Hello to all EF members!

I spent the latter half of last week on work experience with a music productions/film company, covering events at the Paléo festival.
It was a great three days, despite the fatigue from lugging heavy film equipment around, learning new skills related to the industry and speaking in a language which isn't my mother tongue, for ten hours a day, I had a permanent smile etched on my face.
The atmosphere produced by many of the artists was electrifying; their ability to rock audiences, simply amazing! And how things had been organised behind the scenes was perfect - bravo to the events management team involved!

So, yes, I should have been happy right up to the end. But no, four Wankers had to spoil it (excuse the word but there isn't a better one to express how I've been feeling for the past 48 hours). I should have known that anything good doesn't last forever.
The film crew decided that a 'pit stop' was in order before heading home to edit all the work we had documented. I waited a couple of metres away from them as they took their place in the queue at a food van. As I stood there four men, sat at a table beside me, began to express their racist views amongst themselves, but loud enough so that I could hear. "Soon there'll be no more Swiss left in this country because of all these *!**'n foreigners," said the Nazi-looking pot-bellied Skinhead, wearing a black leather biker's jacket. He then continued to say what a joke it was that an oriental girl could speak French, taking the pi*s out of the way I had asked my boss if it was possible to have my duck sandwich 'à point'. I stayed put; my anger escalating to a magnum level making me feel like a mental nutcase itching to get out of its straitjacket.
The Skinhead then took the opportunity to check me out from behind and as he did so one of the other men warned him not to, in case I karate- chopped him down the stairs. This resulted in loud uproarious laughter. Oh yeah, like hell I found it funny, what!? - being Oriental = having the ability to do Karate? Such a generalisation from the white guy!
At this point, I saw the film crew that I was with had moved over to a vacant table and the racist punks had moved slightly away from theirs. I had the choice to do a detour or walk through the middle of their right-wing bubble. I did the latter but believe me the arm of that black leather jacket never looked so appealing - it had a certain sheen beckoning me to give it the hardest nudge I could, so that the last bit of his sandwich would fall to the ground. I looked at each of them in turn, my face devoid of expression. They just smirked as they watched me walk slowly past them. When I sat down to eat I turned to look back at them, they were walking away laughing, the Skinhead herding his SVP sheep toward the public area of Paléo.

What a bunch of morons! Four racist men who think it's hilarious to pick on a 5ft. 2" oriental woman, who was just stood minding her own business. I was stood right next to them, they didn't have the guts to speak to me, to my face. Now, supposing one of them had said, "Excuse me, we don't like you being here, we hate foreigners." I would have happily obliged and engaged in a conversation with them about why they hated foreigners, and finished off by telling them that as beautiful as Switzerland is, some of us foreigners are not here for the long term.

Yes, I could have given them a piece or two of my mind, I could have tried to play the diplomat or I could have given them a look of disgust but with what results?
It would have been very easy to take the guys on, verbally (and physically, should it have turned ugly, thank God it didn't). As a holder of dual nationality, the UK and the Philippines, I represent these two countries and I don't want to bring any disrepute upon these two nations, moreover, I represent myself. Growing up in the UK as the only oriental throughout junior and secondary school, certain people made it clear where my place should be in this wretched and yet beautiful world. It was tough.
I've been the victim of bullying and once I had enough, I fought back. The conclusion was that it was me who ended up getting into serious trouble.

Confrontation versus walking away. Walking away was hard, some might think that I was a coward but come on, why should I expend my energy on people who are never going to change their mind about what they believe in?

People are entitled to their racist views, I'm not even writing here to change that. Let's face it, racism is never going to go away.

I'm just empty.....and okay, I know it sounds depressing but I haven't had the confidence to go out since Sunday. I'm afraid that I'll bump into these men.

Any constructive feedback will be much appreciated, and please, please no moaning about, "oh here we go again with the racism card!". Thank you!

can you do kung fu?

Could you please do a summary of your recent event. I've started reading your story 3 times and couldn't manage to get past the Karate part.

I think you've answered your own question as to what to do in future: these people, like bullies, are basically cowards who only "flourish" as a group so as to feel powerful. They thrive and feed on each other's hate, negativity and narrow minded views of the world.

Its hurtful when you hear such things - I am Asian and have experienced similar incidents in the UK - and definitely unpleasant to experience such remarks.

You didnt react at that point in time, so whilst I understand that you are stewing over the incident, the best thing is to move forward and let those feckers rot in their ignorance and hate.

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Remember when someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, BUT it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and b****-slap the mother-f***er upside the head.

Dear Phoenix, there is not really much you can do against these people. You won't be able to change their minds, which are already set, and from your description of these men, I do believe they belong to the group of testosterone morrons who thrive in violence. If you would have answered back verbally, you could have found yourself in deep trouble.

Walking away is usually the right thing to do. These people WANT the confrotation. They want you to fight, because it just adds to the thrill. Walking away frustrastes them.

I feel sorry for what you had to go through. *pats your back*

I'm white, but my black hair and pointy nose lead to some racistic comments against jews/turks (I could fit in both gloves). The most insane is my husband, the blue eyed blond german, suffers way more racism than me, at work, everyday. Always loud comments against foreigners, Germans in particular. It hurts, but we found out the hard way, it is best to ignore than fight.

Sounds cliché, but don't lower yourself to the degading level of a racist. The fact that you hautignly ignore them will hurt them more than a verbal confrotation.

Remember, the wonderful thing is we are all from a big melting pot, and we should be proud of our etnic/cultural/physical origins, no matter what some morrons might say!

Love (^.^)v

I won't moan, since my experience written here would be very similar. And I am white, imagine that. You won't change them, really, your stoic reaction might have, though. You can only change how you see it, not accept it, but understand that not all cultures/people have realized that discrimination based on race/nationality is a thing of past. So, I do disagree with the notion racism is here to stay for ever. It is not. But some people are more prone to accept medieval ways to treat a woman/foreign/different race/somebody who they see subpar.

Some people say it is refreshing that people will dish out what they think without filtering, without any notion of PC, actually realizing what harm they do. The openness does have another face, and you just encountered it.

I sense, that it was not your skin color that peeved them, but the fact you did you work well, most probably, are confident woman, employed as a chick (still gasp for some individuals), move fluidly in an environment of guys mainly, and try to communicate even though you aren't fluent. You didn't fight for their attention, they as men might have been used to it, or at least to a chick who is desperate to be noticed by them, plays games or tries to be more man than them. You are not their stereotypical picture they would like to see you through, so they let you know. Wear it with pride. Don't live through their neurosis. What happened is just another side of fab life. Congrats on getting a super gig at Paleo, by the way!

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"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

So true. And so hard to do.
I am really sorry that you had to experience that. Especially when it ruins a good day.

I'm sorry to hear about your story. Unfortunately, dickheads like those you encountered can be found in many places, as nice as Switzerland some of its inhabitants are not imune from stupidity.

I wouldn't dwell on this incident, I don't know how long you've been in Switzerland but the chances are that you haven't experienced such treatment up until now and the chances are the same that you're unlikely to do so straight away again. Don't hide yourself away and brood about it, try to get out again. Why not call some of your friends and go out in a group if you don't feel confident on your own?

I think you did the right thing in not provoking these idiots, they may have turned even more abusive if you had, it's best to treat them with the contempt they deserve and simply ignore them.

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Mens sana in campari soda

Seriously. you'll find this kind of people anywhere. You just ignore it and move on. IF you think over and over about the event, they accomplish what they wanted. They didn't want to create a law to get foreigners out, they wanted oyu to be uncomfortable in that moment. The fact that you feel uncomfortable now it's an added bonus to their intent.

So chill and enjoy the good things in life, like lolcats.

The thing is, though, you won't really find this crap in a professional setting everywhere. And I think that was her point. Drunk gig goers, sure, but colleagues you work with? Nowhere I went and worked I would have to deal with sexist/racist comments, but it is true I probably look like summerrain's hubby, in a way

The good news is that it is changing, it is actually quite fast considering how closed off some regions are. Vaud, don't forget, is quite inward culture. And then another positive thing is the nice attention, too, not only the bad one. In a totally PC world, you get the nivelized blah nonsense, here you get both, the really sweet one and than, rarely, the ill taste one, too.

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"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

In all fairness, as judgemental as they were with references to kung-fu, etc., so were you in your description of them...

4 w@nkers might be closer to the truth (literally) but whether they were Nazis is a whole other and perhaps more sinister description.

Eh??? what?

(insert appropriate LOLcat picture here)

Am i missing something? you looked nothing like him when I saw you?

Sounds like a macho pack mentality..I wonder if OP was there with another 3, hot and capable chicks, the guys would be still so strong and ill mannered in their assessment of her personality . I think they wouldn't run fast enough.

The best protection in this kind of scenario is actually play supper slap happy and not try to understand..Then when you realize the crappy smile therapy works, more they try to work you up, bigger grin you have on. And, ultimately more attractive and confident one feels/look. I would have sat right in the middle of them with the biggest smile and "how are you guys doing fab few days innit" shtick.

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

Summerrain's old man for those who are interested.

Why are you afraid? They didn't have the guts to say or do something directly in your face, so why are you scared of bumping into them again? Xenophobia is a fear: They are scared of unfamiliar people... that's why you never meet a single skinhead - he will wear a cap...

I meant Helm's blond blue eyed hubby, of course!

Oops, sorry summer, no I didn't have too much to drink that night we hang out to not remember your hubby, hahaha, but I am right now doing school work and have only one eye here, ay yay.

oh phew...I just saw him this morning and he definitely wasnt blonde.

So who's husband DO you look like?

I dont know many men who'd have hair long enough to resemble you

ah didn't read first part of post - I now have a mental picture of Helms husband

Let's forget husbands, back on topic, s'il vous plait