The Student Room Group

Do I sound like a stuck up B****?

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I don't think you sounded stuck up but you did overreact. Yes the shop assistant needs to look at a map, but she was obviously just trying to be friendly. Instead of being rude back to her, you should have just laughed it off and appreciated that someone was being nice.
Reply 61
Don't worry about this idiot.
Original post by Stems
I'm not annoyed that he thought I was Somalian the point is he never said it out of logic, he only knows two places. Congo and Somalia,he just went for somalia first Congo second (he doesn't no where either are in Africa let alone Ethiopia). He cant differentiate between the two because clearly to him all Africans are the same. He's just ignorant and that surprised me.

Why would you not expect people to know different places in Africa ?.
Ask most African living in Africa and they know European countries, I think it should go both ways.


Why should it go both ways? That's being prescriptive and also it depends on what people are taught in this country. I don't know much about the humanities syllabus but I really wonder how much depth they go into in looking at countries in other continents.

I don't think it's ignorant for people not to know countries in other continents. I'm finding it a bit arrogant of you to expect people to know the map of Africa. Just because you know about countries in the western world, middle east and asia etc, don't expect other people to also know countries in other continents. People also learn things in different stages, don't expect people to have your level of learning ability. People also learn in different ways, I've learnt about other countries through work and travelling. It went over my head while I was in secondary education.

At least that shop assistant was actually trying. I find it more annoying when people assume I'm British born or Caribbean. I'd much rather they recognised I'm from Africa, even if they are unsure of what country I'm from.
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by OrangeSocks
I don't think you sounded stuck up but you did overreact. Yes the shop assistant needs to look at a map, but she was obviously just trying to be friendly. Instead of being rude back to her, you should have just laughed it off and appreciated that someone was being nice.


Exactly
Reply 64
Original post by Stems
Sorry if this is long and insignificant, i just don't really want to discuss it with anyone I actually know.


So I went to the store today and was looking around. One of the shop assistants came up to me to ask if I needed any help or was looking for anything in particular:


Me: No thanks, I found what I’m looking for just thinking about whither to buy it or not.

Shop assistant: Don’t think, it’s not good to think you know. Do you know that?

Me: Ignore/ forced smile

Shop Assistant: Don’t think, just grab

Me; Ignore

Shop assistant: Where are you from? Are you from Somalia?

Me: No

Shop assistant: Are you from Africa?

Me: Yes, but you know Africa is a BIG place?

Shop assistant: Ok are you from Congo?

Me: NO

Shop assistant: Ok that’s all the places I know in Africa

Me: WHAT!! Are you serious? ( I was genuinely shocked)

Shop assistant: Yea I only no two places lol

Me: You need a map, maybe try to start learning different places.

Shop assistant: No can’t be bothered learnt all that stuff at school no point, that
was when I did geography. Ok are you from Mongola?

Me: You think that’s in Africa?

Shop assistant: Urm, isn’t it?

By this time I had to go, so just kind of walked off I did say bye.
So I told my friend about this and she wasn’t shocked at all. This guy obviously went thought the education system (he told me). She basically told me I sounded stuck up. I did mention to her that I wanted to print a map and give it to him, as I’m a regular at the store (it’s down the road). She just looked at me with disgust.

So did I over react?

Do I need to recognise that some just don’t have knowledge in areas that I believe are basic, however may have knowledge in other areas?

I mean I didn’t expect him to know which country I originate from, I was just shocked that he only knew two countries in Africa. Also the fact that he was just guessing random places yet appeared to be 100% serious.


A girl at my college is doing A-levels and she couldn't point out London on a map of the UK. She also thought Africa was a country, and when we were rolling around laughing, guess what she said......





"I didn't do geography"

bahahahahahaa
I'm sorry but I could probably name most of the countries in Africa without looking at a map. Chances are I probably had the same quality of education as they did.
You were not stuck up at all, it was a completely ureasonable reaction to such ignorance.
Reply 66
:facepalm:
Reply 67
Original post by babygirl110
Why should it go both ways? That's being prescriptive and also it depends on what people are taught in this country. I don't know much about the humanities syllabus but I really wonder how much depth they go into in looking at countries in other continents.

I don't think it's ignorant for people not to know countries in other continents. I'm finding it a bit arrogant of you to expect people to know the map of Africa. Just because you know about countries in the western world, middle east and asia etc, don't expect other people to also know countries in other continents. People also learn things in different stages, don't expect people to have your level of learning ability. People also learn in different ways, I've learnt about other countries through work and travelling. It went over my head while I was in secondary education.

At least that shop assistant was actually trying. I find it more annoying when people assume I'm British born or Caribbean. I'd much rather they recognised I'm from Africa, even if they are unsure of what country I'm from.



We live in a multi-cultural society, i don't expect people to know the whole of Africa piece by piece, of course not. I just expect the minimum.

You might think that's arrogant ok.
But he is ignorant, he doesn't even want to know. Basically he wants to stay in his own little bubble where everyone black is from Africa and there's know point learning because there all the same thing really. That's what that says to me.

Therefore this isn't about developing at different stages, he has no interest widening his knowledge. What does that tell you?
Reply 68
Reading that, I would have got more annoyed at the assistant telling me to buy stuff without thinking. Then I'd get annoyed that he wouldn't leave me alone. You seem to have gotten annoyed at the only thing that didn't affect you.
Reply 69
Original post by KissMyArtichoke
To be honest, I would consider myself fairly well educated and I still couldn't name a single part of Africa. I am awful at remembering place names though. It sounds like the shop assistant was being a bit too probing though, that's not really their job, even if they were only trying to be nice.


Not even Egypt or South Africa? :s-smilie:
This is one reason why I do most of my shopping online, much less hassle that way.
Original post by Stems
We live in a multi-cultural society, i don't expect people to know the whole of Africa piece by piece, of course not. I just expect the minimum.

You might think that's arrogant ok.
But he is ignorant, he doesn't even want to know. Basically he wants to stay in his own little bubble where everyone black is from Africa and there's know point learning because there all the same thing really. That's what that says to me.

Therefore this isn't about developing at different stages, he has no interest widening his knowledge. What does that tell you?


Who said he doesn't want to know? Did he tell you that? Did he tell you he has no interest in broadening his knowledge or are you just putting words into his mouth?
Reply 72
Original post by babygirl110
The reason he/she suggested somalia is logical in my opinion. Somalians, Ethiopians and Eritreans all look quite similar to me, particularly Ethiopians/Eritreans. I'd have to ask where a person is from, just to clarify.

People hardly know Eritrea exists anyway.

I imagine the reason you were offended is because of the negative stereotypes associated with Somalians.


NO, this had nothing to do with him calling me Somalian, as I said in my original post I didn't expect him to know were I'm from. As you said people don't really know Eritrea, so why would I expect it.

I have no problem with Somalians, I've never had a bad experience with a Somalian in my life quite the opposite. I found them to be quite funny/fun people to be around.
Reply 73
Original post by babygirl110
Who said he doesn't want to know? Did he tell you that? Did he tell you he has no interest in broadening his knowledge or are you just putting words into his mouth?


Look read the original post. I told him he should get a map, learn about place, he said he's not bothered.
Just read the post again.
Original post by Hopple
Reading that, I would have got more annoyed at the assistant telling me to buy stuff without thinking. Then I'd get annoyed that he wouldn't leave me alone. You seem to have gotten annoyed at the only thing that didn't affect you.


I would have got more annoyed at the first part as well.

With regards to the SA leaving him alone, I think the OP could have easily told him where he's from and that would have ended the whole thing. Failing that, I would have just requested him to stop disturbing my browsing.
Me and my boyfriend...well let's just say he has purple hair and my hair is always backcombed and we both have facial piercings and wear pretty much only black.

We went to a butcher and the guy took ages over giving us what we asked for because he was too busy trying to guess what music we liked. He only knew Nirvana when it came to metal bands but kept listing random artists. Like it actually mattered. We just wanted beef ffs.

I don't know why people after having seen you for about a minute then start making guesses about you based on your appearance. So no, I can see why you'd be a bit peeved.

Still, makes for a funny story :awesome:
Original post by Stems
Look read the original post. I told him he should get a map, learn about place, he said he's not bothered.
Just read the post again.


I read it but then I wondered if the guy decided to start being silly because he was being told what to do.

I'd never tell someone I hardly know to go and get an education/ go and learn something, I'd a expect a silly response in return.

My dad does that sort of thing, I can imagine him telling someone to get a map of somewhere and learn about places. It annoys me, it's kind of dictatorial and prescriptive. Not the best way to teach people really.

Anyway after he said that, I would have told him not to go around trying to assume or guess where people are from if he's not even bothered to learn his geography. Although the conversation probably wouldn't have got to that point with me.
This is how I learnt the geography of Africa :yep:
Original post by emmielociraptor
This is how I learnt the geography of Africa :yep:


Oh thanks for this link, it's really useful.

Your butchers story is quite funny lol. If it was me I might have assumed nirvana, black sabbath and others. I wouldn't have been rude enough to start asking though lol.
Original post by babygirl110
Oh thanks for this link, it's really useful.

Your butchers story is quite funny lol. If it was me I might have assumed nirvana, black sabbath and others. I wouldn't have been rude enough to start asking though lol.


Win on Black Sabbath :yep:

Normally I don't have a problem with curiosity but in this case I just wanted my damn beef. And he was being a bit of a moron about it. Even after he handed over the meat he was like chasing us around the side of the counter still yelling bands after us.

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