bluegreenleaves wrote:
I was with my friends and one of them is American. She is from Colorado, and has quite a dry, witty sense of humour. She made a comment, I think as a joke, about how "all Americans are fat and practical" but obviously she was playing into the stereotype and mocking it. I laughed and said, "no!" as if to play into the joke, but then I asked, "is it true American and British people are very different?"
Is this racist? They looked at me as if I were really bad and stupid, and then it got really awkward and felt the urgent need to leave. Was I being racist? I have a huge fear of being racist and would hate to be anything prejudiced.
To be fair I think I didn't fully get the depth of the sarcasm she was making, as it was said in the same tone she usually speaks, and she has the tone of voice where she will say things in a sarcastic voice that aren't meant to be ironic, which made me think she actually believed it partly, which is why I said "no" a bit reassuringly.
I have been worrying I'm racist recently, but it makes me sick to my stomach to think I am, as I love people of all nationalities and have friends of all different countries. I used to not think about it much but for some reason ever since starting university I've become more cogniscent of racism and now I'm scared I'm racist (I am diagnosed with OCD).
Thank you!
Don't worry about it so much.
There is nothing wrong with making observations about cultural differences between Brits and Americans.
That's what social scientists and anthropologists are paid to do: make observations and generalities about different groups of people.
Its also often of what stand up comics do.
It can be a fine line, and person can do it in a mean spirited or bigoted way.
Sounds like your friend was joking about stereotypes about her own, and my own, nationality (American).
We are supposed to be practical minded, but we are also supposed to be a nation of couch potatoes and lard asses. She was being self depreciating...which is what a good comedian does. And you played along and started what might have been an interesting conversation. Don't see how either of you were bigoted in any way.
Brits and Americans are more alike than different. But you find subtle differences if you look for them. And there is nothing wrong with observing differences.
To change the subject if someone were to make comparisons between the two in a mean spirited way that was bigoted ...then there is separate question of what to label that particular kind of bigotry. White Americans and White Brits are both of the same race. So hating one over the other group wouldn't technically be "racism".
16 Oct 2019, 6:03 pm
