3 ms·

> Who cares? Is this an American thing to always brag something about race, or how much "non-racist we are"? Nobody gives a sh* here. As another European who l

> Who cares? Is this an American thing to always brag something about race, or how much "non-racist we are"? Nobody gives a sh* here. As another European who lives in Asia, I don't understand this European love of blanket ranting against Americans. Yes, the US still has a racism problem. In fact, every country in the world has racism problems. That doesn't make the topic of who can get elected irrelevant. Can you imagine ANY kind of foreigner getting elected into government in China? Or even in, say, Germany? These are different degrees of cultural openness.

mejutoco 4y ago
> Can you imagine ANY kind of foreigner getting elected into government in China Obama was/is african-american, not a foreigner
- plonk 4y ago
  That's true but a black Chinese citizen probably won't have a chance for a long time either.
- strangegecko 4y ago
  Sorry, foreigner was a clumsy choice here, and I chose it because in many Asian countries it's quasi synonymous. People of different origin are always foreigners to the local population, whether they're permanent residents or citizens or not. Maybe I should have said "someone who isn't part of the majority ethnically".
josefx 4y ago
christophilus 4y ago
US presidents cannot be foreigners. It’s written into the highest law of the land.
- DFHippie 4y ago
  This is true, but the hatred Obama faced generally revolved around a belief that he was effectively foreign if a legal citizen and, moreover, a citizen by birth. He wasn't a "real American" -- these were the words used by Sarah Palin. And generally conservatives in the US regard non-conservatives as less American than themselves. The reverse is not the case. Bernie and AOC don't suggest Trump isn't American. I'm curious how universal this is. The fascist regimes of the mid 20th century all demonized a large segment of their own population and put them outside the protection of the state, or rather, targeted them as enemies of the state and the "true" citizens. How does Marine Le Pen speak of the left-leaning French? Japan is a particularly ethnically uniform nation. Does the Right in Japan regard the Left as non-Japanese? If so, does the Left reciprocate, or does it regard the Right as Japanese but wrong?

mejutoco 4y ago

> Can you imagine ANY kind of foreigner getting elected into government in China Obama was/is african-american, not a foreigner

plonk 4y ago
That's true but a black Chinese citizen probably won't have a chance for a long time either.
strangegecko 4y ago
Sorry, foreigner was a clumsy choice here, and I chose it because in many Asian countries it's quasi synonymous. People of different origin are always foreigners to the local population, whether they're permanent residents or citizens or not. Maybe I should have said "someone who isn't part of the majority ethnically".

josefx 4y ago

christophilus 4y ago

US presidents cannot be foreigners. It’s written into the highest law of the land.

DFHippie 4y ago
This is true, but the hatred Obama faced generally revolved around a belief that he was effectively foreign if a legal citizen and, moreover, a citizen by birth. He wasn't a "real American" -- these were the words used by Sarah Palin. And generally conservatives in the US regard non-conservatives as less American than themselves. The reverse is not the case. Bernie and AOC don't suggest Trump isn't American. I'm curious how universal this is. The fascist regimes of the mid 20th century all demonized a large segment of their own population and put them outside the protection of the state, or rather, targeted them as enemies of the state and the "true" citizens. How does Marine Le Pen speak of the left-leaning French? Japan is a particularly ethnically uniform nation. Does the Right in Japan regard the Left as non-Japanese? If so, does the Left reciprocate, or does it regard the Right as Japanese but wrong?