I served in the Air Force and Congress. People still tell me ‘go back’ to China | Hacker News Reader

I served in the Air Force and Congress. People still tell me ‘go back’ to China

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43 pointssmacktoward24 comments

The thing I have noticed, at least in the UK, is that the very same people who angrily abuse people from other countries and tell them to 'go back home' also get absurdly angry about people moving from other cities, towns and local villages, within the same country.

Basically, it pisses them off if someone is born much more than a days walk.

And you cannot appease these people politically by caving to any of their requests, as their anger at people visiting from the other side of the planet is nothing compared to their hatred of people from the next town over.

At least those people are consistent. There are plenty who would be okay with people coming from other countries if they looked like them.

Have you not noticed that they only generally say that about people from areas that they don't currently have net migration from?

Looking like your new neighbors doesn't help if they are determined to keep you as 'other', just look at the plight of the Oklahomans in Grapes of Wrath, or the Burakumin in Japan.

I spent a few years in Michigan, and was all but told this. In one conversation that stuck with me, a chap was on one of his frequent rants about "them", and I felt compelled that he was ranting about immigrants, to an immigrant. His responses included "you know what I mean", and "at least you bothered to learn the language".

As an Englishman, "at least you bothered to learn the language" tickled me pink; but "you know what I mean" really stood out to me. Yes, we do know exactly what they mean, but they'll entirely deny meaning it.

I realise the plural of anecdote isn't data, but there's certainly at least "some" people who feel that white immigrants are acceptable immigrants. This was during the late-bush/early-obama period, so I'm poorly placed to judge whether the scale of this has changed.

It might fall in line with "Better the devil you know than the one you don't." Like while some Japanese people may dislike Korean people, they may at the same time think that Korean immigrants will assimilate far better than say, a bunch of loud Americans. Purely random example by the way, no political or hate motive. I said some, not all, so back off with the pitchforks please. Also, Americans aren't a race :)

Funny, I'm East Indian, I've spent 3 years in America (Michigan) and the rest of my life in Canada, I don't think I've ever in my life had someone say "go back to India." This is not to say that I've never experienced racism, just never anything like "go home" or "go back to your country."

I don't know if anyone else from an immigrant background can comment on their personal experiences. Have you had it happen to you?

English, grew up in Scotland. I've been told to fuck off back to England more times than I care to recall and been referred to as a 'White Settler' a few times, an irony laden insult popular enough with some people on the west coast and some of the border areas, that it made the title of a Scottish horror film - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2883352/

lol You have it good, bud. It happens a lot in GA.

Seems like there's been recent resurgences in overt racism. I've heard second hand experiences of Indian and Chinese being told to go back to their countries in the last couple years in Canada. These folks have been in GTA for 40 years and never experienced anything like it.

I've had it happen to me... from a former friend, no less - though online.

Racism is embedded deep within many folks here.

However, one of my close relatives (who's Chinese but started his career in France) got that a lot in France, a few years ago, too.

The sentiment is latent, lurking and waiting for the right circumstances or personality to bring it out.

Been called everything under the sun growing up in the UK in the 80s and 90s, it's changed in the fact people still hold similar views, except they just can't write it down

https://outline.com/ChrMFw

Paywalled articles such as this are the bane of humanity.

If there's a workaround, it's ok. Users usually post workarounds in the thread.

This is in the FAQ at https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html and there's more explanation here:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10178989

https://hn.algolia.com/?sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comme...

..but do they tell you to come back and use what you learned in government? That's what Trump said.

I don't understand how that would make it much better.

Edit: just in case you are being serious the racist part is the assumption that for people of color that America isn't their home, even if you were born here, serve in the military, or are a member of Congress some people will still assume that you are not truly American.

False. What he said:

"Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough."

We don't need your absurd spin to tell us what he "really meant".

Well, seeing that out of the four people he attacked, three were born in this country, where were they suppose to go back to?

Actually, what you said is much more eloquent than what I said. He is saying to go back, learn from your experience and come back and show us how it's done. Nothing racist about it.

Much different that the simpleton narrative going around that he said "go back where you came from".

it's crazy to me that anyone would vote for someone that has a proven track record of hating the US and everything it stands for, let alone 4 people.

It doesn't really matter though. In the latest polling, all 4 have such low approval ratings, they will be gone in the next voting cycle.

After hearing this, I actually have hope for our future.

Trump is so eloquent, yet you feel the need to double down on your spin to help him out?

And talk about simpleton narratives, only a simpleton would swallow whole the idea that trump was just making a sincere plea for gathering and sharing expertise.

You are correct that it was a slight variant on "go back where you came from". His twist included a sneering challenge, the equivalent of "if you're so smart.." So he can combine a racist trope with a schoolyard taunt and that's plenty to disguise it for you. Sad.

Your interpretation of the 4 as "hating the US" stands in direct contradiction to their unwavering statement of love of country with a commitment to improve the US. "They hate the US" is another trope to "other" those who disagree with you. Would you like me to rattle off a list of a dozen ways in which Trump clearly hates our country? It's easy.

Only the gullible take polling data directly from Trump's mouth. The poll showed the 4 are unpopular with 'whites with less than 2 years of college'. Didn't bother to look that up, did you? They're as popular as ever - with those that elected them, and will likely do so again, so go back to hopelessness.

'And talk about simpleton narratives, only a simpleton would swallow whole the idea that trump was just making a sincere plea for gathering and sharing expertise.

No politician is sincere and I'm not the one spreading simpleton narratives, like the left-leaning media, which seems to be the case most of the time.

"So he can combine a racist trope with a schoolyard taunt and that's plenty to disguise it for you. Sad."

So would you consider calling for the destruction of an entire country mostly made up of one religion/ethnicity racist/bigoted?

"Your interpretation of the 4 as "hating the US" stands in direct contradiction to their unwavering statement of love of country with a commitment to improve the US"

So let me get this straight:

If I:

1) say I love the country

and

2) am liberal

It means I love the country? Now who's fooled?

"They hate the US" is another trope to "other" those who disagree with you. Would you like me to rattle off a list of a dozen ways in which Trump clearly hates our country? It's easy."

TDS is strong with you. You seem to inject race and racism into everything..which isn't healthy.

Protecting US citizens and creating a growing economy with one of the lowest unemployment rates in decades doesn't look like 'hate' to me.

"They're as popular as ever - with those that elected them, and will likely do so again, so go back to hopelessness."

...with morons. They are all fucking idiots. You really need to admit this or we can't really have a conversation. I'm also not hopeless. I'm living a great life. If a crazy gets elected here, I will just get citizenship elsewhere.

I actually am not a big Trump supporter, but because of people like you and the constant hatred and censorship from the Left, I will never vote for a Democrat again.

Many people are now waking up to these gestapo tactics

I suppose you heard from the right wing echo chamber that Tlaib called for the destruction of Israel and just passed that lie along uncritically as though it were a call for bombing or overthrow. Do your homework. It was actually a call for unification.

I showed that the accusation "hates the US" is an simplistic and empty claim without details. Provide some evidence of this hate. Of course I don't accept claims of patriotism uncritically. I listen, and understand, and then judge. You should try it.

You fail to admit your error in trusting Trump's claim about polls and resort instead to profane insults. You don't like their politics, fine. Criticize that.

How about proving you're not such a big Trump supporter. What don't you like? You downplay his racism, repeat his claims, and puff up his resume. Or is that just defensiveness?

Regarding censorship and gestapo tactics - I was not aware that the left was constantly denigrating and the free press and occasionally threatening it. I wasn't aware that the left was caging people without trial.

I will give you one thing. Hate of Trump is indeed off the charts. He's blamed for everything under the sun and some of it is ridiculous. Of course that's irritating. You must realize that Obama experienced it too. Irrational partisans should be ignored. They are uninterested in rational discourse.

Trump's racism is a complicated thing. He's not a neo-nazi style racist who openly proclaims his white supremacy. He seems to like and admire many successful black folk. He may not even believe in the inherent superiority of all whites, so I understand anger over simplistic attacks that assume racism is a binary. It is not.

Don't you see though, that Trump uses the coded language of racism? The dog whistles, the disclaimers of modern racism? Most Republicans now accept that overt racism is widely reviled and so those few who are very racist or the many that pander to racists, have learned a coded, subtler style. Trump is testing the boundaries to see how close he can come to old-school overt racism without more of his own party turning against him.

Don't let a reaction to the worst elements of the left force you into a box. You may be surprised that when you get past the surface noise, there is much of value to be gained by understanding the full worldview, the values and assumptions of the other side. You may not agree, but at least you'll be judging based on substance, not an uncritical acceptance of claims made by right wingers.

It's unlikely that you'd have learned in the government other than certain context specific survival skills.

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