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Stupid Questions Asked About Your Race/Ethnicity

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by ZenMusic, Feb 22, 2015.

  1. ZenMusic

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    Here's my favourite ones :
    "So are you like, from Africa or something?"
    "Can I touch your hair?"
    "Why don't you sound black?"
    "Do you like chicken?"
    "Do you have a big ****?"
    "Are you a Muslim?"
    "How are you black if your mother is white?"
     
  2. Aura

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    2, 3, and the last one make me laugh bc I get asked that all the time and it's sad and funny at the same time how people can be so ignorant.
     
  3. BryanM

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    Being part Native American and of lighter complexion, many people say to me that I "pass" as white. That bugs me a bit when they say that, because I don't want to "pass" as white in the sense that being part Native American is who I am.
     
  4. NingyoBroken

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    When I got my recent blood test, they not only got my gender wrong, they got my race wrong too.

    They said "Hispanic - Mexican".


    I'm not Mexican...


    Not a question, but a frustrating thing.
     
  5. Hiems

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    A lot of people try to guess what my ethnicity is. I understand that they do this because it is difficult to determine it just from looking at me.

    However, I would prefer being asked an open-ended question, rather than a series of closed-ended questions that come across as a guessing game.

    "What is your ethnicity?" is better than "Are you Chinese?", "Are you Korean?", "Are you Japanese?", etc.
     
  6. CyanChachki

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    "If you're native, then why are you white?" - I'm also Irish and Scottish.

    "Are you albino?" - No.
     
  7. When people try to guess my ethnicity... I live in an area where it's like 2/3ths East Asian so we kinda know one another's ethnicity by their last names and demographics (Nguyen=Vietnamese, Han=Chinese or Korean, Chen=Chinese, Tanokura=Japanese, etc).

    However when I venture off to cities like Pasadena or downtown Los Angeles where East Asians are a total minority, I always end up with people playing 21 questions about my ethnicity. I'd rather hear people directly ask "What is your ethnicity?" but when people take this too far by asking "What are you" instead, I take a bit of offense.

    Also when some people ask for my Chinese name. My answer will be some butchered Mandarin in which I am clueless about the meaning of it, or I don't have one. Depends on my mood.
     
  8. Tai

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    "Oh, you're from China, right? So do you speak Chinese?"
    First of all, I'd prefer if they said Mandarin... Second, yes, I was adopted at 6 months old, I'm TOTALLY fluent in the language! (I wish!) It's not entirely stupid, but it's a bit insensitive. When I know someone was adopted from a foreign country, I usually don't ask if they understand their ethnic lanuage unless I know for sure that they lived there for a reasonable amount of time to be able to know the language.

    "You must like rice and noodles!"

    "Your eyes are completely black." (This one ticks me off so badly.)

    "You're so petite!" (That mostly irks my trans issues, not race. But it's brought up because of my race.)
     
  9. gravechild

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    "What are you?"

    I guess something about my personality, interests, or features throws people off.

    "You must speak Spanish."

    Yes, but not too well. It's bad to make assumptions, you know.

    "Where were you/your parents born?"

    The US, and *yes* they're legal. Our history goes back at least a few decades...

    *Basically anything pointing out how dark my skin, hair, eyes, etc. are.*

    I'm pretty aware of my complexion, after 25 years in this body!
     
  10. PossumJack

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    "You're Chinese? Can you do kung fu?"
    Just...what?
     
  11. Kaiser

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    "Why don't white people like ___?"

    I had no idea I was the Ambassador for White Supremacy.
    But it is kind of amusing how folks assume, only white people can be racist; everybody else is just giving back to Da Wyte Manz what he gave to them.

    I am not going to go into great detail about how asinine and idiotic that is.


    "You're from Kentucky. Do you fuck your brother/sister/cousin?"

    No, I don't. And incest is actually illegal here, dumbass.
    This could/would be more of a State-like issue, but see, I've noticed, if somebody else -- that isn't Caucasian -- says this, they get a pass. But if you are white AND from Kentucky, you've got to be an inbred hick.
     
  12. florence2000

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    I am white, blonde hair and blue eyes.
    I get a lot of "Are you a Nazi?" and "do you like being part of the "perfect race"?
    Also one time I got asked if I was Jewish, at school. I go to a catholic school.
     
  13. Gen

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    "But, like, why would you need sunscreen?"

    "Why are you so white?"


    I'll just go against the grain and share statements:

    "I can't believe that you are so articulate!"

    "You know, I am part Native American too."
    ~Every American Citizen


    "I don't usually date black guys, but..."
    ~You most certainly won't be starting here, dear.
     
  14. BryanM

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    Oh man, I get the one about Native Americans a lot as well.
     
  15. tulipinacup

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    "OMG, Do you live in Manila??" I like how they think that all Filipinos live in one city.
     
  16. Quem

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    Luckily I've not been asked much about my race. =) Being only 75% Dutch, people have asked me whether I'm part Spanish, Italian, or in that area.

    The look on their face when I tell them I'm 25% Ukranian is unbelievable. :lol:

    - But you don't look like those people, those Ukranian people
    - *Looks closely* Yeah... There is something to you. Now that you say it...
    - Yeah? But why do you look a bit Spanish then? [People! >.< First of all, I don't think I look Spanish! And second of all, I'm not Spanish as far as I know, so I have no idea why I might give that impression]

    Not all questions, but those are a few things I've heard. :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
     
  17. LakanLunti

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    When I told some people that I've online that I am Asian and my first name, Jose Cyril, they would ask me this: "If youre Asian, why do you have a Spanish sounding name? And why dont you have slanted eyes?"
    Im like DUDE, China, Korea, and Japan isnt the only country in Asia. And also, you want to know why I have a Spanish sounding name? Wait, I'll ask my parents to ask their parents then ask their parents to ask their parents WHY?!
     
  18. resu

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    Do you speak Hindi? (No)
    How did you become Catholic? (Umm, my dad's denomination are called Saint Thomas Christians after the apostle who went to India and use Syriac, a descendant of the Aramaic Jesus himself spoke...)
    I love [Hindi name of some food], do you like it? (I don't know what that is)
    Where are you from [then the cognitive dissonance as I say "Oklahoma..."]?
     
  19. TENNYSON

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    Well, when people find out I was born in Spain, they start talking to me in Spanish. I lived there as a baby and my parents didn't speak it to me. Sorry to disappoint.
     
  20. nevers

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    This German Girl who though she was great because she's from Germany: You're not Italian. Stop lying. You're sooo not German, you can't be German. I'm German. You're not Danish, that's offensive, my grandpa's danish.

    Then what am I? Am I a dog?