are the people you want to avoid.
I’m a black American woman in Germany and I love it here! 🥰
I came across your video, and I was so happy to hear that you have many positive words about the people in Germany and Germany itself.
While racism is a horrible thing, I am happy you have experienced next to almost no racism in my birth country. I hope you and your young family will go on having a wonderful life in Germany and can fulfill all your hopes and dreams for the future . ❤️🇨🇦
Nice to meet you Margrit! Thanks for watching with an open heart and mind! Take care!
Since this was a long video I will have a long comment;-)
I am white, very white, born in Berlin, grew up in the Black Forest and worked in Munich. The village I grew up in had not one person of color till I was 14 years old and a native German married an Asian woman. Of course we all looked like "woow, look at her", just because her color was different. However, never once anybody in the village would treat her different then you would want to be treated and the skin color was just...color, nothing more and nothing less. The reason I think that Germans in general, not all, are not racist is because of WW2 as it is taught in school up and down NOT TO BE LIKE THAT. Don't ever make the same mistake again, humans are equal, period! Now, I do live in the US and I am married to a black woman and my whole family is black. I love them with all my heart and I never once thought of anything in regards to skin color as it is the heart and brain that make a person. I see often how my family has to deal with racism at work or in their daily live and I still don't understand it how a country that has 13% of black people does not understand that skin color is just a color. However, I would say I know why and it starts with education. Watch some videos from Hayley Alexis, a black woman living in Germany, and she mentioned in a video a couple of weeks ago when she went to Auschwitz to see German history from WW2. She was amazed that Germany is fostering their horrible past and educates kids about it so we learn from it. She then compared this to the US whereas there is nearly nothing done to make sure everybody understands that slavery was wrong and evil and that we have to make sure we never do that again. She mentioned that there are no farms as museums in the US to show how bad this time period was and educate everybody about it.
In order to change the US it needs to change with the education so that this false narrative that people of color are of lesser quality gets flushed out over time. However, the way things go, it looks like it takes the opposite direction, thus making it worse for the future.
I am very happy for you that you found Germany to be your new home. Think of your child and how much better his education and live will be growing up in a free society where he can thrive. Watch some videos from My Merry Messy Life, an American family with 4 kids. Best, Martin
Martin…as always…I value and appreciate your comments and sharing of your personal experiences. I always feel like I owe you some form of tuition after reading your comments because they’re so valuable and educational. Thanks a lot brother!
@@TreyDaze Thanks for that. I have lived and experienced so much in my live that I am happy to share it with whomever is interested in it.
I second that! Have been watching Hayley for a long time, she's awesome! :) My Merry Messy LIfe is great, too.
I don't understand where Haley gets that from. I went through school learning about slavery in the US during elementary, middle and high school. We went to a play about Harriot Tubman and I was from a small town in Kentucky. So even if she were to say rural schools don't teach it, I highly doubt that's true. Looking back, we were beat over the head on the subject.
I am a German and it's heart warming how you talk about our country. I offen just see the country's past.
PS you son is so cute
Germany’s past is not the Germany of today, Brilliant country brilliant people with a brilliant future. Not so sure about uk embarrassed to be British at the moment.
I really appreciate you advertising Americans of any color coming over, settling down, make a good living and be a part of german society. We are already the place to be while the reality of living in the US closes in to “the purge” movie by the day.
It feels like we escaped a nightmare. And we’re thankful to be here!
@@TreyDaze great to have you, and like minded folks. The “new world” stopped being “new” - ugly Germany turns out to be the cosmopolitan center we all wanted it to be.
I'm a native white male german and I´m really happy and proud that the vast majority of immigrants and refugees feel safe and respected in our country and it terrifies me to hear how things are still going on in the US. For me it doesn't matter where someone comes from or what they look like, only the character counts. If you are tolerant and respectful everything is ok. I have a lot of foreign friends here and abroad who think very much the same way and I'm proud of that, too. For some, I don't know exactly where they or their parents come from, because it just doesn't matter. In my eyes a multicultural society is an enrichment for me and my country!
But I see a great danger in the people who come to our country and don't respect our democracy, our values and our way of life. They are mostly young male immigrants from the Arab world. They believe in to be something better than others and that they are right because they are muslims and they behave racistly towards everyone else. Only Allah, the Coran and the Sharia count for them. They veil their sisters and mothers and forbid them to go to school or even go outside and have contact with people outside their own family to provide them from integration while they boast to each other about how many infidel sluts they have already fu**ed. And they despise me and spit at me when I tell them that in my eyes that is highly anti-social and absolutely unfair to the country that allows them to live in freedom and peace and feeds them. If I say something against them they call me a racist! The fact that my sister is an independent person whom I have nothing to dictate only confirms for them that I am weak and belong to the wrong religion, even if I don't think religiously but rather agnostically, which is even worse for them. But my word doesn't count for them or is wrong per se as long as I'm not a muslim. It simply must not be the case that e.g. (black) immigrants are afraid of not being respected and threatened by these lighter-skinned muslims because they are jews or christians! What these people are doing is racism towards all non-Muslims and is just unacceptable to me! If you want to live like this, see women and people of other faiths as subhuman and treate them like that, if you are absolutely intolerant, arrogant and presumptuous (and only because of your religion), then please do it somewhere else, where you are among your own kind! While I find it fundamentally horrible and absolutely wrong, I respect it if you choose to do so of your own free will.
I want everyone in my country to be equal and everyone to respect everyone and everyone to be able to live in peace and freedom! We must not allow such religious minorities to destroy or endanger our values, for which we have fought long and hard after our terrible history.
A German hip-hop lyric says something like: "Accept me, tolerate me or ignore me, but don't attack me, because then you lose yourself, then I lose myself and then we both lose!" And my parents taught me as a child: "If you don't want someone to do it to you, don't do it to anyone else either!" That can not be that hard to understand! I really wish for peace, freedom and harmony for the entire world! We are all of the same blood! Let's stand together against these uneducated, intolerant and presumptuous religious idiots to maintain a peaceful coexistence of all in freedom and dignity! Even if it's not possible all over the world, then at least here with us! ONE LOVE!
Cheers to that :)
I feel exactly the same… I hope very much, that mindset s like ours will withstand the challenges in the near future
Do you think the killing of two Germans last week in Ludwigsburg by a "refugee" from Somalia is an enrichment? No, I don't want all those killers and islamists in my country.
@@MetalisForever666 No, it is not. But what does Islamism have to do with skin color? What is decisive is the will to integrate and the acceptance of our free-democratic basic order.
I'm really happy about your experience and actually a bit proud. Especially about the part were you talked about east germany. I was born in Erfurt and lived in Leipzig for a bit. It always makes me a bit sad seeing that quite a few of fellow germans paint a extremly bad picture of former GDR states even when this country got reunited over thirty years ago.
Cool that you gave the people a chance and looked trough the prejudices!
I wish you and your family all the best.
BTW Leipzig is always worth a visit IMO, it's a beatuiful city. I would still live there if I hadn't gotten a perfect job in Hamburg.
Appreciate you speaking about this. My family is relocating to Germany. I came to visit in May and felt so at ease. Would love to connect with you and your family for our next visit!
Ciara!!!! Nice to meet you! You guys are gonna love it here! Do you mind if I ask where you guys are headed?
@@TreyDaze narrowing it down to Mainz and Stuttgart. We have friends from the states in both. Stuttgart only because of my partners line of work but Mainz is a whole vibe. The city is so friendly.
@@ciaraofcourse1 the area around Mainz is so beautiful - and has a lot to offer. Hope your move goes well and Herzlich willkommen!
@@sisuguillam5109 danke!!
@@ciaraofcourse1 😃
It is a huge misunderstanding:
There is a different meaning of racism in Europe as in USA: In the US racism is about the color of SKIN.
In Europe nobody don’t care about skin - there is a lot of racism here, but it is about CULTURE and this is a much different thing.
If you are from the US you have the same culture and meaning of life - therefore you may have no problems.
Love from Austria 🇦🇹🥰
True spoken.
If immigrants integrate to the culture of the country they live in they will have it much easier.
Thay can have their communities, but they should not live it and live in it.
That is a phenomenon that is consistant everywhere in the world.
... even for white expats in asia or africa. If you only live in your own bubble, you don't have to wonder if they treat you differently
@Sabine how long, since they migrated and are they living amongst other of their origin?
@Sabine I don't think I get your point.
So they get german education and learn professions in germany, succeed and then decide to move to the UK to find work over there?
Where is the point of rasism in that? I am not sure if I do get your statement correctly.
Besides... in nursing people from foreign country is often be preffered in germany. Reason for that is that culturaly several nationality do grow up more caretaking towards especially older people as germans do. Germany do have several recruitment programms in several countries for several different fields of professions becsuse they can't find germans willing or able to do the work.
P.s. before this last statement starts a discussion, I just want to say, although I am of german nationality and born and raised in germany, my antsisters came from southeast asia on both sides.
@Sabine dann lass uns auf deutsch schreiben, denn ich glaube wir reden aneinander vorbei.
Nur so nebenbei, ich bin Mitte vierzig. Und ja, wie ich schon schrieb "geboren und aufgewachsen"... das bringt mit sich, dass ich auch hier zur Schule gegangen bin.
Und jetzt nochmal auf Deutsch... was ist mit den Leuten aus Ghana?
Ließ dir bitte mal deinen eigenen Kommentar durch. Ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass du dich verhaspelt hast.
@Sabine p.s. Es spricht nicht gerade für Großbritannien eine Person als Anwalt einzustellen, der in Deutschland nur als Kloputzer qualifiziert ist.
Ich sag nur
Hey Trae, I am just happy that you and your family feel safe and comfortable here!! I hope when the day comes and you make your first negative experience in that context, I hope it won't be too bad and that you will have built a support network that you can fall back on.
I really hope y'all really find yourselves at Home a here.
Thanks Andre!
I would like to share a short story that highlighted racism in the US for me. My German-born dark-skinned girlfriend flew to the USA to visit her American dark-skinned girlfriend. She lives in Texas. So my girlfriend got a rental car at the airport. After a few clicks, a police car pulled up in front of her. She stopped and the policeman approached her with his gun drawn. She had to get out immediately and put her hands on the hood of the car. The policeman treated her very disparagingly and worthlessly. But suddenly the situation changed when the policeman realized through her German passport that she was German. Suddenly the policeman showed off his knowledge of German and even apologized. But it became even more interesting when the policeman was called and asked by the colleague if the person (my girlfriend) is white or black, the policeman said "Neither, she is German!". Thereupon my friend asked why he would be so friendly now. He replied, "... Because you are a German - Germans are always decent, clean and dutiful". (...) The story shows well how mendacious and prejudiced racism is.
everyone is welcome who wants to work and live in Europe, I have black neighbors are from Senegal, are great. very friendly and funny, we all like them.
Congrats. It's breathtaking to see an Afro Latino doing well and living happy in Germany. I'm a Nuyorican from Manhattan. I'm a middle age mother of 4. Two are still at home. We are living in hell right now. I pray every minute of the day from my children to just make it to and from school safe. My daughter started showing an interest in learning German and had been doing research on the universities in Germany. My main concern was "our kind are not welcomed in Germany". And then we come across your video. But what about the cost of living over there? And how does someone start the process of moving out there?
Sadly im a clueless student from germany, but i still like your comment in hope that it gets some attention. Hopefully someone that can help you properly sees it. The cost of living shouldnt be much different from the US, although it increased a little due to the Ukraine conflict. Surely there are some institutions that support cases like yours moneywise. In general University in germany is almost free, you only pay for a regionwide bus and train ticket, for me its around 300 Euros every 6 month and i pay a little over 100 euros for food every month.
And one thing is for sure, your concern is not needed at all, she wont be treated a single bit different from others, based on skin colour, ethnicity or else.
Easiest way to start with, just choose a university you like and contact them, you will surely get an answer on what to do, or where to start :)
If you or she has any other questions, feel free to ask, ill try to answer as much as i can (sorry for some bad wording)
WEEEPAAA!!! I’m here to help in anyway I can. The most difficult part about moving to Germany is the “getting here” part. Cost of living is like in the US…it’s all dependent upon where you live. We live in one of the more expensive cities in Germany (Stuttgart), but the benefits of being here or the other expensive city (Munich), are access to numerous companies. You will find several American based companies here. Do you mind if I ask you what you do career wise?
@@TreyDaze Health Clinic Record Keeper/Receptionist
@@LovinPeaceVibehello, is Health Clinic record keeper/ Receptionist, something like working on an Informationdesk, in an Hospital. Can you describe your Job, please?
@@LovinPeaceVibe Checkout USAJobs.gov! There are TONS of opportunities here! That will at least get you over here. Then once you’re here…you can get an idea of where you’d like to live.
When I was a teenager we lived in a village near Frankfurt with a population of about 7,000. That was almost 60 years ago and most people there had never seen a black person. I was at a dance and there was one black girl there and everyone wanted to dance with her. She was the most popular girl on the dancefloor.
Wow! I wish I could talk to her now and speak to her about her experience living here!
What really got me (not finished the video yet) is that you got nervous for your families` safety just staying in a town you don`t know. This really drives home what racism is about. Noone should ever worry about their safety because of their skin colour or nationality.
Interesting. You are right, but women all over the world have to fear for their safety wherever they go every day of their lives. It is funny, that racism is judged everywhere, while the omnipresent sexism is not woth mentioning. Sorry, did not mean this as attack, but I had to smile at your statement.
@@endlessstudent3512 Isn't it natural for anyone to feel a bit nervous about a new place? If you don't know the area you have to be more aware. It doesn't matter what your race or sex is.
@@ruthsaunders9507
Generally, not really.
But maybe it's because I'm used to traveling foreign countries since early childhood, so maybe I'm just used to getting thrown into areas that are completely different to my home country.
I'm generally calm and have never been afraid from the get go anywhere around the world (even in supposedly bad neighbourhoods).
I tend to judge situations independently from each other.
No reason to be afraid at all, until you notice that people start looking kinda off or something weird going on, which you can normaly already notice from afar (ex. how they look at you, facial expressions etc.). In that case, you can just avoid that situation altogether.
Being aware of a truck speeding with no sign of braking and potentially driving you over and being afraid of getting driven over while there are no cars anywhere close, are very different situations. :P
@@GoaDuFF I guess a persons personality and personal experiences will dictate a lot that. I've been all over and caution is always a good thing.
I just watched your video. I am considering a move to Germany and found this helpful. I’m very disappointed in the US and the direction it seems to be going. You really sold me on Germany and I’m glad you’re finally in a place that treats you the way you should be treated
Was stationed in Baumholder in the Army. Met some brothers who were contractors while on mission in Grafenwhoer. They were constantly trying to convince me to make the move out to Germany lolz. They pretty much said a lot of the things you’re saying. I loved my experience while stationed out there also. Beautiful country & people.
One thing that I always find interesting is that the US is the only country that I could name that puts such a big emphasis on "ethnicity" in the sense that it is considered a big part of your identity, part of the census, etc.
Contrast Germany, where ethnicity is not even part of our government documents (well, for obvious 1933-1945 related reasons).
It's also interesting that in the US, this created (and still creates) a very much "us vs them" culture, which you have also referenced to - "Trey, there's no black people there, you'll have issues"...as if only being among "your people/skin color" means you can be left alone or respected in a community.
Germany has problems with racism and hate crime, not going to deny it - but for us it is more based on behavioral patterns and religion, not skin color.
Circling back to that, we have a problem with religious fundamentalism, in our case mostly Islam (whereas the US can be considered having a pretty big Christian fundamentalism problem in certain regions) - but that doesn't mean that we don't respect other people's religion or that you can't be free in your beliefs.
The German expectation (mostly, and this goes for immigrants and locals likewise) is that we don't care how you look, speak or worship as long as you commit to adhere to our local rules, regulations, and cultural norms as much as possible. Concerning Islam, this means that nobody is going to bat an eye for you being a Muslim or following your religious traditions, as long as one simple, basic, and universal rule is respected: German law trumps religious law. If it's in the religion (Shariah Law for example), but not permitted in Germany, you won't make friends if you try to circumvent Germany's rules and acceptable behavior (regarding Women's rights for example).
As long as whatever you do can fit within the framework of our society, we really couldn't care less...
I personally work for the German Head Office of a US-led corporation that is basically everywhere on the planet, and this leads to a lot of "internal" migration being organized by the business. We have Black people, we have Indians, we have Pakistani, we have Russians or other Slavic people, we have Turks, we have Scandinavian People, Italians, Asians, the whole shebang - and all of those people that I have met have felt welcomed and integrated extremely well - the biggest hurdle was not racism, or culture shock, or religion, it was always the language. And that's how it should be in my opinion.
@kuldan5853 not sure what you mean by Christian fundamentalism problem in the US. The Salem witch trials were centuries ago and alcohol prohibition was overturned. The Amish and Mennonite communities live amongst themselves and do not go out to convert people. If you are talking about pushing back against crazy progressivism such as teaching people to be professional victims and not knowing what a woman is- then I’d say the country is in need of a change away from such ideology. If you want to blame the abortion debate on Christian’s then you are missing the point. You don’t have to be a Christian to disagree with abortion debate (too long of a debate to get into). I honestly don’t get your point?
@@nicoles9077 I was mainly aiming at the bible belt, Christian influence on politics in some states(for example this, while officially abolished, still happens in places: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_qualifications_for_public_office_in_the_United_States)
Then the obvious that you have to pledge allegiance to "one Nation under God", which in itself is an infringement on religious freedom.
Also the whole "teaching creationism in school and banning teaching about the evolutionary theory" that some areas do...
I actually did not mean it as a comment on current political events (that's a whole different shitshow).
Oh, and not forgetting all the hate spewn by fundamental Christians against "non-believers" in public, be it in shops, supermarkets, or anywhere else where they encounter stuff that clashes with their own religious beliefs.. It might only be mean comments most of the time, but it is still a problem.
@@nicoles9077 Even more to follow up with:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_discrimination_in_the_United_States
@@kuldan5853 dude I’m a 50 year old black woman who actually grew up in one of those Bible Belt states and I can say you sound like a typical left leaning Person who has a problem with some American traditions. You seem to forget that the US was mostly founded by religious individuals who were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. Christianity and Christian values are a part of American life. Most Americans don’t have a problem saying we are one nation under God because God was a part of our history for so long and we thank God for America. Problem is is that we have Americans (and plenty of foreigners)who hate this country for things that happened centuries ago and never give the country credit for changing. The US fought a civil war getting rid of slavery yet we have professional victims acting like we live in 1950”s America? Yes we have problems and we are not perfect, but as a 50 year old black woman not one time did a racist white person stop me from going to the library or studying. Asian Americans are the most successful ethnic group in America- that’s why people continue to come to this country. I’d say the biggest problem America has is fatherless homes and cultural rot because people have moved away from Christianity and/or spiritual grounding. When you have no spiritual grounding people fall for anything- victimhood mentally, government as a parent, not knowing the definition of a woman, just to name a few.
You really are to be congratulated for the wonderful, full-on way you tackle this subject of racism and how you rightly encourage people to take charge of their lives to improve their situations where they can, if they want. Listening to you, even tho I’m white and a retired person and living in Australia and a native German speaker, is just a pleasure.
The only time I’ve really experienced racism of a kind is on the Swiss rail system when I spoke high German and was rudely abused during ticket check in the 1970s/1980s as a Nazi. It was a problem for me because my family had been refugees fleeing the Nazis, so being called one didn’t sit well.
Thank you for your kind words! And thank you for sharing your experiences with us all. These kinds of conversations are pivotal!
Keep the awesome commentary and spreading of information going in the comments section guys! I really appreciate it and I know others appreciate it as well! 👍🏽
Let me ask you a question... How would it make you feel if we started sending masses of white people into Africa and all black countries and started overtaking and erasing away the native black culture and population? If the thought of it makes you uncomfortable, then you should know that that's exactly how white people feel when black immigrants are coming over to europe. Just because you didn't experience any overt racism towards you it doesn't mean people welcome you here. After all what people hate is mass immigration, and not the individual immigrants.
@@clownmazard8852 I hope everyone had an awesome day today! I made some amazing pasta and paired it with wine from the South of France!
@@TreyDaze I guess you will need this kind of humor from time to time. Love your anwere.
@@clownmazard8852 What has TreyDaze to do with Africa? However, just to inform you Hinterwaeldler: Europeans once sent masses of white people to Africa, overtook everything and erased native cultures - it's called colonialization, - and in particularly the Germans one towards the Nama and Herrero: Genozid! Did any "Non-white"-people EVER do Genozids in Germany? No wait, who did Genozids in Germanys? How could you sh*t out your stupidness so loudly in a commentary section, I don't get it.
I teared up when you said you had your guard automatically up entering this city in Germany. I always try to educate myself on this topic and it makes me more and more sensitive and so vulnerable I instantly start crying when I watch a movie about racism against black people. It hurts so much that the world cannot stop and learn from the past. Unfortunately I grew up in a very white environment and I never had any black friends but I do my best to support you!
As an AA, I was taken aback too because it’s so much apart of our conditioning to have your guard up in all or predominantly white spaces because one wrong move and you may find yourself jailed or dead. He’s absolutely right there are certain places I would NEVER go because I know how I’m going to be treated or I’m putting myself in danger. It’s still jarring to hear and say when you really think about how insane that is in this day and age but he’s right.
the best place you can help and support black people is in africa. a lot of black people there that will welcome your support.
Idk what is up with Germany, but as someone who isn't black but born in Guatemala, it'd be hella nice to not be stopped at clubs being asked if I know they're this or that, or distinctly stopped when trying to board planes. My boyfriend from Lithuania is always swabbed for drugs, I'm always asked for drugs if I'm at a music festival or at an event. Like people make a beeline for me. There is so much more i could write but I have not the energy for it. Even turkish Germans are feisty because they want to be respected and not seen as "other," and no. Not every turkish person has a knife not says "i'll stab you," and honestly, the tendancy to stare is extremely rude in many countries. The fact that Germans have made it socially acceptable to not greet anyone anymore or let an older person have their seat anymore is despicable - and then to see certain groups treated as though they naturally have a tendancy for violence, instead of the effect of being "othered."
Hi. New sub, here. I, a single Black woman, yt searched the idea of living in Germany and your content popped up. This was a really informative video. Thank you.
I’m interested in moving abroad but haven’t decided on where. I’m looking for a higher quality of life than I have in California. I work remotely in IT project management and would hope to continue to work in this field. I haven’t gone through your backlog of videos yet but I’m hoping to learn more about the move process and getting a job. I’ll be on the look out for more from you and others.
While I can't give you any specific pointers, I can say that IT professionals are quite saught after here.
Thank you, for sharing your experience living in Germany as a black American. It is very important to share that since Germans are STILL confronted with accusations being a Nazi or narrow mindedness. Hell, just look at Hollywood Movies and 'Murican' TV. The Germans are still the bad guys in 95% of all cases/characters.
I grew up in Germany - and yes, I am white albeit a "mut" of Pan-European decent - and have been married to my American wife - she is black from the Bronx - for 32 years now. We live in Vienna, Austria and have visited my folks in Germany quite often, specially since we had our two sons, and she is always so happy to be in Germany (the north mostly since that is where my folks lived) because she feels treated so respectfully and she likes the level-headed northern Germans demeanor very much. The Vienese are a lot like the New Yorkers, a little bad tempered and sometimes downright backhanded.
For the first 5years of our marriage and before our sons were born, we talked a lot about moving to NYC but we never did because ahe felt so much more comfortable over here. I never quite understood that until the day I went shopping for a black-tie function with my brother-in-law (who is just the coolest gu on earth!) and we walked into Macy's. My Brother stepped in the door two seconds behind me but I noticed that the security personell that had completely ignored ME all of the sudden moved towards brother-in-law. And then the strangest thing happened: When I turned around and spoke to him they moved away. I was shocked to experience that in the great "melting pot" of NYC.
Sure, there are some racists here in Germany and Austria but they are more Xenophobists that racists, meaning they dislike anybody foreign, white, brown, black or whatever tone of skin.
Assholes live everywhere but it seems to me there are less of them here than in the U.S.
Anyhoo, I am always delighted to see an asian or colored person in the parliament or police force or on TV that speaks the native dialect/venicular because it proves that the third reich is long and far behind us!
Please stay save and keep up the good work! All the best to you and may you never meet an asshole 😊
Thank you for sharing your awesome story and your awesome experiences with us Kai! My Dad is from the Bronx as well!
But Germany rarely acknowledges their colonial past. I vividly remember my history teacher justifying it by saying Africans should be grateful for being colonized. Like 80% of the population wasn’t killed during that time in Namibia for example
Immigration doesnt equal anti right politics tho. But i get your point
I still feel so bad for not having had the guts to shout out on you in Munich's Central Station that specific Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago! You're so respectful and appreciative, I'm happy having you here - I'd have liked to tell you this in person, but I failed in doing so..... SORRY! The next beer and Kinder Schokolade bar will be on me, promised!!!
No worries! We’ll see you again for sure! Take care!
When you look different you stand out of the crowd and get looks.
When you behave as a normal person you will probably have a normal life.
There are always idiots who might give you a hard time.
Agree 100%.If i as a white guy visit an African country i will surelly get looks because i am different to them,but this doesn't mean they hate me or something.It's a completely normal reaction and it doesn't have to mean people are being racist.
A lot of young Germans don`t appreciate living here. So hearing your perspective and how you experience the country and people makes me really happy.
Also reading comments from other black people who decided to move to Germany and haven`t really experienced racism over years, is great! A lot of non-Germans still think we`re all racists, but the majority definitely isn`t.
Thanks for posting this. My husband and I are a black/latino couple and we’re thinking of moving to Germany at the end of the year. As the black person in the relationship, im way more nervous about it than him. I’ve been to France, Italy and the UK and didn’t experience a lot of racism (more in Italy than anywhere else, but still honestly pretty mild) - but I wasn’t sure about how Germany would compare.
Also, you mentioned that the logistics of moving to Europe were difficult. Would you mind making a video about how you guys prepared for your move and some of the things we need to consider/plan for?
The outside of people may look different but blood is red everywhere, joy is joy everywhere, love is love everywhere. The essential is invisible to the eyes.
Germany needs nurses, teachers, handymen and people who want to learn a profession. But it is important to learn German. That might be the biggest hurdle.
Tbh, what we especially need here are people willing to have a family, favourably with more than 1 child, that want to live here. And yes, learning German is what leads to having the most success here, I think.
Trey,
Great video.
I’ve lived in many places in the US and I’ve experienced racism (I’m black, can’t be mistaken for anything else) ALL over the US. I retired from the military and moved to Germany late 2019. Never really did any tours in Europe so thought Germany was a central enough jump off point.
I live in a former part of East Germany and this is the SAFEST I’ve ever felt in my life. I don’t feel apprehensive at all walking around the city. Sometimes, I think what little German language skills I have will get me in trouble, but the folks here appreciate that I’m trying and correct me as politely as ever. That’s what I worry about!!!
I haven’t been able to make it back to the US since I moved here but I have one planned to tie up a few loose ends. I’m not renting a car. It’s going to be challenging but that’s an easy price to eliminate the chance of being stopped for “driving while black.” In the past, my military ID was enough to just get a ticket/warning. However, after what happened in VA, to a service member in uniform, in December 2020, I’m not taken any chances.
Beyond that trip and the occasional birth of a new family member, I have no desire to be back in the US. I was once told to love it or leave it, and so I gladly chose the latter.
Anyway, rant over. Hope this post found you well! 🤓
Looking forward to more content.
That video in VA was unreal!!! Glad to hear you are enjoying Germany! The quality of life is way better here for folks that look like us!
I am also a mixed breed, (Jamaica/German) born 1979, in Frankfurt-Höchst. Since then I have been living in the same small town with currently almost 5000 inhabitants. I've never had a problem with racism in any way.
We have all kinds of nationalities here in the region and have done so for decades.
I often hear that Berlin is not nearly as open as Frankfurt. Whether lesbian, gay, foreigner or simply thinking differently.
Nice to meet you Denise! Thank you for sharing your experience! Take care!
Uhhmm Denise, now im a bit baffled here? What the heck has your "breed" to do with the topic?? Meaning you , if i got that right , have a german passport, german citicenship , so the hell, to my understanding you are in fact a German as everybody else regardless of your "breed" . If you are born here in Germany , raised here, and lived here ,regardles of your colour or whatever else, you are a German, simple as that......
@@michaelstramm2366 Hm, I get Denise very well. Very valuable contribution, right on spot.
You have heard wrong. In Berlin (town, not the outskirt-villages), gay or lesbian pairs of all colors and mixes can make-out in the middle of the street and no one bats an eye.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. As a German I wouldn’t ever really say I’m “proud” of my country (due to obvious historical reasons I feel like that’s almost a bit of a cultural taboo here, which is fine, in fact one of the things I love about Germany is that we acknowledge our past and try to learn from it in the present). But I am very happy that your experience and others experiences in Germany (judging from the comments) have overall been positive. I definitely think there is still room for improvement. Obviously there’s still racists in Germany just as there are hateful people pretty much everywhere and there’s definitely still an issue with micro aggressions, like people not being very educated on different cultures, not knowing how to act around people different from themselves or not understanding the concept of cultural appropriation (I’ve definitely seen some very offensive Faschings costumes and heard some pretty ignorant, stereotyped takes on other cultures). Another thing might be that a lot of Germans generally have a quite acerbic, dark sense of humor, so they might make offensive jokes but not mean any real harm. They just generally make jokes about anyone or anything because the concept of “political correctness“ is less widespread. Generally, if a German roasts you in a kinda offensive way, it probably means they like you and are comfortable enough around you to be their weird, problematic self.
But yea, coming from a white German who as spent a considerable amount of time in America around friends of color, I think the difference is that a lot of the racism in Germany is less systemic. Like yes some people are really stupid and say stupid things and we definitely need to do better and prevent them from gaining more power, but there’s less of a threat of actual violence and oppression behind it. Like, in Germany I’ve never had to worry whether me and my best friends (who happen to be Native American) are going to be accosted by police simply for resting in our car at a rest stop (something which has happened multiple times in America with cops searching the car for drugs bc my friends are brown I guess). I don’t have to worry whether someone I care about could be assaulted by police at a peaceful protest (again something which has happened in America). I do hope America will change but I also hope that your video will encourage more people to come to Germany (we could use more diversity tbh) and I hope that when they do they feel safe and welcome. Honestly, I feel white America could learn a thing or two from Germany in terms of how to acknowledge your horrific genocidal past. Still can’t believe that when I went to US college they had a special even on Columbus Day to explain why Columbus shouldn’t be celebrated and a bunch of people were honestly shocked like it was news to them. And I was like: yeah we learned about that in my German high school?! Like why didn’t you?!
why wouldnt you be proud? this was a great country to live in besides 1933-1945 and then east germany 1948-1990. and 1915-today.
besides that rcism actually didnt exist. prejudice is emerging since 2015 thanks to radical left policies and not integrating new folks into society.
Why can't germans be proud of there country? yes, we had really bad years under hitler where things happened in germany, that hopefully never hapen again anywhere, but this time was 15 years out of over 1000 years of history. My city i grewed up is over 1200 years old and has a lot of history and the only think that kept in mind is the Concentration Camp Dachau. There are a lot of thinks in german history we can be proud of. I am proud to be a bavarian (german)! I'm proud of my hometown Dachau. And that fucking nazi time.... we can't change the past, but we can do it better, and in my opinion, we do, like the video proofs. So we can be proud that people of color love to live in germany nevertheless our bad history.
And yes, it's still racism in germany, but its impossible to get it to zero. If you are that much people, you allways have a minimum percentage of idiots and assholes. But we can hold it by a minimum if we learn from our past, how we did I think, and raise/educate our kids in a open minded way. I think apart from this small percentage of idiots is germany a very welcoming country. For me, every one who is willing to work and is willing to integrate, is welcome in germany. I only don't like foreigners, who came to get unemployment benefits, but I also don't like germans which only want the benefits.
@@da_flore3746 lets be frank, ww2 was disaster, but things like this happend throughout history. communists did the same. isil today. african massakers of white farmers.
but corrupt politicians force this narrative that only germans did bad things in history and brainwash people.
Hey Trey, I really wasn't sure what to expect in the comments but I gladly admit I've been so positively surprised with all the wonderful positive and loving mindsets, shared experiences and so on. I've had my own lists of topics to mention here but looking through the comments I see all of them more than named and explained.
What an amazing video, thank you for that I really appreciate it.
Nevertheless I also know that racism is real in Germany, in another extension than it is in the US probably - at least given by your statement and from what I've seen in news etc but maybe we have a more open discussion about it than the US is having. And maybe the reason for that is our past with Nazi Germany and our will to overcome that part of our history... another big difference concerning violence is the gun laws, you'll hardly get one in Germany while you're able to buy one in close to every store in the US.
In the end I'm really glad you're feeling that welcome and safe here. Germany has some issues but it's still a very good place to be.
Have a nice weekend!
Leon
Coming from a (white) German, as you said, racism definitly exists in Germany. I grew up in a really culturally diverse area and remember my non-white friends telling me about things like racial profiling and stuff like that. It often sounded more subtle than what I saw on American media.
The guy on Twitter is correct. Germany never had a large black population, but this results in forms of racism, that is more connected to bigger minorities in Germany (meaning Turkish and Russian folks). So it often is not only about skin color, but more about your culture/origin, which results more into Islamophobia and hate towards other white folks (eastern European specificly). This racism is something you might pass out on once people realize you are American because, they might consider you "western" and culturally closer/less foreign to them.
Think it's less racism than fear of foreigners.
It's gone from the eastgerman refugees to sudetendeutschen to Americans after the war. To the italien Gastarbeiter "Itaker". To the russian-german-resettlers. To the turkish immigrants.
There are allways resentiments when big groups of foreigners come to settle and change your culture. I wouldn't call that racism because multiple of those groups are no different race, but more fear of the foreign. When i think to the 60s to 80s, when a bunch of Italien people came to work here and therefor started to live here. They were clearly accepted as workers but the Immigration was seen as problem and partially is till now as some of them still dont speak german. Nontheless italia was the most beloved country for vacation and Pizza and Spaghetti got to be more or less "german" food over time - as Döner and türkish based food later on. I think you could say we just dont like visible and dominant minorities especially because of the immigrant youths within their battle of getting adult and accepted - when i think to my youth, you really didnt want to go where all those "russians" were. They overtook some really nice clubs. Then they grew up and you had the turkish problem - that you cant start an argue with one of them because you would get overrun by his whole family and friends. And when there are no foreign youths you dont like it's the own - when i think of how Punks were seen back then...
Racial profiling is just a statistical necessity.
Racial Profiling is systemic racism tho, that means the cops themselves arent racist, government politics Just target specific groups of people
A few days ago I read a news magazine article about a black female politician who is now becoming the first black female minister in a German state parliament. Aminata Toure was born in Germany 29 years ago as the daughter of refugees from Mali.
She was elected to the parliament of Schleswig-Holstein (SH), the northernmost federal state of Germany, for the first time five years ago, at the age of only 24 years old. Now she is going to enter the state's government at the age of 29 years.
(I thought this may be interesting in the context of the topic of this video)
I like Aminata Toure, she is smart!
Glad to have you as a fellow citizen. Greetings from Frankfurt
(where every second person has a migration background 😊)
Thanks a lot Harry!
I'm glad that you feel welcomed here. I grew up in a small village with people who, at least back then, were racist. Being a blonde, blue-eyed girl, I didn't realise it at that time. But thinking back, there were clearly moments, we treated black people in a way that is not okay.
I feel like people become more open-minded, the more contact they have with different people. I was shocked when my parents called me, I told them about my American fellow student and she started to cry. I was really worried about her (so were my parents) because I thought I offended her or said something bad. She told me that she was used to being called African-American (and didn't mind it) and was feeling overwhelmed by just being called "American". I don't feel like I can understand that but I was happy I didn't say anything bad.
The second time I got goosebumps was when a black guy told me he likes Germany, because here he doesn't have to be afraid of the police.
Second video I've watched now and I'm super impressed by your extremely positive attitude / take on life in general. Quite frankly, I'm convinced you'd enjoy a lot of places just because of your attitude. You certainly seem like a "glass half full" kind of person. I'm super happy you like it here and I hope you can encourage a few more cool people like yourself to take the leap of faith. ;-)
I have a couple black friends born and raised in Germany and their takes are a little different, unfortunately. They tend to point out a lot of the "subtle racism"
that can happen on the day to day in Germany, e.g. you're shopping in a supermarket and a clerk gives 20 people a pass and then wants to check THEIR bag and the only noticeable difference between the other 20 people and them was the color of their skin... or the police going through a train and not asking anyone for their ID but then they do so with the one colored person. 😞
So I think we still have a long way to go, but at least it appears like things are getting better.
It's comforting to hear that racism is ending in some parts of this world. Peaceable people are doing what is right.
Hi Trey,
I'm here thanks to the algorithm, but I really like your videos that I've seen so far. First off, I'm a white-as-they-come german Kartoffel, so _I_ don't experience (systemic) racism; but I've got many POC friends, and so I've got that second hand experience. I think your perspective is a little skewed for one of the best reasons: You come from a country where the colour of your skin alone marks you as "less" in many white people's eyes, to a country where being American alone gives you a priviledged status, especially in the areas that were under US occupation after WWII (iirc Stuttgart also had a US base). I myself am from Frankfurt, and I was ingrained with a deep respect for the United States military. So, as soon as you open your mouth and it's clear you're not from Africa, but America, most people will treat you differently. I'm sad to say, german racism today is more about nationality than ethnicity, and "arabic" (in the very widest sense) people have it far more difficult than black US citicens. Which is not to say that "being black" is no reason for harassment or abuse...
An anecdote from a couple of weeks ago: I was at a gas station and had to change position. when I drove backwards, I nearly hit a woman that I had not seen before. I immediately got out, made sure she was okay, and apologized for the scare. She went inside, and I was still pumping when she came out again and headed straight for me. She _thanked_ me for treating her like a human being, and I was a little dumbfounded. Her skin was a couple shades darker than yours, and she told me that she worked as a nurse in a large hospital in Hannover, and how often she was treated as less, or like she were dumb, because of her skin (side note: no accent at all, so it was not like she was an immigrant as far as I could tell). By patients, not coworkers, but still, that made me so sad, I did not know what to tell her.
I wish for a world where each person is judged on their own merit, not any prejudice based on how they look or where they're from, but I think we still have a long way to go. Maybe some steps less this side of the pond, and I think the United States has gone nuts and will get worse before it gets better, but still.
I am happy you and your family can feel welcomed and at home in Stuttgart, and yes, I'll follow your channel. :)
Have an awesome week, Ade!
Nice to meet you and I really appreciate you for sharing your story and personal experiences/interactions. Hopefully people read this!
Hi
I‘m a white, German woman.
I love reading/ watching about experiences of POC in Germany. Thank you for that.
I don‘t really know any POC, so I don‘t have any experiences with their treatment here, but I always hope that we are not a racist bunch in general. There are situations and circumstances where you do can experience racism… or something similar. But I do think it‘s more about intelligence or money, rather then skin color.
I was born in Poland and came here when I was 3. I remember people treating my Mother like some stupid idiot, just because she could not speak perfect German. And she is white. But she came from Poland. Back then at least people looked down on countries from the east/ poorer countries.
I don‘t know for sure, but I can imagine that a black man from Ghana for example will be treated differently than a black man from the US. BUT if both of them speak tolerably good German, then they both get treated normally.
What I can warn you about is the German stare. We are a curious people and we will stare at you if we find you interesting. Some people don‘t see POC a lot, so they will stare at you like you were an exotic animal at a Zoo. We do not mean it in a bad way tough. We are just intrigued. Some of us would even like to talk to you, but are just too shy to say something. Say hallo and maybe you will gain a friend. We are nice, but need some time to warm up.
One other thing: I do agree that Germany is a safe country. From what I read on the internet or hear in videos, a woman in the US can‘t go alone outside in the dark? I never experienced this here. I lived in small towns, in the country snd in big cities like Hamburg and Stuttgart. I was never afraid to go out alone for a stroll or to party. I can‘t imagine living in fear like that.
Hope you will have a good life here. All the best to you
Edit: one more thing I‘ve just remembered. Have you ever heared of Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi? He was a black man, who had a German Mother and a Liberian Father. He was born in 1926 in Hamburg/ Germany and lived through WWII in Germany, then he moved to the US. He wrote a book about his experiences as a black kid in Nazi Germany. I don‘t know if this is true and I can‘t remember where I‘ve got this from, but supposedly he once said that he never experienced as much racism in Germany, as he did in the US.
It's so nice that you enjoy it here so much. I'm very happy for you and I hope that this country won't disappoint you. Watching your videos make me appreciate living here more.
I actually wanted to watch this video to get more aware towards racism happening in the country I live in. But I'm very glad to hear that you didn't experience racism here. As a white guy, not knowing a lot of black people, I can never really tell if there truly is as little racism here in Germany, or if this is just me experiencing my privilege.
Idk what is up with Germany, but as someone who isn't black but born in Guatemala, it'd be hella nice to not be stopped at clubs being asked if I know they're this or that, or distinctly stopped when trying to board planes. My boyfriend from Lithuania is always swabbed for drugs, I'm always asked for drugs if I'm at a music festival or at an event. Like people make a beeline for me. There is so much more i could write but I have not the energy for it. Even turkish Germans are feisty because they want to be respected and not seen as "other," and no. Not every turkish person has a knife not says "i'll stab you," and honestly, the tendancy to stare is extremely rude in many countries. The fact that Germans have made it socially acceptable to not greet anyone anymore or let an older person have their seat anymore is despicable - and then to see certain groups treated as though they naturally have a tendancy for violence, instead of the effect of being "othered."
@@Ian-dn6ld I'm sorry you're experiencing that. I've seen many times how people with turkish roots especially get associated with anti-social behavior, which I see as a big problem. Especially since they are a very big part of the german population.
This was very interesting to hear from a German perspective. I grew up in Berlin so having black kids around wasn't anything unusual for me and they never got teased because of their skin color either.
My grandpa once told me a story - he worked as a coal miner in the Ruhrgebiet and once they had People from Ghana there who came as migrant workers. One of the other coal-miners referred to them as n-words (which had another connotation in german at the time and was used in a non-pejorative way) which irked the other guys because they found it to be anti-collegial to single them out for their skin color since they were in this tough job together. Then my grandpa basically said "or do you want us to refer to you as whitey, huh?" and everybody laughed at that.
I think this perfectly summarizes german mentality - help your community, don't be a jerk and you'll be accepted, no matter who you are!
Thank you for sharing your story with me! Can’t wait to checkout Berlin!
gotta say i love your bachground wall! and your videos of cause! glad you like it here in germany, we're honored to have people like you contributing to this country :D love from a fellow musical lover!
Hey JJ! Thanks for your kind words! My Wife and I are trying to see Hamilton performed in German sometime this year or next year! Much love to you and take care!
The first sentence in our german constitution "The human dignity is untouchable" .But lose YOUR typical "american thinking " in color of skin .It doesn't matter in Germany.I wish you all the best.
As a german I'm so happy that you feel welcomed in Germany. That actually makes me kind of proud of my country.
Idk what is up with Germany, but as someone who isn't black but born in Guatemala, it'd be hella nice to not be stopped at clubs being asked if I know they're this or that, or distinctly stopped when trying to board planes. My boyfriend from Lithuania is always swabbed for drugs, I'm always asked for drugs if I'm at a music festival or at an event. Like people make a beeline for me. There is so much more i could write but I have not the energy for it. Even turkish Germans are feisty because they want to be respected and not seen as "other," and no. Not every turkish person has a knife not says "i'll stab you," and honestly, the tendancy to stare is extremely rude in many countries. The fact that Germans have made it socially acceptable to not greet anyone anymore or let an older person have their seat anymore is despicable - and then to see certain groups treated as though they naturally have a tendancy for violence, instead of the effect of being "othered."
You should be proud of your country I would be, if I was German I am British and embarrassed.🇬🇧❤️🇪🇺
White Austrian here. Thing is, it's considered lowclass and bad-mannered to be openly racist. As such, you might have people make racist jokes to their friends and family but be perfectly polite in public, because otherwise they would look bad. Obviously, I am Austrian, but I think this applies to Germany as well. Your kid, however, might face some bullying in school. Kids have not yet learned how to be polite, but they do hear what their parents and family say. Parents will assure you, their child did not hear it from them, though... 🤣
I think it is more of an Autrian thing to be fake polite. My friends of Germany are way more direct and honest with their thoughts than my fellow Austrians ;)
"Racist Jokes" doesnt equal racism thats a Bad Line of thought
Now AUSTRALIA HAS A THICK GERMAN BACKGROUND BUT IS VERY VERY VERY RACIST! You can’t hide racism too long it’s like a virus once it sets in it spreads. Lived there for YEARS all black family baby sat by a old white couple - never one problem! Not until I came to america - it’s a lot of other whites that want it to symbolize the Nazi times- even Americans trying to revamp it. Nazi didn’t even treat blacks bad it was blacks helping Jews, Hitler shook Jesse Owens had at the Olympics and allowed blacks to play…so to try and sow a seed that it’s racist? Yet non of those racist people came to the comments to deter blacks from moving there; says a lot ….but i side eye a lot so that just me
To also add Wisconsin the state and Minnesota have Rich German heritage but we see from the news those are Americanized Germans - they also have a lot of black and white issues like Australia.