Reply to Why do people asked me where I am from if they don't believe me?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I understand, but how often does that happen? Each person who asked 'where are you from' also asked 'no, but really where are you from?'?! 
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I'm the PP who started it.  It used to happen very frequently.  In addition, I have been berated and abused as almost every form of Asian nationality despite being a native born American.  I have been called a Jap, Chink, Gook, Slant-eyed, and many other offensive and abuse terms.  I would say until about 2000, it happened at least once a week or more.  Since 2000, it has lessened.

In this area, it happens a lot less often as this is a very liberal area.  But I've visited regularly in Florida, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.  When in those areas, it is more like about once a month or so.  My wife was like you and thought that this type of abuse no longer happened.  Those who live in liberal urban areas really are insulated from this phenomenon.  But, a couple of years ago, we were waiting in a doctor's office in suburban Cincinnati.  And this very nice couple started with the "where are you really from?" game.  I decided to be polite and mentioned that my parents were originally from mainland China, but have been in the US for over 60 years, having come over quite young.  This couple then proceeded to pull out anything and everything they could think of about anything Asian related to "keep the conversation going".  They told me about their Asian neighbor who ran a drycleaners.  The lady mentioned she was shocked that her son tried to take her to a "Chinese" restaurant and could you believe it?  They served her raw fish without even cooking it and her son tried to get her to eat it.  She was appalled.  She extolled me about how wonderful her local Chinese buffet was and how nice the people there were.  And she made sure to talk to me loudly, slowly and to take extra effort to enunciate her words.  She also simplified her sentences to make sure to use more one syllable words.  My wife sat there with her hand over her mouth trying to stifle the laughter and eventually excused herself to the rest room to be able to let it out.  Later she said that she hadn't really believed me when I said these things still happened often (although this was the most extreme I had had in about 20 years), but that she now believed me.

It happens regularly that people try to classify me by my heritage rather than by my professed origins.
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