Let me reiterate... YET AGAIN FOR THE IGNORANT PEOPLE IN THE COMMENT SECTION 😒I am not talking about RACISM, POLICE BRUTALITY, PREJUDICE, BLM, OR ANYTHING ELSE.. I am only talking about how I identify, how my society identifies me, and how I have personally grown regarding those views/opinions. I will most likely make a video regarding the topics listed above because they do go hand in hand with racial identity BUT I did not want this video to be too long and only wanted to talk about a personal overview of MY PERSONAL IDENTITY.
Hayley Alexis Moin Hayley, danke für dieses sehr ernste Video. Was du erzählst hat mich sehr nachdenklich gemacht. Ich werde oft genug nach meiner Behinderung beurteilt. Deswegen kann ich vielleicht etwas nachempfinden, wie du dich fühlst. Womit ich meine Probleme nicht auf eine Stufe mit deinen stellen will. Ich denke, meine Probleme sind dann doch einige Nummern kleiner als deine. LG Ben
"Your personal identity" should solely base on your personal achievments and your personality itself = on what kind of person you are..not on your heritage, skin colour, nationality etc respectively overall "things where you didn´t have any influence" or not on what other people might think about you...at least that´s how "personal identity" should be defined in an "perfect world"..I know "the world is by far not perfect" and will never be...but in your private/personal enviroment you can do little things which goes in that direction.
Hey Hayley, das war ein sehr interessantes Video! Ich verstehe, was du meinst, und die Erleichterung, die damit einherging, dass in Deutschland "Rasse" keine Kategorie ist. Jedoch sind die hier in Deutschland geltenden Kategorien "Nationalität" und "Religion" keine Verbesserung und auch nicht progressiv. Es ist im Grunde das gleiche Problem hier, mit dem Unterschied, dass der Fokus auf eine andere Kategorie gelegt wird. Tatsache ist, auch Nationalität ist ein Konstrukt, das nicht real ist. Nationen und Nationalitäten sind ein relativ neues Phänomen. Genauso wie Rassismus verschwinden würde, wenn wir "Rasse" als Konstrukt abschaffen, würde auch Nationalismus verschwinden, wenn wir Grenzen, die künstlich erbaut wurden, abschaffen. Wie wir alle wissen, hat Deutschland seit über einem Jahrhundert ein riesiges Problem namens Nationalismus. 😒
As a European, I didn’t realise Latino was considered a different race until I was in my late 20s. I think most people In Europe considered them white (not that being white means anything) but with a nice tan. America’s obsession with race is baffling considering everyone except the Native Americans are an emigrant (willing or not).
@Ksch Koff "Some people are obsessed with race but they are a loud minority of people, there. It usually only gets heated when the media makes a big deal out of it.".....Hmmm....You sound like someone who has never been to the US (much less grown up there), who has an agenda.
"As a European, I didn’t realise Latino was considered a different race until I was in my late 20s. " Oh, it's way more complex than that in the USA actually, legally it's treated as a 2ndry category, so you can have Black Latinos/Hispanic vs White Latinos/Hispanic. Partially because there are multiple distinct groups of Spanish/Portuguese descent, from different regions of the Americas.
Yeah, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, (and French?) are just Europeans, and so are their descendants. It is the American latent racism that makes all these things so awkward. At the end someone from Brazil is a Brazilian, no matter where their ancestors are from.
Historically, the US has viewed Old World Latinos differently than New World Latinos. The reason being, the vast majority of New World Latinos have some, much or all of either Native American and or African ancestry. Therefore, European Latinos are "White" and New World Latinos aren't. Prior to WW2, there was a great deal of discrimination in the US against mainly Italians and also to a limited degree, other (Southern) European people from Latin cultures. This was actually more bigotry than racism, as the main issue was religion, i.e. Roman Catholicism, and culture/language. The Irish, being from a predominantly Catholic country, were also greatly mistreated. As the demographics began to shift away from most people being WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants), so did the attitudes of extremest hate groups like the KKK. (In fact, the revival of the KKK in the 1910's was not only driven by antisemitism and hatred of all non-white groups, but also due to anti-immigration sentiments, geared towards "Papists". Does this sound like someone today? "History doesn't repeat, but it sure does rhyme." - Mark Twain ) In any event, by 1979 the KKK changed its' position and even began to actively recruit Catholics. So, to make a long story short, don't think of the US historically or even today as being a binary society. It's more like a caste system. In the past, in the minds of supremacists, the "WASP" sat at the top. Today it is anyone who is "White" of any one or blended completely European ancestry.
I am „German“ and I „identify“ as German, but my mom was born in Southkorea, so I am mixed. When I went to the States as an Au Pair (back in 2003) I had to take some college classes and I had to check this box as well (African-American, White, Asian, Hispanic...). I was so confused and didn’t know what to choose, because it was the first time in my life where I had to categorize myself other than my nationality. I think at the end I chose „white“, because I thought „I‘m German and Germans are white (?)“. Some people told me back then that Americans have to check that box quite often and all I could think of was „What about all the mixed people like me? Do they have to choose one part of themselves and deny the other part?“. But most importantly „Why do you have to check this freaking box in the first place?“
Tasmino Ben kleine Korrektur (typisch deutsch halt): Löwen und Tiger lassen sich paaren, man nennt sie dann umgangssprachlich Liger oder Töwe, je nach dem was die Mutter oder Vater war. Ist allerdings nicht unproblematisch und nur durch den Menschen möglich, da in freier Natur die beiden sich nie begegnen würden. Ändert aber nichts an der korrekten Schlussfolgerung: wir sind alle Menschen!
Tasmino Ben Und noch einmal eine kleine Korrektur: Löwen und Tiger sind Arten, ebenso Hunde und Katzen. Innerhalb einer Art kann es Rassen geben. Zum Beispiel bei Pferden, Hunden etc. Alle Rassen einer Art können sich fertil untereinander paaren, sollte es zu irgendeiner Art Isolation kommen, so können auch hier verschiedene Arten entstehen. Verschiedene Arten können sich ab und an durchaus paaren, häufig sind die Nachkommen aber nicht lebensfähig, steril (Maulesel/Maultier) oder nachfolgende Generationen sind steril. Diese Kreuzungen leben also häufig nicht lange. Beim Menschen ist es aber biologisch nachgewiesen, dass eine Einteilung in verschiedene Rassen keinen Sinn ergibt, da wir DNA-mäßig alle zu ähnlich sind :)
the importance on the "katholisch"/"evangelisch" distinction is probably where your church taxes are going to. You should have told them you are an atheist or a Buddhist or something other exotic - no church taxes for you.
Hayley Alexis also Evangelisch is not evangelical. It’s the Lutheran church in the US. The German Evangelische Kirche is still quite different from its counter part. As an example the US version does not allow female priests
Living in the US, I think it is home grown. If someone starts talking about black community, asian community, hispanic community, white community, then the gated community isn't far away. My point is that for as long as people need to distinguish or set themselves apart and need that group to belong to, then there is no will to be one nation.
Impossible. I could go on and discuss with you why that will never happen and why it is fair to say, silly to think it even should. But it will take a lot. That idea is called utopia.
I was born in Eritrea (East Africa) and live since I was an infant a happy life in Germany. However, i still struggle with my ethnic identity. I see myself as an Eritrean who accepted and learned to love German culture. After the end of the civil war, I finally got to know Eritrea. Eritreans are relatively light-skinned in Africa and I am relatively dark-skinned there, I myself even stand out within the family. For me, being darker is just an external characteristic, unfortunately not for some I met in Eritrea and it's jaw dropping if you try to bond with your country of birth. It is an inner struggle while being happy in Germany. Edit: It's not about racism. Eritreans are in general really kind and humble, it's about a few ppls silly jokes that have an impact on my journey
Thanks for making this!! I'm also mixed-race, but I grew up overseas until a few years in high school, and those check-boxes upset me to tears. (I think I chose Far-East Asian, which isn't what I am genetically at all, but is where I grew up.)
Hey Hayley i somtimes watch your videos with my father ( born 49), he isn't fluid in english but i translate to german for him. Great topics and cultural education. I would vote for you as US embasator for Germany.
Thank you, that was very interesting. Being the "default" German I find it a very foreign concept to identify by ethnicity, let alone by race - that is an absolute taboo in this country (as I'm sure you are aware)! As a pupil in the 60s I learned that everybody is born equal, no exceptions. And frankly, I don't understand why it can even be controversial to talk about one's experience and observations.
This was posted a while ago. I'm still going to tell you my reaction to this video: For 3/4 of it my un-ease grew and I kind of wanted to shout at the screen something like "D**n it, you are Hayley, the person! And let nobody tell you that anything else matters!!" It was a relief when you, basically came around to that point in the end, and expressed it in your own way, much better than my (imagined) shouting ever could have.
Hello Hayley! I am lucky you kind of made friends with kelly (does her thing) and in my mind your videos are entertaining as well as informing to me, the funny ones as well as the serious one. Thumbs up!! I am a great fan of you both and wish you much luck for the next time. Stay healthy and i am looking forward to see and hear more from you soon. All the best, Eva
Young lady, well done. I like your comportment. You've were raised well. That is easy to see. I wish you well. Please don't let the world take your humorist tilt away...it's a part of your magic. Your gift. And we need you to keep giving it to us. 😘
My dad was an exchange student to the US when he was younger. He got one such questionnaire on race from, I think, his university. He checked "other" and wrote "homo sapiens sapiens".
Thanks for this "Clusterfuck" (your words :P)! It makes sense and I have seen this video from you as the other ones because I am so much interested in the little differences (which can be best told by people who live in a different environment/society).
With all the rubbish videos videos out there (and very superficial) your analysis and explanations are interesting, intelligent and insightful. Good work!
This video really should be broadcast on all US tv stations simultaneously, so that as many as possible sees this important message about how f'ed up the system of skin colour identification is.
I had the same experience when I was around 7 years old too! I told a boy in my class I liked him and he said 'I don't want to have half-cast children'. I did not know this word at the time. I am not Black, I am half Turkish, but even to be foreign in any way registered this form of prejudice. I'm so sorry you have experienced racism, you are wonderful Hayley
I didn't know I had to identify myself as caucasian. I'm pale white, blonde whith blue eyes. What has that to do whith Russia? Dem Kaukasus. I'm european.
Exactly. I know people from the caucasus, and they are very different appearance wise: from blue eyed blonds to latino type. Since they are considered as “blacks” by russians. Ridiculous.
@@arthurf.672 The point is "race" is an uncorrect and stupid classification, trying to put people in boxes. Like in Hayley case it does not fit. For me it also does not fit. We all should quit doing so.
There´s in Russia the traditional differentiation into citizenship and nationality: You´re a Russian Citizen of Russian Nationality - or you´re a Russian Citizen of German Nationality - or you´re a Russian Citizen of Yakusk Nationality - and so on. The result is that there were many Russian Citizen of German Nationality who don´t speak a single German word - but the ancesters in the time of Napoleon immigrated to Russia. This system survived the USSR and is still in being - in Russia they have no "Races" because most Russian Citizens of whatever Nationality are - "Caucasians". And yes, you´ve a lot of people with blonde hairs, blue eyes and a pale skin in Russia. :-)
My daughter is also 'mixed' because I am white (German) and her father is black, he is from West Africa but has had a German passport for almost 20 years now. As far as I and she are concerned my daughter is German, she has cousins in France who are black, but for us and I think for most Germans they are French. I have lived in the US for almost one year but I have never really understood why there
Sorry, hadn't finished my commentary 😂 I don't really understand why in the US they make such a big deal about whether a person, is white or black ... You are all Americans, and race really shouldn't matter! 😃 Nice and interesting video, thank you 👍
I'm a German, but with German ancestors, that went to Spain and then to a South American country to live, my mom was born there and lived most of her life there but we came to Germany when I was a baby. And I don't feel fully German, I lived my whole life here (I am 20) but I don't feel like I fit, but I am far to German to fit in my birth country. I feel like I don't belong anywhere...
Eigentlich sollte das keine Rolle spielen. Leider entwickeln sich die Gesellschaften wieder eher rückwärts, statt vorwärts. So habe ich zumindest das Gefühl. Wie das in den Staaten ist, kann ich nicht sagen, ich sehe es auch nur in den Nachrichten. Die Menschheit hat sich so viele Katastrophen wegen der Thematik selbst gemacht. Eigentlich sollten wir längst uns um ganz andere Fragen kümmern. Dir einen schönen Independence Day!
@@arno_nuehm_1 Jemand hat mal geschrieben, in ein paar hundert Jahren werden alle Menschen verschiedene Schattierungen von braun sein. Ich wünsche es unseren Nachfahren, vielleicht sind dann diese Hautfarbe-Diskussionen endlich vorbei.
Ich weiß nicht viel über Amerika und den Rassismus dort (also was Zahlen angeht), aber ich weiß dass die Anzahl der rassistischen Übergriffe in Deutschland stetig zurück geht, was ein eindeutiges Zeichen dafür ist, dass der allgemeine Rassismus hierzulande zurück geht. Gleichzeitig steigt aber die Gewaltbereitschaft von der Konterseite, also Linke Extremisten etc. deutlich, aber das ist eigentlich ein anderes Thema.
@@philoxus69 Das ist Quatsch. Nur weil der Rassismus bei uns jahrzehntelang von staatlicher Seite erfolgreich ignoriert wurde, heißt nicht, dass es keinen gab oder gibt. Das weißt du eigentlich ganz genauso gut wie jeder andere denkende Mensch auch, du glaubst nur, du kannst uns hier einen Bären aufbinden. Funktioniert nicht, sorry.
I really like those more serious topics and I am very interested in your views and experiences... so I am looking forward to seeing more videos like that! :)
the "were are you from "question would be so complicated to answer .I'm Greek because I was born in Greece and hold a Greek passport. But my ancestors have been everywhere . My mother has French German and Greek ancestry from her mother and Armenian Greek and Assyrian ancestry from her father .My father has Italian and Greek ancestry from his father and Greek and Turkish ancestry from his mother .My father studied and lived in Germany and my mother studied and worked in France .They met in Greece and I was born there. I lived in London in my 20s ( because...where else? 😍I loved this city so much ) Now I'm thinking abour moving to Switzerland after all ..😉 I can't say that feel Greek or anything alse in particular .I just feel that i am a world citizent .I'm from this beautiful planet we call earth That's is all .I love learning languages and this is something I think I inherited because all my family members speak at least different 3 languages ( I don't count Greek) I speak English ,French, German and during covid I started some online Arabic courses but it's too very difficult for me🙂. I have always been attracted to different countries and cultures food music art languages etc. Where am I from ? Earth ! 😂😉
first 5 minutes only for prerequisites and apologies... just wow... as germans we have the advantage to have learned 80 years ago that the concept of racial identity doesn't work. The hard way, but we learned it. I don't say there is no racism here, because it's a human behavior to put people in boxes. but not in such an exaggerated way than in the US. But your family photos were soooo cute! thank you for sharing them with us! you look just like your mom! so beautiful! Take care and stay safe!
In germany if you get ask "Woher kommst du?/Where are you from?" most of the time we are referring to nationality. So in your case, the USA and if someone is more interested they might ask you what part of the USA you are from. I think where someone grew up tells a lot more about a person than whatever journey their ancestors did.
Some european people here are saying how race doesn't really tell you anything about a person, which is true in theory, but also maybe not. Maybe we as europeans are missing some pieces of information. When someone says "i am a black woman" it probably carries a lot more information to another american than to a european, it probably has a lot of cultural info attached to it that we don't get. But race as a topic is such a complex and difficult subject I sometimes thing americans will never solve it...
I am German, and I don´t care about race etc. at all. What is more important is that ppl that live in Germany should identify with our way of living, our values and abide to our laws.
I have an Identity and a cultural I'm African American. I don't want to rub it out. Its like having only one flower in the bouquet. Many flowers different kinds are ok
I'm still not sure why they ask us about our race/ethnicity all the time. As a kid i used to put other cuz i identified as Haitian and not black/African American. My parents had alot to do with this since they always differentiated between black Americans and foreign black people. One of my friends says he used to put other too because he didn't know what Caucasian meant lol.
Seems to me the best fitting option to all. We have to differenciate only between equality and uniformity. By admitting every single person is unique we admit to be equal.
Your parents need to educate themselves! No excuse! There's NO DIFFERENCE among the people who were enslaved on these shores in the diaspora except for the locations we were dropped off at. I'm so sick and tired of this division among the diaspora makes my blood boil
I think the KVR employee was asking about the country you come from (USA). Never in my whole life in Germany have I had to fill in my skin color or racial identity in any form.
I’m just happy to hear that there is finally just American nationality, that we are viewed by our country and not our ancestry, that it just remains a description ❤️
As a "white" German with 4 white German-born grandparents, I recently did a DNA test just for fun for a famlily scrapbook. My grandparents hail from four different parts of Germany - two from the West, one from Berlin (Prussia), one from Silesia, which today is Southern Poland. Turns out, I had at least one Spanish and one British ancestor in the past 200 years anyway and a handful of Czech/Polish/Eastern European ones. The furthest back, my mother's DNA line moved into Europe from the Middle East around 2000 years ago. Many Germans would not want to draw a line anywhere once they think about it, especially we lost "historic" German territory as recently as 70 years ago, which makes the whole race and "heritage" thing a bit ridiculous around here. I identify as Western European by culture, human by race. I guess most Germans like me are just confused by the "mixed" thing. Ever since the Celts, Slavs and Germans moved into Europe, we're all a big DNA mess 'round here, despite what some racists (they call themselves "ethno-Europeans" or "Identitarians" now) want to tell you. So are all non-native Americans from our perspective, and we find the ones who identify as "American" on the census quite curious (the white people who claim they've been in America since centuries and are no longer of European descent somehow). On the other side, the "ethnic" Germans are today spread out over Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands and Denmark, expats not counting. So border, schmorder. We're friends.
It never crossed my mind that this could be an issue. I just HAD to find my now adult childrens' older passports to be sure that they don't say Racual identity. Both definately state "Nationality: Danish" and nothing about religious orientation - nothing about the nonsense words Race nor Religion. What the hell! You're such a beautiful and sweet Homo sapiens :-) (Finn/Denmark) And I love your videos a lot - only this kind of info must be true in all passports for all EU countries (y)
Coming from Germany, when I first heard that in the US you have to give people an information about your race, I was completely shocked. Like, even saying the word "race" in Germany is extremely frowned upon, let alone ask somebody what race they are. And it is even worse if the state were to put that down in official documents.
I will never understand why people think "others" are different because of the amount of melanin in one's skin or 'facial features'. At the end of the day we are all humans that bleed the same color if cut. Humans can be stupid!
Have you stated WHERE exactly you grew up in Florida in any of your videos? It's a LARGE state. I live in North Miami Beach but I did NOT grow up in Florida. Listen, I'm an American of Afro-Caribbean descent. I've had a southern white co-worker in South Florida once ask me if I considered myself black. (???) Just to add I'm VERY dark-skinned. I was like what ELSE would I consider myself? To add to that thread, I've heard stories of people saying things like "I'm not black. I'm Cuban." That's like MY saying "I'm not black, I'm AMERICAN!! (I have LOTS to say about how the term "American" has gotten weaponized but I digress) I think this confusion stems from the concept of being "black" being perceived as a type of "indigenous" African-American identity -- often with deep roots in the Southern USA. I'm confused about what issue people had with your father identifying as African-American. What else would he identify as? (Just curious but which parent has the Cuban grandparent?) the point I'm making is all of these ideas are culture based. Some cultures categorize people by skin color, hair texture, race,etc. and others more by nationality, religion, language, etc. Are you familiar with the term Coloured as used in South Africa? Racism in kids usually comes via their parents!! I think it was only recently that Mixed Race or Multi-Race was a box on forms. As Martin Luther King said let us be judged by the contents of our characters -- and NOT by the color of our skin. It's disappointing that these issues are STILL so prevalent. The great late author James Baldwin once said "white" people did NOT exist until Europeans came to America. Before that they were German, Swedish, Czech, French, English, Finnish, etc. Race and racism is SO endemic to the history of the USA. It's difficult to avoid.
Kudos to you for tackling this problem, and adressing it in such an interesting, intelligent, thoughtful video. Again, I really don't get this typical American hang-up about 'race' or 'ethnicity'. Especially the concept of 'mixed' race. What's up with that anyway? Not trying to be snarky, or ignorant but, rather interested, and a bit astonished. Edit: BTW, I definitely am also mixed. I have a more than 2% share of the Neanderthalensis genes, I am certain. What with my rather pronounced brow ridge and strong body hair I assume that I am around 95% homo sapiens and 5% Homo Neanderthalensis. So there, hah, I'm mixed, too /sarcasm off.
Thanks for the video. It helps to understand some of the discussions about race in the States. For me - as a german - an US-American is an US-American. I am aware that for Americans it seems to be a difference what kind of person one is depending on the colour of the skin. For me....sorry....you guys are basically pretty much the same and simply Americans (no offense intended). I thought that the colour of skin would be asked in american passports, because that are non-changable characteristics, like colour of the eyes. That would make sense in a traditional immigration country. But I dont really understand why it is important for schools etc.?
If they want you to characterize yourself, just write: Great person! Forget about the race-BS. There was never a good ending when race was made a point of significance.
After seeing many videos regarding the usa vs europe from you and others I'm starting to question whether the usa has at least one good thing about it.
@@phillyphilly2095 i don't know if i trust any type of food in the us... because of the artificial ingredients that are simply banned in the EU since they may cause cancer. Btw I'm not talking about the people! People are probably awesome
Dear Hayley, I am German. And I believe that people have 100 main points that could be interesting for other people. How you judge them is up to you. If you get to know people better later, then you can also talk about the thousands of sub-items;) The 100 main points are actually all weighted equally. Examples are: beach or mountains, dog or cat, children or none, death penalty or life sentence, height, weight, shoe size, bike or car, hair color, tattoos or bare, shaving or bush, eye color, romance or logic, funny or sarcastic, cinema or theater, marriage or permanent relationship, single or tinder, ship or plane, democrat or republican, social or selfish .... oh and yes, somewhere is also the skin color ;)
I found it quite annoying that I had to register as "white" in the US. I am Danish, not "white". At least the British have White British, and White (Other). The boxes are weird.
For germans white people and Black people can be american. The one Native American kid in my (German) school sometimes says she's Asian because that's just easyer lol On the other hand the few black or white American kids at my school in germany say there are American and no one has a problem with it. (Has not much to do with the topic, but it's just funny for me. I believe it's 'cause descendents of native americans are very rare outside of america)
A very interesting and insightful video. In my opinion it's really odd that you have to mention your skincolor/race on American forms. I mean what sense does it make?
Hi Hayley. What’s up? You sound a bit like „you‘ve had it“ about a number of things. Good that you don’t give af too much, he he. 😉 A few clarifications: In Germany, you’re being asked if you register as „evangelisch“ or „katholisch“, because the German government is collecting church tax for these two religious entities. Fun fact: Germany does NOT allow people to register as whatsoever christian while NOT being registered with a church (and, thus, paying taxes towards them). I learned that the hard way when I once answered that I am christian, while having left the institution of the Evangelische Kirche („Kirchenaustritt“). When you don’t want to pay Kirchensteuer, you simply register as „konfessionslos“. The more correct translation of evanglisch would be „protestant“. The German equivalent of Evangelical would be „Freikirchler“ (of which there may be sub-groups). Just like in America, Freikirchler are religious fundamentalists / religious fanatics. Their „cult“ seems to be run from America, when it comes to their doctrines. For instance they „believe in“ corporal punishment for children (which is illegal in Germany) and discriminate against homosexuals. Also, they share the odd obsession with abortions. What’s particularly sickening is that they try to keep any pedophiles amongst them from prosecution by keeping it all under wraps. Pedos just have to „confess“, and then, their victims are EXPECTED (!) to „forgive“ them. If they refuse to, then THEY are the bad guys. 🤮 It’s basically a „check your brain at the door“-dull club of rabid fanatics, who pretend to be harmless towards the outside. Sick nonetheless. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Thanks for your interesting insights. It’s certainly food for thought. Are you planning on coming „back“ to Germany again? Or do you guys plan to permanently reside in America?
In one of her Harry Potter novels J. K. Rowling writes about a half blood prince. But this does not mean a African and Caucasian background. Today the expression mulatto is politically incorrect
One point I realized as a light skinned black man from a super white hometown who moved to Atlanta. It's wierd and cool not being singled out for being black. But eventually I came to two conclusion. 1. White people defined my racial identity because they had guns. One drop of black blood wasn't allowed in their club. 2. If black people were in charge I'd be considered white and ineligible for that side. I'm descendants of slaves raised as a second class non person in the eyes of my nation. But basically from a distance in a crowd of dark skinned folks they'd call me white. Up close, definitely black. I'm cool with me. I just try to be nice. Oh and don't be native American Indian in America that only sees black and white. Yes there were native American Indian counted as black and enslaved so they got the generational emotional baggage with more stuff and an even different look. America ain't nice. But we're in therapy. Ire denial. One or the other.
"Short" reaction: I'm mixed European & African. But it is not an issue here. It's not interesting, I don't care. Most people don't care. Most European governments (from low to high) don't care. End of discussion. I've been to the US many times. Seen most states, cities and country side. The US is obsessed with "race", but it makes sense. All American countries do. Why? Because they came out of colonialism. Before +/- 1850, most people on the American continent where or Indigenous Americans or Africans. There weren't that many Europeans. These 3 groups also (had) mixed a lot. It changed with the mass immigration from Europe. Some of the new countries became almost completely European, like the US, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Chile. The first big migrations from Asia brought big Asian communities, like in Brasil (Japanese) or the US. Conclusion: the whole world now lives in the Americas and because of all the history that shaped these countries with all these groups (especially Indigenous American, African & European) fighting over dominance/survival/resources/etc, etc.... (of course not always one against the other. That's way too oversimplified)... That's what you get. Societies that are obsessed with "race". It will probably take another 500+ years to get over this... If that will be possible at all. In Europe, most of Africa, and Asia this particular history never happened. Yes, Africa was colonized by Europeans, but they eventually left (unlike in the Americas. What happened there was that certain English & Spanish people decided to not recognize their kings anymore. The "independence" of the US is nothing more than the result of an English civil war. Same with Bolivar in "Latin America"). Yes there are immigrants in Europe but they didn't colonize it, they were never enslaved, Europeans were never put in reservations. To give a few examples. Same in Asia. The only continent that is more or less comparable with the Americas is Australia.
To get yet another perspective on the current state of "race" and how Germans think about it, it could be interesting to ask somebody who is identified as "turkish" or "muslim" by his fellow Germans. I guess it's true, that Germany is not as obcessed with "race" as the US are, and the term "race" is rightfully banned from the conversation. But when people talk about the "turkish" people (mostly born and raised in Germany btw) there are porbably the same thought patterns at work as in the American discurse, I think, and, like in the US, I think it hurts people in their day-to-day life. And, as in the US, this leads to communities often being basically sepreated along these lines. So its not all good and fine in Germany, in my opinion.
11:05 I think that he was confused, I guess that he asked you for which country you were from and not ethnicity, so when you answered with a skin colour when he expected a country, he just had to guess the country from that. That is what I imagine happened, feel free to ad or correct this.
In Germany it can be misinterpreted when I say, I am proud of my country, but after watching your video I only can say that I am proud that we Germans made the turn from the most racist country of all times to a nation where a mixed persons feels more accepted than in her home country. I shouldn´'t be too proud because I know we have problems with discrimination here also (maybe not so much concerning races, but concerning religions/cultures). But I was very happy to here from such an experience in my country.
The German state will never ask about your racial identity because it's absolutely irrelevant for anything state-related. Any state that handles this differently has most likely institutionalized racist characteristics. It also doesn't really care about your regligious beliefs, it only cares about you belonging to one of the two major Christian churches in Germany, the catholic and the evangelical church or the Jewish community. This has tax-related reasons (the German state charges taxes for these three communities which he then hands to them) and has nothing to do with the state being actually interested in your beliefs.
ethnicity is only where your family originated, everything i am today is in some part of those who came before me, my mother was adopted but that family is still where i came, i constantly hear that some people do not like hyphenated american which never makes sense to me since you are including so many in you and not excluding anyone for example: merry christmas vs. happy holidays, one excludes everything and the other includes everything that doesn't take away from the former
Call people watching your video ignorant, nice one, I'll be sure to give you a thumbs up. Thought the video was fine till you ranted in the comments in all caps. Plenty of trolls, but no reason to respond in mass to your fans as if they are all trolls. That just invites more trolls, really. :)
What are those comments about? Didn´t you say, it won´t be a video about racism but about your personal search for identity? Did I get something wrong? Hope you know WHO you are as an individual. From what I could see, there´s nothing to worry about. "all good" Hayley :-x
I'm German and I worked as foreign language assistant at a school in the UK for a couple of months a few years ago. I was really shocked when I had to check these boxes about my ethnicity in a form on my first day there. This was the first time I had ever seen this and it was really weird to me. It actually pissed me of so much that I drew an additional box on the form and wrote "schwäbisch" next to it. Nobody ever complained :D
Joke aside few years back the gender bullshit was in full steam in the UK. In one university they asked each student how should they be approached with the intention of getting Mr/Mrs/It or whatever sort of it. One guy wrote "Your majesty".
My father lived in Africa for a while. There he had to check boxes for which tribe he belonged to. No race/skin color checkbox though. He didn't know what to write for tribe, but since he is Norwegian he wrote Viking tribe LOL.
Germans take things quite literally. The official was confused when you answered with your parents' races, when he asked where you're from. Because in his perception it had nothing to do with the question he asked.
It's still a confusing question, though. Do they need to know what my last stop was, or - if I don't have a direct flight - where I started the journey, or do they need my nationality? They ask everyone all day long. You'd think they would find a way to phrase it in an unambiguous way.
@@frankbruder3097 it's unambiguous. In Europe we talk about your country. We drive half an hour and are in a different country with different culture and language. It said, where are YOU from and not where are your parents from our what is your generic make up.
Yes, but there are some who would like to see the Nazi's rise to power again. Is that not true? Not trying to be mean, but I think there are racial issues in Germany as well.
@@debraderoos5225 yes there are some people that think that way. But we are trying our best not to give those people to much power and especially young people are trying to make a difference there. In German we would say that there will alway be a black sheep:)
@@debraderoos5225 sadly many european countries electing racist parties. In Germany it's the AFD which is basically "Nazis in Nadelstreifen", who dont have solution towards actuall problems, but like to put an emphasis on refugees, racial slurs, anti-fiminism, anti-ecological politics. If you want to see hwo they work, check out how they repsonded to the pandemic, first they said the governement lets everybody die and we need a lockdown, since we have lockdowns, they said people are cut of their freedom.
I don't know what I shall say. For an European and for a modern German is a racial classification very weird and dangerous. I don't like such classifications. We are all humans and we don't need artificial borders between us.
Germans do these classifications with other words such as Südländer and Schlitzaugen, so please don't give me this politically correct, sensitive pap. Germans racialize to this day.
Same, but on top I am getting triggered by how badly it's done on top. If you have to throw people into boxes, at least be not so fucking superficial with it, that is imho the most insulting part. Calling the descendants of Iberian, Celtic, Aztec, Maya, Inka people simply Latino feels like such a big insult to all cultures involved. And I bet I have still forgotten half of the most important cultures involved in that melting pot of European and American cultures.
Debating if I should keep this up or not...We shall see. I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT RACISM IN THIS VIDEO. I am talking about the idea behind race and racial identity. What it means to me and what it is like for me as an American in Germany regarding racial identity ☺️
do keep it up! it's good to address these issues and to give your view! also, interesting to see how your face has changed since you were a little girl :)
Hi, Hayley, can you make a video about what you have to do in the USA to be able to vote? You probably know that in Germany you will get your voting documents sent to your registered address and your good to go... you can simply use them directly at the polling station on election day or request postal voting documents to cast your vote by mail. In the US - as far as I know - it is way more complicated. You have to register as a voter in the USA first (and state whether you register as a Democrat or Republican?!? WTF?!?) How exactly does this registration process work? Will you receive a voter identification card or other official documents at the end? Does it differ from state to state? Which documents do you have to provide? In which office do you have to register? Is the registration valid for life? Is it possible to elect the local sheriff, prosecutor and municipal council as well with that registration?
When people judge other people by their skin-colour instead of judging them by their personal charakter/behave then those are utterly stupid. Unfortunately the vast majority of the people in the world are in that sense utterly stupid by doing prejudging people by look, heritage, nationality etc. simply unable to get rid of tribal thinking.
I’m a biracial girl that was born and raised in Germany before moving to the USA in middle school. It was such a shock to my system because not only could I not relate culturally as a German in this new land, the white and black kids wouldn’t accept me racially. “Racial identity” wasn’t even a thing I experienced in Germany, at least not how it is here in the United States. Its literally what this country revolves around 24/7. I relate with you about the neutral ground that we’re basically forced into that allows us to have a unique perspective on things.
Most African-Americans with light skin have had the one or other white ancestor. There are even light brown tribes in Africa. And when somebody in a non-white country won't accept me for being white (by chance, I didn't choose it and I'm not proud about it) I would tell the person to get lost. Luckily this never happened to me, neither in Africa nor Asia.
Thank you for the video. Me, a German living in the US, never could understand this either, this obsession trying to put you into a racial mold. Nobody in Germany ever asked you about your race on any application. It is so funny, people in the US talk about equality and racism and what to do better and for me, I want to scream and say, why don't you eliminate these classifications from your paperwork first, then we might be able move on from there. This told me simply one thing. America is not ready yet. The conversation might have started, but that's it for now. Read An American Experience by Martin Bolt, it talks a lot about these issues. I met my wife of 15 years in Germany. To me she is pretty, smart and funny and we're a great team. But only when we moved back to the States I also found out that she is black and I am reminded about this fact every other day ever since. In Germany she was a pretty lady, in America she is a black pretty lady. I don't want this is sound bad or anything, I merely try to illustrate the point that the US will make advancements eventually, it is just going to take a little more time then many think, because if it is changing, it has to on people's own time, it just cannot be forced.
I think it makes sense in some cases to keep track of races in the US. Non-whites were so disadvantaged in the past and still havent caught up economically on . So it makes sense to gave the statistic how many of what "race" are in what college. Or to have the data to compare the length of prison sentences white and black people get. But i work in statistics, so i am biased on wanting data to be able to do data-driven decisions to improve society
The German government doesn't ask about race for one simple reason: It is too similiar to what happened to the Jews. Putting people on lists is one thing, putting them on lists while also marking "differences", that is an entirely different animal. Thus said, there is some discussions if it should start to do so again for statistical reasons. But I dislike the thought. It shouldn't matter. I shouldn't matter more than a different hair colour. And yet it somehow does. It's fruststrating, because if you just ignore it, you also might ignore systemic problems alongside it. Being colourblind is in a lot of way a luxury.
Still, I think being color blind is the only way how we can someday overcome this. Like, I don't mind whose actor plays in a movie, as I am a plot-driven person, and I watch movies that interest me. But everytime I hear someone say "its so great that this actor of color/diverse background/whatever is staring in this movie and everyone should watch it" I think to myself "hmm ... I guess we will never normalize this if we put everyone, who is slightly different, on a pedestal and shine a spotlight on it". If he didn't do that and just enjoyed our media, wouldn't it become just a really, normal part of life?
I am so confused about these boxes people in the US have to tick. What is the point of that? Genuinely curious, because it seems so ridiculous and unnecessary to outsiders.
Because of the history of racial discrimination in employment, housing, education, etc., there are laws requiring these records to be kept. That way if someone suspects they’ve been discriminated against, the government can see if there is a pattern of discrimination. It doesn’t always work as intended and it hasn’t solved the problem, but that’s usually the reason for asking the question on forms.
If you want to know if police are discriminating against black people then it is useful to have a statistic about how many people of which race are killed, incarcerated, investigated by police. Same is true for discrimination in housing, university admission, loans, and thousands of other sectors. In the US, all these statistics are readily available to document discrimination, to show changes over time, and to measure how good a certain policy do reduce discrimination in a sector actually works. In Germany, these statistics simply do not exist.
@@eagle1de227 loosly quoting researches of the University of Jena: "Racism makes race" or more like racists came up with the term to distinguish themselves from others, keep them "beneath themselves" and keep power.
@@ThomasRenneis Viele Leute haben auch noch nicht verstanden, dass auch der Neanderthaler nicht "verschwunden" ist, sondern u.a. im homo sapiens sapiens noch ein paar Spuren hinterlassen hatte. Leider sind von den 2 früheren echten Rassen nichts mehr separat über. Heute gibt es nur mehr die eine mit paar verschiedenen Ausprägungen, aber Haut und Fellfarbe bedeuten genau gar nix...
I’m a white mom with biracial kids, and two adopted girls from Congo. It’s been a hot house for discussions with all that’s going on here. Out of my nine kids, eight are girls. Four grown and out of the house and four younger ones still at home. I am sharing your video with them today! Thank you for sharing.❤️ I have been to Germany but when borders open hoping to take the girls:)) We have good friends there.
I can only imagine the type of discussions you guys have!! Living in a very "mixed" home is amazing and also opens the doors to a lot of good discussions. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the travel bans are lifted soon!!!
nun ja, wenn jemand auf ein amt geht und gewisse dinge will, muss man erfragen wo diese person "her kommt", weil es manchmal einen unterschied macht ob jemand staatsbürger ist oder nicht. und manchmal fragt man auch aus interesse vielleicht. aber da gehts in erster linie wirklich nur um die staatszugehörigkeit, und nicht darum, wie die hautfarbe der person entstanden ist ;) aber sieht leider so aus, als wären für uns "europäer" weiße, schwarze, braune, hispanische,... amerikaner sehr viel normaler als für die amerikaner selber. warum man in amerika sehr oft angeben muss, welche ethnische herkunft man hat, ist aus sicht eines europäers nicht nachvollziehbar. wie gesagt, die staatszugehörigkeit macht manchmal unterschiede, aber nicht wie eine person aussieht. und gerade in amerika, wo menschen so vieler unterschiedlicher hautfarben ein volk bilden, ist diese unterscheidung schon sehr befremdlich. da muss echt noch einiges getan werden...
Wenn mich interessiert, wo jemand herkommt oder dessen Vorfahren, lasse ich meistens meine Frau fragen. Bei einem Weißen wird das leider oft falsch verstanden und meine Frau ist nicht weiß.
There is actually a discussion going on in Germany right now to completely remove the term "race" from the constitution and replace it with "ethnicity" or "ethnic origin".
I think that is better...but at the end of the day.... what is ethnicity? To certain people/groups it means one thing but to others it means another. Some people consider religion an ethnic factor while others consider language an ethnic factor.... hm hm hm
That's like the changes to Affirmative Action in California. They basically legalized to treat people different dependent on their race. That's just like you'd say "racism is fine!".
@@HayleyAlexis Ethnicity is interesting because to some people they are referring to a common culture a select group of people has, while others refer to the genetics that we currently call "race". I prefer the first, cultural one, but, well, it's a mess.
@@ZeroFPV It's more complex than that to me though. It's trying to compensate for/reverse very real imbalances that have been inflicted on people of color over generations, so I get what it's trying to accomplish. Unfortunately Affirmative Action, by its very nature, hinges on the toxic concept of racism. Obviously it would be better to find a solution that DOESN'T hinge on "race", but how do we do that when all the problems have been caused by "race" in the first place? That's the challenge. The United States is only just now acknowledging that it still has a serious problem--not just with racist attitudes, but the entire structure of our society. We could stop saying "black and white" tomorrow (I'd be all for it), but would it change the way Americans regard each other and treat each other based on skin color? Would it erase the fact that certain groups of people have been placed at a disadvantage for generations based on skin color? How do we target people who have been forced into disadvantage from before they were born, and give them _specifically_ room to succeed without addressing that directly? You can't kick someone into a pit and then ask them to climb out on their own, then call it equal. It's going to take a long time for Americans to stop thinking of each other in racial terms as opposed to ethnic terms. I think it'll take even longer for things to become truly equal, where quality of education and chance to succeed won't be so skewed based on skin color. Before we can eradicate racism, I think we have to recognize the real and concrete damage that has been done and make concrete steps to reverse it. I don't know if Affirmative Action is the answer to that, but we can't escape these facts. I have a lot of hope that we'll get there :D
@@Runeless As i mentioned before racism or the need of racial identity is not an american thing but a human one. Humans tend to put other humans in boxes to simplify their judgment. In the first place that was a quite smart invention of mother nature. you became very fast with estimating dangers: This animal is from the tigers box = Danger, this is from the sheep box = harmless. But in the actual modern social relations between humans and society in general it becomes more and more an issue. The old boxes don't work anymore and you have to find more appropriate methods to find a judgement. But it's hard and not as easy as in the past anymore. This challenge had already begun in the states in the 19th century at least with civil war and it still goes on. But i'm afraid at this pace you'll not win any Cup...
I am Italian, my wife is chinese, we live in Germany and just got a baby. Can you imagine the confusion my daughter would be growing up with, if we were living in the US? Fortunately here in Germany this will not be an issue. On another note, race has always been one of the least interesting informations about someone, I can think of: "I am Hispanic." "Great! Now I still don't know anything about you, that would make for a remotely interesting conversation." "I am a gardener." "Oh that's interesting. Tell me more..." When I want to talk to someone to get to know them, their occupation, taste in food, interest in cars, films, books, or flower arrangements are infinitely more interesting, deep and revealing than the comparatively 0.0001% difference in our genomes. I never understood these boxes, that you have to check in the US and the UK. What does this information bring to the table? It is literally useless when you apply for a car licence, a house or a university. So when I studied in the UK and came across these boxes I simply left them blank and ignored them. Once a lady told me, I had to check one, and I told her: "My family comes from Genova, which has historically been one of the busiest ports of the Mediterranean during the whole of the middle ages. Statistically speaking there is a good chance of me having ancestors from Egypt to Marocco, Turkey and Greece, up to Gaelic and Viking ones. To what exact percentage should I now determine to which of these completely man-made categories I belong to? And more importantly, what vital information would you glean from that, that applies to my on-campus housing application?" She looked at me funny for a moment and then bustled off and did her job.
I get where you're coming from and I also wish we could get past all that. But I think one reason for those boxes is to detect racist patterns through statistics. Like if a company is only hiring white people, or if universities are mostly attended by 99% whites or something.
@@legumesss I don't see a problem with a company hiring on a racial basis. They are denying themselves talent (which is scarce). Their competitors, on the other hand, aren't asleep. They will snatch those talented people (of both genders, and all kinds of brown-shades) away and will increase their profit margin as a result. While the racist company withers away into nothingness. Same for the universities. If "race" is what a university is looking for, instead of interest/competence, they will become the laughing stock in the academic circles. Because skin color does not improve the quality of the alumni's studies/peer review.
@@Rajin90 If a business hires based on racial policy, it should be banned from operating in a place where its customers are not of the hired race. If a business only hires whites, it must be banned from obtaining its resources & selling its products/services to people of other races.
If you came to study history, you prbably graduated immedtately.😄 [edit] read the other ideas about why the university would want to know that. Maybe they just tried to be a good host? Many people take their ethnic background very seriously and might feel insulted if the university didn't take their culture in account.
![Yailin La Mas Viral, @kreizyk.official - Dale 2 (Remix) [Video Oficial]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JaYHBzgqz94/mqdefault.jpg)
Let me reiterate... YET AGAIN FOR THE IGNORANT PEOPLE IN THE COMMENT SECTION 😒I am not talking about RACISM, POLICE BRUTALITY, PREJUDICE, BLM, OR ANYTHING ELSE.. I am only talking about how I identify, how my society identifies me, and how I have personally grown regarding those views/opinions. I will most likely make a video regarding the topics listed above because they do go hand in hand with racial identity BUT I did not want this video to be too long and only wanted to talk about a personal overview of MY PERSONAL IDENTITY.
Hayley Alexis Moin Hayley, danke für dieses sehr ernste Video. Was du erzählst hat mich sehr nachdenklich gemacht. Ich werde oft genug nach meiner Behinderung beurteilt. Deswegen kann ich vielleicht etwas nachempfinden, wie du dich fühlst. Womit ich meine Probleme nicht auf eine Stufe mit deinen stellen will. Ich denke, meine Probleme sind dann doch einige Nummern kleiner als deine.
LG Ben
"Your personal identity" should solely base on your personal achievments and your personality itself = on what kind of person you are..not on your heritage, skin colour, nationality etc respectively overall "things where you didn´t have any influence" or not on what other people might think about you...at least that´s how "personal identity" should be defined in an "perfect world"..I know "the world is by far not perfect" and will never be...but in your private/personal enviroment you can do little things which goes in that direction.
Hey Hayley,
das war ein sehr interessantes Video!
Ich verstehe, was du meinst, und die Erleichterung, die damit einherging, dass in Deutschland "Rasse" keine Kategorie ist. Jedoch sind die hier in Deutschland geltenden Kategorien "Nationalität" und "Religion" keine Verbesserung und auch nicht progressiv. Es ist im Grunde das gleiche Problem hier, mit dem Unterschied, dass der Fokus auf eine andere Kategorie gelegt wird. Tatsache ist, auch Nationalität ist ein Konstrukt, das nicht real ist. Nationen und Nationalitäten sind ein relativ neues Phänomen. Genauso wie Rassismus verschwinden würde, wenn wir "Rasse" als Konstrukt abschaffen, würde auch Nationalismus verschwinden, wenn wir Grenzen, die künstlich erbaut wurden, abschaffen.
Wie wir alle wissen, hat Deutschland seit über einem Jahrhundert ein riesiges Problem namens Nationalismus. 😒
Out of the youtube underworld.......am i allowed to use this word ? I would like to use it more
@@badgrrrl So ein Blödsinn ,andere Nationen hatten /haben also nie sowas gehabt?Komm wieder runter.
As a European, I didn’t realise Latino was considered a different race until I was in my late 20s. I think most people In Europe considered them white (not that being white means anything) but with a nice tan.
America’s obsession with race is baffling considering everyone except the Native Americans are an emigrant (willing or not).
@Ksch Koff "Some people are obsessed with race but they are a loud minority of people, there. It usually only gets heated when the media makes a big deal out of it.".....Hmmm....You sound like someone who has never been to the US (much less grown up there), who has an agenda.
"As a European, I didn’t realise Latino was considered a different race until I was in my late 20s. " Oh, it's way more complex than that in the USA actually, legally it's treated as a 2ndry category, so you can have Black Latinos/Hispanic vs White Latinos/Hispanic. Partially because there are multiple distinct groups of Spanish/Portuguese descent, from different regions of the Americas.
Yeah, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, (and French?) are just Europeans, and so are their descendants.
It is the American latent racism that makes all these things so awkward.
At the end someone from Brazil is a Brazilian, no matter where their ancestors are from.
Historically, the US has viewed Old World Latinos differently than New World Latinos. The reason being, the vast majority of New World Latinos have some, much or all of either Native American and or African ancestry. Therefore, European Latinos are "White" and New World Latinos aren't.
Prior to WW2, there was a great deal of discrimination in the US against mainly Italians and also to a limited degree, other (Southern) European people from Latin cultures. This was actually more bigotry than racism, as the main issue was religion, i.e. Roman Catholicism, and culture/language. The Irish, being from a predominantly Catholic country, were also greatly mistreated. As the demographics began to shift away from most people being WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants), so did the attitudes of extremest hate groups like the KKK. (In fact, the revival of the KKK in the 1910's was not only driven by antisemitism and hatred of all non-white groups, but also due to anti-immigration sentiments, geared towards "Papists". Does this sound like someone today? "History doesn't repeat, but it sure does rhyme." - Mark Twain )
In any event, by 1979 the KKK changed its' position and even began to actively recruit Catholics. So, to make a long story short, don't think of the US historically or even today as being a binary society. It's more like a caste system. In the past, in the minds of supremacists, the "WASP" sat at the top. Today it is anyone who is "White" of any one or blended completely European ancestry.
Immigrant, actually, but, yeah.
In the end we all come out of Africa.
I am „German“ and I „identify“ as German, but my mom was born in Southkorea, so I am mixed. When I went to the States as an Au Pair (back in 2003) I had to take some college classes and I had to check this box as well (African-American, White, Asian, Hispanic...). I was so confused and didn’t know what to choose, because it was the first time in my life where I had to categorize myself other than my nationality. I think at the end I chose „white“, because I thought „I‘m German and Germans are white (?)“. Some people told me back then that Americans have to check that box quite often and all I could think of was „What about all the mixed people like me? Do they have to choose one part of themselves and deny the other part?“. But most importantly „Why do you have to check this freaking box in the first place?“
So true! What's the point anyway to categorize humans that way?
Tasmino Ben kleine Korrektur (typisch deutsch halt): Löwen und Tiger lassen sich paaren, man nennt sie dann umgangssprachlich Liger oder Töwe, je nach dem was die Mutter oder Vater war. Ist allerdings nicht unproblematisch und nur durch den Menschen möglich, da in freier Natur die beiden sich nie begegnen würden. Ändert aber nichts an der korrekten Schlussfolgerung: wir sind alle Menschen!
Hauke Holst Wow, danke. Wieder ein bisschen schlauer ^-^
Tasmino Ben Und noch einmal eine kleine Korrektur: Löwen und Tiger sind Arten, ebenso Hunde und Katzen. Innerhalb einer Art kann es Rassen geben. Zum Beispiel bei Pferden, Hunden etc. Alle Rassen einer Art können sich fertil untereinander paaren, sollte es zu irgendeiner Art Isolation kommen, so können auch hier verschiedene Arten entstehen. Verschiedene Arten können sich ab und an durchaus paaren, häufig sind die Nachkommen aber nicht lebensfähig, steril (Maulesel/Maultier) oder nachfolgende Generationen sind steril. Diese Kreuzungen leben also häufig nicht lange. Beim Menschen ist es aber biologisch nachgewiesen, dass eine Einteilung in verschiedene Rassen keinen Sinn ergibt, da wir DNA-mäßig alle zu ähnlich sind :)
that box has to be checked to divide ...
the importance on the "katholisch"/"evangelisch" distinction is probably where your church taxes are going to. You should have told them you are an atheist or a Buddhist or something other exotic - no church taxes for you.
I was able to work around it and basically "deny" it. They were not too happy but whatever... It is what it is.
Hayley Alexis also Evangelisch is not evangelical. It’s the Lutheran church in the US. The German Evangelische Kirche is still quite different from its counter part. As an example the US version does not allow female priests
@@HayleyAlexis I went to the Standesamt and left church the day I was of legal age. Not supporting this hypocritical bunch.
@@peterpritzl3354 me too. I can invest the 30€per month better ;)
yep it's a trick question
I hope such a day will come when we all identify each other first and foremost as people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexuality
Living in the US, I think it is home grown.
If someone starts talking about black community, asian community, hispanic community, white community, then the gated community isn't far away.
My point is that for as long as people need to distinguish or set themselves apart and need that group to belong to, then there is no will to be one nation.
Impossible. I could go on and discuss with you why that will never happen and why it is fair to say, silly to think it even should. But it will take a lot. That idea is called utopia.
I was born in Eritrea (East Africa) and live since I was an infant a happy life in Germany. However, i still struggle with my ethnic identity. I see myself as an Eritrean who accepted and learned to love German culture. After the end of the civil war, I finally got to know Eritrea. Eritreans are relatively light-skinned in Africa and I am relatively dark-skinned there, I myself even stand out within the family. For me, being darker is just an external characteristic, unfortunately not for some I met in Eritrea and it's jaw dropping if you try to bond with your country of birth. It is an inner struggle while being happy in Germany.
Edit: It's not about racism. Eritreans are in general really kind and humble, it's about a few ppls silly jokes that have an impact on my journey
very strong words, thanks for sharing
YOU ARE JUST A BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING. CONGRATULATIONS
Thanks for making this!! I'm also mixed-race, but I grew up overseas until a few years in high school, and those check-boxes upset me to tears. (I think I chose Far-East Asian, which isn't what I am genetically at all, but is where I grew up.)
Black or white I don't care I just love your black hair 😉
Me too :)
She's a beautiful mixture of both - that's the point
@@HayleyAlexis Personally I'd love to see your natural afro curls.
Hey Hayley i somtimes watch your videos with my father ( born 49), he isn't fluid in english but i translate to german for him.
Great topics and cultural education. I would vote for you as US embasator for Germany.
Thank you, that was very interesting. Being the "default" German I find it a very foreign concept to identify by ethnicity, let alone by race - that is an absolute taboo in this country (as I'm sure you are aware)! As a pupil in the 60s I learned that everybody is born equal, no exceptions.
And frankly, I don't understand why it can even be controversial to talk about one's experience and observations.
thanx Hayley for sharing. And welcome to Germany ;-) I think it's good for many people to hear your perspective.
This was posted a while ago. I'm still going to tell you my reaction to this video:
For 3/4 of it my un-ease grew and I kind of wanted to shout at the screen something like "D**n it, you are Hayley, the person! And let nobody tell you that anything else matters!!" It was a relief when you, basically came around to that point in the end, and expressed it in your own way, much better than my (imagined) shouting ever could have.
Hello Hayley! I am lucky you kind of made friends with kelly (does her thing) and in my mind your videos are entertaining as well as informing to me, the funny ones as well as the serious one. Thumbs up!! I am a great fan of you both and wish you much luck for the next time. Stay healthy and i am looking forward to see and hear more from you soon. All the best, Eva
Young lady, well done. I like your comportment. You've were raised well. That is easy to see. I wish you well. Please don't let the world take your humorist tilt away...it's a part of your magic. Your gift. And we need you to keep giving it to us. 😘
My dad was an exchange student to the US when he was younger. He got one such questionnaire on race from, I think, his university. He checked "other" and wrote "homo sapiens sapiens".
Thanks for this "Clusterfuck" (your words :P)! It makes sense and I have seen this video from you as the other ones because I am so much interested in the little differences (which can be best told by people who live in a different environment/society).
agree. ur answer was def weord for him . we are veey interested in geographical things and history of other countries
Thank you for these videos. Have just seen a few of them but I feel that I learn both about USA and Germany and I really enjoy it :)
Oh thank you Annika
@@HayleyAlexis Keep them coming ;)
With all the rubbish videos videos out there (and very superficial) your analysis and explanations are interesting, intelligent and insightful. Good work!
This video really should be broadcast on all US tv stations simultaneously, so that as many as possible sees this important message about how f'ed up the system of skin colour identification is.
Really interesting to hear your experiences and how you think about it now. I like how kept the focus on the one central topic, racial identity.
I had the same experience when I was around 7 years old too! I told a boy in my class I liked him and he said 'I don't want to have half-cast children'. I did not know this word at the time. I am not Black, I am half Turkish, but even to be foreign in any way registered this form of prejudice. I'm so sorry you have experienced racism, you are wonderful Hayley
I didn't know I had to identify myself as caucasian. I'm pale white, blonde whith blue eyes. What has that to do whith Russia? Dem Kaukasus. I'm european.
Exactly. I know people from the caucasus, and they are very different appearance wise: from blue eyed blonds to latino type. Since they are considered as “blacks” by russians. Ridiculous.
@@arthurf.672 The point is "race" is an uncorrect and stupid classification, trying to put people in boxes. Like in Hayley case it does not fit. For me it also does not fit. We all should quit doing so.
There´s in Russia the traditional differentiation into citizenship and nationality: You´re a Russian Citizen of Russian Nationality - or you´re a Russian Citizen of German Nationality - or you´re a Russian Citizen of Yakusk Nationality - and so on. The result is that there were many Russian Citizen of German Nationality who don´t speak a single German word - but the ancesters in the time of Napoleon immigrated to Russia. This system survived the USSR and is still in being - in Russia they have no "Races" because most Russian Citizens of whatever Nationality are - "Caucasians". And yes, you´ve a lot of people with blonde hairs, blue eyes and a pale skin in Russia. :-)
it goes back to the theory that the white race originated from the caucasus region
My daughter is also 'mixed' because I am white (German) and her father is black, he is from West Africa but has had a German passport for almost 20 years now. As far as I and she are concerned my daughter is German, she has cousins in France who are black, but for us and I think for most Germans they are French. I have lived in the US for almost one year but I have never really understood why there
Sorry, hadn't finished my commentary 😂 I don't really understand why in the US they make such a big deal about whether a person, is white or black ... You are all Americans, and race really shouldn't matter! 😃 Nice and interesting video, thank you 👍
I'm a German, but with German ancestors, that went to Spain and then to a South American country to live, my mom was born there and lived most of her life there but we came to Germany when I was a baby. And I don't feel fully German, I lived my whole life here (I am 20) but I don't feel like I fit, but I am far to German to fit in my birth country. I feel like I don't belong anywhere...
Also ich bin das, was man allgemein Biodeutsche nennt, aber ich fühl mich hier auch langsam fehl am Platze.
Eigentlich sollte das keine Rolle spielen. Leider entwickeln sich die Gesellschaften wieder eher rückwärts, statt vorwärts. So habe ich zumindest das Gefühl. Wie das in den Staaten ist, kann ich nicht sagen, ich sehe es auch nur in den Nachrichten. Die Menschheit hat sich so viele Katastrophen wegen der Thematik selbst gemacht. Eigentlich sollten wir längst uns um ganz andere Fragen kümmern. Dir einen schönen Independence Day!
Aber es vermischt sich ja immer mehr. Man wird es irgendwann sowieso nicht mehr unterscheiden können.
@@arno_nuehm_1 Jemand hat mal geschrieben, in ein paar hundert Jahren werden alle Menschen verschiedene Schattierungen von braun sein. Ich wünsche es unseren Nachfahren, vielleicht sind dann diese Hautfarbe-Diskussionen endlich vorbei.
Ich weiß nicht viel über Amerika und den Rassismus dort (also was Zahlen angeht), aber ich weiß dass die Anzahl der rassistischen Übergriffe in Deutschland stetig zurück geht, was ein eindeutiges Zeichen dafür ist, dass der allgemeine Rassismus hierzulande zurück geht.
Gleichzeitig steigt aber die Gewaltbereitschaft von der Konterseite, also Linke Extremisten etc. deutlich, aber das ist eigentlich ein anderes Thema.
@@philoxus69 Das ist Quatsch. Nur weil der Rassismus bei uns jahrzehntelang von staatlicher Seite erfolgreich ignoriert wurde, heißt nicht, dass es keinen gab oder gibt. Das weißt du eigentlich ganz genauso gut wie jeder andere denkende Mensch auch, du glaubst nur, du kannst uns hier einen Bären aufbinden. Funktioniert nicht, sorry.
Danke, dass du deine persönliche Geschichte geteilt hast. 🤗
You are such a wise person. Thank you.
I really like those more serious topics and I am very interested in your views and experiences... so I am looking forward to seeing more videos like that! :)
Well explained Hayley... I can imagine this feeling in your childhood... once you aware this situations to think about "categories". Damn!.... 😥
Thank you for explaining this. It makes a lot of sense!
the "were are you from "question would be so complicated to answer .I'm Greek because I was born in Greece and hold a Greek passport. But my ancestors have been everywhere . My mother has French German and Greek ancestry from her mother and Armenian Greek and Assyrian ancestry from her father .My father has Italian and Greek ancestry from his father and Greek and Turkish ancestry from his mother .My father studied and lived in Germany and my mother studied and worked in France .They met in Greece and I was born there. I lived in London in my 20s ( because...where else? 😍I loved this city so much ) Now I'm thinking abour moving to Switzerland after all ..😉 I can't say that feel Greek or anything alse in particular .I just feel that i am a world citizent .I'm from this beautiful planet we call earth That's is all .I love learning languages and this is something I think I inherited because all my family members speak at least different 3 languages ( I don't count Greek) I speak English ,French, German and during covid I started some online Arabic courses but it's too very difficult for me🙂. I have always been attracted to different countries and cultures food music art languages etc. Where am I from ? Earth ! 😂😉
Thank you, as always. Some good points there, Hayley. You have obviously thought it through. One thing: NEVER waste time on detractors.
Also I am interested in a video comparing Evangelicals vs Roman Catholics.. from your point of view of course.
first 5 minutes only for prerequisites and apologies... just wow...
as germans we have the advantage to have learned 80 years ago that the concept of racial identity doesn't work. The hard way, but we learned it. I don't say there is no racism here, because it's a human behavior to put people in boxes. but not in such an exaggerated way than in the US.
But your family photos were soooo cute! thank you for sharing them with us! you look just like your mom! so beautiful!
Take care and stay safe!
In germany if you get ask "Woher kommst du?/Where are you from?" most of the time we are referring to nationality. So in your case, the USA and if someone is more interested they might ask you what part of the USA you are from. I think where someone grew up tells a lot more about a person than whatever journey their ancestors did.
Thank you for sharing your story, I greatly value your point of view , emotions and thoughts.
You're wonderful!
Some european people here are saying how race doesn't really tell you anything about a person, which is true in theory, but also maybe not. Maybe we as europeans are missing some pieces of information. When someone says "i am a black woman" it probably carries a lot more information to another american than to a european, it probably has a lot of cultural info attached to it that we don't get. But race as a topic is such a complex and difficult subject I sometimes thing americans will never solve it...
I am German, and I don´t care about race etc. at all. What is more important is that ppl that live in Germany should identify with our way of living, our values and abide to our laws.
I have an Identity and a cultural I'm African American. I don't want to rub it out. Its like having only one flower in the bouquet. Many flowers different kinds are ok
Das ist ja sowas von gestört! Dass es sowas heute noch gibt hab ich nicht gewusst! Da sind wir in D ausnahmsweise mal fortschrittlich.
As I watched the first time one of your videos i think " Oh mein Gott, noch so ein München, Schickeria (Sonnenstudio) Video."
I'm still not sure why they ask us about our race/ethnicity all the time.
As a kid i used to put other cuz i identified as Haitian and not black/African American. My parents had alot to do with this since they always differentiated between black Americans and foreign black people. One of my friends says he used to put other too because he didn't know what Caucasian meant lol.
Seems to me the best fitting option to all. We have to differenciate only between equality and uniformity. By admitting every single person is unique we admit to be equal.
Haitians are mostly of West African descent, so I don't really understand why black does not work for you :s
Your parents need to educate themselves! No excuse! There's NO DIFFERENCE among the people who were enslaved on these shores in the diaspora except for the locations we were dropped off at.
I'm so sick and tired of this division among the diaspora makes my blood boil
I think the KVR employee was asking about the country you come from (USA). Never in my whole life in Germany have I had to fill in my skin color or racial identity in any form.
I’m just happy to hear that there is finally just American nationality, that we are viewed by our country and not our ancestry, that it just remains a description ❤️
As a "white" German with 4 white German-born grandparents, I recently did a DNA test just for fun for a famlily scrapbook. My grandparents hail from four different parts of Germany - two from the West, one from Berlin (Prussia), one from Silesia, which today is Southern Poland. Turns out, I had at least one Spanish and one British ancestor in the past 200 years anyway and a handful of Czech/Polish/Eastern European ones. The furthest back, my mother's DNA line moved into Europe from the Middle East around 2000 years ago.
Many Germans would not want to draw a line anywhere once they think about it, especially we lost "historic" German territory as recently as 70 years ago, which makes the whole race and "heritage" thing a bit ridiculous around here. I identify as Western European by culture, human by race.
I guess most Germans like me are just confused by the "mixed" thing. Ever since the Celts, Slavs and Germans moved into Europe, we're all a big DNA mess 'round here, despite what some racists (they call themselves "ethno-Europeans" or "Identitarians" now) want to tell you. So are all non-native Americans from our perspective, and we find the ones who identify as "American" on the census quite curious (the white people who claim they've been in America since centuries and are no longer of European descent somehow). On the other side, the "ethnic" Germans are today spread out over Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands and Denmark, expats not counting. So border, schmorder. We're friends.
It never crossed my mind that this could be an issue. I just HAD to find my now adult childrens' older passports to be sure that they don't say Racual identity. Both definately state "Nationality: Danish" and nothing about religious orientation - nothing about the nonsense words Race nor Religion. What the hell! You're such a beautiful and sweet Homo sapiens :-) (Finn/Denmark) And I love your videos a lot - only this kind of info must be true in all passports for all EU countries (y)
Coming from Germany, when I first heard that in the US you have to give people an information about your race, I was completely shocked. Like, even saying the word "race" in Germany is extremely frowned upon, let alone ask somebody what race they are. And it is even worse if the state were to put that down in official documents.
@3:36 aren't crows for eating, not sending letters, though? ;)
You are a wonderful human being.
I didn't know that something like racial identity is even a thing
yeah, who even gives a shit about something like that? i know i dont and i dont know anyone who does
People made it a thing, that's the problem. To move past it will take effort.
Schwarz und Weiß, die perfekte Mischung = Hayley ;) Sie können stolz auf ihre Wurzeln sein !
Wie die Band "Die Ärzte" einst mal sangen "Lasse reden"!
I will never understand why people think "others" are different because of the amount of melanin in one's skin or 'facial features'. At the end of the day we are all humans that bleed the same color if cut.
Humans can be stupid!
Have you stated WHERE exactly you grew up in Florida in any of your videos? It's a LARGE state. I live in North Miami Beach but I did NOT grow up in Florida. Listen, I'm an American of Afro-Caribbean descent. I've had a southern white co-worker in South Florida once ask me if I considered myself black. (???) Just to add I'm VERY dark-skinned. I was like what ELSE would I consider myself? To add to that thread, I've heard stories of people saying things like "I'm not black. I'm Cuban." That's like MY saying "I'm not black, I'm AMERICAN!! (I have LOTS to say about how the term "American" has gotten weaponized but I digress) I think this confusion stems from the concept of being "black" being perceived as a type of "indigenous" African-American identity -- often with deep roots in the Southern USA. I'm confused about what issue people had with your father identifying as African-American. What else would he identify as? (Just curious but which parent has the Cuban grandparent?) the point I'm making is all of these ideas are culture based. Some cultures categorize people by skin color, hair texture, race,etc. and others more by nationality, religion, language, etc. Are you familiar with the term Coloured as used in South Africa? Racism in kids usually comes via their parents!! I think it was only recently that Mixed Race or Multi-Race was a box on forms. As Martin Luther King said let us be judged by the contents of our characters -- and NOT by the color of our skin. It's disappointing that these issues are STILL so prevalent. The great late author James Baldwin once said "white" people did NOT exist until Europeans came to America. Before that they were German, Swedish, Czech, French, English, Finnish, etc. Race and racism is SO endemic to the history of the USA. It's difficult to avoid.
Kudos to you for tackling this problem, and adressing it in such an interesting, intelligent, thoughtful video.
Again, I really don't get this typical American hang-up about 'race' or 'ethnicity'. Especially the concept of 'mixed' race.
What's up with that anyway?
Not trying to be snarky, or ignorant but, rather interested, and a bit astonished.
Edit: BTW, I definitely am also mixed. I have a more than 2% share of the Neanderthalensis genes, I am certain. What with my rather pronounced brow ridge and strong body hair I assume that I am around 95% homo sapiens and 5% Homo Neanderthalensis. So there, hah, I'm mixed, too /sarcasm off.
Great job telling your story. It's crazy that you had to say all that.
Thanks for the video. It helps to understand some of the discussions about race in the States. For me - as a german - an US-American is an US-American. I am aware that for Americans it seems to be a difference what kind of person one is depending on the colour of the skin. For me....sorry....you guys are basically pretty much the same and simply Americans (no offense intended).
I thought that the colour of skin would be asked in american passports, because that are non-changable characteristics, like colour of the eyes.
That would make sense in a traditional immigration country. But I dont really understand why it is important for schools etc.?
in regards to mixed race.. I am German.. My wife is from the Philippines. The daughter is Irish :D No freckles :D
If they want you to characterize yourself, just write: Great person! Forget about the race-BS. There was never a good ending when race was made a point of significance.
After seeing many videos regarding the usa vs europe from you and others I'm starting to question whether the usa has at least one good thing about it.
Yes, it does. Barbeque. (aside from Hayley)
I would have to agree with BBQ.... lmao
@@phillyphilly2095 i don't know if i trust any type of food in the us... because of the artificial ingredients that are simply banned in the EU since they may cause cancer. Btw I'm not talking about the people! People are probably awesome
Dear Hayley, I am German. And I believe that people have 100 main points that could be interesting for other people. How you judge them is up to you. If you get to know people better later, then you can also talk about the thousands of sub-items;)
The 100 main points are actually all weighted equally.
Examples are: beach or mountains, dog or cat, children or none, death penalty or life sentence, height, weight, shoe size, bike or car, hair color, tattoos or bare, shaving or bush, eye color, romance or logic, funny or sarcastic, cinema or theater, marriage or permanent relationship, single or tinder, ship or plane, democrat or republican, social or selfish .... oh and yes, somewhere is also the skin color ;)
Another insightful video I quite enjoyed watching from Healey 😘
I found it quite annoying that I had to register as "white" in the US. I am Danish, not "white". At least the British have White British, and White (Other). The boxes are weird.
For germans white people and Black people can be american. The one Native American kid in my (German) school sometimes says she's Asian because that's just easyer lol
On the other hand the few black or white American kids at my school in germany say there are American and no one has a problem with it. (Has not much to do with the topic, but it's just funny for me. I believe it's 'cause descendents of native americans are very rare outside of america)
Thank you for sharing
jededer Mensch ist gleich...
Mensch ist Mensch
A very interesting and insightful video. In my opinion it's really odd that you have to mention your skincolor/race on American forms. I mean what sense does it make?
Hi Hayley. What’s up?
You sound a bit like „you‘ve had it“ about a number of things. Good that you don’t give af too much, he he. 😉
A few clarifications: In Germany, you’re being asked if you register as „evangelisch“ or „katholisch“, because the German government is collecting church tax for these two religious entities.
Fun fact: Germany does NOT allow people to register as whatsoever christian while NOT being registered with a church (and, thus, paying taxes towards them). I learned that the hard way when I once answered that I am christian, while having left the institution of the Evangelische Kirche („Kirchenaustritt“). When you don’t want to pay Kirchensteuer, you simply register as „konfessionslos“.
The more correct translation of evanglisch would be „protestant“. The German equivalent of Evangelical would be „Freikirchler“ (of which there may be sub-groups). Just like in America, Freikirchler are religious fundamentalists / religious fanatics.
Their „cult“ seems to be run from America, when it comes to their doctrines. For instance they „believe in“ corporal punishment for children (which is illegal in Germany) and discriminate against homosexuals. Also, they share the odd obsession with abortions.
What’s particularly sickening is that they try to keep any pedophiles amongst them from prosecution by keeping it all under wraps. Pedos just have to „confess“, and then, their victims are EXPECTED (!) to „forgive“ them. If they refuse to, then THEY are the bad guys. 🤮
It’s basically a „check your brain at the door“-dull club of rabid fanatics, who pretend to be harmless towards the outside. Sick nonetheless. Wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Thanks for your interesting insights. It’s certainly food for thought.
Are you planning on coming „back“ to Germany again? Or do you guys plan to permanently reside in America?
In one of her Harry Potter novels J. K. Rowling writes about a half blood prince. But this does not mean a African and Caucasian background. Today the expression mulatto is politically incorrect
One point I realized as a light skinned black man from a super white hometown who moved to Atlanta. It's wierd and cool not being singled out for being black. But eventually I came to two conclusion.
1. White people defined my racial identity because they had guns. One drop of black blood wasn't allowed in their club.
2. If black people were in charge I'd be considered white and ineligible for that side.
I'm descendants of slaves raised as a second class non person in the eyes of my nation. But basically from a distance in a crowd of dark skinned folks they'd call me white. Up close, definitely black.
I'm cool with me. I just try to be nice. Oh and don't be native American Indian in America that only sees black and white. Yes there were native American Indian counted as black and enslaved so they got the generational emotional baggage with more stuff and an even different look. America ain't nice. But we're in therapy. Ire denial. One or the other.
"Short" reaction:
I'm mixed European & African. But it is not an issue here. It's not interesting, I don't care. Most people don't care. Most European governments (from low to high) don't care. End of discussion.
I've been to the US many times. Seen most states, cities and country side.
The US is obsessed with "race", but it makes sense. All American countries do. Why? Because they came out of colonialism. Before +/- 1850, most people on the American continent where or Indigenous Americans or Africans. There weren't that many Europeans. These 3 groups also (had) mixed a lot. It changed with the mass immigration from Europe. Some of the new countries became almost completely European, like the US, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Chile. The first big migrations from Asia brought big Asian communities, like in Brasil (Japanese) or the US.
Conclusion: the whole world now lives in the Americas and because of all the history that shaped these countries with all these groups (especially Indigenous American, African & European) fighting over dominance/survival/resources/etc, etc.... (of course not always one against the other. That's way too oversimplified)...
That's what you get. Societies that are obsessed with "race". It will probably take another 500+ years to get over this... If that will be possible at all.
In Europe, most of Africa, and Asia this particular history never happened. Yes, Africa was colonized by Europeans, but they eventually left (unlike in the Americas. What happened there was that certain English & Spanish people decided to not recognize their kings anymore. The "independence" of the US is nothing more than the result of an English civil war. Same with Bolivar in "Latin America").
Yes there are immigrants in Europe but they didn't colonize it, they were never enslaved, Europeans were never put in reservations. To give a few examples.
Same in Asia.
The only continent that is more or less comparable with the Americas is Australia.
I am still shook that you have to put your race in forms etc. in the US. From my German perspective that sounds so racist already.
To get yet another perspective on the current state of "race" and how Germans think about it, it could be interesting to ask somebody who is identified as "turkish" or "muslim" by his fellow Germans. I guess it's true, that Germany is not as obcessed with "race" as the US are, and the term "race" is rightfully banned from the conversation. But when people talk about the "turkish" people (mostly born and raised in Germany btw) there are porbably the same thought patterns at work as in the American discurse, I think, and, like in the US, I think it hurts people in their day-to-day life.
And, as in the US, this leads to communities often being basically sepreated along these lines.
So its not all good and fine in Germany, in my opinion.
11:05 I think that he was confused, I guess that he asked you for which country you were from and not ethnicity, so when you answered with a skin colour when he expected a country, he just had to guess the country from that. That is what I imagine happened, feel free to ad or correct this.
In Germany it can be misinterpreted when I say, I am proud of my country, but after watching your video I only can say that I am proud that we Germans made the turn from the most racist country of all times to a nation where a mixed persons feels more accepted than in her home country. I shouldn´'t be too proud because I know we have problems with discrimination here also (maybe not so much concerning races, but concerning religions/cultures). But I was very happy to here from such an experience in my country.
The German state will never ask about your racial identity because it's absolutely irrelevant for anything state-related. Any state that handles this differently has most likely institutionalized racist characteristics. It also doesn't really care about your regligious beliefs, it only cares about you belonging to one of the two major Christian churches in Germany, the catholic and the evangelical church or the Jewish community. This has tax-related reasons (the German state charges taxes for these three communities which he then hands to them) and has nothing to do with the state being actually interested in your beliefs.
ethnicity is only where your family originated, everything i am today is in some part of those who came before me, my mother was adopted but that family is still where i came, i constantly hear that some people do not like hyphenated american which never makes sense to me since you are including so many in you and not excluding anyone
for example: merry christmas vs. happy holidays, one excludes everything and the other includes everything that doesn't take away from the former
Call people watching your video ignorant, nice one, I'll be sure to give you a thumbs up. Thought the video was fine till you ranted in the comments in all caps. Plenty of trolls, but no reason to respond in mass to your fans as if they are all trolls. That just invites more trolls, really. :)
What are those comments about? Didn´t you say, it won´t be a video about racism but about your personal search for identity? Did I get something wrong?
Hope you know WHO you are as an individual. From what I could see, there´s nothing to worry about. "all good" Hayley :-x
I'm German and I worked as foreign language assistant at a school in the UK for a couple of months a few years ago. I was really shocked when I had to check these boxes about my ethnicity in a form on my first day there. This was the first time I had ever seen this and it was really weird to me. It actually pissed me of so much that I drew an additional box on the form and wrote "schwäbisch" next to it. Nobody ever complained :D
Joke aside few years back the gender bullshit was in full steam in the UK. In one university they asked each student how should they be approached with the intention of getting Mr/Mrs/It or whatever sort of it. One guy wrote "Your majesty".
@@tchujdenetza "Your majesty, I'm afraid that 'the royal dogs ate your documents' is not a legitimate response to the lack of their homework."
Schwäbisch is a great answer.
Schwäbisch isch jetzadle die genialschde Antwort! Diä Checkbox hädd i o okreitzld! Scheiß Rassäkwatsch. So ebbes geht gar ned!
My father lived in Africa for a while. There he had to check boxes for which tribe he belonged to. No race/skin color checkbox though. He didn't know what to write for tribe, but since he is Norwegian he wrote Viking tribe LOL.
Germans take things quite literally. The official was confused when you answered with your parents' races, when he asked where you're from. Because in his perception it had nothing to do with the question he asked.
Yes, exactly, that's it. He wanted to hear "I'm from the United States of America". That's all the info he needed. 😉
Exactly!
@@AndersGehtsdochauch ... and all, that is of any relevance or interest.
It's still a confusing question, though. Do they need to know what my last stop was, or - if I don't have a direct flight - where I started the journey, or do they need my nationality?
They ask everyone all day long. You'd think they would find a way to phrase it in an unambiguous way.
@@frankbruder3097 it's unambiguous. In Europe we talk about your country. We drive half an hour and are in a different country with different culture and language.
It said, where are YOU from and not where are your parents from our what is your generic make up.
In Germany Hayley is mainly considered as an American. Most German people don't care about the color of Hayley's skin.
and most Germans see me as orange... LOL...
Yeah cause she is racial ambiguous. Now if she had more black features and a darker complexion things would be different
cynamon skye "black features"..... That is so disgusting to say 😐Very racist.
@@HayleyAlexis cynammon is not condemning you for not having more black features.
@natalie storm What have you been through? What black features? What you are saying is racist.
we german have no race-identity, we only have fußballclub-identity s ..,-)
I guess that's why the US doesn't have it
hahaha and thank goodness we're not asked for it when filling in forms at the Amt. 😀
Yes, but there are some who would like to see the Nazi's rise to power again. Is that not true? Not trying to be mean, but I think there are racial issues in Germany as well.
@@debraderoos5225 yes there are some people that think that way. But we are trying our best not to give those people to much power and especially young people are trying to make a difference there. In German we would say that there will alway be a black sheep:)
@@debraderoos5225 sadly many european countries electing racist parties. In Germany it's the AFD which is basically "Nazis in Nadelstreifen", who dont have solution towards actuall problems, but like to put an emphasis on refugees, racial slurs, anti-fiminism, anti-ecological politics. If you want to see hwo they work, check out how they repsonded to the pandemic, first they said the governement lets everybody die and we need a lockdown, since we have lockdowns, they said people are cut of their freedom.
I don't know what I shall say. For an European and for a modern German is a racial classification very weird and dangerous. I don't like such classifications. We are all humans and we don't need artificial borders between us.
Germans do these classifications with other words such as Südländer and Schlitzaugen, so please don't give me this politically correct, sensitive pap. Germans racialize to this day.
@@vodkatonyq some old people do this but it's not normal in Germany. I would probably say: Asian, Afrikan or naher Osten Type.
True. It reminds me of the era of nationalsocialism when people were divided in races.
Same, but on top I am getting triggered by how badly it's done on top.
If you have to throw people into boxes, at least be not so fucking superficial with it, that is imho the most insulting part. Calling the descendants of Iberian, Celtic, Aztec, Maya, Inka people simply Latino feels like such a big insult to all cultures involved. And I bet I have still forgotten half of the most important cultures involved in that melting pot of European and American cultures.
Debating if I should keep this up or not...We shall see. I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT RACISM IN THIS VIDEO. I am talking about the idea behind race and racial identity. What it means to me and what it is like for me as an American in Germany regarding racial identity ☺️
Hayley Alexis Leave it up, you are incredible and this is the truth people need to hear 😎
do keep it up! it's good to address these issues and to give your view! also, interesting to see how your face has changed since you were a little girl :)
Hi, Hayley,
can you make a video about what you have to do in the USA to be able to vote? You probably know that in Germany you will get your voting documents sent to your registered address and your good to go... you can simply use them directly at the polling station on election day or request postal voting documents to cast your vote by mail. In the US - as far as I know - it is way more complicated. You have to register as a voter in the USA first (and state whether you register as a Democrat or Republican?!? WTF?!?)
How exactly does this registration process work? Will you receive a voter identification card or other official documents at the end? Does it differ from state to state? Which documents do you have to provide? In which office do you have to register? Is the registration valid for life? Is it possible to elect the local sheriff, prosecutor and municipal council as well with that registration?
When people judge other people by their skin-colour instead of judging them by their personal charakter/behave then those are utterly stupid. Unfortunately the vast majority of the people in the world are in that sense utterly stupid by doing prejudging people by look, heritage, nationality etc. simply unable to get rid of tribal thinking.
For sure leave it up, don't be so shy and insecure about your views and experiences. ;) Stay safe. :)
I’m a biracial girl that was born and raised in Germany before moving to the USA in middle school. It was such a shock to my system because not only could I not relate culturally as a German in this new land, the white and black kids wouldn’t accept me racially. “Racial identity” wasn’t even a thing I experienced in Germany, at least not how it is here in the United States. Its literally what this country revolves around 24/7. I relate with you about the neutral ground that we’re basically forced into that allows us to have a unique perspective on things.
Most African-Americans with light skin have had the one or other white ancestor. There are even light brown tribes in Africa. And when somebody in a non-white country won't accept me for being white (by chance, I didn't choose it and I'm not proud about it) I would tell the person to get lost. Luckily this never happened to me, neither in Africa nor Asia.
What is your ‘black’ side? Afro-Caribbean..African..? How do they accept you?
Thank you for the video. Me, a German living in the US, never could understand this either, this obsession trying to put you into a racial mold. Nobody in Germany ever asked you about your race on any application. It is so funny, people in the US talk about equality and racism and what to do better and for me, I want to scream and say, why don't you eliminate these classifications from your paperwork first, then we might be able move on from there. This told me simply one thing. America is not ready yet. The conversation might have started, but that's it for now. Read An American Experience by Martin Bolt, it talks a lot about these issues. I met my wife of 15 years in Germany. To me she is pretty, smart and funny and we're a great team. But only when we moved back to the States I also found out that she is black and I am reminded about this fact every other day ever since. In Germany she was a pretty lady, in America she is a black pretty lady. I don't want this is sound bad or anything, I merely try to illustrate the point that the US will make advancements eventually, it is just going to take a little more time then many think, because if it is changing, it has to on people's own time, it just cannot be forced.
Schwarzbrot matter
The whole thing ist going
mad
I think it makes sense in some cases to keep track of races in the US. Non-whites were so disadvantaged in the past and still havent caught up economically on . So it makes sense to gave the statistic how many of what "race" are in what college. Or to have the data to compare the length of prison sentences white and black people get. But i work in statistics, so i am biased on wanting data to be able to do data-driven decisions to improve society
The German government doesn't ask about race for one simple reason: It is too similiar to what happened to the Jews. Putting people on lists is one thing, putting them on lists while also marking "differences", that is an entirely different animal.
Thus said, there is some discussions if it should start to do so again for statistical reasons. But I dislike the thought. It shouldn't matter. I shouldn't matter more than a different hair colour. And yet it somehow does. It's fruststrating, because if you just ignore it, you also might ignore systemic problems alongside it. Being colourblind is in a lot of way a luxury.
I agree
@Richard Lafleur ...that's basically what I said.
Still, I think being color blind is the only way how we can someday overcome this. Like, I don't mind whose actor plays in a movie, as I am a plot-driven person, and I watch movies that interest me. But everytime I hear someone say "its so great that this actor of color/diverse background/whatever is staring in this movie and everyone should watch it" I think to myself "hmm ... I guess we will never normalize this if we put everyone, who is slightly different, on a pedestal and shine a spotlight on it". If he didn't do that and just enjoyed our media, wouldn't it become just a really, normal part of life?
There is no country in europe where race is asked. Not in france, not in dutch, maybe in britain but i doubt it.
In all Europe no official documents asks for "the race".
I am so confused about these boxes people in the US have to tick. What is the point of that? Genuinely curious, because it seems so ridiculous and unnecessary to outsiders.
Because of the history of racial discrimination in employment, housing, education, etc., there are laws requiring these records to be kept. That way if someone suspects they’ve been discriminated against, the government can see if there is a pattern of discrimination. It doesn’t always work as intended and it hasn’t solved the problem, but that’s usually the reason for asking the question on forms.
@@betsytodd3511 But then these laws are discriminating themselves... it's like fighting fire with fire... how illogical
Add a box, mark it and write "human" behind it.
If you want to know if police are discriminating against black people then it is useful to have a statistic about how many people of which race are killed, incarcerated, investigated by police. Same is true for discrimination in housing, university admission, loans, and thousands of other sectors. In the US, all these statistics are readily available to document discrimination, to show changes over time, and to measure how good a certain policy do reduce discrimination in a sector actually works. In Germany, these statistics simply do not exist.
@@eagle1de227 loosly quoting researches of the University of Jena: "Racism makes race" or more like racists came up with the term to distinguish themselves from others, keep them "beneath themselves" and keep power.
Hayley, how _dare_ you try to enlighten us! This is the _Internet!_ We're _backwards_ and we _like_ it! The World is _flat!_
Oh and climate change is a lie from the liberal snowflakes.... ;)
...the "social hatework"...🙄😂
"Woher kommen Sie?"
"Helikopter"
"Ok, Amerika!"
Unsere Rasse heißt homo sapiens sapiens. Der vernunftbegabte Mensch kommt erst noch.
Aber nur wenn wir Glück haben. Auf lange Sicht bezweifel ich das leider eher. :(
Und das ist die einzige ( Menschen ) Rasse die noch auf dem Planeten lebt. Alles andere sind Spezies aus Flora und Fauna.
An dem zweiten sapiens habe ich Zweifel.
@@ThomasRenneis Viele Leute haben auch noch nicht verstanden, dass auch der Neanderthaler nicht "verschwunden" ist, sondern u.a. im homo sapiens sapiens noch ein paar Spuren hinterlassen hatte.
Leider sind von den 2 früheren echten Rassen nichts mehr separat über.
Heute gibt es nur mehr die eine mit paar verschiedenen Ausprägungen, aber Haut und Fellfarbe bedeuten genau gar nix...
Bevor der vernunftbegabte Mensch kommt, hat der Mensch in der industrialisierten kapitalistischen Welt den Planeten schon zerstört.
American's obsession with racial purity is ridicules
I’m a white mom with biracial kids, and two adopted girls from Congo. It’s been a hot house for discussions with all that’s going on here. Out of my nine kids, eight are girls. Four grown and out of the house and four younger ones still at home. I am sharing your video with them today! Thank you for sharing.❤️
I have been to Germany but when borders open hoping to take the girls:)) We have good friends there.
I can only imagine the type of discussions you guys have!! Living in a very "mixed" home is amazing and also opens the doors to a lot of good discussions. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the travel bans are lifted soon!!!
nun ja, wenn jemand auf ein amt geht und gewisse dinge will, muss man erfragen wo diese person "her kommt", weil es manchmal einen unterschied macht ob jemand staatsbürger ist oder nicht. und manchmal fragt man auch aus interesse vielleicht. aber da gehts in erster linie wirklich nur um die staatszugehörigkeit, und nicht darum, wie die hautfarbe der person entstanden ist ;) aber sieht leider so aus, als wären für uns "europäer" weiße, schwarze, braune, hispanische,... amerikaner sehr viel normaler als für die amerikaner selber. warum man in amerika sehr oft angeben muss, welche ethnische herkunft man hat, ist aus sicht eines europäers nicht nachvollziehbar. wie gesagt, die staatszugehörigkeit macht manchmal unterschiede, aber nicht wie eine person aussieht. und gerade in amerika, wo menschen so vieler unterschiedlicher hautfarben ein volk bilden, ist diese unterscheidung schon sehr befremdlich. da muss echt noch einiges getan werden...
Wenn mich interessiert, wo jemand herkommt oder dessen Vorfahren, lasse ich meistens meine Frau fragen. Bei einem Weißen wird das leider oft falsch verstanden und meine Frau ist nicht weiß.
There is actually a discussion going on in Germany right now to completely remove the term "race" from the constitution and replace it with "ethnicity" or "ethnic origin".
I think that is better...but at the end of the day.... what is ethnicity? To certain people/groups it means one thing but to others it means another. Some people consider religion an ethnic factor while others consider language an ethnic factor.... hm hm hm
That's like the changes to Affirmative Action in California. They basically legalized to treat people different dependent on their race. That's just like you'd say "racism is fine!".
@@HayleyAlexis Ethnicity is interesting because to some people they are referring to a common culture a select group of people has, while others refer to the genetics that we currently call "race". I prefer the first, cultural one, but, well, it's a mess.
@@ZeroFPV It's more complex than that to me though. It's trying to compensate for/reverse very real imbalances that have been inflicted on people of color over generations, so I get what it's trying to accomplish. Unfortunately Affirmative Action, by its very nature, hinges on the toxic concept of racism. Obviously it would be better to find a solution that DOESN'T hinge on "race", but how do we do that when all the problems have been caused by "race" in the first place? That's the challenge. The United States is only just now acknowledging that it still has a serious problem--not just with racist attitudes, but the entire structure of our society.
We could stop saying "black and white" tomorrow (I'd be all for it), but would it change the way Americans regard each other and treat each other based on skin color? Would it erase the fact that certain groups of people have been placed at a disadvantage for generations based on skin color? How do we target people who have been forced into disadvantage from before they were born, and give them _specifically_ room to succeed without addressing that directly? You can't kick someone into a pit and then ask them to climb out on their own, then call it equal.
It's going to take a long time for Americans to stop thinking of each other in racial terms as opposed to ethnic terms. I think it'll take even longer for things to become truly equal, where quality of education and chance to succeed won't be so skewed based on skin color. Before we can eradicate racism, I think we have to recognize the real and concrete damage that has been done and make concrete steps to reverse it. I don't know if Affirmative Action is the answer to that, but we can't escape these facts. I have a lot of hope that we'll get there :D
@@Runeless As i mentioned before racism or the need of racial identity is not an american thing but a human one. Humans tend to put other humans in boxes to simplify their judgment. In the first place that was a quite smart invention of mother nature. you became very fast with estimating dangers: This animal is from the tigers box = Danger, this is from the sheep box = harmless.
But in the actual modern social relations between humans and society in general it becomes more and more an issue. The old boxes don't work anymore and you have to find more appropriate methods to find a judgement. But it's hard and not as easy as in the past anymore.
This challenge had already begun in the states in the 19th century at least with civil war and it still goes on. But i'm afraid at this pace you'll not win any Cup...
I am Italian, my wife is chinese, we live in Germany and just got a baby.
Can you imagine the confusion my daughter would be growing up with, if we were living in the US? Fortunately here in Germany this will not be an issue.
On another note, race has always been one of the least interesting informations about someone, I can think of:
"I am Hispanic."
"Great! Now I still don't know anything about you, that would make for a remotely interesting conversation."
"I am a gardener."
"Oh that's interesting. Tell me more..."
When I want to talk to someone to get to know them, their occupation, taste in food, interest in cars, films, books, or flower arrangements are infinitely more interesting, deep and revealing than the comparatively 0.0001% difference in our genomes.
I never understood these boxes, that you have to check in the US and the UK. What does this information bring to the table? It is literally useless when you apply for a car licence, a house or a university. So when I studied in the UK and came across these boxes I simply left them blank and ignored them.
Once a lady told me, I had to check one, and I told her: "My family comes from Genova, which has historically been one of the busiest ports of the Mediterranean during the whole of the middle ages. Statistically speaking there is a good chance of me having ancestors from Egypt to Marocco, Turkey and Greece, up to Gaelic and Viking ones. To what exact percentage should I now determine to which of these completely man-made categories I belong to? And more importantly, what vital information would you glean from that, that applies to my on-campus housing application?"
She looked at me funny for a moment and then bustled off and did her job.
I get where you're coming from and I also wish we could get past all that. But I think one reason for those boxes is to detect racist patterns through statistics. Like if a company is only hiring white people, or if universities are mostly attended by 99% whites or something.
@@legumesss I don't see a problem with a company hiring on a racial basis. They are denying themselves talent (which is scarce). Their competitors, on the other hand, aren't asleep. They will snatch those talented people (of both genders, and all kinds of brown-shades) away and will increase their profit margin as a result. While the racist company withers away into nothingness.
Same for the universities. If "race" is what a university is looking for, instead of interest/competence, they will become the laughing stock in the academic circles. Because skin color does not improve the quality of the alumni's studies/peer review.
Oh my gawd! People are wondering about you're background?! How dare they!
@@Rajin90 If a business hires based on racial policy, it should be banned from operating in a place where its customers are not of the hired race.
If a business only hires whites, it must be banned from obtaining its resources & selling its products/services to people of other races.
If you came to study history, you prbably graduated immedtately.😄 [edit] read the other ideas about why the university would want to know that. Maybe they just tried to be a good host? Many people take their ethnic background very seriously and might feel insulted if the university didn't take their culture in account.