We have all felt misunderstood at some point in our lives. Whether it is our age, race, ethnicity, or gender orientation, we think the world doesn’t see us as we see ourselves. A user asked on a Subreddit, ” What’s something about your demographic that you think most other Americans don’t understand?”
He got some interesting responses.
PRE-MILLENNIAL GENERATIONS – WE ALSO DID DUMB THINGS.
“We did a ton of sketchy things when we were young and dumb, as all generations do. But there is no surviving documentation (like phone photos or social media) of any of it. So, we are able to leave our youthful stupidity completely in the past. We’re sorry younger people don’t have this.”
BROWN PEOPLE – NOT ALL OF US SPEAK SPANISH.
” Not all Brown people that appear Latino speak Spanish.”
“I’m Indian, and as a kid, people assumed I was Latino. My last name starts with a J, and people would pronounce it the Spanish way. This all stopped when I started getting that mustache all Indian pre-teen boys are cursed with.”
LATINOS – WE HATE BEING CALLED LATINX.
“Please don’t call us Latinx. The vast, and I mean the vast majority of Latinos hate it, and it’s impossible to say in Spanish, which shows how out of touch that word is.”
HARD OF HEARING – WE ALL UNCONSCIOUSLY READ LIPS.
“Background music makes it harder to hear what people are saying; hearing aids amplify speech and music simultaneously, so they really don’t help. (Some newer hearing aids tend to favor speech, but only so much.)
We all unconsciously read lips, and for hard-of-hearing people, it is important to face them when talking to them. And if you mumble or slur your words, understand that hard-of-hearing people will struggle to know what you are saying. Enunciate and dontrunyourwordstogether.”
INDIAN-AMERICAN – MY PARENTS DON’T HAVE AN ACCENT.
“A lot of people are surprised when they meet my late-50s Indian-American parents and learn that they don’t have an accent and are as American as most of the other people you meet in your life. People assume all Indian-Americans immigrated fairly recently, but both sides of my family have been in this country for over 50 years.”
LATINO – WE LEAN WAY MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN PEOPLE REALIZE.
“The Latino population is constantly assumed to be an easy win for the Democrats in any election. In reality, Latinos lean way more conservative than people realize, and when anything turns from blue to red, the Latino voter turnout, or Latinos in general, are some of the first to get the blame. I thought we all would have learned this by now. Still, Democrats and Liberals desperately need to stop assuming that all Latinos automatically vote blue, ESPECIALLY those in red states.”
RURAL WHITE AMERICAN – WE DON’T WANT TO BE SEEN AS RACISTS.
“This one is kind of weird, but as a rural white American, I can go weeks without meeting a racial minority. I don’t have much opportunity to interact with any. When I do, it can sometimes cause awkwardness from unfamiliarity, and a lot of rural folks can get anxious about that since we don’t want to be seen as racists for acting weird around ethnic minorities.”
BLACK AMERICAN – WE DON’T WANT LESS POLICE PRESENCE.
“81% of black Americans do not want a decreased presence of police in their neighborhood.”
MOTORCYCLISTS – NOT ALL OF US ARE UNCULTURED.
“Motorcycling, like many hobbies perceived as somewhat masculine or uncultured, has a full range of participants. Nobody makes more fun of the faux “badasses” as much as fellow bikers.
Also, the brand or style of the bike does not determine somebody’s credentials or ability. Every sub-group of bikers has its particular brand of a moron – Squids, HOGs, Airheads, Dirtheads.
Many non-riders dislike motorcyclists, but nobody dislikes motorcyclists as much as fellow motorcyclists.”
JEWISH COMMUNITY – JEWISH IS AN ETHNICITY MORE THAN A RELIGION.
“Jewish is an ethnicity much more than it is a religion.”
“Yup. I didn’t understand this at all until I was an adult. As a kid, I was like, “If I can choose to be Christian, then I can choose to be Jewish!”
As someone who is half-Jewish, this is 100% true. Of my Jewish friends, maybe two or three actually take the Torah vaguely seriously, and those that do still would freely admit to focusing on the parts they like. Judaism in this day and age is more about a shared history and culture than about religious beliefs.”
INDEGINOUS AMERICANS – FOR THE MOST PART, WE ARE REGULAR PEOPLE.
“Indigenous Americans are, for the most part, just regular people. When you meet us, you don’t have to list all the wrongs done against our ancestors. We know. We use cell phones, watch movies, eat pizza, and do everything most Americans do.”
WHEELCHAIR USERS – ONLY 20% OF USERS ARE COMPLETELY PARALYZED.
“Only about 20% of wheelchair users are completely paralyzed, with absolutely no function in either their legs, arms, or both. Someone getting up out of a wheelchair or moving their legs while sitting in one does not mean they are faking. People with heart and breathing problems often use wheelchairs because they fatigue quickly.”
TEACHERS – I’M NOT PUSHING A LEFTIST AGENDA.
“I’m a teacher. I’m not broke, nor have I ever been. It was lean when I started, but I’m doing just fine when I count my total compensation package. I’m not pushing a leftist agenda.
I don’t feel attacked by parents or the media. My goal is to give children the skills to think, solve problems, and thrive in society. My job is hard (yes, I’ve worked outside of education). I cry at night when I hear about the hardships my students live through, but I also beam when they are successful.”
PICKUP TRUCK USER – I’M NOT INSECURE ABOUT MY MASCULINITY.
“I didn’t buy a pickup truck because I’m insecure about my masculinity. I bought one because it was the best mix of price, features, and availability. It turns out half-ton pickups are great family vehicles.”
GAY COMMUNITY – WE LIKE PRIDE AND REPRESENTATION.
“We like pride and representation because we often don’t feel comfortable being ourselves or have adequate role models growing up. It’s nice to have a sense of being happy and confident just being you. We also prefer gay characters to be developed organically — we don’t like “queer pandering” when creators arbitrarily claim that a character is LGBT. We aren’t trying to actively shove pride down other people’s throats; we are just trying to celebrate ourselves — we can’t help if the local news stations want to cover it and plaster it everywhere. And we know that companies are not being genuine and are only trying to make money when they sell pride-themed merchandise.”
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Anika Jindal
Anika is a CPA and founder of What Anika Says. She shares simple and actionable frugal living, money management and money-saving tips to live a debt-free financially independent life. She has been featured on popular websites like Bankrate, Forbes, Mint ,and Authority Magazine. Byline: MSN