Weird race thing

[zandperl]

I got asked to represent my entire race (yes, the Asian, the Jewish, and the BOTH, all three) for the first time ever at lunch the other day. It was weird.

FYI I've got this unlocked b/c I wanted

Comments

[calzephyr77]

Super awkward!

[zandperl]

Yeah, I know. I tend to not know what to do to turn around weird situations like these when I'm in the moment, but I'll think about it and come up with a good reaction for next time. Because a next time always happens. :-\

[calzephyr77]

There really is no end to the creatively offensive things people will say in any situation :P

[eustacia_vye28]

Super awkward. :(

Depending on how comfortable you are being snarky with these academics (I get that way all the time around here, but I'm not an academic) you could tell Creepy White Dude #1 or guys like him that he should do an anthropological study on the matter and get back to you with the results, given that it's not your field of expertise.

Or how about saying "For Greencard purposes, of course!" as a reply and then turn back to the microwave. (This may or may not have figured into my own parents' marriage. At her more cynical moments, my mom says yes, since she was the one with refugee status that could become a naturalized citizen, and my father is the one with the Greencard that never bothered to become a citizen.)

[zandperl]

I'm texting with a really good friend about this right now, and she's convinced the root issue is food and education. Like I said, similar cultural values! :)

But interesting about the greencard/citizenship purposes - I like that you've got an interesting refutation of that claim too. Not an issue in our case though, as my father was born in the USA, and my mother got her citizenship in childhood.

[eustacia_vye28]

French Catholic values are fairly similar to that, too. Tho there was definitely a bigger Vietnamese influence in our household growing up. :)

My brother and I are first generation born in the US. I technically have dual citizenship, but I only claim and use the US one. At this point, I am more or less monolingual, so claiming the other side wouldn't do much for me.

[zandperl]

My partner T$ has dual citizenship with Ireland, and the main benefit it gets him is easier customs when he travels to Europe, as he can go through the citizen line in both directions.

[q10]

eep! that sounds like a lot to deal with, some of it icky.

[zandperl]

Yeah, the conversation about the Chinese wedding was delightful in and of itself. On the same day - heck, within the same lunch hour - as the other convos it was just strange.