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> We generally know where our families come from No, not everybody. Even percentage that are a bit off are better than nothing at all.

0xffff2 8y ago
Why though? By ancestry, I'm 25% Italian and a whole lot of other stuff. By percentage, I think I'm probably either mostly French or mostly English by ancestry, but that doesn't matter to me at all. What matters to me is that I grew up learning to cook from my Italian grandmother. As a result, in so far as I have any cultural identity other than "American", that identity is Italian, regardless of my genetic origins. It's hard for me to imagine why anyone would feel any significant connection to an ancestry that they needed a DNA test to know they had.
- devereaux 8y ago
  Some people feel no connection whatsoever towards the culture they supposedly come from. Now it is just the rare person in the family who still feels part of the culture of the birth country (at this culture often gets swallowed by the host country). Some people have not even such luck, and do not know their ancestors at all. Records are incomplete and some people lie. So instead, they try to grasp to what they can, using anything they can. DNA is but a tool there. For me, DNA offers answers to questions about my family history, things that otherwise I would be unable to ever know. I find it psychologically helpful. It helps me relate to ancestors I didn't know I have: who they were, what they were doing. When did they immigrate, what were their hopes, their lives, their challenges. For me it is part of a healing process. I don't think it will turn me extremist. And the data is not perfect. But it just feels nice to be able to relate to others when they tell you they are from xx country, their father from yy, their great grandfather from zz, etc. It lets you joint the common story. Some family have had complex paths, with records lost. Dead ancestors can't tell you much about where they came from. I think it's just sad. I would prefer anyone to have access to the possibility if they want

0xffff2 8y ago

Why though? By ancestry, I'm 25% Italian and a whole lot of other stuff. By percentage, I think I'm probably either mostly French or mostly English by ancestry, but that doesn't matter to me at all. What matters to me is that I grew up learning to cook from my Italian grandmother. As a result, in so far as I have any cultural identity other than "American", that identity is Italian, regardless of my genetic origins. It's hard for me to imagine why anyone would feel any significant connection to an ancestry that they needed a DNA test to know they had.

devereaux 8y ago
Some people feel no connection whatsoever towards the culture they supposedly come from. Now it is just the rare person in the family who still feels part of the culture of the birth country (at this culture often gets swallowed by the host country). Some people have not even such luck, and do not know their ancestors at all. Records are incomplete and some people lie. So instead, they try to grasp to what they can, using anything they can. DNA is but a tool there. For me, DNA offers answers to questions about my family history, things that otherwise I would be unable to ever know. I find it psychologically helpful. It helps me relate to ancestors I didn't know I have: who they were, what they were doing. When did they immigrate, what were their hopes, their lives, their challenges. For me it is part of a healing process. I don't think it will turn me extremist. And the data is not perfect. But it just feels nice to be able to relate to others when they tell you they are from xx country, their father from yy, their great grandfather from zz, etc. It lets you joint the common story. Some family have had complex paths, with records lost. Dead ancestors can't tell you much about where they came from. I think it's just sad. I would prefer anyone to have access to the possibility if they want