Coherent thoughts perhaps?

[alectoperdita]

I find it intriguing that when people ask me, "Where are you from?" and I naturally answer, "New York."

They always stare strangely at me for a second before saying, "No, I mean where are you originally from?"

I can't really fault them for asking that because there's an answer to it. I wasn't born in the US, I was born in Hong Kong and I am qualified to receive an ID card that the Hong Kong government issues to all its legal citizens. I have still yet to figure out if that makes me a pseudo-citizen of the People's Republic of China by extension.

Actually, I just don't care to find out.

I do know I don't qualify for British citizenship, but it's fun to claim being so by technicality.

Had I not been born out of this country, I would probably be a lot more offended by that question. What probably most curious is that most people that follow that line of questioning are from a minority group themselves. You wouldn't go up to a black person and ask, "So...where in Africa are you originally from?" Hell, they'd probably slap you around a few times for asking that.

Goddammit, I am as American as the next person. I have a US passport, social security card, a birth certificate issued by the States Department, and a voter's card registered to my Pennsylvania residency. I pay my taxes. The government took $65.10 for social security tax (Will it still be there by the time my generation comes of age with the way they keep proding and poking at it?) and $15.23 for medicare tax this past year. I was working under NYC's Department of Youth and Community Development last summer.

I also received a 4 out of 5 on my AP American History exam.

I am a 100% legal bona fide American citizen.

I am, however, still awaiting my first time to try and shirk off jury duty.

I came over here when I was just four months old. I have spent all but four months of my life on American soil. Guess that makes me not quite American enough.

What could be so incredulous about an Asian from New York? We are about 10% of the city population.

Would they feel stupid if I had just replied New York again? If they had asked my brother instead, who was born here in New York, would they realize how stupid a question that is if you didn't happen to ask the Asian with the right circumstances?

Why can't Asian Americans simply be Americans too?

Comments

[pleasance.livejournal.com]

You're talking to the choir, sister.

[darkmus.livejournal.com]

Here, here.

[sel.livejournal.com]

i would say, "your mom you fucking tard"

[mortifyd.livejournal.com]

People are just stupid. I get asked where I'm from "originally" - and they don't mean Alabama. Why? Because Jews who are - you know - vaguely Jewish despite being blue eyed and having light brown hair - *must* be from some other country. SO it's not just because you're Asian, there's a high st00pid factor in general involved.

[lucidscreamer.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're from AL, too? Cool. ^_^

[mortifyd.livejournal.com]

Yep, 'fraid so. Born at Ft Rucker, lived in Daleville, moved, came back, went to elementary school and 7th grade in Enterprise.

[lucidscreamer.livejournal.com]

I live on Sand Mountain (in North AL).

[lucidscreamer.livejournal.com]

Some people are stupid. You're as American as anyone else. (Some of my ancestors came from elsewhere -- probably Europe. Some of my ancestors were already here before the first boats arrived. lol)

[chancellor22.livejournal.com]

That is, word-for-word, almost exactly what I said on the matter about a year ago when I wrote a post on heritage. :-) And I'm glad the same logic occured to you- I feel your pain keenly. Of course I'm from that subset of the population that gets asked that question and WAS born here. I've only been outside the US for a total of one week- which was in Canada. So I get aggravated whenever I'm asked that. And of course when I say "I was born in America" then they ask a question that must only seem natural to them which is "Oh, so where were your parents born."

Mind you, they both came here when they were about four years old.

Would they feel stupid if I had just replied New York again? If they had asked my brother instead, who was born here in New York, would they realize how stupid a question that is if you didn't happen to ask the Asian with the right circumstances?

I wish I could say they would feel stupid. But as I said, they would then just proceed to ask about one's parents. You could always lie and say they were born in America, just to see if they ask "Umm... so your grandparents, where were they born?" I'd put money on the fact that they'd ask. Of course, my dear friend, it may just be worse if someone assumes you're Japanese. I know I get aggravated to no end when someone assumes I'm Mexican.

There is a sociological reason for this, which is one of the big problems in America and in parts of Europe. People lack sufficient identity to establish themselves as being something beyond whatever they were born with, so heritage and identity with that is what they retreat to- and expect others to have done. Thus what ethnic clan one belongs to is a crucial factor in the minds of the ignorant- it is one of the chief criterion they use to make sense of the person standing before them. They never realise that more often than not if they just get to know the person he or she will likely volunteer their roots at a less awkward point in the conversation.

What probably most curious is that most people that follow that line of questioning are from a minority group themselves.

Socialisation does that a lot of minorities, due to a LOT of factors, some of which I outlined in my LJ recently, they are espescially vulnerable to ethnicity-as-identity thinking.

Why can't Asian Americans simply be Americans too?

Much as I agree, I have to say- you'll always simply be Hau-Yu to me. ^_~