Let me tell you a story about the time I tried to join a German-American club in the USA 😐😂😅This situation really hurt me at the time but I am glad that it happened so I was able to avoid wasting my time and money on people that do not care for me or accept me 😒Like I stated in the video- it is so crazy to me that we live in a hyphenated America. Where everyone and everything is labeled as "something else". A lot of people think this is good but for me it just adds on another layer of division. If something like this has happened to you.. Just know there are plenty of people out there that are cheering for you and rooting for you- NO MATTER WHAT 💕
U have such a good way of describing your experiences, it is very pleasant to listen to, even when it's something bad that happened to u. Thanks for sharing this. I can relate in some amount living as none german in germany.
And the hyphenation is always based on blood. And it is very pick and match. And it is inherently racist. And aMerIcaN-gErmAnS will always be laughed out of the door when they try to pull that card in Germany.
Scheinbar waren es ja noch nichteinmal Deutsche: Nur irgendwelche Ur-Ur-UR-Enkel von irgendwelchen deutschen Einwanderer, die dort nichteinmal die Deutsche Sprache in Ehren halten. Da dürfte Haley schon jetzt 10x deutscher sein als diese elitären Heuchler ;-)
Deutsch sein ist eine Frage der inneren Einstellung. Hautfarbe, sexuelle Orientierung oder Religion sind dabei egal. Du als offener Weltbürger bist mir hier in Deutschland jederzeit wieder willkommen. Eure Rassisten brauche ich hier nicht, egal wo Ihre Urgroßeltern geboren wurden. Leider können diese Leute das hier nicht lesen.
Einfach nur traurig... Sie möchten dich nicht annehmen, obwohl du besser Deutsch sprichst als die meisten Mitglieder! Doppel-Moral auf dem höchsten Level. 🤔
NA ja, ich kenne einige Deutsche Clubs in Usa..( Florida) und wenn sie hier wählen dürften, wäre das super Futter für die AFD, die jüngeren Mitglieder haben in der Regel Deutschland verlassen, weil es ihnen hier ja nicht mehr Deutsch.. genug ist. die Ältern, nun ja, da ist man schnell in der " Adolf war doch nicht nur schlecht.. Dazu kommt, das viele Deutsche in USA, auch nur in Deutschen Kreisen verkehren, bei meinen Bekannten in USA.. wenn 10 mal das Telefon klingelt, können sie 9 mal Deutsch sprechen.
THEY are not even Germans xD maybe german heritage But not considered Germans over here. I consider you WAY more german then them. You Hayley represent what I want Germany to be. Nice, opendminded and kindhearted :)
@@kocoloris3337 I found it easy enough, when testing it. But then I am German, I grew up in the German school system and I am now working for the German state - I really should be able to complete it.
@@franhunne8929 I meant it that way. They ask for things you would know as a good pupil from a german school after 10 or 12 years. But they don't ask things an immigrant should know, when he is well integrated.
@@tullio0 i Think they are pointless, none the less. Being hard does not make a Test good. When you can learn for it, it basically proofs my point. You sit down like in school and learn, only that it has little to do with your actual life. And they don't proof anything that way. You could also pass it because you learned it, despite being totally in opposition to its purpose.
Ich rege mich gerade so sehr auf! Ich hasse diese alten Schachteln, die mit ihrem Rassismus alles umhauen. Ich möchte dich umarmen und dir sagen, dass alles gut wird, dass es genug Menschen gibt, die super gerne mit dir befreundet wären (hier, hallo, wink :D ) und denen es für eine Freundschaft nicht wichtig ist wie du aussiehst, was du trägst, wo du herkommst usw. Ich glaub wir alle, die deine Videos schauen, haben dich echt lieb. :)
Das Absurdeste daran ist doch, dass es in Amerika passiert ist. Soweit ich weiß hat Hayley noch über keine größeren Rassismus Probleme in Deutschland berichtet. Stattdessen meinen irgendwelche Amerikaner, die so absolut nichts mit Deutschland zu tun haben außer entfernte Verwandte, sie müssten jemanden aufgrund seiner Hautfarbe davon ausschließen die deutsche Kultur zu mögen?
Oh mein Gott, du bist so sehr viel mehr Deutsch als diese Rassisten. Das erste Grundrecht Artikel 3 (1): "Niemand darf wegen seines Geschlechtes, seiner Abstammung seiner Rasse, seiner Sprache, seiner Heimat und Herkunft, seines Glaubens, seiner religiösen oder politischen Anschauungen benachteiligt oder bevorzugt werden. Niemand darf wegen seiner Behinderung benachteiligt werden". Wenn sie nicht einmal den Grundrechten folgen, sind sie ein Klub deutschen Blutes oder so etwas, welches genauso rassistisch klingt wie sie sich geben. 🤢
Well let's not paint the United States with too broad of a brush. I personally do not believe racism is a systemic part of U.S. culture. I do believe that there is a segment of US society, perhaps a significant segment, who still harbor racism in their hearts but it certainly is NOT every American. These women who Hayley encountered certainly were racist and prejudiced and bigoted but you can't simply conclude from that experience that the United States overall is a racist country. I also agree with Hayley on the whole hyphenated thing being divisive. My mother was German, 100%, she was born and raised in Germany and came to the U.S. to stay for a time with an uncle living here. She was going to learn a little English, then return home and continue with her German life. But she met my dad and ended up staying here. She never became a U.S. citizen though. So that makes me half German. I've been to Germany many times to visit my extended family over there and have considered pursuing dual citizenship. But I don't consider or call myself a German-American. I'm an American because this is where I was born and raised. I'm proud of my German heritage but I'm an American. African-Americans don't do themselves any favors either with that term. You are Americans ... stop setting yourselves apart. Be proud of your African heritage but be an American. An aside ... I hate that the term "American" has come to mean someone from the United States. America is a continent, not a country. It's unfair to all the other countries of the North/South American continent that everyone just considers an American to be someone from the U.S. But United States is sort of an unfortunate name choice for a country in a way. A citizen of Germany can call themselves a German. A citizen of Canada, a Canadian. But what does a citizen of the United States call themselves? A US-er? A United Stater? I suspect that's sort of why the American term was taken to denote a U.S. citizen.
@@HayleyAlexis It´s like with the " Nazis " in the US. They dont speak any complete german sentence but saying Nazi stuff.... Just abosulty stupid.....
Are we sure these womens ancestors didn't accidentally miss Argentina in 1945 and that's how they landed in the US? "I'm German but I don't speak German" my a**. Try this in France and you'd get even better reactions.
That’s the vibe I am getting, too. 😬 The only thing missing from the creepy girl‘s speech was „I am a direct descendant of Adolf Eichmann! I don’t even have to condescend to talking to something like you! 😤“
I know a French person who literally said "If a French person speaks a foreign language without a French accent, this person has a problem with his/her frenchiness"
I find it funny that they claim that f.e. their great great grandmother was german, but conveniently leave out all the other genetic and ethical influences that came with all the other ancestors...
Genau!!! White supremacy club clinging to the flimsiest excuse of ancestral heritage as cover and justification, while completely failing to appreciate or respect its Zeitgeist and current social values most Germans have learned from their painful history. America, sadly, sorely needs some of those lessons. I say this as an American who was blessed with the experience of being an exchange student to West Germany in the mid-198's. Coasting on nationalistic arrogance and the myth of "American Exceptionalism" are not cutting it. "Traurig," indeed!
Americans don’t get that just because their ancestors were German, that doesn’t automatically make them German. Learn the language, learn the history, the culture & the geography of Germany (No Paris is not in Germany!) and then we’ll talk about it again. They don’t know a single German word, they still think Hitler is our leader but they identify themselves as “German”... this is just so wrong and so triggering on so many levels. It’s also really offensive. If you’re born and raised in America and don’t know anything about Germany, simply don’t call yourself German. You’re clearly an American. I don’t care about that DNA test that says “you’re 22% German”, Karen... especially when you don’t even know basic German.
Everyone knows geography. Millions upon millions of USA soldiers are stationed and rotating throughout Germany each YEAR. Germans need to stop acting racist against other groups born in Germany. Stop calling people Turkish when they are born and raised in Germany.
@@ryanlambert5735 I agree Ryan. But that’s my point. If you were born and raised in Germany or even if you were born in another country but raised in Germany, you are German to me. I don’t care what you look like, what your ethnicity or skin colour is like. Someone who lives in America and does a DNA test that claims they’re “20% German” is definitely not German to me. They might be “German” ethnically but their Nationality is definitely not German (because they don’t live in Germany, they live in the US).
Other to contrary belief, Germany is a very language based society. If you speak the language, especially if you speak it flawlessly. You are more a German than someone who does not speak it and just claims heritage. Whenever someone comes up to me in the states claiming to be German I either expect a citizenship or language skills. Heritage... meeeeh.
It's not so much flawless german (where do you hear flawless standard german except on TV) as natural german. I recently met a very dark skinned woman (i would guess african, not african-american heritage) that talked german with a noticeable regional dialect. Instantly categorised as german in my brain.
@@tbk2010 Makes me think of Charles Huber who played a detective in Der Alte and speakes with a noticable Bavarian accent. He's instantly categorised as Bavarian in my mind.
@@tbk2010 Same here! If I encounter a dark Skinned woman who talks with a heavy foreign accent, my brain goes "immigrant". If the same women starts to talk Swabian, my brain goes "German". It's the most trustworthy marker of who is German and who isn't. Reminds me of a story someone told me once...said someone was living in Stockholm, and being dark skinned, he snapped at a co-worker because he asked where he was coming from. And then said co-worker clarified that he was asking because the accent indicated that both of them were from the same area of Sweden, and he wanted to check if that was true. I guess they were both very embarassed after that incident.
That is true for Sandra Bullock and Hailey. Once you got a regional twang in your speech pattern, you will immediately become recognized as local. Germany is anything but culturally unified. If we had to agree on a national dish(Döner aside) we would immediately erupt in a civil war. I would be fighting for the proud Käsespätzle Union against the vile Labskaus Federation. The Swiss have this concept locked down. They call themselves a Willensgemeinschaft. And that also describes Germany. Cultural unity can't be it for very obvious reasons. That's been argued since the 1820s and it did lead nowhere. And Hailey is so Munich you could start building statues to her around the Odeosnplatz and nobody would bat an eye. Live in Germany? Wanna be German? Wanna participate in the Great German Circlejerk? In Mutter Beimer we trust? Welcome to the team, schwesti/brudi.
"Is anyone from your family German?" - "No" - "Well that's obvious!"... Hahaha wtf, coming from people that probably never visited Central Europe, they would be soooo shocked seeing how "mixed" it is over here. Wow... Just... Wow Liebe Grüße Half Jamaican /Half German
Yeah, I know alot of people in Germany that have Asian, Turkish, African, mixed etc parents but are completely German unlike those womean from this stupid club. So it is not obvious Haley is not German from her looks.
"Fun" part about it is that there were a lot of post war american-german children with afro-american fathers. So a German may have a dark skin tone due to this, and even be "more" german-american than some of the club members. So these club members were not only ignorant to German history, but to US American history, too. I would also consider People like Günther Kaufmann, Roberto Blanko, or Nelson Müller, to just name a few example, "true German" for sure. And even without a German passport -- which I'm rather sure you would be able to get easily if you wanted, unlike the club members you dealt with -- I surely consider you "honorary German"
*Hayley - I'm so very sorry for you being treated like that by those racists.* As a German literally with German parents, grand and grand-grand parents those *self announced Germans* pisses me off 🤮(sorry for being harsh). *You're very welcome here in Germany* and be aware, that people thinking and talking about skin colour like they did are more like a nazi party kind of members, so don't even worry about not joining this club. By the way, me being white 🤷🏼♂️ I like very much to lay in the sun for some brownish complexion (hope this word fits to "Teint" or french "teinte", got it from a translator) All the best to you - take care!!! 🤗
A lot of Nazis probably would be envious of my "pure" family tree, so I feel qualified enough to confirm that you are 100% correct with everything you just said! ^^ (Although I wouldn't join you on laying in the sun because all I get is sunburn.)
Ironic part, even in biologic school book during Nazi time we weren't considered "white" but "brown". Scandinavians for example where considered "white".
God - that sucks on so many levels!!! In the US, I usually thought it strange, if people would tell me that they are 1/8th German. Sure, they mean nice and want to relate, but they did not have an iota of German knowledge inside of them. Also, I was sometimes confronted with "Ah - you're from Germany! My aunt is fluent in German - you have to meet her!" When I met that respective aunt, she could not utter more than "Guten Tag" and that was it. So, among all these pretentious Americans, who try to be German you are the light in the darkness! You are more German than they ever will be (if you want to be any German at all - I would prefer to be a citizen of Europe or even better of the globe). PS: You are a true ambassador for Germany with your videos, way more than most Germans would ever be
As if you do not do that to Turks? Um what about Australians that are 1/8th German? Or Canadians, or New Zealanders? Or South Africans? Argentinians? Mexicans? Brazilians?
The language is one of the main things to really identify with a culture. My great grandfather immigrated from Turkey to Germany but I don´t identify myself as turkish because I don´t speak the language and have no other strings attached to that culture. That woman is probably just racist and didn´t hear about the Nazi-Regime being over.
That's what really confuses me.... i'm the same but with France (although i have the french nationality and not german) i see myself as German and not french and i think it's the same for most first/second generation imigrants... yet in the US even if you're so far removed from a country you still claim it's part of you
The problem is that adjectives like German could mean different things: culture, nationality, ethnicity, etc. You could be German in only one of those things and call yourself German anyway and you will be technically correct i guess. Some people consider that ethnicity is more important than other things. Those people are usually huge assholes though. Also in English it's a bit confusing when nationality could mean both ethnicity and citizenship. In my native language/country, we have two distinct words for them and two different adjectives for belonging to each group.
@@nicktankard1244 actually for us Germans that actually speak German and have a German passport there are two ways to identify someone as German: 1) has German citizenship 2) speaks German fluently and is familiar with the implicit social rules of German society. A person for us is not German only because he or she has German ancestors.
@@helgaioannidis9365 yeah that makes sense. But you could have German citizenship but barely speak German and don't care about the culture. I know quite a few people like that here in Berlin. Also depends on the context. Being ethnically German is fine and you could answer that you're are German if asked in that context. But claiming your identity on that is a bit much.
@@nicktankard1244 exactly. Either one of the two criteria or both apply, otherwise how would you claim to be German? There is no German gene or something like that.
This "queen" wouldn't even be considered German if she was in Germany. Rewboss made a video about this, called "Your German heritage doesn't mean as much as you think"
Very true! Those people in the USA with a German heritage like several generations ago, they are NOT German. Nobody in Germany would acknowledge them to be German. This feels more like white privilege. It's a fact that actual Germans are not only white. Only in the 1990s German TV started to actually show non-white Germans on TV as hosts, reporters etc. Every since the diversity is very normal. It#s another fact that every since WW1, yes, not WW2, African-Germans are a thing. That's why the Nazis sterilized many non-white Germans because they were not German in their eyes. So, these wannabe Germans from this video have a lot in common with German history. ;) That doesn't all Germans don't have everyday racism. If you are German but not white, it's still possible to get for example questions like "Where are you from?"
The trouble is that they'd be recognised as "German citizens" by German law ("Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz" - German Nationality Act) because a couple of centuries ago, their ancestors were Germans, even though they immigrated to the USA, to Russia, to whatever-country-you-name. If they ever wished to "return" to the country that they'd probably never been to, aren't familiar with and usually don't even speak its native language, they'd get German citizenship in an instant if they can prove their heritage. Those people don't even love "Germany" as it is now, they wouldn't even know what it's like. Instead, they cling to a stereotypical image of a Germany as it was 100 years or longer ago. They are like the born-blind talking about the beauty of colours that they've seen seen with their own eyes.
As a blond tall blue eyed German with a long German heritage living in Germany, I have got to say... WHAT THE F***. I mean I understand if someone who is born in the US and is raised by a German community speaking German fluently and sharing German values is stating to be German (or to be more German than American), but if they don`t even speak our language, they definetely don`t share our culture in a way that they could call themselves a true German. Even with my heritage this wouldn't matter. You have lived here. You speak our language. We even share a lot of values, so I will tell you that you are definetely more German than these people. As you said, I also would not identify you as a German, yet not because of your skin colour, but because you were not raised "the German way". Yet this doesn`t mean you are not welcome. Nobody has to be German in order to call Germany their home and to be treated in Germany just like a German. It`s the same way for me, as a person who has also lived in the US, my so called "second home" :). Btw the ancestors of these people where also 100% apes, so based on their definition, they should consider to change their identity/heritage to "Apish" :D
The funny thing about the blond blue eyed myth is that of the original Germanic tribes - there were a whole bunch of them - only two were generally blond and had blue eyes. Just like the ones known as Kelts were also a bunch of tribes with different ancestry. In both cases, what bound them together was their culture - first and foremost their languages that had the same roots, and their religion.
This sounds like a cult 🤷🏼♀️ you don’t wanna be part of such horrible group of people!! I know you miss Germany and I’m so sorry this happened to you!! ich hoffe du kannst bald nach Deutschland zurück kommen 💕
My wife is currently in the process of "getting Germanized". She by herself says that speaking german is a big part of understanding german (culture). Knowing your videos, one of her favorite words is indeed "Pfandflaschenrückgabeautomat" ;)
You come across that quite frequently on internet platforms where some racist idiots spill out their racist BS, emphasising the importance of "German blood", "German race", "German culture" etc. and do that in such a lamentable German, riddled with spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes and sometimes outright nonsensical phrases. They pretend to be the guardians of everything that they call "German" but aren't even capable of expressing themselves in halfway decent German. Those people pretend to be super German, thus culturally and racially superior to all other pepole in the word whereas in fact they nothing more than just the scum of the Earth.
I am German and this is so embarrassing, I wish this wouldn’t have happened to you! Also, I was thinking, ask them if they ever visited Germany or speak the language or know anything about the country, when you said that she didn’t speak the language I already felt so satisfied haha. In your face wanna-be German. I hope you know that you are so much better than those people and I feel ashamed that they (try) to represent a country they don’t even know. Just come back to Europe :).
@@RunoRansom Can you be a bit more specific? What exactly makes my blood german? I am 0+ if that helps. I am also curious about genes. Although I did a DNA test it nowhere mentions my "German gene"...did I miss something? Maybe you check your books about "Rassenlehre" about this issue? The one from the cave.
In Tirol / Austria, I know one japanese and one Indian dude to join the local 'Trachten Verein', a Club for tyrolian Traditions. No big Deal (more a curiosty at first) but everybody is Welcome as long as you share the same intressts and have the right mindset
I'm sad that you had that kind of experience with someone who claims to be German. You said it, but to be German has nothing to do with color. And to feel connected to Germany has nothing to do with color. But there will always be this kind of people. Hopefully you find some who are feeling more German than they could ever be and who will embrace you in their midst. Greetings from a technical German, feeling German and living in Germany. I wish you all the best.
I remember reading an interview with Kurt Vonnegut (he’s my favorite American writer) and he said his mom was just like that, never taught him a word in German but dressed him in a for Halloween in Lederhosen like their ancestry was a caricature for people to see only in a one-dimensional way.
Let me also state that the woman and daughter that did say such horrible things to me were DRUNK. Which is no excuse for their words or behavior BUT sometimes people are a little less responsible with their words and actions when they drink. HOWEVER I am a firm believer that a drunk mind speaks a sober heart 🙊The 2 older ladies that were rude to me were not drunk- just rude and OLD.
Being drunk makes one do stupid things, but they don't make you racist. Maybe they would have been more indirect sober, but it would not have changed their believes.
How *funny* all those “german“- americans who do not speak one word german, more than likely are not born, raised living in germany..smh And you do not have to be lilly-white to be german..those great- grandfather story..aaahhh
Yeah, in my opinion you can still claim nationality if your parents are from there, but I start drawing soft lines at grandparents and with great-grandparents they are so far removed from claiming anything, they might as well stop trying.
@@lukieskywalker136 i agree..parents yes but more than likely when americans start with my grand or great grandparents..and further back claim to be this nationality is just wrong. I mean who cares..my granny great grandgranny were polish..well i am not..so it doesn't matter where you come from.
@@lukieskywalker136 I agree on this too. If you parents are imigrants, you were raised between two different cultures, one inside your family and one in the country you live in. So I agree that people 1 generation away from immigration are, like in this instance, german- american. They have the connection between both cultures. But most of that will be lost one generation later. Than it's just oh, my grandma is from... but except for usual grandma stories you don't really have a connection to the culture or country anymore. After that nothing counts at all anymore in my eyes. I don't care where your great grandparents came from, I never understood why Americans claim to be 1/8 of whatever heritage. Being "insert country" is way more about the culture as about the heritage. Even living in a country for some amount of time doesn't necessarily make you i.e. german, that depends on how much you adapted and changed or not. If you didn't like it at all and took nothing with you, that doesn't make you a german, even if you have a citizenship. But that is the view from outside of the United States that people in (most) european countries have. Biggest problem is that for many things, incl this, it doesn't make any sense to me. Even if I try to set myself in their place, try to feel and imagine everything, it still doesn't work and I'm not able to come to the same conclusion or even near their conclusion. I have that with the USA for much more things as for every other country I know. Guess that's why I'm interested in the first place, because I'm trying to understand.
Maybe some of them do speak German, as there still is Texan German, which is a bit different form German spoke in Germany or Austria (it's more old stylish). Besides there are German communities in North Dakota and some other places too, I'm subscribed to an old lady (she made videos on geography), who spoke German sometimes, perhaps even domestically.
The person who said this to you would probably sit in jail for Volksverhetzung if she happened to be in germany And no. Just because her grandma is german does not mean, that she is german.
For saying a black person cannot be German? No, she wouldn't. Being openly racist is not a crime, you have to go further than that. (Like insult, call for violence etc.)
maybe not Volksverhetzung, but not accepting people because of color, religion, etc would be illegal discrimination, and a court might force them to accept Hayley as a member. BUT *_why would any real german (or Hayley) ever want to join such a club?_* when Hayley wanted to join because of language and culture, which they didn't have at all.
If she were a German citizen, she would, by and large, avoid such statements in public. You may ask yourself if this kind of violent suppression actually changes hearts, though.
I'm always sceptical if US-Americans say "I'm German". Unless they speak German and are immersed in the German culture, what they actually should say is "I'm an American with German ancestry".
I’m an American with German,French, Dutch,English,Irish,Scottish,and Finnish ancestry according to my heritage DNA. My great grandparents, grandparents, and parents didn’t seem to care about mixing ethnicities at all.🩸
@@rosealexander9007 That's not surprising. I am German, but I also have Italian, Eastern European, French, Scandinavian, and British heritage (as per DNA analysis). People mixed for a long time, even before they moved to the US.
Johannes Rueter I find this to be very fascinating. I think this is something I want to look into more outside of the United States. Thanks very much for the information 😊
What about Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Brazilians, Argentinians, and other groups of people that have foreign ancestry and speak about it? I am always skeptical of Germans that worry about people from the US. I lived in Germany for 6 years. You people spend way too much time worrying about the USA. You need a hobby.
Hi Hayley. I am German. Me and my family have lived five years in Switzerland and since 2011 here in Illinois. I am sorry what happened to you, and I want you to know that such kind of people are everywhere. Even "friends" of mine. Being German or any other nationality is a culture thing, and has nothing to do who you are, or where you come from.Those people lack of something, we have been lucky to experience. We learned to live in another country and culture, we stepped outside of our comfort zone, we see the good and not so good thinks of each culture Life is to short to let those people ruin your day :-).
there's also lots of people of color, middle eastern, east asian, central asian, south asian, south american etc etc etc who are German.... there is not really "Germans" socially and culturally there's huge differences between the different regions... a great example being Berlin and Munich.... ohhh god do i hate those snobby Münchner
@@LoFiAxolotl Die haben oft nen deutschen pass aber fühlen sich nicht Deutsch also wie kommt ihr drauf das die ein Part sein wollen (werden sie nie) :) ? Leute wie Hayley sind interessiert mögen die Kultur ect. sowas ist aber wirklich eher selten der Fall.
@@8Bitzzz Die, die ich kenne, SIND DEUTSCH, und zwar in ihrem gesamten Verhalten (sprich: voll integriert in ihrem Benehmen und ihren Denken), unabhängig von Hautfarbe. Glauben und Herkunft. Andrerseits sind es relativ wenige, gut möglich, dass Du andere Erfahrungen hast.
Some people are looked upon (or even "judged") as POC. I'm always that guy from Spain/Italy/Greece/Turkey. And to some people this leads to the assumption that I cannot be German. Not to mention that I am. Still can't compare to "regular" POC experiences, but still.. It's the same narrative of telling you do not belong here.
@@IsenbergerHerold Not quite. he left to avoid the draft (seems to be a Trump family tradition) and when he tried to come back, the King of Bavaria refused to allow him back into the country and to get his citizenship back.
A friend of mine, whom I knew from childhood on, is a black German: The son of a black American soldier and a white European woman. They don't live here anymore, they moved to Canada. But, hey, it's not wrong to have triple citizenship: USA, Canada, and Germany. Some passport always works.
@@gerdipediaTV Das wird noch ein paar Jahre dauern. Acht Jahre legaler Aufenthalt und jede Menge Behördengänge. Ich war damals mit sechs Monaten Verfahrensdauer noch gut bedient.
Well, I'm happy to have you as a member of my 80 Mio plus German social club, even if it is only as a honorary member. Maybe there are also clubs of German expats in the US which might be a bit closer to nowadays Germany?
I have done 2-3 different Meetup groups with Germans in the USA... They are mostly generally kind and amazing people. One thing I have realized though is that a few of the Germans that live in the USA are rejects of Germany whose views would probably not be accepted in Germany so they bring them over to the USA and they are welcomed with open arms... So people then have this false image of what Germany actually is due to these IDIOTS that ruin everything for everyone.
@@HayleyAlexis America lacking certain basic things we often take for granted in germany like pension, health care, 40h/weeks etc etc means most people that immigrate to the US from Germany are people who don't understand what they're giving up... the average cultural "German" immigrant in the US will probably be exchange students or college students
The ignorance nauseates and embarrasses me. Hayley, you are far more German than these people ever will be. I am a German teacher in NJ teaching in an extremely diverse school. I have students of various colors and nationalities, and you are a great inspiration for them because they are so motivated by seeing a person of color speaking German. Representation really does matter! You've lived in Germany and have managed to acquire the language, which is much more than most Americans of German heritage will ever do. You rock, girl. Keep up the good work and insightful videos!!
Hayley, I commend your strength and restraint. Personally, I would have put those people “on blast”. Sometimes that’s what it takes for things to change. People need to be publicly shamed, in order for things to change. At the same time I do respect your choice not to, because it often takes a lot of emotional and mental energy. I studied German in college in NYC, and I noticed that once I moved past the introductory level course, the hostility of the students (white) in the class increased. They would treat me like I didn’t belong there. And they seemed so angry that I was good at it. Anyway, that was like 15 years ago, and I’ve lost a lot of my German, but I’d like to pick it up again.
I'm German and Afro-Panamanian and when I moved to the US from Berlin to start high school I noticed right away that my fellow classmates tried to put me into there black or white category as quick as possible. I remember telling my Dad and Mom after the first two weeks that I've answered more questions about my ethnicity then I ever had in my life growing up in Berlin, kind of made me a bit depressed at the time to. I really do love America but there is still a cultural divide that needs to be addressed.
@@mumucowpi8204 Well according to the way they acted Arayan-American-Club isnt a joke. Its the truth. I bet this girl, the face of the club had blond hair and blue eyes.
Hayley thanks for sharing this. I've had many experiences in which some people tried to "keep me out" or make me feel like giving up even though I am trying my best to be good at something I like. That is expected. I believe that (sometimes) they are afraid that you will become better than them and thus they either try to keep you out, or if you are already in, they will try to make you feel that you need to quit. What they need to realize is that their relevance is not based on how much they are better than others but on how much they are helping others to become better. What we, who are constantly working on ourselves, need to realize. is that we must never give up on our pursuits, it is through them that our lives, our loved ones and the world become better. Keep up the great work Hayley, great upload :)
Hayley,I know what you are going through,I live here and look like I could be your sister,be strong,keep up your self esteem, and speak your mind when you need to..I've been through all that.
for me it sounds more like the "German American Club" was just a word they used for something else they not want to name as openly. :) I guess its better you havent joined :)!
The crazy thing is... It is a HUGE club.... Like a really big deal in the community 😳so I was and still am honestly shocked that people are like that. I am assuming it was an isolated incident and only happens towards people like me because when I started looking at the website and their facebook..I realized there were no "people of color".... So maybe in their head they live in their "German-American" bubble and me joining would mean that everything they worked hard to preserve would be taken away? No idea
If you keep in mind that Florida is a big melting pot the whole thing sounds even more like the club isn't actually about German culture. There are certainly a lot of people with BOTH German and Native American and or African ancestry there, are they all excluded?
@@mormacil While that is true, at no point in time the native inhabitants of those colonies have been considered to be German. Anyway, when the "German Idea" emerged in the 1800s, it was about the shared language and culture of otherwise very diverse regions, not "blood". I feel it is pretty much the same today. Shared language and culture makes you 'one of us'. Those who refuse that will never be German, no matter their skin color or heritage. (Which no one over here cares about, anyway. No one would consider those US-born people who never set a foot on Europe to be German. )
You are amazing, everything you said is so true. This is from a German Immigrant that moved to the United states a couple of years ago. I believe in a better future for all of us.
Moin Haley, und Liebe Grüße von der Nordseeküste. Das ist ein sehr interessanter Clip, vielen Dank!!! Ich bin schon etwas älter und habe auch etwas zu erzählen. Nach dem Krieg kamen Deutsche aus vielen Gebieten Osteuropas in die Bundesrepublik. Menschen aus Ostpreußen, Oberschlesien, Wolgadeutsche, Siebenbürgen,…… So hörte man bis … vielleicht zum Jahr 2000 (ungefähr) viele Dialekte in Deutschland (ostpreußisch, schlesisch, Siebenbürgen-sächsisch,…), die es heute (fast) nicht mehr gibt, schade! Was mich - ich bin „Bio-Deutscher“ - immer gewundert hat, wenn ich mal mit Menschen von irgendwo im Osten über andere Menschen im Osten geredet habe: Manchmal kam dann so etwas dabei heraus (als Beispiel): „Ich komme aus Königsberg, also aus Ostpreussen. Wir sind Deutsche. Der Mann dort drüben kommt aus Cosel in Oberschlesien, der ist kein Deutscher. Schlesier sind schlechte Menschen.“ Und so weiter. Also ich sehe, dass sehr viele Menschen von überall her in die Bundesrepublik kommen. Alles Deutsche. Aber wenn sie übereinander reden, dann sind „die anderen“ immer die Schlechten. *grins* Das ist wohl immer so. Daran musste ich denken, als ich dieses Video gesehen habe. Noch einmal: Vielen Dank, das war sehr interessant!
I think it's too overrated in the US with their "I'm German/Irish/Itian/..., because my ancestor were that" A true "German" or European have to be there and knowing the culture and Live for a while here. So that makes you more a German-American as the most people in the US, which claim that, because you know the culture, the behaviors of germans and so on... Claiming to be a German because there ancestors were German is just wrong, do they use it because "identity-problems", I can tell you that nobody likes them here in Europe...
@@LoFiAxolotl yes, this person rather is a Sudanian(?), with German roots, but not a German anymore... I have friends which Parents are from Indonesia, but they where never there and call them self German, but not Indonesian...
i mean wven if they call themselves german thats totally fine, just dont be rude and say to someone like hayley she isnt german because she IS german by heart. and thats so much more what counts
@@LoFiAxolotl If said person speaks German and "learned" German culture from the parents, most likely German, and certainly has the right to a German passport. But go a few generations down and the "Germaness" will vanish. But honestly, that is for such a person to decide.
I speak German as a mother tongue and spent much of my childhood with grandparents in Germany, so I have an emotional bond with Germany. But my father wasn't German so I am denied German citizenship. You can only be German if your father was...that's the German Einbürgerungsrecht.
Take it from a German: you are absolutely welcome to call yourself an honorary German and thank you for appreciating our culture as much as you do. Dankeschön
I live in Greece and in the town where I live we have a local German club, but we're open to everyone who speaks the language. We don't care about how you look or where your grandparents were born. We want to preserve the language and the culture and we like to get also the local community involved with that. Those people were very stupid and they just use the term "German" to say "white". If you ever come to Greece you are more than welcome in our German club 🥰
Hahaha, nice. They kept the mindset of the grandfather, when he left Germany 75 years ago. Non Germans tell another non German why they are more German than she is. 😂 Show em a picture of Antonio Rüdiger. He plays for our national Football Team. Edit: And if you really want to piss em of, tell em only the cowards left Germany after we lost the war. The rest stayed and built up the country again. 😂
She should tell them about Hans Sarpei aka the German Chuck Norris - the coolest German football player ever. For fuck´s sake - why did he have to play for the Ghanaian national team :D
@@florians.1905 In Ghana geborener Sohn ghanaischer Eltern, warum sollte er nicht für Ghana spielen. Gut genug, dass es für die deutsche NM gereicht hätte, war er ohnehin nie.
It reminds me of the time I wanted to join a German-Czech club in Prague, just to find some German speaking people and chat sometines. I went to a meeting in a café. The atmosphere was kind of awkward and inhospitable. They gave me a form to fill out, in Czech language. I told them that I didn't speak Czech and asked if they had a form in German or English. They said no, you HAVE to fill out the form in Czech! One of them even said we only accept members who speak Czech! I said, then you should say so on your website. They said it's written there. It wasn't, but even so, why should you speak only Czech in a German club?! I said why don't you just call it a club for Czech idiots who can't find Germany on a map? and went home :)) You should have told those people something similar. That "German grandfather" was probably a nazi criminal hiding in USA after WWII. That would explain a lot :)
Hayley, I am so sorry this happened to you, but I have to say I'm not surprised. When I lived in Canada, I went to the German language club a few times and that was a huge mistake. Krasse altertümliche Einstellungen und so viele Leute, die sich für was besseres hielten! I was especially annoyed by people calling themselves German who really weren't. Having German heritage and actually being German are two very different things. It has a lot more to do with language and culture than just heritage. You're a thousand times more German than those people in their oh so special club will ever be. ❤️
Es fühlt sich offen gesagt für mich relativ häufig so an, als würde die deutsche Vergangenheit Menschen im Ausland dazu in inspirieren, unter dem Vorwand/dem Deckmantel, die deutsche Kultur feiern zu wollen, den Rassismus aus unserer Vergangenheit leben zu wollen. Toll, wie du damit umgehst! Wir sagen oft: "Idioten gibt es überall" (leider auch bei uns ;-) I dont know if you are gonna read this, and there probably are better places to leave a compliment, however, since I had a slow few days at work, I kind of followed your story. You can be really proud of the amount of personal growth that you have done since starting this channel. I really want to congratulate you on that! So much so that I wish I could decorate you with the official title of honarary german ;-)
"Idioten gibt es überall." Genau! As an American horrified by the current wave of White nationalism and fascism here at home, I desperately remind myself that even more of us believe in inclusion, human rights, and respect for diversity. The hateful people are feeling emboldened by the ugly politics of the moment, but they ultimately remain a minority, not the majority.
Amazingly, I've never had a similar situation in my adulthood but during high school, I was trilingual in German, French and English. I am a black American with mainly African and French roots. I remember trying to tryout for a national German competition and let my 9th grade teacher know that I was interested (needless to say we spoke the same level of German, my teacher and I, but according to my mom I spoke it more fluently *lol*) and she passed me up for a white student who could pass as German in appearance yet who spoke a lower level of German than I did. As I got older and living in Chicago, Lincoln Square area used to, and probably still is, very German and used to have authentic and native-born German shopkeepers and restaurant owners in this particular area and I would habitually go there to speak German with them. They were older Germans in their '70s, '80s and '90s and they were absolutely the sweetest, kindest and most charming and helpful people that I've ever met and they would always invite me to go with them to the DankHaus Cultural Center (basically the German Cultural Center). Their kindness is something that I've never forgotten and has consistently led me to having a passion for experiencing different cultures as well as not judging a book by its cover, so to speak. One thing that many Europeans, mainly Western Europeans, seem to not understand or grasp is that being black American means that you more than likely have roots in both Africa and Europe. I've always been very proud of my African heritage as well as my French heritage and I don't allow anyone to make me feel less than because I am black. Both continents are a part of my culture and I understand and truly recognize both. Hayley, maybe you should take an AncestryDNA test and see if 'Germanic Europe' shows up? Then you can definitely shut the haters and naysayers down. There are so many Afro-Germans in Germany (it'd be great to have you do a video on some of them like Xavier Naidoo, Joy Denalane, and Jana Pareigis). Being Afro-German or Afro-French is practically no different or 'odd' than being Afro-American.
Linking identity to where your ancestors came from gives you a sense of history and distinctiveness in a country where most people‘s ancestors came from somewhere else. The downside of it is that by doing that you also link your identity to the past. And the past is what it is, you can’t change it. Which makes identity an erratic kind of thing. And almost something like a cult. A living identity is not severed from the past, but it is also formed and nurtured by new influences in the present and open to transformation, open to a future which is different from the past. This is the problem those people in the club have. Their German identity cannot be a living identity where you can be an integral part because only their past is German. You are part of Germany‘s presence.
I like your videos. I’ve seen others, but this video got me to subscribe to you. I’m happy that you did not join that club. Those people you interacted with are failures. Real Germans would never interact that way. Those people are Americans whose ancestors failed to pass on their culture and traditions to their offspring. Being German does not mean that you eat German sausages at a small fest or drink beer at an Americanized Oktoberfest. You love, embrace and accept the culture. You’ve lived there. You will someday return. You love for Germany glows in your heart. That’s the start toward being German. Continue your voyage!
This experience you had, makes me really sad. You are very welcome here in Germany! For me it’s weird to hear that having family members, that are native Germans, makes you a “better German” than someone who’s interested in this country, lives there, speaks the language and in general is interested in the daily life. For me it feels like they haven’t learned anything from Germany’s history. Dear Hayley, for me you are the better person and I would really love tho have more people like you in my country. You are a handsome and strong lady, so go your own way! Your videos on TH-cam and the knowledge you give is already more significant than what this so called club will ever achieve!
My Grandparents lived here and my parents where born in Germany because I´m Black I´m not accepted as a german in Germany and other european countries also do not accept me as a german. They always asked me the first question: where were your parents born? Answer in Germany Second question: So where were your grandparents born? In Namibia Then they say "Ahh look, so you´re an african" Old german people do this as well as the youth My parents gave me a german first name so that my life will be not that difficult, when it comes to finding an apartment or getting a job. Since 3 years ago I started to identify my self with the roots of my grandparents when I visited Namibia. I do not consider my self as a german anymore. Because when I visited Namibia, I was just a human being not judged by the skin. Now if somebody ask me where I´m from, my answer is I´m an african but born in Germany. Since I have been saying that I recognize the smile of many Europeans that I do not consider myself as one of them. I am happy to identify myself with my roots and that counts.
Hayley Alexis : die sollen vor Scham im Boden versinken! Frag mal Mike, ob er mal zum Spaß in Lederhosen und Du im Dirndl bei den WhiteSupremacys auf einem ÖFFENTLICHEN (wichtig, öffentlich) Fest vorbei schauen wollt. Einfach da was essen und trinken und die dumm aus der Wäsche glotzen lassen. Unterhaltet Euch so lange es geht nur in Deutsch.
Hello, Hayley. This experience of yours sounds really sad and somehow twisted when you look at the viewpoints of people of German origin who see themselves as "German" and tell you that you are not. Somehow it seems to reflect the view of those Germans who still wish that Germany should be like it was 50-60 years ago. Since I have seen some of your videos and know how much experience you have with Germany, its culture and its people (and the passion you showed in bringing us closer to the different views and interpretations between the American and the German culture ;-), I assume that you have also made your experiences with the respective dark sides in both places. You know that in every country there are people who are open minded and positively intrigued by other people, as well as those who tend to be backward-looking and exclusionary. We have the latter also in Germany very often ;-( As much as this saddens me, I never want to give up the hope and optimism that the majority of us are constantly developing in the need to perceive every other person positively within the framework of his or her character and not to pigeonhole anyone according to skin color, origin, religion or gender. In this context I would like to call out to you as a "white" German that although I see you more than a cosmopolitan ;-), you are definitely more German than those people you described in your video. To be "German" or "American" is not so much a question of passport, but rather of how long or intensely you live in a country, fall in love with it and identify yourself with the language, the culture and the constitution of that country. So in case you live more in Germany than in America and you feel more comfortable with the German culture than with the American one, I would definitely consider you more than a German than as an American. Or just both, because we as humans should not be limited to just one country and one culture :-) Or to keep it simple: If someone with your cultural experience from living in Germany starts to feel German, you probably already are (or at least a significant part of you ;-) Please continue to be yourself and authentic in your feelings, whether they are German or American, depending on where you are in life. And please continue to entertain and inspire us with your own authentic view of cultural differences between countries you like/love and where you live :-) Best wishes from Germany, Wilhelm
Hi Hayley, I'm really sorry that you had that experience. And yes, it was very mature to react the way you dud and even more not to post a video, which got created when the anger and hurt was still fresh but after a distance. And yes, to be "German" has no direct link to a skin-/hair-/eyecolor, but with a passport. Even historically is "German" a mixture of a lot of different tribes, which lived and/or moved thru Germania. Wishing you all the best.
Hallo Hayley~ Ich bin Koreaner der seit 4 Jahren Deutsch lerne UND in den USA wohne. Danke, dass du so ein interessantes Video gemacht hast! Ich wollte einen Mitglied werden von einem American-German Club in meinem lokalen Region. Das war ein paar Jahren her und wegen deinem Video denke ich jetzt, dass das keine gute Idee wäre . Ich hoffe, dass du immer positive bleibst was auch immer auf dem Welt passiert! Liebe Gruße - Jonson
I would have called Mike and asked him to call the club in order to argue with them (And important, Mike would have spoken German to them, to test theirs German skills). Don't let anybody to put you down about racism.
Isn't a club supposed to be a place, where people with the same interest and passion can come together? I know many Americans (and Canadians) know their roots and are proud of them, but some really overdo it. I met many Canadians and Americans of German decent who were proud of their roots, but the people in that club seem to be completely discriminating, and know nothing about Germany at all. Saying you're not German because you're black and what not - these people would not get anywhere with that mindset in Germany. Perhaps the only ones they could befriend are AfD dudes. Not speaking the language at all, not even trying to learn the basics, never having been over here... but hey, I'm supergerman and you're not, just cause my grandfather from 100 years ago happened to come over here and "build the united states". Always this "my relatives build the US" ... as if they singlehanded build the entire country. What about your relatives? Is their contribution to the US not valued? Interesting how nationalistic mindset can people mess up in the head so hard. Disgusted by such a representation of Germans and Germany in this messed up club. They should rename themselves to Adolfclub, because that's what it sounds like to me. Edit: To how you should respond to these Möchtegern Germans, do it the German way. Ask them straight up questions in their face. So what do you know about Germany? You don't even speak the language one bit, nor have you seen a square centimeter [yes, use metric] of German land. And even if you went over there, you wouldn't even get out of the airport, because your non existend language skills would prevent you from using the public transportation. What? You wanna rent a car there and drive on the Autobahn? You would not even get out of the parking lot, probably even cause an accident right there on the spot because you most likely don't know how to drive a stick. If you do figure out how to get that manual car going, then you don't even know the written and unwritten rules of driving over there, where you would end up pissing them Germans off on the road and especially on the Autobahn, and sooner or later the cops will be there to pull you and your American driving habits off the road. ... oh yeah, neither do you seem to give a shit about soccer, Germanys biggest and most popular sport, because if you did, you'd knew that there are quite a bunch of black people, and other migrants over there. No German would want to have anything to do with a racist Adolf like you. No one would hire you, and especially not befriend you. Willkommen in Deutschland!
The CDU, Thilo Sarrazin (including many others in the SPD and FDP), huge parts of the East and many others in Germany who don't see themselves as racist have exactly the mindset as that club.... ignoring the problems that exist in Germany doesn't mean they're not there
@@LoFiAxolotl Thilo Sarrazin targeted mostly muslim migrants (some of whom are here many many generations) who hold on to very conservative cultural structures and values, which oppose German (or western) values, and prevent them from integrating into German society, causing parallel societies to form, which is valid criticism. Nobody needs to kiss every Germans ass, but if one chooses to move and live here, they should be able to let go of their own structures from their homeplaces, and adapt into the new society they chose to live in. How come Hayley is getting along well in Germany and likes the place and gets hardly any harsh feedback on her choice of being here, whereas migrants who choose to live by the premise I'm-a-migrant-and-Germans-hate-us-because-they-suck get treated as such? If a migrant sole purpose of being here is to just tell Germans about how terrible their country is, why should the Germans have any consideration for that? If I go to the US and tell Americans that their country sucks and they're all dickheads, what do you think their responses will be? And I highly doubt the partys you mentioned hold on to racist mindsets. If that were the case, 2015 would have never happened.
@@kb_verruckt2735 Ich finde es ja cool das gerade Amis und Kanadier sich ihrer Wurzeln verbunden fühlen, aber andere auszuschließen wenn man jetzt selbst nicht mal 100% mehr dabei ist? Das was sie erzählt hat war reine AfD Rhetorik, wobei ich nicht weiß ob die AfD die mögen würden... weißt ja.... wegen Amis, Besatzungsstaat und so...
Haley, I joined a couple of English-German Stammtisch groups through Meetup.com. The focus is on German speaking and culture with folks who come from all over and were very welcoming (i.e., not stuck-up). Give a Stammtisch in your area a try.
Thank you for sharing! There is a reason why that girl and her mother was so bold. It is a good thing you didn't join that club, you'd probably be running out of there the first meeting. They may had other agendas that people of color wouldn't like. I love the German language also (I am still trying to learn it) but, I love the language. Don't let that get you down. Find a group that will embrace you and keep it moving. Stay optimistic
In my experience a lot off expat clubs are very conservative, they try to uphold their remembrance of the "home" country so desperately, they do not catch up to what has changed in that country. So the people you met, where basically stuck in the 30th and 40th of the last century. Just show them th-cam.com/video/HMQkV5cTuoY/w-d-xo.html
French here, in France when someone says one is British, German, French, Irish, Italian, whatever that means one citizenship. Your ID card or your passport is from a country. When American pepole say I am German it means I am from Germany. I dont actually have the German citizenship. Is is really weird for us this diference
Sounds like you stumbled upon their Whites-only club. I'm Irish, as in actually born and raised in Ireland. I can tell you that it's a bit annoying and incredibly cringe every time we hear an American proclaim "I'm Irish!" because one of their great grandparents came from here. It's about as convincing as a kid telling you that they're a robot. We even have a name for these people: Plastic Paddies. Just going by online conversations I've had with Americans, some people definitely use their distant Irish heritage as a thin cover for their racism. They make all sorts of incorrect assumptions about us, thinking that we'll automatically relate to each other. I don't doubt that racists would use German heritage for the same misguided reasons. Unfortunately for them, ethnicity in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe nowadays prioritises cultural background rather than skin colour, to the point that there can be multiple distinct regional identities even in a small country like Ireland.
@@jamiehershon And we don't have clubs in Ireland where we just sit around all day talking about how great it is being Irish. That's the type of thing Americans do.
@@jamiehershon Your original question just looks even stupider the more I look at it. And I don't know where you got that notion about Americans having a reputation for being judgemental. The common stereotypes are that they're ignorant, egocentric and often claim to be of a particular nationality, based on nothing but a distant heritage and having never even left their own country. The people in Hailey's story weren't Irish; they were Americans, amadán.
Being a German, I can say you are more German to me, knowing our language, our culture, our food than them. Just because a grandfather moved to the US, doesn't make them German. For us Germans, they would be seen as just Americans with German roots. But to be German it takes more 🤷🏻♀️ And also, it doesn't matter where people come from, it matters how they behave and what there character is. And it seems they didn't show there best side.......
I'm with you. How you were socialized defines your identity. So when you grew up or lived for a period of time in a country and adapt their behavior, manners, thinking, etc, then you are definitely a part of them. How you look has nothing to do with it. But some of us German people have to learn this too.
Most unfortunate interactions in which you experienced arrogance and incivility.🙂 Thank you for demonstrating exemplary behavior and sharing that is possible for other people make similar decisions also.🙂. Love and compassion are superior qualities for humankind.❤️
I had a friend who was born and raised in Russia. But he said people didnt consider him as Russian because he was Asian. He speaks Russian as native language and spent his whole life in Russia but he said it was tough for him to be part of the society. I'm sorry that happened to you. You are always great and bringing positive vibes! Please stay positive!
Dear Hayley, please tell me, WHICH Club this was. I will send them a letter, they will never forget ! My youngest son is made, raised and educated in Germany, has ha German passport and has a brown skin. So he is no German ?
I honestly don't want them to receive any type of letters or ANYTHING... I have learned that it is best to not give certain things energy. I have learned that if people want to openly be racist...and openly be hateful... Let their ignorance and hate eat them alive.
@@HayleyAlexis no sorry I have to disagree with you on this. We here in Germany have learned long time ago you have to fight them! Don't get me wrong not fight in the sence of beteat them up or something. But letters from Germany may would fight ther believes in there heads. Such vilnes would not fly here in Germany at least not this openly. They are not Germans you are more German than thay ever will be! Love from Germany.❣
@@Frankforsthoevel The problem is that there are German people that think like this in that club and if it is deep rooted in the club... There is nothing an e-mail can do. Plus I don't want ANYONE from that club to reach out to me because it would be so awkward because they would probably only apologize because someone said something... Which is quite disingenuous to me :/
@@Frankforsthoevel Must've not watched the news in the last couple of years? plenty openly racist politicians, racist and far right rhetoric from major political parties, racist and far right protest on the streets, huge rise in racist, anti-semitic and homophobic/transphobic crimes and a huge political shift to the right, racial profiling by the police and other governmental organisations, etc etc etc... those problems are not exclusive to the US
@@HayleyAlexis ok, I understand that. But it really freaks me off, that people like that, which have no idea how Germany is now, say how "a German" has to be.
Someone who live(d) in germany, speaks german, loves german culture and considers herself "honarary" german is pretty much german, regardless of citizenship or ethnicity. There are probably many third-generation "legal" germans that aren't that german ;-)
That doesn't make her less German-American. Just like if Hailey considers herself African American, this does not depend on her having ever been to Africa. And, frankly, a few folks here seem to unduly flaunt their "real" German-ness. Even if you were technically right, it still seems to be - how shall I put it - improperly grandstanding. It's another one of these things that you may think and smile, but not say in polite company.
That is very sad to hear. I don't get why people feel the necessity to exclude anyone. I personally think the more people who are interested in the same things coming together, the better. I hope you can find a club that is more welcoming and inclusive. ❤️❤️❤️
I am so sorry that happened to you. If I ever happen to meet you at an event in my end of Germany I would be very happy. You would be very welcome. I hope you knnow that there are people out there you are open minded and happy to meet in people who show an interest in their Verein ;)
Well...they didn't let you into their german club...so you are free to join our german club. And our club is definitivly bigger 😁👍 Their loss is our gain 🥰
@@HayleyAlexis the very biggest. The best as well. So good, you will be tired of being a member in no time. We also have the best words. Such beautyful words... Oh sweetheart...i can't wait till that trumpsterfire is put out for good. I am really sick and tired of all the popcorn 🤷♂️😏😆
@@HayleyAlexis So would this recent #LoveIsNotTourism development be a solution for you and Mike? www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/reisebeschraenkungen-deutschland-laesst-partner-ohne-trauschein-einreisen-a-204d0523-83c1-4db0-8e5c-531736d2f383
Exactly like I thought. They are not German. They are American, I can't say it in any other words. Like you said in another video, in the US their is a segregative culture, that's typical American. In one of your older videos you said something, that the German raceism(?) is about trying to fit in. Well, in this meaning German culture is integrative. They might have German ancestors, but they aren't German.
The concept of someone wanting to be German is really weird for me. We are “taught” not to be proud of it, and they seem to be proud of it. Being a German nowadays doesn’t mean anymore by blood. Thankfully we left that behind. The US should too
It was not left behind, just expanded to be more inclusive. However, people born abroad to a German father have the right to German citizenship by law...einfach einen Antrag stellen. Children of German mothers do not have this right...no matter how well they speak German or identify.
@@erichamilton3373 That doesn't make any sense. I don't know anything about your personal circumstances but children of German parents will of course also get a German Passport. As a German mother being married and living in Japan I should know. My children have the right to Japanese and German passports but they will have to decide on their citizenship once they turn 20 because Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship.
@@erichamilton3373 close, other way around. My brother and I have a German citizenship through my my mother. I was able to pass my citizenship on to both my son and daughter.
eric hamilton eric hamilton what I meant is that it is more based on your passport. When your whole family lived forever in Germany and is genetically “german“ but chose not to have the citizenship they can’t give it to their kids just because of the blood. There has to be someone with the citizenship. And there is ius soli since 2000 so you can gain the citizenship by being born in Germany. And if you have a German (meaning with citizenship) mother or father the child can have it too. Not just the father
Two things: I am in awe of how calm you were and how polite you were to them. Also, literally everyone in Europe rolls their eyes when Americans tell them about how they’re part Italian. I’m British and according to the ancestry.com originally Scandi but would get a lot of wtf if I started making that as part of my identity. You have so much more claim than they do and you’re not even trying to claim it!
Hayley, I know I am 2yrs late to the party here, but having just seen your video, I needed to respond. Aaagh! So sorry! So horrible. What you experienced was no German cultural appreciation club. It was an American White supremacy clique more kkk than anything else, insulting Germans by claiming German "heritage" as cover for their bald racism. I was so blessed to have had the experience of a 12 month long srudent exchange trip to West Germany, ...that's right, before reunification. I learned so much that year, and my time there motivated me to go on to study sociology (and to double major in German lit). I saw a Germany deeply concerned with respect for many cultures, with human rights, and very conscious of the larger world as community, NOT trying to reassert some myth of racial purity. Germans know full well their dna is a mix of millenia of countless migrating, sometimes invading, tribes from various places. Cultural identity comes first and foremost from language, and next from personally experienced culture. It is NOT a matter of what racist stories "grandpappy done told ya." BTW, as an exaple of ancestry meaning very little: I am a US mongral. Had my dna test, after family geneology research pointed to Germany as the biggest of several national origin sources for me. My dna tests could not even isolate German dna, just lumping it in with "northwestern European." Some Irish, English Scottish, too. Surprised to learn I am more genetically Swedish than anything. Apparently some of my German ancestry was itself the result of some migration from Sweden. So there ya go. Feuchtbar, blödsinnig!
Just get dual citizenship. Edit: Seriously though. This woman is lucky a German like me wasn't at the venue. I can't stand these racists. And I'm not afraid to show it.
I am so sorry for your experience. Let me tell you something. I am seemingly as German as it comes. I am blonde, have blue eyes, my maiden name is Fischer and am born in Germany. My parents are German also are my grandparents. But I happen to know that I have ancestors from Norway, Italy, Austria, the Czech republic and Ireland. Never would I claim to be Italian, Irish or something else. And in my book you are more German than any of those with German heritage that don't speak German. They are American. It is as simple as that.
Thanks for sharing your story. I truly admire your strength in holding off on telling the story until you felt it was the right time. That club sounds like such a sham. I'm sorry you experienced that. I have been part of a cultural club before and am glad I never experienced prejudice like that. I have a german last name and have a german significant other who's in Germany right now. I have yet to become as fluent in german as you and I truly love watching your videos because you inspire me to keep practicing. I was born in Mexico and live in the US, so I also get what you're saying about how some Americans struggle with their cultural identities. I've never felt like I've fit into specific groups of culture and that's why I loved being a part of an International Club. It felt more inclusive. Sucks that the German American club wasn't inclusive like it should have been.
Honey....... I’m much older than you and I just started following you. I’m Sicilian and German and these people are assholes and you have every right to be pissed off. I give you so much credit for taking a moment and not posting anything immediately. What many people in this country seem have amnesia about is that “America” is NOT a nationality. It’s a citizenship. The only true “Americans” are the Native Americans. And we know how nice the first settlers were. I think that the climate in this country has never been more hostile and separated. If I was you.....maybe check out other German American clubs nearby to see how they welcome you? Stay strong and above the ignorance. Because “you” are this country’s future and we need as many intelligent young ladies like yourself. ❤️
Let me tell you a story about the time I tried to join a German-American club in the USA 😐😂😅This situation really hurt me at the time but I am glad that it happened so I was able to avoid wasting my time and money on people that do not care for me or accept me 😒Like I stated in the video- it is so crazy to me that we live in a hyphenated America. Where everyone and everything is labeled as "something else". A lot of people think this is good but for me it just adds on another layer of division. If something like this has happened to you.. Just know there are plenty of people out there that are cheering for you and rooting for you- NO MATTER WHAT 💕
Great ❤❤
How can I learn German dear ?
Lot of respect and love for you from Pakistan 🇵🇰
@@muhammadwaseem1730 Ask the Goethe Institut. There is one in about every larger country.
U have such a good way of describing your experiences, it is very pleasant to listen to, even when it's something bad that happened to u. Thanks for sharing this.
I can relate in some amount living as none german in germany.
And the hyphenation is always based on blood. And it is very pick and match. And it is inherently racist. And aMerIcaN-gErmAnS will always be laughed out of the door when they try to pull that card in Germany.
These so called germans are not welcome here in germany. But you are Hayley!
I second this. I hope these racist peeps will one day find out how utterly ridiculous they appear to German people.
Amen to that
I am a native German with 100% German ancestors, completely white - AND I FULLY AGREE!
taxiuniversum me2
Deutsch zu sein ist nicht genetisch!
Es ist zu leben, handeln und denken, möglichst nahe am idealen MENSCH.
Oh man....fremdschämen auf höchstem Level.... So supersorry!!
Ja, oder? Es war so unangenehm zu hören, wie sie sich wie ein absolut exklusiver Club aufgespielt haben. Ist nicht dein Verlust, Hayley.
Scheinbar waren es ja noch nichteinmal Deutsche: Nur irgendwelche Ur-Ur-UR-Enkel von irgendwelchen deutschen Einwanderer, die dort nichteinmal die Deutsche Sprache in Ehren halten.
Da dürfte Haley schon jetzt 10x deutscher sein als diese elitären Heuchler ;-)
Vermutlichen waren diese deutschen Vorfahren Teil der "Operation Overcast" nach dem 2. Weltkrieg.
Deutsch sein ist eine Frage der inneren Einstellung. Hautfarbe, sexuelle Orientierung oder Religion sind dabei egal. Du als offener Weltbürger bist mir hier in Deutschland jederzeit wieder willkommen. Eure Rassisten brauche ich hier nicht, egal wo Ihre Urgroßeltern geboren wurden. Leider können diese Leute das hier nicht lesen.
Ja Fremdschämen ist genau das richtige, zum Glück haben wir so ein Wort in unserer Sprache
Einfach nur traurig...
Sie möchten dich nicht annehmen, obwohl du besser Deutsch sprichst als die meisten Mitglieder!
Doppel-Moral auf dem höchsten Level. 🤔
NA ja, ich kenne einige Deutsche Clubs in Usa..( Florida) und wenn sie hier wählen dürften, wäre das super Futter für die AFD, die jüngeren Mitglieder haben in der Regel Deutschland verlassen, weil es ihnen hier ja nicht mehr Deutsch.. genug ist. die Ältern, nun ja, da ist man schnell in der " Adolf war doch nicht nur schlecht.. Dazu kommt, das viele Deutsche in USA, auch nur in Deutschen Kreisen verkehren, bei meinen Bekannten in USA.. wenn 10 mal das Telefon klingelt, können sie 9 mal Deutsch sprechen.
Das Problem ist nicht Doppel-Moral sondern Rassismus. Aber ja es ist absurd.
THEY are not even Germans xD maybe german heritage But not considered Germans over here. I consider you WAY more german then them. You Hayley represent what I want Germany to be. Nice, opendminded and kindhearted :)
Speak the truth Tim!!
I doubt that those "German Americans" would ever pass a German citizenship test ...
I must say this, because friends had to take the test: many germans would'nt either. Theese tests are crazy.
@@kocoloris3337 I found it easy enough, when testing it. But then I am German, I grew up in the German school system and I am now working for the German state - I really should be able to complete it.
@@franhunne8929 I meant it that way. They ask for things you would know as a good pupil from a german school after 10 or 12 years. But they don't ask things an immigrant should know, when he is well integrated.
@@kocoloris3337 shrug. Well, you can do them if you learn for them. Like most tests. If they were easy, they were pointless.
@@tullio0 i Think they are pointless, none the less. Being hard does not make a Test good. When you can learn for it, it basically proofs my point. You sit down like in school and learn, only that it has little to do with your actual life. And they don't proof anything that way. You could also pass it because you learned it, despite being totally in opposition to its purpose.
Ich rege mich gerade so sehr auf! Ich hasse diese alten Schachteln, die mit ihrem Rassismus alles umhauen. Ich möchte dich umarmen und dir sagen, dass alles gut wird, dass es genug Menschen gibt, die super gerne mit dir befreundet wären (hier, hallo, wink :D ) und denen es für eine Freundschaft nicht wichtig ist wie du aussiehst, was du trägst, wo du herkommst usw. Ich glaub wir alle, die deine Videos schauen, haben dich echt lieb. :)
Ja, die ganze Situation ist einfach nur scheisse. Rasismus pur, das tut mir so Leid.
Das Absurdeste daran ist doch, dass es in Amerika passiert ist. Soweit ich weiß hat Hayley noch über keine größeren Rassismus Probleme in Deutschland berichtet. Stattdessen meinen irgendwelche Amerikaner, die so absolut nichts mit Deutschland zu tun haben außer entfernte Verwandte, sie müssten jemanden aufgrund seiner Hautfarbe davon ausschließen die deutsche Kultur zu mögen?
@@bernt6500 ja, man möchte eigentlich darüber lachen, weil es so unfassbar dämlich ist!
Oh mein Gott, du bist so sehr viel mehr Deutsch als diese Rassisten.
Das erste Grundrecht Artikel 3 (1):
"Niemand darf wegen seines Geschlechtes, seiner Abstammung seiner Rasse, seiner Sprache, seiner Heimat und Herkunft, seines Glaubens, seiner religiösen oder politischen Anschauungen benachteiligt oder bevorzugt werden. Niemand darf wegen seiner Behinderung benachteiligt werden".
Wenn sie nicht einmal den Grundrechten folgen, sind sie ein Klub deutschen Blutes oder so etwas, welches genauso rassistisch klingt wie sie sich geben. 🤢
@Alfons Falkhayn , mir fällt es etwas schwer dir zu folgen.
Was hat Gefühl und Aussehen damit zu tun?
There seems to be no limit to American racism, some even extend that to identities they don't have. smh
LOL.... it is mind boggling to me that people really claim on to a certain "nationality"(that they do not even have) to be racist... CRAZY
"I'll just gatekeep a group I'm objectively not even a part of"
Well let's not paint the United States with too broad of a brush. I personally do not believe racism is a systemic part of U.S. culture. I do believe that there is a segment of US society, perhaps a significant segment, who still harbor racism in their hearts but it certainly is NOT every American. These women who Hayley encountered certainly were racist and prejudiced and bigoted but you can't simply conclude from that experience that the United States overall is a racist country.
I also agree with Hayley on the whole hyphenated thing being divisive. My mother was German, 100%, she was born and raised in Germany and came to the U.S. to stay for a time with an uncle living here. She was going to learn a little English, then return home and continue with her German life. But she met my dad and ended up staying here. She never became a U.S. citizen though. So that makes me half German. I've been to Germany many times to visit my extended family over there and have considered pursuing dual citizenship. But I don't consider or call myself a German-American. I'm an American because this is where I was born and raised. I'm proud of my German heritage but I'm an American. African-Americans don't do themselves any favors either with that term. You are Americans ... stop setting yourselves apart. Be proud of your African heritage but be an American.
An aside ... I hate that the term "American" has come to mean someone from the United States. America is a continent, not a country. It's unfair to all the other countries of the North/South American continent that everyone just considers an American to be someone from the U.S. But United States is sort of an unfortunate name choice for a country in a way. A citizen of Germany can call themselves a German. A citizen of Canada, a Canadian. But what does a citizen of the United States call themselves? A US-er? A United Stater? I suspect that's sort of why the American term was taken to denote a U.S. citizen.
This made me laugh LOL SOOO TRUE!!!
@@HayleyAlexis It´s like with the " Nazis " in the US. They dont speak any complete german sentence but saying Nazi stuff.... Just abosulty stupid.....
Are we sure these womens ancestors didn't accidentally miss Argentina in 1945 and that's how they landed in the US?
"I'm German but I don't speak German" my a**. Try this in France and you'd get even better reactions.
"I am french!"
"Parlez-vous français?"
🏃🏼💨
😂😂
A lot of nazis went to America too
That’s the vibe I am getting, too. 😬
The only thing missing from the creepy girl‘s speech was „I am a direct descendant of Adolf Eichmann! I don’t even have to condescend to talking to something like you! 😤“
😂😂👍
I know a French person who literally said "If a French person speaks a foreign language without a French accent, this person has a problem with his/her frenchiness"
"Well, this is not so much a cultural heritage club, it's more a White ancestry club."
Like most of these american 'cultural' clubs.
54tisfaction that’s right. They usually know nothing about whatever they’re claiming to be & it’s just a celebration of whiteness.
I find it funny that they claim that f.e. their great great grandmother was german, but conveniently leave out all the other genetic and ethical influences that came with all the other ancestors...
Genau!!! White supremacy club clinging to the flimsiest excuse of ancestral heritage as cover and justification, while completely failing to appreciate or respect its Zeitgeist and current social values most Germans have learned from their painful history. America, sadly, sorely needs some of those lessons. I say this as an American who was blessed with the experience of being an exchange student to West Germany in the mid-198's. Coasting on nationalistic arrogance and the myth of "American Exceptionalism" are not cutting it. "Traurig," indeed!
Americans don’t get that just because their ancestors were German, that doesn’t automatically make them German. Learn the language, learn the history, the culture & the geography of Germany (No Paris is not in Germany!) and then we’ll talk about it again. They don’t know a single German word, they still think Hitler is our leader but they identify themselves as “German”... this is just so wrong and so triggering on so many levels. It’s also really offensive. If you’re born and raised in America and don’t know anything about Germany, simply don’t call yourself German. You’re clearly an American. I don’t care about that DNA test that says “you’re 22% German”, Karen... especially when you don’t even know basic German.
Everyone knows geography. Millions upon millions of USA soldiers are stationed and rotating throughout Germany each YEAR. Germans need to stop acting racist against other groups born in Germany. Stop calling people Turkish when they are born and raised in Germany.
@@ryanlambert5735 I agree Ryan. But that’s my point. If you were born and raised in Germany or even if you were born in another country but raised in Germany, you are German to me. I don’t care what you look like, what your ethnicity or skin colour is like. Someone who lives in America and does a DNA test that claims they’re “20% German” is definitely not German to me. They might be “German” ethnically but their Nationality is definitely not German (because they don’t live in Germany, they live in the US).
Other to contrary belief, Germany is a very language based society. If you speak the language, especially if you speak it flawlessly. You are more a German than someone who does not speak it and just claims heritage. Whenever someone comes up to me in the states claiming to be German I either expect a citizenship or language skills. Heritage... meeeeh.
It's not so much flawless german (where do you hear flawless standard german except on TV) as natural german. I recently met a very dark skinned woman (i would guess african, not african-american heritage) that talked german with a noticeable regional dialect. Instantly categorised as german in my brain.
@@tbk2010 Makes me think of Charles Huber who played a detective in Der Alte and speakes with a noticable Bavarian accent. He's instantly categorised as Bavarian in my mind.
@@shadowfox009x best, most natural, and most friendly german(!) cook on german tv: Nelson Müller
@@tbk2010 Same here! If I encounter a dark Skinned woman who talks with a heavy foreign accent, my brain goes "immigrant". If the same women starts to talk Swabian, my brain goes "German". It's the most trustworthy marker of who is German and who isn't.
Reminds me of a story someone told me once...said someone was living in Stockholm, and being dark skinned, he snapped at a co-worker because he asked where he was coming from. And then said co-worker clarified that he was asking because the accent indicated that both of them were from the same area of Sweden, and he wanted to check if that was true. I guess they were both very embarassed after that incident.
That is true for Sandra Bullock and Hailey. Once you got a regional twang in your speech pattern, you will immediately become recognized as local. Germany is anything but culturally unified. If we had to agree on a national dish(Döner aside) we would immediately erupt in a civil war. I would be fighting for the proud Käsespätzle Union against the vile Labskaus Federation. The Swiss have this concept locked down. They call themselves a Willensgemeinschaft. And that also describes Germany. Cultural unity can't be it for very obvious reasons. That's been argued since the 1820s and it did lead nowhere.
And Hailey is so Munich you could start building statues to her around the Odeosnplatz and nobody would bat an eye.
Live in Germany? Wanna be German? Wanna participate in the Great German Circlejerk? In Mutter Beimer we trust? Welcome to the team, schwesti/brudi.
"Is anyone from your family German?" - "No" - "Well that's obvious!"... Hahaha wtf, coming from people that probably never visited Central Europe, they would be soooo shocked seeing how "mixed" it is over here.
Wow... Just... Wow
Liebe Grüße
Half Jamaican /Half German
Yeah, I know alot of people in Germany that have Asian, Turkish, African, mixed etc parents but are completely German unlike those womean from this stupid club. So it is not obvious Haley is not German from her looks.
@@goldminer754 exactly!
♥️
🇩🇪🇯🇲
"Fun" part about it is that there were a lot of post war american-german children with afro-american fathers. So a German may have a dark skin tone due to this, and even be "more" german-american than some of the club members.
So these club members were not only ignorant to German history, but to US American history, too.
I would also consider People like Günther Kaufmann, Roberto Blanko, or Nelson Müller, to just name a few example, "true German" for sure.
And even without a German passport -- which I'm rather sure you would be able to get easily if you wanted, unlike the club members you dealt with -- I surely consider you "honorary German"
*Hayley - I'm so very sorry for you being treated like that by those racists.*
As a German literally with German parents, grand and grand-grand parents those *self announced Germans* pisses me off 🤮(sorry for being harsh).
*You're very welcome here in Germany* and be aware, that people thinking and talking about skin colour like they did are more like a nazi party kind of members, so don't even worry about not joining this club.
By the way, me being white 🤷🏼♂️ I like very much to lay in the sun for some brownish complexion (hope this word fits to "Teint" or french "teinte", got it from a translator)
All the best to you - take care!!! 🤗
A lot of Nazis probably would be envious of my "pure" family tree, so I feel qualified enough to confirm that you are 100% correct with everything you just said! ^^
(Although I wouldn't join you on laying in the sun because all I get is sunburn.)
The "teint" or brownish complexion is also called a tan.
Ironic part, even in biologic school book during Nazi time we weren't considered "white" but "brown". Scandinavians for example where considered "white".
God - that sucks on so many levels!!! In the US, I usually thought it strange, if people would tell me that they are 1/8th German. Sure, they mean nice and want to relate, but they did not have an iota of German knowledge inside of them. Also, I was sometimes confronted with "Ah - you're from Germany! My aunt is fluent in German - you have to meet her!"
When I met that respective aunt, she could not utter more than "Guten Tag" and that was it.
So, among all these pretentious Americans, who try to be German you are the light in the darkness! You are more German than they ever will be (if you want to be any German at all - I would prefer to be a citizen of Europe or even better of the globe).
PS: You are a true ambassador for Germany with your videos, way more than most Germans would ever be
As if you do not do that to Turks? Um what about Australians that are 1/8th German? Or Canadians, or New Zealanders? Or South Africans? Argentinians? Mexicans? Brazilians?
That sucks. Ugh, I can see we as America have not moved on from the past.
The language is one of the main things to really identify with a culture. My great grandfather immigrated from Turkey to Germany but I don´t identify myself as turkish because I don´t speak the language and have no other strings attached to that culture. That woman is probably just racist and didn´t hear about the Nazi-Regime being over.
That's what really confuses me.... i'm the same but with France (although i have the french nationality and not german) i see myself as German and not french and i think it's the same for most first/second generation imigrants... yet in the US even if you're so far removed from a country you still claim it's part of you
The problem is that adjectives like German could mean different things: culture, nationality, ethnicity, etc. You could be German in only one of those things and call yourself German anyway and you will be technically correct i guess. Some people consider that ethnicity is more important than other things. Those people are usually huge assholes though. Also in English it's a bit confusing when nationality could mean both ethnicity and citizenship. In my native language/country, we have two distinct words for them and two different adjectives for belonging to each group.
@@nicktankard1244 actually for us Germans that actually speak German and have a German passport there are two ways to identify someone as German:
1) has German citizenship
2) speaks German fluently and is familiar with the implicit social rules of German society.
A person for us is not German only because he or she has German ancestors.
@@helgaioannidis9365 yeah that makes sense. But you could have German citizenship but barely speak German and don't care about the culture. I know quite a few people like that here in Berlin.
Also depends on the context. Being ethnically German is fine and you could answer that you're are German if asked in that context. But claiming your identity on that is a bit much.
@@nicktankard1244 exactly. Either one of the two criteria or both apply, otherwise how would you claim to be German? There is no German gene or something like that.
This "queen" wouldn't even be considered German if she was in Germany. Rewboss made a video about this, called "Your German heritage doesn't mean as much as you think"
Very true! Those people in the USA with a German heritage like several generations ago, they are NOT German. Nobody in Germany would acknowledge them to be German. This feels more like white privilege. It's a fact that actual Germans are not only white. Only in the 1990s German TV started to actually show non-white Germans on TV as hosts, reporters etc. Every since the diversity is very normal. It#s another fact that every since WW1, yes, not WW2, African-Germans are a thing. That's why the Nazis sterilized many non-white Germans because they were not German in their eyes. So, these wannabe Germans from this video have a lot in common with German history. ;)
That doesn't all Germans don't have everyday racism. If you are German but not white, it's still possible to get for example questions like "Where are you from?"
What?
@@ONITOPIA Günther Kaufmann would like to have a word with you. Post-Nazi era Germany didn't take THAT long to become a little less racist.
The trouble is that they'd be recognised as "German citizens" by German law ("Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz" - German Nationality Act) because a couple of centuries ago, their ancestors were Germans, even though they immigrated to the USA, to Russia, to whatever-country-you-name. If they ever wished to "return" to the country that they'd probably never been to, aren't familiar with and usually don't even speak its native language, they'd get German citizenship in an instant if they can prove their heritage.
Those people don't even love "Germany" as it is now, they wouldn't even know what it's like. Instead, they cling to a stereotypical image of a Germany as it was 100 years or longer ago. They are like the born-blind talking about the beauty of colours that they've seen seen with their own eyes.
Thanks, I’ll check it out
As a blond tall blue eyed German with a long German heritage living in Germany, I have got to say... WHAT THE F***. I mean I understand if someone who is born in the US and is raised by a German community speaking German fluently and sharing German values is stating to be German (or to be more German than American), but if they don`t even speak our language, they definetely don`t share our culture in a way that they could call themselves a true German. Even with my heritage this wouldn't matter.
You have lived here. You speak our language. We even share a lot of values, so I will tell you that you are definetely more German than these people. As you said, I also would not identify you as a German, yet not because of your skin colour, but because you were not raised "the German way". Yet this doesn`t mean you are not welcome. Nobody has to be German in order to call Germany their home and to be treated in Germany just like a German. It`s the same way for me, as a person who has also lived in the US, my so called "second home" :). Btw the ancestors of these people where also 100% apes, so based on their definition, they should consider to change their identity/heritage to "Apish" :D
The funny thing about the blond blue eyed myth is that of the original Germanic tribes - there were a whole bunch of them - only two were generally blond and had blue eyes. Just like the ones known as Kelts were also a bunch of tribes with different ancestry. In both cases, what bound them together was their culture - first and foremost their languages that had the same roots, and their religion.
This sounds like a cult 🤷🏼♀️ you don’t wanna be part of such horrible group of people!! I know you miss Germany and I’m so sorry this happened to you!! ich hoffe du kannst bald nach Deutschland zurück kommen 💕
Ahhh this had my blood boiling but the part when she couldn't speak German made my day!!! 😂😂😂
My wife is currently in the process of "getting Germanized". She by herself says that speaking german is a big part of understanding german (culture). Knowing your videos, one of her favorite words is indeed "Pfandflaschenrückgabeautomat" ;)
You come across that quite frequently on internet platforms where some racist idiots spill out their racist BS, emphasising the importance of "German blood", "German race", "German culture" etc. and do that in such a lamentable German, riddled with spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes and sometimes outright nonsensical phrases. They pretend to be the guardians of everything that they call "German" but aren't even capable of expressing themselves in halfway decent German. Those people pretend to be super German, thus culturally and racially superior to all other pepole in the word whereas in fact they nothing more than just the scum of the Earth.
I am German and this is so embarrassing, I wish this wouldn’t have happened to you! Also, I was thinking, ask them if they ever visited Germany or speak the language or know anything about the country, when you said that she didn’t speak the language I already felt so satisfied haha. In your face wanna-be German. I hope you know that you are so much better than those people and I feel ashamed that they (try) to represent a country they don’t even know. Just come back to Europe :).
You don't have to speak German to be German. It's a matter of blood and genes.
@@RunoRansom Can you be a bit more specific? What exactly makes my blood german? I am 0+ if that helps. I am also curious about genes. Although I did a DNA test it nowhere mentions my "German gene"...did I miss something? Maybe you check your books about "Rassenlehre" about this issue? The one from the cave.
Dear Hayley,
please come back to Germany, we'd love to have you here!
Lots of love from another honorary German ❤️
In Tirol / Austria, I know one japanese and one Indian dude to join the local 'Trachten Verein', a Club for tyrolian Traditions. No big Deal (more a curiosty at first) but everybody is Welcome as long as you share the same intressts and have the right mindset
I'm sad that you had that kind of experience with someone who claims to be German. You said it, but to be German has nothing to do with color. And to feel connected to Germany has nothing to do with color.
But there will always be this kind of people. Hopefully you find some who are feeling more German than they could ever be and who will embrace you in their midst.
Greetings from a technical German, feeling German and living in Germany. I wish you all the best.
I remember reading an interview with Kurt Vonnegut (he’s my favorite American writer) and he said his mom was just like that, never taught him a word in German but dressed him in a for Halloween in Lederhosen like their ancestry was a caricature for people to see only in a one-dimensional way.
Let me also state that the woman and daughter that did say such horrible things to me were DRUNK. Which is no excuse for their words or behavior BUT sometimes people are a little less responsible with their words and actions when they drink. HOWEVER I am a firm believer that a drunk mind speaks a sober heart 🙊The 2 older ladies that were rude to me were not drunk- just rude and OLD.
Being drunk makes one do stupid things, but they don't make you racist. Maybe they would have been more indirect sober, but it would not have changed their believes.
In vino veritas
Being drunk it's maybe the only way these guys were really honest to someone else and couldn't hold their fake friendliness.
Alcohol reduces selfcontrol so you speak more real what it is truly in your mind.
Hayley, you are more German than this woman and her daughter will ever be. They may have German ancestors, but they are only racists and not Germans!
How *funny* all those “german“- americans who do not speak one word german, more than likely are not born, raised living in germany..smh
And you do not have to be lilly-white to be german..those great- grandfather story..aaahhh
Yeah, in my opinion you can still claim nationality if your parents are from there, but I start drawing soft lines at grandparents and with great-grandparents they are so far removed from claiming anything, they might as well stop trying.
@@lukieskywalker136 i agree..parents yes but more than likely when americans start with my grand or great grandparents..and further back claim to be this nationality is just wrong. I mean who cares..my granny great grandgranny were polish..well i am not..so it doesn't matter where you come from.
@@lukieskywalker136 I agree on this too. If you parents are imigrants, you were raised between two different cultures, one inside your family and one in the country you live in. So I agree that people 1 generation away from immigration are, like in this instance, german- american. They have the connection between both cultures. But most of that will be lost one generation later. Than it's just oh, my grandma is from... but except for usual grandma stories you don't really have a connection to the culture or country anymore. After that nothing counts at all anymore in my eyes. I don't care where your great grandparents came from, I never understood why Americans claim to be 1/8 of whatever heritage. Being "insert country" is way more about the culture as about the heritage. Even living in a country for some amount of time doesn't necessarily make you i.e. german, that depends on how much you adapted and changed or not. If you didn't like it at all and took nothing with you, that doesn't make you a german, even if you have a citizenship.
But that is the view from outside of the United States that people in (most) european countries have. Biggest problem is that for many things, incl this, it doesn't make any sense to me. Even if I try to set myself in their place, try to feel and imagine everything, it still doesn't work and I'm not able to come to the same conclusion or even near their conclusion. I have that with the USA for much more things as for every other country I know. Guess that's why I'm interested in the first place, because I'm trying to understand.
perhaps it is enough for them if their great grandfather had a german shepherd dog...
Maybe some of them do speak German, as there still is Texan German, which is a bit different form German spoke in Germany or Austria (it's more old stylish). Besides there are German communities in North Dakota and some other places too, I'm subscribed to an old lady (she made videos on geography), who spoke German sometimes, perhaps even domestically.
The person who said this to you would probably sit in jail for Volksverhetzung if she happened to be in germany
And no. Just because her grandma is german does not mean, that she is german.
For saying a black person cannot be German?
No, she wouldn't. Being openly racist is not a crime, you have to go further than that. (Like insult, call for violence etc.)
@@salia2897 Even then, it'll be probably more like a fine, not jail. We do not jail people for small stuff.
For a person to say something like that I expect that she'd said some other nasty stuff too. That's why I thought she'd be in jail
maybe not Volksverhetzung, but not accepting people because of color, religion, etc would be illegal discrimination, and a court might force them to accept Hayley as a member. BUT *_why would any real german (or Hayley) ever want to join such a club?_* when Hayley wanted to join because of language and culture, which they didn't have at all.
If she were a German citizen, she would, by and large, avoid such statements in public. You may ask yourself if this kind of violent suppression actually changes hearts, though.
I'm always sceptical if US-Americans say "I'm German". Unless they speak German and are immersed in the German culture, what they actually should say is "I'm an American with German ancestry".
I’m an American with German,French, Dutch,English,Irish,Scottish,and Finnish ancestry according to my heritage DNA. My great grandparents, grandparents, and parents didn’t seem to care about mixing ethnicities at all.🩸
@@rosealexander9007 That's not surprising. I am German, but I also have Italian, Eastern European, French, Scandinavian, and British heritage (as per DNA analysis). People mixed for a long time, even before they moved to the US.
Johannes Rueter I find this to be very fascinating. I think this is something I want to look into more outside of the United States. Thanks very much for the information 😊
Johannes Rueter ...as an American with mostly German heritage, I absolutely agree with your statement.
What about Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Brazilians, Argentinians, and other groups of people that have foreign ancestry and speak about it? I am always skeptical of Germans that worry about people from the US. I lived in Germany for 6 years. You people spend way too much time worrying about the USA. You need a hobby.
Hi Hayley. I am German. Me and my family have lived five years in Switzerland and since 2011 here in Illinois. I am sorry what happened to you, and I want you to know that such kind of people are everywhere. Even "friends" of mine. Being German or any other nationality is a culture thing, and has nothing to do who you are, or where you come from.Those people lack of something, we have been lucky to experience. We learned to live in another country and culture, we stepped outside of our comfort zone, we see the good and not so good thinks of each culture
Life is to short to let those people ruin your day :-).
In Germany there a lot of Germany people wich are not "pure" white. And they are nevertheless Germans. You are invite to become a citizen of germany.
there's also lots of people of color, middle eastern, east asian, central asian, south asian, south american etc etc etc who are German.... there is not really "Germans" socially and culturally there's huge differences between the different regions... a great example being Berlin and Munich.... ohhh god do i hate those snobby Münchner
@@LoFiAxolotl Die haben oft nen deutschen pass aber fühlen sich nicht Deutsch also wie kommt ihr drauf das die ein Part sein wollen (werden sie nie) :) ? Leute wie Hayley sind interessiert mögen die Kultur ect. sowas ist aber wirklich eher selten der Fall.
@@8Bitzzz Die, die ich kenne, SIND DEUTSCH, und zwar in ihrem gesamten Verhalten (sprich: voll integriert in ihrem Benehmen und ihren Denken), unabhängig von Hautfarbe. Glauben und Herkunft. Andrerseits sind es relativ wenige, gut möglich, dass Du andere Erfahrungen hast.
Absolut richtig.
Some people are looked upon (or even "judged") as POC. I'm always that guy from Spain/Italy/Greece/Turkey. And to some people this leads to the assumption that I cannot be German. Not to mention that I am.
Still can't compare to "regular" POC experiences, but still.. It's the same narrative of telling you do not belong here.
Donald T.: „I have a German grandfather.“
Germans: „Oh dear!“
No. He was officially thrown of the country.
@@IsenbergerHerold Not quite. he left to avoid the draft (seems to be a Trump family tradition) and when he tried to come back, the King of Bavaria refused to allow him back into the country and to get his citizenship back.
Trump: "I have German in my blood.”
Merkel starts laughing.
th-cam.com/video/vAR5A4f6KZI/w-d-xo.html
Hier spricht die Pfalz der Orange Affe soll bloß wegbleiben. Wenn der kommen will, zünden wir höchstpersönlich die Rebstöcke an.
@@WELDE83 ..klar , nix wissen aber Merkel wählen....oder die anderen Zecken die hier alles zerstören , wach auf !
I had no idea the AfD had an Auslandsorganisation called German-American culture club.
LMAO
th-cam.com/video/0jki38z5ZQ8/w-d-xo.html
This comment makes no sense, even and especially the AfD considers speaking good german an important criteria for citizenship.
Bester Kommentar xDD
@@tbk2010 Citizenship and ethno-cultural identity are two different things.
Hayley, du bist mehr deutsch als diese komischen Möchtegern-Deutsche! Lass dich nicht unterkriegen ;)
A friend of mine, whom I knew from childhood on, is a black German: The son of a black American soldier and a white European woman.
They don't live here anymore, they moved to Canada. But, hey, it's not wrong to have triple citizenship: USA, Canada, and Germany. Some passport always works.
Don't forget that many germans that left Germany during WW2 or close after where racist. They are not like most germans are today.
As an American (Black American) living in Germany this is a wholehearted lie. Germans are flat out racist
ThaMan Deon what has happened?
@@thamandeon7504 So you are claiming that 83.02 million people are racist. Really? Have any proof of that?
Mal schauen was die sagen, wenn du eines Tages mit deinem deutschen Pass auftauchst, wird sicher lustig....
Ein Weltbild bricht zusammen 😂🥰
Niemand hat Deutsch gesprochen..... und des hat mich wirklich GENERVT....😒
Ja die Gesichter von denen würde ich zu gerne sehen wenn Hayley denen ihren deutschen Pass vor die Nase hält 😂😂😂
@@HayleyAlexis in meinen Augen warst die einzig wahre Deutsche Frau bei der Veranstaltung
@@gerdipediaTV Das wird noch ein paar Jahre dauern. Acht Jahre legaler Aufenthalt und jede Menge Behördengänge. Ich war damals mit sechs Monaten Verfahrensdauer noch gut bedient.
Well, I'm happy to have you as a member of my 80 Mio plus German social club, even if it is only as a honorary member.
Maybe there are also clubs of German expats in the US which might be a bit closer to nowadays Germany?
I have done 2-3 different Meetup groups with Germans in the USA... They are mostly generally kind and amazing people.
One thing I have realized though is that a few of the Germans that live in the USA are rejects of Germany whose views would probably not be accepted in Germany so they bring them over to the USA and they are welcomed with open arms... So people then have this false image of what Germany actually is due to these IDIOTS that ruin everything for everyone.
@@HayleyAlexis America lacking certain basic things we often take for granted in germany like pension, health care, 40h/weeks etc etc means most people that immigrate to the US from Germany are people who don't understand what they're giving up... the average cultural "German" immigrant in the US will probably be exchange students or college students
The ignorance nauseates and embarrasses me. Hayley, you are far more German than these people ever will be. I am a German teacher in NJ teaching in an extremely diverse school. I have students of various colors and nationalities, and you are a great inspiration for them because they are so motivated by seeing a person of color speaking German. Representation really does matter! You've lived in Germany and have managed to acquire the language, which is much more than most Americans of German heritage will ever do. You rock, girl. Keep up the good work and insightful videos!!
Hayley, I commend your strength and restraint. Personally, I would have put those people “on blast”. Sometimes that’s what it takes for things to change. People need to be publicly shamed, in order for things to change. At the same time I do respect your choice not to, because it often takes a lot of emotional and mental energy.
I studied German in college in NYC, and I noticed that once I moved past the introductory level course, the hostility of the students (white) in the class increased. They would treat me like I didn’t belong there. And they seemed so angry that I was good at it. Anyway, that was like 15 years ago, and I’ve lost a lot of my German, but I’d like to pick it up again.
I'm German and Afro-Panamanian and when I moved to the US from Berlin to start high school I noticed right away that my fellow classmates tried to put me into there black or white category as quick as possible. I remember telling my Dad and Mom after the first two weeks that I've answered more questions about my ethnicity then I ever had in my life growing up in Berlin, kind of made me a bit depressed at the time to. I really do love America but there is still a cultural divide that needs to be addressed.
More like a "Aryan"-American club...
I think I missed the name. Which town was it? XD
This joke deserves more likes. Lol
@@mumucowpi8204 Well according to the way they acted Arayan-American-Club isnt a joke. Its the truth. I bet this girl, the face of the club had blond hair and blue eyes.
Hayley, thanks for your comments. You are my light in the tunnel during the present stage of the US. Please carry on.
Hayley thanks for sharing this. I've had many experiences in which some people tried to "keep me out" or make me feel like giving up even though I am trying my best to be good at something I like. That is expected. I believe that (sometimes) they are afraid that you will become better than them and thus they either try to keep you out, or if you are already in, they will try to make you feel that you need to quit. What they need to realize is that their relevance is not based on how much they are better than others but on how much they are helping others to become better. What we, who are constantly working on ourselves, need to realize. is that we must never give up on our pursuits, it is through them that our lives, our loved ones and the world become better. Keep up the great work Hayley, great upload :)
Hayley,I know what you are going through,I live here and look like I could be your sister,be strong,keep up your self esteem, and speak your mind when you need to..I've been through all that.
Erschreckend, wie viele Leute sich morgens mit dem Hammer kämmen.
😂
for me it sounds more like the "German American Club" was just a word they used for something else they not want to name as openly. :)
I guess its better you havent joined :)!
The crazy thing is... It is a HUGE club.... Like a really big deal in the community 😳so I was and still am honestly shocked that people are like that. I am assuming it was an isolated incident and only happens towards people like me because when I started looking at the website and their facebook..I realized there were no "people of color".... So maybe in their head they live in their "German-American" bubble and me joining would mean that everything they worked hard to preserve would be taken away? No idea
If you keep in mind that Florida is a big melting pot the whole thing sounds even more like the club isn't actually about German culture. There are certainly a lot of people with BOTH German and Native American and or African ancestry there, are they all excluded?
@@HayleyAlexis Almost as if they forgot that Germany had colonies in Africa...
Maybe the club is actually a camouflaged branch of the local KKK?
@@mormacil While that is true, at no point in time the native inhabitants of those colonies have been considered to be German. Anyway, when the "German Idea" emerged in the 1800s, it was about the shared language and culture of otherwise very diverse regions, not "blood". I feel it is pretty much the same today. Shared language and culture makes you 'one of us'. Those who refuse that will never be German, no matter their skin color or heritage. (Which no one over here cares about, anyway. No one would consider those US-born people who never set a foot on Europe to be German. )
Next time when that happens just react like a german and tell them 'Girl, wenn man keine Ahnung hat, einfach mal die Fresse halten'. Argument over.
In the end you are reacting like a true german! Well done! :) *Thumbsup*
You are amazing, everything you said is so true. This is from a German Immigrant that moved to the United states a couple of years ago. I believe in a better future for all of us.
Moin Haley, und Liebe Grüße von der Nordseeküste.
Das ist ein sehr interessanter Clip, vielen Dank!!!
Ich bin schon etwas älter und habe auch etwas zu erzählen.
Nach dem Krieg kamen Deutsche aus vielen Gebieten Osteuropas in die Bundesrepublik. Menschen aus Ostpreußen, Oberschlesien, Wolgadeutsche, Siebenbürgen,……
So hörte man bis … vielleicht zum Jahr 2000 (ungefähr) viele Dialekte in Deutschland (ostpreußisch, schlesisch, Siebenbürgen-sächsisch,…), die es heute (fast) nicht mehr gibt, schade!
Was mich - ich bin „Bio-Deutscher“ - immer gewundert hat, wenn ich mal mit Menschen von irgendwo im Osten über andere Menschen im Osten geredet habe: Manchmal kam dann so etwas dabei heraus (als Beispiel): „Ich komme aus Königsberg, also aus Ostpreussen. Wir sind Deutsche. Der Mann dort drüben kommt aus Cosel in Oberschlesien, der ist kein Deutscher. Schlesier sind schlechte Menschen.“ Und so weiter.
Also ich sehe, dass sehr viele Menschen von überall her in die Bundesrepublik kommen. Alles Deutsche. Aber wenn sie übereinander reden, dann sind „die anderen“ immer die Schlechten.
*grins* Das ist wohl immer so.
Daran musste ich denken, als ich dieses Video gesehen habe.
Noch einmal: Vielen Dank, das war sehr interessant!
I think it's too overrated in the US with their "I'm German/Irish/Itian/..., because my ancestor were that"
A true "German" or European have to be there and knowing the culture and Live for a while here. So that makes you more a German-American as the most people in the US, which claim that, because you know the culture, the behaviors of germans and so on...
Claiming to be a German because there ancestors were German is just wrong, do they use it because "identity-problems", I can tell you that nobody likes them here in Europe...
so lets say someone who's parents are both german but was born in Sudan and never went to Germany... is not German?
@@LoFiAxolotl yes, this person rather is a Sudanian(?), with German roots, but not a German anymore... I have friends which Parents are from Indonesia, but they where never there and call them self German, but not Indonesian...
i mean wven if they call themselves german thats totally fine, just dont be rude and say to someone like hayley she isnt german because she IS german by heart. and thats so much more what counts
@@LoFiAxolotl If said person speaks German and "learned" German culture from the parents, most likely German, and certainly has the right to a German passport. But go a few generations down and the "Germaness" will vanish. But honestly, that is for such a person to decide.
I speak German as a mother tongue and spent much of my childhood with grandparents in Germany, so I have an emotional bond with Germany. But my father wasn't German so I am denied German citizenship. You can only be German if your father was...that's the German Einbürgerungsrecht.
Take it from a German: you are absolutely welcome to call yourself an honorary German and thank you for appreciating our culture as much as you do. Dankeschön
Identity based on far removed heritage is sad, shallow, stupid and testament to someones personal insignificance.
I live in Greece and in the town where I live we have a local German club, but we're open to everyone who speaks the language. We don't care about how you look or where your grandparents were born. We want to preserve the language and the culture and we like to get also the local community involved with that.
Those people were very stupid and they just use the term "German" to say "white". If you ever come to Greece you are more than welcome in our German club 🥰
Hahaha, nice. They kept the mindset of the grandfather, when he left Germany 75 years ago.
Non Germans tell another non German why they are more German than she is. 😂
Show em a picture of Antonio Rüdiger. He plays for our national Football Team.
Edit:
And if you really want to piss em of, tell em only the cowards left Germany after we lost the war. The rest stayed and built up the country again. 😂
to be fair most of the german immigration to the USA was before even ww1.
She should tell them about Hans Sarpei aka the German Chuck Norris - the coolest German football player ever.
For fuck´s sake - why did he have to play for the Ghanaian national team :D
The cowards and the Nazis
@@florians.1905 In Ghana geborener Sohn ghanaischer Eltern, warum sollte er nicht für Ghana spielen. Gut genug, dass es für die deutsche NM gereicht hätte, war er ohnehin nie.
It reminds me of the time I wanted to join a German-Czech club in Prague, just to find some German speaking people and chat sometines. I went to a meeting in a café. The atmosphere was kind of awkward and inhospitable. They gave me a form to fill out, in Czech language. I told them that I didn't speak Czech and asked if they had a form in German or English. They said no, you HAVE to fill out the form in Czech! One of them even said we only accept members who speak Czech! I said, then you should say so on your website. They said it's written there. It wasn't, but even so, why should you speak only Czech in a German club?!
I said why don't you just call it a club for Czech idiots who can't find Germany on a map? and went home :))
You should have told those people something similar. That "German grandfather" was probably a nazi criminal hiding in USA after WWII. That would explain a lot :)
Hayley, I am so sorry this happened to you, but I have to say I'm not surprised. When I lived in Canada, I went to the German language club a few times and that was a huge mistake. Krasse altertümliche Einstellungen und so viele Leute, die sich für was besseres hielten! I was especially annoyed by people calling themselves German who really weren't. Having German heritage and actually being German are two very different things. It has a lot more to do with language and culture than just heritage. You're a thousand times more German than those people in their oh so special club will ever be. ❤️
Es fühlt sich offen gesagt für mich relativ häufig so an, als würde die deutsche Vergangenheit Menschen im Ausland dazu in inspirieren, unter dem Vorwand/dem Deckmantel, die deutsche Kultur feiern zu wollen, den Rassismus aus unserer Vergangenheit leben zu wollen.
Toll, wie du damit umgehst! Wir sagen oft: "Idioten gibt es überall" (leider auch bei uns ;-)
I dont know if you are gonna read this, and there probably are better places to leave a compliment, however, since I had a slow few days at work, I kind of followed your story.
You can be really proud of the amount of personal growth that you have done since starting this channel. I really want to congratulate you on that!
So much so that I wish I could decorate you with the official title of honarary german ;-)
"Idioten gibt es überall." Genau! As an American horrified by the current wave of White nationalism and fascism here at home, I desperately remind myself that even more of us believe in inclusion, human rights, and respect for diversity. The hateful people are feeling emboldened by the ugly politics of the moment, but they ultimately remain a minority, not the majority.
komm endlich nach Hause und lass die bösen Amis Dich nicht so quälen.
...unterschreib.
auch unterschreib
Unterschreibe ich auch. Es bricht einem das Herz dich leiden zu sehen, Haley. Komm nach Hause.
ja, und als freundlicher Spott von einem Preußen:
Hayley kann keine Deutsche werden, weil sie schon zu sehr bayrisch ist :-)
Come back to Germany. I'll invite you out for a beer! I will be living in Bavaria soon!
"Is anyone in your family German?"
Well... not yet.
Amazingly, I've never had a similar situation in my adulthood but during high school, I was trilingual in German, French and English. I am a black American with mainly African and French roots. I remember trying to tryout for a national German competition and let my 9th grade teacher know that I was interested (needless to say we spoke the same level of German, my teacher and I, but according to my mom I spoke it more fluently *lol*) and she passed me up for a white student who could pass as German in appearance yet who spoke a lower level of German than I did. As I got older and living in Chicago, Lincoln Square area used to, and probably still is, very German and used to have authentic and native-born German shopkeepers and restaurant owners in this particular area and I would habitually go there to speak German with them. They were older Germans in their '70s, '80s and '90s and they were absolutely the sweetest, kindest and most charming and helpful people that I've ever met and they would always invite me to go with them to the DankHaus Cultural Center (basically the German Cultural Center). Their kindness is something that I've never forgotten and has consistently led me to having a passion for experiencing different cultures as well as not judging a book by its cover, so to speak.
One thing that many Europeans, mainly Western Europeans, seem to not understand or grasp is that being black American means that you more than likely have roots in both Africa and Europe. I've always been very proud of my African heritage as well as my French heritage and I don't allow anyone to make me feel less than because I am black. Both continents are a part of my culture and I understand and truly recognize both.
Hayley, maybe you should take an AncestryDNA test and see if 'Germanic Europe' shows up? Then you can definitely shut the haters and naysayers down. There are so many Afro-Germans in Germany (it'd be great to have you do a video on some of them like Xavier Naidoo, Joy Denalane, and Jana Pareigis).
Being Afro-German or Afro-French is practically no different or 'odd' than being Afro-American.
Linking identity to where your ancestors came from gives you a sense of history and distinctiveness in a country where most people‘s ancestors came from somewhere else. The downside of it is that by doing that you also link your identity to the past. And the past is what it is, you can’t change it. Which makes identity an erratic kind of thing. And almost something like a cult. A living identity is not severed from the past, but it is also formed and nurtured by new influences in the present and open to transformation, open to a future which is different from the past. This is the problem those people in the club have. Their German identity cannot be a living identity where you can be an integral part because only their past is German. You are part of Germany‘s presence.
I like your videos. I’ve seen others, but this video got me to subscribe to you. I’m happy that you did not join that club. Those people you interacted with are failures. Real Germans would never interact that way. Those people are Americans whose ancestors failed to pass on their culture and traditions to their offspring. Being German does not mean that you eat German sausages at a small fest or drink beer at an Americanized Oktoberfest. You love, embrace and accept the culture. You’ve lived there. You will someday return. You love for Germany glows in your heart. That’s the start toward being German. Continue your voyage!
This experience you had, makes me really sad. You are very welcome here in Germany! For me it’s weird to hear that having family members, that are native Germans, makes you a “better German” than someone who’s interested in this country, lives there, speaks the language and in general is interested in the daily life. For me it feels like they haven’t learned anything from Germany’s history. Dear Hayley, for me you are the better person and I would really love tho have more people like you in my country. You are a handsome and strong lady, so go your own way! Your videos on TH-cam and the knowledge you give is already more significant than what this so called club will ever achieve!
My Grandparents lived here and my parents where born in Germany because I´m Black I´m not accepted as a german in Germany and other european countries also do not accept me as a german.
They always asked me the first question: where were your parents born? Answer in Germany
Second question: So where were your grandparents born? In Namibia
Then they say "Ahh look, so you´re an african"
Old german people do this as well as the youth
My parents gave me a german first name so that my life will be not that difficult, when it comes to finding an apartment or getting a job. Since 3 years ago I started to identify my self with the roots of my grandparents when I visited Namibia. I do not consider my self as a german anymore. Because when I visited Namibia, I was just a human being not judged by the skin.
Now if somebody ask me where I´m from, my answer is I´m an african but born in Germany. Since I have been saying that I recognize the smile of many Europeans that I do not consider myself as one of them.
I am happy to identify myself with my roots and that counts.
Ask Mike to join and then he can bring his wife ;-)
They would shit a golden brick....
Hayley Alexis : die sollen vor Scham im Boden versinken! Frag mal Mike, ob er mal zum Spaß in Lederhosen und Du im Dirndl bei den WhiteSupremacys auf einem ÖFFENTLICHEN (wichtig, öffentlich) Fest vorbei schauen wollt. Einfach da was essen und trinken und die dumm aus der Wäsche glotzen lassen. Unterhaltet Euch so lange es geht nur in Deutsch.
Hello, Hayley.
This experience of yours sounds really sad and somehow twisted when you look at the viewpoints of people of German origin who see themselves as "German" and tell you that you are not.
Somehow it seems to reflect the view of those Germans who still wish that Germany should be like it was 50-60 years ago.
Since I have seen some of your videos and know how much experience you have with Germany, its culture and its people (and the passion you showed in bringing us closer to the different views and interpretations between the American and the German culture ;-), I assume that you have also made your experiences with the respective dark sides in both places.
You know that in every country there are people who are open minded and positively intrigued by other people, as well as those who tend to be backward-looking and exclusionary.
We have the latter also in Germany very often ;-(
As much as this saddens me, I never want to give up the hope and optimism that the majority of us are constantly developing in the need to perceive every other person positively within the framework of his or her character and not to pigeonhole anyone according to skin color, origin, religion or gender.
In this context I would like to call out to you as a "white" German that although I see you more than a cosmopolitan ;-), you are definitely more German than those people you described in your video.
To be "German" or "American" is not so much a question of passport, but rather of how long or intensely you live in a country, fall in love with it and identify yourself with the language, the culture and the constitution of that country.
So in case you live more in Germany than in America and you feel more comfortable with the German culture than with the American one, I would definitely consider you more than a German than as an American. Or just both, because we as humans should not be limited to just one country and one culture :-)
Or to keep it simple: If someone with your cultural experience from living in Germany starts to feel German, you probably already are (or at least a significant part of you ;-)
Please continue to be yourself and authentic in your feelings, whether they are German or American, depending on where you are in life.
And please continue to entertain and inspire us with your own authentic view of cultural differences between countries you like/love and where you live :-)
Best wishes from Germany,
Wilhelm
Hi Hayley, I'm really sorry that you had that experience. And yes, it was very mature to react the way you dud and even more not to post a video, which got created when the anger and hurt was still fresh but after a distance.
And yes, to be "German" has no direct link to a skin-/hair-/eyecolor, but with a passport.
Even historically is "German" a mixture of a lot of different tribes, which lived and/or moved thru Germania.
Wishing you all the best.
Hallo Hayley~ Ich bin Koreaner der seit 4 Jahren Deutsch lerne UND in den USA wohne. Danke, dass du so ein interessantes Video gemacht hast! Ich wollte einen Mitglied werden von einem American-German Club in meinem lokalen Region. Das war ein paar Jahren her und wegen deinem Video denke ich jetzt, dass das keine gute Idee wäre . Ich hoffe, dass du immer positive bleibst was auch immer auf dem Welt passiert! Liebe Gruße - Jonson
Hayley, three things can make you German:
Self identication
Citizenship
Language
You tick two of those, making you more German than those Americans.
I would have called Mike and asked him to call the club in order to argue with them (And important, Mike would have spoken German to them, to test theirs German skills). Don't let anybody to put you down about racism.
Isn't a club supposed to be a place, where people with the same interest and passion can come together? I know many Americans (and Canadians) know their roots and are proud of them, but some really overdo it. I met many Canadians and Americans of German decent who were proud of their roots, but the people in that club seem to be completely discriminating, and know nothing about Germany at all. Saying you're not German because you're black and what not - these people would not get anywhere with that mindset in Germany. Perhaps the only ones they could befriend are AfD dudes. Not speaking the language at all, not even trying to learn the basics, never having been over here... but hey, I'm supergerman and you're not, just cause my grandfather from 100 years ago happened to come over here and "build the united states". Always this "my relatives build the US" ... as if they singlehanded build the entire country. What about your relatives? Is their contribution to the US not valued? Interesting how nationalistic mindset can people mess up in the head so hard. Disgusted by such a representation of Germans and Germany in this messed up club. They should rename themselves to Adolfclub, because that's what it sounds like to me.
Edit:
To how you should respond to these Möchtegern Germans, do it the German way. Ask them straight up questions in their face. So what do you know about Germany? You don't even speak the language one bit, nor have you seen a square centimeter [yes, use metric] of German land. And even if you went over there, you wouldn't even get out of the airport, because your non existend language skills would prevent you from using the public transportation. What? You wanna rent a car there and drive on the Autobahn? You would not even get out of the parking lot, probably even cause an accident right there on the spot because you most likely don't know how to drive a stick. If you do figure out how to get that manual car going, then you don't even know the written and unwritten rules of driving over there, where you would end up pissing them Germans off on the road and especially on the Autobahn, and sooner or later the cops will be there to pull you and your American driving habits off the road. ... oh yeah, neither do you seem to give a shit about soccer, Germanys biggest and most popular sport, because if you did, you'd knew that there are quite a bunch of black people, and other migrants over there. No German would want to have anything to do with a racist Adolf like you. No one would hire you, and especially not befriend you. Willkommen in Deutschland!
I threw an edit in there. Not sure if it was there before you hearted it :)
The CDU, Thilo Sarrazin (including many others in the SPD and FDP), huge parts of the East and many others in Germany who don't see themselves as racist have exactly the mindset as that club.... ignoring the problems that exist in Germany doesn't mean they're not there
@@LoFiAxolotl Thilo Sarrazin targeted mostly muslim migrants (some of whom are here many many generations) who hold on to very conservative cultural structures and values, which oppose German (or western) values, and prevent them from integrating into German society, causing parallel societies to form, which is valid criticism. Nobody needs to kiss every Germans ass, but if one chooses to move and live here, they should be able to let go of their own structures from their homeplaces, and adapt into the new society they chose to live in. How come Hayley is getting along well in Germany and likes the place and gets hardly any harsh feedback on her choice of being here, whereas migrants who choose to live by the premise I'm-a-migrant-and-Germans-hate-us-because-they-suck get treated as such? If a migrant sole purpose of being here is to just tell Germans about how terrible their country is, why should the Germans have any consideration for that? If I go to the US and tell Americans that their country sucks and they're all dickheads, what do you think their responses will be? And I highly doubt the partys you mentioned hold on to racist mindsets. If that were the case, 2015 would have never happened.
Hahah willkommen in Deutschland, ich hab's geliebt, really well said!
@@kb_verruckt2735 Ich finde es ja cool das gerade Amis und Kanadier sich ihrer Wurzeln verbunden fühlen, aber andere auszuschließen wenn man jetzt selbst nicht mal 100% mehr dabei ist? Das was sie erzählt hat war reine AfD Rhetorik, wobei ich nicht weiß ob die AfD die mögen würden... weißt ja.... wegen Amis, Besatzungsstaat und so...
Haley, I joined a couple of English-German Stammtisch groups through Meetup.com. The focus is on German speaking and culture with folks who come from all over and were very welcoming (i.e., not stuck-up). Give a Stammtisch in your area a try.
You lived in Germany as well?
Is it an online Stammtisch during corona?
Thank you for sharing! There is a reason why that girl and her mother was so bold. It is a good thing you didn't join that club, you'd probably be running out of there the first meeting. They may had other agendas that people of color wouldn't like. I love the German language also (I am still trying to learn it) but, I love the language. Don't let that get you down. Find a group that will embrace you and keep it moving. Stay optimistic
In my experience a lot off expat clubs are very conservative, they try to uphold their remembrance of the "home" country so desperately, they do not catch up to what has changed in that country. So the people you met, where basically stuck in the 30th and 40th of the last century. Just show them th-cam.com/video/HMQkV5cTuoY/w-d-xo.html
Exactly.
BWAHAHA that song is epic! xD
They sounded more racist than conservative.
French here, in France when someone says one is British, German, French, Irish, Italian, whatever that means one citizenship. Your ID card or your passport is from a country. When American pepole say I am German it means I am from Germany. I dont actually have the German citizenship. Is is really weird for us this diference
It's very disgusting what in the name of "German" is done around the world. I would rely more on official German institutions.
Hahaha you are so "here". Try everything and live now. Not that many People do. Impressive. Always a pleasure to watch and listen to. Hej from Sweden
Oh no. Das tut mir mega Leid.. vorallem weil du eigentlich so eine nette Intention hattest 🥺
I do wonder if those wanna-be Germans would even be able to find Germany on a map
Sounds like you stumbled upon their Whites-only club.
I'm Irish, as in actually born and raised in Ireland. I can tell you that it's a bit annoying and incredibly cringe every time we hear an American proclaim "I'm Irish!" because one of their great grandparents came from here. It's about as convincing as a kid telling you that they're a robot. We even have a name for these people: Plastic Paddies.
Just going by online conversations I've had with Americans, some people definitely use their distant Irish heritage as a thin cover for their racism. They make all sorts of incorrect assumptions about us, thinking that we'll automatically relate to each other. I don't doubt that racists would use German heritage for the same misguided reasons. Unfortunately for them, ethnicity in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe nowadays prioritises cultural background rather than skin colour, to the point that there can be multiple distinct regional identities even in a small country like Ireland.
so if an American who liked Ireland tried to join a club by you, you would treat them like how the GA treated Hailey?
@@jamiehershon How the fuck did you get that from what I said?
@@jamiehershon And we don't have clubs in Ireland where we just sit around all day talking about how great it is being Irish. That's the type of thing Americans do.
@@gavinhillick and people say americans are the judgmental ones
@@jamiehershon Your original question just looks even stupider the more I look at it. And I don't know where you got that notion about Americans having a reputation for being judgemental. The common stereotypes are that they're ignorant, egocentric and often claim to be of a particular nationality, based on nothing but a distant heritage and having never even left their own country. The people in Hailey's story weren't Irish; they were Americans, amadán.
Being a German, I can say you are more German to me, knowing our language, our culture, our food than them. Just because a grandfather moved to the US, doesn't make them German. For us Germans, they would be seen as just Americans with German roots. But to be German it takes more 🤷🏻♀️ And also, it doesn't matter where people come from, it matters how they behave and what there character is. And it seems they didn't show there best side.......
I'm with you. How you were socialized defines your identity. So when you grew up or lived for a period of time in a country and adapt their behavior, manners, thinking, etc, then you are definitely a part of them. How you look has nothing to do with it. But some of us German people have to learn this too.
Most unfortunate interactions in which you experienced arrogance and incivility.🙂 Thank you for demonstrating exemplary behavior and sharing that is possible for other people make similar decisions also.🙂. Love and compassion are superior qualities for humankind.❤️
I had a friend who was born and raised in Russia. But he said people didnt consider him as Russian because he was Asian. He speaks Russian as native language and spent his whole life in Russia but he said it was tough for him to be part of the society. I'm sorry that happened to you. You are always great and bringing positive vibes! Please stay positive!
Dear Hayley, please tell me, WHICH Club this was. I will send them a letter, they will never forget !
My youngest son is made, raised and educated in Germany, has ha German passport and has a brown skin. So he is no German ?
I honestly don't want them to receive any type of letters or ANYTHING... I have learned that it is best to not give certain things energy. I have learned that if people want to openly be racist...and openly be hateful... Let their ignorance and hate eat them alive.
@@HayleyAlexis no sorry I have to disagree with you on this. We here in Germany have learned long time ago you have to fight them! Don't get me wrong not fight in the sence of beteat them up or something. But letters from Germany may would fight ther believes in there heads. Such vilnes would not fly here in Germany at least not this openly. They are not Germans you are more German than thay ever will be!
Love from Germany.❣
@@Frankforsthoevel The problem is that there are German people that think like this in that club and if it is deep rooted in the club... There is nothing an e-mail can do. Plus I don't want ANYONE from that club to reach out to me because it would be so awkward because they would probably only apologize because someone said something... Which is quite disingenuous to me :/
@@Frankforsthoevel Must've not watched the news in the last couple of years? plenty openly racist politicians, racist and far right rhetoric from major political parties, racist and far right protest on the streets, huge rise in racist, anti-semitic and homophobic/transphobic crimes and a huge political shift to the right, racial profiling by the police and other governmental organisations, etc etc etc... those problems are not exclusive to the US
@@HayleyAlexis ok, I understand that. But it really freaks me off, that people like that, which have no idea how Germany is now, say how "a German" has to be.
Someone who live(d) in germany, speaks german, loves german culture and considers herself "honarary" german is pretty much german, regardless of citizenship or ethnicity. There are probably many third-generation "legal" germans that aren't that german ;-)
I bet that "German-American" girl has never even been to Germany 💀 💀
Me too!
That doesn't make her less German-American. Just like if Hailey considers herself African American, this does not depend on her having ever been to Africa.
And, frankly, a few folks here seem to unduly flaunt their "real" German-ness. Even if you were technically right, it still seems to be - how shall I put it - improperly grandstanding. It's another one of these things that you may think and smile, but not say in polite company.
tullio0 I did not say it makes her less German-American. I was suggesting that it's ironic.
That is very sad to hear. I don't get why people feel the necessity to exclude anyone. I personally think the more people who are interested in the same things coming together, the better. I hope you can find a club that is more welcoming and inclusive. ❤️❤️❤️
I am so sorry that happened to you. If I ever happen to meet you at an event in my end of Germany I would be very happy. You would be very welcome. I hope you knnow that there are people out there you are open minded and happy to meet in people who show an interest in their Verein ;)
Well...they didn't let you into their german club...so you are free to join our german club.
And our club is definitivly bigger 😁👍
Their loss is our gain 🥰
80+ million.... In Donald Trumps voice: huge numbers, big numbers, the biggest numbers weve ever seen.. Bigger than CHINA
@@HayleyAlexis the very biggest. The best as well. So good, you will be tired of being a member in no time.
We also have the best words. Such beautyful words...
Oh sweetheart...i can't wait till that trumpsterfire is put out for good.
I am really sick and tired of all the popcorn 🤷♂️😏😆
@@HayleyAlexis So would this recent #LoveIsNotTourism development be a solution for you and Mike? www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/reisebeschraenkungen-deutschland-laesst-partner-ohne-trauschein-einreisen-a-204d0523-83c1-4db0-8e5c-531736d2f383
They didnt really behaved like the german People i know in germany
Exactly like I thought. They are not German. They are American, I can't say it in any other words. Like you said in another video, in the US their is a segregative culture, that's typical American.
In one of your older videos you said something, that the German raceism(?) is about trying to fit in.
Well, in this meaning German culture is integrative.
They might have German ancestors, but they aren't German.
The concept of someone wanting to be German is really weird for me. We are “taught” not to be proud of it, and they seem to be proud of it.
Being a German nowadays doesn’t mean anymore by blood. Thankfully we left that behind.
The US should too
It was not left behind, just expanded to be more inclusive. However, people born abroad to a German father have the right to German citizenship by law...einfach einen Antrag stellen. Children of German mothers do not have this right...no matter how well they speak German or identify.
@@erichamilton3373 How is this possible?
@@erichamilton3373 That doesn't make any sense. I don't know anything about your personal circumstances but children of German parents will of course also get a German Passport. As a German mother being married and living in Japan I should know. My children have the right to Japanese and German passports but they will have to decide on their citizenship once they turn 20 because Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship.
@@erichamilton3373 close, other way around. My brother and I have a German citizenship through my my mother. I was able to pass my citizenship on to both my son and daughter.
eric hamilton eric hamilton what I meant is that it is more based on your passport. When your whole family lived forever in Germany and is genetically “german“ but chose not to have the citizenship they can’t give it to their kids just because of the blood. There has to be someone with the citizenship.
And there is ius soli since 2000 so you can gain the citizenship by being born in Germany.
And if you have a German (meaning with citizenship) mother or father the child can have it too. Not just the father
Two things: I am in awe of how calm you were and how polite you were to them. Also, literally everyone in Europe rolls their eyes when Americans tell them about how they’re part Italian. I’m British and according to the ancestry.com originally Scandi but would get a lot of wtf if I started making that as part of my identity. You have so much more claim than they do and you’re not even trying to claim it!
Hayley, I know I am 2yrs late to the party here, but having just seen your video, I needed to respond. Aaagh! So sorry! So horrible. What you experienced was no German cultural appreciation club. It was an American White supremacy clique more kkk than anything else, insulting Germans by claiming German "heritage" as cover for their bald racism.
I was so blessed to have had the experience of a 12 month long srudent exchange trip to West Germany, ...that's right, before reunification. I learned so much that year, and my time there motivated me to go on to study sociology (and to double major in German lit). I saw a Germany deeply concerned with respect for many cultures, with human rights, and very conscious of the larger world as community, NOT trying to reassert some myth of racial purity. Germans know full well their dna is a mix of millenia of countless migrating, sometimes invading, tribes from various places. Cultural identity comes first and foremost from language, and next from personally experienced culture. It is NOT a matter of what racist stories "grandpappy done told ya."
BTW, as an exaple of ancestry meaning very little: I am a US mongral. Had my dna test, after family geneology research pointed to Germany as the biggest of several national origin sources for me. My dna tests could not even isolate German dna, just lumping it in with "northwestern European." Some Irish, English Scottish, too. Surprised to learn I am more genetically Swedish than anything. Apparently some of my German ancestry was itself the result of some migration from Sweden. So there ya go. Feuchtbar, blödsinnig!
That woman was just racist, that´s all.
Most likely it wasn´t because of her "German" heritage but because she grew up in the US.
Just get dual citizenship.
Edit: Seriously though. This woman is lucky a German like me wasn't at the venue. I can't stand these racists. And I'm not afraid to show it.
Agreed.
I would have found some very direct words for them. This is unacceptable in any case.
I am so sorry for your experience.
Let me tell you something. I am seemingly as German as it comes. I am blonde, have blue eyes, my maiden name is Fischer and am born in Germany. My parents are German also are my grandparents. But I happen to know that I have ancestors from Norway, Italy, Austria, the Czech republic and Ireland. Never would I claim to be Italian, Irish or something else.
And in my book you are more German than any of those with German heritage that don't speak German. They are American. It is as simple as that.
Thanks for sharing your story. I truly admire your strength in holding off on telling the story until you felt it was the right time. That club sounds like such a sham. I'm sorry you experienced that. I have been part of a cultural club before and am glad I never experienced prejudice like that. I have a german last name and have a german significant other who's in Germany right now. I have yet to become as fluent in german as you and I truly love watching your videos because you inspire me to keep practicing. I was born in Mexico and live in the US, so I also get what you're saying about how some Americans struggle with their cultural identities. I've never felt like I've fit into specific groups of culture and that's why I loved being a part of an International Club. It felt more inclusive. Sucks that the German American club wasn't inclusive like it should have been.
Honey....... I’m much older than you and I just started following you. I’m Sicilian and German and these people are assholes and you have every right to be pissed off. I give you so much credit for taking a moment and not posting anything immediately. What many people in this country seem have amnesia about is that “America” is NOT a nationality. It’s a citizenship. The only true “Americans” are the Native Americans. And we know how nice the first settlers were. I think that the climate in this country has never been more hostile and separated. If I was you.....maybe check out other German American clubs nearby to see how they welcome you? Stay strong and above the ignorance. Because “you” are this country’s future and we need as many intelligent young ladies like yourself. ❤️