4 ms·

It doesn't matter if the questioner is white or not; they likely reacted as explained in msburnett's interpretation. As worded, the question seems to presume th

It doesn't matter if the questioner is white or not; they likely reacted as explained in msburnett's interpretation. As worded, the question seems to presume that they are foreigners/immigrants and the follow-up question that their parents are foreigners/immigrants.

hasenj 15y ago
Part of what astonishes me is why people should feel "ashamed" or even "bothered" that they have a different cultural background. I am an immigrant, so what? Why should I or anyone else take offense to that?
- basugasubaku 15y ago
  I didn't say that. It's the presumption that they are immigrants based on the fact that they are Asian that is somewhat rude. I think it is the wording of the question that is likely to bother people. It makes the questioner sound as if he is not aware there are native Canadians who are Asian. And that is a likely reason for why they responded in the manner they did.
- lizzard 15y ago
  I would interpret their answer as being annoyed with you -- not as ashamed!
- buckler 15y ago
  Do you usually ask the same question to white Canadians as well ("Where are you from?", "Oh, where are your parents from then?")? It would be safe to assume that white Canadians are generally confronted with those questions with much less frequency than Asian Canadians are. May be some do have a sense of self-hatred like you said, but I would guess most people are simply annoyed by those questions so they respond adversely. Like others have mentioned already, it's really frustrating from a point of view of a person who might be a 3rd generation Canadian, as the questions can make him/her feel like perpetual foreigner. Why can't you take "Canadian" as an answer when those people have lived there for all their lives and might have never even visited their grandparents' country of origin? As you've said you're an immigrant, your ethnicity and the fact that you're a first generation immigrant might be a big part of who you are (if you do treat them importantly, that is). For second generation Canadians and on, that might be not so true. It's not that they are embarrassed by their respective ethnicity, but it just doesn't play a big part in their lives in their thoughts.
jbm 15y ago
hasenj > You seem to have a hard time understanding why being an immigrant or not from a majority group might be hard. While you say you aren't white, do you have any cultural habits that people from White European backgrounds might find abhorrent, disgusting, or icky? Perhaps something that is difficult to explain? Do you want to explain away every cultural practice in a country that you've never been to? I can think of a million reasons why one would not want to explain or talk about about cultural issues about a country they are originally from (if there is only one country in question). The best way is to avoid letting it become a topic of conversation. This isn't "cowardice", it's avoiding a boring, useless (and potentially offensive) conversation.

hasenj 15y ago

Part of what astonishes me is why people should feel "ashamed" or even "bothered" that they have a different cultural background. I am an immigrant, so what? Why should I or anyone else take offense to that?

basugasubaku 15y ago
I didn't say that. It's the presumption that they are immigrants based on the fact that they are Asian that is somewhat rude. I think it is the wording of the question that is likely to bother people. It makes the questioner sound as if he is not aware there are native Canadians who are Asian. And that is a likely reason for why they responded in the manner they did.
lizzard 15y ago
I would interpret their answer as being annoyed with you -- not as ashamed!
buckler 15y ago
Do you usually ask the same question to white Canadians as well ("Where are you from?", "Oh, where are your parents from then?")? It would be safe to assume that white Canadians are generally confronted with those questions with much less frequency than Asian Canadians are. May be some do have a sense of self-hatred like you said, but I would guess most people are simply annoyed by those questions so they respond adversely. Like others have mentioned already, it's really frustrating from a point of view of a person who might be a 3rd generation Canadian, as the questions can make him/her feel like perpetual foreigner. Why can't you take "Canadian" as an answer when those people have lived there for all their lives and might have never even visited their grandparents' country of origin? As you've said you're an immigrant, your ethnicity and the fact that you're a first generation immigrant might be a big part of who you are (if you do treat them importantly, that is). For second generation Canadians and on, that might be not so true. It's not that they are embarrassed by their respective ethnicity, but it just doesn't play a big part in their lives in their thoughts.

jbm 15y ago

hasenj > You seem to have a hard time understanding why being an immigrant or not from a majority group might be hard. While you say you aren't white, do you have any cultural habits that people from White European backgrounds might find abhorrent, disgusting, or icky? Perhaps something that is difficult to explain? Do you want to explain away every cultural practice in a country that you've never been to? I can think of a million reasons why one would not want to explain or talk about about cultural issues about a country they are originally from (if there is only one country in question). The best way is to avoid letting it become a topic of conversation. This isn't "cowardice", it's avoiding a boring, useless (and potentially offensive) conversation.