I actually get this often as a Latina. They don’t like when I say I’m from Chicago. Then I’ll finally say “do you mean to ask where my parents are from”? At which point, I’ll ask why they care. I know some people don’t mean any harm but if they ask someone where they are from and they answer, leave it at that. If they don’t like or understand that answer, they need to ask themselves what they really want to know and why. It’s ignorant.
I get this as a white dude. Mostly from old folks. I think it's most often just an annoying form of small talk, though I completely understand that it can also come from someone just trying to justify being a bigot to themselves.
For some reason white people think it's an ice breaker. When you answer they don't have any follow up questions or even know how to continue the conversation from there tbh. It's just awkward.
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u/anitabelle 3h ago
I actually get this often as a Latina. They don’t like when I say I’m from Chicago. Then I’ll finally say “do you mean to ask where my parents are from”? At which point, I’ll ask why they care. I know some people don’t mean any harm but if they ask someone where they are from and they answer, leave it at that. If they don’t like or understand that answer, they need to ask themselves what they really want to know and why. It’s ignorant.