The last couple of years have taught us that racism, unfortunately, is still alive and well. It's hard to understand why on Earth is it so prevalent in 2021, but here we are, discussing basic human rights.
True, the barriers are breaking down and the discrimination that seemed impossible to overcome a few centuries ago is beginning to crumble, but we still have a long way to go. And it's evident even in everyday life.
In an attempt to figure out how to tear it down at the root, Reddit user godfatherdoh recently posted a question to the platform: "If a person tells you angrily to go back to your country, how [do] you respond?" And they got plenty of answers! Here are the ones that everyone upvoted the most. Maybe they'll give you some ideas too.
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I’m Native American (Oneida Nation) soooooo go back to your country. Checkmate biyatch
There's a great fantasy book called Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, a Lipan Apache author. There's a plot point where a vampire attacks a Native character and the character says, "this is my home; I didn't invite you in," causing magic to pull the vampire from the Native lands. It's a really good book with lots of other twists and turns if anyone is interested.
Related fun: pretend to not understand racist jokes and ask for them to be explained.
"My country sent me here as punishment."
Your people dragged me over here, so now I'm staying. Deal with it.
From a black guy I know when he was told to go back to where he came from: "My family were bought and sold as slaves over here and mistreated. First of all, that voided the warranty and second, are you going to pay? Unwanted goods don't return themselves. Besides, I bet you don't even have the receipt do you?"
Ok, I'd be happy to. Technically I would just have to move about an hour or so East to the Mohawk valley and rejoin the Iroquois nation. Oh, and I'll need you to reinstate the Iroquois Nation
So this actually happened to me in college and i responded to the person that i would happily do it but as a immigrant i enjoy stealing jobs from the Americans.
Not my fault my great great great great grandmother stole bread and got sent here (Australia).
This actually happened in my family too, traced them back recently. One of them fought at Gallipoli so maybe that paid the debt in full
Honestly? I'd give them a shake of my head and move on. Anybody who speaks to me like that is just wrong. The fact that they say such things is a reflection of their character, not yours. The freedom of speech allows you to speak freely, it doesn't mean you need to be heard. And nothing drives these people more insane than not being heard.
The perfect answer is..... "mark them absent, like their comment never even existed"
Burst into tears and blubber, "You got me! I can't afford my own countryI! have to live in my parents' country! It's just a rough patch, okay?
Patient was being a [jerk] and screamed at my charge nurse, "I'm going to have you deported!" I know the hospital that nurse was born at because of a conversation we'd had a couple weeks prior. I snapped back, "To where? (Next town over)? She was born here, knock it off!"
I’m First Nations bro, you go back to YOUR country
YES! I have an "Indian Status" card. I have legal rights in both the States and Canada. YOU go back to whatever country your family came from.
I've heard one of our residents answer: 'Ma' am, I'd love to. Unfortunately, there's a war going on that has already pretty much destroyed everything I hold dear and they were coming for me too. Would you have stayed?'
Something along the lines of……
“I can’t, because they said I’m a [jerk] and a moron so they sent me here to live with my own kind … especially you.”
"Okay...."
*pause*
"...want me to do it again?"
i dont own a country
I would sincerely ask "Why would I do that?"
LPT: Curiously replying to aggressive statements makes them fall on their face 100% of the times.
Mmm nice, not snarky, just a little drawing pin on the path of mindless hate
I remember my white boss saying "they" should be sent back to their country. I turned to my white coworker next to me and said, "Can you imagine all the white people returing to Europe? People at the local reservation would be ecstatic to get their land back." Coworker laughed with me and boss remained silent."
"I've gotten a DNA test and genealogy research to show that I have over 30% DNA of the Chichimeca and possibly Aztec people that had migrated from New Mexico about a thousand years ago. My shower thought is wondering if that is enough for me to stay if "everyone returned to their country.
I came here to take over, not ever going back.
My people have been here for hundreds of years before this country was founded so maybe you should go back
While this should not be taken as advice since it could backfire and may not be the right way for a lot of folks to handle the situation, when someone is raging at me a smile and a "have a nice day" really seems to piss them off much more than a middle finger or an "F-U". It can be an almost impossible strategy in many instances though
Possibly the best answer (even if not the funniest). Politeness can be a massive insult
In my mind I say something really clever and hurtful back! Especially since my family has been here for four generations!
In reality, every time this happens my face gets hot, and all I can muster is to roll my eyes and fight back angry tears. It sucks.
Ask them to pay for my fare
They would say, “Gladly!” You then pull the phone out and say, “Great! Let me gather my clan. About 84-ish people would not be too taxing for your wallet? Appreciate that mate.”
“Get the vaccine.” Those are almost always right wingers so that ought to trigger them pretty good.
Just reply with a content smile and say (as per Avengers Endgame):
No. No I don't think I will.
I was hoping for something with Thor's line about going for the head.
I am in my country.
Don’t say anything, just laugh at their ignorance.
Note: this post originally had 42 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Last time I got said that, a coworker which happen to be from the same country of origin said "nah, we don't want him back there anyway".
Tbh, I'd sit them down and have a whole lesson on the history of immigration and xenophobia. We'd talk about how their grandparents immigrated, how immigration laws where I live have changed in recent decades to make it easier for the rich, educated, and white to immigrate and harder for everyone else, how anti-immigrant rhetoric is senseless fear-mongering, how immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native born citizens, etc. They would immediately regret engaging me in conversation. (If anyone is curious about any of this, John Oliver has a great intro for U.S. immigration: https://youtu.be/29lXsOYBaow)
I've been told this. "Go back to your country!" and I said, "Which one?"... and they said, "Europe!" That's 1. a continent and 2. I have Native American great-great-grandparents, so how much DNA exactly do I leave behind, and how? Which body parts does which country of ancestry get? I don't even come from one continent, let alone one region of one, soooo....
You could become my neighbour, move to France! But I would want you here in one piece ;)
Load More Replies...When in America, as a black person I will say one of two things: "Why would I? White people bought my ancestors over here, but I'm comfortable now", or "How about you go back first? I'll wave bye at the gate"
At a strip mall, there was a white blond haired woman who caught my eye as I walked my grocery cart to my car, she would open the door to the hair salon and yell “go back home” etc to the hard working Asian girls inside. I have a voice that carries, so rah time she got ready to open the door again, I would say something to the effect of “knock it off” etc. She had no idea where the voice was coming from (nobody else was nearby) she kept looking around, it was so much fun and way too easy. The last attempt she made, I upped the repercussions of opening the door with some threat about haunting her for the rest of her life. She walked away dazed and confused. I was much too pleased with myself
"Of course! I'll do it the moment your military and/or your ''companies'' leave my country."
Happened to me once...I fought all urges to fight back and tell this dude off. it's useless to argue with stupid. So I just said "ok" and it confused the hell out of him bc he was expecting me to argue back. Dude didn't know how to respond Lmao
I strongly believe that they just like to instigate, because it makes them feel superior... about I don't know what. I'm glad you replied the way you did. Sometimes, that kind of reply is all they need to shut them up.
Load More Replies...I say one of two thing "If you can tell me where that is, I'll go." since tracking enslaved folks through Africa is almsot impossible or "If you can provide travel in a manner to which I've become accustomed and set me up with a similar lifestyle, sure. You brought my enslaved ancestors here, so its' the least you can do."
I would ask, "Which one?" because though I was born and grew up in one country, I lived in another country for long enough to naturalize there, and now live in a third country (the U.S.). My native language is English, but I'm lucky to have an accent that people generally think sounds "posh" - though I think it's pretty ordinary. And I'm white. So there's that. As long as I don't open my mouth I can fly under the radar. I really feel for people who are a different ethnic group.
I would respond with "Why would I do that? There's more of us then there are of you and we're on the brink of taking over this country. It is also my life's goal to make you as uncomfortable as possible. You wouldn't want me to give up my life goals would you?"
A man found out that my husband is half Belgian, so he grumbled about immigrants stealing jobs. So I innocently asked him, "Are you a taxi driver?" He snapped, "No, I work in construction!" Then I added in the same innocent tone, "A lot of immigrants drive taxis, so I thought maybe you were dreaming of becoming a taxi driver."
My answer was semi-BS, but some employers insist on "Canadian experience", as if recent immigrants didn't have transferable skills. Hence, consuls running corner cafes, doctors working in factories, and university professors stocking shelves.
Load More Replies...I work in a psych hospital. I am white and a lot of our staff is from African countries. I had a patent yell "I want all these people that work here to go back to Africa!" Quite loudly. I quickly responded "If they did, there'd be nobody here to take care of your sorry ass."
Isn't interesting how white people have been told that for centuries, but did they ever listen? Noooooo, not ever
I mean if you trace back far enough, for everyone to go back, they would all need to go to Africa If everyone instantly teleported to where they came from we would probably all end up either underground or inside eachother lol
A fun thing to do to a white stranger when they say something racist: "I have African ancestry" or "A lot of people think I look white..."
Load More Replies...I have passports of three european nations, so I would have the choice, at last----
Jealous. I'm clinging to my maroon passport, knowing that when it renews it will be blue because the bigots won the country. Is it possible not to feel at home in the place you were born?
Load More Replies...My ex is from Egypt. His first job in America was working at an urban gas station. He got asked a particular question several times, and asked me how he should respond to it. So, the next time someone asked him if he rode here on his camel, he said "No, my camel was afraid of loud noises, so I brought my donkey with me on the plane."
This is something that almost every person of color in America will experience. These comments usually come from someone who uses baking soda as a spice.
I am 41% Viking, so basically descend from intruders in my country. Fortunately I look like the rest of the natives so nobody ever tells me to go back to Norway. LOL. Joke aside, it's so ridiculous when people are told to "go back to their country" because HOW can you tell which nationality someone has just by looking at them? And even if you could, mind your own f**king business. I don't tell YOU to go away because your face looks like a butt either.
Where do people with buttfaces originally come from? There do seem to be plentiful
Load More Replies...If this happened, I’d just say “sorry, I can’t go home yet”, since I quite literally was born in the house I live in now.
It baffles me that anyone thinks they have a right to say that to other people. Who gets to decide which country is yours? Is it where you were born? Where your parents were born? Grandparents? If you moved to a country when you were 1 year old, is that your country? If you've lived somewhere for half your life, is that your country?
People used to think that I came from Russia, or something. I live in Sweden. I have traced my family back over over years on mums side and over 200 years on dads side. I am as native a Swede as I can be.
Last time I got said that, a coworker which happen to be from the same country of origin said "nah, we don't want him back there anyway".
Tbh, I'd sit them down and have a whole lesson on the history of immigration and xenophobia. We'd talk about how their grandparents immigrated, how immigration laws where I live have changed in recent decades to make it easier for the rich, educated, and white to immigrate and harder for everyone else, how anti-immigrant rhetoric is senseless fear-mongering, how immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native born citizens, etc. They would immediately regret engaging me in conversation. (If anyone is curious about any of this, John Oliver has a great intro for U.S. immigration: https://youtu.be/29lXsOYBaow)
I've been told this. "Go back to your country!" and I said, "Which one?"... and they said, "Europe!" That's 1. a continent and 2. I have Native American great-great-grandparents, so how much DNA exactly do I leave behind, and how? Which body parts does which country of ancestry get? I don't even come from one continent, let alone one region of one, soooo....
You could become my neighbour, move to France! But I would want you here in one piece ;)
Load More Replies...When in America, as a black person I will say one of two things: "Why would I? White people bought my ancestors over here, but I'm comfortable now", or "How about you go back first? I'll wave bye at the gate"
At a strip mall, there was a white blond haired woman who caught my eye as I walked my grocery cart to my car, she would open the door to the hair salon and yell “go back home” etc to the hard working Asian girls inside. I have a voice that carries, so rah time she got ready to open the door again, I would say something to the effect of “knock it off” etc. She had no idea where the voice was coming from (nobody else was nearby) she kept looking around, it was so much fun and way too easy. The last attempt she made, I upped the repercussions of opening the door with some threat about haunting her for the rest of her life. She walked away dazed and confused. I was much too pleased with myself
"Of course! I'll do it the moment your military and/or your ''companies'' leave my country."
Happened to me once...I fought all urges to fight back and tell this dude off. it's useless to argue with stupid. So I just said "ok" and it confused the hell out of him bc he was expecting me to argue back. Dude didn't know how to respond Lmao
I strongly believe that they just like to instigate, because it makes them feel superior... about I don't know what. I'm glad you replied the way you did. Sometimes, that kind of reply is all they need to shut them up.
Load More Replies...I say one of two thing "If you can tell me where that is, I'll go." since tracking enslaved folks through Africa is almsot impossible or "If you can provide travel in a manner to which I've become accustomed and set me up with a similar lifestyle, sure. You brought my enslaved ancestors here, so its' the least you can do."
I would ask, "Which one?" because though I was born and grew up in one country, I lived in another country for long enough to naturalize there, and now live in a third country (the U.S.). My native language is English, but I'm lucky to have an accent that people generally think sounds "posh" - though I think it's pretty ordinary. And I'm white. So there's that. As long as I don't open my mouth I can fly under the radar. I really feel for people who are a different ethnic group.
I would respond with "Why would I do that? There's more of us then there are of you and we're on the brink of taking over this country. It is also my life's goal to make you as uncomfortable as possible. You wouldn't want me to give up my life goals would you?"
A man found out that my husband is half Belgian, so he grumbled about immigrants stealing jobs. So I innocently asked him, "Are you a taxi driver?" He snapped, "No, I work in construction!" Then I added in the same innocent tone, "A lot of immigrants drive taxis, so I thought maybe you were dreaming of becoming a taxi driver."
My answer was semi-BS, but some employers insist on "Canadian experience", as if recent immigrants didn't have transferable skills. Hence, consuls running corner cafes, doctors working in factories, and university professors stocking shelves.
Load More Replies...I work in a psych hospital. I am white and a lot of our staff is from African countries. I had a patent yell "I want all these people that work here to go back to Africa!" Quite loudly. I quickly responded "If they did, there'd be nobody here to take care of your sorry ass."
Isn't interesting how white people have been told that for centuries, but did they ever listen? Noooooo, not ever
I mean if you trace back far enough, for everyone to go back, they would all need to go to Africa If everyone instantly teleported to where they came from we would probably all end up either underground or inside eachother lol
A fun thing to do to a white stranger when they say something racist: "I have African ancestry" or "A lot of people think I look white..."
Load More Replies...I have passports of three european nations, so I would have the choice, at last----
Jealous. I'm clinging to my maroon passport, knowing that when it renews it will be blue because the bigots won the country. Is it possible not to feel at home in the place you were born?
Load More Replies...My ex is from Egypt. His first job in America was working at an urban gas station. He got asked a particular question several times, and asked me how he should respond to it. So, the next time someone asked him if he rode here on his camel, he said "No, my camel was afraid of loud noises, so I brought my donkey with me on the plane."
This is something that almost every person of color in America will experience. These comments usually come from someone who uses baking soda as a spice.
I am 41% Viking, so basically descend from intruders in my country. Fortunately I look like the rest of the natives so nobody ever tells me to go back to Norway. LOL. Joke aside, it's so ridiculous when people are told to "go back to their country" because HOW can you tell which nationality someone has just by looking at them? And even if you could, mind your own f**king business. I don't tell YOU to go away because your face looks like a butt either.
Where do people with buttfaces originally come from? There do seem to be plentiful
Load More Replies...If this happened, I’d just say “sorry, I can’t go home yet”, since I quite literally was born in the house I live in now.
It baffles me that anyone thinks they have a right to say that to other people. Who gets to decide which country is yours? Is it where you were born? Where your parents were born? Grandparents? If you moved to a country when you were 1 year old, is that your country? If you've lived somewhere for half your life, is that your country?
People used to think that I came from Russia, or something. I live in Sweden. I have traced my family back over over years on mums side and over 200 years on dads side. I am as native a Swede as I can be.