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Vent: It gets quite frustrating traveling as a nonwhite american. (alien.top)

submitted 1 year ago by CanalBloody@alien.top to c/digitalnomad@expats.zone

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Tired of constantly having conversations like this:

"Where are you from?"

"USA"

"But where are you really from?/But whats your nationality?/Are you actually american?... like.. full american?"

American isnt a race! American =/= white. Yes im "full american" even though im ethnically latino! If you want to know my ethnicity/race then just ask me that instead of implying im not a "real" american.

I know most people asking this arent doing so from a place of malice, but damn does it get tiring after the 100th time.

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[–] Impossible_Rabbits@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago

I have been asked this as a white American in certain (see: xenophobic) countries. Where they can't comprehend Americans not looking not just white, but like a specific kind of white. I am very Slavic in appearance so it surprises western European countries especially that I don't look like them I guess.

I have to say it's the most confusing question out there, because like you said American isn't an ethnicity unless you're Native. As a woman, I usually play the dumb card by giving the same answer over and over, and make them continually ask until they either give up or have to be explicitly racist/xenophobic because they've rephrased the question.

Not to detract from the overall conversation, but I blame Hollywood a lot in this. A lot of box office hits are still white-centric.