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.
I think it goes deeper than certain people want to admit. It goes to show how even if you are a naturally born citizen, it takes more to be seen as American in our society. There are American passport holders all over the world with no connection to the country or the culture whatsoever. I’d assume the same goes for other countries even with multiethnic populations. If your parents or grandparents are not from America, it more than likely will show in your speech, mannerisms, style, other methods of expression. The Americanization typically happens in or after the teenage years but by then what’s taught at home is usually already ingrained to a degree. It’s no surprise that other Americans that aren’t first generation can sniff this out. It’s probably similar for any country with a history and populations that have been there for long spans of time.
Why people with recent immigrant history here in America pretend they aren’t still very connected to their ethnic groups while still retaining those cultures is disingenuous. This tends to be manifested a lot via interpersonal conflicts that take place within certain Latin American and Asian American individuals who are more than likely tend to be from very recent stock. With recent arrivals of various subgroups vs those that have already been through this rodeo, the “why am I not seen as” is exasperated.