“I gave back my U.S. citizenship. I’m going back to Serbia.”
storiesbehindthefog.com
storiesbehindthefog.com
Really? I've had pretty strong accent when I first came to US, and I'm pretty sure I still have some now, and I never ever heard anybody telling anything about terrorists. Some people do assume I like vodka (which I don't, generally, and don't drink much at all) but terrorists? I don't think "Russian terrorists" are even a thing in public consciousness. Is there some cultural thing I am missing?
> Very hard though, nobody wants to hire a foreigner
In SF???? Is it some kind of alternate-reality goatee-wearing SF that I am unfamiliar with? I never heard anybody in real SF to care about it. I don't know about all the US, it's a big country and a lot of things happens, but I've been to SF. I've been living around SF for more than a decade. Does not compute. Am I living in a bubble of some sort?
I mean I feel sorry for this guy who apparently has it very difficult and I don't mean to dismiss his experience outright, but it's so at odds with anything I've observed so far that I can't but wonder. Anybody has any experiences confirming/disproving such problems exist in SF and Bay Area in general?
They are, but only in an action movie setting (same with Germans in the 80s...and Russians). I've never heard anyone vocalize legitimate concerns about them.
Can't but wonder... what exactly?
I've lived in SF for almost 6 years, during which I've worked with many, many teenagers from East Palo Alto/Oakland/etc., and while I still have no clue what it's like to be in SF as a non tech employee, I feel like I have a better grasp on it than most of my fellow tech employees.
The truth is that if you are in tech and living in SF, you definitely are living in a bubble. The San Francisco experience as a JavaScript engineer and as a dishwasher or security guard are indeed two different realities.
Pretty much every single minority (immigrant, person of color, woman, etc.) in this country feels that the odds are rigged against them, and that hard work does little against it. People like to think of the Bay Area as a haven of peace and acceptance - it's just not the case.
I'd recommend volunteering and spending more time around diverse groups of people if you feel that this stuff is out of touch with your reality. The fact that you've lived in SF for more than a decade and this is shocking to you means you're strongly due for stepping out of your comfort zone.
Whether it is a real thing which I missed or it is a misperception, and how common it is if it is real.
> The San Francisco experience as a JavaScript engineer and as a dishwasher or security guard are indeed two different realities.
Surely. So for the latter, is there really reluctance to hire "foreigners", i.e. somebody objecting that their dishwasher or security guard would be from Serbia (or other country) and not US-born? How common is it? How these people staff their positions, given how many people fit one or another definition of "foreigner" in SF?
> I'd recommend volunteering and spending more time around diverse groups of people if you feel that this stuff is out of touch with your reality.
This is a nice generic advice, but I'd like to hear something more specific. I know it's different, now I want to know how it is different. How hard is it for a foreign-born dishwasher do find a job in SF? Would restaurants and other places commonly refuse to hire somebody as a dishwasher because they don't look like a typical non-foreigner (whatever that means for them) and how many of them do that - almost all of them, majority, minority, only the handful of worst ones? What is the percentage of "foreigners" vs. "non-foreigners" (whatever definition there is, not sure again) working such jobs?
Googling "homeless volunteer YOUR_CITY_HERE" would be a start.
> Would restaurants and other places commonly refuse to hire somebody as a dishwasher because they don't look like a typical non-foreigner
Definitely. Many bars and nightclubs have an unwritten rule that limits the number/ratio of certain minorities at any given time.
> how many of them do that - almost all of them, majority, minority, only the handful of worst ones? What is the percentage of "foreigners" vs. "non-foreigners" (whatever definition there is, not sure again) working such jobs?
You'll never get this data down to a granular level unless people are truthful about their prejudices towards certain minority, ethnic, religious, etc. groups
I'm not sure however how it is going to help me with knowing about hiring policies. Also, call me lazy, but I assume at least some of the people may already have information I need and can share. Maybe not true, but doesn't hurt to ask.
Not to diminish the idea of volunteering as such, of course.
> Definitely. Many bars and nightclubs have an unwritten rule that limits the number/ratio of certain minorities at any given time.
"Certain minorities"? Which ones? What kind of limits, could you provide some examples?
This happened to me (am black). I didn't inquire about the exact ratio that the owner found acceptable, but he only wanted a certain number in the club at a time. Since I didn't enter and obviously never returned to such a place, I don't know if even 1 was too many.
> I'm not sure however how it is going to help me with knowing about hiring policies.
It is nearly impossible to get any quantitative data because it is illegal to not hire based on race, ethnicity, religion, etc. and it is not a policy. People are reticent to disclose their prejudices and biases to those who do not share them
He's not a nerdy skinny 25 year old Russian with glasses and a MacBook in hand, roaming around SF from startup office to startup office.
That you guys don't get it is akin to the common perspective that was posted several times on hacker news and by Silicon Valley types this past week about how the left really didn't get the working class and that's why Hilary lost to trump--cuz I assure u his fellow 55 year old security guards back in Las Vegas made the joke that he sounds like a Russian terrorist many times, and it's no wonder you don't get what this guy is going through, you're likely the same people in SF that wouldn't hire him. It's crazy how perception can be the difference between a near-minimum wage security guard job and none at all. Im no different. There's plenty of candidates for minimum wage work, I'd hire the one who speaks English without that sorta accent. He'll have to have a network to get a job, which he admitted he doesn't since he's a private sorta guy. The guy's in a very bad spot. I feel sorry for him.
From his point of view, what they say is what they think.
> It's true I work in IT but I also meet other people. And both myself and these people hire and are hired.
And how many of those people are foreigners with thick accent and 40+ years of age?
Slavic accent here. People definitely make jokes and I will probably never get used to social smiling. People generally assume I don't like them and/or that I'm mean. Easy to get around with conscious effort (used to practice the american teethy smile in the mirror).
If you're in tech, as an engineer or similar, none of that matters. If you want to be a starbucks barista I can imagine it being a problem even in SF. He did mention being in the menial side of the job market. That market is tough everywhere and why would they hire a foreigner that's culturally different when they can pick any number of other people knocking on their door?
Menial menial jobs (clenaing etc) mostly seem a market dominated by hispanics here in SF. Maybe he's the wrong kind of foreign to break into the market and build connections?
> Maybe he's the wrong kind of foreign to break into the market and build connections?
That is an interesting idea. Would like to hear some evidence for or against.
That, and he's on the wrong side of 40, surrounded by young, low cost immigrants in a sanctuary city. Why incur FICA/Medicare/etc contributions for an actual citizen?
> Menial jobs
Guess we found and American that will do those jobs, despite the narrative we're fed.
Of course, it's a huge generalization, as many cultural broad-stroke descriptions are, but that's roughly how it is.
I wish this were common here (US) as well.
But I have to admit that after the thousandth reflexive "How are you" without caring for a response, the novelty wears off. What if sometimes I'm not "Good, thanks, how are you?" ... but that would be impolite.
Did the author return his citizenship because of FACTA regulations? FACTA has made it very difficult for Americans living overseas.
EDIT: the US has made it very expensive to renounce your citizenship (which many are doing because of FACTA). I wonder if the author has thought about the cost.
FTA, it seems like he was simply disappointed in the US and wants cut all ties as soon as he can.
If anything, I would imagine FACTA might be a big concern once this gentleman gets back to Serbia and discovers he can't open a bank account.
Please correct me if my info is incorrect.
News at 11!
It is important to know how to accept help when it is on offer from government / friends / family. Sometimes that might be a hard thing to do, but communities are stronger when they look out for people at rock bottom, it makes it a lot easier to get back on your feet. Pride can and does lead to a fall when in this situation and people can be a lot harsher on you when you are at your lowest. But when help is on offer, it's ok to accept it.
About friends/family: I've noticed that people living payday-to-payday have a harder time accepting presents from richer people. But it's ok. We spend money on various optional things like sponsoring a child abroad or holidays, so if we share our money with you, it's really because it's better spent on human relationships than on holidays. I'm aware that causes the recipient to acknowledge that they're in a difficult situation, and feeling guilty of not being able to provide enough is a common reaction (although it's often far from the correct reality), and that's why it has to become more commonplace to casually accept a big present when there's an earning gap. Especially when the person who offer makes it clear that they don't mind.
I've lived all over this country and I don't think I've ever seen those two words used together.
If you really mean to "check out", just get on a plane and say, "see yah later, 'gator".
No one is going to come to Serbia to harass you about not paying taxes.
"I’ve been looking for a job here in San Francisco for the past three years. Very hard though, nobody wants to hire a foreigner. Most people think I’m a Russian terrorist because of my accent. ”You kill Americans. People say these things based on how I look and speak. It’s tough, you know? I get sad at heart when they shout like that at me. I just try to do good and provide for myself and my family."
San Francisco... I've spent time in San Francisco. It's not like that. Almost 40% of the population is foreign born and gainfully employed at something. Probably 100% of the employers this guy is likely to be an applicant of are foreign born. I really, really doubt his narrative of irrational 'muricans shouting "turrurist herp derp!" at him.
You can't find a job because you're old and living in a nation filled with unemployed older ex-workers. This state of affairs is deliberate policy so you're right to leave; it's not going to get better, particularly if you insist on living in CA. But please, stop it with the "everyone think i terrorist" fiction; most people in San Francisco struggle with very concept of terrorism; so-called terrorists are just the victims of capitalism righteously fighting back against their oppressors.
OTOH, I have a very skewed sample - I've met much more people from ex-USSR than from any other place, so such complaints very well may be a common human thing but because I've met more ex-USSR people I've seen it more among them.
Complaining about the government in general is definitely a thing everywhere I've been so far :) Haven't been to North Korea though.
It's not going to be any better for him in Serbia. The people there are human too.
This is ridiculous and false.
His position that 'everyone thinks he's a Russian terrorist' is false and bigoted towards Americans, who are by and large, very good people.
There is no place in America wherein a man with an East-European Slavic accent will be 'assumed to be a Russian terrorist' by almost anyone.
This man is very clearly down on his luck, has problems with skills and sociability - and it's a sad story. No doubt his 'thick accent' may add to his woes, but to suggest that 'everyone think's he's a Russian Terrorist' is unfair on his part.