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If you have an accent, I would ask where you are originally from without any hesitation...simply out of curiosity. I love hearing about people's native countries. No intetion of being rude. ONLY if you have an obvious non-English American accent though.
I met someone tonight at the store who was from Manchester UK .. He still had his accent and I could tell .... I asked him if he was from Manchester and he said yes he has been here in the states 16 years........
I do not think its wrong to ask about where people are from....... Its no big deal after all... He told me he does miss england...... I wonder why he came here?? (I didnt ask him that)
I met someone tonight at the store who was from Manchester UK .. He still had his accent and I could tell .... I asked him if he was from Manchester and he said yes he has been here in the states 16 years........
I do not think its wrong to ask about where people are from....... Its no big deal after all... He told me he does miss england...... I wonder why he came here?? (I didnt ask him that)
Although it may seem that it's okay, it can be an offensive question to people of color. It can make them feel that it's being pointed out their racial difference. And believe me, many people get tired of being asked that. It's particularly offensive if the person of color is American and you are American, and you ask them what country they are from.
Although it may seem that it's okay, it can be an offensive question to people of color. It can make them feel that it's being pointed out their racial difference. And believe me, many people get tired of being asked that. It's particularly offensive if the person of color is American and you are American, and you ask them what country they are from.
Lol! My daughter got asked that question a lot in Asian countries, her being white, her child was born in Asia and is obviously white. My daughter was even asked where was she from in the states, because of her dark hair and eyes. She thought nothing about it. People will ask that question all over the world at least a majority because people are curious.
Although it may seem that it's okay, it can be an offensive question to people of color. It can make them feel that it's being pointed out their racial difference. And believe me, many people get tired of being asked that. It's particularly offensive if the person of color is American and you are American, and you ask them what country they are from.
That's why I said I "only ask if they have an accent" no matter what color they are (it doesn't matter to me).
Although it may seem that it's okay, it can be an offensive question to people of color. It can make them feel that it's being pointed out their racial difference. And believe me, many people get tired of being asked that. It's particularly offensive if the person of color is American and you are American, and you ask them what country they are from.
It seems to me that there are ways of asking this question of people of color without being offensive. If you encounter a POC with a strong accent whose first language is obviously not English, asking what country they're from (in a friendly manner, of course) shouldn't be offensive to anyone.
There are, of course, many black people who speak with a British accent; most of them are from the UK, certain African countries, or certain Caribbean islands. How is it offensive to ask them where they're from?
I do agree that it is offensive to ask a POC what country they're from if they're speaking English fluently and without any obvious foreign accent. When phrased like that, it implies that they can't actually be "real" Americans. But asking where they're from is not necessarily the same as asking what country they're from.
It seems to me that there are ways of asking this question of people of color without being offensive. If you encounter a POC with a strong accent whose first language is obviously not English, asking what country they're from (in a friendly manner, of course) shouldn't be offensive to anyone.
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I don't ask at all because I don't feel entitled to know. I'm okay with not knowing that information.
Whether asking where someone is from is offensive or not is a question only those who are actually asked on regular basis are entitled to answer. Just imagine meeting someone for the first time, in a formal setting, and hear them asking you "Are you married?", "What do you for a living?", "How much do you make?", "Who do you vote for?". Probably a great many of those who stated on here that they do not view anything wrong with asking someone "Where are you from" would probably object or feel uncomfortable being asked the aforementioned questions. On a bad day, some would even reply with a "It's none of your business". They'd have a point, I say. What makes someone entitled to know about another person's personal information? It's not about "race", or "xenophobia" only. It also has to do with people not being happy about others feeling entitled to feed their nosiness off of them.
A lot of folks are using the word "entitled". Many people are just straight up "curious".
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