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Like i've never heard one of my mexican friends say anything like "dude i'm 1/16 bla bla etc." its just so confusing to me why white people are so ashamed of their own ethnic identity that they have to relay on trivial percentages to try and find something to connect to?
I've known Black people who said they were 1/4 or 1/8 Cherokee.
Who cares what folks were when fire was invented! Two generations is the max i would say i ok. Anything beyond that is just something pointless.
Folks think, its really cool... "See i am so diverse"!!
I agree, two generations should be the max, unless you grew up in some sort of ethnic enclave. I'm astonished when someone lists off their nationalities and it's like, "I'm part French, German, English, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch". I really have no idea what is going on in your family. You need to reign that in, folks.
I was born in the US to a British born father and an American mother, so I'll say I'm "British-American". I don't really bother with the term "English" much. If pressed, or if the topic comes up, because my mom's grandfather was full Algonquin, I'll mention that I'm of "Algonquin descent", but really only because my mother has Indian features and me growing up blonde haired and blue eyed I always had to explain to others that she's really my mom.
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Originally Posted by 640TAG
I hate to tell you, but whatever colour, it's only Americans who do this.
I've never heard anyone in Europe declare their genetic background in percentages, even though most of us are mongrels in one way or another (especially Brits).
No, it's not. Like was mentioned up thread, I too have heard the half Japanese and half Korean comments from non Americans, especially in Taiwan. My friend was born and raised in the UK, but is fiercely proud about being half Nigerian through her father.
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Originally Posted by 640TAG
It's always a cause of amusement - it's as if simply being American is not enough. You even do it to food. English Muffins. Canadian Bacon. French toast (never seen in France). Belgian waffles (rarely seen in Belgium).
"Paris, France" is another rib tickler.
French toast is seen in France. It's called "pain perdu". Belgian waffles are called such because both times they were introduced to the US it was at world fairs by Belgian people who called them...Belgian waffles.
Like i've never heard one of my mexican friends say anything like "dude i'm 1/16 bla bla etc." its just so confusing to me why white people are so ashamed of their own ethnic identity that they have to relay on trivial percentages to try and find something to connect to?
You realize that "white" isn't an ethnicity, right? You can be white and still be multi-ethnic, as are the majority of white Americans. This day in age, it's getting much more rare to meet a white person who is 100% Swedish, or 100% Italian, or 100% Ashkenazi Jew.
I think it's interesting to know where you come from, and people should take pride in that no matter what ethnicity/ethnicities, skin color, or nationality they are.
No, it's not. Like was mentioned up thread, I too have heard the half Japanese and half Korean comments from non Americans, especially in Taiwan. My friend was born and raised in the UK, but is fiercely proud about being half Nigerian through her father.
OK, I'll confess to not being widely traveled in Taiwan, nor fluent in the language, so I'll take your word for it.
Let's say that in the English speaking world, it is Americans who seem to obsess about their heritage. I've actually met people in the States who describe themselves as "Polish" or "Italian" when they are clearly not. They are American. I think it's down to the scale of the country and size of the population. It gives them a point of difference. A slight exotic quality. It's the same psyche that leads to the ridiculous embellishment of menus. Even the most mundane of ingredients has to be over-described to make it sound more than it is. Which is why, 9 times out of 10, it disappoints when the plate arrives. It's a practice that has crept over here, unfortunately. Even roast beef is now described as "hand carved". What nonsense.
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French toast is seen in France. It's called "pain perdu" on a menu. Belgian waffles are called such because both times they were introduced to the US it was at world fairs by Belgian people who called them...Belgian waffles.
Despite countless holidays in France, I've never actually come across pain perdu, though I'll wave the white flag on this one, albeit slightly limply. It is certainly nothing like as ubiquitous as "French toast" is in the US. My mother used to make it when I was a child, but she called it "eggy bread", lacking the pretension of American menu authors.
Come to think of it, I can't think what lay behind the American invention of "French Fries" - now established in global parlance. There is absolutely nothing remotely French about the industrially produced fried potatoes that accompany intensely reared bits of chicken, or processed burgers across the US. If they wished to refer to fresh potatoes, double or triple fried to a crisp, then "Belgian fries" would be more appropriate, not least because they make the best fries in the world. We, of course, call them "chips", but we are somewhat unique in that.
It all boils down to the same thing. Everything in the States is over-promised and under-delivered. It's what happens when you have no "Trades Description Act".
OK, I'll confess to not being widely traveled in Taiwan, nor fluent in the language, so I'll take your word for it.
Let's say that in the English speaking world, it is Americans who seem to obsess about their heritage. I've actually met people in the States who describe themselves as "Polish" or "Italian" when they are clearly not. They are American. I think it's down to the scale of the country and size of the population. It gives them a point of difference. A slight exotic quality.
Thru most of the 20th century in many cities there were distinctive "Polish" and "Italian" neighborhoods where 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation immigrant families lived together and held onto language and traditions. Many of us still hold many of the traditions, religion, and language, and try to pass some of it on to our children. Many of us also faced discrimination because of our immigrant heritage, typically from those of a different immigrant background. I grew up with disparaging remarks about my heritage, an in turn I heard remarks about others from my family, often based upon a person's last name.
Many immigrants tried to "hide" their background, often thru changing their last names, and trying to eliminate all of their ethnic and family traditions in favor of a more generic "American" culture (whatever that is). In the 1970s there was a pushback, and people started embracing their background rather than denying it - "Proud to be Polish" was a rejection of the "Dumb Pollock" stereotype that others gave immigrants and their children's children. It was an attempt to positively self-identify rather than letting others define them.
Like i've never heard one of my mexican friends say anything like "dude i'm 1/16 bla bla etc." its just so confusing to me why white people are so ashamed of their own ethnic identity that they have to relay on trivial percentages to try and find something to connect to?
What does this possibly have to do with being ashamed?? They probably state those facts because they have the family tree and there was a paper trail of information that led them to actually know where their ancestors were from.
Hm I am white and never said anything like this to anyone but my moms side is irish and dads side is german. So.. what does it matter to you? We cannot know where our descendants came from or be proud of it/our history? Just because others may not know or it care, others do and theres nothing wrong with that.
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