From my brother-in-law’s point of view, this would not be funny. My wife’s family is from Puerto Rico, and they tend to have a lighter skin color. In 2001, my brother-in-law, who had just graduated college and had landed a good job, decided to let his naturally wavy hair grow long, and he grew a large beard. After 9/11, he was constantly harassed and threatened with violence by folks who thought he was from the Middle East. After a week of such treatment, he asked his mother to cut his hair, and he shaved off his beard. Now that he looked more like a Caucasian American, the harassment and threats stopped.
Randallw almost 5 years ago
How eerily appropriate.
Phantomstranger Premium Member almost 5 years ago
From my brother-in-law’s point of view, this would not be funny. My wife’s family is from Puerto Rico, and they tend to have a lighter skin color. In 2001, my brother-in-law, who had just graduated college and had landed a good job, decided to let his naturally wavy hair grow long, and he grew a large beard. After 9/11, he was constantly harassed and threatened with violence by folks who thought he was from the Middle East. After a week of such treatment, he asked his mother to cut his hair, and he shaved off his beard. Now that he looked more like a Caucasian American, the harassment and threats stopped.