I have seen this strange phenomenon in a lot of countries and with lots of expats It is titled: Never happened to me ( or the people I know), therefore it does not exist and it will not happen to others.
How this phenomenon occurs and why it is occurring is a mystery to me. I attribute it to several factors:
1) luck, good karma and good circumstances. being in situations when this evil does not reach you.
2) not enough exposure.
3) ignoring/not seeing. Not speaking the language and not understanding the body language.
4) being in the right times when being one like yourself ( young black man) is fashionable.
Well, you must be living in a very lucky world in which none of this exists:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Japan ... y_sign.jpg
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A9629C8B63
In Japan there are many spas that will not admit foreign looking people and the whole Japanese district of Kabukicho in Tokyo has a no ( non Oriental) foreigners policy. Chinese are allowed in though.
I was never discriminated against in spas in Japan, and none of my friends have been. However, I was just lucky. It exists.
When I looked for an apartment in Japan it was like what Winston experienced in Russia. Nobody would rent to me. There is a small contingent of landlords that rent to foreigners but most do not. Just try going to realtors in a Japanese neighborhood and see what happens.
If you are welcome with open arms, then it proves that the universe is a hologram and we have karmic punishments dealt out to us while other people do not have those things happen to them.
For example, here in Angeles City there was recently a spat of attacks on foreigners ( only on white people). 9 are dead. A Filipino guy was targeting them and killing them and their Filipino maids and wives. A horrible tragedy.
But it did not happen to me or my friends. I have no problems here in the Philippines, the people love me, I think.
A small consolation to the dead and their families.
When I was in Saudi, white people again (Irish, Germans, all dead now) were targeted after the US attacked Iraq. In several compounds attacks were carried out. Lots of people were killed. Mostly white looking people. Even in a compound in Riyadh next to ours 18 people had been killed. Horrible sh1t!
Nothing like this, though, happened to me. I was not targeted and I lived a happy and comfortable life in Saudi Arabia. None of my friends got killed or told any bad things or attacked. All the people I know were very happy living in Saudi and the Saudis treated us very well.
Hmm, is there something missing in this logic?
I also hear stories here in Angeles city how some western guys went to Filipino bars and got beat up severely. For being white, again. Drunk guys would just attack them.
Never happened to me at any bar and I was always welcome.
But I got kicked out of some areas in Thailand solely for being white and was not admitted. Some of my friends were also kicked out. No farangs allowed. Interesting!
I was in Ukraine this spring and saw many Blacks, Arabs and Indians walking around. All seemed happy.
But every three- four months they find another black student slashed, beaten, dead. Recently a Korean was slashed beyond recognition in Kiev. He went there because he wanted to learn about the Ukrainian culture.
And maybe next time you are in Russia, you may want to visit this guy:
http://african-russia.net/2010/01/13/pr ... uary-2010/
and tell him how you threw racism out the window when you left the US and how it never happened to you or your loved ones.
I am sure he will be glad to hear that and that will speed up his recovery.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008 ... 383780.htm
One Korean student is dead, too.
The Korean Foreign Ministry has an alert on travel to Russia! A danger zone!
70 foreigners killed in Russia last year. All non white. And these are only murders. How about beatings? Apartment discrimination, tauntings , etc.
Maybe you can visit their graves at a cemetery and share the good news with them?
Tell them and their families who will never see their sons again, how a Russian girl was looking at you and how your sisters are alive and never experienced racism.
I am sure they will have a few answers for you.
Now, as far as Winston's question go, I really cannot answer well. One would need to poll a cross section of Russian women to get some kind of picture from them. Also, one would need to poll the foreigners living in Russia to gets some kind of average reaction they get, etc.
I personally can be sure of one thing: when it comes to foreigners, just about EVERY guy will get a woman in Russia. Too many women and not enough guys. Now, what the women may secretly desire and LIKE ( which is most certainly some very kind, handsome, tall Russian guy with money, young, educated, etc) is not something that they can always GET. There are just not enough guys.
Same in the US. I think most American guys would love to meet a good all American girl and they do not want to fly to the Philippines or Russia. And I do not think we are all happier abroad because it is better abroad, it is just that things are now sh1t where we are.
Guys who are older, uglier, nerdier, shyer, etc. will find this game a much bigger challenge no matter what their race. The world of women is a wide-open place to attractive, fit, hip, young guys. They can go to many places and do great. Some don't even need to leave at all. But the below average looking, out of shape, nerdy, older guys will be limited to just a few countries if they wanna have a prolific social and sex life with young girls. And they better be relatively wealthy in those venues too or all bets are off.
And "older" in Japan can often be over 32. Also, many young black and white guys are seen as a fetish by quite a big number of women who like hip hop and are into Hollywood movies and Western culture; however, these are not the majority. The majority are non English speaking , they like Japanese guys and do not care much for foreigners.
English speaking Russian girls who are on Western websites and who are actively pursuing foreigners and Americans because of Hollywood again do not represent the cross section of the Russian population, as well. They are a very small minority, not even 1% I would say. And these are the ones you will be talking to. Unless you live in Russia and speak Russian and got to know people the natural way.