Has anyone here never felt discriminated against?

[johnnie]

I was curious if there is anyone here that has never felt like they were discriminated against? Just askin...

[Mabus]

1. Yes.

[knowbody0]

2. been shopping 14 years at same little store

5 employees. i get asked for id every time. im an indian and im used to it.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. There are times that people don't realize they are being discriminated

against.

[kick-ass-bob]

4. I have.

When I was a kid I had long hair.

That was apparently the sign of the devil in NC.

[nini]

5. A professor tried to talk me out of majoring in computer science

because it was a MAN'S line of work and I'd have a hard time dealing with the environment :eyes: He was extra tough on me trying to get me to back down.

Showed him.. 13 years in the industry and holding my own.

[DanGough]

6. Discrimination

Yes I have at of all places, church. I belong to a Catholic parish in Elk Grove, CA. I was told by several parishioners in the parking lot to take my Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker off as he supported abortion rights. I told them to take a hike, nicely of course.

[yardwork]

7. I don't feel discriminated against very often, but sometimes

it is totally, 100%, absolutely clear that the person I'm dealing with thinks less of me because I'm a woman. That doesn't happen very often where I live, but it still happens sometimes.

It's more common for me to feel discriminated against for being a "damn yankee" when I go out into the rural parts of NC, but until very recently that never bothered me.

[AlamoDemoc]

8. every day, every hour

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. I've learned to use it to my advantage.

I use to dress down when I needed to go to Burdines to make big clothing purchases. Even at peak Christmas time I never had trouble getting an attendant!

[MindPilot]

10. Yes. Atheist vietnam veteran

I was once told "sorry, we don't hire veterans."

I can remember when it was tough for a single guy to get a job...married men are "more stable" so they said. Translation: if you're single, you're probably gay. I was once fired for "being queer". I'm straight, but was the victim of a prank. "I don't need the kind the people around who invite that sort of thing" the boss told me. The prank? I was a tech at a car dealer...someone used a Sharpie to write "faggot" under the name on all my uniform shirts.
The boss was a Texan. Surprised?

And of course Poppy Bush's famous "I don't think Atheists should be considered citizens..."

[wakfs]

11. I was raised Jewish...

and have an obviously-Jewish last name. One time in a local 24-hour gas mart I handed the middle-eastern-looking clerk my credit card. He looked at, looked at me and said in a thick accent, "You're Jewish, right?" I nodded uh-huh, suspiciously (even though I'm an avowed atheist). He replied, "You are my enemy." He then cheerfully completed the sale and I walked out, a little shell-shocked.

Not sure if that counts as discrimination, but it made me feel very creepy.

[Politicub]

12. Absolutely

Just recently as a matter of fact. I live in GA, but my company is headquartered in San Francisco.

My partner of 10 years got laid off from his job, and I tried to use my DP benefits to insure him. Though my company offered the DP benefits as part of my employment offer, the insurance company here, Humana, refused to add him, citing GA law that doesn't allow insurers to cover non married dependents.

This was so bogus, because even the city of Atlanta offers DP benefits. Anyway, it took about a month to deal with. I complained to the insurance commissioner in GA, but he cited the same law as Humana.

My company made good on its commitment to me.

But I still felt so second class. The state of CA insurance commissioner was eventually brought in, and someone from that office was wonderful in working with me. CA is light years beyond the south in terms of civil rights.

No one should have to deal with state sponsored bigotry.

[NoSheep]

13. YES! For carrying a guitar on an airplane! You can take a baby stroller

anywhere...but look like a hippie, carry a guitar, forget it! And that was way before 9-11
Also, I don't have kids. My brother and 2 sisters do. I'm NOT one of them. My mother treats my relationship and life as if it will only be legitimate when I procreate.
I am also discriminated against because I'm relatively thin and have blond hair. I am automatically perceived to be an idiot!
I am discriminated against in a crowd of yoo-hoos because I'm smart.
OH, I could go on.
Child of divorced parents.
Working poor.
Southern accent.
DAMN!

[johnnie]

14. I appreciate all the responses here but

I was curious if anyone never felt it. trust me, I know there is a lot of bullshit discrimination out there. I was curious as to what type of people don't get it.

[TX-RAT]

17. Never, and i was a prime target.

1/2 Mexican 1/2 White
Vietnam veteran
Retired Sheriffs department
8 yrs County Judge in a mostly white county.

[NoSheep]

19. OOOoooh.

[Phillycat]

23. You might try not posting a double negative, then.

I knew what you meant but I had to translate it in my head. Your question was very unclear. You might have asked something like, "Has anyone hear gone through their entire lives without being discriminated against?"

[johnnie]

25. What's my double negative?

I'm the first to admit I'm not the grammar king, but I didn't know that I had a double negative going on there.

[Mabus]

33. It's not so much a double negative

as much as it is people's perception of the question. People saw EVER not NEVER. I had to read it twice to make sure I was reading it right.

Perhaps it would have been less confusing if you had asked, "Are there situations where you thought you'd be discriminated against but weren't?" or "Is discrimination something you haven't experienced?"

[Mabus]

31. The rest of my answer.

I have not felt discriminated against online. I chose my screen name because it is not gender specific. I have had wonderful exchanges on forums such as these and I don't feel discriminated against. People either agree or disagree on the merits without preconceived notions of why I'm saying something in particular or questioning why I have a certain point of view.

In the "real world" it is totally different.

When people see the color of my skin the know I'm not "white" but they aren't really sure what my heritage is, some ask, some don't. I've called stores and have been treated wonderfully only to go to the store and treated like they didn't really want my business. (I'm part white, part American Indian and part black).

For the most part I'm somewhat lucky in that I live in a college town and I think that helps cut down on it somewhat but not always. I've been followed around stores, asked to pre-pay for gasoline and no matter how many times I went to my local grocery store I was asked for various forms of ID. I stopped going to that particular store and the one I'm now using doesn't even bother because they know me (after only several weeks). I've been followed and stopped by the police who wanted to know what I'm doing "on this side of town." At the time I was on my way home, to a predominantly white neighborhood.

When people see the length of my hair there are some who think they "know" me. My nephews call me a hippie. When I ask why, they say because I have long hair. They get it from their other grandmother. She calls their father a hippie too.

When I dress down/comfortable (sweats) and go to some restaurants I feel like I don't always get the same type of tables I do when I go to the same places dressed up.

People discriminate based on their own perceptions and preconceptions of people. I think discrimination is a learned behavior.

The one place that I have felt no discrimination has been online. Sad but true.

[sybylla]

15. oops

You did say never. Sorry. I guess I need better glasses.

[johnnie]

20. Oh see...

Four eyes..lol, j/k :)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. Never happened, but some fears thereof:

Atheist. Nuff said.

Then again, I live in Brazil, where these things are much less severe. That is, until the evangelical whackos take over here too.

[aden_nak]

18. Yes, in two very amusing ways.

The first way is that my last name sounds Hispanic. I am not, I am white as wonder bread (well, okay, vaguely tanned as old wonder bread). But I have had any number of occasions where people who read my name first and reacted dismissively suddenly warmed up to me when they discovered I was a white boy. I also had several colleges say they would admit me early if I checked off the "Hispanic" box on the application.

I also have this pervasive internet name. Aden Nak. A great many people believe (perhaps because they put "Aden" into Google one day) that I am from the Middle East. It's REALLY put some spin on some of my essays, even the ones I put up here and get feedback on. I've been called a "Sand Nigger" and a "Fucking Towelhead" because people mistook me for being Middle Eastern based on the random nature of my internet persona's name. I don't bother telling them my real name, though. First of all, I don't give that info out to crankjobs. Secondly, they're probably racist against Hispanics as well. ;)

[Patiod]

21. Not really

My current company hires only PhDs, and I have only an undergrad degree so they didn't want to hire me, (they were understaffed, and brought me on board very reluctantly) but that's nothing near discrimination..

[Kathleen04]

22. I've never felt it

but I'm an 18 year old white female. Short life though, so we'll see.

[Nikia]

26. Your lucky

You must live in a very enlightened part of the country where none of the teachers assumed stupid stuff like that girls aren't as good at science or math or wouldn't want to play sports. I assume that you haven't tried to buy a car or take anything in for repair.
If you want to experience discrimination that will seem obvious, try getting a job in a male dominated field at a company that seems to have not embraced affirmative action. Even if you get the job, it will be hard not to feel it often, if not every day.

[Kathleen04]

29. Yeah

I agree with what you say. I've only ever lived in California and New York; stayed within the same private school system throughout K-12 and now I'm a freshman at a University where I haven't run into any discrimination against women yet.

I have no car to speak of at the moment. I do know that women are given bad deals when buying a car/charged extra for repairs. In that way, I'm lucky that I have a father who will help me out getting the car and recommending a mechanic. I will probably see more blatant discrimination when I get fully out on my own and dad can't go bargain for my cars anymore. I know that my mom has been charged extra for repairs before because they assume women don't know enough about their vehicles to know what their car does and doesn't need and in her case, they happen to be right.

And, it probably will become more evident in the workplace, I'm sure. Like I said, short life thusfar.

[bif]

24. No I've never felt discriminated against

I guess a double negative is the best way to answer that one. I have been discriminated against, a couple times. I've even had someone try to run me over with their car. I live in Detroit, one of the most racially polarized cities in the U.S..

[Redleg]

27. Yes, I felt discrimination from time to time when I lived in Utah.

Some Mormons (the dominant religion) thought it was funny screw with me since I was a Catholic. I have seen preferential employment treatment given to returned Mormom missionaries. At times the dominant religious culture seemed very oppressive. At others times I hardly noticed it. I don't intend this post to demean or derogate any Mormons. I would not blame Mormons as a group for the shitty deeds of a few.

[Dzimbowicz]

28. Yes

try being a non-christian, Atheist or Agnostic in South Carolina.

During my first year as a public school teacher in SC, I was called into the principal's office and screamed at for about an hour because someone, whom the principal would not name, had said that I was an Atheist and was showing contempt for christians. I told him that my religious beliefs were private and that he had no right to do what he was doing as this was a public school. He disagreed, vehemently; he was actually spitting and frothing at the mouth. He was also a former football coach who was of the mindset that "if I scream loud enough, I can get my way." The only way I was able to end his tirade and restore my dignity was to show him my ACLU membership card and state that I was going to inform them, obtain a lawyer and sue the crap out of him and the school district. He did back off, but I was treated as if I were a leper until he retired. Since he did back off, I never pursued the law suit. I wish like hell that I had.

In my opinion, all of this came about because I refuse to recite the Pledge of Alliegence because of the phrase "one nation under God". However, I never stated this openly or made my opinions known.

[trof]

30. Yes, in Japan.

Shoe was on the other foot there and it was a real good lesson.

[MrSlayer]

32. Yeah because of my long hair.

People assume you are a junkie, a hippy, gay or some shit like that because if it. I've found it to be amusing most of the time.

[Blue-Jay]

34. No, not really....

I'm a white male, not overweight, no discernable accent, well-groomed, not gay, and reasonably average-looking.