# Are there places where whites are an oppressed minority? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572 "2010-01-26T21:25:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/21 "2010-01-27T02:33:32Z")
Can’t think of any present-day examples, but wouldn’t the Khanates of Astrakhan and Kazan have been examples way back in the Middle Ages? The white Russian majority living in abject poverty and oppression, with the small Mongol elite entrenched firmly on top? ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/22 "2010-01-27T02:57:18Z")
Here’s a modern-day example: the Uyghurs in Xinjiang are a Turkic people that could be considered “white,” especially since we were suggesting that the Ottoman Turks count as white. And they are big, big time oppressed by the Chinese: crowded into third-rate segregated schools, systematically denied employment, subject to arbitrary land confiscation, and regularly victimized by lynchings. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/23 "2010-01-27T03:02:19Z")
The Hmong of Southeast Asia and the Ainu of Japan may qualify. We westerners think they look pretty Asian, but I gather that view isn’t shared by most east Asians. I spend most of the year in Korea teaching English (though I’m in Seattle at the moment). I didn’t feel particularly oppressed, although it was clear from day one that I would never fit into Korean society. Once in a while I felt like the scary Black guy on the sidewalk–until I ran into several Black American teachers there and lots of Black GIs in Seoul. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/24 "2010-01-27T03:15:59Z")
One person I knew suggested that whites in British Columbia are the poorer minority. The asian immigrants especially Hong Kong expats are very rich and (some) are frighteningly smart and work-motivated. The joke was that the waiters were all white people and the restaurant patrons mainly Chinese. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/25 "2010-01-27T03:20:10Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > One person I knew suggested that whites in British Columbia are the poorer minority. The asian immigrants especially Hong Kong expats are very rich and (some) are frighteningly smart and work-motivated. The joke was that the waiters were all white people and the restaurant patrons mainly Chinese. This is a little off-topic, but seems related. In Bailey’s Crossroads, VA, one of my favorite Pho restaurants needed to hire a dishwasher, so they put up a “help wanted” sign. In Spanish. I thought it was funny… ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/26 "2010-01-27T03:50:55Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Appalachia? Not really. Appalachian Highlanders and Scots-Irish aren’t oppressed, and they aren’t minorities. They’re just poor. In fact, the Appalachian mountain region tends to be whiter then the rest of the country. For example, [blacks make much a much smaller percentage of the population in West Virginia than the US as a whole](http://statehealthfactsonline.org/profileind.jsp?ind=448&cat=9&rgn=50). Could whites living in enclaves in predominantly black cities (Detroit, Forest Hill in East Cleveland, Miller in Gary, etc) be considered oppressed? They don’t experience apartheid- or Jim Crow-style discrimination, and financially they are well-off compared to their black neighbors, but they have little to no political power or clout in their communities. What about _haoles_ in Hawaii? Again, probably not real discrimination, but also supposedly [not a group that gets much love from Asians and native Hawaiians](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_Haole_Day). ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/27 "2010-01-27T04:00:01Z")
The NBA?? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/28 "2010-01-27T04:33:36Z")
> [@code\_grey](#): > > there are many white expats living in Japan and Korea and many of them (Engrish teachers and such) probably are not well-off compared to the locals and are not exactly “celebrated for their diversity” either. However, the big difference between white and Asian nations is that the Asians don’t allow immigration - so these people of the wrong race/ethnicity stay as expats and eventually leave. Cite for any of the assertions here, especially as phrased. The one which can get a pass is “celebrated for their diversity.” > [@Cerowyn](#): > > Aside from the question of permanent residents, of which there are many in Japan, it is certainly possible to become a naturalized Japanese citizen. It’s not impossible to obtain either status but there a many more permanent residents than naturalized Japanese. Granted, it’s more difficult to obtain permanent residency than green cards were pre-9/11 because of the length of residency requirement (more than 5 years of work history and unofficially closer to 10 years), it’s fairly straightforward once you’ve been here that long. > [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > White ex-pats in Korea teaching English are nowhere near the bottom of the social chain. For what they do they get paid extremely well and it’s considered a respectable profession. White expats working in Japan must, in general, have a college degree to get a working visa, and command wages which are not poverty-level at worst. > [@Krokodil](#): > > The Hmong of Southeast Asia and the Ainu of Japan may qualify. We westerners think they look pretty Asian, but I gather that view isn’t shared by most east Asians. While the Ainu meet the the criteria of poverty and discrimination, the OP is asking for “people of European descent.” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/29 "2010-01-27T05:21:21Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > What about South Africa nowadays? > > [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6818096.ece](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6818096.ece) Ha Ha Ha! No. Just…No. There \*are \*poor whites, but they in no way constitute an oppressed minority, nor are Whites singled out for oppresion of any sort. The Huntley case was just a collossal fuck-up on Canada’s part. Huntley just made shit up. Anyway, Brandon Huntley isn’t even really White, he’s a self-hating Coloured, as far as ancestry goes. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/30 "2010-01-27T08:51:56Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > One person I knew suggested that whites in British Columbia are the poorer minority. The asian immigrants especially Hong Kong expats are very rich and (some) are frighteningly smart and work-motivated. The joke was that the waiters were all white people and the restaurant patrons mainly Chinese. I wouldn’t go that far. While there is a large population of wealthy Asians, it’s only “noteworthy” because they aren’t white. There are a ton of wealthy white people in BC as well, but that isn’t an interesting observation and thus nobody really thinks about it. I should also point out that we are really only talking about the Lower Mainland here. The rest of BC is a very different place. ---
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/31 "2010-01-28T15:01:40Z")
very interesting replies. Thanks to all. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/32 "2010-01-28T15:36:59Z")
> [@TGWATY](#): > > very interesting replies. Thanks to all. And with any luck, we’ll get replies from people who have been asked for cites. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/33 "2010-01-29T11:09:02Z")
a bit of a stretch but the Turkic language Uighers of fare western china maybe fit the bill. Certainly they look ‘white’ compared with Han Chinese. They are also impoverished desert dwellers. The status in China is generally as an dispised underclass. ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/34 "2010-01-29T23:01:13Z")
The internet? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/35 "2010-01-31T01:04:36Z")
> [@Danimal](#): > > Here’s a modern-day example: the Uyghurs in Xinjiang are a Turkic people that could be considered “white,” especially since we were suggesting that the Ottoman Turks count as white. And they are big, big time oppressed by the Chinese: crowded into third-rate segregated schools, systematically denied employment, subject to arbitrary land confiscation, and regularly victimized by lynchings. :dubious: There are ‘Caucasoid’ Turks & ‘Mongoloid’ Turks, but with the tendency toward strong epicanthal folds, I would lean toward Uyghurs being toward the Mongolesque end of the spectrum. Some of them are pretty light-skinned, but that’s true of ethnic Japanese & Manchu as well, & we don’t typically class them as ‘white’. As for the Chinese perception, surely it’s the lack of either Sino-Tibetan linguistic heritage or historical ties to a Han ethnic identity that’s in play here; the Uyghurs are seen as barbarians &/or backward people of the interior. Do the Chinese really say, “You’re not yellow enough.”? If so, I’d like some confirmation. Also, nice to see you on the boards again. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/36 "2010-01-31T06:29:31Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > :dubious: There are ‘Caucasoid’ Turks & ‘Mongoloid’ Turks, but with the tendency toward strong epicanthal folds, I would lean toward Uyghurs being toward the Mongolesque end of the spectrum. I thought so myself, but then I look at [this girl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uyghur_girl.jpg), who is blonde and has white skin, but whose eyes do show epicanthic folds as you point out. I can’t decide which “race” I’d classify her as. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/37 "2010-01-31T07:36:51Z")
It doesn’t seem likely that whites living in the richer Arab countries have much social status. The UAE has an extremely high standard of living. I’ve always heard that their citizens get a stipend from the government. So far, I haven’t found a cite. > [@](#): > > The United Arab Emirates has the world’s sixth largest oil reserves[9] and possesses one of the most developed economies in the Middle East. It is currently the thirty-sixth largest economy at market exchange rates > **[United Arab Emirates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates)** > > in the Arabian Peninsula The United Arab Emirates\[b\] (UAE), also known simply as the Emirates,\[c\] is a country in West Asia, situated at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal semi-constitutional monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as its national capital. The UAE borders Oman to the east and northeast, and Saudi Arabia to the southwest; it shares maritime borders with Qatar and Iran in the Persian Gulf, and with Oman in the Gulf of Oman. As of 2024\[u... ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/38 "2010-01-31T07:55:30Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It doesn’t seem likely that whites living in the richer Arab countries have much social status. 😕 Why wouldn’t it seem likely? AFAIK, most whites in Saudi Arabia, for example, are white-collar foreign employees from Western nations, hardly an underclass. Merely not being as rich as the wealthy native elites doesn’t count as being an “oppressed minority”. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/39 "2010-01-31T08:33:52Z")
Well, there’s also religious issues for whites living in Arab countries. At the very least, they have to tread carefully and observe Muslim customs. I haven’t lived there and don’t know how big of an issue it is. It would be interesting to hear first hand experiences. For example, how hard is it to get a local job, or attend social functions. I’m disregarding terrorism in this scenario. I realize the majority of Muslims don’t support it. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572/40 "2010-01-31T15:12:15Z")
Then the issue isn’t them being white, but them being non-Muslim. A Muslim, non-Arabic white person might not face these problems. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-places-where-whites-are-an-oppressed-minority/526572.md?page=3)