Racism in Germany - My Experience as a Foreigner

In this video, we talk about discrimination in Germany. We touch on the topics of xenophobia and racism. We also provide you tips on what to do if you are ever a victim of racism in Germany.
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[@rohandavidnoronha]

One commendable part of this video is you'll started speaking about discriminations in your own country and then took the topic to Germany. Many of the other Expat youtubers don't do that... Hope others also start doing so.. Hats off, love and respect ☺

[@val-schaeffer1117]

It's purely off topic disclaimer. Everywhere in the world are relatively more Caucasian are racist against relatively less Caucasian. Like Bollywood actors and models are mostly Punjabi Pathan Rajput etc. By that logic Germans are apex predators are never ever themselves victim of racism. So German are not avenging discrimination anywhere else but being racist out of inherent racial superiority.

[@val-schaeffer1117]

She was instructed by her ethnic German partner to do so, in order to present a perspective that expecting Germany NOT to have racism would be utopian and unrealistic expectation.

[@ridvandalgic]

I came to Germany from Turkey to visit my relatives in Bremen and explore this beautiful country. However, my experience at a gas station during our road trip left me feeling disheartened and hurt. While driving, we decided to stop at a gas station for a bathroom break. When my wife asked for help finding the restroom, I refused and encouraged her to ask for help independently. She could communicate effectively in English, but I felt more comfortable using my German language skills. When it was my turn to ask for access to the restroom, I politely used my German language skills and asked the gas station attendant, "Kann ich bitte Ihre Toilette benutzen?" (Can I please use your restroom?). However, to my surprise, the attendant returned and told me they had lost the key. What was most hurtful about this experience was that I had spoken to the attendant in German, the language spoken in the country, and yet I was still refused access to the restroom. Meanwhile, my wife and son, who have Caucasian features, were allowed to use the bathroom without issues. As a Middle Eastern individual, I have experienced discrimination, but this incident felt particularly isolating. It was a clear reminder that despite my efforts to assimilate and speak the language, my physical appearance still made me a target of discrimination. I share my story not to paint all Germans or gas station attendants as discriminatory but to highlight that discrimination still exists in many forms, even in countries often seen as progressive and inclusive. It is up to all of us to work towards creating a society free of discrimination and prejudice. To those who have experienced similar incidents, know that you are not alone, and resources are available to support you. And to those who may have unknowingly perpetuated discrimination, I encourage you to educate yourself and work towards being a more empathetic and inclusive member of society.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing!

[@prototypega8257]

Sorry to here that i´m German native and my City currently have round 40 % people with migration background (p.m.b.) . The Result is that you can see the Rasist extreams from Germans and (p.m.b) avery where and a RIver of not Rasists trying to Avoid these Islands. For Tyrkisch people in younger age it could be even more a Problam and the reason is Redicouless. Every German knows how to speek German with a French ore Italian Accent but noone knows how a Tyrkisch accent sounds even if its absolutly the most often heard one. The Reason is that many here think due to hiphop and teenagers adappting from each othere ,that it would be a Slang, that teenagers use if thay want to be agressive. Thay only think its a slang an can´t that connection. On top of that my handy was rob 2 times and i ended 2 times in hospoital while Partying and never becouse off germans, becouse the Germans that are that agressive and Rassist where punching and robbing migrants. The river of liberal People who make me love this City knows in one whay ore an other that. That i don´t have to worry about somenoe who hates migrants is obvious, like migrants don´t have to worry about people who hate Germans .i hope many see these Paralels and stop thinking there is more human race than the Homo Sapiens Sapiens.These Islands become bigger becouse Since corona and the internet Explodes of Ressial disucssions. I absolutly don´t know how to break these structurs. i hope just that if the War ends and the Future fear isn´t that big like it is since corona started, a World championchip ore anything could bring us espetialy the younger generation all again togethere.

[@marge2548]

I am really sorry this happened to you. I originally come from the Bremen region, and I used to think that people there are less xenophobic than elsewhere. That may have changed, however, and of course there may be non-friendly folks everywhere. (Funny thing is - last time I asked for the bathroom at a gas station, they had lost the key, too. But they had really lost it. The last traveller had not given it back, but left it inside tha bathroom, and they could not open the door from the outside w/o the key. But as the last traveller before you had been your wife, I suppose that was not the case here.) I do hope that the rest of your stay was more pleasant.

[@ridvandalgic]

​@@marge2548 Thank you for your kind words and understanding. It was a disheartening experience, but fortunately, it was the only negative incident we encountered during our trip. Christmas and New Year's Eve were fantastic, and the free highway made our journey more enjoyable. Despite this isolated incident, we still cherish our time in Germany and hope to return soon. Thank you again for your empathy and kindness.🌱

[@marge2548]

@@ridvandalgic Then I wish you many more pleasant experiences. :) It might be useful, in your case, to speak English next time in such a situation - with Turkish people learning the German language, people tend to assume that they have been living here for years and "have not bothered to learn German properly", as there are so many Turkish people living here. Unfortunately, we tend to notice much more what bothers us than what we like. At least in Germany, that is. The thousands of Turkish people living here, speaking fluent German, working hard and going about their business (be it integrated of within the Turkish community) tend to go unnoticed because - well - they do not stand out. ;) Anyway, don't want to bother you further... all the best to you and your family and many happy returns to Bremen. :)

[@janesmy6267]

I was on a train, deep in east Germany and got randomly stopped by police and ID checked. Needless to say I was the only non white foreigner on the train. German people stood up and politely challenged the police. There are plenty of nice Germans who stand up to discrimination.

[@kimmbioplotter6841]

Germany faces some serious issues with illegal immigration. That's why the police controlls foreign looking guys in a much higher frequency than germans. It sends a totally wrong message to society, but what can they do? The whole immigration policy of the last 10 years, was a huge stepback in reducing racism. Friends of mine, who hadn't been racist at all slowly drift to having a problematic mindset.

[@feuercomedy6556]

@@kimmbioplotter6841 thanks for reassuring - its awful how many times actions like this are associated with a move of discrimination or racism without the illegal immigration background and especially the manymany issues which appeared the last 10 years bc of all the refugees from the middle east.

[@sarsonder5127]

YES! This is a great example of how I see Germans. They are definitely willing to fight injustice as a country that is just.

[@charmainepurple]

Thank you so much for addressing this topic so openly. You both are simply soooo amazing!!! I felt so alone when i faced discrimination in Germany. (of course, discrimination is everywhere!) Its really nice to know that many others feel as helpless too.

[@turjo119]

I relate to everything Jen has said here strongly but without going into details of the discriminations I faced in my own life back home I will say that it's really good that you guys made a video talking about this as racism and xenophobia is an issue that plagues the whole world. Only by being informed on what to do when we encounter such situations can we actually help one another and make everyone feel welcome and belonged. Another great video as always!

[@timosauter975]

Loved that you didn't "just" tell us your experiences, but also gave some headers what can be done if you experience it. Well done. It is an unfortunate thruth that there is a sizeable chunk of our population that not only lives on stereotypes (which we all do to some degree) but eventually will discriminate against people. And as Yvonne stated there are certain origins that have a harder time compared to others. This also differs quite a bit regionally as different origins are more prevelant in specific regions, for historic reasons, so sometimes the experiences of "foreigners" (even if they are actually German but only look foreign) will be vastly different depending on which part of the country they are in (and i don't think this is just an East/West topic). This makes it hard to anticipate what might happen to you, if you visit the country or move to Germany.

[@4to_theFlow]

Wow! I've seen a few videos on this topic and this is the best one so far, because it's so nice and educational to watch, nothing about clickbait. Really thanks for how you exposed this sensitive topic and commitment to providing information with tools and empathy. This commitment is a good example of how to lead with discrimination in any country in the world.

[@hallou93]

I really appreciate such an honest and sincere video covering an uncomfortable topic. It's incredible that you guys not only provide your own experience but that we can actually do something about it with the resources you provided. I've heard so many horror stories of living abroad, specifically anywhere in Europe, as a POC that although my lifelong goal has been to experience life all over the world, I've been hesitant to go to Europe because why would I want to put myself through that when 10/10 will tell you that they've had people making racist comments, refusing service, and provide uncomfortable and sometimes even dangerous environment even when they are visiting as a family. So thank you, I now feel equipped to just go for it.

[@muneikahija2610]

Danke für die, Tipps, Jen, and Yvonne! ❤ My colleagues and I from the Philippines are working next month in Germany.

[@brittca]

What a great video. Thanks to you both for speaking up, sharing your experiences, and offering resources. Your channel is a gift. 🎉

[@Karen-se6ch]

I'm gonna call the manager on you

[@star_7776]

I feel that germans treat me different most of the time when I start talking, I have an accent because I am latin american, I make mistakes when I speak german, even though I can communicate, I try to improve everyday. Also I had violent encounters and racial related insults by germans. Slowly, these kind of experiences drove me to a severe depression, even if you not face discrimination everyday, a couple of experiences can be enough to harm you mentally. I think that if you are tough enough, Germany is a good country to live as a foreign.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing your story!

[@star_7776]

@@kreight_ East, yes it is worse there

[@giniinthebottle5777]

As far as I'm concerned, I'll treat you differently for sure. I would try harder to listen to you carefully and pay more attention to whether I can help you. Head up!- don't let some dickheads ruin your day. Bound with good people who can give you confidence.

[@soewenue]

​@@kreight_ would disagree that eastern people are more rasist than western. The rasiscm only has other victims or is better hidden. West has more stereotypes bout east europeans and also in parts bout south europeans, while Eastern people have more stereotypes bout pocs and middle Eastern, but only cause they got aware with people from this regions earlier and Not cause we are better humans.

[@ebbyc1817]

" I think that if you are tough enough, Germany is a good country to live as a foreign. " this just about sums it up.

[@ivanhoe96]

I want to deeply thank you for your amazing channel. I moved to Germany in August 2022 and found your videos and website as a best tool for learning more about life in Germany. It is indeed a great support and source of quite important information for me. But you also do it so personally and lovely, which makes your content unique. Greetings from Bonn!

[@jinsvunsolved]

Hallo, ich würde gerne wissen warum Du nach Deutschland gekommen bist!

[@ivanhoe96]

@@jinsvunsolved writing my PhD here

[@safespaceglobalconnections]

Thanks 🙏 to share and talk about discrimination (important topic) I lived in the north of Italy for 5 years and I received discrimination comments. (To be honest I didn’t expect that) Right know I live in Germany 🇩🇪 and I feel more happy about this topic, since the begging I never received a discrimination comments like in Italy) hope to continue like this 🤝

[@hilaliavarone6000]

That is the reason why I didn’t want to move to Germany in the beginning. As a Turk, I always feel the pressure of being foreign but meanwhile my white-Italian husband can be who he is. Since we speak each other’s language and culturally similar in general, we have never realized that we are interracial couple UNTIL we moved to Germany. Thank you for paying attention to this issue ❤

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing - that's is super interesting to hear!

[@karinland8533]

I don’t think Germans would discribe you as inter racial but international/ intercultural. The word race as Rasse in German does not describe humens. (due to ouer past) only Nazis would say so. There are no different races in homo sapiens. I don’t daubt you experience some assholes are around anywere

[@jinsvunsolved]

Hallo, gerne würde ich erfahren, warum Du nach Deutschland gekommen bist?

[@marge2548]

I really, really appreciate that you took into account and explained the difference between racism and xenophobia. I always try but very often people won't understand. For them, all is "racism". Now the point is that the belief that someone is not "equal" due to some innate features is much more difficult to change than a general mistrust against people one doesn't know. - Because not knowing someone can change rather easily. ;) And I also liked very much that you gave rather practical advice on how to deal with things. :) Greetings from a neighbour. :)

[@kshitijkolas]

I come from India, for past 6 years I have been living in East Germany, racism is very much prevalent here as compare to west Germany. I have had countless experiences.

[@tesla3388]

You’re right. But West Germany also suck. Just better than East side of this country. This Nazi barbarians still never learn from WW2.

[@clairechloe5294]

I am an asian immigrant living in Southern Germany and I used to live in Northern Germany before. Racism and fear of foreigners exist everywhere in Germany. I speak German fluently and have integrated well into the culture and I appreciate some German ways such as puntuality, being organized, honest and direct dealings with others. But I dislike Germans' being so cold, unfriendly and distant from people. Human warmth in our hearts should be shown and given to humans and animals alike. I feel that Germans love their dogs more than connecting with another human being - I find that really sad 😥😢.

[@bharath2508]

I am from India, I'm planning to move to Stuttgart. What do u suggest?

[@jewishzionist3322]

​@@bharath2508Germans are very good people just because of 99.9% Germans are racist you can't blame the whole country.

[@NoahLeicster1]

As a Japanese, I experienced too much racism and hatred in Munich. It is like a hell for me to live there!!!

[@jonatasteixeira]

Hallo, I'm from Brazil and I'm moving to Berlin in August. I just wanna say THANK YOU!! All your informations and support with the Germanic process has been a relief. I spend hours and hours watching you here on KZbin. Is cool, is soft, funny, let me very excited, and I feel safe with this decision that I took to move to Berlin. Thanka a lot for all your beautiful work. You encourage me every night. I hope to have an amazing journey in this wonderful country! Thanks a loooott!

[@alpo2smith]

Love that quote about “a sign of bravery”. I live in Vancouver Canada. There’s a lot of bravery around me every day and I absolutely love it. Keep up the great work ladies.

[@makinen06]

lived for 10 years in germany. a drunk, actually crazy german shouted at me once that "we speak german in germany !!" (in german of course). other than that, almost all germans that i've encountered in 10 years here were nice and sensitive to auslanders like me. everyday germans, doctors, nurses, even the ppl in the rathaus when you do an anmeldung. i like germans. (i am an israeli, grandson of 4 holocoast survivours)

[@biseravlahova5162]

While I still don't technically live in Germany, I am going back and forth between countries until I get my family reunification visa. No one has been openly xenophobic towards me, although sometimes I notice subtle changes in people's behavior when I start speaking German imperfectly or say that I come from a Balkan country. I can speak English very well and I don't have an accent when speaking, so sometimes I pretend I am a tourist (technically, I still am), and just let people assume I come from the USA. It's usually with people who make me uncomfortable from the get-go and who change their demenour when they realize I'm not German. People from my country are seen as lazy, uneducated, uncivilized, and like they just want to mooch off the system. I don't want to be percieved as such. I have three ways that I cope psychologically with the fear of being discriminated against. First of all, I am über-friendly and just smile to everyone and act nice, even if they aren't particularly friendly-looking. I've noticed that smiling at people and being polite helps a lot, and even catches some Germans off-guard. I also laugh at myself a lot. When first coming to Germany I was so afraid I would break some German rules or do something stupid, but now I just laugh and people usually laugh along. For example, once when I was at the grocery store I forgot to take out the products from the cart and just placed the cart on the belt (like we usually do in my country) and then the casheer looked at me funny, so I realized what I did. I immediately started laughing and said "Es tut mir leid. Ich bin so müde heute!", and she laughed as well. The last way I cope is by telling myself that people have nothing against me personally and that Germans care more about following the rules than they care about being nice. So, if I accidentaly break some social rule and they are rude to me, it's not because they have something against me - they would react the same if someone else broke the rule as well. Sure, there are some people who are xenophobic and racist, but I feel like most of them are open enough to let go of their prejudice and be proved wrong.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing!

[@somaiabaker814]

Thank you dears for opening up on this topic! I've been living in Germany for around 2 years. I can say that I've never been attacked directly with cruel racist acts. Still, I've encountered a lot of weird ways of looking and staring at me in public places, especially from the elderly. I know people can easily tell that I'm a foreigner, also with the scarf (even though it's somehow different from what hijabs usually wear). BUT, I can also say that I've been treated differently in many situations because I'm a foreigner, that is, people rejected to help me, people made the process harder, refused to give information or advice, spoke with the dialect, and refused to use a simpler language for someone who says I speak "einfaches Deutsch". Which is an overall substandard treatment of what a German encounters. The problem is, you can never really know in such cases, it's an assumption. One tip I can say--> I'm sure that the more you speak German, the more you feel blended in the community, and the more you can be welcomed by others. I noticed this from other Arabs who spoke fluent German when looking at the difference in treatment.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing and we fully agree that learning the language opens doors to understanding the culture and being able to participate more and feeling less like you don't belong.

[@grmpflz]

I understand what you think about people looking at you, and Germans are said to be staring. I'm German from Bavaria, and there are many stereotypes about Bavarians here and in the world: In Germany we are laughed at when we wear traditional costumes or speak dialect (the only one with subtitles on tv !), we are said to be posers, to be rich, all CSU voters and FC Bayern Fans, and would drink a maximum of beer... . I'm far from that. If I feel discriminated, it also has to do with my self-confidence, and most of the time I'm amused about foreign people taking photos of me at the Oktoberfest, like I was an exotic animal at the zoo. I'm not interested in what others think about me and I think biased or rassistic people are poor in their minds. But I also know, not everyone that looks at you does it with bad thoughts: I love to watch people from all over the world and am happy to see them in our streets. Don't mind the dumb ones, you are heartly welcome...

[@snyggmikael]

If the older generation stare that's even worse. I would just look back at them and say, good job with the world war II, hope you are happy with what you guys did

[@chethankumar9358]

@@grmpflz well Bavaria is a hub of racism I have lived there and every turn I experienced it. I understood it is no place to raise my children in some much hatred for immigrants. Even the profs at uni were racist. Finally I decided to leave Germany and head home I am living a better life now trust me with two books authored and may articles published. I now tell my students dont go to Germany.

[@grmpflz]

@@chethankumar9358 I'm sorry, you've made bad experiences in Germany. Obviously you've met the wrong people. But don't you think, you have a blind spot in your eyes, diffaming 11 million Bavarians or over 80 millions of Germans across the board as racists? That is really poor and nothing else as you experienced. In my surroundigs there are 99 % very tolerant, immigrant friendly and open minded people, Don't make your personal problems a problem for other people and let them make their own, better experiences.

[@tamyresmartines8061]

I'm brazilian and live here for 1 year now, and never felt discriminated. But I know that is because people always assume that me and my husband are europeans (germans said to me several times that I look italian or spanish, and my husband is of 100% german descendant). I know a lot of other brazilians that had experienced racism and xenophobia. And in my german course, the turkishs, iranians and arabics always share similar experiences 😥

[@gustafsvensson5840]

Germans are racist in general lol. I’m Scandinavian and as soon I speak English in Germany they see me differently

[@alinehartmann8311]

I'm half Brazilian and half German and have experienced discrimination since little. One of the worst experiences I had in my life was when a middle aged lady screamed at me in Mc Donald's for no reason to go back to my country and nearly spat on me. The Mc Donald's was not too busy at the time and everyone could hear it. I was the only 'ethnic o'ne in there, and no one said anything or defended me. Eventually the staff told her to get out and they offered me something else for free, which was good. But this is my country, I was born here and my Dad is ethnically German. Even if I wasn't German at all it's not an excuse to be racist and disgusting to someone for no reason. I always get micro aggressive comments as well of Germans asking "where am I really from?", whenever I say I'm German. People always assume I'm arab/middle eastern here and I get the same discrimination as my middle eastern friends. However the only thing that's different and has helped is my German surname sometimes. It's very sad. My Brazilian mum has gone through way more racism than me though and because of this my mum left Germany with me to go back to Brazil. A few years later we were able to live in the Uk in London and me and my mum like it here. It's way more diverse than Germany and you rarely get racist comments or weird looks like In Germany.

[@petun5282]

​@@gustafsvensson5840 Are not Scandinavians also Germanic? How are they racist to you

[@FoxxxyL0ve]

For me as a native german (born and raised, brown skined cuz my biological dad is from africa) I also expirienced racism. But more in smaller cities when I was younger (bout 2000er). I agree with the fact, that not every racism/ xenophobia has the same level. When I worked at a beachbar at the rhine river an elderly german man (60/70ish) complemented me for my accent free german. I smiled and giggled. I couldnt be mad with him because he never been to NRW and he was already talking excitely about the whole city, bar, staff, place and menu etc. I maybe would have been offended if someone said the same phrase in an other context- but in this situation the man was so delighted and glowing from his excitement, I just felt complemented in the strangest way ever :D Dont be offended by people who dont know people! p.s.: Next time I'll replay: "Thank you! Your german is good too!" And I am sure, all those present going to have a good laugh together ;)

[@lorenzlfk2524]

The occupation government is based on RACIST ANTI GERMANISM and serves the genocide of Germans. Google GENOCIDAL BRITISH GEOPOLITICS.

[@MartinAmbrosiusHackl]

“Don’t be offended by people who don’t know people.” - This is a great sentence, Eliza. And I think ıt points at an ımportant aspect of stereotypıcal (ıf not outright racist) incidents: Sometimes clumsy, stupid or even offensive behaviour stems from not knowing or from a social environment, that the person could not choose her- or himself. The relevant question for her/his side is, will (s)he learn from it. But of course, being the adressee / target of such behaviour might harbour its own pain - and often enough manıfest disadvantages and dangers. Thank you for being so carefull in dealıng with it! Nobody should expect that from you. Yet, you do an important service to our society and its climate as a whole. 🙂

[@chenyeh9053]

@ Martin Ambrosius Hackl unfortunately, they will never learn from it. The prejudice makes them feel “ we are better than you “ Who wouldn’t want to feel that way? And yes, the foreigner harbor the pain, the abuse and the discouragement. I lived in So many different places in my lifetime and experienced all kinds of discrimination. The only thing I can do is, Be heart strong, Focus on my own Journey, they are just like little bugs everywhere not worthy my time to deal with 😊

[@JennHolt]

@@chenyeh9053 i’m sorry that you have had to deal with this. But I disagree that people can’t change. Many people can change if their mistake is pointed out. I can think of instances in which I didn’t realize something and changed my behavior, once I realized how it was perceived by the other person. Example: I am always curious about where someone is from or what their heritage is, but after watching Mai Thi Nguyen Kim’s video “woher kommst du” I completely understood her perspective and felt ashamed. And so I no longer ask this, and think a lot about how I interact with people who look different from me. Not that I didn’t do this before, but this perspective had never crossed my mind. I felt very stupid and continue to feel stupid. I share this with you so that you can have hope.

[@chenyeh9053]

Thank you Jennifer! We need more people like you!! Education is the key, And people might feel offensive if you pointed out their shortcomings 🤔 my mother in law doesn’t believe there are discriminations in the United States of America because she is white and never encounter any of them. Some subjects we just can’t talk about it. People need to have a open mind and heart, that will be my only hope.

[@ilsebrauckhoff7689]

I live in Dresden and I witness a lot of racism here. I stand up against it, but unfortunately not many people do this here. Dresden is the City where Pegida started, where it had the most participants (over 20,000 in the end of 2014/beginning of 2015) and where it celebrated its eighth birthday. The AfD is one of the two biggest groups in our city council. Many people consider it as their right to say the n-word or the z-word and call people from Vietnam (or people who they think are from Vietnam) "fidschi", and to insult people with darker skin than their own or with hijabs. And I've even witnessed violence, fortunately nobody was injured, but that's the best I can say about those situations. When something like that happens to you in Dresden, it's best to ask the RAA Sachsen e.V. for help.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jewishzionist3322]

Boycott Naziland

[@romualdojoven8992]

Great content ❤❤❤ it helps a lot :)

[@kat-xj8hj]

indeed talking about racism is the first very important step to fight it. Thanks for this video :)

[@vjcarter4657]

Thank you. I am a colored American living in Germany and I have been treated like shit a couple of times. I am like WTF, this never happened to me in the US

[@jamesstevenson5329]

can you tell something more about that?

[@TheSimmpleTruth]

I was refused service at a bakery next to the Hit Markt in Bad Honnef, but my German husband who came after I was refused service, was helped and served right away. I believe this is a common practice, especially by the tall, overweight woman that works there, because I saw her refusing service to Turkish looking people and ignoring them and serving Germans only.

[@majap1707]

Great video! What experiences do you have regarding racism and discrimination in the Eastern Germany? (of course people who have lived there etc.) I plan to start my university in Dresden this autumn and I am kind of afraid of this, since I have heard a lot about how unfriendly people can be for the foreigners especially in that parts of this beautiful country. I hope these are just stereotypes but I would highly appreciate your responds and getting to know your experience.

[@adritakhan8154]

I really appreciate that you guys mentioned that Racism and Xenophobia exist in "every" country. I'm from Bangladesh and I'm currently studying in Malaysia. My home country is to some extent hostile to people with dusky skin tones. Also, the indigenous people of our country get less privileges just like Jen's country. On the other hand, I have faced a few incidents where I didn't feel accepted in Malaysia while studying and have heard racist remarks. Some of the racist remarks came from the faculty members and my classmates (quite unfortunate). So here's the thing. There are good and bad people everywhere. Asian, Black, White, Hispanic.. among every group of races.. There are good people and racist people in Bangladesh. Similarly, I've met very nice people in Malaysia and have made wonderful memories. No matter where we go in the world, these kind of mixed experiences are inevitable. Hence, I try not to take things personally or let the words affect me.

[@ciaracevedo1747]

We used to life in London, my wife is light skin colour (venezuelan/italian) and I'm dark skin (dominican), and we have a few incidents even due to our same-sex marriage that actually was in the UK, and we move to Leipzig there she has actually noticed that people will look at me differently. Even as this has happened in different countries, even Spain for our Latin background, in Germany I actually felt fear of a drunk guy at Aldi once, I love it here, but I will always remember that day.

[@marge2548]

I think that Leipzig may at times be a rather unwelcoming place . My brother spent several months there, work related, just when he had started his first job after uni - and he was discriminated against - and partly violently so - for being from Western (audibly from the North of) Germany. Btw - he and his colleague, after gotten threatenend and attacked at the main station for being a "Wessi", informed the police - and were just told that it was their own fault that they went around talking so loud that everyone could heare that they were not locals (because of the way they were speaking, not because of anything they had said). And that was that. The police outrigth refused to do anything. This was several years ago (less than 20, though). And from that I guess, for folks "not even being German" it might still be tough if even "the wrong Germans" are or were disliked like that over there.

[@n1vca]

I am very sorry to hear about your experience. The sad story is that quite a number of boomers and older natives that live in the former communistic parts of Germany (neue Bundesländer) are xenophobic and sometimes even racist. It is not only a stereotype, it is pretty real. I believe it must have to do with the fact that for decades they were not allowed to travel to any non communistic countries, were taught Russian as a second language and were unable to have a natural friendship with people from Western nations and somehow they feel insecure and disturbed by anyone who is not from their part of the woods ... but I still have not quite figured out if that is the main root-cause of this messed-up behaviour, since I am the complete opposite, also a boomer, but from the West, growing up with English as a second language and nearby English radio stations like British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) and in the South there was the American Forces Network (AFN), which had a way better music choice than our boring German networks. I am glad most of the youger generations in the East don't have that problem anymore, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. But it is very sad that Neo Nazis and other non-democratic closed-up racist communities do exist and according to the media even seem to grow. I find this quite shocking in these global times. So if you can choose where to settle in Germany, East or West, the likelyhood of being more included and welcome to our society will be in the western "old" states of Germany. This doesn't mean you can't find super nice warm-hearted and welcoming people in the Eastern part and disgusting people in the West, but the likehood is simply lower than compared to the West. I am sure the majority of experiences will be positive, but as long as humans exists, there will always be some disturbed species around somewhere, but I assure you their behaviour has nothing to do with our German culture and values, despite the fact that our history could not have been any worse😭. But here we are, generations later, open to show imigrants and expats how much love and compassion most of us have in our hearts.💗

[@moshmoshca]

¡Ciara! ¿Estás viviendo en Alemania? Que triste que hayas pasado por ese mal rato, pero fue lindo haberte encontrado en los comentarios! Espero que tu y tu esposa se encuentren bien

[@ciaracevedo1747]

@@moshmoshca Hola!! Sí 😁, pero de hecho ahora estoy en RD. ¡Un abrazo grande!

[@kanaanmousaei8183]

I moved to Germany a year ago (beginning of 2022) and until now, I'm still feeling that I'm not accepted here. People don't want and even try to communicate with me, got no friends, couldn't get into any friend group or so and not even can go for a date, let alone having a relationship and mostly because I can't speak German. It made me feel so bad and lonely here. And built a bad experience here social wise for me.

[@MartinAmbrosiusHackl]

Finding friends is not so easy for Gernans, either. That is a special thing. Needn‘t be xenophobia. Might ‚simply‘ be ordinary reservedness. But once you‘ve found friends, it might well be for life.

[@buschhuhn9197]

You need to join a "club". Sports, dancing, voluntary firefighters, hiking, bowling, swimming, Volkshochschule....whatever. Germans are more accessible if you meet regularly over a shared interest.

[@erikweber8514]

Sorry, but speaking the local language is a must, all over the world - expect you are a high skilled specialist, than English is sufficient.

[@ramblingmillennial1560]

Have you started learning German? Because even when people do speak German they find it hard to make friends in Germany.

[@nataliac7716]

@@erikweber8514 speaking a language should not be a requirement to be respected as a person

[@fannychristozova8158]

In my home country within my fellow citizens I don't look typical or normal, because I have black eyes and dark brown hair, and I'm a native local, well educated and everything. Sometimes, even when Bulgarians meet me for the first time I seem to them a little 'exotic'. You, girls, did an incredible episode here! I'm happy to see and listen to this topic! Jen's story was.. pff! Now I see. There were I think one or two mentions of some gf in Budapest previouly. I'm sorry for that experience, but after all you could see right through the person. The outcome turned out to be just beauiful, in all meanings! 🍀In Germany I don't think I've experienced racism or xenophobia so far, on the contrary, Germans talking with me and helping. No one ever perceived me as 'strange looking', to which I felt good and I saw honest smiles. This means the world to me, quite litterally. Thank you for the topic! Really hard one!

[@awbrompton2308]

This is a very important topic and I hope'l you bring it up in the future. In Germany, the amount of racism experienced depends also very probably from the area one lives in. Plus gender, country of origin etc. Maybe other expats may chime in?

[@CathyTalksMiami]

Congratulations on growing your channel with great content. It’s so sad to see racism and xenophobia all over the world and for all kinds of things… To me being discriminated is a huge sign of ignorance. Things have very slowly changed all over the world as more people are braver to speak up and stand firm against injustice. Enhorabuena!

[@goodmannkosinathintshalint8450]

I almost got denied to enter a club in Germany until they closely inspected what I was wearing! I was so maaaadddd!!! I couldn't even enjoy myself inside the club anymore!

[@Karen-se6ch]

You better wish you're a middle aged white woman named Karen, only then you can speak with the manager

[@jeremybeau8334]

Dutch are far worst.

[@ARJ1.]

Thank you jen and yvonne for raising awareness to this topic, i personally have been call the N word and told to go back to Africa while i was riding my bike and minding my business, a driver splashed me water while i was taking a walk and many more anyway i have learn to ignore that because i have good german friends so thank you guys and i love you both❤

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sorry to read that you've had to deal with that stuff! -J

[@outdoorolli5754]

So what is the problem with the "N word"? I never understood that, because - in my opinion - this is an American topic and no German topic.

[@noduhjack6481]

@@outdoorolli5754 it’s really not an American topic…these slurs are used worldwide

[@outdoorolli5754]

@@noduhjack6481 the german N word - which even differs from the N word in the US - came up in 17th century as a term for a dark skinned person originating from Africa. It is - and to my knowledge has never been - used as a bad word in German language. Saying, that globally any N word was used as a bad word in any country is incorrect for sure, because history and culture in any country differ widely from other countrys. Sometimes I get the impression, that immigrants bring their problems to us and make us responsible for these problems. This feels strange.

[@soewenue]

​@@outdoorolli5754 I fully agree with ur argumentation, but just like "krüppel" for a disabled person it is an outdated word. If I'm right Martin Luther King has called the black people negros, in I have a dream, and this word also isn't used anymore in america, so we also shouldn't use the german equivalent to this.

[@masssly]

Great video. Super useful. Thanks

[@christine9122]

Thank you for talking about this topic. I am actually scared to go to France and Germany because of this issue. I know racism in France is a different story. But listening to your content gives me hope about Germany. I am from a Southeast Asian country with ancestors/older relatives that are Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish, so sometimes "I don't look Asian" and sometimes "I look the typical Asian." I know that's strange. It depends on the person looking. I can't explain. So when I encounter microaggression or cases of discrimination, I get sad when my concern is downplayed because of my looks.

[@valeriedefarias]

Hey, I’m a Latina living in France. Racism and xenophobia are very common here but usually not threatening. Like, you will hear a lot of comments and stereotypes being thrown around like it’s nothing. I always try to call them out but I’ve realized the awareness on this issue here is behind other countries I’ve been to. Specially in smaller cities. If you go to bigger cities you should be able to find safe spaces and welcoming communities.

[@jeremybeau8334]

European countries from less racist to most: France, Germany, Belgium, The Nederlands. The Nederlands is the absolut worst, it makes looks Germany as the kingdom of tolerance. You would be fine in France, french people are racist but they are also open to mixing and if you don't annoy theme they won't do nothing to you, they are in their bussynes. Try to speak french, most frenchs doesen't know nor like english. They are racist specially toward arabs and blacks. Latinos tend to be better recieve, asians i don't know.

[@jeremybeau8334]

In france you see "interacial" couples and race mixed kids, specially in big cities. In Germany it is not that comon.

[@airtonsilva8006]

Nice video! As a Brazilian living in southern Germany for a couple months I can happily say I haven't noticed any different treatment because of my skin color or nationality. However, I speak some German and I have noticed the looks in the face of some people changing when I approach them in German. For example, when I went to the bank to open an account, the lady behind the counter looked at me with a not so friendly face, but when I started speaking German to her, the looks completely changed.

[@simplegermany]

So happy to hear! Thanks for sharing!

[@RustyDust101]

First off: kudos to both of you. This is a hot topic in Germany, and very difficult to tackle respectfully. Congratulations on doing it so well. Second: no, I am NOT defending either xenophobia nor racism, especially the active kind. I just wanted to point out certain problems in claiming someone is either of those just out of convenience. Third: does either exist in Germany? Sadly, yes. Does it exist in a generalized systemic racism/xenophobia where everybody, or even a majority has these negative characterists? I surely would hope, no. I would even dare claim, no. Especially when I can point out Jen's long term of residency and a fairly low number of such instances, which were even (compared to some other cases) fairly minor instances. Does it exist among even a signifcant minority? A few years, maybe 10 or so ago, I would have vehemently denied this. Currently, I am not so certain. There are some parts of Germany where I have the feeling that both are on the rise. Very, very sad to have to accept this reality. The whole spectrum of discrimination contains the Venn diagram slices of both racism and xenophobia. These Venn diagram slices overlap a lot. Whereas xenophobia (as can be seen from the word phobia) MAY be completely irrational as well as unintentional, and may even cause the person expressing their xenophobia discomfort, a racist is NOT. A xenophobe, similar to an arachnophobe, may be completely incapable of controlling their reaction even if they want to control it. Some xenophobic people simply CAN'T control their emotions, even if they KNOW that what they do may be hurtful to others, and they don't intentionally want to hurt someone. They MAY be ashamed of their reaction. Granted, those kinds of xenophobes will be the tiny minority. Most xenophobes will be actively xenophobic similar to racists, reveling in their claim of superiority or righteousness. All the Xenophobes claiming that Germany should belong to the 'Bio-Deutsche', the biological Germans may CLAIM that they aren't racists because they have poc among them. They demand that anyone with a different passport should leave Germany, or maybe come as a tourist, but not live and work here. But those POC among those organizations are accepted only because they need either token POC to refute claims of racism, or because those POC have been established for so long in a community that they are accepted as Biodeutsche, however strange that concept may be among the convoluted rationalizations they spout. Racists however still cling to an outdated sense of belief that there are different races of humans out there. They still believe that certain ethnicities have a sufficiently different genome that gives them superior or inferior qualities; most often placing themselves in the superior category, and all others in the inferior categories. There is NO scientific basis to claim that any humans living on the planet are from a sufficiently different pool of genetics to be coined their own specific race. No Neanderthal members have been around for the last 30k-40k years, at the minimum. They were the last distinctly different genome from modern homo sapiens. Racists are simply bigots who have no understanding of reality and cling to something that has been disproven again and again. Discerning between the two types of persons is sometimes difficult. A xenophobe may also be a racist, but doesn't have to be. A racist however is almost always also a xenophobe. Anything seen as different in their limit range of experience is considered bad. I still advocate for calling out either xenophobia and racism at each and every occasion it happens, and assist targets of such as good as possible. We can't allow this to see such a resurgence. We are all responsible for speaking up against both. Even German differentiates between fremdenfeindlich and rassistisch. Greetz from a German in Hamburg.

[@erikweber8514]

"Bio-Deutsche" ... hate speech or microaggression? The neutral word would be "ethnische Deutsche". When you are speaking about right wing brown Xenohostiles call them "Faschists"

[@jerryysen]

I am a student in Germany. I start Uni next semester and I went out to look for jobs in the meantime to earn money while I’m free. I got a Vollzeit job at a new cafe in Esslingen and was quite excited. I applied for a job as servicekraft so that I can interact with new people and improve my german speaking skills. When I had my probetag, I gave my best and learned the new things quickly. I already had experience working in a kitchen before and service was also not difficult. I learned to use the coffee machine and making different drinks quite well and was looking forward to it. My employers were very sweet and nice when they talked to me. They told me i did really great and that they can’t wait for me to join. But when I started actually working, they politely told me to start in the kitchen ( actually they told me I was only ‘needed’ in the kitchen and not service ), since I had experience there and they needed ‘skilled’ people in the kitchen, i agreed and told them I’ll help as much as I can. But they didn’t even let me work in the kitchen. They didn’t tell me how they want the things to be ( since my probetag was in service and not kitchen ), and they just gave me dishes to wash. I was in the spülküche the whole day. When I went to the kitchen to ask if I can help with something, they said, “if I show you now it will waste time, instead what you can do is clean the work surface when you see it dirty” and then handed me more dirty dishes to wash. When all the dishes were clean, and they didn’t have anything more to give me to clean, they’d just tell me to go home. I am supposed to be in Vollzeit contract but they cancel my shifts without giving me a reason. Moreover, i even offered them to be their social media manager for a month for free, as I saw that they didn’t really post anything online and they were new, they just refused. They are very polite when they talk to me and promise me different things. It wasn’t like I didn’t express my concern, I did, but they only talk politely, their actions are completely different. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know what I was saying. I have done smm courses and had so many ideas to share but their reaction was completely disheartening. She told me it was great to find someone like me and that it will only do good. But just being polite while rejected everything I offer. How I feel that I’m being discriminated was all the things that I offered to do and was rejected, they let someone else, who is German, do it. Also, I would like to mention that the cafe that i work in a Turkish-German cafe, there are 2 employers, one Turkish and one German. All the other employees are either Turkish or German, and since I’m neither one of them, I get discriminated. I rejected all other job offers to work here because I liked them the best, according to the conversations that we had, but the reality is very negative. Does my situation qualify as discrimination? Should I take any steps towards it? And talking to them is not a solution, because I have raised my concerns and got no real answer, just empty words.

[@scoreestate7696]

Maybe you should do that. Then you can try to find better opportunities. And yes a lot of germans are "politely" xenophobic or racist, due to some "strong " rules that were instituted in Germany the last years to fight discrimination. There is still a lot of work to do though, especially in the south... good luck

[@feuercomedy6556]

Sorry but that sounds like a classic job at the gastronomy. Im german and had pretty similar experiences just bc the owner couldnt manage the shifts.... Its not fair to interprete everywhere racism bc its your first thought that cames up as a reason for being treated like that.

[@feuercomedy6556]

@@scoreestate7696 thats bullshit.

[@jerryysen]

@feuerwhatever really? I was a vollzeit employee and they gave me shifts like a mini job employee. It’s not really about the shifts alone. It’s about not letting me even in the kitchen to work. Only in the spüllküche. I’ve worked in gastronomy before and also after this cafe and none of the other employers were like that. I might have asked in my original comment if my situation qualifies as discrimination but now i believe it to be true. Since you’re ‘german’ i don’t think you’ve faced something so ‘similar’. And to be really honest i don’t think it was really the germans who were discriminating in that cafe. Rather the turkish owner was like that. Also, it was really just this cafe where I’ve been treated like that. So yes, it was discrimination. And no, it’s not everywhere but there still is discrimination in Germany.

[@danibristol380]

A great sense of humour, the sarcastic type, always helps in situations where you think someone else discriminated against you, mocked, you, teased you, tried to make you a victim verbally, tried to belittle you - or maybe just wanted to see how you react to a provocation. How does it work? Simply don't let anyone make you the victim. If someone fires a round of insult against you: Fire back the same way, but bigger, over the top, sarcasticly, mockingly, teasingly, against yourself. Because this is not what the attacker would expect. They would expect you to duck away, shy away, swallow it, not fight back. And with fighting I actually don't mean getting your fists out, that would be a mistake. People all my life, but especially during school time, tried to hurt me because I have red(dish) hair, because I wear glasses, because I love green clothes. If someone says a thing about glasses, I shoot back with how they make me see into everybody's soul and I only see daaaaarkness here (I make it really dramatic and make gestures like a fairy tale witch). People don't expect spontaneous and big reactions, they are often completely stunned and can't help but being surprised and then laugh (because they then don't know how to react to this and lughter is a helpless reaction - and so I win!). People saying something about green clothes like "you are looking like a frog", I might start hopping around, making frog noises and saying something like "Yes, I do, and I am also really slimy, too, shall I touch you with all my slime?" and then trying to touch them with big gestures, making slimy noises. They will move backwards - because they are surprised and can't handle the situation of someone going for the insult and making it even bigger. Do the surprising thing, go big, mock yourself even bigger than they dared and you will see, this will overwhelm people and shut them up. Never just go away without giving a proper answer that will shut them up,. Yes, that takes courage and some acting skills. but you can rehearse this at home. Whenever someone wants to insult you, shock them back. I promise you they can't handle it because most insulters are just too stupid to think ahead. But you can think ahead. Do it.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing!

[@dragoi.alexandra]

I love this so much!

[@os2171]

You girls are absolutely great!

[@ibohaha3189]

As a german woman from East Germany i can confirm, that things are much worse in East Germany. They don' t have much experience with foreigners. People in West Germany are much more mixed.

[@anaelenazuniga3186]

im a "white looking" mexican and i´ve seen first hand how some of my mexican friends with darker skin tones, werent allowed to clubs. I love germany and i love living here, but germany still has a lot of work to do.

[@icerepublic]

I'm born in Germany but have dark skin (not African though) due to my father coming from abroad. When I grew up at first I really had no idea whatsoever that I was looked at differently. It took many years and lots of bad experiences to understand that Germany is in fact an extremely racist country. What makes matters worse is that most Germans deny that this even exists. Racism as a social problem is not talked about as openly as e.g. in the US. When I go on vacation to other countries where more people have darker skin naturally, I notice an immediate shift in their behavior towards me. It's way more relaxed. It's truly a vacation from racism. I hope when I'm older I'm fit enough to travel abroad for longer periods of time. Germany is okay for earning money, though. And if you search enough you can certainly find lots of nice people. But the quality of living is not so good for people with darker skin due to these issues. Just my opinion, though.

[@melvinsebastian8989]

You are 100% right.

[@angelusblank948]

Facts

[@jeremybeau8334]

Germany is not even the most racist. The Nederlands is disgusting about that problem and they don't give a shit about their colonial criminal "past". In Germany you could at leas shame a couple of germans when they behave in shity ways calling theme nazis (they care less and less about that tough). But im shure if nobody called out germany about their nazi "past" they would probably behave like the dutch or the british.

[@chaneldiane8611]

Yeah it’s like you aren’t really truly happy. I was in Spain on the islands I was so relaxed and happy. Immediately I came back my smile was wiped off my face. I can’t leave Bse I am married here and love my husband but it’s hard meh 🫤

[@ldsfreelance575]

I love all your videos and am thinking of moving to Düsseldorf. I have looked but can you tell me did you have a video on which district is best or worst to live in?

[@lucaschacon8362]

Thanks for sharing your experience Jen. So far in 7 months living in Germany I’ve never experienced racism, luckily. The only weird thing is that everyone assumes I’m from Spain (due to my appearance and speaking obviously), but when I tell them I’m from Chile they don’t know that to say, because almost no one know anything about us haha.

[@johaquila]

It's most likely the Spanish accent. I think we mostly tend to lump all the Spanish speakers together with the Spanish people, as the Spanish speakers we are most likely to meet. And at least for Bogotá, the only Latin American city I have ever visited, this definitely makes sense. Culturally it's more similar to Barcelona, the only Spanish city I really know, than to any other place I have been. From what I have heard, Chile is even more European, so it all makes sense.

[@ramblingmillennial1560]

This was a very interesting video. I have a Mexican friend who has mentioned many times that there's a lot of racism in Latin America, but I had no idea it was like that in Guatemala. I hope the situation there changes.

[@name_it]

My friend lives in the UK. He had some emergency and went to the hospital. There at the desk he was asked for nationally. After announcing what nationality he belongs to, the medical service said : Really ? It can not be... that all of your natives are black. How could you be that you are white? Total shock and embarrassment. As I have been living in Hamburg for a couple of years, yes, I did have racism experience. At the job centre, at school for languages and integration, and mostly sadly at badminton courses which at the end had given me up to visit. However, I have also found many friends who supported me and encouraged my German speaking until I started to feel enough brave to express myself freely. Life is never only black and white. So head up and keep walking. Surround yourself with positive people and stay there where you are wanted and appreciated.

[@The-BIKO]

I moved to Germany last month, and unfortunately, for the first time in my life, I encountered racism and discrimination two days ago. I couldn't do anything about it because I don't speak German, and I was shocked by such behavior.

[@jeremybeau8334]

Deutschland is a paradise of tolerance compared to the Nederlands.

[@PoisonelleMisty4311]

Thanks for sharing your experiences in Germany. It's insightful to hear about both positive and challenging aspects. The discussion on racism and xenophobia is crucial, and your suggestions on how to address it are helpful. Have you encountered any specific initiatives or resources in Germany that actively work towards fostering inclusivity and combating discrimination?

[@suplux]

Me and my friend (we both Africans) went out to club one of the night in Gera, a City in Thuringia. Trying to get in we were stoped and told that we shouldn't go in that its a "Private Party". So much for a private party that the event have posters and billboards all over the city. A friend had warned us before hand in a subtle way without being so explicit

[@bobsmith582]

When i was in Germany i fortunately didn't experience any discrimination. I did have several weird experiences. I'm assuming these happened since i looked like a tourist and not that I'm a black American. I plan to return to Germany despite the few negative experiences.

[@user-ny6fj8bv1l]

feeling compassion from somebody who has a soured face and really ignore you is very difficult.

[@MadamSeibes]

I am glad you had not as bad an experience as my children and me. It's different for black people, Africans. I paid my taxes, and did all that was required of me but still experienced worse racism. Shops, hospitals and in public transport. Sad part is that there are so many Germans living in my country Namibia and they are not treated differently or called names. Thanks for sharing your experience though 🙏

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing as well and we are so sorry to hear that you do feel discriminated 😕

[@abigailhowes5944]

I thank you so much for bringing this up. As an older disabled person, being disabled since childhood, I have found the discrimination has gotten so severe that I am avoiding going many places where there are many people. This is the USA. Even workers that are from agencies here have been very discriminatory. I found this change around 2016. At first, I thought it was odd that it happened after I had cancer, and thought that might be the cause, but it didn't make sense. There was nothing visible to indicate I was a cancer survivor. I realized the politics that were occuring at the time. It was when Donald Trump was elected. He encouraged(s) discrimination, harassment, and abuse of elders, women, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and people with disabilities as well as others. He encouraged violence, hate, anger, and even after no longer being in office. I have considered and looked into leaving the US to go the Canada, the UK or Germany, but these countries will not accept me. So, I am here in the US dealing with the discriminatory practices and what is now accepted. Thank God I live in Massachusetts, as many other states have become pretty dreadful, take Florida and Texas for example. Again, thank you! I now have a level for what I am really suffering from.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing!

[@blackdave25]

Man in my experience as a Colombian I’ve been treated soo well by all Germans, literally love this place

[@HL-uw7fk]

I was shocked when we just moved here few years back and I wanted to open bank account, and guy there told me that I live in Germany now and I should learn German language. Ofc, I am learning German but I cannot learn it in the first week. I even told him my German is bad and can we speak on English in German haha! That also happened to me calling tax office and they are public servants, was very surprised in a bad way. Other 99% interactions were very kind and nice! So it is minority of cases.

[@marge2548]

The problem with public servants is that especially with administrative things like taxes, they are (at least in my Bundesland) literally not allowed to not speak German in order not to spread false information inadvertently. There always hast to be a translator involved or if the client brings a German speaking colleague and agrees that they do the translations, it’s fine as well. But that would be on the clients responsibility. So, they might even have wanted to answer you, but literally couldn’t.

[@erikweber8514]

@@marge2548 Thats the concept of "Amtssprache". Surprise: in Germany it is the German Language.

[@marge2548]

@@erikweber8514 Well, I am certainly not suprised by that. I just wanted to point out that "German only" does not always mean an unwillingness to communicate with foreigners, but that especially in official proceedings, it's a legal thing.

[@HL-uw7fk]

@@marge2548 Interesting, did not know that but some form of help would be helpful instead of rude replying sometimes. It’s not hard to say “we are not allowed to speak anything but German” 😂 Thanks for the info.

[@marge2548]

@@HL-uw7fk You are welcome! 🙂 And I do agree - it‘s not that difficult to say this (unless the person in question does not speak English, of course - but even then, politeness costs nothing but might very well win the day…) On another note, if I find one German trait problematic, it is our tendency to act or sound rude once we are stressed out. (I catch myself doing that rather often and find it a really widespread thing). Which means: We might not actually want to act rude, we are just stressed (eg by dealing with a customer who doesn’t speak German), but one can hardly tell the difference. 😬🙈 Anyway, that‘s no justification, but merely an attempt of an explanation. I think working in customer service requires some basic patience and politeness. I hope you did get your account in the end and people were not acting too nasty against you.

[@arnodobler1096]

People often forget that they are strangers too, namely on vacation. It doesn't even have to be abroad. Also, everyone belongs to a minority somewhere. Wolfgang Ambros wrote a great song about it. Die Leute vergessen oft das sie auch Fremde sind, im Urlaub nämlich. Das muss nicht mal im Ausland sein. Auch gehört jeder irgendwo zu einer Minderheit. Wolfgang Ambros schrieb ein tolles Lied darüber.

[@simplegermany]

Very true! What's the name of the song? 😊

[@arnodobler1096]

@@simplegermany Minderheit Ein Jeder gehört zu einer Minderheit, einem Jeden geht etwas ab. Ein Jeder hat ein Handicap, einem Jedem gehts so. Der Eine merkts stärker, der Andere merkts nicht. Der Eine ist gescheiter, der Andere ist blöd. Der Eine ist ein Wappler, der Andere ist ein Weh. Der Eine frißt alles, der Andere lässt alles stehen. Der Eine erzählt viel, der Andere ist stumm. Der Eine lebt weiter, der Andere bringt sich um. Die Eine steht auf Liebe, die Andere steht auf Sex. Die Eine ist eine Heilige, die Andere ist eine Hexe. Dem Einen ist es zu heiß, dem Anderen ist es zu kalt. Der Eine ist zu jung und der Andere ist zu alt. Der Eine hat gar nichts, der Andere hat ein Geld. Dem Einen gehört der Himmel und dem Anderen gehört die Welt. Die Eine ist hässlich, die Andere ist schön. Die Eine könnte noch dableiben, die Andere muß schon gehen. Ein Jeder gehört zu einer Minderheit, einem Jeden geht etwas ab. Ein Jeder hat ein Handicap, einem Jedem gehts so.

[@AJ5]

There is definitely a racial hierchy in Germany like anywhere else. Some races receive positive discrimination (Americans) while others receive negative discrimination (Arabs). You do not get to experience the true racism until you have lived here long enough. Most comments here are from tourists or from people who only lived in Germany for a short while. Too short of a time for them to judge Germany about this topic.

[@thebenki]

In case of „trouble“ call the Police 110 or ask the normal Germans for help! The most of us germans are not racist

[@ahmedelkoussy1769]

With all due respect to your observations and comments, I think as you said later in the video it depends on your race/nationality so if you fit specific buckets you might feel it more. I am Egyptian muslim and it is clear for my name and looks (of which I am happy of course) but even if you don't get "in your face" racism, it subtly is there - be it for entering a club, be it with making new friends, dating, you name it... Everyone can have their preferences of course but the point is that a prejudice/racism/xenophobia/islamophobia do exist in Germany sadly - I have seen plenty of good people and fair treatment but this doesn't negate that such things exist. For Hispanic people, actually they are very welcomed by most Germans (as far as I saw) - for Russians/Slavic people I also don't think there is such a fear or discrimination against them from what I saw (I could be wrong) - therefore this could be a reason why you encountered only 2 events during 10 years or so...

[@MetalBere]

Great video 👏👏👏

[@femionasanya7478]

Human is always human......we have good people and bad people, the good always love and the bad always find reasons and motives to hate and oppose. It is what it is. Self love is the most important and not allowing bad people bring us down independent of our colour,race,accent etc.

[@karangisreekanth]

My 9-year-old son and my wife were shopping in a store and an old lady made some xenophobic remark to my son which he later came and informed us. Similar things happen to us in even big stores like OBI by service people for not being able to communicate in German and in public transport by some semi-drunk person. Still, I tell my son not to judge a country by a few instances, there are many examples on multiple occasions where people were happy to interact and share their food with us and chat about our cultures and show respect for each other's countries. But in school admissions for kids, teaching in classrooms or in job interview results, and at many other places we are only given the final outcome and do not know what caused it. We may blame luck or our kid's lack of talent but on many occasions, it can be discrimination. Very hard to detect.

[@simplegermany]

Very true!

[@joseedsondasilva1143]

Hi Chicas, I'm brazilian guy living in Spain. I'm learning English and I really love to practice my listening watching your channel. Congratulations your are amazing couple 💙🏳️‍🌈

[@kathylow6045]

Both spoken and unspoken xenophobia and racism are present in Germany, but it heavily depends on where you live. It's relative.

[@holgerlinke98]

things happen, even as a german it may very well happen that people deny you an apartment because you are from the wrong region. At the same time turkish landlord offered me an apartment because he didn't like to rent to foreigners. I found it also very annoying to be asked the most stupid questions while looking for WG's in Bavaria. Like "are you a nazi?" just because i am from a region people don't know crap about but are ignorant enough to believe they do. I can only figure that looking not european makes it worse. Especially after moving out of a place i had to learn that my landlord was looking for non foreigners especially. At the same time, as you stated, other places may very well be much worse and germany surely got a lot of good sides as well

[@n1vca]

Unless you are a skin head and wear this pseudo military gear, who would ever ask you if you are a Nazi? Or do you have any similarities with Charly Chaplin?

[@Hobbymusiker84]

About the situation in Guatemala: If people are not disciplined and have a racist mentality towards ethinc minorities no matter what their government will do they will never change. At first the mindset should change and then progress can be made.

[@jeremybeau8334]

I have lost some respect towards german people, mostly because when they come to Mexico or Latin America we treat theme really well (most of the time) but i discovered it wasen't like that the other way around. Still i like Deutschanld and some of the people. But they have a lot of work to do, and there is not excuse for that behavior nor ignorance, not in 2023.

[@enestepe]

There is a thing called täglich Rassismus in Germany. I’m happy that you haven’t experienced it so far. But we are facing it with small doses almost everyday. Sometimes it gets worse, such as the time when my wife cut her thumb during preparing salad. We couldn’t stop bleeding and she was all in pain. The doctor said that this is Germany and she should speak only German. They didn’t want to help and it was a really hard day for us.

[@MartinAmbrosiusHackl]

This sounds awfull. I‘m sorry you hat to experience this!

[@erikweber8514]

So you live in Germany and are not able to speak German?

[@enestepe]

Yes, we are expats and we have recently moved into Germany. There is also systematical racism, which is an entirely different thing from täglich Rassismus. People get used to it in time and we tend to accept it since almost no one openly shouts “Ausländer raus” any more.

[@Toannguyen-hi3sf]

​@@erikweber8514 probably they do , but that situation have not appeared often , you can just expect every foreigners can speak nicely in all cases

[@HL-uw7fk]

@@erikweber8514 Doesn’t mean that you have to be a asshole if someone is not born in your country which would not function without foreigners as per your mega growth of economy. Many of us are highly educated on best colleges around the Europe and USA… Help does not require language but kind action

[@baumaus9014]

On my third day in Potsdam, I got a cashier in Netto (around my age, so, young) go, "Ugh, Amerinaker," and all I was doing was putting my groceries on the belt behind the person that was paying at the moment. My sister heard this and immediately got angry, but only grumbled softly to me. Like, we weren't even doing anything. At least he immediately knew we were from the American continent? Most people cannot tell where we are from on the get-go, and then most people just stare at me when I mention Honduras, bc they have no clue of what I'm talking about. Since then, it's mostly just been Xenophobia (mostly by old people) and/or misogyny (this last one mostly by Turkish men in Berlin or male Indian classmates). P.S.: I also know other Turkish and Indian men who are completely cool. I know the varying degrees in which people can be traditionally patriarchal bc of culture or religion. Same thing happens in Latin America. Most of my family has its own internalized religious/cultural dumb stuff, too, sadly.

[@JohnSammy-wo1ot]

Indians are generally far more friendly than germans! I find it amusing you talk about racism and then claim indians have a patriarchal mindset! Lol+

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

I think it's a positive thing that you did not have the need to discuss racism in germany until now. If it was more prevalent, you'd certainly have had cause. And there are stupid people everywhere. But I'm happy to hear that most are tolerant.

[@hammad_it_is]

Hi Jen! Would be great if you could create a video around your experience with Auslanderbehorde and how to deal with it. Speaking from personal experience, some of the people in the Auslanderbehorde are not the nicest 😀

[@yaseminylmaz6291]

One of them scolded me because I didn't know German and when I said this is foreigner office, she replied "nooo this is a German office!" So why the heck germans are not waiting in line for hours to get residence permit in Germany! Does every foreigner have to know German in 6 months?

[@hammad_it_is]

@@yaseminylmaz6291 This has happened to many people and the staff on some occasions is really rude. I don’t know if there is s way to basically report such incidents to the authorities.

[@marge2548]

@@yaseminylmaz6291 Depending from where it was, it might be because at least in some Bundesländer public servants are not allowed to speak any other language than German while „performing official acts of administration“. If you are not speaking German, you are supposed to bring along either an interpreter or some friend or relative or colleague who does so. I agree, however, that in some foreign offices, the staff acts rude even to people who are nice. At least this is true for Düsseldorf. Was really not happy to see that.

[@yaseminylmaz6291]

@@marge2548 I mean it's okay in official offices to not speaking English or other languages but German. However, that place is giving residence permit so at least they shouldn't treat you badly if you don't have German.

[@marge2548]

@@yaseminylmaz6291 Of course not, I completely agree with you!

[@luckydropship2618]

My biggest phobia of moving to Europe are these racial issues. Especially in the workplace

[@Jacob-ps5xl]

It really sucks that you feel this way, as a European I am ashamed that we're putting people off so much and treating them like this, it's 2023, by now we should know better

[@jeremybeau8334]

@@Jacob-ps5xl I used to think my country was super racist, and altough we do have problems i have realice after visiting that Europe is much worse in every scence of the world. What a lame backward society. The dutch are the worst, after that is belgium, then germany and the less bad is France.

[@indranilduttaray2921]

I agree to this point however me too residing in Dusseldorf has seen that there has been such activities wherein me personally wasnt allowed in an alt stadt club and was stated that du bist auslandich daswegen wir konnen ihenen nicht durfen ( u are foreigner thats why we cant allow you ) and its same with most clubs and sometimes local police interaction arent polite well I have seen these mostly in Dusseldorf itself rather experiencing these out anywhere else , also would say that Koln does way better in treating outsiders infact they make you feel welcomed.

[@yurigansmith]

Non-Europeans who maintain a theme channel on Germany and life as an expat and/or exchange student and/or long-term traveller in Germany, who consciously decided to live / work / study in Germany, who are especially interested in the culture and actively engage in learning the language, the history, the culture and all those charming specifics of this beautiful country, are certainly the most unbiased demographic group to assess whether it (a) only very rarely happens that some minor racist incident might occur (in nearly all cases totally unintended of course), or (b) that it's waaaayyyy better over here compared to other countries anyway.

[@malcolmsoh5648]

When I was living in Germany, my neighbour is one of them.

[@vjdee1686]

Hi Simple Germany, do you have idea if would I be get into trouble if I file my tax return when I applied my work here as single status but I got married 1 week before i went here to work in Germany?

[@marge2548]

I think you might just mention it in your tax report and provide the documents, and if you are lucky, they will take it into account so that you have to pay less taxes. Or just phone your local tax office - they might, however, be obliged to answer you in German.

[@johnhammond6282]

Please I’m a new student in Germany and my permit isn’t ready yet. Can anyone suggest any cleaning or any job at all for my upkeep.

[@AsterFoz]

I used to work in factories in Germany. Many factories. That's how it is when a "Leihfirma" hires you - every week you can be send to different factory. So I experienced many "first days at work" and my collegues were most often black men, immigrants like me. So people who came on monday morning to show us where is the locker room etc. and who do all the paper work for the new "rented people" were always talking German to me (white woman, brown hair, brown eyes) and English to the black men not even asking if any of us speaks German or English. I once met a black man who complained that he was born and raised in Germany and speaks German only but has to learn English because... he's black and everyone is trying to speak English with him. Especially other blacks who are immigrants from english speaking countries.

[@Romualdomgn84]

Racism of XX and XXI century based not only on skin color or accent, but also on country which issued the passport. If you have passport issued by "correct" country, then you are welcomed person, you can freely travel and live whereever you want. If you have passport of "incorrect" country, then it doesn't matter what is the color of the skin, what person you are and what is your background, you will be considered as an enemy and third-type person with a bunch of restrictions. Erich Maria Remarque nicely described this situation in his book "Liebe Deinen Nächsten". In 30s of last century the biggest problem was to be a Jewish. Nowadays I have passport of "incorrect" country and the only can do with this approach of modern society, formed by politicians, is to accept it.

[@sa.h9640]

I have been living in germany for about 8 months now, and while i never ever experienced blatant racism (I have actually felt very welcomed), I do feel like i experience passive-racism on regular basis because I choose to wear Hijab. It always feels like some people are incapable of looking past my Hijab; a comment about Hijab/Religion always seems to find its way into the conversation with those people no matter how often we talk, it’s as if i‘m not a real human and i‘m constantly reduced to this piece of cloth that I wear on my head. My individualism is immediately blocked by my Hijab in the eyes of those people, and i‘m put into The Box. Maybe the right expression to my situation would be never ending prejudice.

[@swanpride]

I will honest here: For me the Hijab is a slap in the face. It is a little bit like someone displaying a Swastica (not quite on the same level, but close). To me it is a symbol of female supression, and to me every women who chooses to wear one, is symbolically supporting my supression, in a very public manner. I won't support a law which would take away your choice to wear it, but I reserve my right to feel uncomfortable with it, since it isn't just an individual choice of clothing, it is an inherent political statement. See what is currently happening in Iran for reference. As long as there are countries in which women are beaten and killed for refusing to wear it, it is for me a symbol of intolerance, and to me being tolerant is not about just letting be other people, but about actively fighting intolerance. So yeah, I WILL judge you for it, the same way I will judge someone who carries around any other symbol of intolerance.

[@fannychristozova8158]

I understand you very well. I myelf live and have grown up very close to a Universiy which admits muslims all the time. It's full of of Hijabs and it's totally fine. By the way your English is wonderful, so I don't think you'd have really a heavy problem with this.

[@sa.h9640]

@@swanpride thank you for giving a live example to what I have to go through daily, you did not only compare Hijab to a Swastica (wtf???), but you also insisted on looking at me through your narrow, narrow spectacle, even when my original comment was a mere effort to be seen as an individual. Although I don't owe you or anybody a proof of my innocence, but get this; what is happening in Iran is being led by a patriarchal dictatorship of men, and your naive and even futile attempt to sympathise with the victims is in fact making you complicit in their misogynistic crimes because you're making *me* pay for it; you're making me and other hijabi women that have nothing to do with it, pay for the crimes of those men, so maybe you're not quite on the same level of misogyny and dictatorship with them, but close. If you get to know me, you will know that I stand for the free choice of every single woman around the world, including you, so you're free to judge me all you want as well, but please try to be at least informed.

[@MartinAmbrosiusHackl]

@@swanpride hm, in my view this kind of dealing with individual clothing is archaic symbolism. You nearly never know about the meaning of what you perceive as a symbol, if you do not know someone. You interpretationnusually will be prejudice. Btw, even the swastica is not forbidden in Germany - as long as it it clearly meant as different to nazi ideology. So for example as an expression of Hinduism, it is allowed. Not everything is like one might assume intuitively. (One of my closest friends wears Niqab in public, not just hijab - against the will of her husband. I am a man and personally fiercely non religious. She knows and respects. She just wants to follow her interpretation of God‘s wish, without imposing anything on others. This is exactly what Liberal theory and liberal life style has been standing for for centuries. But many people cling to categorising others for superfiscial readons. Not racism, but the. same collectivist ignorance towards individual realities, in my view.)

[@swanpride]

@@MartinAmbrosiusHackl Are you familiar with the tolerance paradoxon? If you want to protect a liberal society, you have to stand firmly against ideologies which question said liberal ideas. And as I said: I don't begrudge anyone the choice to wear this thing, but if they do, they have no right to complain about the reaction to what it stands for. Because just as someone is "free" to don a symbol of supression, I should be free to feel disdain towards it.

[@integralproject4775]

I have a question : are all 3.832 interactions over these years took place with different persons? I mean you interacted and talked with 3.832 different individuals ?

[@FluffysGrim]

Thank you so much for making such a important video you two. While the problem of racism wouldn't apply to me as I am a white american, I do fear any hate as a queer and plus sized woman (hope you two cover homophobia too, but if that is something you are comfortable covering).

[@NondoPondo]

USA… At one point daily, some employment based. 😢 Now it’s a little better but I work at home and all interactions are recorded.

[@dah-knee-low2799]

Tbh, I always thought one of the signs, if it is racism or xenophobia, depends mostly on how much a country is fixated on race vs culture. In the US, race is always in media and racism is often blamed for things on default. I think Xenophobia might even be more an issue with countries with not a particular big percentage of citizens of other races, while racism seems to more appear in countries with a high percentage (double digits) of another race than the majority. However, this is just what I imagine, I could be totally off. Tbh, sometimes I wished my Italian father about his experiences (aside from my German grandfather being against him marrying my mother, lol), but this never seemed an issue growing up, while some of my Turkish and Afghan classmates did have negative experiences in that regard.

[@ehemalssimehtt3739]

❤ Simple Germany & Racism in Germany - My Experience as a Foreigner ❤

[@kaiv6536]

1. You do not have to excuse (give examples from you home country), when speaking about racism in Germany. As a German in France, I can tell same story... 2. Do not understand why you have had racism comments, as you are more "German" as your girlfriend :) And we all will this kind of people, who are willing to integrate. 3. The difference between racism and xenophobia, for the victim, there is no difference... Stay positive, most people in Germany like people who came and try to integrate...

[@maximus6884]

You should do one for Singapore! Expacts go thru a lot there.

[@JohnSammy-wo1ot]

You can always leave if you don't like singapore!

[@paullin178]

I am an Indian student living in Germany since 2022. So far, I have never experienced any kind of racist experience from native Germans. But! Let me tell you , I have experienced racial slur from Turkish people. I do not know why. Most of the Indians are Hindus, and muslims do not like Hindus. But I am born Christian, I love this country and the Christian roots of this nation. I have Indian looks, but I think Germans general public are brave enough to realize that every Indians coming to Germany are skilled and we work and pay good amount of tax to the German economy, we are not asylum seekers, or we are not doing labor jobs. for Indians, only bright students or professionals get visa to come here, stay in Germany.

[@RustyPWNZ]

I experience nacism from my German neighbor. He is actually bullying me for being not German.

[@erikweber8514]

Bullying is not okay, but Nazi? Than he would find other Nazis and burn your home. (not mentioning that the terminus Nazi is bound to members of the NSDAP, which was canceled in 1945). He is an ordinary dickhead.

[@kaworunagisa4009]

Not about Germany per se, but the only place in the crappy excuse of a country where I live where people didn't go out of their way to misgender me and no one outright ridiculed me for being trans was the local Goethe Institute where I took my B1 exam and a short preparation course.

[@MrZipper42]

"Skin is dirtier" when talking about skin color when talking about tanning. That's not discrimination. Sometimes people don't know how to say things correctly in a foreign tongue. Same as being mistaken that you were a maid. Discrimination is when you are treated differently than others such as being denied employment, service, a right, or a custom.

[@sarsonder5127]

As a German-American, I can sadly say I have family members in Germany who are not only racist and xenophobic, but use far-right language. I am hyper aware of these interactions as an American and I think the microaggressions are easier to spot in Germany because of the lack of diversity. That being said, most of my Germany family and friends are open and, I think, willing to be educated.

[@jewishzionist3322]

As a Jew I confirm that we have never faced any kind of racism in Germany.

[@urbandiscipline7282]

Ask your Grand parents )

[@jewishzionist3322]

@@urbandiscipline7282 my comment was a sarcasm. I will never step into Naziland

[@jewishzionist3322]

@@urbandiscipline7282 Naziland

[@bagalika1995]

I was hit in Stuttgart after pro-ukrainian demonstration. I wore my flag and was hit by the random girl in the street. She didn't injure me but I assure you it didn't feel nice

[@iftekharahmed7761]

Unfortunately, my experience is Germans are silent racist, I have faced it in university including my fellow students and even the so-called educated professors. They have a different look towards native germans compared to us. I am South East Asian by the way.