The following texts are anonymous records that detail the racism and sexism Asians living in Germany are subject to. The drawings that illustrate many of these insults were made by Jiyeong Seo in 2024. Both are an excerpt from Seo’s 2024 Bachelor thesis by the same title.
Female, mid-20s: I was going to a park near my home to exercise there. One guy came to me and asked where the nearest bank is. I tried to find one with Google Maps, but he seemed like he had no interest in to know. He asked me where I'm from and we had a small talk. Suddenly, he asked me, “Do you want to sleep with me? I can pay for it.” My mind went black, and I couldn't say anything much. I just said no quickly and walked away from him. That was totally sexual harassment and racism. There is a stereotype of Asian girls that you can buy us with money. What a stupid stereotype. It was a big shock to me because I really didn't expect that he’s gonna ask me things like that. He looked really normal and wasn’t drunk or something. We had just a small talk, and all of a sudden, he sexually harassed me. After it happened, I'm afraid to talk with strangers or help people on the street, even if they looked normal. I never imagined I was going to experience that in Germany.
Female, early 30s: I’m so sick of hearing Nihao, Ching Chang Chong, or getting catcalled on the street. When I talk about it with my non-Asian friends or male friends, they don't understand what's wrong with it. They are like “They are just joking.” Yeah, I’m not surprised that you think like that. You probably don’t know the irritation and sense of worthlessness I feel when I walk down a deserted street after dark, listening to “Ni Hao.” But all I can do is just walk away from them fast. You have never experienced the scary feeling when a group of people who look big and scary glare at you on the sidewalk as they walk past you. Do you have any idea what it means when a car pauses in front of me on the street or a random middle-aged man waves for me to follow him on the street?
Yes, I know you don’t, and you may never know, but I want you to know that your ignorance is a privilege.
Female, mid 20s: This happened when the coronavirus just started to spread in Germany. I needed to take a bus, so I waited in line and was the last one. Everyone got on the bus, but the driver tried to close the door before I got on, so I got stuck between the doors. He knew that I was there and intentionally closed the door before I got on. He made a side eye to me and didn’t say sorry.
I mean... I understand that people are afraid of getting infected. But I didn’t leave Germany for over a year, yet the bus driver treated me as if I had a virus, just because I’m Asian.
After this happened, I was kind of afraid to go out. I saw a lot of videos on YouTube about Asians getting physically attacked by people. A Korean elderly man in his 60s living in LA was brutally assaulted by a man on a bus. The perpetrator said he didn’t want a “China virus.” Asians were pushed to the ground and beaten to death, punched, stabbed, and sprayed with hand sanitizer. I don’t think the situation was different here in Germany.
People were so mad at us. Seems like they vented their fear and anger on us.
It was obvious that I was also going to be treated like a virus. When I had to go outside, I always had my earphones on and let the music play loud so that I could not hear any hate speeches. I always wore a cap, hoping no one would notice that I am an Asian.
I was afraid to sneeze or cough when I was on public transportation. I always tried my best to hold it. Because I was the virus to people and I might spread it. When I told my Asian friends about it, they also did the same thing. We laughed about it because we did the same thing as if we promised to do so, but it was sad at the same time.
Male, early 30s: I was born in Germany, but because of my looks, people often ask me where I’m from. Typical small talk for me is, “Where are you from?” – “I’m German. I was born here.” – “No, I mean, where are you really from?”
I know there is an answer that they want to hear. They want to know my ethnic background. But they also have to know that I often feel exhausted from answering these questions. These kinds of questions make me confused about where I truly belong.
The question, “Where are you really from?” might seem innocuous. Many people who ask it are just curious or trying to connect. But for those being asked, it feels different. Some people think that I’m too sensitive about these questions. I don’t agree.
Columbia Professor Derald Sue explains that the impact on the person receiving that persistent questioning is that you are not a true citizen of this country; you are a perpetual foreigner in your own country. People asking might not mean any harm, but they might have a prejudice about what people should look like when they are from a certain country.
A poet, writer, and professor, Cathy Park Hong, published a book named Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning. She describes minor feelings as emotions that are negative, dysphoric, and therefore untelegenic, built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one’s perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed.
Female, age 24: One day, I was walking on the street, and a dog came in my direction. I said happily hello to it. But the dog’s owner said to his dog, “Don’t go to them. They are gonna eat you.” That was based on the stereotype that Asians eat dogs and cats. I would never eat them. I love dogs and cats. What he said truly hurt my feelings and ruined my travel.
This essay was published in February 2025.
