Racism in the US: Goodbye to the American Dream?

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Reading my Google news today, i found this article:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"Everyday racism in the US

"Trump won, I give up"

Businessman Antonio came to the USA from Mexico, started a company, hired people, and built a life. But in recent years he has been battered by hostility and racist attacks. He returns to his homeland.

Antonio, 40, moves against the tide. While many migrants from Latin America still want to go to the US, he has retreated - after more than 20 years in Texas, where the native Mexican self-made man founded a company, married an American and lived with her and three children in a noble suburb of Dallas.

Antonio has gone back to Mexico.

Since October 2016, this decision has matured in him. There are several reasons, but one is crucial in his view: the racist hostility he has experienced since Donald Trump took office two years ago. "Trump won, I give up," says Antonio. He has laid off his employees, given up his business and left his wife. He wants to start all over again in Mexico.

The permanent mood of the US President against migrants, which he massively increased before the Midterm elections, racism in Texas had openly revealed, says Antonio, who would rather not call his real name, worried that could be disadvantages for his children, who still live in the USA. Several non-governmental organizations, such as the Bordernetwork Human Rights, also report increasing hatred.

Already in the first days after Trump's electoral victory began the bullying, threats and abuses, as Antonio reported to the SPIEGEL. "I would like to believe that the haunting has settled in three to four weeks, but I'm afraid it will not be like that," he said in 2016. Two years later, he answers again: he was right. Unfortunately. Everything was even worse. That's how he feels.

"I was spit on again and again"

"When shopping, in the car, in the street - I was getting insulted, jostled, threatened and even spat on, I was told that this was no longer my country, I should go back to Mexico, it was terrible to experience that, especially when my kids were in. I felt very humiliated and did not know how to react - also because of the fear I have had since Trump's inauguration.

I did not hope for help from the police. On the contrary. When I drove in the car, often a police patrol drove after me. The cops stopped me and then asked me to show my papers. They only accept my US passport. I have been an American citizen for years, my papers are fine. That's why they let me continue.

But that has meant that I have always been afraid of forgetting my ID card at home - and feeling uncomfortable with every police car driving behind me. I have become a timid person as far as the police are concerned. "

Antonio's fear and mistrust went so far as to incite his children to never run away from police - out of concern that they could shoot at them because they were not white. He tells all this in a long conversation on the phone, audibly angry, but also desperate, hurt and horrified by how his adopted country has changed - and he himself has changed. Two years ago, he sounded like a friendly man who, after the first taunts, can not quite grasp what's happening to him. Now his tone is hard, unforgiving.

Again and again he has situations in which he felt discriminated against: in the restaurant, he had to show a larger sum of cash before his order was taken. At school, his children were marginalized because of their "Mexican appearance". In the company he has lost many customers, including older Texans but also wealthy Mexicans who have moved further towards the border or all the way to Mexico.

So the money was scarce - and also complicated his marriage.

Trump has contributed to my divorce

"My wife did not understand how I feel and what scares me, she and her family have always voted Republican, I always Democrats, it has not been a problem for a long time, but Trump has polarized people - even in mine Family. You can not say Trump ruined my marriage, but he made a decisive contribution to the divorce.

At some point I just could not and did not want to continue like that, especially after being beaten up.

When I spoke Spanish with a friend in the supermarket on the phone, three young women mobbed me: 'Speak American!' I turned and said, ' off'. They grumbled, but disappeared - I thought. After I paid, I went to the parking lot, and a pickup came rushing up to me.

The door opened, three men jumped out, tore me down, shouting that I was a Bad Hombre (a bad man) and should go back to Mexico. They kept coming at me while I lay on the floor. I said ironically, hoping they were proud of what they were doing, and that they would have to be three of them to beat a middle-aged Mexican. They then jumped into the car and drove off.

Several people have watched the whole thing, but allegedly nobody had noticed the license plate. The police came, and the cops said they could do nothing. On the surveillance videos of the supermarket was nothing to see, besides, I may have started the dispute. I answer unkindly: 'Thank you very much for protecting me so well.'

Only later I did have the wound supplied. It had to be sewn with twelve stitches. I drove straight to my office after the incident, saying to my co-workers, 'Sorry, you're fired,' and then I said to my wife at home, 'I'm going back to Mexico.' "

More Mexicans are leaving the US than entering

Antonio is not alone with this decision. After the number of Mexican immigrants in the US had risen over several decades, around the year 2010 a turnaround began. In 2017, there were 11.3 million Mexican migrants in the United States - 300,000 fewer than the year before, according to the Washington Institute for Migration Policy on its website.

In the meantime, more Mexicans would leave the US than enter. The economy is developing positively in the Latin American neighbor state. Older studies also prove that family and home feelings are motives for a return. In addition: Not all Mexicans travel voluntarily. The Trump administration implements deportations particularly rigidly.

Antonio has comparatively good starting conditions in his home country compared to many other Mexican immigrants: a solid education, good contacts, parents who live in wealthy circumstances and help him.

He has been living in Mexico for three months now, he says, convinced that he made the right decision - in defiance of all odds. Living standards and incomes are here on average much lower than in the US, problems with violence and crime all the greater. Nevertheless, he has a very different reputation than in Texas and experience no discrimination, says Antonio.

After the conversation, he will send photos from the Mexican coast, where he is currently spending the weekend. Beach. Sea-view. He wants to show that he is optimistic about the future, that Trump has not defeated him despite everything - even if the feeling of great bitterness remains.

"The American dream has burst for me"

"I always thought I lived the American dream: I went to the US from college in Mexico, studied in Europe, graduated in several languages, speak English, French and Spanish, and I have my own company in Texas with ten employees I have always worked, paid taxes, and voted.

Nevertheless, in the US I seem to remain a stranger, one who never really gets involved, who is undesirable - in a country made up almost entirely of immigrants. For me, the American dream has burst. I'm almost 40 years old and need to start all over again here in Mexico - without my children, whom I miss terribly. An ignorant US judge believes they are not safe in Mexico.

I know that not all Texans, let alone all Americans, are racists. For example, my neighbor, a war veteran who protected me at the first attack in the supermarket, has become a good friend. I also know that in other US states, the mood is different than in Texas, many people are against racism, and in the midterms, the Democrats have achieved at least a partial victory.

Nevertheless, I will certainly never set foot in the US again. "

http://www.spiegel.de/karriere/donal...a-1237003.html

A short summary of the article:

Even if you are well educated, full integrated, have the american passport and create new jobs, you are increasingly not welcome in Texas and will feel more and more in everyday situations ressentiments by your fellow citizens, if you look too hispanic.

Even if Trump doesn`t invent the "mexican immigrant" problem, his policy strongly concentrate solely on this problem, appeals on long established prejudices against mexicans, because he can present himself as president, who is energetic(border wall).

And at least in Texas he gains voters with this.

The American dream is also in my opinion more and more a national narrative than reality, as immigration is since the 1920s in permanent decrease and limitation.

My questions are now:

Is the American Dream over or is it still alive and this exaggerated?

Are you unsafe in some regions as non white, non european looking americans?

Is Trump the cause or only the catalyst of some already existing developements?

Moved to the Political Academy, as it concerns a general social phenomenon and not a recent and specific political event. ~Abdülmecid I

[95thrifleman]

America was built by religious bigots and racists, the whole damn nation is founded on the principle of white superiority.

[athanaric]

A short summary of the article:

Even if you are well educated, full integrated, have the american passport and create new jobs, you are increasingly not welcome in Texas and will feel more and more in everyday situations ressentiments by your fellow citizens, if you look too hispanic.

I'm skeptical as to how representative this account is (even if it turns out to be true) of the whole situation. I mean, this is just about one man's experience - that's a pretty small sample size.

America was built by religious bigots and racists, the whole damn nation is founded on the principle of white superiority.

So we are to conclude that (according to you) Enlightenment boils down to "the principle of white superiority". What an amazingly intelligent and well-informed post.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Well, anti-mexican sentiment has a long tradition in southwestern USA:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-M...timent#Present

And Trump obviously is using this sentiment for electoral votes, even if its not US biggest problem.

[irontaino]

The US has been around for 242 years. For 89 years black people were enslaved. For 188 years, there were discriminatory laws such as Jim Crow in the 20th century. Throughout the late 19th century up to the mid 20th century, photos of lynched black corpses surrounded by smiling white revelers made the rounds as postcards. for only 54 years (in living memory) have people of color been legally equal citizens. Even now, the powers that be use measures such as voter suppression, the war on drugs, and redlining as weapons against minorities. Trump is by no means the cause or the catalyst, since this has been part of the very fabric of this nation since it's beginning. The only thing that Trump brought about is people once again wearing their ignorance and bigotry like a badge of honor. Yet some people would argue that racism is over because a piece of paper was signed.

[Love Mountain]

Let's not diminish the huge progress we've made against racism in the last 50 years. Yes, it is silly to claim that racism is "largely solved" but I also think it's unfair to generations of activists to not recognize and congratulate ourselves on the progress made thus far. I also think people have to realize that a lot of racism, like workplace racism, is simply very hard to destroy. Determined racists will find a way to discriminate, and unconscious bias is something people do without even realizing it (not trying to be captain obvious here). Still, I do think that we have to avoid demonizing people who point out holes in progressive rhetoric, just as people have to stop suggesting that racism is over.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

The US has been around for 242 years. For 89 years black people were enslaved. For 188 years, there were discriminatory laws such as Jim Crow in the 20th century. Throughout the late 19th century up to the mid 20th century, photos of lynched black corpses surrounded by smiling white revelers made the rounds as postcards. for only 54 years (in living memory) have people of color been legally equal citizens. Even now, the powers that be use measures such as voter suppression, the war on drugs, and redlining as weapons against minorities. Trump is by no means the cause or the catalyst, since this has been part of the very fabric of this nation since it's beginning. The only thing that Trump brought about is people once again wearing their ignorance and bigotry like a badge of honor. Yet some people would argue that racism is over because a piece of paper was signed.

That's an interesting opinion. Is he the start of an reactionary movement or an constitutional "accident" in the evolution of citizen rights?

[Love Mountain]

That's an interesting opinion. Is he the start of an reactionary movement or an constitutional "accident" in the evolution of citizen rights?

It's the pure fact that a large portion of the Founding Fathers were slave owners. The Constitution was written from the beginning to accommodate the slave-holding states of the South with the industrious North. Many compromises were made on both sides to balance out political power.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Sorry, i was unclear. I meant Trump with "he".

[95thrifleman]

I'm skeptical as to how representative this account is (even if it turns out to be true) of the whole situation. I mean, this is just about one man's experience - that's a pretty small sample size.


So we are to conclude that (according to you) Enlightenment boils down to "the principle of white superiority". What an amazingly intelligent and well-informed post.

One of the worst strawmen I've seen, you can do better

[irontaino]

Let's not diminish the huge progress we've made against racism in the last 50 years. Yes, it is silly to claim that racism is "largely solved" but I also think it's unfair to generations of activists to not recognize and congratulate ourselves on the progress made thus far. I also think people have to realize that a lot of racism, like workplace racism, is simply very hard to destroy. Determined racists will find a way to discriminate, and unconscious bias is something people do without even realizing it (not trying to be captain obvious here). Still, I do think that we have to avoid demonizing people who point out holes in progressive rhetoric, just as people have to stop suggesting that racism is over.

I agree here. I would argue in this day and age, most racism stems from ignorance rather than malice. It should still be called out all the same. Progress has been made, but there's still a lot of work to be done. The fact that for the majority of the country's existence and in living memory, white supremacy has been part and parcel is gonna leave it's mark on society.

That's an interesting opinion. Is he the start of an reactionary movement or an constitutional "accident" in the evolution of citizen rights?

I would say this whole Trump thing started with Obama and the collective hissy fit that conservatives threw, some even going so far as to challenge his citizenship (where Trump was a leading voice).

[Prodromos]

"Trump won, I give up," says Antonio. He has laid off his employees, given up his business and left his wife. He wants to start all over again in Mexico.

Antonio's fear and mistrust went so far as to incite his children to never run away from police - out of concern that they could shoot at them because they were not white.

Trump has contributed to my divorce

"My wife did not understand how I feel and what scares me, she and her family have always voted Republican, I always Democrats, it has not been a problem for a long time, but Trump has polarized people - even in mine Family. You can not say Trump ruined my marriage, but he made a decisive contribution to the divorce.

Seems legit. Perfectly credible account. This guy sounds like a crazed leftist trying to score political points.

The extremely popular governor of Texas is a Catholic, and married to a Mexican woman. Mexicans or rather Hispanics make up 40% of Texans. But sure, now that Trump is President, WASPs have suddenly decided to get the gang back together and go on anti-Mexican pogroms. Got any data instead of some random anti-Trumper complaining to a European newspaper? I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he's telling the truth. Couldn't he just move to a different part of the state or country? Is every single county in America too racist for him?

[Cyclops]

Not a US citizen, I have a few friends and relatives there.

My impression is the American Dream, that "anyone can come here and make money and be successful" is half lies and half alive. If you work hard in the US there has been at most times an opportunity for wealth and success greater than almost anywhere else.

Historically the door was shut on non whites: people descended from slaves or from African people, Native Americans, Latinos, Chinese, etc all faced moderate to severe racism.

This has improved out of sight: a black president was unthinkable thirty years ago. However at a time when there's probably less racism a president can still get elected by appealing to racists and bigots, so there is still unreasonable stupid racism and bigotry floating around.

The US has been a tremendous economic success but has gone through periods where the wealth gets sent up the tree and the ordinary people suffer. This is definitely one of those periods. When a large number of banks sabotage the real estate market for short term gain because they know the government will pay the bill you know the system is being run in favour a a small wealthy elite over the good of majority.

The GFC and the Iraq invasion represent in my view substantial transfers of wealth from tax payers to a few billionaires. The methodology used was highly inefficient (war is just horrible destruction and waste, both of people and materiel and the GFC saw nominal value of houses crash) but it protects the profiteers from prosecution better than just backing Soros and Koch's limos up to the mint and loading in the gold.

There's been worse eras for corruption and profiteering: the 1920's was a catastrophe that created conditions likely to lead to revolution. It took some generous hand outs by a true scion of New England aristocracy to placate The People. There have been long periods of unrest and repression of labour movements as well.

So the American Dream was always a bit of an illusion, but the situation with racism is probably the best it has ever been. Economically things are not so good: trump's election represents resentment against inevitable change as much as latent racism.

[Big War Bird]

One Latino man leaves, one million come to take his place.

Clearly those people don't read Der Speigel.

[95thrifleman]

One Latino man leaves, one million come to take his place.

Clearly those people don't read Der Speigel.

Is it Der Speigel or Der Sturmer you like to read?

How is immigration to a nation of immigrants a bad thing?

[Big War Bird]

Is it Der Speigel or Der Sturmer you like to read?

How is immigration to a nation of immigrants a bad thing?

It’s probably the Guardian and the Atlantic that I read the most.

Immigration in the USA is complicated, Personally I wouldnt say it is good or bad, as I think there are good and bad aspects to it.

Edit: I am writing this from the parking lot behind a community theater waiting for my daughter to finish rehearsal. It is dark and cold for South Carolina.

Just as I finished writing the above body of this post, a young black man came up to my car and from 10 feet signaled to me. I opened the door and He introduced himself as Troy, said asking for money to be able to aford a hotel room for the night. He said he had been in prison and even shot as a teenager. He said he was keeping his distance because he didn’t want to scare me and get shot again. I beckoned him over, I introduced myself and shock his hand. We chatted for a moment and he told me about his new job in town. I gave him all the money I had in my wallet, $11,and wished him well.

[Diocle]

Edit: I am writing this from the parking lot behind a community theater waiting for my daughter to finish rehearsal. It is dark and cold for South Carolina.

Just as I finished writing the above body of this post, a young black man came up to my car and from 10 feet signaled to me. I opened the door and He introduced himself as Troy, said asking for money to be able to aford a hotel room for the night. He said he had been in prison and even shot as a teenager. He said he was keeping his distance because he didn’t want to scare me and get shot again. I beckoned him over, I introduced myself and shock his hand. We chatted for a moment and he told me about his new job in town. I gave him all the money I had in my wallet, $11,and wished him well.

In the way you described, in Italy today an average African illegal alien can pile up even 300 Euro a day!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Retruning to the OP and Latinos ..



.. I'm almost sure that Sen. Ted Cruz (above pic) can't share the same convinctions of the hysterical-communist Mexican immigrant quoted by MIBC
and let me add that when his wife decided to leave the hysterical-commie, it's highly possible she has taken the best decision of her whole life!

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Not a US citizen, I have a few friends and relatives there.

My impression is the American Dream, that "anyone can come here and make money and be successful" is half lies and half alive. If you work hard in the US there has been at most times an opportunity for wealth and success greater than almost anywhere else.

Historically the door was shut on non whites: people descended from slaves or from African people, Native Americans, Latinos, Chinese, etc all faced moderate to severe racism.

This has improved out of sight: a black president was unthinkable thirty years ago. However at a time when there's probably less racism a president can still get elected by appealing to racists and bigots, so there is still unreasonable stupid racism and bigotry floating around.

The US has been a tremendous economic success but has gone through periods where the wealth gets sent up the tree and the ordinary people suffer. This is definitely one of those periods. When a large number of banks sabotage the real estate market for short term gain because they know the government will pay the bill you know the system is being run in favour a a small wealthy elite over the good of majority.

The GFC and the Iraq invasion represent in my view substantial transfers of wealth from tax payers to a few billionaires. The methodology used was highly inefficient (war is just horrible destruction and waste, both of people and materiel and the GFC saw nominal value of houses crash) but it protects the profiteers from prosecution better than just backing Soros and Koch's limos up to the mint and loading in the gold.

There's been worse eras for corruption and profiteering: the 1920's was a catastrophe that created conditions likely to lead to revolution. It took some generous hand outs by a true scion of New England aristocracy to placate The People. There have been long periods of unrest and repression of labour movements as well.

So the American Dream was always a bit of an illusion, but the situation with racism is probably the best it has ever been. Economically things are not so good: trump's election represents resentment against inevitable change as much as latent racism.

A very good comment, with which i would agree in many points, especially that the American Dream is half myth and half reality, especially for the non white citizens.

But with a decreasing middle class its more and more fading.

[Heathen Hammer]

This thread is a good example of how the term "racism" became a useless buzzword with no meaning. I wonder if people who cry "racism" over countries not just letting anyone immigrate or things like not having enough non-white people in movies about medieval Northern Europe actually de-value actual real instances of actual real racism.
Does USA have racist practices in its past. Yes it did, just like most of Western world and the rest of the world does still today. Just look at Israel or Gulf countries.
Is USA and West in general the best place to be non-white? Yes it is.
What SJWs and other leftists call "racism" today is usually something superficial or simply non-existent.

[athanaric]

One of the worst strawmen I've seen, you can do better

I'm not the one making retarded claims about the foundation of the US.

Is it Der Speigel or Der Sturmer you like to read?

What's "Der Speigel" and "Der Sturmer"? Are they spoofs of Der Spiegel and Der Stürmer, respectively? By the way, the Stürmer hasn't been published for decades.

How is immigration to a nation of immigrants a bad thing?

How is it a good thing? Since when does immigration have a moral value, anyway?

A very good comment, with which i would agree in many points, especially that the American Dream is half myth and half reality, especially for the non white citizens.

Some non-white immigrants in the US (from Asia and Africa) are doing better than white Americans, judging by their average income and education.
IMO the reason Latino immigrants are met with more hostility than others is that there are so many of them, that many of them immigrate illegally, and that the percentage of criminals among them (even ignoring the crime of immigrating illegally) is higher than among most other groups of immigrants in the US. This shouldn't be surprising given the geographical proximity and relative ease of entry, compared to other groups.