I was racially profiled at Disney Springs. What to do if it happens to you.

People from all over the world emigrate to the US-all races in large numbers and all nationalities. There are very few people emigrating from the US. This is so at odds with the portrayal of the US as a racist country by ideologues. People do vote with their feet in this case and the votes of these people are i much prefer to live in the US than the country I live in now. If they thought the US was a racist country then why would they hope and dream that their children would grow up in a patently racist environment and be subjected to racism.

They see the US as I do-the most level playing field the world has ever seen populated in large measure by decent people.
 
You are more worldly then most people that are born/raised/ and have never left America. Most Americans have no clue what the rest of the world is really like. America comes across as a very racist country because people yell about it the loudest here. Almost all cultures, in some way, discriminate against others not like themselves. And you are right that there is a reason why so many people, of all nationalities, want to come here and even risk their lives trying to do so. In a perfect world everyone would be judged by only their actions. And many do look past skin color differences but we hear most loudly about those who do not. And discrimination has never been only about dark colored skinned people. Just read true history of this country. Irish people where the first slaves that were brought over long before Africans. Why don't we hear about that? First is was the Irish that were "beneath" others, then it was the Italians, then the Chinese. Egyptians enslaved their own people. It goes on and on. This is one of the worst parts of human nature. You would think that humans would have evolved by now. The best thing that anyone can do is to act like you want to be treated. If you want to be treated with respect and dignity, then act with respect and dignity and be above the racist. FYI, I am in no way saying that the OP was acting in any way wrong. This is just a general statement learned from being raised by immigrants to this country that have dealt with discrimination.
I liked your post but I also am not sure about the Irish. Many were likely indentured servants that were treated as slaves and others had committed some crime and were sold in the New World as slaves.

The British Isles have a long history of slavery and Britain was the biggest player in the West African slave trade and the Irish trade.

The purges from Ireland were based on their Catholicism and the condescending view of the British to the Irish. Eye witness reports at the time do document that these Irish were treated with extreme prejudice.

Many of our ancestors came to the US during religious purges (Catholics/Jesuits etc) when it was a British colony with an agrarian economy based on slavery of one form or another. James II, Charles I, and Cromwell apparently wanted to scour the Isles of Catholics. Since they were the winners at that time they wrote the history that is passed down to us.
 
People from all over the world emigrate to the US-all races in large numbers and all nationalities. There are very few people emigrating from the US. This is so at odds with the portrayal of the US as a racist country by ideologues. People do vote with their feet in this case and the votes of these people are i much prefer to live in the US than the country I live in now. If they thought the US was a racist country then why would they hope and dream that their children would grow up in a patently racist environment and be subjected to racism.

They see the US as I do-the most level playing field the world has ever seen populated in large measure by decent people.
I don't see this discussion as another version of "America, love it or leave it". Just as you can see faults in your children, one can see faults in your motherland.
 
Just wondering, why would you be "terrified", if you weren't carrying a gun??? Wouldn't you just say "no"?
I would ofcourse say ‘No’ but I would be concerned about how the uniformed person could potentially react. I think it would be a combination of the ‘officer’s’ failure to identify him/herself, my inability to identify his/her uniform and the no introduction, direct question ‘do you have a gun’. As a foreign visitor I would not be aware of what the protocols are, what the ‘officer’ should do, what his powers are, what I should do etc. I also think that it is a cultural thing. I am just not used to seeing police officers carrying weapons. It is still quite unusual here and ofcourse we have very different gun laws. For some reason ( maybe Hollywood?), I have no fear of British police but I am wary of US police (maybe that is a good thing from a law enforcement standpoint?). I think maybe that British police do a lot more than ‘law enforcement’ and are more involved in local communities.
British police do come under scrutiny for things like Hillsborough and political/celebrity sexual abuse investigations etc but it is rare to hear of innocent citizens being shot. I think that they are portrayed by the British film and television industry differently. Also police here wear an easily identifiable uniform and if not in uniform would immediately show their badge for inspection. That offers me some comfort.
If anyone is to blame for my perception of US police, I would lay the blame at Hollywood’s door rather than the news media.
Anyway, if during my next holiday to the US, a person in uniform approaches me and asks ‘do you have a gun?’ at least now, thanks to the OP and others, I know how to react.
 


I don't see this discussion as another version of "America, love it or leave it". Just as you can see faults in your children, one can see faults in your motherland.
But there is a problem when you only see faults and magnify those faults to an unreasonable level. There will never be a perfect child (maybe someone will disagee in the case of their child :)) and there will never be a perfect Utopia on Earth. The US is not a racist country populated by ignorant racists but that is how it is often portrayed these days.

If you want to attack the major players in the slave trade world wide through history the US would in no way be your target. Theway it comes across is that the US is a hated global evil because it is a racist country. That is ridiculous.
 
I would ofcourse say ‘No’ but I would be concerned about how the uniformed person could potentially react. I think it would be a combination of the ‘officer’s’ failure to identify him/herself, my inability to identify his/her uniform and the no introduction, direct question ‘do you have a gun’. As a foreign visitor I would not be aware of what the protocols are, what the ‘officer’ should do, what his powers are, what I should do etc. I also think that it is a cultural thing. I am just not used to seeing police officers carrying weapons. It is still quite unusual here and ofcourse we have very different gun laws. For some reason ( maybe Hollywood?), I have no fear of British police but I am wary of US police (maybe that is a good thing from a law enforcement standpoint?). I think maybe that British police do a lot more than ‘law enforcement’ and are more involved in local communities.
British police do come under scrutiny for things like Hillsborough and political/celebrity sexual abuse investigations etc but it is rare to hear of innocent citizens being shot. I think that they are portrayed by the British film and television industry differently. Also police here wear an easily identifiable uniform and if not in uniform would immediately show their badge for inspection. That offers me some comfort.
If anyone is to blame for my perception of US police, I would lay the blame at Hollywood’s door rather than the news media.
Anyway, if during my next holiday to the US, a person in uniform approaches me and asks ‘do you have a gun?’ at least now, thanks to the OP and others, I know how to react.
Yes probably best if asked not to put your hand in your pocket and use your finger to pretend you have a gun there. :)
 
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Yes probably best if asked not to put your hand in your pocket and use your finger to pretend you have a gun there. :)
A long time ago, when Disney still sold guns in Frontierland, someone purchased a toy rifle for my young son. I packed it in our hold luggage for the return flight. As we were waiting at the airline gate, my young daughter’s name was called (a Welsh name😉). I was marched off by security (with real guns) to a secure area and asked to open the suitcase. The x ray machine had spotted the toy gun. In Paris rather than Orlando. We still laugh about it now.
 
If that is you in your avatar, your privilege is being a white woman. Only those who are privileged can claim "I didn't have any privilege's" all while enjoying privilege by virtue of their skin color.

I think being make is the greatest privilege.
 
A long time ago, when Disney still sold guns in Frontierland, someone purchased a toy rifle for my young son. I packed it in our hold luggage for the return flight. As we were waiting at the airline gate, my young daughter’s name was called (a Welsh name😉). I was marched off by security (with real guns) to a secure area and asked to open the suitcase. The x ray machine had spotted the toy gun. In Paris rather than Orlando. We still laugh about it now.
Wow. Trying to smuggle Disney weapons through Paris. :)

When I travel back from the US. I usually have an Action Packer shipping container as an extra checked bag and I always have one transfer usually in Amsterdam. I buy two high quality TSA approved locks to secure it. Every time now the locks are cut off the container and so unsecured when I grab it from the carousel. I thought it might be in The US for my first flight but it may be happening in Amsterdam. In any event no more Tumi TSA approved locks. I will just buy cheap ones expecting somewhere they will be cut off.

Many years ago I was on a flight from Tunis to Frankfurt to catch a transfer flight and this first flight had a short stop in Munich. I was sitting next to a German business man who had factories in Tunisia (not sure now but then PLO headquarters was in Tunis and it seemed like every kid 18 or over was carrying a Kalashnikov).

The man said you really should get off in Munich since Oktoberfest now. I said my bags are checked through so I can’t. After a minute of thought I said you know you are right I will get off in Munich. I did and WOW- never regretted it. In those days in Frankfurt you had to identify your checked luggage on the tarmac before they would load in the hold. If unclaimed it went to some type of explosion proof area for a few days. So when I was drinking beer on the Munich fairgrounds my luggage was being hustled to their secure area. I received my luggage in the US after a week or so but never regretted it for a second.
 
You do understand that 1.5 MM is about .4% of the US population?
Yet those are the people that you brought into the conversation.

Privilege implies someone received something that wasn’t earned. No one ever gave me anything that wasn’t earned.
What you were given was the opportunity to earn what you earned unimpeded.
 
Sorry but I didn’t bring any people into the conversation. I shared my personal experience. If you think my experience has any value then fine and if you don’t that is also fine.
 
As someone who fits the profile of the assumed least threatening - older white female - I can only say how sorry I am. I believe you were profiled. I believe it was unfair. Neither of us is going to do anything more than a little shopping at Disney Springs, but my guess is that you have spent a lifetime on alert in a way I have not. We've still got a long way to go. Sigh.
 
The monarchy wasn’t overly keen on the Welsh either😂.
I worked a few years ago with a huge guy from Wales (we shared a few beers together also) that was an equally huge rugby fan. He was always so happy when Wales beat Britain. He told me one time with chagrin in his voice that his daughter had married a guy on Britain’s rugby team. :)
 
Privilege implies someone received something that wasn’t earned. No one ever gave me anything that wasn’t earned. I often worked 40 hours/week at McDonalds (until close often) during the school year in high school. I worked very hard for everything I ever had and hate when people cheapen my efforts by claimingI enjoyed a privilege. If you did fine but I didn’t. .

I think the point is being missed. No one is trying to discredit your hard work or time in Africa. The point is that if a person is white, they have inherent privilege. You may not reap the benefits of it or feel any differently because of it, but it's the bar that's been set in America for hundreds of years.
 
People from all over the world emigrate to the US-all races in large numbers and all nationalities. There are very few people emigrating from the US. This is so at odds with the portrayal of the US as a racist country by ideologues. People do vote with their feet in this case and the votes of these people are i much prefer to live in the US than the country I live in now. If they thought the US was a racist country then why would they hope and dream that their children would grow up in a patently racist environment and be subjected to racism.

They see the US as I do-the most level playing field the world has ever seen populated in large measure by decent people.



I grew up believing that racism was in the past but came to realize that racism in the US is prevalent and now well documented thanks to the prevalence of cell phones, the internet, and a 24 hour news cycle. It’s undeniable.

I can admit this, recognize it, and work to change it, while also recognizing that it is still among the better places on earth to live. The number of people coming here isn’t a statement on our progress to equality as much as a statement of how much worse conditions still are in other parts of the world.
 
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I think the point is being missed. No one is trying to discredit your hard work or time in Africa. The point is that if a person is white, they have inherent privilege. You may not reap the benefits of it or feel any differently because of it, but it's the bar that's been set in America for hundreds of years.
That was only a small part of my observations. As I noted people from every racial group including Africa emigrate in large numbers to the US. They send their pregnant wives to the US so their children will have US citizenship. The US has masses of people immigrating but very few people emigrating. This is true because each and every racial group around the world sees the US as the most level playing field that exists anywhere in the world. Would Africans choose this course if they believed they were sending their children to a racist country and their children would have to endure pernicious racism. Of course not. People in this case vote with their feet and the vote is overwhelmingly in favor of the US.

CNN is everywhere in the world and people see on CNN ad nauseam about US racism. They discount the importance of these comments and do all they can to get US citizenship at least for their children if not themselves.
 
I grew up believing that racism was in the past but came to realize that racism in the US is prevalent and now well documented thanks to the prevalence of cell phones, the internet, and a 24 hour news cycle. It’s undeniable.

I can admit this, recognize it, and work to change it, while also recognizing that it is still among the better places on earth to live. The number of people coming here isn’t a statement on our progress to equality as much as a statement of how much worse conditions still are in other parts of the world.
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Are you suggesting by this that racism is worse against Africans in Africa than in the US so Africans escape to the US to escape even worse racism in their home countries?
 

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