SC's upset cause I'm not what they think I am

[Evil Queen]

I used to answer the "What's your ethnicity?" questions with the usual "German-Polish-American" but now I answer it with "Earthling."

[Alexandra]

On my mother's side I'm Anglo-Saxon-Celtic with a bit of Cherokee thrown in (I'm descended from King Edward III).

On my father's side, my great-grandparents all came from either Belarus or Poland, so there's eastern European. When these great-grandparents came to America, not only did they know English--they also anglicized their names!

I was born in America of American citizens, so I'm American.

[Bliss]

Personally I think every person has three nationalities, if you want I can explain latter in off topic, and pray it's not too fratching like.

Myself, I was born and raised in Venezuela south america (still there.) but I'm white as hell (so much some ignorant kids at school used to ask me if I'm an albino which I'm OBIOUSLY not), so being in a predominantly brown/black country I get asked all the time where I'm from. Normally I just respond I'm Venezuelan, but if they're friendly, or if they bug me too much about it I'll tell them I'm Venezuelan, of Argentine parents and Austrian, Rumanian and Vasque ascent normally that leaves them drooling stupidly with a deer in headlights expression.....

Well they asked. Didn't they?

[monolayth]

My maternial grandfather was a native american from mexico. My maternial Grandmother was Irish and navtive american split.

My Paternal Grandmother was native american, english split. My Paternal Grandfather is native american Scottish Split.

Thats a lot of native american in me. Do I look it? NO.

I loved that while I was in High school, there was a huge population of mexican kids there. They once tried to tease me for being so white. Then I mentoned that I have a lot of native american and that I am 1/4 mexican. They tried to tell me that my mom was pulling the wool over my fathers eyes. Then I tell them it is from my mothers side. They all looked at me funny. My older brother took after mom's side of the family and I took after my dad's.

[sms001]

Yes, there are 20,000 deaf people in Australia and since I started dating one of them I've met the other 19,999.

If the are temporarily deaf, or have an operation that restores hearing do you forget them?

If they are only partially deaf do you only kind of recognize them?

You're lucky. My wife has blue eyes - you can imagine the percentage of the world's population I have to "know."


Seriously - what is with the association factor? Do SC's and their ilk just not comprehend the sheer volume involved in the human population?

sigh.

[Lachrymose]

I don't know why people are so curious.
"Are you [ethnicity]?" "Does it really matter in any way?"

I mean, maybe if you're wearing something or celebrating a holiday or something like that, I could see asking, but really, who cares? I guess people are just naturally gossipy.

I may not go up and ask someone what ethnicity they are, but I am curious because I have a genuine interest in other cultures and languages.

I have studied a few languages "officially" and tried teaching myself many others. It doesn't always work, though.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I'm caucasian so I don't get much of this, BUT my last name (which is european origin) sounds VERY similar to a common Mexican surname so people get it mixed up ALL the time even though the two names sound different enough that you'd THINK people wouldn't mistake them.

I have a friend who is Vietnamese, he really wishes he could knock the teeth out of every person who thinks he is Chinese or Japanese.

[TTAZ]

I had an online friend in San Fransisco who was of Asian descent. It used to piss her off royally when random ppl would ask her what her nationality was. It turned into a huge joke, whenever she'd pick on me I'd pick back with "Don't MAKE me ask your nationality". I found it amusing as hell considering what a small Asian population exists in SF of all places!

My poor mom is another one. She grew up in southern California and growing up she was always asked if she was Mexican (or adopted- my aunts are a brown shirt and goose-step away from being Hitler's ideal) and then when we moved to Chicago, everyone thought she was Italian! Now we're in AZ and she's back to being assumed Mexican, except by actual Mexicans. They just walk up to me and say, "Um...you're mom's not...white...is she?"

Gets me every time.

[Delphae]

I am Italian-Irish-Canadian French-Danish American. People have mistaken me for Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Pacific Islander (I think) and once I was told I look African-American. I have black hair, olive skin and brown, slightly almond shaped eyes. I can almost any ethnicity.

[Alexandra]

My mother looks Native American...even though our Cherokee ancestor was at least several generations back. I look it too, actually--it's in my eyes, and I'm a brown-eyed brunette.

[RetailWorkhorse]

I was asked again where I was from. I know I talk funny, but gimme a break! I'm not from Ireland, I'm not from Piccadilly Circus, I've never been anywhere outside of the American South East. Yet I pronounce words weird so I must not be from the area.

[AdminAssistant]

I recently found out that my paternal great-grandmother was half-Choctaw. That didn't get passed down to me at ALL.

My surname is English (name comes from a farming community in Cheshire), my mother's family has been traced back to Ireland (to the time of the American Revolution) - and I should really like beer more. :P but since my family has been in North America since the colonial days, I am an American mutt.

I was in a play done in the style of Restoration Comedy (English theatre, 1660-early 1700's). Corsets, wigs, lace, that stuff. All of us were wearing makeup that was paler than our skin, as that style of theatre dictates (all of us ladies also had our boobs pushed up to places that defied gravity with cleavage makeup). I'm very pale, I have on makeup to make me look paler, and my blonde hair is neatly tucked in a bun. One of the costumers looked at me and said, "Wow!! You look so Aryan!!" As if it were a compliment. So I'm a poster child for Hitler now? Green eyes!! I got green eyes!!! I donwanna be a Nazi!

(I did dramaturgical work - research - for a play about apartheid recently. I had to spend a LOT of time explaining to the cast the racial intricacies of South Africa.)

[LadyAndreca]

Oh, I love answering that question...of course, being a quarter Norwegian, a quarter Irish, a quarter German, and a quarter North European mutt, I'm about as blonde-haired and blue-eyed as you get. But I have that particular lack of an accent that makes people realize, no matter where I am, that I'm not a local.

Them: So where are you from?
Me: I'm an army brat!

If they don't get it just from that, I start going through the list: born in Germany, moved to Virginia, Texas, Washington state, back to Germany, Alabama (I spent the longest here, 7 years. It's why I drawl badly when tired.), New Jersey, Minnesota, New Jersey.

[karath]

I never get the "where are you from" question because of my appearance, but rather when I calm down and speak clearly, I seem to very unconsciously develop an accent. I can't hear it so I have no idea what it sounds like, but people ask me all the time where I'm from just because of that. I just grin and tell them "born and raised here!" ...even though that question seems to send me into a stuttering frenzy. It answers the question even if nothing clear comes out!

[iradney]

The sad part is no one believes us when we explain we are from Africa. SOUTH Africa, people. It's a place. It's not just blacks. Whenever this comes up, people seem surprised at that fact. It's weird.

EEEH!!! A fellow SAfrican! Hi! Didja also get the "are you racist then?" question when people find out you're a White South African? Drives me nuts!

It drives me nuts though, I look like a person (no particular racial distinctions on me, unfortunately) but because of how I speak, people automatically assume I'm British. I'm not. I just pronounce words in a clipped, clear manner from working on PHONES for TEN YEARS.