This is getting so bad

[Mr.Bill]

I'm actually worried about me having an obvious German surname. I have only rarely experienced prejudice and stereotyping because of it, but I can see it getting worse. I hope I'm wrong.

The irony is my dad climbed into a bomber 50 times to defeat those assholes.

[gopiscrap]

1. one of the first memories I have of coming to the US

is having rocks thrown at me and calling me a Nazi, even though my family suffered for refusing to fight for Hitler

[Mr.Bill]

8. My family lived in Baltimore during WWII

and my grandfather told me stories about taking the radio antenna off the roof of his house so he wouldn't be suspected of being a spy by his neighbors. Sounds silly now, but he was serious about it.

[gopiscrap]

9. wow I bet he has some stories to tell

[Mr.Bill]

11. Funny thing is,

all through the war he worked for the Glen Martin Company, a major defense contractor.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I don't think you need to worry about that.

The Germans are now more anti-Nazi than anybody. The anti-German sentiments arising from WWII are almost certainly gone now.

[Mr.Bill]

5. The namesake side of my family

came to the US in 1852. But there are still some people that have an unspoken reaction when they learn my last name. It's not that big of a deal, but I'm worried it's going to get worse.

[ATL Ebony]

12. Agree. An American in Germany got his clock cleaned for giving the Nazi salute this past weekend

After the Charlottesville fiasco, a drunk American was punched by a German because he stood on a street giving the Nazi salute and was yelled at to stop, the American responded but refused to stop so the German man just walked over and punched him in the face.

[Blecht]

3. Don't worry about having German ethnicity

The Germans don't allow Nazis anymore -- It's against the law there to use the Hakenkreuz or any other Nazi symbol.

[Warpy]

4. Yeah, large German component in my family

although they can claim eastern France these days. One great grandfather painted out his mailbox in WWI, informally changing his name to something he though sounded Swedish because he was tired of replacing vandalized mailboxes.

I get the trepidation. However, look at a lot of the names in neo Nazi land: WASP, Polish, Dutch, Russian, etc. I honestly don't think you've got much to worry about unless you get a fashie and start wearing khaki pants and white polo shirts.

[Mr.Bill]

6. LOL

I volunteer at the local hospital and the uniform includes a white polo shirt. You can bet I won't be wearing my khaki dockers with it any time soon.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. I don't think Naziism is still identified with Germany and Germans

very much any more, especially since Germany has completely repudiated Naziism and has made it and its symbols illegal (and Angela Merkel is now arguably "the leader of the free world" ). Very few of the known alt-righties and their ilk seem to have German surnames (but, coincidentally, Bob Mueller does).

[Spider Jerusalem]

10. Just make sure not to wear khakis with a white polo shirt and you'll be fine (n/t)

[cynatnite]

13. My grandfather was a German soldier...

My father came here as a child after the war and couldn't speak a word of English.

Nowadays, there's no way in hell I will ever bring that heritage up to anyone. It used to not bother me.

[Mr.Bill]

14. Did your grandfather survive the war

and come here, too? I'm glad your dad made it here.

[cynatnite]

15. No, he was killed in Russia...

My father barely remembers him.

Thanks!