Non minorities - have you ever been a minority?

[HEyHEY]

I sort of have, not a visible one though. I lived in a very French part of Quebec and was in the English minority. It was funny, by the end of my time there I knew every other english person in town!

[camero]

1. I have a hearing aid. I'm a minority

I'm white but I'm still a minority.

[Tripper11]

2. I used to live in Korea...

so yes I was...but didn't feel like it. I was always accepted, invited to people homes and bars for drinks by Koreans. Lot's of fun, very nice people, very giving of the minimal things they had at the time.

[Snow]

9. Na toh (Moi aussi). I lived in the boonies of Korea for over 2 years....

the nearest non-Korean person was a 40 minute country bus ride away. Most people in my town did not speak English even, so thank Peace Corps I spoke Korean. I was district TB control officer, with a Korean partner, for a district, Hwasoon District, of 13 counties and 149,000 people. Lived in a boarding house, went often for weeks, sometime months, without speaking or hearing English. After a year or so everyon in the whole district, hell, probably the whole southern half of the province, knew who I was. And it seems like a lot of them actually felt like they knew me. One time toward the end of my stay I was walking with a couple of friends, local, to a bar, and people passing on the street kept greeting me. My friends had never seen this, and were impressed. They said, wow, everyone knows you - you should run for national assembly! It was something else, especially for a boy from Indiana in the early 70's. Now my wife is Korean, so I still regularly end up at Korean functions, especially here in LA, where I'm a distinct minority.

[Indiana_Dem]

3. Well, in my younger years i used to live

in Los Angeles and had a Hispanic boyfriend. We double dated and went to this totally Hispanic Spanish speaking bar......when I walked in with them (all Hispanic) it was like the piano stopped and everyone turned around and looked at me!!!! lol boy did I feel the tables turn!!

[eileen from OH]

4. For a very tiny moment

I went to a speech by Alex Haley (author of ROOTS) years ago and was one of 3 white people in the audience. Didn't really bother me until we were all told to stand for the "Black National Anthem" and that little tighty-whitey part of my brain said "Excuuuuuse, me. I didn't know there was more than ONE National Anthem." But I looked around and did it. Partly because, yes, I felt intimidated. But also because it hit me that THIS is what African-Americans go through all the time. Very enlightening to be on the other side and discovering that YOU are in the "minority"

eileen from OH

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Catch22Dem]

6. Yup

All black high school and I lived in Japan.

[Kat45]

I'm a woman who went to see a play about the gay porn industry

I was one of about 4 or 5 women scattered throughout the hall. But my boyfriend, who accompanied me, ws even more of a minority: I'd say he was the only straight man in the place. The play, a comedy, was so funny that I had tears coming out of my eyes. I wasn't uncomfortable being there; as a matter of fact, I went to see it again when it was in town a few years later.

[BigDaddyLove]

11. Which play is that?

?

[jonnyblitz]

32. "Making Porn" is the name of it I believe.

Unless there is another play out about making gay porn I am not aware of.

[bigwillq]

43. Is that with Matt Rush?

He's a cutey.

[Kat45]

45. Yup, Jonny. That's the one.

I loved it! It was so funny. Have you seen it?

[jonnyblitz]

47. nope but I know it has been around for awhile.

Many different people have starred in different versions of it and many of them were actual porn stars. I would go see it in a heartbeat. If its ever in Boston again let me know and I will go if you are up for it yet again! :hi:

[Kat45]

50. Sure, I'll definitely let you know if it's in town again.

I'd be up for it again too--it truly is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I think it was here in the past year; I saw an ad for it just as it was about to leave town and I was really pissed off that I hadn't known about it and missed it.

I remember that the second time I saw it, they were making a big deal of one of the guys in it; the guy was from Australia. I wonder if he was one of the porn stars?

:hi:

[Kat45]

7. dupe

last post accidentally went in twice.

[Cleita]

8. I've always been a minority no matter where I live.

When I lived in S. America I was considered part of the American community and therefore gringa. But up here I'm considered Hispanic because I'm a half and half I guess.

[Kat45]

10. I forgot about this one: I was a minority in college because

I was a working class kid in a university full of upper middle class kids.

[Bill of Rights]

12. I am a caucasian who lived in Japan

for 11 years. I was young, but I remember the people melding together to make a big mass of Japanese people.

[leftofthedial]

13. I'm a white male

but grew up in an area that is about 60% hispanic.

[silverlib]

14. I had a temp job several years ago

at the office of the Mexican American Chamber of Commerce. I was the only staff not of Mexican descent and the only woman AND I do not speak Spanish. What a wonderful group of men!

(I was also the only smoker)x(

[aQuArius]

15. A Non-mormon among a sea of mormons...

I went to a high school that was about 85% mormon (yes, in Utah). I was baptized mormon , but by high school I definetly did not consider myself one whatsoever. I was turned down for a few girl's choice dance because the guy's parents found out "through the grapevine" that I did not practice or go to church and neither did my mom. If that isn't discrimination, I don't know what is! *snarf*

[BigDaddyLove]

16. I'm White and my highschool was 85% Black......

:hi:

[CanuckAmok]

17. Does "Unfashionable Straight Guy in Yaletown" count?

Free at last, free at last...!

[alfredo]

18. White living in Africa.

Living off 12th street in Detroit. (the Boones Farm House)

[Voltaire99]

19. Yes. Lived in a non-English speaking country

...for a few years.

To put it delicately, foreign exchange programs could help many white Americans. :-)

[VelmaD]

20. More than once...

I've been one of very few whites in a room full of blacks or hispanics. I visited in black churches several times as a child when my parents were invited by black friends from work.

Just recently I was one of about 3 white people I could spot in the crowd at the Grambling vs. Prairie View A&M football game. I went for the battle of the bands. It rocked. And the African-Americans around us in the crowd were incredibly welcoming. It was a wonderful experience.

And of course I spent 10 years with an Hispanic man...there were times when I was the only white person in the room.

[Nikia]

21. Worked on an 80% Mexican shift at my first post college job

I quickly made friends with the Mexican woman in the lab (There was only one other person in lab on our shift who did not take break at the same time as us). I sat with her and was alright. Somewhere along the line, I realized that I was the only non Mexican (many were recent non English speaking immigrants as well) in the room. I was not too uncomfortable because I was with her. I was uncomfortable a couple days later when I took an off break for some reason and found that none of the other people at my table spoke English.
The rest of the non Hispanic shift segregated themselves from the Mexican workers. The non Mexican seemed to have a negative opinion of Mexicans even though there weren't even any antedotal reasons. To be fair, I think that they were initially suspicious of me as well. Most of them had grown up in the same place with the same people their whole lives.
I was more comfortable with the Mexicans than the hometown non Mexicans. My friend brought authenic Mexican food for me everyday while I bought sodas. The Mexicans seemed impressed that I ate hot food. My friend's entire family worked there too and they all were very nice to me.
I have always been comfortable with Hispanics though. Growing up, I always had Hispanic friends and a couple boyfriends. Maybe I like Mexican/Latin American culture. Maybe, I have always felt like an outsider and identify with that.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Yep - I'm a serious minority in my neighborhood

which is perhaps 90% hispanic (and then mostly Dominican).

And when I lived in my homeworld of hawaii, I was a minority, as everyone there is. 'Tis a beautiful place therefore.

I've been living as a minority for quite a long time. And yes, I have encountered racism. I didn't in hawaii, but I absolitely have in this neighborhood. Both being treated like crap because I'm white, but also on the other side by being treated much too well (and sometimes the much too well treatment was obvuosly sarcastic, but I'd say the majority of the time it was honest - I can only assume the ones who do that must have worked for the rich white people in the Dominican Republica and Mexico, and either truly felt they were good people, or were so afraid of them, that I get to be treated really overly nicely at times), whih was way more uncomfortable than being treated poorly.

English challenge: parse THAT sentence! HA!

[Nikia]

24. Don't know about Dominican culture but Mexican culture is friendly

The Mexicans that I have known well seem to value friends more than Anglo American culture. Regarding my friend that I mentioned in my above post, her family considered my friendship with their daughter/sister as more important than her relationship with her boyfriend which is opposite Anglo American thinking. Make an effort to get to know some of them. They might be more accepting of you than you think.
I think that Dominica is mostly black Hispanic, right? I don't know if that makes a difference in being more different. For example, my friend doesn't consider herself a different race than me. She asked about my ethnic origins and shared hers and said "We are both European and Native American. We are not of different races."

[Rabrrrrrr]

34. I'd say for the most part the people are friendly, or else apathetic

in terms of race. I've rarely encountered any thing like hostility, adn the few Dominicans in my building that I've come to know are very friendly.

But there have been a few who have walked into me intenitonally, and done other things very akin to the stuff I used to read about that white people did to black people.

So it's been interesting to be on the receiving end, and feel - however liminally - what it's like to be a minority. Gives me more appreciation for what african-americans and hispanics and asians have gone through. (I say liminally because let's face it, I might be minority in this neighborhood, but I'm not in the city or the country, so I know that my experience as a minority is nowhere near the reality of others).

What I have found perhas most surprising are the people that treat me almost like I'm a god, as I mentioned in the first post. People who go out of their way to help me, even when others were first or obviously more in need in stores; or leaving me a wider path to walk through on the sidewalk, etc. That's also a really weird feeling, and for the msot part I don't like it when I know I'm being treated extra special well because I'm white.

[JCMach1]

23. I live in the UAE where even the citizens are a minority

(only 20% of the population)...

[RebelOne]

25. Yes, when I lived in Miami.

Non-Hispanics are a minority now down there.

[Kellanved]

26. Yes

But not really visibly either: I (my family) lived in the UK. Sometimes it was smarter to be "Swiss", if asked, something rather simple as we had lived there before. But mostly it was no problem at all, quite the contrary (especially veterans were really sweet sometimes).

[trof]

27. Hai. In Japan.

Barred from entry to some bars and restaurants.
"No round-eyes allowed."

[Character Assassin]

49. Yep. In Japan, where I was followed by department store 'detectives'.

Which is actually quite rich, considering what I do for a living and how nothing in the damn store would have fit me (6'3", 233lbs.) in any case.

Hell, I was even working for Mitsui & Co. at the time.

Racist shitheels.

[Nay]

28. Female in two 90%-male-dominated jobs.

It was pretty tough for a while, but better after I learned to dish it out and take it in equal measures. And to never take anything personally, even when it was meant personally.

[Odessey]

39. Me too

Actually, I worked night shift for a year in a store and I was the only female there. Only job I worked where my co-workers didn't gossip about everybody else - unlike in some jobs where women were in the majority. Plus, I was treated with great respect. I guess being a minority in this case wasn't so bad. I also attended a midnight service on New Years in an African-American church several years ago. I was the only caucasion there. It felt a bit odd at first, but they were the nicest people.

[beawr]

29. I am a WASP from Gary, Indiana

[Whitacre D_WI]

30. In college, I attended the Midwest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual...

...Transgendered Collegiate Conference (I'm not sure the name is in the right order).

I was so much in the minority (as a het male), that I was uncomfortable admitting my sexual orientation: "er... well... I'm, you know," *whispers* "straight."

They did not judge me, though :)

It was a great experience -- I think every straight, white male in this country should seek out a situation where he will be in the minority. It really helps give perspective.

[gold_bug]

31. when I worked in Alaska

everyone spoke either Tagalog or Spanish. (in the fishing industry in the middle of nowhere).

[ikojo]

33. I'm Jewish so I am a religious minority

and that can be no fun if one works with a bunch of fundies.

[Kamika]

40. well atleast the pro war guys love you guys now

I think :p

[JanMichael]

35. Bad vision, asthma, Atheist and Socialist.

Oh and when I was under 18.

[Logansquare]

36. Only white woman in office of about 100 mostly African-American

coworkers. There was one white guy. When people didn't know my name, they referred to me as "the white girl," which was pretty specific, since there wasn't anyone else fitting that description.

[AngryAmish]

37. I have been the only white guy at various functions

Parties, funerals, etc.

Kinda weird, but I could always leave. I can imagine what stress it would be to be in that situation all the time.

[slackmaster]

38. I was a minority at my neighborhood bar last night

For some reason every Latino within 10 miles of the place decided to come in for a beer and a round of pool.

[DODI]

41. I am a minority in my city.

I live in the Hartford. What I love about it is my kids have no concept of prejudice or being a minority. My daughter, 9, thinks MLK totally won the battle. My kids have never, ever mentioned the color of someone's skin, their accent, etc. I have never heard them ask why they are different or why someone else is. I love living in this city. I just need one more bedroom, that is the only problem I have with it!

[Cat Atomic]

42. I grew up in a town of mostly Mexican immigrants.

No big deal. All my friends were the children of Mexican immigrants, or immigrants themselves.

I had a few run-ins with people because of my race, but that's life. There are jerks in the world, and they come in all flavors and colors.

[bigwillq]

44. I live with being a minority everyday

by being gay
edit:spelling

[bobbieinok]

46. several times as a white in black churches

One of 6 whites at MLK speech in Tulsa in 1960 (our group was the only white group there).

[mitchum]

48. Blue-eyed. I think we only make up about 14% of the world's population...

AND WE"RE TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND BY THE MAN!

[F-5]

51. Yes, I have been.

I'm one of a few liberal Christians on my campus. I'm a strong minority. :(

[ButterflyBlood]

52. yes

I used to live on an Indian Reservation until I was in 2nd grade. One of only 2 white kids in my class.