sjoerd wrote:
    >
    >
    >
[usenetquote2]> > You think there's no racism among Native Americans?[/usenetquote2]
    >
    >
    >
    >

I should have thought that the largest ethnic group in Amsterdam would be Dutch
people....

Alan Harrison

"Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)" <[email protected]>
    >
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
    >
[usenetquote2]> > Thank you all! You've been great. I must say that I was a little nervous posting[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > this questions. My goal is to visit the remote parts of Scandinavia (such as[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > Tromso, for camping and Lapland for scenery). This is why I was a little nervous[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > about being black because I'd be in less traveled areas. I just want to scout[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > about and observe the way of life, same thing in Iceland. While in Iceland, I'd[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > love to stay at a guesthouse farm and maybe do hiking and biking and check out[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > the mudpools and geysers. I've made several attempts to go to Iceland alone, but[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > was talked out of it. Scandinavia and Iceland offer many hidden treasures and I'm[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > not leaving this earth until I've explored them from top to bottom.[/usenetquote2]
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
[usenetquote2]> >[/usenetquote2]
[usenetquote2]> > Cheers... SpecialK[/usenetquote2]

Thank you! And I agree, life is too short to miss out on the wonders of this earth!
Heck, I could have gone to Iceland 10 times by now, but this time noone will talk
me out of it. I don't care if I do get the "doe in headlights" look when I tell
people I'm going. When I go, I'll be sure to post a report and let you guys know
how things went.

Cheers.. SpecialK

Alan Thomas Harrison wrote:
    >
    > sjoerd wrote:
    > >
    > > Miguel Cruz wrote:
    > >
    > > > You think there's no racism among Native Americans?
    > >
    > > I immediately believe you that there is. Here in Amsterdam, the four large ethnic
    > > groups are blacks (many Surinamese, Ghanaians and other Africans), Turks,
    > > Morrocans, and Antilleans (many black/white mixed)
    >
    > I should have thought that the largest ethnic group in Amsterdam would be Dutch
    > people....

These aren't ethnic obviously .

devil wrote:
    >
    > Alan Thomas Harrison wrote:
    > >
    > > sjoerd wrote:
    > > >
    > > > Miguel Cruz wrote:
    > > >
    > > > > You think there's no racism among Native Americans?
    > > >
    > > > I immediately believe you that there is. Here in Amsterdam, the four large
    > > > ethnic groups are blacks (many Surinamese, Ghanaians and other Africans),
    > > > Turks, Morrocans, and Antilleans (many black/white mixed)
    > >
    > > I should have thought that the largest ethnic group in Amsterdam would be Dutch
    > > people....
    >
    > These aren't ethnic obviously .

That reminds me of an essay I read title "Unpacking the Knapsack", or something to
that effect. The author, a white American woman, proposed that since the members of
the "majority group" see themselves as the reference point, they are incapable of
seeing the advantages that accrue to their own ethnicity. They take the experience of
a white person to be the norm and don't see that it's actually a privileged position
with respect to the mean. It was an interesting essay, although I thought it focussed
too much on cosmetic issues rather than bread and butter.

Barbara

Sofia Korsnes wrote:
    >
    > You might be surprised with some curious looking , specially from children and old
    > people If you want to visit the north of Norway and Finland or other small rural
    > places you will be noticed for sure. I live in the north of Norway, so I
    > experienced that way of looking a couple of times, because I`m from the south of
    > Europe (Portugal), dark haired and dark eyes, married to a norwegian and people use
    > to stare at
    > me.Nevertheless, I never felt any kind of hostility from this polited and friendly
    > people. They are just curious !!

I agree with you. I live in Helsinki, Finland and my black boy friend visited
Helsinki last year. He is from US, L.A. Before he came he was very curious about
people's reactions and was very pleasantly surpriced. He said he feels more hostility
in L.A. than here. But like you said small northern town people might not always be
as tolerating than people in bigger cities. Helsinki is nowadays pretty colourful
what comes to races. I have lot of foreign friends from different countries and I
haven't ever heard them complaining about people being prejudiced here.

We also visited St Petersburg, Russia for 2 days and it was totally different
experience for him. He didn't feel hostility as he was obviously a tourist but people
were really staring at him. Or maybe us, we must have been something really different
there since I'm very blonde and he is black. I think we saw two other black guys in
St Petersburg and one of them stopped walking on the street and stared at us too
He must have been surpriced to see us too, who knows.

Anyway, in southern Finland you shouldn't have any problems at all. Have a great trip
and welcome to Helsinki!

Katja

    >
    > Have a nice trip and don`t worry
    >
    > Regrads
    >
    > SK "SpecialK" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Me and my friend are finally traveling abroad and we are going to try London
    > > first. However, London is a very diverse city and we feel comfortable about going
    > > there for the first time. We are now interested in traveling to the Nordic
    > > countries in order to adore the midnight sun, the fjords, and other spectacular
    > > scenery. My question is, how are black vistors treated in these countries? Is it
    > > common to see blacks walking around, or will we stick out like a sore thumb? I'm
    > > just curious to know what to expect. I also want to visit Iceland one day but
    > > noone wants to go with me, and I KNOW I'd stick out there. I just can't myself!
    > > The travel bug has hit me hard.
    > >
    > > Cheers... SpecialK

Rasism is quite uncommon in Sweden and 10% of the population has a origin outside the country.

I don't think there will be any problems at all.

/ Rikard (from sweden)

    > Rasism is quite uncommon in Sweden and 10% of the population has a origin outside
    > the country. I don't think there will be any problems at all.

I visited Norway and Sweden breifly some years ago after living in Germany for a
number of years. I was surprised at the number of coloured/black people there. I
think these are the countries where racism is least likely to be experienced. Tim

Come and visit, you are more than welcome.

I doubt you will experience any racism at all.

/Box

http://www.horizonexplorers.com

Finland may be a bit racist, they have almost no immigration there.

They still refuse all refugees and asylum seekers, don't they ???

Per

Tim Challenger wrote:

    > > Rasism is quite uncommon in Sweden and 10% of the population has a origin outside
    > > the country. I don't think there will be any problems at all.
    >
    > I visited Norway and Sweden breifly some years ago after living in Germany for a
    > number of years. I was surprised at the number of coloured/black people there. I
    > think these are the countries where racism is least likely to be experienced. Tim

On Tue, 09 Jul 2002 11:21:03 +0200, P.Eftevik wrote:
    > Finland may be a bit racist, they have almost no immigration there.
    >
    > They still refuse all refugees and asylum seekers, don't they ???

No. Finland does have less people of foreign origin than Sweden but we do have
immigrants and we do have asylum seekers and refugees. Please do check your facts.

I don't think there would be any problems with racism in the larger cities. Don't
know about the countryside though as I don't live there.

Tuuli.
--
baby don't look up the sky is falling

On 9 Jul 2002 09:36:48 GMT, Tuuli Tuominen <[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Tue, 09 Jul 2002 11:21:03 +0200, P.Eftevik wrote:
    >> Finland may be a bit racist, they have almost no immigration there.
    >>
    >> They still refuse all refugees and asylum seekers, don't they ???
    >
    >No. Finland does have less people of foreign origin than Sweden but we do have
    >immigrants and we do have asylum seekers and refugees. Please do check your facts.
    >
    >I don't think there would be any problems with racism in the larger cities. Don't
    >know about the countryside though as I don't live there.

Although I and my wife are "white", myself being of "pure" Finnish extraction, our
four year old black adopted daughter has been adored in Finland, including a
marvelous acceptance by my family there as another memeber of the family.

Finland has a surprising number of black residents.

************ DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) ***********
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * ******* My typos are
intentional copyright traps ******

On Tue, 09 Jul 2002 17:04:30 GMT, [email protected] (Hatunen) wrote:

    >On 9 Jul 2002 09:36:48 GMT, Tuuli Tuominen <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>On Tue, 09 Jul 2002 11:21:03 +0200, P.Eftevik wrote:
    >>> Finland may be a bit racist, they have almost no immigration there.

Missed the above original message, so hope this isn't OT.

Some years ago, visiting in Helsinki, I toured the Jewish synagogue. Was told that
many Finns *prefer* to marry Jewish partners, because they are warm and
family-minded, whereas Finns tend to be "stiff and reticent" (not my adjectives).
They also do not object to having the children reared in the Jewish faith. Was told
that many of the Jewish Finns were originally from Russia, way back when.

I found that all very interesting, and not at all "racist".

    >>>
    >>> They still refuse all refugees and asylum seekers, don't they ???
    >>
    >>No. Finland does have less people of foreign origin than Sweden but we do have
    >>immigrants and we do have asylum seekers and refugees. Please do check your facts.
    >>
    >>I don't think there would be any problems with racism in the larger cities. Don't
    >>know about the countryside though as I don't live there.
    >
    >Although I and my wife are "white", myself being of "pure" Finnish extraction, our
    >four year old black adopted daughter has been adored in Finland, including a
    >marvelous acceptance by my family there as another memeber of the family.
    >
    >Finland has a surprising number of black residents.
    >
    >
    > ************ DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) ***********
    > * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * ******* My typos are
    > intentional copyright traps ******

--
Polar

[email protected] (Boxphet) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]. com>...
    > Come and visit, you are more than welcome.
    >
    > I doubt you will experience any racism at all.
    >
    > /Box
    >
    > http://www.horizonexplorers.com

Thank you--all of you! I have already made the decision to go, and I'm so excited.
I'm not going to allow my color to stop me from seeing the beauty that God created
around the world. I'm looking foward to interacting with people that are different
than I am, that's what traveling is all about, and this makes it delightful.

SpecialK wrote:
    > [email protected] (I. Wilson Gittleman, M.D.) wrote in message
    > news:<[email protected]>...
    >
    >>I must have missed your original posting, and did not read many of the answers; but
    >>liked your last note:
    >>
    >>You won't be bothered or commented on my anyone, I am sure.
    >>
    >>Until recently (with the eastern European immigration problem) mostly European
    >>anti-black prejudices (except for Brixton in England) were acquired from the US.

Acquired from the US???

Some people seem to be dreaming. As if African colonization did not include a massive
racist side?

(What *may* be true is that nowadays people in Europe might distinguish between
Africans and black Americans. Social thing, as always. Balck Africans are clearly
poor immigrants. Very distinctly second class.
    :-<...)

    >>Anyway, TO HELL WITH THEM. ENJOY YOURSELF.
    >>
    >>IWG (White, Jewish)
    >
    >
    > Thank you! I have made up my mind to go, and I'm looking forward to it.

Good for you.