PEEVE ››
When people ask me "Where I'm from", when they actually want to know what my ethnicity is.
person a: Hey, so where are you from?
me: I'm from Washington DC.
person a:...no, I mean, *where* are you from?
— zoomusicgirl from Washington DC | Conversation | 11.18.2008 | Comments (9)
COMMENTS ››
Thank you for articulating what I'm sure is the biggest pet peeve of non-white people in this country. Never fails to piss me off.
— Lauren posted 11/20/2008
Yes! This is horrible. Sometimes they don't actually *say* the second "really, where are you from" bit, but you can see in their face that they're confused and still unsatisfied--which can be worse because it's like they are putting the burden on you to acknowledge and answer their real question. Either way, at this point I'm usually like - ok fine. I'll tell you the whole story. You ready? And launch on a long, involved history of my life that exhausts me as much as it exhausts them but I feel like it is my duty to inflict on them. And it usually ends with them saying, "wow, your English is perfect" and me feeling completely gross for having felt the need to explain anything. Ugh. Hate it.
— Carmen posted 11/24/2008
I had no idea so many people were so ignorant.
— Charles posted 11/24/2008
my husband is mixed race and gets interrogated by strangers ALL the time as if he OWES them an explaination for being brown. there are far more ignorant people around than you could ever know
— personaldecay posted 11/25/2008
Tell me about it!
— Barack O. posted 11/26/2008
I hate when this happens to me! But sometimes I can't help doing it to other people too. There's not really a good way to ask sometimes...
— laura posted 11/27/2008
I can relate,I was born in the USA but have an Irish accent,when asked where I'm from I get so agitated especially with other fellow irishman,my dialect is awee bit of Londonderry tho i never lived there,could be because I also have a wee bit of an scottish accent too,my mum was Irish and my da was Scottish,and another thing,I get sick and tired of people asking me if my oldest daughter is adopted,grrrr,she is 1/2 japanese and aye she looks full blood but when i say nae she isn't adopted they look at me like I'm lying,wotever,but again those of ye that are fed ip of explaining where ye are from,again,I relate!
— Irish posted 11/28/2008
I'm glad I'm not the only one with this pet peeve. I was born in Australia, but both my parents are European. I've got tanned/olive skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes, and was asked by a girl at Uni *where* I came from. I said Australia, and she replied with.... 'Are you sure? You don't look Australian!'.
— Sophie posted 1/12/2010
I get this question, and being white, I don't know if they mean where I'm born, where I grew up, or what my ethnicity is. I never go with ethnicity, because should I be wrong that would be very embarrassing. But usually people are really asking where my ancestors are from.
— posted 9/5/2010
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