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Annoying Ethnicity question

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Mateo, Oct 19, 2015.

  1. Mateo

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    Do any of you find it annoying when people ask or try to guess what ethnicity you are. I personally hate It most of the time because usually they ask intrusively and often with racist connotations.

    I get asked this alot because im so heavily mixed most people can't figure out what ethnicity I am just by looking.

    I don't mind people asking if their asking out of honest curiosity and to learn about the wide fascinating range of cultures and ethnicities in the world. But If you're asking so you can pigeonhole me into a racist idea that's what I have a problem with.

    Is it just me or does anyone else have this issue.
     
  2. Kodo

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    I'm more a boiling pot of Anglo... Most of my ancestry comes from England, Scotland, Ireland, and with a dash of Native American.

    Though by looking at me, I could very well "pass" as full Irish. I'm the only red-head in three generations of my family, from both sides.
     
  3. candyjiru

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    I'm super white, but I get these kinds of comments a lot because I'm bilingual... people are like,

    "you look white... but you know Korean... you must be mixed!"
    "Nope... just studied a lot..."
    "Well... what about your mom? She's Asian?
    "...no... just white..."
    "Well you should be proud to even have people think you're mixed!"
    "But... I'm just white, though..."

    It gets really awkward and people usually message me with just the word "mixed?" now... then they act like I'm a racist or pretending to be Asian when I'm like, "sorry, just an expat~~"

    People asking other people what their race is is super annoying... I'm sorry this happens to you T.T I just try to ignore those people... they tend to be the kind of people you don't want to hang out with anyways... >.>
     
    #3 candyjiru, Oct 19, 2015
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2015
  4. ThatBorussenGuy

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    I've lived in the US my entire life, but a large percentage of my family's heritage comes from Germany. People have told me that damn, do I look like it.

    There have been less than flattering remarks by certain idiots because of it, and you can take a wild guess what those comments stemmed from. [​IMG] I almost beat the asses of two of my roommate's friends back in college after they saw the German flag hanging on my side of the room and thought it would be funny to do the Nazi salute behind my back. I was standing at the window; their reflections were very visible.

    I've never even lived there (yet) and still had to put up with that shit.
     
    #4 ThatBorussenGuy, Oct 19, 2015
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  5. Mateo

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    I'm a mix of African American, White of unclear, possibly french or german descent, Puerto Rican, Cherokee, and Seminole Native American. I have light skin where I could pass for full white or Puerto Rican but my hair is SUPER thick and frizzy where I could pass for black of Puerto Rican.

    The ethnicity came out differently between me and my two brothers If we stand in line we make a color line from dark to light however my little brother is distinctively native american.

    ---------- Post added 19th Oct 2015 at 11:36 AM ----------

    I get something like this often but in reverse where, because I do look mildly hispanic other hispanic people will come up to me assuming I speak spanish and then get mad at me when I don't.

    I've actually been yelled at before by a hispanic man, who spoke perfect english, that because I'm part puerto rican I should speck spanish and that I was some who lazy or ignorant that I don't.
     
  6. Mateo

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    I once got called a liar by a coworker when I made a comment that I was part african-american.

    Another coworker (coworker B) who is full black made a comment to me about the struggles that black people have knowing that I would understand (I think it had to do with hair, I don't remember.) coworker A asked B why he directed the comment at me and said that I wouldn't understand and when I said I did cause I am part black he looked shocked and said in complete disbelief "No your not, Liar". It took me and B to convince him that I wasn't lying
     
  7. Cedar

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    For me it's the opposite. I look full white but I'm half Native American and half white. Whenever I make mention of this, people always act surprised saying something like, "but you don't look mixed..." Thanks guys...
     
  8. ScatteredEarth

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    I get mistook for Mexican a lot more often than I should because of my thick black hair and olive-ish/tan-ish skin tone. I'm Puerto-Rican, and Italian predominantly, with a mix of pretty much the entire continent of Europe.

    I just say I'm white though whenever anyone asks, because idgaf about my 'cultural heritage' I will however, make it abundantly clear that I'm of Hispanic descent when it comes to applying for benefits and/or applications, because for some reason that always seems to get you ahead -.- ...
     
  9. Canterpiece

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    Well, I sometimes get this kinda in a way. In terms of ethnicity, I'm mostly English, quarter Irish, possibly some French/Portuguese (My mum's family history is extremely vague), with some Australian or Swedish in there. Yeah, whenever I've looked at family history it's been hard to trace my family properly, so yeah....

    But anyways, in terms of appearances I have an extremely pale complexion (people often ask if I'm sick because of it) so I don't tend to get asked about my race much. However I do receive comments from people asking if I'm really related to my parents, and even when I say yes they ask if I'm sure. Particularly my dad. I always get asked if my dad has curly hair (which he does) and if I'm related to him or not. I had one girl ask if me and my sister had the same dad and if I was sure my dad was really my dad and not some Caribbean guy. My mum just laughed and said "Well I haven't met any Caribbean guys in my time so I highly doubt it".

    I've also been told by people that I have very "black" hair. Which confused me at first, since I have dirty blonde hair until I realised what they meant. I get comments like "How are you white?" "You have very strange hair for a white person" ect. My hair is a frizzy curlyish (but mostly wavvy) mess, and people are always telling me to straighten it but the thing is it takes like two hours even on a high setting to straighten it. :bang:
     
    #9 Canterpiece, Oct 19, 2015
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2015
  10. Mateo

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    I hate the ethnicity question on forums because I never know what to answer. When I was in school teachers told me that if i had even a tiny bit of black in me I was considered full black in the eyes of the government and was obligated to select the african american option.

    I've always felt that was one of the most racist things ever directed at me. Just because have some black in me does that make every thing else not exist. I usually chose other, or chose not to answer options if they're there.

    ---------- Post added 19th Oct 2015 at 12:54 PM ----------

    Oh I know all about the whole black hair thing. I hate my hair mine is both black and spanish. its very coarse and frizzy/nappy like some black people hair but its also extremely think like i've seen in some hispanic people. worst part is its long and i'm too chicken shit to cut it and I live in florida. Most days I feel like i'm wearing a soggy wool sweater on my head.
     
  11. AlamoCity

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    It can be annoying. I'm Hispanic and I "look" like it so I don't really get asked questions about my ethnicity. I do have extremely fine and thin hair that's very easy to cut and seems much thinner than most of my other Hispanic friends and even though it's dark brown it's more of a golden brown/red in the light. I suppose the only thing that might surprise people is that I am 5th generation Texan/American and I speak English very well (and also Spanish, fluently, but with an American accent).
     
  12. Kinky

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    Them: "I'm 1/8 Estonian"
    Me: "Oh? So 8kg of you is Estonian?"

    Did I insult anyone's ethnicity or weight?
     
  13. Mateo

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    The odd thing is that I'm lighter skinned than my mom who is white of unclear decent and puerto rican but if I stand next to someone pure white I appear dark and if I stand up next to my dad I look irish even though he is not that dark.
     
  14. Canterpiece

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    Yeah, I can relate. My hair's pretty coarse, dry, frizzy and thick. Whenever I have it cut at the hairdressers they have to straighten it first because it's too crinkly to cut straight away (particularly when I have my hair dry cut). Trouble is I'd like to have my hair shorter but I know if I cut it short then it'll just stick up or "puff/poof" up as my friends like to say. I've had it cut shorter a few months ago but it isn't so bad these days. Yeah I get what you're saying about the "wool" texture, I think that's how I'd describe my hair really. I've even had people come up to me and compare my hair to a sheep. :grin: It certainly feels like wool anyway, and it's pretty heavy too sometimes. I like to think of my hair as being sort of like woollen earmuffs and a scarf, it's great having my hair down in the winter but in the summer I get really warm with my hair so I have to tie it up and even then it weighs me down and gives me a headache having it up all the time. :bang: Sorry to take this thread off track. :icon_redf
     
    #14 Canterpiece, Oct 19, 2015
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2015
  15. Daydreamer1

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    I've yet to have people guess, but when they find out I'm a quarter Japanese, I always get "Oh, I can see it now *insert facial features that suggest it*".
     
  16. zigazigah

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    Mom is Maori with very tan/brown skin and naturally dark, thick black hair and brown eyes but she married an Irish American man with pale skin and green eyes and I came out suuuper white lol. I'm pretty much a basic white girl with white skin, brown hair and hazel eyes, and whenever people saw my mom they would always act surprised that we were related. I struggled a lot with it as a kid because my other white friends would make fun of her for being "too tan" so I would get mad and ask her to be more white, which I understand now is a very hurtful thing for a child to say to her mother :/
     
  17. AfraidandAlone

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    Well I'm English Irish German and Scottish so I have never really had that problem. I also don't understand why it is any one else's concern what race some one might be.
     
  18. Mateo

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    I always keep mine up because it's just too damn frustrating to deal with otherwise but it gives me bad headaches to leave it up all the time. I have to put a chemical relaxer in my hair to make it manageable at all it sucks. Also you're ok. I don't mind if the topic gets a little of track as long as its on the same or similar subject.

    ---------- Post added 19th Oct 2015 at 02:44 PM ----------

    Unfortunately most people want to know so they can pigeonhole people into an ethnicity for some racist or stereotypical purpose. I only ever ask because I find variety in people fascinating
     
  19. kem

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    I look and am Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean. I have light skin but my hair is very dark and my eyes are reddish brown, which is actually UNCOMMON here in Finland. Blue/grey/green eyes are actually the norm.
    I get asked where I'm from all the time. It's a little annoying because the way I see it, I'm local.
     
  20. CyanChachki

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    Not usually but then again, I don't get any racist questions. It's usually just the person naming different races until they get it right. I tell them I'm a mix of 3 races, they usually get Scottish and Irish right away but are surprised when they give up and I tell them that I'm Native. I like seeing their reaction because it's often hilarious.