What is your ethnicity?

[Andrew NDB]

I'm curious. I am half Colombian, 1/4 Swedish, 1/4 Norwegian.

[CyberCubed]

I am just a white boy. I was born in America. My parents were born in America. All 4 of my grandparents were born in America. I have no distinguishing features whatsoever of any race.

However if we go back to my great grandparents, they come from Eastern Europe and Russia. My great grandfather was from Spain or Portugal, my other Great grandparents hail from Mother Russia.

But since I, my parents, and all 4 grandparents were born in America, I never considered myself anything other than American. Aside from that, I am also Jewish, but don't tell anyone. Shhhhh.

[Wildcat]

Hispanic but I don't really look it. Neither does my sister. We have very light skin. Even kids in school never believed I was hispanic. Both parents are though. Born in the US. All family was.

[IndigoErth]

A mix of various parts of Europe with a dash of Native American for flavor.

I don't know exact amounts, though Scottish (maternal grandmother born a Boyd), Irish, and English probably dominate it. (And other small bits and pieces throw in according to the genealogy DNA tests taken by my mom and dad's brother.)

Far as I know I've got ancestors (the European ones) who have been in the U.S. back as far at least the1600s, maybe late 1500s. We've been around a while.

[Candy Kappa]

As far as I know, I don't have a whole lot of interesting ethnicity or nationalities in my family, it's more their occupations that are interesting.

My maternal grandpa was Danish, and I have a Scottish ancestors that suddenly had to flee Britain after 5. November 1605.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Pakistani/Indian. I was born in Karachi, Pakistan but my fathers side of the family originally came from Hydrabad, India while my mothers side came from the North Eastern mountainious region of Abbotabad in Pakistan.

[ToTheNines]

One side is Scandinavian and Scotch-Irish, other is German and English. Probably various other boring European countries.

[BubblyShell22]

I'm white. My great grandmother on my dad's side came from Russia and my mother's side of the family is Dutch.

[CyberCubed]

You know this question always bothers me at job interviews, or when co-workers ask you your ethnicity. For some reason whenever I've been at a new job people always ask me, "Well what are you?" and I say, "Well, uh white American."

And then they say, "Well what else?" Like I'm really expected to say some sort of foreign country. I really hate this question, and the sad thing is EVERYONE asks you this. Whenever you're new somewhere this is like the first question everyone asks.

Is, "white American" not a proper response these days? Everytime you say that people stare at you dumbfounded like that's not an acceptable answer.

[plastroncafe]

You'll find white folks, especially white folks of a particular age, are very sensitive about being white.
Unless they're only recently white, in which case then they'll tell you all about it.
(Yeah, I'm looking at your Italian-American community)

Me? I'm white, with ancestry coming from the UK, Portugal, and Sicily primarily. Though I did just send out one of those Trace Your DNA kits, so there's a chance I'll get a more in depth record of just where my genetics drifted from.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

White. From my dad's side I've got a lot of German in me. Not entirely sure where my mom's side originates though.
Parts of my ancestry (if that's the correct way to say it) have been in America since the colonial days.

[IndigoErth]

This is common where you are, Cubed? Or do you look like a mix of something they just can't figure out and are curious? Because at least where I'm at I can't imagine anyone being that intrusive in most cases.

Though as a genealogist I wouldn't really mind. I just wouldn't expect anyone to find it interesting enough to ask. The stories are more interesting then the genetic makeup.

But I love researching the family tree now and then though, love every and any bit I can dig up. I want to know it all and what I'm made of and some of the small traces of things that we didn't know about that showed up in the DNA test were the most interesting. Even if it's just a tiny bit of something that's in there, watered down after many generations... I still find it important. Because if you remove that one grandparent who added that long ago, you'd no longer exist. It all matters the way I see it. And wouldn't want to disrespect anyone in my family by disregarding it.

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

Though I did just send out one of those Trace Your DNA kits, so there's a chance I'll get a more in depth record of just where my genetics drifted from.

Those things are fun to get back.

Ours are through Ancestry.com so it also taps into their growing database and shows you all these other members who are likely your cousins. It hit on a couple second cousins we know so it certainly works. It also proved an old family paternity rumor true, which was awesome.

[plastroncafe]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Ours are through Ancestry.com so it also taps into their growing database and shows you all these other members who are likely your cousins. It hit on a couple second cousins we know so it certainly works. It also proved an old family paternity rumor true, which was awesome.

That's the test we used too!
I bought enough tests for my immediate family, so we'll see where this goes.

I am SO curious.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

This is common where you are, Cubed? Or do you look like a mix of something they just can't figure out and are curious? Because at least where I'm at I can't imagine anyone being that intrusive in most cases.

No, that's the thing, I am white with brown hair but with no distinguishing features of any race. That's why I always get asked what I am. I think people ask you more what your race is if you look like, "a regular white guy" because then you can be anything.

[Prowler]

I expected this to be a CyberCubed thread. Certainly didn't expect it to be an Andrew thread... it's not even a tongue in cheek thread with subtle shots at Fred Wolf TMNT or Michael Bay TMNT.

As for the question itself well afaik I'm 100% Portuguese. I mean everyone from my family up until my great grandparents was Portuguese. What can I say? I'm a Euro man. Unlike people from the Americas we don't tend to have 3 different cultures in our close family.

It seems people from the Americas like getting DNA tests and such. Well I don't care about that stuff. I mean Western Europeans are all genetically close. I'm positive I've had a Spaniard, a Frenchman and/or an English or Irishman in my family tree at some point or another hundreds of years ago, but I don't care about that at all.

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

You know this question always bothers me at job interviews, or when co-workers ask you your ethnicity. For some reason whenever I've been at a new job people always ask me, "Well what are you?" and I say, "Well, uh white American."

And then they say, "Well what else?" Like I'm really expected to say some sort of foreign country. I really hate this question, and the sad thing is EVERYONE asks you this. Whenever you're new somewhere this is like the first question everyone asks.

Is, "white American" not a proper response these days? Everytime you say that people stare at you dumbfounded like that's not an acceptable answer.

They ask you that, really?

And Cubed, if this means anything to you coming from me, to me you're definitely just an American guy. Hell your whole attitude and way of talking screams "American guy" to me... for better or for worse.

I don't think Americans should focus that much on this stuff. FWIW to me Michael Jordan and bill gates are both equally American even though one is black and the other one is white. I'm sure both like similar entertainment and the same sports and thus understand each other's pop culture references.

Culture is more important than race, and I'm sure Hugh Laurie would feel more comfortable talking to Lewis Hamilton than to a random guy from Greece or Finland.

EDIT: CyberCubed and plastron possibly having had ancestors from Portugal thus meaning there's a slim chance they're long lost relatives of mine is a bit scary.

[DestronMirage22]

100% Salvadoran, baby.

[snake]

White. I have a bit of Italian, but it doesn't show.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Prowler

They ask you that, really?

And Cubed, if this means anything to you coming from me, to me you're definitely just an American guy. Hell your whole attitude and way of talking screams "American guy" to me... for better or for worse.
.

Yes, even back in school/College and at any new job I've ever had, in the first few weeks when I'm new I always get asked 3 things:

1. How old am I. I look like I'm in my early 20's, people are shocked when they hear how old I am. For some reason people think I'm fresh out of College or something. It's probably because I'm also rather short.

2. What nationality am I? If I say, "white" they say, "What else?" I say, "American" and they still say, "Where are you from then?"

WTF. Can't anyone just be American these days? It probably doesn't help that most of my co-workers usually *aren't* white, so they're probably curious when they see a white guy in a job what they are.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Yes, even back in school/College and at any new job I've ever had, in the first few weeks when I'm new I always get asked 3 things:

1. How old am I. I look like I'm in my early 20's, people are shocked when they hear how old I am. For some reason people think I'm fresh out of College or something. It's probably because I'm also rather short.

2. What nationality am I? If I say, "white" they say, "What else?" I say, "American" and they still say, "Where are you from then?"

WTF. Can't anyone just be American these days? It probably doesn't help that most of my co-workers usually *aren't* white, so they're probably curious when they see a white guy in a job what they are.

last week one of my female classmates was surprised when I told her i was 26. She said she thought I was 21 at best.

I haven't travelled to a foreign country in over a decade but usually people just asked where I was from(in case they did, that is). For some reason this time I went to Tunisia the guy who ran the hotel souvenir store asked me and my family if we were Bulgarian, and then asked us if we were form a former Yugoslavian country.

[ToTheNines]

People generally think I'm older than 25.

Anyone ever use how-old.net? It always tells me I'm 37-42, but seems pretty damn accurate with everyone else. Hard life, I guess lol.