# Are you ethnic?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 23, 2020, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086 "2020-07-23T07:53:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/21 "2020-07-23T10:17:51Z")
Which is why I tried to steer this thread to Americans
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/22 "2020-07-23T10:18:06Z")
I’m American… granted I am a product of Florida’s public school system…
~Max
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/23 "2020-07-23T10:25:51Z")
All Malaysians are Malaysians. There are Malay Malaysians, Chinese Malaysians, Indian Malaysians and probably other ethnic minorities I’m not aware of.
All Americans are Americans, some are Irish Americans, some are Thai-Americans, some are Laplander-Americans.
but Chinese Malaysians are not Malays. and Malays are not Han Chinese.
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/24 "2020-07-23T10:29:57Z")
why is this controversal? I’m asking how American people of various ethnicities how they maintain their roots, or even if they do.
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/25 "2020-07-23T10:30:56Z")
The difference is, British and American as ethnic groups are composite groups. After so long, being British or American has its own cultural history shared by nobody else. Think about how an ethnic group comes into existence. It’s not like the Malays existed since the beginning of time, there were various ethnic groups before them that together make up the modern group.
~Max
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/26 "2020-07-23T10:33:41Z")
> [@kswiss](#):
>
> but Chinese Malaysians are not Malays. and Malays are not Han Chinese.
What about the child of an ethnic Malay and an ethnic Han Chinese?
ETA: Confusing the Malay ethnicity with the Malaysian nationality is sort of like confusing Cherokee Indians with the American nationality. Just that Malaysia has a much larger proportion of the populace identify as Malay than America has of Cherokees.
~Max
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/27 "2020-07-23T10:36:45Z")
Yes we all came out of the same valley in Africa. Every human is related.
If you just want to argue that Ethnicity is a social construct perpetuated by the patriarchy could you start your own thread?
I was more interested in stories about people making their grandmothers recipe and such.
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/28 "2020-07-23T10:38:01Z")
All of my replies have been direct replies to things you brought up. Did you see my post #7?
~Max
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/29 "2020-07-23T10:39:53Z")
> [@Max\_S](#):
>
> What about the child of an ethnic Malay and an ethnic Han Chinese?
>
> ETA: Confusing the Malay ethnicity with the Malaysian nationality is sort of like confusing Cherokee Indians with the American nationality. Just that Malaysia has a much larger proportion of the populace identify as Malay than America has of Cherokees.
What about an Irish American and a German American? or one of the few answers I got that understood the question, a jewish Chinese
American guy.
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/30 "2020-07-23T10:42:45Z")
> [@kswiss](#):
>
> What about an Irish American and a German American? or one of the few answers I got that understood the question, a jewish Chinese
> American guy.
I suppose the child of an Irish American and a German American would be an American with Irish and German heritage. Whether they identify as ethnically Irish and German depends on how their parents bring them up and how American society treats them.
… you do realize that the Jewish Chinese American guy is me, right?
~Max
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/31 "2020-07-23T10:43:30Z")
> [@MrDibble](#):
>
> Do you identify as English (as opposed to Scottish or Welsh etc.)? Which I know isn’t the same as ethnicity, I’m just curious.
No, not really. I’m not sure what I’d be identifying _with_ if I did. I strongly suspect that my background has plenty of Scandinavian, Irish and Scots in it but I just don’t care.
Ethnicity and identity is not something I’m particularly interested in, neither for others nor myself as I’ve always though the individual is more interesting and more complicated than a label can ever indicate.
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/32 "2020-07-23T10:44:30Z")
> [@Max\_S](#):
>
> suppose the child of an Irish American and a German American would be an American with Irish and German heritage. Whether they identify as ethnically Irish and German depends on how their parents bring them up and how American society treats them.
>
> … you do realize that the Jewish Chinese American guy is me, right?
duh…
do you realize you identified as Jewish Chinese American right?
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/33 "2020-07-23T10:48:15Z")
Yes. I can tell that you are making some sort of point, but for whatever reason it eludes me. I think I should just take a break from this topic for a while. Carry on. 😉
~Max
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/34 "2020-07-23T10:54:45Z")
I’m not really sure I’m the one trying to make a point. I wanted cultural stories about people maintaining contacts with their ethnic roots or if they don’t care much about their cultural roots. Somehow it got turned into I’m a racist. Yes please take a break. take a nap. start your own thread about any mention of ethnicity is racist tomorrow.
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/35 "2020-07-23T10:58:03Z")
Sorry, I didn’t mean to accuse anyone of racism. When you said, ‘oh this Jewish Chinese American understood the original question’, I said hey, that guy is me, I understood the original question.
~Max
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/36 "2020-07-23T10:58:57Z")
> I think of “British” as a nationality, not an ethnicity. Not sure how things work over the pond, but are you English, Scotch, Welsh, Northern Irish, an Anglo or Saxon, an Anglo Saxon, Norman?
Don’t know, don’t care.
> I know you said you are “white”, but what of British citizens of Pakistani origin?
my skin is white-ish but I certainly don’t _identify_ as white, again, I don’t know what that would even mean.
What of the British Pakstani? I don’t know. They are clearly British in nationality and free to identify as whatever they like, you’d have to ask each one as I’m sure they’ll have varying opinions.
> If you moved to Japan permanently and obtained citizenship would you consider yourself Japanese or a British guy who lives in Japan.
I’d consider myself as me, living in Japan.
> I kinda doubt any ethnically Japanese people would consider you Japanese.
their problem not mine.
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/37 "2020-07-23T11:16:54Z")
ahh. you don’t see race, ethnicity, you are color blind. how noble of you.
Now for anyone else who would like discuss maintaining their ethnic heritage in a multi-cultural society, please add your thoughts
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/38 "2020-07-23T11:20:54Z")
> [@kswiss](#):
>
> ahh. you don’t see race, ethnicity, you are color blind. how noble of you.
Is that in response to me? Exactly what have I said that warrants that response?
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/39 "2020-07-23T11:28:08Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#):
>
> Is that in response to me? Exactly what have I said that warrants that response?
Yes. Rather than sharing your experiences maintaining your ethnic / cultural heritage, you insisted ethnic/ cultural heritages don’t exist. and if those racist Japanese don’t consider you Japanese its their fault.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-ethnic/916086/40 "2020-07-23T11:30:43Z")
If you’re looking for informative, reasoned responses, maybe you shouldn’t respond so abrasively to what people do post. This isn’t YouTube or 4Chan.
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