Ethnicity And Country Of Origin, Identify with an ethnicity/culture? Options

[MoonlightSavings...]

This topic was inspired by some comments I read on page 7 of the A/S/L topic in Daily Life. What does everyone think about people who identify with a certain country of origin or ethnicity? Do you think it's ridiculous when people proclaim "I'm French" or "I'm Norwegian" when they haven't even visited their country of ethnic/racial/cultural heritage? Particularly in the case of Americans who were born in America and have never been outside of America but still claim other ethnic heritage... What's your opinion?

[MoonlightSavings...]

To answer my own question...

If the topic comes up, I proudly proclaim that I'm Norwegian regardless of whether I've been there or not (I haven't, by the way). Where I grew up (in Minnesota), people of Norwegian descent are in the majority. The Norwegian culture there seems to be alive and well, and everyone in that area seems to take much pride in their heritage. It doesn't necessarily indicate one's location to me; it's just a label for the culture and heritage, and I see nothing wrong with it.

I think it's rather harsh to negatively judge the people who claim to be of a certain country and yet they haven't been to their country of origin. As far as I'm concerned, visiting the country your ancestors were born in is something for the rich to do, and most people I know from Minnesota are far from financially able to travel within the states, let alone taking an expensive overseas vacation. I think that claiming the label of "Norwegian" is just one of the many ways that these people try to reconnect to their country of heritage. Cherishing and embracing one's ethnicity should not entail a mandatory visit to the country of origin, in my opinion. There are lots of other ways to embrace ethnicity.

[Pikasyuu]

I don't spout off my bloodline, I typically say I'm just white when asked. But now that it's come up..

French, Irish, German, Swedish, Scottish, British, Swiss, and a pinch of Russian.

;D

[Prince Aries]

My whole theory on this type of thing is I have certain things in my bloodline, but that doesn't matter...I'm a full blooded American.....yippy. There's practically no ethnicity there. That's just my own opinion. We have a so called "boiling pot" or whatever of cultures, but yet there is so much disrimination and stuff like that, how can we even BEGIN to say we're the land of the free? Indeed. Ok this is quickly becoming off topic. Basically for me.....I don't really know anymore what my descendents were because the beautiful US of A has taken that from me. I am now a part of the money making machine and that's all I need to worry about, right?

[LoLo]

When people ask me where I'm from I always say California. If they ask me what I am I say a Californian born and bread. lol

I see nothing wrong with identifying with your ancestors but it starts to become complicated after awhile.

Me for example........french/german/english/scottish/lil bit of everything else. Now my nephew since we have to add in his mothers side.....well her bloodline wasn't tainted like ours haha........so he gets to say hes 1/2 french/german/english/scottish/lil bit of everything else and 1/2 navaho. If I had kids it would probably be a long long thing for them to say. haha

If someone is interested, I'll tell them and then say something like........yeah I'm really white **rollseyes** lol

The way I see it though, I've lived in America all my life, I've never been out of it to my knowledge, so I am a Californian. I don't like calling myself an American.

Side note to prince aries: if you want to trace your lineage, go to your local mormon church and ask to use their geneology library. I believe they have computers to help you trace everything back, but I wouldn't know cause I never did it myself. My family is mormon (not me but them) and geneology is very important to mormons, which is why they have one of the most extensive libraries around. My aunt did my geneology and I have a binder the size of a dictionary tracing back my ancestors quite a ways back. I have so many kings and queens as ancestors, along with a sherrif of naughtingham, and the inventor of coors beer.

[Jonman]

It's a bit of a nonsense really. I could claim to be Danish, as my surname is of Danish origin. But that's plainly ridiculous, as I'm English. Grew up in England, sound English, think and behave like an Englishman - yup, that'll be me being English.

It's OK if folk say, "I'm American, but of Irish decent", that makes sense. Claiming to be Irish, when you can't (for instance) name the Prime Minister of Ireland is clearly ludicrous.

[MistressAlti]

My mother is adopted. I have one huge question mark getting in the way of claiming an ethnicity... *sighs*

Perhaps it's a bit off-topic to say this, but I really wish I could know what I am. I mean, sure, I'm hardcore suburban American (rock on, kids), but hey, it'd be nice if I could at least know where my ancestors fled from. In that respect, ethnicity is a really important thing...

I don't really think it's wrong to claim your ethnic heritage, as long as it doesn't take precedence over your current way of life... Americans who say being Liberian (for example) is more important than the fact that they've grown up here is pure silliness.

[porcelainwarrior]

ok ... well ...

i call myself scottish pretty much - if someone ask bout my last name i tell them its flemish cause thats where my family hail from (french bit of belgium) just a few generations back but we also have french, english (yes i see a difference but i still lurve english ppl) and german heritage.

one of my aunts married a greek guy and the other married an iranian and we have lots of family friends who are indian, african, all sorts of european and id say that i was affected by all of these cultures too as my family not only celebrate easter and christmas like most uk families (and i know there are exceptions) but also diwali, greek orthodox easter, midsummer and god knows what else inbetween (including drinking lots of ouzo, eating lamb on a stick and smashing plates every summer ) ... plus i go to festivals and mosques, temples, kingdom halls and the like with my friends and family for special occasions ...

i dont claim to be any of these things but im just saying that your blood isnt all that makes up your ethnic background ... your environment and personal choices have a lot to do with that too

[Jonman]

i dont claim to be any of these things but im just saying that your blood isnt all that makes up your ethnic background ... your environment and personal choices have a lot to do with that too

That's exactly my point. I'm English, because I was raised in England. Had I been raised in Australia (where I was actually born, incidentally), I'd not doubt consider myself 1st generation Australian, of English extraction.

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

Well more recently i have scottish blood in me from my Grandad (on my mum's side) but i think my family has been traced back to France...apparently we came over a little after...that time when the French actually beat the engish....anywho, this is of great shame and i don't share it with a lot of people....I'm English and proud

[Phyllis]

It's a bit of a nonsense really. I could claim to be Danish, as my surname is of Danish origin. But that's plainly ridiculous, as I'm English. Grew up in England, sound English, think and behave like an Englishman - yup, that'll be me being English.

It's OK if folk say, "I'm American, but of Irish decent", that makes sense. Claiming to be Irish, when you can't (for instance) name the Prime Minister of Ireland is clearly ludicrous.

EXACTLY, jonman.

i don't have a problem at all w/ ppl saying "my great grandpa was from germany"...or whatever. just when someone asks you "what nationality are you?".....you shouldn't say "german" if you've never been to germany. you can say "i'm american, but my ancestors were from germany" if you like, because that is actually true.

i'm sorry, saying "i'm german" or "i'm irish" or whatever else gives the impression you are from those countries, which just isn't true.

i happen to be very proud of my family's heritage as well..and would like to find out more about it....but i still say i'm american when asked, because i was born here, so yeah..that IS what i am. it's the only country i'm a citizen of, so it's the only country i can claim as my nationality.

oh and asking ethnic origin is a whole different story...that question implies "where were your ancestors from?" i think. i'm just speaking of nationality.

[simply,I'm a...]

ummmmm M.S.T,didnt u kinda go against everything u said in the first post in ya second? lol

Wonder if anyone out there shares my heritage,try and figure it out by the paragraph which follows:

Shw'mae ane!Sut'dach chi?Mae hi'n iawn diolch.Rwyn dod o Llaneli,Cwymru.

hee hee
and YES i've been there many a time,and take lessons at college on my native language.i'm very proud of my heritage,and speak it with pride

[Phyllis]

ermmm...is that welsh, simply?

[simply,I'm a...]

Seems like candice knows her welsh

also have Irish,Russian and a teeny bit of German in me

[simply,I'm a...]

hold on,are u a fellow country-man?country woman?u know what i mean!!!

[Phyllis]

lol..my grandmother is welsh. i was born and raised in america though, and have never been there. i'd love to go all over europe sometime. *sigh*

anyhow...hrm i hope none of my comments on nationality came out offensive. it's just how i feel. i have a good friend from ireland who constantly has conversations on the internet as follows:

chatter: so where are you from?

my friend: ireland

chatter: oh yeah? i'm irish!

my friend: oh yeah? cool, what part?

chatter: i'm from chicago, illinois.

my friend: erm...ok. =/

see it'd go much better like this:

chatter: so where are you from?

my friend: ireland.

chatter: oh yeah? my family is from ireland, but i was born in chicago.

my friend: oh cool. have you ever been here?

chatter: nope but i'd like to....


see, now doesn't that just make much more SENSE?

[MoonlightSavings...]

ummmmm M.S.T,didnt u kinda go against everything u said in the first post in ya second? lol

Uhh, the first post was the question, and the second post was my response. What's there to go against?

[spuglet]

well, I'm 5/8 Irish 2/8 English and 1/8 scottish. in blood
i was born and raised in England but have always benn made aware of my Irish ethnicicity (sp?)

i guess it depends of whether you believe more that bloodlines count, or the place you were raised counts.

it really annyos me however, when you have to fill in froms about your ethnics, and they say white irish or white british. i am both. there are many both, so what am i supposed to put?

[Phyllis]

i usually just put "decline to respond" on questions like that...especially when filling out forms that include my husband. i hate that there are no "mixed" options most of the time. you apparently HAVE to be either white/black/hispanic/etc....you can't be more than one.

on some forms i've filled out though...it states that the person evaluating or whatever can assume your ethnicity from physical observation or from your surname. my surname is hispanic, but i am not. (these forms are for my housing authority).....even when i do mark white, they've still put me down as hispanic. i guess they're trying to prove to someone that they don't discriminate or something.

[CrissiLove]

I just say American... if they ask me to be more specific, I tell them I'm a mutt... lol Honestly, I'm not really sure what all I am... I know that my mother's side has a lot of French... but I don't know about my real father's side at all... I know a lot about my dad's though... lol but I guess that doesn't help much in this situation... lol

i usually just put "decline to respond" on questions like that...especially when filling out forms that include my husband. i hate that there are no "mixed" options most of the time. you apparently HAVE to be either white/black/hispanic/etc....you can't be more than one

My niece is half white and half filipino... my brother-in-law says that he thinks they should just fill out whichever is more convenient at the time... lol

[leopold]

I think it's nonsense... I hear some people go on about how they are "half this an a quarter that" an I say "but where were ya BORN???"

Some people pull that "Oooh, I'm 5/8 Norwegian on me mothers side", an I jus wanna go "But it dun stop ya bein English, does it?????" Sometimes I get the impression that this country ain't good enough fer some people an that they try an invent some coolness to make 'em more interestin or summat. I dun care fer all that, I love this country an I think people who wanna be a fifth German should go frickin live there

/end rant

An the form - "Ethnic Origin"... it's not important. If yer white an born in England, yer White English, no matter how much Irish or French or Scandi-bloody-navian ya have in ya...

[talking to faeri...]

Wonder if anyone out there shares my heritage,try and figure it out by the paragraph which follows:

Shw'mae ane!Sut'dach chi?Mae hi'n iawn diolch.Rwyn dod o Llaneli,Cwymru.

hee hee
and YES i've been there many a time,and take lessons at college on my native language.i'm very proud of my heritage,and speak it with pride

Shw'mae simply, I didn't know you were from Llanelli, do you still live there?...I live in Aberdare, not far away from you then.

Any way, I'm proud of my heritage, I consider myself Welsh as I was born in Wales and I think most of my family is welsh, but I think there may be one or two english ancestors but thats going back a few generations. My family are mostly from the valley where I live and have lived here for generations and I am proud of that.

[spuglet]

i disagree leo.
i was born in england and am white. both my parents were born in england and are white.
im not english. my dads not english. i am part english perhaps.

if i was english i would say so. i am proud of my roots and am not going to say i am english, conveniently forgetting that the majority of my ancertry is irish, for anyone.

[leopold]

i was born in england and am white. both my parents were born in england and are white.
im not english. my dads not english. i am part english perhaps.

erm... strictly speakin, if yer born in England to English parents, that pretty much makes ya English, spugs...

The way I see it, yer country of origin is where yer born. Now where yer descended from, that's yer heritage (or roots or whatever...) So yer only Irish if yer born in Ireland...

Sorry if that upsets ya. But I really can't see how ya can say yer not English...

[Righteous]

I was born in America. Because of my mixed lineage, I always fill the "other" bubble on forms. My father was born in Jamaica back when it was a British colony. His mother was half Chinese and half English while his father was Scottish. My mother is American.