''Are you Chinese?''

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In response to the title of this thread "Am I Chinese", no I am not.

User192499

Abroad, I usually get asked what Wales is, and if it's part of England. That one's common, but the mick really WAS taken when I was asked if Wales was one of the suburbs of London.

That, along with "Do you like sheep" is the most common. I'm off to Greece in a few hours, I look forward to more ignorance as to the location of a country :-/

Another thing which bugs me is "do you speak _insertlanguagehere_ (in my case, Welsh) and when I say "Yes but not fluently" I get the classic "Ooooh, say something""

I mean... what am I expected to say? Of every possible sentence in the language, what am I supposed to pull out of thin air as a demonstration of a language while being relevant but trying to be interesting too?
Very frustrating.

Reply 22

screenager2004

Although I don't have any interesting cultural background, if that were me, I'd actually say "are you seriously assuming I know where an chinese takeaway is because I am chinese?"

Some people don't realise their behaviour is innappropriate. I'd love to make them feel like the racist they are.

Reply 23

quadruple_twist

EducatingBrogan

Abroad, I usually get asked what Wales is, and if it's part of England. That one's common, but the mick really WAS taken when I was asked if Wales was one of the suburbs of London.

George Bush, upon meeting Charlotte Church, asked her what state Wales was in. Apparently when she said it's a country in Britain joined on to England he just went "oh", and moved on.

Reply 24

Robob

screenager2004

It's not racism, merely ignorance, which essentially isn't their fault.

Reply 25

Robob

quadruple_twist

George Bush, upon meeting Charlotte Church, asked her what state Wales was in. Apparently when she said it's a country in Britain joined on to England he just went "oh", and moved on.

Maybe he'd only seen the EU map...

Reply 26

Valkyrja

No Future

It'd be like me approaching random people in England and saying hello in Welsh or Celtic...

I've had people do that to me actually....

it was in London, I had just been on the phone to my mum (which makes me accent go really welshy) and someone turned round to me and started speaking welsh.

Eurghhh people like that suck arse....I feel for you and your encounters with silly people OP....but I guess aslong as there are people in the world, theres gonna be ignorant/silly/annoying folk. Just rant it all out.

Reply 27

Running Mind

Hey, i'm Eurasian as well (I presume you are?) but I live in Hong Kong. When I visit the UK I never get asked anything in Chinese, probably because I look more caucasian than oriental. But when I speak to chinese people, in cantonese, they are all shocked :biggrin:

Reply 28

trance addict

if your indian

"what village are you from in india"

i dont ****ing know ?

Reply 29

Jim-ie

I get it every time I open my mouth amongst strangers. Before I speak they ask me where I'm from.

Some people, mainly greeks where I worked for some reason, ask me if I'm Scottish. When I say no I usually get the "Oh, aren't they sort of the same?".

No, it's not, don't suppose you're turkish since its all the same? Thought not.

Reply 30

screenager2004

Robob

It's not racism, merely ignorance, which essentially isn't their fault.

either way, still couldn't hurt to have a little education eh?
I find it really hard beleiving some people can be so ignorant... how can peope not pick up on this stuff? basic social functioning? It's beyond me...

Reply 31

dafunkyguy

No Future

Walking along in a city I am visiting...

Couple approach me, Oriental lady, white guy..

Lady "Are you Chinese?"
Me ''Well, yeah'' (I'm mixed)
Lady ''Do you know where XXX (some westernised takeaway) Chinese restaurant is?''

WTF? Yes, I am Chinese and therefore know where all the Chinese restaurants are in any given city? It's like saying, ''Oh you're white, therefore you must know where all the English/French/American type eating establishments are."

-----

In a supermarket...

Old man approaches, kinda creepy guy...

man ''nee hao''
me ''eh? sorry?''
man ''nee hao''
me ''pardon? what?''
man ''THAT''S CHINESE!''

OH MY, REALLY? God, you are a bloody genius! Now leave me alone you weird man!

man ''aren't you from china?''
me ''no. i was born in berkshire.''
man ''oh *looks disappointed*''

Wrong language anyway! (HK heritage so if I could speak Chinese, it'd be Cantonese and therefore Jo San or something)....It'd be like me approaching random people in England and saying hello in Welsh or Celtic...

Anyway, I'm not making a specific point. These were just silly and annoying experiences. Anyone else?

You just made my day. :p:

Reply 32

Robob

screenager2004

Well falsely accusing someone of racism is just as bad.

Reply 33

screenager2004

Robob

Well falsely accusing someone of racism is just as bad.

I used the wrong word there... racially ignorant.
Although I would call it a prejudice based on race to assume one knows more about local fast food than someone of a different skin colour.

Reply 34

Robob

screenager2004

I used the wrong word there... racially ignorant.
Although I would call it a prejudice based on race to assume one knows more about local fast food than someone of a different skin colour.

It's not even racially ignorant really, just ignorant in general.

Reply 35

Hyeree

"are you chinese?" no
"are you japanese?" no
"then what are you?" korean
"so are you from north or south?"
................. where do you think im from??
"uh,.. idk"
///////////
if i was from north korea i would not be living in sweden with my family gddamit!!

Reply 36

screenager2004

hehe you should just say no
"Are you chinese?" - "no"
"Japanese?" - "no"
"Korean?" - "no"
"Vietnamese?" - "no"
"then what are you?" - "I'm english"
"no but you look asian" - "No I don't"

Reply 37

User192499

I was once on a ferry on the way home from France when I was appraoched by some 15 year old girls with less than "cultured" vocabulary... you know the sort. Yes, it's wrong to stereotype, but basically they were utter chavs :p:

Anywho, one came up to me and drawled various questions about whether or not the reason I was on a ferry from France with a suitcase was because I'd been to France, and whether the exchange family I'd been with had eaten garlic snails and frogs' legs for every meal while wearing berets (stereotypical attitude part 1)

Then the conversation led to me saying I was from Wales, and studying French. She asked "is French hard?" to which I replied "Well it's more difficult than Welsh, I'm studying that too."

Then she shrieked "Welsh? A language, like? Oh my God. OH MAH GOD. You 'ave yer own LANGUAGE in Wales? Woooooah. We don't 'ave our own language in England!"

Wonderful moment in the story of my life. Ho ho ho.

Reply 38

Poica

My chinese friend (studying in England) gets a lot of this sort of thing. People stop her in the street to tell her that they once went to China...and she sits there and thinks "I really don't care". But she's far too polite.