Leaving the US due to Racism
This is more of a rant but has been on my mind for a while. If you're going to comment, please leave a constructive comment. Thanks!
Background: Asian. Grew up in the US. Target school. Starting analyst stint in NYC this year
I'm thinking about moving to Asia (Hong Kong/Singapore) for buyside, possibly for the rest of my life. I want to do this not for myself, but rather for my future kids: I do not want them to face racism liked I did. I endured racism when I was a kid at school and unless you've experienced discrimination yourself, you have no idea the kind of pain and humiliation it can cause.The possibility that my future family will face discrimination is something that honestly haunts me. It was a pain for myself but an even bigger pain for my parents, who had to watch me grind through that tough phase of my life. Things were a bit better in college - I went to an Ivy and there were people of all kinds from all over the place.
End of rant.
Curious about what kind of racism you felt and where you grew up. You got into an Ivy league school, so something must have gone well.
dear diary...
If you think the US is racist, you're in for a shock abroad. Most other societies are either socially layered by race, or have their own underclass that is looked down upon by a significant chunk of the natives. The US is one of a few very rare countries where adults consider that all men are created equal in rights. In many other countries, this is be the case legally but not in practice.
On the upside, if you move to Singapore or Hong Kong you become the majority race (assuming you are ethnically Chinese) or an "equivalent level" expat (if Japanese or Korean). When you're part of the majority these things are easier to ignore.
Note: I am not a huge fan of the US in general. This country is not that special, or particularly well run. I think this place can be pretty backwards [NSA spying, crumbling infrastructure, totally ineffective Congress, public transport is a joke, etc.] and I feel there is a lot of institutional racism/discrimination in place.
I don't believe "all men are created equal." I believe that if you are a white male who went to Harvard, sure. But other than that, this whole "work hard and you can make it" theme here is absurd. Who ever says that besides white people? How many women are in top positions at companies? Other places, Scandinavia in particular, are far more equal in terms of true equality. [Prepare yourself of the onslaught of uneducated socialism comments to come.]
But. NYC is a great place to live because everyone is from somewhere else. I grew up in a moderately hick place, and love the diversity of NYC. I have friends from almost every background. It's the best. I can't really think of anywhere I would live, except maybe in SF.
I don't think moving away from America to get away from some of the more moronic aspects of the culture here is a bad thing. Especially because, in my opinion, this country is totally failing to keep up with the rest of the world. But I guess you have to weigh the alternatives. If you did not grow up in Asia, even if you are ethnically Asian, you might be treated as a foreigner. You might end up being more American than you think. It's a tough call.
I'm sorry you had to endure racism growing up. But I guess take comfort in knowing that those racists will soon be outnumbered population wise so they can just shut it and go back to watching Duck Dynasty. And you are obviously doing something right, by still making it as a minority.
No idea what "racism" you've experienced, but you are an Asian who attended an Ivy League school and is starting at a BB investment bank in NYC. Am I missing something? It sounds like you've lived the American dream and that the US has been pretty amazing to you.
I'm guessing you had a tiger mom. Kids will make fun of you because your parents are crazy and overly protective.
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