2d ago

How is it to have very pale skin in America?

Hi I'm from Europe and unfortunately in the past few years I realized how much racism there is in the world which really messes up my mind since that concept didn't exist for me as a kid and I thought it's normal that people look different.

Having very pale skin and not having visited too many countries I was wondering if I might encounter any problems in America because of my skin. Can I just talk to anyone or will people reject me because of my skin? (I have blond hair too)

23 comments

You're far more likely to encounter problems because you aren't a citizen. Now isn't the best time to visit, I'm sorry to say.
- ⬆️ The real answer
- Oh okay

Are you by chance a mythical creature, possibly a troll? If so be aware that the majority of the US has sunny days and you risk being turned to stone, but the Pacific Northwest might be safe most of the year.
- Why do some people online have to say this? Racism is a real problem in this world if you didn't know before

As a side note, you'd usually say pale skin, not bright, in English
Bright is close enough to figure out what you mean from context, but it is a very non standard use of the word.
Generally, in the US, most racism in terms of what you could expect as a tourist is going to be against darker skin. Yes, racism against paler skinned people exists, but not in a way that most tourists with pale skin will experience. You would usually have to go into residential districts of cities or towns rather than business or entertainment districts to experience racism towards pale skin. Most of the people dealing with tourists either want their money enough to be polite and friendly, aren't racists, or are also pale skinned.
Even then, if you stray into residential areas, you're still more likely to run into trouble for being a tourist, no matter what color your skin is. Nobody likes tourists fucking around their neighbourhood away from businesses, and being a foreign tourist is "worse" in some ways, though not in others. As an example, if some random dude from new York comes to my town, they'll likely be less welcome walking down our street, talking and taking pictures than someone from africa, no matter what skin color is involved.
- Thanks for the knowledge🙏

What do you mean by bright skin? Are you white and pale?
- Bioluminescent.
- This is what my skin looks like: https://imgur.com/a/xivIyZ8
  
  Agh fuck.
  I'm whiter than the person writing the "am I too white" question.
  
  The only place a white person may have a problem is if they go to the ghettos. Stay in the tourist areas or suburbs and you won't have a problem. You won't have a problem in 99.9% of the country.
  It isn't about you being white, it is you being an easy target to get robbed and going to areas with more poor desperate people who would rob someone who clearly has no business being there.

Based on your skin tone you’re Caucasian. Caucasians have made up the racial majority in the United States pretty much since its inception.
I’d say you’re more likely to face issues with xenophobia if you visit the United States right now.
- How about being a human being?
  
  I don’t understand what you’re asking.

You should have no problems based on skin color, I would guess.
What problems there are with skin colors usually go the other way, and more importantly tends to not involve foreigners, so the moment someone hears your accent they will realize that you are not part of their target demographic. For the most part, I think?
Obviously there is crime but this is the same as everywhere in the world, so I'm speaking here strictly of racial based ones.
I guess you are asking if people who are not white - being black or Hispanic or whatever - and who hate whities/crackers, would they do something like mug you? And the answer is yeah they could, but those who would do that are roughly equally likely to mug others of their own race as well.
There is also a possibility that they could want to mug you merely because you look different. But the same would be true for a non-white person who wears a noticeably different style of clothing or some such.
Crime here, like everywhere, is based on locality. You aren't wrong to have asked, obviously, but that is my answer is that specifically skin color based crimes are not something for you to worry about. Poor areas where crime happens, now THAT is what you want to worry about, regardless of how you look.

23 comments