If you're of an ethnic minority, how do you react to someone saying this

As in someone not of ethnic minority, you've met, you're getting along and you start talking about personal things - your family, past schools, where you're from etc

"So where are you from"

You answer casually, seeing as you were born in the UK, nothing weird

"No, but where are you from"

You may think that's like straight from a comedy skit and it never actually happens but it does, anyway if you're asked that and you're from an ethnic minority, how do you / would you react?

Anyone got real and funny experiences of a conversation like that they want to share?

Yeah just tell them straight. Despite what ethnics may think, 99% of "white" people are not racist but simply curious...

I generally dislike answering this question to people.

I'm of Arab decent (UAE to be specific) but was born in London and consider myself British rather than Arab....though I am proud to be part of both.

The part I dislike is how the conversation usually goes (and believe me, during freshers every person said this same thing countless times):

them: so where are you from?

me: London, you?

them: no as in, where your parents from...your ethnic background?

me: Oh, they're from UAE...Dubai to be specific.

them: oh wow, so you're arab

me: yep

them: mmmm loaded eh? I bet you have oil in your back yard

me: I wish

them: I bet you dance along to "we gettin' arab moneyyyyyy"

me:

them:

me:

them:

me:

Had to go through this same **** every day in freshers.

But you aren't 'originally' from there. By that logic I could be 'originally Persian' given that my paternal ancestors migrated across that part of the globe c. 2400 years ago.

Surely this is like an American born person saying that he/she is 'originally German', rather than saying he/she is Amercan.

You may be ethnically Sinhalese/Tamil/Moorish (or a mixture) but you are not 'from' Sri Lanka since you were not born there.

So if people ask your ethnic group(s)/ancestry then you say your ethnic group(s); if people ask where your family are from then you say where they were born (could be quite alot of places if there's a diaspora); if people ask where you are from then you say where you were born.

Since you are born in the UK and presumably hold UK citizenship, this means you are from the UK. Your ethnicity doesn't come into that question.

Where did you develop such an ego that you deemed yourself worthy to dish out seemingly conclusive advice on how everyone everywhere should respond to such a question? Where people are from is a personal choice and there is no definitive answer that someone should pick when posed this question. Someone may not be born in a certain country but can still most definitely feel that they are from there.

Well it's obvious they wanna know your ethnicity rather than which country you were born, I use this all the time when asking people. Hate it when they give the "From the UK" response, it's obvious that's not what I meant.

How is this about ego? Surely it is about logic?

If you are born in London how can you feel you are not from London? If people ask 'where you are from' they are not asking about your cultural, religious, political or ancestral background. They are most probably asking where you were born.

If they wanted to know your ancestry, surely they would ask something to the effect of 'what is your ancestry?' or 'what is your ethnic origin?' instead. This is not about creating offence or being offended - but simply about being accurate.

If you asked somebody who is born in London, but whose ancestors have lived in Lancashire for most of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, the chances are they will still say they are from London (rather than Lancashire). They might still like pies though.

No it's personal, YOU can't dictate were people feel or say they are from.

A lot of people do not think by your logic, has that not occured to you? It's not about being born here or their and feeling like you belong/don't belong. A lot of people still associate themselves with the countries they are ethnicaly from, even if they have lived in london all their live's, doesn't mean they feel like they are not from london.

As in someone not of ethnic minority, you've met, you're getting along and you start talking about personal things - your family, past schools, where you're from etc

"So where are you from"

You answer casually, seeing as you were born in the UK, nothing weird

"No, but where are you from"

You may think that's like straight from a comedy skit and it never actually happens but it does, anyway if you're asked that and you're from an ethnic minority, how do you / would you react?

Anyone got real and funny experiences of a conversation like that they want to share?