The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

That's not racism; that's a lack of understanding.
Seems a little insensitive, but it's not neccessarily deliberately malign. I guess it depends on the context.
Reply 3
lol yea it does get quite annoying, but sometimes its funny because they jus assume that ur foreign if u look it.
Reply 4
dyslexic_banana
That's not racism; that's a lack of understanding.

:ditto:
Reply 5
I wouldn't call that racism...

people generally don't ask where I'm from as in implying that I'm not from the UK but when they do I'm alright with it because I wasn't actually born in the UK. If you're black (or coloured, mixed-race, Asian, whatever) then it is blatant that your ethnic background is not Caucasian, the same as if you had an accent. So people will ask.

Annoying but nowt can be done.
I'd agree, it's more ignorance than racism. An out-and-out racist wouldn't ask where you were from, they'd just silently stew in their hateful thoughts ...
Reply 7
Ok fine it's not racism, but it's worse for me Mata because I was actually BORN here. That's what bothers me :/
Reply 8
When people ask where you are from do they use the word "country". Many of them could just mean where abouts in the country you are from and you are just misinterpreting what they say.
Reply 9
It p***es me off when people ask that, i just answer chavworth a.k.a tamworth or if fails england/im bloody british i was born here. People complain youths today born in this country with ethnic origins from abroad not being british enough e.g. Muslims 1st then British 2nd or 3rd or ot even seeing themselves as British, then the same people ask you stupid questions such as "where are you from orginally" - you mean my parents!. I am damn british born and bred.
But then i say my dad came to this country as a wee lad for private education from boarding school to university and then you see there mouths drop! Also it doesnt help when i have better spoken english than they do.....ha ha ha!
Reply 10
well Im black and white...but from america...so people assume I was born here anyway...but when I went to England people told me that most of the black people and asian people there are like from africa or the carribean or India and stuff....but a lot of them seemed British to me. But what really pissed me off is people asking me if I've ever been in a rap video...just because most of the girls that come to europe from america are californian preps doesnt make all african american girls are video whores. But its ok, I blame the ignorance of those guys on not being exposed to us :smile:
Reply 11
It's just natural - that's one of the first questions I ask people, be they black, white, or sky blue. And if they're foreign, I'll eventually get around to asking them their ethnic background, once I know them well enough for it not to seem an odd question. It's never offended anyone, although I do seem to keep bumping into people who claim to have been born in Spain :rolleyes:
Reply 12
Talon
When people ask where you are from do they use the word "country". Many of them could just mean where abouts in the country you are from and you are just misinterpreting what they say.
No, they mean bloodline. In fact this is exactly what this arrogant man said to me yesterday at work when he was purchasing something from the store I work at, after I evaded his inquiring (as I was working!!!).

I'm of mixed race, I told him, but he still wasn't happy with that. He kept probing me, then when I wouldn't tell him, he was like 'this shop has bad customer service' and I thought to myself WTF :confused:
"I'm English, what about you?"

That should stop them.
Reply 14
people will ask you all sort of stupid questions. i get asked all the time about what i eat because i am tall
if you are a colour people will ask you where u come from, it's only natural curiosity at the beginning then they might get racist
Anonymous
Is anyone else on here, of colour, sick to death of people asking them where they were from, when they were born here? :frown:

I am.


well I DETEST racism period. it's the MOSt annoying thing ever and I don't understand why it exists. people are just stupid really.
for me, I don't mind people asking me that since I'm in an international school and I wouldn't mind if people asked me that out of curiosity. if they asked me that so that they can decide if they want to shun me or not, THEN I'd be pissed
Reply 16
I am not 'a person of colour' but I am frequently asked if I am Irish (I am of Irish descent). I live in a city that attracts a lot of tourists and I am often asked if I speak English. A beggar asked me that a couple of days ago. 'Excuse me, love, do you speak English?' I muttered something and shook my head.
I generally don't ask people what country they're from; I'll ask where they're from and mean where in England/Britain are they from - then they'll either say where, or if they're not from England then they'll say so - leaves it open, though I do worry that it might get misinterpreted as the attitude you're complaining about if I ask someone who isn't Caucasian (and I'd be asking them for the same reason as I'd ask anyone).
It's a bit of a weird q though, and I hate it when people ask me, because I'm white and English but my parents live in Italy - only for a couple of years though and I don't really speak Italian, so I don't really feel I can say I 'come from' Italy even though technically I live there, so i have to explain the whole thing and then put up with people saying 'Oh, you're so lucky etc etc (umm hello, no, the Italian countryside is only nice for holidays IMO). It's a normal enough question but it can get complicated and annoying, especially if you look as though you might not be from England (but then, having said 'I come from Somerset, or up North', or wherever, people should definitely just leave it at that, as clearly that says you're from England.)
Reply 18
I know! Because I'm mixed race (like 1/4 this, 1/4 that :wink: ) it gets very annoying! Also it's just annoying in general when people ask me it's like :hmmm: leave me alone.
How can it be classed as racist asking where someone is from? I ask anybody new that i meet pretty early on where they are from regardless of skin colour etc... if they look the same as me, i ask where they are from purely out of interest!

Racism is what different races make it and its getting ridiculous with things like this, it isnt racist to ask where someone is from... These days it is becoming easier not to mix with different races simply because everything you say can be taken as being something racist - although i think by doign that you would be considered racist.

There is one guy i know who is from Nigeria, he is awesome, he jokes with us and we joke with him, its not racist because he doesnt take any offence to it in my opinion...

:hmmm: