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02.12.2011, 15:49
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | It doesn't matter if he is in Zurich or Geneva, he has learned NOT TO RUN FOR A TRAM because a brown person running, even in a 3k suit, is obviously a pickpocket and will be stopped. | | | | | I'd rather be mistaken for a pickpocket than be mistaken for a banker. | The following 4 users would like to thank amogles for this useful post: | | 
02.12.2011, 15:59
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | I'd rather be mistaken for a pickpocket than be mistaken for a banker.  | | | | | Same thing | The following 2 users would like to thank cannut for this useful post: | | 
02.12.2011, 17:56
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | I think these are (imho) 3 different concepts: mixed (colour) relationships, both Swiss/European --> a complete non-issue.
If one party is non-EU many Swiss suspect that party does it for the passport/residence permit, but again, nothing to do with colour.
The other is the recent problem with North African asylum seekers, mostly from Algeria and Tunesia, big increase in mostly theft and drug dealing. Massive problem, authorities are trying to deal with it, not much to do with racism, institutionalised or not, but simply an issue that has to be dealt with.
But back on topic, mixed racial marriages for some reason really aren't an issue here, it's common even in conservative villages in the Innerschweiz. | | | | |
Fair enough, but why is a middle class professional lumped in with drug dealers and asylum seekers and stopped by police on a weekly basis? That is where it goes back to racism, for me.
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02.12.2011, 18:04
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages
What's the difference?? | Quote: | |  | | | I'd rather be mistaken for a pickpocket than be mistaken for a banker.  | | | | | | 
02.12.2011, 18:09
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages
(I guess now is not the right time to mention that the brown person I have been referring to may be a banker...) | This user would like to thank NicoleCZ for this useful post: | | 
02.12.2011, 18:15
| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | i really admire your bringing some "facts" based explanation into everything that seems to criticize swiss or switzerland...its all about us foreigners not reading enough, or being uneducated about switzerland or misunderstanding things in life | | | | | Sooo... posting a totally subjective rant from the other side of the fence is perfectly okay, or am I missing something..? | Quote: | |  | | | i cant help to compare US americans to the europeans on these matters. (presumably they come form same cultural roots) americans are much more mobile and dynamic in changing their culture. just think about how non-whites were treated 50 yrs ago and how much they improved, and compare it to the here | | | | | | This user would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
02.12.2011, 18:20
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Washington, DC
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | I can only comment on girls. They are pink on the inside.
I am obviously biased, but to throw in one word: I love it that racism discussions always go one way - the bad white people discriminating everyone else. I can say that I as an European am easily as much confronted with stereotypes in Asia as my Asian wife in Europe. And they have easily as colorful words for us. The one that pisses me off most is actually the Khmer word for Ausländer. In Cambodia they call us barang: FRENCH! | | | | | In Japan, some businesses have signs on their doors saying "No Gaijin". I'd darken some doorways with my white face and get shoo'd away like a flea-ridden stray cat.
Reverse racism in (some areas of) the US is rampant. But if you're white you can't complain about it because you're not a protected class.
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02.12.2011, 18:24
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | (I guess now is not the right time to mention that the brown person I have been referring to may be a banker...) | | | | | LOL. And not to mention that there are bankers or ex-bankers lurking around in this forum.
Not offended though, I have had my share of poking fun at other professions. | 
02.12.2011, 18:37
| Member | | Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Spreitenbach
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | i cant help to compare US americans to the europeans on these matters. (presumably they come form same cultural roots) americans are much more mobile and dynamic in changing their culture. just think about how non-whites were treated 50 yrs ago and how much they improved, and compare it to the here | | | | | one needs to be full of himself or totally right wing nationalistic to groan this post, why does an honest praise of another nation bother you that much?
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02.12.2011, 18:41
| Member | | Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Lutry, Switzerland
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | It's all about hybrid vigour. There's enough evidence to suggest that mixed race people have certain genetic advantages over those who aren't. | | | | | My mother always said it makes for energetic children.  As the product of parents from very different backgrounds, I'm always hearing how beautiful the result is, but it was hard for us kids growing up. Some of my father's side found our very existence upsetting. On my mother's side I grew up far away from them and don't fully understand the language and culture. The community I grew up in reflected neither my mother's or father's backgrounds.
People who know me well sometimes comment that people don't know what to make of me. They can't tell from my name or my face where I come from and this can confuse some people.
I think this next generation may have this easier, as there are more diverse couples having children. But I think parents have to be careful to help children understand how to be two different things at once, and these parents may not know themselves what that is like.
Steering back towards topic  , I think living in Switzerland is cool because, at least where I live, the community is quite international and interested in examining different points of view.
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02.12.2011, 18:44
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages
Maybe it's about time to talk about people who really make a difference.
It's about how racism/sexism etc. work. And it's everywhere, be it Switzerland or the USA. Respect for Jane Elliot for speaking up for so many years. | The following 9 users would like to thank prof. taratonga for this useful post: | | 
02.12.2011, 18:59
| Member | | Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Spreitenbach
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | My mother always said it makes for energetic children. As the product of parents from very different backgrounds, I'm always hearing how beautiful the result is, but it was hard for us kids growing up. Some of my father's side found our very existence upsetting. On my mother's side I grew up far away from them and don't fully understand the language and culture. The community I grew up in reflected neither my mother's or father's backgrounds.
People who know me well sometimes comment that people don't know what to make of me. They can't tell from my name or my face where I come from and this can confuse some people.
I think this next generation may have this easier, as there are more diverse couples having children. But I think parents have to be careful to help children understand how to be two different things at once, and these parents may not know themselves what that is like.
Steering back towards topic , I think living in Switzerland is cool because, at least where I live, the community is quite international and interested in examining different points of view. | | | | |
see, people have these mutations in their genes and they are heritable. if you get two mutated copies (from mother and father) that protein encoded by the gene is no more fully functional, which may lead to disease. The chances of getting two mutated copies increase with the degree of inbreeding (within family, clan, village, nation, race etc)...so, mixing genes is good to prevent genetic diseases (pretty much every disease, dysfunctionality, lack of performance have a genetic component)
Nazi's missed this point quite badly, but this is what happens when you politicize science
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02.12.2011, 21:15
| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | Maybe it's about time to talk about people who really make a difference.
It's about how racism/sexism etc. work. And it's everywhere, be it Switzerland or the USA. Respect for Jane Elliot for speaking up for so many years. | | | | | Thanks a lot for this video I'm only 10 minutes in but already, it's affected my life. Gonna watch the rest now..
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02.12.2011, 21:47
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages
So, my first wife was a Canadian who married a Zurcher, who divorced him and married an American (me), who became Swiss and dumped his US citizenship after she died, marying later a real Swiss, sort of.
Of course there are the half-vietnamese kids and grand kids, the Thai group, etc. (conveniently leaving out the the cousins from various Carribean islands of the darker persuasion)
So, where exactly are we going with this?
Tom
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02.12.2011, 22:09
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages
Four points I would like to make.
1- Why are people so obsessed with their race or race in general? You did absolutely nothing to be the skin colour that you are. People please get over the my race your race thing. It is 2012 baby! I know...I can dream can't I?
2- What is this thing that mixed race kids are beautiful? Are you trying to say black only or white only kids are not beautiful? Less beautiful? Ugly?
Mixed race kids are not beautiful by default. It depends on the features of the parents. Lord know that I have seen many non beautiful looking mixed race kids too.
Also aren't all kids and even all adults beautiful in their own way? By saying mixed race kids are beautiful is in a way reinforcing and making big deal about race.
3- The lady in the video is an amazing woman and I get the points she was trying to make but I would like people to see me just as a human. So don't go out of your way to be extra nice to me just because of my skin colour. That pisses me off even more than straight racism.
4- Good test is to ask yourself if you would let you child marry someone from another race. I am glad my parents passed that test with flying colours.
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02.12.2011, 22:13
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | Are you trying to say black only or white only kids are not beautiful? Less beautiful? Ugly? | | | | | Yeah. Every single one of them. Munters.
Yours,
A mixed race beautiful person.
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02.12.2011, 22:20
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | Yeah. Every single one of them. Munters.
Yours,
A mixed race beautiful person. | | | | | Are you the one on the left or right?  Are the others in the photo related? | The following 3 users would like to thank GoVeg for this useful post: | | 
02.12.2011, 22:24
| | Re: Mixed racial marriages
Scarsdale, I can really relate to your thread.
In some ways, I agree that it will be easier for the next generation - but it really depends on the place. In the travelling world, the open minded world, the curious open world - yes. In small villages (just as an example, but not limited to and not every small village) brown is brown, it's not white.
In addition to the video prof taratonga posted, I wanted to add the frustration of being called exotic, or that people don't see me as brown in this culture. I mean this in a way that "Oh I didn't even notice your skin colour..."
I remember an instance when I was quite young; one of my friends told me how lucky I was because I was half white, (whereas she had really dark skin). Looking back - gee what a freaking compliment (  ).
In one hand, great, I'm glad I'm half white too, because my mum is my mum. On the other hand, I absolutely resent that. Should I feel shame towards the dark side of me? I absolutely have felt like in the past. Now I'm the utmost proud. I don't want to scream and shout it from the rooftops, but I'll say it with pride. I only want that my the 1/4 of heritage that my daughter has doesn't disappear into exoticness, or "nice tan" but she's proud of why she is what she is.
I'm not lucky because of the colour of my skin, but I'm lucky for the insight it's enabled me to have on the structure of this society. To see into the problems a bit more than a person of one background. In one way, us people of mixed backgrounds (and I'm not limiting this to skin colour) may or may not feel the ties or relations to where we've originated from, but have more of a capability to understand the prejudices people face.
Related article http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...answer-curious
ps. sorry if this is too off-topic
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02.12.2011, 22:39
| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: | |  | | | 4- Good test is to ask yourself if you would let you child marry someone from another race. I am glad my parents passed that test with flying colours. | | | | | One thing I can say, hand on heart, is that I don't care who my son marries as long as she or he loves him and treats him with respect and he's as happy as he could be.
When it comes to love and marriage, in my book, race and sexual orientation are at the bottom of the list of priorities.
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02.12.2011, 22:45
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| | Re: Mixed racial marriages | Quote: |  | | | One thing I can say, hand on heart, is that I don't care who my son marries as long as she or he loves him and treats him with respect and he's as happy as he could be.
When it comes to love and marriage, in my book, race and sexual orientation are at the bottom of the list of priorities. | | | | | That is what my mum said 14 years ago. Looks like you are a good mum | The following 4 users would like to thank GoVeg for this useful post: | |
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