At what point do you just accept you're a mutt?

[mr bolo]

Originally Posted by oldgardener

I always just say "American" when asked, unless the person asking is actually referring to genealogy, then I'll list all my known bloodlines, including Cherokee, sure. At the same time, I don't "claim" to be Irish, Scottish, Cherokee, German, etc. Isn't that what most people do? I would think people interested in genealogy might give you the whole list, but most other people don't.

Lots of people also will not list certain ethnic groups that they refuse to accept or deny it, then it has an effect on the family history not being totally accurate, truthful.

They might admit they are part Cherokee / Navajo, etc , but they will make sure to leave out other ethnic groups because it's not something they are proud of or want any affiliation with, so they only mention what they think people want to hear, or what others would consider acceptable.

so some people actually lie about what they are, or just say American.

[Tim Randal Walker]

I think that you can see-among siblings-a transition with 3 different ethnicities. My ancestry is Welsh and German on my father's side of the family, and Scottish on my mother's side of the family. Of my siblings, only my brother Scott has taken an interest in our ancestry, specifically the Scottish part. Me, I'm a mutt.

[Bandido]

Ia not really cooll to be white in this country they are ashamed of simply beibg a white joe

[Alandros]

Originally Posted by Bandido

Ia not really cooll to be white in this country they are ashamed of simply beibg a white joe

I'm assuming you mean the United States? You should clarify since "this country" doesn't have much context for an online forum.

Also I've never personally met or talked with anyone who was ashamed being a "white joe"... or even a "white jane". I've never met a single person that considers it an impact on what is "cool" or not... and I've been surrounded by some of the most liberal people out there (I lived and worked in Oregon for 4 years and have no lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay area for over 5 years).

Some people are ashamed of specific fellow white people, or things specific white people or groups do (especially if they become racial stereotypes that people reinforce). Or specific things white people have done in the past (slavery for example).

These concepts are not exclusive to just "white" people... Some black people are ashamed of things other black people do or say, or have done (such as African kingdom based slavery).

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by kevxu

I find this very interesting.

I was born and raised in the U.S., and am now seventy-eight years old. (As for long-term ancestry in America, some of my ancestors were settlers in New Netherland colony before the English snatched it up. But they were just a remote curiosity and their descendants had migrated to Canada after the Revolution in any case.)

There was never a time in my life when "American" was the only thing at the core of my being. In the early years "Roman Catholic," and "Irish-American" were of equal weight. This was unusual where I came from or in the years of my childhood, these were your three basic identifications...birth in America, religion and ethnicity.

As time went on that core expanded to include other things, and lost some of the earlier ones.

From the early Eighties until I emigrated in 2000, "American" ceased to be a core part of my identity, and became something more on the order of an long-time cultural influence instead. That particular religion had ceased to be a part of my core identity as well, and became something on the order of a previous development influence.

In Europe my entire being evidently does not scream "American" either. I am asked if I am Canadian or Irish....and when the "truth" is revealed, "Uh...oh, you don't seem very American." And my usual and honest answer is, "Well, my passport is."

When I read your response, this relatively recent experience came to mind. My husband and I have a good friend who was born in Scotland, although he is now a U.S. citizen. When the Scottish Independence movement was in full swing leading up to the plebiscite, he asked me my opinion. I explained to him that despite my Scottish name and appearance (seriously, you could plop me in Aberdeen and people would assume I'm a native, at least until I opened my mouth), I could not provide an opinion that was not based in my American identity. I am the ggg...-granddaughter of Revolutionaries, and it colors my perspective on such matters. I could not divorce myself from it even if I wanted to do so. I have had the privilege to travel beyond our nation's borders, and I love and value the people and experiences I have encountered outside the U.S., but at my core I am an American no matter how widely traveled I may be. There are just no two ways about it. It's not a garment I can take off. It's just who I am.

As an aside, I'm wondering if part of the response you've had is because people outside the U.S assume that to be an American is to be an "Ugly American." I don't subscribe to that line of thinking.

[waviking24]

You can tell the white Americans who are mutts from the ones who are predominately Anglo just by looking at them.