No New York accent here. The question can be off-putting to some people and thereâs a reason why: Itâs personal. ", Get our newsletter for the best of ABC Life each week.
Unlike your scenario, it's usually ME asking my Uber driver what THEIR ethnic background is. Contributors: Last … She would say French, Italian, maybe a little Native American, or make a joke and move on. When asked the question, Emmelyn often reinforces her answer with, "I'm Australian but my parents are from Singapore.". A poem by George Ella Lyon is called "Where I'm From." Yes, pretty much if I have a colloquial conversation with someone. And, while that may seem like a bad thing to say or to joke about, we don't see it that way.
Questions – English Grammar Explanations. She taught me that you can't control other people ⦠you can ONLY control yourself and your own actions/reactions. I spent my childhood explaining to curious people that I didn't know my ethnicity and listened to their best guesses. Dylan Novicio-Ablan,
English is my second language. In fact, it's a big part of my identity and my activism and I enjoy it, but I wish people would just ask me. Where are you from? As a white American Muslim convert, hereâs how the âwhere are you from?â conversation goes: Me: Yes, they are quite proud of me and my accomplishments. Trying to figure out someone's ethnicity based on their appearance or showing off your foreign language skills before you've even been introduced might be fun for you, but not for the other person. I think it's really cool to have different cultures in my ancestry and to have been born in another country. Do I ask that question often? quite often. Thailand, Peru, Greece, Turkey, Jamaica, Poland.
I don't need one.
My father is Syrian-Armenian, and moved to the US in the â70s, and my mother is white of mixed heritage, mainly Scottish and English. I, too, see it as a microaggression. Then someone clarified that the person meant where am I from, to which I answered New York.
Because they're basically expressing a desire to chop down your family tree just to count the rings for their own entertainment. No, you can't kiss my friends in the cheek. I love making people feel uncomfortable and causing them to challenge their own preconceptions. → It's 10 o'clock. But, the microaggression is still felt. Therefore, I consider myself a true American. which compares how other young Australians of mixed-heritage feel about this question. My mother is Chinese and my father is white. When is it problematic to adopt customs, practices or ideas from a group of people or culture? "Are you British? Where are you from? I try to be patient and carefully choose my words when responding so I am not entertaining the other person, but educating them on how to change the way they communicate with people, especially minorities. Watch \"Where Are You From?\" PART 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfFCaTgsW-I--------------------------------------------------------More fun videos from Maple Leaf Learning: Self Introductions From Around the World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCZAtgacc7ITravel with Marty | Moose Tours: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPUKlTOZI_L7ZbziWmUOgs405_uL77uLG--------------------------------------------------------Teachers and ParentsVisit the Resource Library on our website for free flashcards, worksheets, activities and more: http://www.mapleleaflearning.com/library--------------------------------------------------------Follow us online: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maplemartyTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/maplemartyPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/maplemartyGoogle: https://plus.google.com/+MapleleaflearningLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maple-leaf-learning--------------------------------------------------------Where Are You From?
My mother said, âThe next time someone calls you that, you tell them that gooks are Korean and that YOU are actually a CHINK! I grew up with it. This is better than focusing on topics such as comparing living standards between countries or culture shock, says Saba. Incidentally, I am only asked this question by white people. "If you don't know where you're from, you'll have a hard time saying where you're going." I get asked that question time after time. Do you need help? She says the follow-up remarks she receives also take on a different meaning as she enters young adulthood. When my mom asked me what happened, I explained to her that kids were teasing me.
When they hear Puerto Rico, there is an audible gasp and they proclaim: "I knew it, you don't sound like you're from here." Ironically, I have experienced this more often than not from "ethnic" types. However, the optimist in me sees the opportunities: to be able to explore the world without immediately appearing as an outsider, to cause discomfort in a country that seems to be moving backwards, and to start conversations about WHY these microaggressors NEED to know "where I'm from.". In second grade, they put me in special ed classes, where severely handicapped children went, because I had the ability to speak both Spanish and English, which caused me to have an accent. I'm usually asked after that, âWhat's your nationality?â When I smile politely and say âblack ... just black,â I'm asked again, âBut where is your family from?â As if my answer wasn't good enough. Yes, I travel to Puerto Rico all the time. "So, since I can move my hips you think I'm Latina? I don't mind talking about my race or my heritage. I am an aerospace engineer working for the US Air Force on a base in Oklahoma City.
I'm a white Midwestern American woman who is also a Muslim convert who wears a hijab.
Which fits my theory that these guys want to know what kind of Asian I am so I'll fit whatever sick sexual fantasy they have about us and that I want no part of. One day, I came home from school, crying. Pay attention to what the person is telling you, taking into account their body language, too. About one-third of my DNA relatives, especially the ones I am more closely related to, trace ancestry to Puerto Rico. Does it bother me? Although this is my second home … I'm living here and I'm earning my bread and butter from this place; so this is my place," she says.
"When I was a kid it used to make me feel embarrassed and singled out. over and over again starts to feel like the question is really, "So, what are you doing here?" They met in Italy, where they lived for almost 40 years. the 26-year-old Melbournite says. While you might not hesitate to ask the question, because you mean well, asking where someone is from (or worse, where they're "really from") is both loaded and personal.
The irony is that I am Caucasian. I was over the moon to have this information and connection. I've NEVER asked that question so that I can form a judgment about them. Living in two states with a dominant Caucasian population, it seems like men asking me where I am from is supposed to be some form of flattery, as if telling people I am from New Hampshire isn't a satisfying answer. since the second or third grade. I've tried turning it around by asking a white American cashier who greeted me with "Ni hao," where he was "really" from. I used to be OK with the question because I knew the answer, but over time I’ve started to question myself because people make you feel like it's not the right response. Yet a majority of people of other ethnicities don't speak their ancestorsâ language (German, Italian, Swahili, Gaelic, Mandarin, Farsi, etc.). Seven years ago Saba, along with her husband and daughter, moved from India to regional Australia so she could undertake her PhD in biomedical science. Portuguese people think I'm Portuguese. Do they subconsciously doubt Hispanics or other minorities are capable of defending the United States? It has never been great. The funny thing is everyone thinks I'm what they are. On the off chance they ask me what I do on base, they are even more flabbergasted.
I do not have traditional Hispanic features, so maybe this is their interest after reading my last name on my badge. Soumia Bella grew up in Sydney's Bondi and says she's asked where she's from at least three times a week — and more frequently when she's socialising with new people. Hereâs the real motive: to know what RACE category to file you under in their head. I'm a 36-year-old Puerto Rican and I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. While I think people are just genuinely curious, it feels like I have to prove that I am human. Unless we're talking food or unless A STRANGER ASKS ME ABOUT MY RACE.
After one week of no homework, my mom asked me what was going on at school and I told her that they put me in a class with strange kids. As a life long liberal (NB small L) I am at a loss to understand why the question “Where are you from?” seems to becoming a race thing. "In doing that you might find out that you have more things in common than you thought," Emmelyn says. Or, "You're not welcome here." Luke Rotzler and You're curious about their cultural background, and are tempted to ask: "Where are you from?". It's like Pandora's box. Where are you from? There have been times when strangers have touched Soumia's skin without asking, and followed up with questions about how she got her complexion. She says many of the site's contributors — currently most of the stories are by Australians — have written about questioning their cultural identity because of growing up with queries like "Where are you 'really' from?". "Irish," he said. I thought that made me an American. Where are you from? However, as you point out you have to answer the interview questions they ask you, not the ones you wish they would ask. We eat rice and beans.
I'm constantly pestered and asked about an "accent." It is always males, though. Every single cultural background they talk about is different. It would be clearly bad if they said, "I hate Asians." No, I don't know what a visa is. It is baffling and exhausting. I refuse to let a few racists prevent me from finding a common ground with the rest of my community. Where are you from?
Mixed people have had to struggle with this for a long time and it is really hard to describe this to others. Copyright Maple Leaf Learning Ken Tillis, Being asked "Where are you really from?" My mom got to a point that when she was asked by others about my ethnicity, she would say something different every time. Your information is being handled in accordance with the. I'm mistaken for Dominican often or asked if I'm mixed.
Where Are You From? This grew wearisome and was hurtful at times. Though I am an immigrant, I was 2 years old when I came to the United States and grew up with the American culture and values. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. That would end the conversation right quick. I get asked if I'm Filipino a lot or I just get stared at. "If [it was] somebody I knew or talked to a couple of times … it would be much easier to share that information as opposed to the off-the-bat 'Hey, where are you from?'" No! Where are you from? A simple litmus test: Do they ask anything else equally as intimate about your life? question). Dollars.