HOW MY VIEWS ON RACIAL IDENTITY HAVE CHANGED SINCE LIVING IN GERMANY

[@HayleyAlexis]

Let me reiterate... YET AGAIN FOR THE IGNORANT PEOPLE IN THE COMMENT SECTION 😒I am not talking about RACISM, POLICE BRUTALITY, PREJUDICE, BLM, OR ANYTHING ELSE.. I am only talking about how I identify, how my society identifies me, and how I have personally grown regarding those views/opinions. I will most likely make a video regarding the topics listed above because they do go hand in hand with racial identity BUT I did not want this video to be too long and only wanted to talk about a personal overview of MY PERSONAL IDENTITY.

[@tasminoben686]

Hayley Alexis Moin Hayley, danke für dieses sehr ernste Video. Was du erzählst hat mich sehr nachdenklich gemacht. Ich werde oft genug nach meiner Behinderung beurteilt. Deswegen kann ich vielleicht etwas nachempfinden, wie du dich fühlst. Womit ich meine Probleme nicht auf eine Stufe mit deinen stellen will. Ich denke, meine Probleme sind dann doch einige Nummern kleiner als deine. LG Ben

[@michaelgrabner8977]

"Your personal identity" should solely base on your personal achievments and your personality itself = on what kind of person you are..not on your heritage, skin colour, nationality etc respectively overall "things where you didn´t have any influence" or not on what other people might think about you...at least that´s how "personal identity" should be defined in an "perfect world"..I know "the world is by far not perfect" and will never be...but in your private/personal enviroment you can do little things which goes in that direction.

[@badgrrrl]

Hey Hayley, das war ein sehr interessantes Video! Ich verstehe, was du meinst, und die Erleichterung, die damit einherging, dass in Deutschland "Rasse" keine Kategorie ist. Jedoch sind die hier in Deutschland geltenden Kategorien "Nationalität" und "Religion" keine Verbesserung und auch nicht progressiv. Es ist im Grunde das gleiche Problem hier, mit dem Unterschied, dass der Fokus auf eine andere Kategorie gelegt wird. Tatsache ist, auch Nationalität ist ein Konstrukt, das nicht real ist. Nationen und Nationalitäten sind ein relativ neues Phänomen. Genauso wie Rassismus verschwinden würde, wenn wir "Rasse" als Konstrukt abschaffen, würde auch Nationalismus verschwinden, wenn wir Grenzen, die künstlich erbaut wurden, abschaffen. Wie wir alle wissen, hat Deutschland seit über einem Jahrhundert ein riesiges Problem namens Nationalismus. 😒

[@garank4971]

Out of the youtube underworld.......am i allowed to use this word ? I would like to use it more

[@mjoelnir58]

@@badgrrrl So ein Blödsinn ,andere Nationen hatten /haben also nie sowas gehabt?Komm wieder runter.

[@isypisy]

I am „German“ and I „identify“ as German, but my mom was born in Southkorea, so I am mixed. When I went to the States as an Au Pair (back in 2003) I had to take some college classes and I had to check this box as well (African-American, White, Asian, Hispanic...). I was so confused and didn’t know what to choose, because it was the first time in my life where I had to categorize myself other than my nationality. I think at the end I chose „white“, because I thought „I‘m German and Germans are white (?)“. Some people told me back then that Americans have to check that box quite often and all I could think of was „What about all the mixed people like me? Do they have to choose one part of themselves and deny the other part?“. But most importantly „Why do you have to check this freaking box in the first place?“

[@zorrothebug]

So true! What's the point anyway to categorize humans that way?

[@mact4363]

Tasmino Ben kleine Korrektur (typisch deutsch halt): Löwen und Tiger lassen sich paaren, man nennt sie dann umgangssprachlich Liger oder Töwe, je nach dem was die Mutter oder Vater war. Ist allerdings nicht unproblematisch und nur durch den Menschen möglich, da in freier Natur die beiden sich nie begegnen würden. Ändert aber nichts an der korrekten Schlussfolgerung: wir sind alle Menschen!

[@LessiWho]

Hauke Holst Wow, danke. Wieder ein bisschen schlauer ^-^

[@15buch]

Tasmino Ben Und noch einmal eine kleine Korrektur: Löwen und Tiger sind Arten, ebenso Hunde und Katzen. Innerhalb einer Art kann es Rassen geben. Zum Beispiel bei Pferden, Hunden etc. Alle Rassen einer Art können sich fertil untereinander paaren, sollte es zu irgendeiner Art Isolation kommen, so können auch hier verschiedene Arten entstehen. Verschiedene Arten können sich ab und an durchaus paaren, häufig sind die Nachkommen aber nicht lebensfähig, steril (Maulesel/Maultier) oder nachfolgende Generationen sind steril. Diese Kreuzungen leben also häufig nicht lange. Beim Menschen ist es aber biologisch nachgewiesen, dass eine Einteilung in verschiedene Rassen keinen Sinn ergibt, da wir DNA-mäßig alle zu ähnlich sind :)

[@BlissLovePeace]

that box has to be checked to divide ...

[@Dreyno]

As a European, I didn’t realise Latino was considered a different race until I was in my late 20s. I think most people In Europe considered them white (not that being white means anything) but with a nice tan. America’s obsession with race is baffling considering everyone except the Native Americans are an emigrant (willing or not).

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

@Ksch Koff "Some people are obsessed with race but they are a loud minority of people, there. It usually only gets heated when the media makes a big deal out of it.".....Hmmm....You sound like someone who has never been to the US (much less grown up there), who has an agenda.

[@kgoblin5084]

"As a European, I didn’t realise Latino was considered a different race until I was in my late 20s. " Oh, it's way more complex than that in the USA actually, legally it's treated as a 2ndry category, so you can have Black Latinos/Hispanic vs White Latinos/Hispanic. Partially because there are multiple distinct groups of Spanish/Portuguese descent, from different regions of the Americas.

[@rogerwilco2]

Yeah, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, (and French?) are just Europeans, and so are their descendants. It is the American latent racism that makes all these things so awkward. At the end someone from Brazil is a Brazilian, no matter where their ancestors are from.

[@helifanodobezanozi7689]

Historically, the US has viewed Old World Latinos differently than New World Latinos. The reason being, the vast majority of New World Latinos have some, much or all of either Native American and or African ancestry. Therefore, European Latinos are "White" and New World Latinos aren't. Prior to WW2, there was a great deal of discrimination in the US against mainly Italians and also to a limited degree, other (Southern) European people from Latin cultures. This was actually more bigotry than racism, as the main issue was religion, i.e. Roman Catholicism, and culture/language. The Irish, being from a predominantly Catholic country, were also greatly mistreated. As the demographics began to shift away from most people being WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants), so did the attitudes of extremest hate groups like the KKK. (In fact, the revival of the KKK in the 1910's was not only driven by antisemitism and hatred of all non-white groups, but also due to anti-immigration sentiments, geared towards "Papists". Does this sound like someone today? "History doesn't repeat, but it sure does rhyme." - Mark Twain ) In any event, by 1979 the KKK changed its' position and even began to actively recruit Catholics. So, to make a long story short, don't think of the US historically or even today as being a binary society. It's more like a caste system. In the past, in the minds of supremacists, the "WASP" sat at the top. Today it is anyone who is "White" of any one or blended completely European ancestry.

[@HotelPapa100]

Immigrant, actually, but, yeah. In the end we all come out of Africa.

[@kieferngruen]

I'm German and I worked as foreign language assistant at a school in the UK for a couple of months a few years ago. I was really shocked when I had to check these boxes about my ethnicity in a form on my first day there. This was the first time I had ever seen this and it was really weird to me. It actually pissed me of so much that I drew an additional box on the form and wrote "schwäbisch" next to it. Nobody ever complained :D

[@tchujdenetza]

Joke aside few years back the gender bullshit was in full steam in the UK. In one university they asked each student how should they be approached with the intention of getting Mr/Mrs/It or whatever sort of it. One guy wrote "Your majesty".

[@Sketchblopp]

@@tchujdenetza "Your majesty, I'm afraid that 'the royal dogs ate your documents' is not a legitimate response to the lack of their homework."

[@sinjaja5836]

Schwäbisch is a great answer.

[@Schlotzinger]

Schwäbisch isch jetzadle die genialschde Antwort! Diä Checkbox hädd i o okreitzld! Scheiß Rassäkwatsch. So ebbes geht gar ned!

[@povelvieregg165]

My father lived in Africa for a while. There he had to check boxes for which tribe he belonged to. No race/skin color checkbox though. He didn't know what to write for tribe, but since he is Norwegian he wrote Viking tribe LOL.

[@Merrsharr]

Germans take things quite literally. The official was confused when you answered with your parents' races, when he asked where you're from. Because in his perception it had nothing to do with the question he asked.

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

Yes, exactly, that's it. He wanted to hear "I'm from the United States of America". That's all the info he needed. 😉

[@NicolaW72]

Exactly!

[@aidtfeldkamp]

@@AndersGehtsdochauch ... and all, that is of any relevance or interest.

[@frankbruder3097]

It's still a confusing question, though. Do they need to know what my last stop was, or - if I don't have a direct flight - where I started the journey, or do they need my nationality? They ask everyone all day long. You'd think they would find a way to phrase it in an unambiguous way.

[@ichbinueber18]

@@frankbruder3097 it's unambiguous. In Europe we talk about your country. We drive half an hour and are in a different country with different culture and language. It said, where are YOU from and not where are your parents from our what is your generic make up.

[@marcelklappert2127]

In Germany Hayley is mainly considered as an American. Most German people don't care about the color of Hayley's skin.

[@HayleyAlexis]

and most Germans see me as orange... LOL...

[@cynamonskye]

Yeah cause she is racial ambiguous. Now if she had more black features and a darker complexion things would be different

[@HayleyAlexis]

cynamon skye "black features"..... That is so disgusting to say 😐Very racist.

[@EdgardoPlasencia]

@@HayleyAlexis cynammon is not condemning you for not having more black features.

[@HayleyAlexis]

@natalie storm What have you been through? What black features? What you are saying is racist.

[@WhisperzVerse]

I’m a biracial girl that was born and raised in Germany before moving to the USA in middle school. It was such a shock to my system because not only could I not relate culturally as a German in this new land, the white and black kids wouldn’t accept me racially. “Racial identity” wasn’t even a thing I experienced in Germany, at least not how it is here in the United States. Its literally what this country revolves around 24/7. I relate with you about the neutral ground that we’re basically forced into that allows us to have a unique perspective on things.

[@wernerschneider4460]

Most African-Americans with light skin have had the one or other white ancestor. There are even light brown tribes in Africa. And when somebody in a non-white country won't accept me for being white (by chance, I didn't choose it and I'm not proud about it) I would tell the person to get lost. Luckily this never happened to me, neither in Africa nor Asia.

[@michellehubbard8865]

What is your ‘black’ side? Afro-Caribbean..African..? How do they accept you?

[@Stefan-ne7rx]

I don't know what I shall say. For an European and for a modern German is a racial classification very weird and dangerous. I don't like such classifications. We are all humans and we don't need artificial borders between us.

[@vodkatonyq]

Germans do these classifications with other words such as Südländer and Schlitzaugen, so please don't give me this politically correct, sensitive pap. Germans racialize to this day.

[@nevergonnagiveyouup.9162]

@@vodkatonyq some old people do this but it's not normal in Germany. I would probably say: Asian, Afrikan or naher Osten Type.

[@KitsuneHB]

True. It reminds me of the era of nationalsocialism when people were divided in races.

[@Traumglanz]

Same, but on top I am getting triggered by how badly it's done on top. If you have to throw people into boxes, at least be not so fucking superficial with it, that is imho the most insulting part. Calling the descendants of Iberian, Celtic, Aztec, Maya, Inka people simply Latino feels like such a big insult to all cultures involved. And I bet I have still forgotten half of the most important cultures involved in that melting pot of European and American cultures.

[@balthazarbeutelwolf9097]

the importance on the "katholisch"/"evangelisch" distinction is probably where your church taxes are going to. You should have told them you are an atheist or a Buddhist or something other exotic - no church taxes for you.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I was able to work around it and basically "deny" it. They were not too happy but whatever... It is what it is.

[@yvonnemorken3080]

Hayley Alexis also Evangelisch is not evangelical. It’s the Lutheran church in the US. The German Evangelische Kirche is still quite different from its counter part. As an example the US version does not allow female priests

[@peterpritzl3354]

@@HayleyAlexis I went to the Standesamt and left church the day I was of legal age. Not supporting this hypocritical bunch.

[@MongolordD]

@@peterpritzl3354 me too. I can invest the 30€per month better ;)

[@presidentcamacho6073]

yep it's a trick question

[@swanpride]

The German government doesn't ask about race for one simple reason: It is too similiar to what happened to the Jews. Putting people on lists is one thing, putting them on lists while also marking "differences", that is an entirely different animal. Thus said, there is some discussions if it should start to do so again for statistical reasons. But I dislike the thought. It shouldn't matter. I shouldn't matter more than a different hair colour. And yet it somehow does. It's fruststrating, because if you just ignore it, you also might ignore systemic problems alongside it. Being colourblind is in a lot of way a luxury.

[@Blueeyesinthesky]

I agree

[@swanpride]

@Richard Lafleur ...that's basically what I said.

[@dennisweiss6621]

Still, I think being color blind is the only way how we can someday overcome this. Like, I don't mind whose actor plays in a movie, as I am a plot-driven person, and I watch movies that interest me. But everytime I hear someone say "its so great that this actor of color/diverse background/whatever is staring in this movie and everyone should watch it" I think to myself "hmm ... I guess we will never normalize this if we put everyone, who is slightly different, on a pedestal and shine a spotlight on it". If he didn't do that and just enjoyed our media, wouldn't it become just a really, normal part of life?

[@gratefuldead3750]

There is no country in europe where race is asked. Not in france, not in dutch, maybe in britain but i doubt it.

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

In all Europe no official documents asks for "the race".

[@Gavrahil]

I am Italian, my wife is chinese, we live in Germany and just got a baby. Can you imagine the confusion my daughter would be growing up with, if we were living in the US? Fortunately here in Germany this will not be an issue. On another note, race has always been one of the least interesting informations about someone, I can think of: "I am Hispanic." "Great! Now I still don't know anything about you, that would make for a remotely interesting conversation." "I am a gardener." "Oh that's interesting. Tell me more..." When I want to talk to someone to get to know them, their occupation, taste in food, interest in cars, films, books, or flower arrangements are infinitely more interesting, deep and revealing than the comparatively 0.0001% difference in our genomes. I never understood these boxes, that you have to check in the US and the UK. What does this information bring to the table? It is literally useless when you apply for a car licence, a house or a university. So when I studied in the UK and came across these boxes I simply left them blank and ignored them. Once a lady told me, I had to check one, and I told her: "My family comes from Genova, which has historically been one of the busiest ports of the Mediterranean during the whole of the middle ages. Statistically speaking there is a good chance of me having ancestors from Egypt to Marocco, Turkey and Greece, up to Gaelic and Viking ones. To what exact percentage should I now determine to which of these completely man-made categories I belong to? And more importantly, what vital information would you glean from that, that applies to my on-campus housing application?" She looked at me funny for a moment and then bustled off and did her job.

[@legumesss]

I get where you're coming from and I also wish we could get past all that. But I think one reason for those boxes is to detect racist patterns through statistics. Like if a company is only hiring white people, or if universities are mostly attended by 99% whites or something.

[@Rajin90]

@@legumesss I don't see a problem with a company hiring on a racial basis. They are denying themselves talent (which is scarce). Their competitors, on the other hand, aren't asleep. They will snatch those talented people (of both genders, and all kinds of brown-shades) away and will increase their profit margin as a result. While the racist company withers away into nothingness. Same for the universities. If "race" is what a university is looking for, instead of interest/competence, they will become the laughing stock in the academic circles. Because skin color does not improve the quality of the alumni's studies/peer review.

[@andymaciver1760]

Oh my gawd! People are wondering about you're background?! How dare they!

[@Subuzgreatest]

@@Rajin90 If a business hires based on racial policy, it should be banned from operating in a place where its customers are not of the hired race. If a business only hires whites, it must be banned from obtaining its resources & selling its products/services to people of other races.

[@cphcph12]

If you came to study history, you prbably graduated immedtately.😄 [edit] read the other ideas about why the university would want to know that. Maybe they just tried to be a good host? Many people take their ethnic background very seriously and might feel insulted if the university didn't take their culture in account.

[@martinboelter1401]

Thank you for the video. Me, a German living in the US, never could understand this either, this obsession trying to put you into a racial mold. Nobody in Germany ever asked you about your race on any application. It is so funny, people in the US talk about equality and racism and what to do better and for me, I want to scream and say, why don't you eliminate these classifications from your paperwork first, then we might be able move on from there. This told me simply one thing. America is not ready yet. The conversation might have started, but that's it for now. Read An American Experience by Martin Bolt, it talks a lot about these issues. I met my wife of 15 years in Germany. To me she is pretty, smart and funny and we're a great team. But only when we moved back to the States I also found out that she is black and I am reminded about this fact every other day ever since. In Germany she was a pretty lady, in America she is a black pretty lady. I don't want this is sound bad or anything, I merely try to illustrate the point that the US will make advancements eventually, it is just going to take a little more time then many think, because if it is changing, it has to on people's own time, it just cannot be forced.

[@hartmuthornstein3268]

Schwarzbrot matter The whole thing ist going mad

[@SonjaHamburg]

I think it makes sense in some cases to keep track of races in the US. Non-whites were so disadvantaged in the past and still havent caught up economically on . So it makes sense to gave the statistic how many of what "race" are in what college. Or to have the data to compare the length of prison sentences white and black people get. But i work in statistics, so i am biased on wanting data to be able to do data-driven decisions to improve society

[@HayleyAlexis]

Debating if I should keep this up or not...We shall see. I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT RACISM IN THIS VIDEO. I am talking about the idea behind race and racial identity. What it means to me and what it is like for me as an American in Germany regarding racial identity ☺️

[@deliapayne1162]

Hayley Alexis Leave it up, you are incredible and this is the truth people need to hear 😎

[@Nynke_K]

do keep it up! it's good to address these issues and to give your view! also, interesting to see how your face has changed since you were a little girl :)

[@armadspengler2717]

Hi, Hayley, can you make a video about what you have to do in the USA to be able to vote? You probably know that in Germany you will get your voting documents sent to your registered address and your good to go... you can simply use them directly at the polling station on election day or request postal voting documents to cast your vote by mail. In the US - as far as I know - it is way more complicated. You have to register as a voter in the USA first (and state whether you register as a Democrat or Republican?!? WTF?!?) How exactly does this registration process work? Will you receive a voter identification card or other official documents at the end? Does it differ from state to state? Which documents do you have to provide? In which office do you have to register? Is the registration valid for life? Is it possible to elect the local sheriff, prosecutor and municipal council as well with that registration?

[@michaelgrabner8977]

When people judge other people by their skin-colour instead of judging them by their personal charakter/behave then those are utterly stupid. Unfortunately the vast majority of the people in the world are in that sense utterly stupid by doing prejudging people by look, heritage, nationality etc. simply unable to get rid of tribal thinking.

[@Flashkoch]

For sure leave it up, don't be so shy and insecure about your views and experiences. ;) Stay safe. :)

[@jornschneider2723]

we german have no race-identity, we only have fußballclub-identity s ..,-)

[@appleslover]

I guess that's why the US doesn't have it

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

hahaha and thank goodness we're not asked for it when filling in forms at the Amt. 😀

[@debraderoos5225]

Yes, but there are some who would like to see the Nazi's rise to power again. Is that not true? Not trying to be mean, but I think there are racial issues in Germany as well.

[@Nina-ci4lt]

@@debraderoos5225 yes there are some people that think that way. But we are trying our best not to give those people to much power and especially young people are trying to make a difference there. In German we would say that there will alway be a black sheep:)

[@tubkub7867]

@@debraderoos5225 sadly many european countries electing racist parties. In Germany it's the AFD which is basically "Nazis in Nadelstreifen", who dont have solution towards actuall problems, but like to put an emphasis on refugees, racial slurs, anti-fiminism, anti-ecological politics. If you want to see hwo they work, check out how they repsonded to the pandemic, first they said the governement lets everybody die and we need a lockdown, since we have lockdowns, they said people are cut of their freedom.

[@shawnshazam1912]

There is actually a discussion going on in Germany right now to completely remove the term "race" from the constitution and replace it with "ethnicity" or "ethnic origin".

[@HayleyAlexis]

I think that is better...but at the end of the day.... what is ethnicity? To certain people/groups it means one thing but to others it means another. Some people consider religion an ethnic factor while others consider language an ethnic factor.... hm hm hm

[@ZeroFPV]

That's like the changes to Affirmative Action in California. They basically legalized to treat people different dependent on their race. That's just like you'd say "racism is fine!".

[@5ilver42]

@@HayleyAlexis Ethnicity is interesting because to some people they are referring to a common culture a select group of people has, while others refer to the genetics that we currently call "race". I prefer the first, cultural one, but, well, it's a mess.

[@Runeless]

@@ZeroFPV It's more complex than that to me though. It's trying to compensate for/reverse very real imbalances that have been inflicted on people of color over generations, so I get what it's trying to accomplish. Unfortunately Affirmative Action, by its very nature, hinges on the toxic concept of racism. Obviously it would be better to find a solution that DOESN'T hinge on "race", but how do we do that when all the problems have been caused by "race" in the first place? That's the challenge. The United States is only just now acknowledging that it still has a serious problem--not just with racist attitudes, but the entire structure of our society. We could stop saying "black and white" tomorrow (I'd be all for it), but would it change the way Americans regard each other and treat each other based on skin color? Would it erase the fact that certain groups of people have been placed at a disadvantage for generations based on skin color? How do we target people who have been forced into disadvantage from before they were born, and give them _specifically_ room to succeed without addressing that directly? You can't kick someone into a pit and then ask them to climb out on their own, then call it equal. It's going to take a long time for Americans to stop thinking of each other in racial terms as opposed to ethnic terms. I think it'll take even longer for things to become truly equal, where quality of education and chance to succeed won't be so skewed based on skin color. Before we can eradicate racism, I think we have to recognize the real and concrete damage that has been done and make concrete steps to reverse it. I don't know if Affirmative Action is the answer to that, but we can't escape these facts. I have a lot of hope that we'll get there :D

[@eagle1de227]

@@Runeless As i mentioned before racism or the need of racial identity is not an american thing but a human one. Humans tend to put other humans in boxes to simplify their judgment. In the first place that was a quite smart invention of mother nature. you became very fast with estimating dangers: This animal is from the tigers box = Danger, this is from the sheep box = harmless. But in the actual modern social relations between humans and society in general it becomes more and more an issue. The old boxes don't work anymore and you have to find more appropriate methods to find a judgement. But it's hard and not as easy as in the past anymore. This challenge had already begun in the states in the 19th century at least with civil war and it still goes on. But i'm afraid at this pace you'll not win any Cup...

[@michaelkruska6097]

Being born in Denmark and raised in Germany by a danish mother and a german father, I grew up in an environment where a lot of kids spoke turkish. I think in Germany the emphasis is stronger on your national identity than on your racial identity. We also think in boxes, but more in the term of "where do you come from?" "do you consider yourself as german or not?" "do you identify yourself as german?". It's a different kind of categorizing, but I don't think it is less problematic.

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

Yes..Especially when some people want to tell others (implicitly or explicitly) that they don't have the right to consider themselves German. That's what really annoys me all the time.

[@martfp88]

This is a good point

[@joenight9693]

It depends. from a naive point of view, it's way less problematic, cause all you have to do is to adopt the local customs and assimilate. Nothing else is expected from you. If you, on the other hand, want to bring in your own customs and especially skip the Kehrwoche... well you're in for one hell of a ride.

[@keepinitkawaii]

When i went to Germany and the Netherlands, when people would ask where i was from, i would say America but they ALWAYS felt the need to further question it. As if i couldn't possibly be American and one person said im not American, im an immigrant🙄 Eventually I'd have to say "well my family has been in America for 300 some yrs now so i dont think im considered an immigrant" and they'd still say "yeah but you dont LOOK American so where are you really from?" One time i eventually just said "well this thing called slavery happened like 400 years ago where people took black people from Africa and dropped them off in America" and they said "oh so Africa! Do you speak the language? Which country?" As if i didn't just explain to them slavery. Like how would i know which countries in Africa my ancestors came from 400 years ago??😂 Knowing that my distant ancestors are from Africa does not teach you literally anything about me nor my culture considering that i myself know nothing about Africa and also considering that African Americans have created a culture of our own, so i dont know how knowing my ancestors were from Africa matters. The fact that i have to constantly explain that my ancestors were slaves gets annoying after the 20th time. Me saying that my family has been in America for hundreds of years is NEVER enough. We could be talking about my families history with Jazz and Lindy Hop, the Blues and the civil rights movement but no they always just wanna talk about a continent that i have no cultural connection to😂

[@niemand6916]

@@keepinitkawaii Which city in germany was that? Usually they should learn about slavery and cultural influences in the US from 6th grade onwards.

[@rimrockridge2864]

I’m a white mom with biracial kids, and two adopted girls from Congo. It’s been a hot house for discussions with all that’s going on here. Out of my nine kids, eight are girls. Four grown and out of the house and four younger ones still at home. I am sharing your video with them today! Thank you for sharing.❤️ I have been to Germany but when borders open hoping to take the girls:)) We have good friends there.

[@HayleyAlexis]

I can only imagine the type of discussions you guys have!! Living in a very "mixed" home is amazing and also opens the doors to a lot of good discussions. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the travel bans are lifted soon!!!

[@Macca-zx7gz]

I'm from the UK and I find this American obsession with race/ colour bizarre. Even a feel good story where a young boy helps an elderly lady its broken down to colour - like kindness is out of the ordinary. It just seems 24/7, everyone is separate. We have racial issues in the UK like everywhere but it's nothing like the states. Its so sad to be made to feel you have to fit in a box. My family has a lot of mixed ethnicities & I would be devastated if they were made to feel anything but proud of their heritage. I'm glad you felt happier about yourself in Germany.

[@martinkelting]

Unsere Rasse heißt homo sapiens sapiens. Der vernunftbegabte Mensch kommt erst noch.

[@Flashkoch]

Aber nur wenn wir Glück haben. Auf lange Sicht bezweifel ich das leider eher. :(

[@ThomasRenneis]

Und das ist die einzige ( Menschen ) Rasse die noch auf dem Planeten lebt. Alles andere sind Spezies aus Flora und Fauna.

[@Stefan-ne7rx]

An dem zweiten sapiens habe ich Zweifel.

[@pyrotfd]

@@ThomasRenneis Viele Leute haben auch noch nicht verstanden, dass auch der Neanderthaler nicht "verschwunden" ist, sondern u.a. im homo sapiens sapiens noch ein paar Spuren hinterlassen hatte. Leider sind von den 2 früheren echten Rassen nichts mehr separat über. Heute gibt es nur mehr die eine mit paar verschiedenen Ausprägungen, aber Haut und Fellfarbe bedeuten genau gar nix...

[@badgrrrl]

Bevor der vernunftbegabte Mensch kommt, hat der Mensch in der industrialisierten kapitalistischen Welt den Planeten schon zerstört.

[@roygwati3501]

I hope such a day will come when we all identify each other first and foremost as people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexuality

[@MBrieger]

Living in the US, I think it is home grown. If someone starts talking about black community, asian community, hispanic community, white community, then the gated community isn't far away. My point is that for as long as people need to distinguish or set themselves apart and need that group to belong to, then there is no will to be one nation.

[@Ben65P]

Impossible. I could go on and discuss with you why that will never happen and why it is fair to say, silly to think it even should. But it will take a lot. That idea is called utopia.

[@Schmissgesicht]

"Woher kommen Sie?" "Helikopter" "Ok, Amerika!"

[@che7941]

asking "where are you from" in germany is kind of a question to find out more about you since most foreigners in germany are first or second generation. I am an imigrant in germany myself and "foreigners" & germans have both asked me where im from. Not to be racist but because its interesting and a topic to talk about. You can find similarities between your cultures and so on. It can really put people together! I feel its more like sharing your culture/heritage. I dont get why people get so offended over questions like this.

[@keepinitkawaii]

When i went to Germany and the Netherlands, when people would ask where i was from, i would say America but they ALWAYS felt the need to further question it. As if i couldn't possibly be American and one person said im not American, im an immigrant🙄 Eventually I'd have to say "well my family has been in America for 300 some yrs now so i dont think im considered an immigrant" and they'd still say "yeah but you dont LOOK American so where are you really from?" One time i eventually just said "well this thing called slavery happened like 400 years ago where people took black people from Africa and dropped them off in America" and they said "oh so Africa! Do you speak the language? Which country?" As if i didn't just explain to them slavery. Like how would i know which countries in Africa my ancestors came from 400 years ago??😂 Knowing that my distant ancestors are from Africa does not teach you literally anything about me nor my culture considering that i myself know nothing about Africa and also considering that African Americans have created a culture of our own, so i dont know how knowing my ancestors were from Africa matters. The fact that i have to constantly explain that my ancestors were slaves gets annoying after the 20th time. Me saying that my family has been in America for hundreds of years is NEVER enough. We could be talking about my families history with Jazz and Lindy Hop, the Blues and the civil rights movement but no they always just wanna talk about a continent that i have no cultural connection to😂

[@che7941]

@@keepinitkawaii I am sorry this happened to you. I am guessing this happened because in europe its very unusual to not actually know your heritage. So maybe people were assuming you somehow have to know something about it. In america this is very normal. Most people dont know anything about their "origins". But in europe its different. Its rare to meet people who dont know where they are from ( I actually never met a european that didnt know his original heritage and ive seen almost every european country ). Since we are mostly first, second or third generation imigrants, we are still very connected to our "home country" when it comes to culture and also most of the time speak the language. Or well maybe the people you met were just dumb lol. But since you said it happened many times, this might be an explanation.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Hayley, how _dare_ you try to enlighten us! This is the _Internet!_ We're _backwards_ and we _like_ it! The World is _flat!_

[@HayleyAlexis]

Oh and climate change is a lie from the liberal snowflakes.... ;)

[@Freiya2011]

...the "social hatework"...🙄😂

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Hayley, take a look at that like/dislike ratio. Surely, this is a good indication to leave this video up.

[@evest7829]

I am so confused about these boxes people in the US have to tick. What is the point of that? Genuinely curious, because it seems so ridiculous and unnecessary to outsiders.

[@betsytodd3511]

Because of the history of racial discrimination in employment, housing, education, etc., there are laws requiring these records to be kept. That way if someone suspects they’ve been discriminated against, the government can see if there is a pattern of discrimination. It doesn’t always work as intended and it hasn’t solved the problem, but that’s usually the reason for asking the question on forms.

[@eagle1de227]

@@betsytodd3511 But then these laws are discriminating themselves... it's like fighting fire with fire... how illogical

[@DSP16569]

Add a box, mark it and write "human" behind it.

[@Tom-hz1kz]

If you want to know if police are discriminating against black people then it is useful to have a statistic about how many people of which race are killed, incarcerated, investigated by police. Same is true for discrimination in housing, university admission, loans, and thousands of other sectors. In the US, all these statistics are readily available to document discrimination, to show changes over time, and to measure how good a certain policy do reduce discrimination in a sector actually works. In Germany, these statistics simply do not exist.

[@sarah-jl8cr]

@@eagle1de227 loosly quoting researches of the University of Jena: "Racism makes race" or more like racists came up with the term to distinguish themselves from others, keep them "beneath themselves" and keep power.

[@vblake530530]

I have a son who lives and works in Japan. He says people refer to him as the “American “

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

So did they when I was living over there (I'm German, and "caucasian" if you want, haha) I could hear people on the subway sitting somewhere near me, talking about me _(bc i guess they thought Americans can't understand Japanese?)_ and referring to me as "amerikajin". I thought, well ok, if they think that's what I am, then why not 😀

[@CoIntelPro23]

Character is the only thing that really matters.

[@CoIntelPro23]

@ala ska so you've checked the character of all these millions? Seriously?

[@goldenstilettos3166]

lemme guess, you "don't see race" and think that "people just have to follow the law"?

[@CoIntelPro23]

@ala ska *_"Yes. Read the CRIME STATISTICS. "_* There is no crime statistic that tells you something about the character of a person. *_"Read the statistics on how many children are ABANDONED for the TAXPAYERS to raise."_* What will these statistics tell me about the personal situation of these persons? *_"Want EQUAL TREATMENT?"_* Equal Treatment is a fundamental right. *_"TRY EQUAL BEHAVIOR. "_* In a society with a lack of equal treatment, you can't expect equal behavior. *_"Don't even preach that "character" BULLSHIT."_* I'm not preaching I just use my right of freedom of speech. *_"The FACTS SAY OTHERWISE."_* Facts you obviosly haven't reflected very deep.

[@geddinixan255]

@@CoIntelPro23 bäm!

[@seelenwinter6662]

meine frau kommt aus peru und was hatten die von ihrer gastfreundlichkeit gegenüber den spaniern...? sie wurden beraubt und getötet... deshalb sollte man auch in europa die migration nicht unterschätzen... in manchen städten sind deutsche jetzt schon nicht mehr die mehrheit, sondern nur noch die größte gruppe... und glaub ja keiner, wenn sie erst die mehrheit stellen, dass die unseren lebensstil unterstützen werden, sondern ihren durchsetzen wollen... weshalb sagen wohl die muslime, dass ihre größte waffe die gebärmutter ist...

[@1995HunterKiller]

American's obsession with racial purity is ridicules

[@davidhasselhoff619]

Totally agree. When I am in Europe and they ask me where I am from and I reply Scottish American or Irish American, they laugh and say no, you are just American.

[@krempel_und_klumpad]

nun ja, wenn jemand auf ein amt geht und gewisse dinge will, muss man erfragen wo diese person "her kommt", weil es manchmal einen unterschied macht ob jemand staatsbürger ist oder nicht. und manchmal fragt man auch aus interesse vielleicht. aber da gehts in erster linie wirklich nur um die staatszugehörigkeit, und nicht darum, wie die hautfarbe der person entstanden ist ;) aber sieht leider so aus, als wären für uns "europäer" weiße, schwarze, braune, hispanische,... amerikaner sehr viel normaler als für die amerikaner selber. warum man in amerika sehr oft angeben muss, welche ethnische herkunft man hat, ist aus sicht eines europäers nicht nachvollziehbar. wie gesagt, die staatszugehörigkeit macht manchmal unterschiede, aber nicht wie eine person aussieht. und gerade in amerika, wo menschen so vieler unterschiedlicher hautfarben ein volk bilden, ist diese unterscheidung schon sehr befremdlich. da muss echt noch einiges getan werden...

[@wernerschneider4460]

Wenn mich interessiert, wo jemand herkommt oder dessen Vorfahren, lasse ich meistens meine Frau fragen. Bei einem Weißen wird das leider oft falsch verstanden und meine Frau ist nicht weiß.

[@jensgoerke3819]

Mixed children have a lower chance of birth defects - the further the family tree spreads, the greater the chance that damaged genes will be replaced/repaired by the healthy genes of the other parent.

[@wernerschneider4460]

That's why dogs from shelters with ancestors which can't be categorized are the best dogs and the healthiest and often over average intelligent too.

[@TOGBE.KOKU.VODU.KETOGLO.ZODANU]

Isn't that "normal", anyhow, whenever one is "healthier?

[@vividbunny7194]

but if everyone does that, wouldnt people assimilate really quick the next couple of centuries and humanity is all the same and we wont be able to sort out bad genes anymore by choosing someonw genetically different, because all are the same? also while choosing similar genes may not choose out bad genes it will double enforce the good ones on the other hand. it just depends on your circumstances and who you can work with best. whats the point of a blakj person mixing with a white for better genes when the kid will grow up in subsaharian weather conditions anyway and get sunburn and cancer? mixing races is not necessarily better, its not necessarily worse either. it just doesnt play a role but the individual circumstances just choose your partner based on love not superficialities

[@Tofufiche]

A person with a normal, moderate opinion ... on KZbin? ... How refreshing!

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

Yes!!

[@TheLovejoyWell]

Hayley, thank you for sharing your heart on this topic. I couldn’t agree with you more about the whole idea of "racial identity” in the US. Continue to bloom where you’re planted 🤗

[@HayleyAlexis]

I am hoping one day we can stop separating everyone :( and putting skin color groups against one another!! I will keep talking about it very subtly and promoting equality, love, and acceptance!! Hopefully if I say it enough... SOMEONE will listen

[@melrain4728]

Who the heck is attacking you with bad words?! 😠 You're a sweet and kind lady who isn't hurting even a fly, why do people look at the beauty of the skin and not the inner beauty? I'm really mad at those people! But.. thanks for the video and this really important topic Hayley 💛

[@HayleyAlexis]

You would be surprised. I block certain words because they are hurtful, not just to me but to others as well. I try my best to keep the comment section a "kind" place but it doesn't always happen. I also believe in trying to keep "freedom of opinion" as open as I possibly can BUT when the opinion is hateful/hurtful I usually delete it.

[@melrain4728]

@@HayleyAlexis You really do a good work in keeping hurtful things away, I rarely see them 👍

[@cartmann227]

You are such a nice person. Thank for your good work. 😊👍 Be yourself and God bless you

[@aniflowers1998]

The poor dude on the air port xD All he wanted to know was which country you came from xD

[@tyronevaldez-kruger5313]

I was born in Eritrea (East Africa) and live since I was an infant a happy life in Germany. However, i still struggle with my ethnic identity. I see myself as an Eritrean who accepted and learned to love German culture. After the end of the civil war, I finally got to know Eritrea. Eritreans are relatively light-skinned in Africa and I am relatively dark-skinned there, I myself even stand out within the family. For me, being darker is just an external characteristic, unfortunately not for some I met in Eritrea and it's jaw dropping if you try to bond with your country of birth. It is an inner struggle while being happy in Germany. Edit: It's not about racism. Eritreans are in general really kind and humble, it's about a few ppls silly jokes that have an impact on my journey

[@dunklewellerdw]

well....germany knows what will happen if you put the race in documents - as well as you won´t find this statistics of skinshades in official statistics... like "Munich has so and so many americans, so and so many italians living there..." but not so and so many with black skin or mixed race.... "Rasse" is historically biased word in german

[@BlackMetalButterfly]

@Ksch Koff You seriously compare Angie to Trump??

[@TBFSJjunior]

@@BlackMetalButterfly I dislike Angie a lot and find her awful . . . then I look to the US and UK and Brazil and Russia and am glad that our "awful" isn't quite that awful ... not even close to as awful as it could be.

[@Opa_Andre]

Hi Hayley, just became aware of this clip an hour ago, watched it and read many of those comments. First - thank you for your open and honest opinions and thoughts here as well as in your other tons of vlogs. I really appreciate it, as sometimes not being or going though same situations or being from a different culture one cannot know or think how good or bad something can be. So I like to know thoughs or information "as being an insider who has gone through" and in nearly all occations (your clips) you're really inspiring as well as entertaining. So keep going with sharing your clips, I love them. Regarding your identity, I would "categorize" you just as follows: - Identity: American (as you were born and grew up there, so this counts in regards to your culture, your habit...) - Gender: Woman - Age: "xx" or "two digits" - never ask a woman about her age ;) - and last but not least the most important category: Human I don't care about your skin color and alike besides the fact that you're a gorgeous looking woman. Mike must be proud of you :)

[@rokhayafall2470]

Very interesting perspective especially hearing about your perspective. I’ve followed your channel as a black woman living in Germany to learn more about race in Germany but now I am understanding your perspective more after watching this video. Sorry you had that experience and I can surely relate to you in a some ways. Wish there could be more in-depth productive conversations had about this topic without the negativity and ignorance of the internet.

[@CarlosArturoVelarde]

On those forms I usually chose “other” and hand wrote HUMAN. A lot of people didn’t like that.

[@Taostbrotesserin]

very strong words, thanks for sharing

[@reinerleydolt8059]

YOU ARE JUST A BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING. CONGRATULATIONS

[@francessmarius909]

Hayley! I'm impressed. Loooove it🙂

[@jina6429]

Im from Germany and i watch a US Show like „4 Hochzeiten“ and there was a Girl with an „asian Look“.. seh marriage a „White“ Man and say to him: i Love you and now im proud to say i have a white Last Name .. now im a white Girl like my heart and my Name is a white Name... WTF???? Thats blow my mind away

[@kairaine]

Thanks for making this!! I'm also mixed-race, but I grew up overseas until a few years in high school, and those check-boxes upset me to tears. (I think I chose Far-East Asian, which isn't what I am genetically at all, but is where I grew up.)

[@thorkloos662]

Black or white I don't care I just love your black hair 😉

[@HayleyAlexis]

Me too :)

[@ekni7743]

She's a beautiful mixture of both - that's the point

[@ekni7743]

@@HayleyAlexis Personally I'd love to see your natural afro curls.

[@adorablejoker2610]

this reminds me so much of a course i took during my psychology studies. we were discussing the different states of "selfconsciousness/selfawareness" and the prof explained: when ure small and a kid you usally reffer to yourself as what you can see (im blonde, im a girl, i have green eyes, i am small, im asian) but as you grow up, you start to identify yourself more throught what you like and what you do (im a student, i like watching shows on netflix, i like to paint, i like pancakes) and as you grow even older you start identifying youself through your beliefs (im a feminist, i believe beeing vegan is the best way of life,...). short: yourselfawareness becomes bigger as you grow and you start adding more and more layers. and what youre describing at about 15:00 just gives me the feeling that americans just stayed stuck at toddler age where all that matters to describe a person is what you can see in a very obvious way. anything else just seems to be invalid.

[@nandintsangani228]

Love and light Hailey, the ignorant comments should just roll off your back

[@lausewutz]

Dear Haley Thank you so much for this video. It's one of the best I've ever seen. Actually I feel now so much better than before this evening. Danke, danke, danke

[@ellomgbofu1174]

I would like to start off with, I am so sorry that you have to put in sooooooo many qualifiers just to make common-sense statements. People with decent listening skills can understand because you speak clearly and the context of your video is about YOUR experience, perspective, and life. Ok rant over I've lived in both Spain and in Italy and every country that I've visited has just identified me as an American. On an international scale, people don't tend to dig deep into someone's specific background. However, I think it's a disservice to compare international perspectives to a national perspective. Outside of the United States, you're simply an American, inside the states, there is much more. Between the pictures of your white mother, black father, and Cuban grandmother... you clearly have a rich heritage. I think because the U.S has so many people with so many different backgrounds, we tend to ask what are you... because for a lot of people there is a rich interesting background. Of course, racism, xenophobia, and systemic racism impact these conversations with toxicity and cruelties, but for general conversation, it can be very interesting to learn about someone's background. I grew up in a culturally diverse area in the U.S and our individuality was celebrated. I think whether a country is individualistic or community-minded there will always be a benefit or a detriment, the bottom line is how the country deals with the negative consequences of how their society is constructed. In the U.S we can definitely do better, but the level of diversity we have, and the celebration of individuality... I believe is an incredible asset. Anyways, great video as always.

[@TinkaDreamChaser]

I am a german studying English in university. When I just started out, I kept getting really uncomfortable whenever texts talked about 'race', because the german equivalent 'Rasse' has always been a big no-no word, at least where I grew up. And it took me a lot of time to see that Americans don't see this word the same way as Germans do. Really, I don't know where I'm going with this, but I really liked to hear about your experience!

[@Alfadrottning86]

In terms of race .. i consider my parents very tolerant, educated and open minded .. i think. One thing that happened when i studied abroad was that i was kind of "Vlogging" home .. just for my family so they knew how things were .. how does university go, who are my friends etc. Since i was in Germany/Hamburg by that time .. it was the first exposure to - lets say a more diverse group of people. Especially enrolling as a foreign student with no German langauge skills, i was in seminars with other foreigners. And i do remember sending home pictures of friends i hung round then. 2 of them black (i think Ghana or Kenia, cannot remember, its been years .. and we have no contact anymore) .. and i described one of them as "my best friend here..." because we had both started at the same time and had the same things to do .. same courses and often the same forms to fill out. And the first question by my father was .. ".... but you are not sleeping with him, right?" ... i took it as a kind of bad dad-joke then.. but in retrospect, i think there was genuine "concern". I mean, i did say no .. just student colleagues .. and he said it was just a joke. I am quite sure he would not have asked the same question if the guy had been white though. edit: No, i do not think my parents are racist. But i am pretty sure they would require some "getting used to time" if i had a boyfriend with darker skin. - but it reminded me on what you said about your pre-school friends parents.

[@veranicus6696]

Hey Hayley i somtimes watch your videos with my father ( born 49), he isn't fluid in english but i translate to german for him. Great topics and cultural education. I would vote for you as US embasator for Germany.

[@alanbarr9327]

Americans have always defined each other by the color of their skin. Nobody ever bothers to look deeper. It´s not what you look like! It´s how you are that MAKES you who you are! If you really want to put a color on it, then look at the soul! Yours is golden! As always, stay safe! Say "hi" to Michael! And take care! Until the next time! Bye, bye!

[@Blueeyesinthesky]

I think it’s because America is built on immigration. When America was growing as a country and the industrial revolution emerged and jobs opened up all over, people moved into areas where they were neighboring with people from their own country. People felt very proud of their culture and all of that. A lot of people wanted to keep the bloodline in their own ethnic group, while others branched out and met someone from another country and background. I think the root of how American people have grown today may sort of stem from that. Especially when certain groups may not have liked another group different from them, it’s where stereotypes grew and a lack of equality. Countries like Germany got to learn fast that your religious, ethnic, racial, and sexuality shouldn’t and don’t define you as a human being.

[@vanessaaventura]

​@@Blueeyesinthesky Yes, mass immigration played a role. But the foundation of America was always "white" vs the "others", the concept of race was used as a justifiable reason to oppress and discriminate other groups like the natives and blacks. Also even amongst immigrants the Irish, Italians, polish, etc were not considered white for a longtime, and were discriminated against by the first europeans who established themselves there.

[@kocoloris3337]

I remember when i found you here on KZbin a couple of years ago. You remembered me of a good friend, because she can be so enthusiastic and i Adore that. Ever since than i thought, you had a lot more going on in your mind than this happy funny girl you showed to the world. Right at this point you seem so very german to me. This serious carefully exploring of your place in an debate. You dont show a lot of the artifical happyness and sweetness we Show to comfort us and Others in this video. If i might be so rude as to say you develloped a lot as a KZbinr and this has been in some things for the better, please promise me that you wont loose your enthusiasm and your energy i always loved that. Combined with your friendly mindfullness und sometimes seriousness you can show the world how complex you are and that complexity might actually be fun. That way you are the best you can be. I would be so proud if i would have had anything to do with it!

[@kocoloris3337]

Sorry for the poor english. My phone angers me in Addition, but i hope i got the point across.

[@fanatlarge]

Thank you, that was very interesting. Being the "default" German I find it a very foreign concept to identify by ethnicity, let alone by race - that is an absolute taboo in this country (as I'm sure you are aware)! As a pupil in the 60s I learned that everybody is born equal, no exceptions. And frankly, I don't understand why it can even be controversial to talk about one's experience and observations.

[@patrikhorvath2011]

love how you combined the current climate with your experiences and managed to reflect on it. Enjoyed listening to your story xoxo

[@staypositive7901]

Love the video and it’s such an interesting topic. Growing up I learned about race from my parents and in school. But I am german so I only learned about how race is dangerous to use to describe people based mostly on our history. Then I spent a year in Canada, with lots of friends from an Asian and Hispanic background. And the first time in my life I noticed how race was used to describe people. Comments like: You are the only white friend I have, that makes you special. You are not like other white girls. And the thing is I became used to it. I felt proud to be the white girl that gets told I am not as white as others on the inside (I was 15). What the hell does that even mean? Now I am doing a gap year in the US and I remember how when I applied for my license I had to check “the box”. I got so angry and felt like I wanted to throw up. The word Race brought up everything from history class and how this concept of race for animals was wrongly applied on humans (we all are one race). The other time in a class we were asked if there was any difference between race and ethnicity and most people did not see a difference. I almost wanted to steam at all of them: well hitler thought there was no difference, do you see how you are wrong here? I never thought about race when I grow up, now I sometimes do and it’s so wrong. It doesn’t matter if my friends are white, Asian, black, ... If anything matters at all is that these friends of mine are german, Russian, American, Mexican (all white), German, Canadian (Asian), Tanzanian (Black). That matters in the sense of different cultures coming together and teaching each other. The skin doesn’t do anything. Hope that all makes sense, sending love!

[@norbertblackrain2379]

Some people are just stupid. i find it perfectly ok that you talk about where your grew up. That is your experience. In fact it is a very positive factor that you refer to your own experience instead of "global" points of view. Keep on the good work.

[@sinjaja5836]

This was so interesting. And I hope people see in you what you truely are: an awesome, intelligent and beautiful young woman, no matter what skincolor.

[@johnlabus7359]

Thanks for being honest and vulnerable Hayley.

[@Sg190th]

Ah, a fellow Floridian! Nice to meet you.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Hellllooo :D Born & raised til the day I die LOL

[@wolf1066]

This is very educational. As a New Zealander, I had no idea that "mixed" was such a contentious issue in the USA.

[@klausbrinck2137]

11:03 When he asked where are you from, the answer is "from America", since he doesn´t care what your descent is, and as an employee in a public service, he is even forbitten to care what your descent is. When you started explaining "I´m half black and half white", he surely thought that you have a deep rooted racial thinking in you, and that´s usually not normal in Germany, and many other european countries. And if people really ask what your descent is (unlike him), and not only your country, then it´s often out of constructive interest and curiosity for the new and unknown...

[@keepinitkawaii]

But when i went to Germany and other places in Europe, if people asked where i was from I'd say America and then they'd say "no where are you REALLY from" which would get annoying considering my family has been in America for 300 yrs now😂 im American dude

[@klausbrinck2137]

@@keepinitkawaii Maybe. Public services still aren´t allowed to ask that, private persons on the other side have each their own interests... And 300 years is nothing of a time-period for Europeans, on a side note. It´s like an American did something last week... ;-)

[@kikibeauty5752]

@@keepinitkawaii literally the same thing happened to me. I would tell them I'm German as I'm half German and was born there and ppl would say "where are you really from" so I explained my mixed background

[@ulfhenarwerewolf1916]

Ich bin deutscher Abstammung und ein Rassist. Vor einigen Jahren war ich fester Überzeugung, dass es so etwas wie Rasse bei dem Menschen nicht gibt. Das stellte sich für mich bei jahrelangem Studieren und Suchen als falsch heraus. Ich werde nun entweder ignoriert, unangenehm Betitelt oder diskriminiert werden. Dabei würde ich mich um eine ernst gemeinte Frage, warum ich denn der Meinung wäre, dass es beim Menschen sehr wohl verschiedene Rassen gibt, und wieso ich mich als Rassist bezeichnen würde, freuen. Ich bin für eine Anständige Diskussion gerne zu haben.

[@pyrotfd]

Absichtlich auf deutsch: Sehr schönes Video zu deiner Einstellung und Meinung! Es müsste mehr von solchen Videos geben! ...und ich kann mir vorstellen, wie grausam es als Kind gewesen sein muss zu hören, dass ein Schulkamerad nicht mit einem spielen darf Aufgrund eines dummen Aberglaubens (das Hautfarbe menschliche Unterschiede macht) Schönen Gruß vom anderen Kontinent! :)

[@oliverroggenbuck7824]

This moment really touched me, when she realized she had to go to Germany to being identified just as an "American" regardless of the color of her skin. Sometimes you have to step back and see things from a distance to discover the real shape.

[@Sillooooo]

I've had the exact opposite situation when I came to the US (as a German) and applied for the social security card. It was the weirdest thing ever to me actually categorise myself as white. I remember that very deeply as I was really shocked about that, but just as you saying we have to chose in religion exact between catholic, evangelic or any other for that ..

[@mirkokaupat9201]

Hayley, that was extremely well said. I wish everyone in the US (and elsewhere) could listen to this!

[@martinaandre]

Thanks Hayley for the explanation. I wasn't aware that the US still officially (in the „Amt“) separates black and white people on a document. That was very revealing and now I see the current discussion from a completely new perspective. So thank you for that. I (as a German) did a 23andme test - and - surprise - not only have German-French ancestors but also Jewish ancestors, native Americans and a (quite strong) british ancestor in my ancestry who lived at the exact time my grandmother was born (who never knew who her father was) ... oh yes, and there were also Neanderthals 😄 - most people who are doing this Test have probably a similar experience. And maybe there is a next life and then we all have a different body that comes from somewhere else 👀😬 Insofern hat die Abstammung keinerlei Bedeutung, weil es nichts über den Menschen aussagt. Und so ein Test befriedigt allenfalls die eigene Neugier❣️ PS: Deine Videos sind immer sehr unterhaltsam und informativ🤗🥰

[@ekaski1]

First of all, well done video! Truly! Please keep it up! ❤️ Second, I'm curious to hear others' thoughts about this. When I'd first heard that Germany didn't ask people for racial information I viewed it in a utopic "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" way. I spoke to so many Germans on my language journey who proudly announced that Germany just didn't have the kind of race issues that America has. That there just really was no segregation, no discrimination, no racial divide. Everyone was just "human." And I blissfully dreamt of this idyllic place. But then I started meeting other people. Third-generation Turks who didn't identify as German, who said that no matter how long their family lives in Germany they will never be considered German. I then asked Germans about myself (German by blood, American by nationality). "Would I be considered German? Would my children? My grandchildren?" Over and over: "No, of course not. You're American." I've made Muslim friends and asked them if they felt like they belong and all of them say, "no, we feel like we are barely tolerated." This all made me wonder if maybe it wasn't quite as utopic as I had once thought, and so I started having more and more conversations about it. I was shocked to learn that there is a movement to require racial identification information on forms in Germany. My minority friends say they are in despair. That they ARE discriminated against, but there is absolutely no data anywhere, and so the Germans just say, "what?! Here in Germany?! Impossible! We fixed that after WWII." And they feel gaslit. With no data to make their points, they are left defenseless. This is a conversation I have all the time with my German boyfriend. He wholeheartedly disagrees with me. But I ask him, "how many refugees are you talking to? How many third-generation Nigerians are you talking to about racial discrimination and segregation?" How can you KNOW it's not a problem in Germany if you have absolutely no data on it? Another thing that shocked me to learn and may shock others: overwhelmingly the US scores extremely high on international tests of racial tolerance, acceptance, equity, and diversity. Higher than Germany on almost every measure, in fact. (This isn't a tit-for-tat thing. America sucks in plenty of ways. We sure win the police brutality and hypocrisy in sex ed awards, that's for sure.)

[@kuschelirmel]

[@romygeisheimer392]

Hi Hayley, als ich nach meinem Studium nach England gegangen bin und dort an einer Schule als German language assistant gearbeitet habe, musste ich am Anfang auch ganz viel Papierkram ausfüllen. Ich erinnere mich, dass auf einem Dokument auch nach meiner "Rasse" gefragt wurde und ich darüber total geschockt war. Dort musste ich dann auch "white", "black", "Asian" etc. ankreuzen. Bis heute ist mir das in Erinnerung geblieben, wie verstört ich damals war...

[@Tristan3D]

While it's not the topic of your video - I encountered a racist a few days back harassing a muslim woman on a public train. I got between her and him; shielding her from his verbal abuse; my back facing him (a signal that I don't give a damn how dangerous he thinks he is; I still could see him in a reflection, so it wasn't really a risk I took there; also he was like 5'9'', 180 lbs, while I am a trained 6'4'' dude with a brawny 235 lbs, so it's more easy for me to put myself in harms way and still expect coming out on top of it all). When he tried to lunge at her, skittering around me, I dealt with him. How? Efficiently (I am German after all).

[@Flashkoch]

:D :D :D Thumbs up for you buddy. :)

[@Tristan3D]

Also (because someone tried that now with me) to the rest of the islamophobic dudes out there that might come across this comment of mine and replie's to it with such ignorant claims: Spare me your nonsense, racist rhetoric. I already heard it all. It's inhumane, ignorant, racist and stupid. And I must warn you, if anyone pulls this islamophobic crap with me, I will report your reply (it's called hate speech, and that isn't allowed under youtube's community guidelines) and then subsequently block you. To be clear: It doesn't matter if she is or isn't "forced" by anyone to wear a Hijab (it's not called a "scarf" or "garb" you ignorant lodmouth) - that is an entirely different discussion to have - what the racist guy was trying there with her in the train, is still wrong and has nothing to do with the circumstances of her personal life at all. So stop trying to pull these sidetrack debate tricks with me - I am not stupid, and you will lose the argument (because racism or islamophobia is always a losing argument to have). So go and protest, tikki torch in hand, the tearing down of a confederate statue that depicts a racist slaveholder, or whatever else your misanthropic, anti-human drive urges you to protest about and leave me alone. I am not your ally - I don't try to "understand" your racist argument about my account of this incident. I despise you and your islamophobic racism. So, just go away - my comment is not a fertile ground for your xenophobic nonsene to fall on.

[@Tristan3D]

@Imie V thanks :)

[@Tristan3D]

@@Flashkoch Thank you :)

[@victoriaouste9388]

Awwwww I m sorry hear that girlll. Yes all of us just want peace progressivness and well being

[@sakutaro3musik486]

After all these time I watched your videos I never knew that you have cuban roots. I'm halfcuban halfgermen, my father is Cuban latino and my mother is German white. I grew up really different. I learned from my father that there are racist people out ther when I was 6 years old.

[@HayleyAlexis]

LOL I don't talk about my "identity" that often because like I said... It is something soooo irrelevant to me. I try to live my life NOT thinking about it :/

[@sakutaro3musik486]

@@HayleyAlexis As someone growing up in germany my skin colour isn´t much of an identity, just a part of me like my hair colour. Really it´s more about the envirement I call home ranging from Germany to Cuba. Both are parts of me, but even that tolds little about me as a person. In the end it is more like something interesting for others, people learn from each other, it doesn´t necessery devide them, because there is much more to a person. But sadly we have to learn that there are persons that what talk down on others and find ways to seperate and that´s why racism is a thing after all. It´s not really about the thing itself, like with homophobia, what does me bother skin colour or who someone else has sex with? All those things are just used from people that want to talk down to others. Even if we would be all the same colour and sexuality, these people would find ways to discriminate others. That´s why I don´t see my background as something bad or anything I don´t care. It is just a little part of me and I share those experiences I made like my eating habbits with those that are interested in and don´t bother with hateful human beings.

[@roberth.5938]

That email address of yours, Hayley, was a clever and funny idea. I had to smile when I paused the video

[@yarekim5932]

I love you Hayley. Content of your Character is all that matters. Denzel Washington had the best answer for racism. There is a group of people in the US that want the US divided, and that's what this is all about, and money. United we stand, divided we fall.

[@faylillman]

This video rocks, I laughed so much at the email address name for your dad, a very 'geschickte' "F* OFF" 🤣💖 The only thing I would like to add right now is the comment about the KRF officer's confusion with your answer (maybe others also wrote this, but I'm not gonna search through). If you think about it, the question was specifically "Where are you from?". Your answer was not related to the question. Considering the content of your answer, he was probably uncomfortable because he didn't know what you thought he was trying to get at by asking such a formal question. It just shows how much people imply things in everyday life with "cloaked" questions, so that you, for example, have learned to be on guard for judgement and nosiness. Do you agree or am I missing something? Anyway, this video is totally appropriate. Again, I love how candid you are. Keep it up! You will be getting more comments of support from me in the future :D

[@jessicaely2521]

It's sad that you went through this in Florida. I always thought of Florida being very accepting with mixed people, but I grew up in Miami and Miami is definitely different from the rest of Florida. I was shocked when was in Central Florida that there were KKK meetings. I got lost and came across these people. I thanked my lucky stars I was white and I was born and raised in Florida.

[@jessicaely2521]

@Ksch Koff the Muslim religion isnt fond of gays or lesbians. Louis Farrakhan is Muslim. A lot of Muslims believe gays and lesbians should be murdered.

[@jessicaely2521]

@Ksch Koff also he is a Muslim. The Muslim religion hates Jews. From my knowledge Nazis hated Muslims. From my knowledge Nazi's didn't like anyone who wasn't a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP for short.

[@jessicaely2521]

@Ksch Koff Louis Farrakhan never ever lived in Miami. What he did have though is Nation of Islam's Miami regional headquarters. Nation of Islam faces foreclosure in Miami.

[@TheClemundo]

Don't let people mute you - your voice matters. I hope that I treat people of other skin tones the same, but I am not 100% sure I manage every time. Anyways, I love your input on those issues. Also, get a better microphone ;) If you need audio advice, contact me. Your voice matters.

[@dustee]

I'm 76yrs old and I still remember my son telling me, "mom, it's the three 'L's...look, listen and learn" and I'm still learning from you. It appears that in America, I guess they want you to pick a color so they know how to mistreat you. Why cant we just be Americans? Bless you!

[@ikw6262]

Wouldn´t it drive you crazy to always be aware which words you use? Best thing would be to be able to talk about you want to talk without always avoiding stepping in any kind of trap. Puh. Almost each one of those words dealing with heritage, colour, ethnics, ...will directly lead you into trouble. So for me it would be o.k. if you speak just "wie Dir der Schanbel gewachsen ist" (like your spout did grow). I never will presumpt (right word?) anything bad, you did proof this so many times. We all should leave this behind and find a "normal" but correct vocabulary. Will take us some work but will worth it at the end. Conversation should be about content, not about subtile aggression. Hope you can follow!? Great job Hayley (like always), well done, thums up! (and now I want to continue watching...)

[@stefanjung4454]

Eigentlich sollte das keine Rolle spielen. Leider entwickeln sich die Gesellschaften wieder eher rückwärts, statt vorwärts. So habe ich zumindest das Gefühl. Wie das in den Staaten ist, kann ich nicht sagen, ich sehe es auch nur in den Nachrichten. Die Menschheit hat sich so viele Katastrophen wegen der Thematik selbst gemacht. Eigentlich sollten wir längst uns um ganz andere Fragen kümmern. Dir einen schönen Independence Day!

[@arno_nuehm_1]

Aber es vermischt sich ja immer mehr. Man wird es irgendwann sowieso nicht mehr unterscheiden können.

[@waldwuffel1260]

@@arno_nuehm_1 Jemand hat mal geschrieben, in ein paar hundert Jahren werden alle Menschen verschiedene Schattierungen von braun sein. Ich wünsche es unseren Nachfahren, vielleicht sind dann diese Hautfarbe-Diskussionen endlich vorbei.

[@philoxus69]

Ich weiß nicht viel über Amerika und den Rassismus dort (also was Zahlen angeht), aber ich weiß dass die Anzahl der rassistischen Übergriffe in Deutschland stetig zurück geht, was ein eindeutiges Zeichen dafür ist, dass der allgemeine Rassismus hierzulande zurück geht. Gleichzeitig steigt aber die Gewaltbereitschaft von der Konterseite, also Linke Extremisten etc. deutlich, aber das ist eigentlich ein anderes Thema.

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

@@philoxus69 Das ist Quatsch. Nur weil der Rassismus bei uns jahrzehntelang von staatlicher Seite erfolgreich ignoriert wurde, heißt nicht, dass es keinen gab oder gibt. Das weißt du eigentlich ganz genauso gut wie jeder andere denkende Mensch auch, du glaubst nur, du kannst uns hier einen Bären aufbinden. Funktioniert nicht, sorry.

[@subbbass]

thanx Hayley for sharing. And welcome to Germany ;-) I think it's good for many people to hear your perspective.

[@peterdoe2617]

First things first: I'm caucasian german. So I never had to deal with beeing "accused" of not beeing "white". But then I married my american wife. And later had a conversation with my (step-) daughter, about her kids "qualify" as native americans 'cause of their father. While she doesn't, 'cause she's only 1/4 Comanche. Not enough to "qualify" for that. Up here, we rather identify ourselves as the "grumpy northernly" kinda folks. And make jokes about the bavarians. Same as the scottish are making the (exact same) jokes about the english. But that is a much healthier way to co-exist. My fiancé is australian. Up in Queensland they call Victoria Mexico. And stare tasmanians on the neck: to see, where the 2nd head was removed ('cause of the incest). Just my 2 cents. Of course I see the serious part of this discussion. But a little smile here or there is not making fun of it.

[@eagle1de227]

in germany's darkest times you had to investigate your degree of aryanism for example to get a job in the civil service. Your story goes quite in this direction...

[@malloc_01]

Well done and said - kudos to you Hayley

[@s.t.8170]

Hayley, I appreciate your intelligence, empathy and rousing humor. you are such a interesting person. but please let me point out: you are no longer black, hispanic, white or even american. you are bavarian now. that overwrites everything. a pity tho, since bavaria is not germany! haha .. greetings from above the "lederhosen line" on the map .. ;)

[@HayleyAlexis]

I will gladly accept my Bavarian passport 😂

[@s.t.8170]

​@@HayleyAlexis yes, once again we lost one of the cool kids to bavaria. ;)

[@HayleyAlexis]

@@s.t.8170 it's ok. I love Germany as a whole even more than Bavaria. I just have a soft spot for BAYERN!!

[@Unbreakable86_]

I laughed so loudly at Bavaria not belonging to Germany !!! :D Thank you for that. Hayley, your video is amazing and super interesting. Regarding the discourse that you are addressing, I think that especially stemming from our country's history, if someone asks you "Where are you from?", their intentions are not malicious in any way, but more like "clumsy" in order to have a nationality that they can put in your official documents. I would say that for 95% of our people, however, you are Hayley. A human being. :) Greetings from Cologne (adding to the "above the lederhosen" border). :D

[@NicolaW72]

@@HayleyAlexis Bavaria is the only German State = Land which has really still its own citizenship - without any joke! It´s a long and at some points unfortunately not only funny history.

[@MegaJJ1968]

Great video, Haley 👍I‘d say keep it up, because there are indeed two different concepts of it in the US and Germany. I had to laugh when you confused this guy with your answer to his question „Woher kommst Du“. I’m 100% sure he just wanted to know which country you are from. 😊

[@juttalio1664]

I didn't know I had to identify myself as caucasian. I'm pale white, blonde whith blue eyes. What has that to do whith Russia? Dem Kaukasus. I'm european.

[@arthurf.672]

Exactly. I know people from the caucasus, and they are very different appearance wise: from blue eyed blonds to latino type. Since they are considered as “blacks” by russians. Ridiculous.

[@juttalio1664]

@@arthurf.672 The point is "race" is an uncorrect and stupid classification, trying to put people in boxes. Like in Hayley case it does not fit. For me it also does not fit. We all should quit doing so.

[@NicolaW72]

There´s in Russia the traditional differentiation into citizenship and nationality: You´re a Russian Citizen of Russian Nationality - or you´re a Russian Citizen of German Nationality - or you´re a Russian Citizen of Yakusk Nationality - and so on. The result is that there were many Russian Citizen of German Nationality who don´t speak a single German word - but the ancesters in the time of Napoleon immigrated to Russia. This system survived the USSR and is still in being - in Russia they have no "Races" because most Russian Citizens of whatever Nationality are - "Caucasians". And yes, you´ve a lot of people with blonde hairs, blue eyes and a pale skin in Russia. :-)

[@chesneyhawkesinofficial3742]

it goes back to the theory that the white race originated from the caucasus region

[@oliviapetrinidimonforte6640]

Good point Hayley! Racial identity in the US is extremely superficial; it's about image, not connection to oneself as a human.

[@KimCrossesBorders]

I totally relate to this. Not Latina enough for the Latino group in school. Not white enough for white people 😂

[@HayleyAlexis]

The Skkkrrruuuggggggle is so real. It has taken me so long to be ok with being mixed LMAO.

[@robertzander9723]

Kimmy you still alive, 👏👏✌️ i was wondering is something happen to you. Hopefully you are okay and in good condition?

[@folkehoffmann1198]

I have to say we kinda had that in my school too. People from other countries were often closer to other people from other countries and Germans were closer to Germans. I think at that time it was something that happened more or less subconsciously. When I was in the U.S., my host family seemed to think of every Latino/a as a gangster. Being a naive teenager I listen to them. Nowadays I would probably tell them to shut up and then look for another host family or something like that.

[@ramblingmillennial1560]

Was it because you didn't speak Spanish or because of how you looked?

[@tasminoben686]

Hi Kim, ich stimme Robert zu! Auch ich habe mir schon Sorgen um dich gemacht! Habe gelesen, dass COVIT19 in Texas mehr wird. Wie geht's Max? Hat schon lange kein neues Video mehr hochgeladen.. Stay save Greetings from Hamburg Ben

[@pfalzgraf7527]

This was posted a while ago. I'm still going to tell you my reaction to this video: For 3/4 of it my un-ease grew and I kind of wanted to shout at the screen something like "D**n it, you are Hayley, the person! And let nobody tell you that anything else matters!!" It was a relief when you, basically came around to that point in the end, and expressed it in your own way, much better than my (imagined) shouting ever could have.

[@kilsestoffel3690]

Why do they ask for the race? What do they do with this information? Statistics? I wonder now if Germans, whose parents or grandparents were imigrants, are asked about that? Can't remember of having to fill this in any form 🤔. Nationality, it's for imigration laws, insurance. Religion... It's kind of a service, the tax office offers the two main churches, to get the church levy (?) for them. So if you are member of the catholic or protestant church, you don't have to pay it to them, it's done with your income tax.

[@HayleyAlexis]

Supposedly....it is supposed to help with finding and eliminating discrimination BUT there have been plenty of studies that show that it does not work. So at the end of the day...Should people keeep them (because on paper they are supposed to help but don't really help) or get rid of them completely? I am on the side of getting rid of it completely. It is only an AMERICAN thing where people need to feel different. At the end of the day we are all Americans. I do think there are certain groups that get treated worse than others BUT I do think that has a lot to do with our stupid racial identity system...Our problems stem from somewhere... and it has a lot to do with grouping people of the same nationality against one another... due to something as stupid as skin color.

[@geddinixan255]

@@HayleyAlexis wow! This topic isnt even a thing in the american discourse. Just have to go on hayleys rather unpolitical and entertaining channel with a german audience to get feedback on my impress. Was watching political channels with american audience and to them it isnt a thing i tried to point it out a few times but nobody seems to be really aware what of a problem that really is.

[@sarah-jl8cr]

@@HayleyAlexis When I discussed this topic with others on the internet people would always use this argument of "statistics" pro distinguishing people by race. I don't think it is enough to justify the classification of people into races. Now here we use nationality for statistics. Both have huge holes in them. For example: My grand aunt has rather dark skin and has been discriminated because of it. Especially in her childhood (who would expect otherwise in the late 40s, but well), yet she would be considered white/caucasion and German. Germany has been a multi cultural country for ages, so it is only normal that many people would not look like the typical neo racist/xenophob wants the "bio-German" (🤢) to look. And many people who would be considered white/caucasion will still be discrimated upon here in Germany and other parts of Europe, because they look different or because of their nationality, especially when you look towards the countries in the Caucasus Region. Even though the inventor of the term named the race after the people of this region, because he found them the most "estheticly pleasing". Sorry for the long comment. I may not be affected on individual bases, but ot is crazy to me that unscientific theories like this are still used in the 21st century and people still have to suffer because of it. I was really shocked when I first played Saints Row (O think I was around 14) and found out that people are categorized like this in the US. Till that point I didn't even know the term Caucasian. To me Caucasus was a geographical term only. Anyway it is sad and infuriating that you actually have to prepare yourself when thinking about your comment section. Keep going strong amd creating great content.💗

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

When I was living in Austria, I once had to fill in a form for the AMS (employment service). It contained a check box asking for "Migrationshintergrund ja/nein" and if yes, "which generation". It kind of confused me bc well, I was a migrant myself, so maybe what you might call "Migrationsvordergrund" instead? I asked the office person what exactly to fill in, and he said "Migrationshintergrund ja, 1.Generation!", with a tone to his voice as if saying _"how on earth can one person not be able to answer such a simple question?!"_ I then asked him what this information was good for in the first place, and he yelled at me sth like that i was supposed to just fill it in instead of asking stupid questions. That's when I started to somehow miss my home country.

[@AndersGehtsdochauch]

@Albert Whisker Yes, I completely agree. Plus I was especially confused by the term Migrationshintergrund because I didn't even have Austrian citizenship, but I was just a migrant living and working there. I had to show up at the AMS because my (limited) employment contract was about to end in a few months. That was it, so I wonder to this day, of which use that information might have been to them. Maybe they should have asked for my nationality and just leave it to that. And you're making a very good point there: if the members of the majority always try to exclude and marginalize members of minorities, it will (logically) result in them sticking together and forming "exclusive" communities. Which the majority then accuses them of doing. Self-fulfilling prophecy, I think that's what you call this... It wouldn't even have the chance to happen if we welcomed them into our society in the first place, instead of "othering" them.

[@purpleskies4553]

I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences. As someone who has never dealt with discrimination due to my skin colour I found your perspective really interesting. Thank you so much for sharing your story ❤ 💕 you are awesome!

[@wazzuupa]

It's so superficial to identify a person based on their skin tone.. I really don't get it why it's so important to so many people how black, white, mixed or whatever people are and even to identify yourself as one of those.. it's so deviding and in these days it says NOTHING about your nationality... They just try to put you in different boxes to treat people different in my opinion. 🤷 Maybe this guy who asked you : "Wo kommst du her ?!" was so confused by your answer because he meant from which country you from and didn't want to know if you're black, white mixed or whatever 🤣🤣 Germans and their reactions are confusing sometimes, even for germans themselves..😆

[@HayleyAlexis]

I just assumed he heard "black" and grouped me into a country/continent that had the most black people? Which would I think be Africa LMAO. Poor guy... So awkward

[@eagle1de227]

@@HayleyAlexis For someone who hasn't experienced what racism is your answer was confusing. You incorporated this racist "template" and projected it to your counterpart. So in some sort you've been racist to yourself in this situation. No offense, just weird...

[@jennyh4025]

I‘m sure I would have looked confused as well. When I ask someone where they come from, I expect a big city or country, not an explanation why they look like they do.

[@jumi123]

@@jennyh4025 Exactly. I was so confused. This guy could have totally been me. If I ask people "Were are you from?" I want to know were this person was born and raised. I usually ask this question very very very carefully and always feel awkward. I give it my best effort not to sound rude and to signal the person that I like him or her. It is not that bad if it is related to documents like the passport. But it definitely means that you stick out from the crowd that is normal in this area if ask in a private environment. For example around Hannover it can mean that you have a strong accent. (Baveria, Saxony..) I might guess the right region from Germany but I am curious in which town you grew up there and why you moved. And yes, it is even worse if the person sticks out because of his or her physical appearance.I usually wait until the other person talks about it or I might ask " Are you from America" instead of "Were are you from" if I recognize the accent. But if the person speaks German fluently I would never ever ask. I would be mortified if I ask this question, the person was born right here, and would feel discriminated.

[@geddinixan255]

@@jumi123 this "where are you from" is a thing in germany prooves that we are far away from american issues. I m actually just curious if i ask that but like you said its not that bad to think about it. I mean that people who obviously have a migration history see it as something shameful means there is still work to do. I consider it exciting and smell storys to tell and not want to point out a disadvantage. I have other heritages than german as well. So i can break the ice by mention this because i never met someone who noticed that and its kind of sad also that i dont speak my moms language fluently or by asking people if they speak other languages. That people react to that as theyre called less worth through noticing the difference. I wished i wouldnt have to think twice there are maybe conversations never happened because i thought too much. See thats what i always thought about america they come in all colors from all over the world and created a nation to be all americans and mix the good things from their old cultures to something better and new. That its not like that i meanwhile realized but im still into that idea. America was somehow a rolemodel for the germany of today without really practicing the values they preached. Thats the german accuracy thing i guess. And im on board i want to get it done and fight racism and nationalism. Even if that means to expose the american values as what they are and call them out: racist and nationalist. What was written on the statue of liberty? Its what europe tried to be but somehow again fails with nationalism. Make democracy matter again.

[@debraderoos5225]

Thank you for making this video. I am 73.9% white, 9.1 % sub-Saharan African, 9.8% Asian ( mix of many Asian ethnicities), 1.1% Jewish, 5.2 East Asian and Native American and 1.5 Western Asian and Northern African. I feel like I'm the most multi-ethnic person I know. My culture is totally white European, raised by my Dad and his family who are predominately Czechoslovakian. I was raised in a very racist family. They loved me and my siblings but definitely were ashamed of us. I can still feel it from my dad (age 92) towards me. I let my long kinky hair show it's kinkiness (interesting because it's my Dad's hair. He had his DNA done and he is totally white) The combination of my mother's dark skin and my dad's hair gives me the look that I have. They did not like people who looked like me. My mother is from Cape Town South Africa and grew up as white, though obviously she was not. She did leave SA in 1947 to marry my American father. Needless to say racial identity has always been an issue for me. I learned to embrace the way I look but to be honest under the Trump administration the racism that I experienced growing up came back. When I share this with some white friends and family members they don't want to hear it. I feel like Hayley, stuck in the middle and no place to go. I found this video today and was especially interested because of the Germany part. I studied German for 5 years without knowing that the Grandmother I spend most of my time with growing up only spoke German for the first 5 8 years of her life and then stopped because of WWl. Thanks for sharing your story. It makes me want to go to Germany. Oh yes, I have 2 children, both blonde and a grandson also blonde. Funny how color shows. My son was teased about me being his mom so he was ashamed of me too. It hasn't been easy.

[@fjellyo3261]

Germany also has a lot of racial problems! Other ones than the US but still problems.

[@vodkatonyq]

Thank you! Germans going all indignant about US bureaucratic race regulations when they have their own problems regarding this issue is...well, rich.

[@michaegi4717]

This is a really honest video. I really like to learn about your view on this topic.