If someone guesses your nationality or race wrong do you get offended?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was in Ireland, people thought I was Irish until I started speaking. Clearly I am American, but I have Irish heritage. That was pretty cool though. NGL

When I was in Denmark, everyone assumed I was Danish until I tried to communicate. I thought it was great. But asking some stranger or casual acquaintance to tell you their ethnic background? I think it's super rude.

[Anonymous]

?

Why would you (unless you think your race is superior???)

[Anonymous]

People keep asking me if I'm Irish, and I don't know why. I do have big blue eyes, and I guess that's why. I am far from Irish, lol. Why would I get offended? I've had some pleasant chats with people around the subject.

[Anonymous]

OP here. It's not a question really for people with European origin. Non whites are a proud bunch and most dislike being mistaken

[Anonymous]

I look very white, but speak fluent Spanish with no accent and that confuses native Spanish speakers, and others when they see me speaking Spanish. Sometimes people assume I’m from Spain or Argentina (even though I don’t speak those varieties of Spanish). I get a lot of ‘where are you from? No, but where are your parents from?’ I find it amusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many many times people think I am Spanish because I speak with an accent, even though I am born in Boston. It is not up to me to correct them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People assume I’m Christian when I am not. They also often guess Irish. Nope, Jew of Ashkenazi / Eastern European extraction. It only bothered me when I was dating, because I wanted to date and marry within my religion. It was never a big deal though.

I have a friend who is blond and pasty white, with the most white bread name you can find, but Muslim. I have always wondered what kind of reactions he gets if people assume he’s Christian and if he corrects them. But I have never asked. And maybe he doesn’t correct them anyway, because in most contexts it wouldn’t matter.

Is your friend Eastern European from former Yugoslavia?

Nope. American.

[Anonymous]

I’m very ethnically ambiguous and often get asked if I am Egyptian, Ethiopian, Sicilian, Indian or Hispanic. By people who are of those ethnicities. I’m not offended. I take it as a compliment!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People assume I’m Christian when I am not. They also often guess Irish. Nope, Jew of Ashkenazi / Eastern European extraction. It only bothered me when I was dating, because I wanted to date and marry within my religion. It was never a big deal though.

I have a friend who is blond and pasty white, with the most white bread name you can find, but Muslim. I have always wondered what kind of reactions he gets if people assume he’s Christian and if he corrects them. But I have never asked. And maybe he doesn’t correct them anyway, because in most contexts it wouldn’t matter.

I’m guessing you’re a redhead? My half Ashkenazi redheaded dd gets asked if she’s Irish.

No, brown hair actually, but fair skin and green eyes so I guess that does it.

Red hair is actually not uncommon among Ashkenazim, I guess because of the small gene pool.

[Anonymous]

If two minutes after meeting me, you insist that you're really good at distinguishing different Asian ethnicities, and then you guess wrong, and then you double down by insisting that I don't look like most other people of my ethnicity, yeah, that's annoying.

[Anonymous]

Not offended, but annoyed. I also lose my interest in the conversation with them when they tell me yet again that I'm Russian. It means they put zero effort into their guess and/or that's the best they can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People used to always assume I was Jewish because my last name is one that in certain circles is nearly always Jewish but in my case is not. It didn't bother me, I just corrected them if I felt like it. Sometimes it was helpful...my first job out of college was at firm where all the top leadership was Jewish. Did their assumption help me in the recruiting process? No idea but it wouldn't have hurt. Also, when my non-Jewish friend married a Jewish man, his mother was pretty upset about the wedding. On the wedding day she asked me to be her MILs helper/handler for the day. I could tell MIL assumed I was Jewish and liked that her DIL at least had one Jewish friend. So, I did not correct that impression!

When I married I took my husband's name and moved my maiden name to the middle. I hadn't realized how often the Jewish question came up until people stopped making that assumption.

Replace "Jewish" with "White". Not great, eh?

Except when White is the dominant majority group - it is not the same thing.

[Anonymous]

People get confused by me. I am Asian but have heritage from a country that many people have never visited or met someone with that ancestry. So people often think I am Hispanic or have part Caucasian heritage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It's not a question really for people with European origin. Non whites are a proud bunch and most dislike being mistaken

DP. Yeah, whites are too accommodating and give Everyone (!) the benefit of the doubt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many many times people think I am Spanish because I speak with an accent, even though I am born in Boston. It is not up to me to correct them.

😂 And you just happened to give all of your children Hispanic names…

Sí.

🥒

What’s with the cucumber?

Cucumber! Yes, that is how you say in inglees!