Pete H

This year in America a teenager looked at me while he was walking by and said " "I hate white people". Heard nothing bad about me being British.

In Australia I was told to Foff back to Pommie land.

Redwing

Not Xenophobia, but when I first lived in TN in the early eighties, I was asked to go to a plant in OH to help start up a new line, and I took a supervisor with me. On the 2nd day there, my colleague told me that his equivalent at the OH plant said to him "What are you two doing here? We don't need you two hillbillies showing us what to do"

Dewey

On a visit to the USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor in 2006 I was amused when the tour guide shouted to a young hand behind me "Heave on that rope you limey bastard" - authentic salty dialog etc.

The only racism I've experienced in 10 years was during a work trip to Pittsburgh I didn't have a car so took the MLK Jr East Busway from Penn Station that serves the predominantly African-American neighborhoods of Wilkinsburg and East Liberty. I was only going one stop but was harassed all the way by a foul mouthed girl, to be fair she has been the exception and I've not had that problem when travelling as the only white person on a bus in Southeast DC or downtown Richmond, VA.

hungryhorace

Usually it's the other way. It's me making the xenophobic comments about ignroant idiot Americans.

zzrmark

I didn't think so... until I had a post removed from a US Marines Facebook page when I referred to myself as a 'Limey'. Blimey

Pulaski

You're just bitter!

LotusEater33

When you say "true" xenophobia, I guess you mean obvious or evident.

I have not faced any such thing; but what I have faced is quite aggressive office politics which has been directed at me. To the point where I feel I would much rather get a job elsewhere.
I have been "ambushed"/"blindsided" quite a few times and it has left me feel a bit isolated.
I do wonder if xenophobia is the driver for this behavior.

Good job I have thick skin.

jeepster

No, it's not because you're English it's because office politics in America can be pretty brutal (you're in a competitive society). I solved that problem by opening my own business and I shoulda coulda woulda done it ten years earlier.

RoadWarriorFromLP

I know someone here who deliberately gave the wrong directions to some English tourists just because they were English.

(He regards himself as being Irish, even though the family came here generations ago, he's never been to Ireland and doesn't appear to know much about Ireland.)

Pulaski

I took it to mean "offensive / aggressive", as opposed to curiosity/naive questions, or relatively mild jabs. If you want to include daft questions then you'd get a whole different answer from me, and many others I'd be willing to bet.

dj6372

This could probably squeeze this comment into WTF America/Pet Peeves, but I have been surprised by the amount of people who class themselves as 'Irish American' you look at their history and are at best 5th generation American

One of my OH's biggest rages against her country is that she is classified as 'African American'

She was born in Arizona, her mother born in Scotland, her father Jamaica, both moved to the US as babies

I quote OH 'How the eff am I effin African!!' Obviously I calmed the expletives down

Philk

A workmate does keep showing me the clip

steveq

Point him to this
British teeth are no worse than US smiles, say researchers | Society | The Guardian

LotusEater33

I feel you're right, but I have no evidence it's because I'm english i.e. no comments alluding to that.
I know the history of this site I'm working at, and it used to have chronic problems of bullying and threatening behavior. So bad that the company CEO came to the site to fire a global Head who was based here.

You are also correct, this is a very competitive society - some people in work blatantly lie behind your back to make them look good or you bad.
2 guys recently did it with me and now I'm considering my next move when really I should be thinking about more constructive things.

username.exe

Not so much xenophobia (because I don't think it relates to my background) but I've seen the same - for the first time in my career a colleague blatantly took my work and attempted to present it as her own to senior mgmt (I skewered that when I found out).

A fair amount of backbiting goes on in the background; I stay out of that. One thing you can be sure - if a colleague is coming to you to slag someone else off behind their back - they're probably slagging you off too.