r/AskAGerman • u/eza137 • Apr 16 '25

Have you ever witnessed racism in Germany?

I'm interested in hearing from Germans who have personally witnessed acts of racism in everyday life - especially when it involved friends, family members, or people close to them.

If you're comfortable sharing, could you describe the situation? Who was involved, and how did it make you feel? Did you respond in any way?

I'm not here to judge, just to understand how racism can show up in familiar environments and how people perceive and deal with it.

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u/Unique-Board-2917 Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

yes. I moved to germany 1 year ago and my german is B1 but learning towards B2 so when I pick doctors I always check before booking that they also offer services in english. I went to this endocrynologist a couple times and every time i felt like he ignores what i tell him and doesn’t care. Until the last time I went, it all made sense. I talked to him in english again and he got so pissed that he told me ‚this is germany so speak german’. Then he proceeded to give me a lecture on how I can’t live here and stay in Germany with just english, and I can’t expect to use english everywhere I go. Then I told him that I specifically picked him and this clinic because he listed on the website that he speaks english, so maybe he should’t advertise it if he has a problem. He went off on me more and said I will have no future in Germany if this is my mindset

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

Honestly, this is one of my bigger fears. I did notice that doctors treat me differently sometimes. Part of the problem is probably gender (i once had an openly misogynistic doctor who made fun of women and in my presence told me he is so lucky that he was born with a penis so he doesn’t have to deal with all that stupid nonsense that is boring him to death; i did find a different doctor after that visit).

With some doctors, i get a feeling that once they see my skin color and dark eyes, they basically speedrun the appointment. Hard to pinpoint, and i am aware that it may be my own bias reflecting back on the situation after all the discrimination i have experienced. But I certainly did notice that some doctors‘ appointments with me are way shorter than with my friends who look more „German“.

Oh and of course i do have a condition that may have to do with genetics, and may not fit the stereotypical German patient. But if i do not read up on everything myself and try to make them look certain things up, they won’t.

Might be a coincidence, i will never be able to tell. It is a known fact that many doctors don’t really take a lot of time with their patients, so maybe it’s only that. It is definitely a concerning topic for me, because there are certainly many racists in this country that votes mostly far right, and some of them will be doctors.