Misconceptions

Recently I went to the county clerk’s office to file for a business application. The office was on the first floor and as usual, nothing happens in one place. I needed an approval signature from planning and zoning on the second floor. As I approached the stairs, a man rushed to open the door for me. I thought he was going the same direction but he had stepped out of his way to open the door for me before continuing in a different direction. I could not allow this to pass without comment. That simple act of kindness reminded me that I had not written about misconceptions beforehand while in Berlin.

As an African American, I expected to encounter racism while in Germany; therefore, it was a pleasant surprise when I found the people to be friendly, accepting and at worse indifferent. I will not say that everyone is tolerant of people with differences; I can only speak of my circumstances. The majority of outward racist acts I encountered were with White Americans. When it comes to racism, the Germans are compatible with our northern counterparts in the U.S.; you may not see it coming, but you will know when it is there. It probably was not color related but people related instead such as certain foreigner in Berlin, East Germans versus West Germans for example. I digress! Let me get back on track.

While in Germany, the men were very polite, open doors for you, stepped back to allow a lady to enter the room, gave up their seats on buses and trains, etc. After experiencing American White men racing in doors and practically pulling them close to keep from opening it for you or slowing down to allow you to get to the door first, you tend to notice when the opposite happens. Currently, I am in a small town in Georgia and I swear it seems the German men transplanted themselves to my area. The men, all races inclusive, are very polite, well mannered gentlemen; it gives me hope that one day we will become colorblind and see one another as one nationality, American.