To think a white person can be racist against another white person?

[haveamooch]

I'm white. I have dark, deep olive skin. I'm darker than all of my close friends, two of which are Pakistani. My background is white - Mediterranean. I've been mistaken for Palestinian because of dark skin but light eyes.

Throughout my childhood, teens and occasionally as an adult, I've had 'racist' comments from school mates, other adults, etc. But it isn't actually racist, as far as I know, since they're white just like me.

A few comments that I've received off the top of my head are

'You're just like them, but darker so not as porcelain like and angelic!'

'You could pass for an Asian 100%'

'Katie looks better in the same swimsuit, she's blonde and whiter'

'You're just like us, really. But your skin isn't! Haha, must be nice to be brown all the time'

'I think whiter skin looks purer'

'Is your fanny dark then?'

'I've never fucked a foreigner before'

A few more that I won't repeat that are just hurtful.

AIBU to think white people can be racist towards other people of the exact same race that just look different?

I grew up in the EastEnd.

Yes you can I've had the same myself.

Well it’s only racism if you’re of a different race, as far as I’m aware.
Dickish comments though.

I’m confused - who said they can’t be? I don’t think that’s a common presumption.

Xenophobia is certainly commonplace.

English people don’t generally see other Europeans as the ‘same’ as them, whether that’s Italian people or Polish people. I mean even Irish or Scottish people face negativity from the English.

It’s racism in the sense that they’re attributing negative qualities to you based solely on what they perceive to be your race, it’s just that in this case you happen not to be that race.

Lhas In addition to that, I've had English people who're comfortable in reference to Italians/Spanish Greeks, but look down their noses at people from countries such as Poland etc. I'm not really sure why exactly

I'm not sure about racist, but definitely ignorant and sometimes disgusting.

Just enjoy your exotic looks and ignore them.

I don’t think so! It sounds really weird, but maybe once you start noticing you kind of make more of it than’s intended?

I’m very very pale. Fair hair, white skin but not in a porcelain way, in a massive black bags under my eyes way. I get asked if I’m ill a lot. Weird thing is, my great grandma comes from Nigeria. You’d never never know, even my mum you’d never know, but she at least tans. I don’t. No ones ever asked anything about my fanny, or mentioned that I look purer.

Personally perhaps they’re jealous. If I could choose a skin tone, I’d choose the one you describe yours as.

• For example when I about 16/17 and working in Next, helping a man choose between two pairs of jeans. He was chatting away to me and then asked where I'm from, meaning as always, why I have caramel skin. He replied with "Oh I don't like foreigners but you're one of us really! We love to holiday there. Such nice people"

Yes

I've been living rurally a while and noticed more casual racism than when I lived in a city.

I've noticed that even young people around here say "coloured" and I find it very cringey.

I've been asked who "the coloured girl" is "I've not seen her before" about a girl I work with by people visiting

She is White British and has a light permatan/Olive skin

I just correct them by using her name because if I go further and say she's white, they doubt me and make further rude statements of "must have some heritage somewhere"

She gets people insisting that a lot, it must do her head in.

A comment can be racist or xenophobic if they perceive you to be from another race or country.

'You're just like them, but darker so not as porcelain like and angelic!'

Someone actually said this to you?? 🤔

I've had the same as I'm fairly olive. A co worker once said I was dusky and like a chocolate drop which was a tad unsettling. I've been told I looked Indian etc. I don't think it's racist but it's definitely colourist so to speak.

There was an interesting program on the world service a while since about how darker girls in the black community had been made to feel less attractive than their lighter skinned contemporaries.

We're an odd species really, always focusing on our differences rather than what binds us.

My dad is quarter Asian. (His mum was the illegitimate child of a white woman and Asian man, she was put up for adoption)
So I'm part Asian.
To look at me you wouldn't have a clue that my biological great grandfather was Asian.
No one seems to grasp that I find some things personally offensive
They seem to think that because I'm white I will hold those views.
I think racism is deeply ingrained in a lot of people. They're either blatantly racist (my dad is very noticeably of Asian descent and has been called some absolutely disgusting names) or they believe everyone holds the same views
So many people get defensive when I challenge them and when I explain my heritage they say "well you're not really one of them" or "well you look white so it's ok"

So YANBU. Some people are just abhorrent.

@haveamooch

Probably jealous of your lovely exotic looks. I am pasty and have mousy hair, and am well-jell of people who look like you.

If I recall laws about equal treatment in the workplace can cover people being discriminated against because they are perceived to be Asian/Jewish/gay etc even when they're not.

Well it’s only racism if you’re of a different race, as far as I’m aware.

Humans don't have races, you can't be of a different race to someone else. Racism is the (incorrect) belief that race exists and is deterministic of character.

Clearly at least some of these comments presume OP is of different race, they are equally stupid even if OP's family origin is not what they presume. I'm sure they are equally unpleasant too.

Auschwitz etc was not colour driven. As an example of white on white racism the whole holocaust is unparalleled in history

Yes, of course. The same way women can be sexist against other women, and black people can be racist against other black people. And especially in your case, where people are making false assumptions about your race. They are definitely being race, and you are the target of that.

I am fair with light hair and eyes. Quite Scandinavian looking if anything. However I am from a non EU country although you'd never know unless I told you.

I was relentless bullied throughout school because of it so yes definitely been on the receiving end of racism from white people.

I have been told to go back to my own country. I was born here have blonde hair and blue eyes but I lived in several countries as a child and I have a different accent. My younger sisters speak differently to me.They were born in different countries but spent more time here.

I hate racism. Some people are just ignorant.

The construct of race is to do with how you are perceived by your society, not some idea of "actual" biological race or genetic heritage. As a PP has said, there isn't actually such a thing as "races" of humans - its a social construct.

So a white person who pecieves you as belonging to a different race can most certainly be being racist towards you, even if you pecieve yourself as belonging to the same race as them.

In your example, yes. They might be wrong about your race, but that doesn't take away the racism that inspired their comments. Plus all the occurrences of white people from one country/ religion being racist towards those from other countries.

OP - the answer is "yes".

Have had these discussions since I was a teen.

Of course they can. Ask the Irish. I'm sure any older than 60 remember the 'no Irish, no blacks, no dogs' signs hung outside landlord's properties

Came here to say the same thing as lboogy.

Red haired, with distinctive 'Irish' features, I have had comments.

Growing up during the worst of 'The Troubles', there was definite racism.