I’m in big agreement wth most everyone here. Three of my grandparents came to this country themselves in the last century, as opposed to being born here, but we practiced zero traditions that are not the 'Merkin standard. In fact, when my mom remarried into a family with strong Italian and slovak traditions, it really wierded me out. I’d never seen anybody actually identify with where their family was from before.
It’s like watching things on the history channel or mob movies. The whole Italian or Jewish neighborhood thing … I really ddon’t get it. This is an interesting subject. Nobody really seems to care about lineage.
I give almost no thought to my ethnicity whatsoever. My grandparents were from Ireland, and they came here for the usual reasons.
Every now and then I catch myself in a thought or an action that pretty clearly has been handed down to me through Irish, and then Irish-American, culture, but that’s about it. Being of Irish ancestry doesn’t mean a lot to me.
I’ve been to Ireland a couple of times. Beautiful country. I was a tourist. I didn’t feel any sense of “homecoming.” Home is here.
I’m probably more attached to my Swedish heritage than I should be, but I think it’s because my maternal grandfather, whose father came over from Sweden, was a man who walked on water as far as I was concerned. But he didn’t put much stock in his heritage, either, though he did speak a little Swedish. I guess it’s just a combination of things - love for the old man, a passion for genealogy and history, managing to get and restore my great-granddad’s violin to playing condition - that give me the opportunity to explore Swedish culture and history (like folk music and military re-enactment) more in-depth than most people, and that gives me a certain sense of satisfaction. But at the same time I’m not planning on filling my house with Swedish kitsch and cooking nothing but Swedish dishes for holidays and suchlike.
I do plan on going back to the village where my great-granddad grew up before coming to the States, and for me it probably will feel like a homecoming of sorts. But only because I already know something about him and the town. Not just because it’s Sweden.
Am I Swedish? Only where ethnicity is concerned. Am I American? Only by accident of birth. My politics and my hobbies go a lot further towards defining who I am than my ancestors or my birthplace. Though, obviously, there is some overlap.
I was born in the UK, but actually despise the country with a passion. I consider myself a citizen of earth and have been known to bounce off of walls and fly off of handles if people mention my ethnicity.
I think ethnic identity depends on generations. On my father’s side, I’m a first generation American. My mom tried to learn Hungarian and became and excellent Hungarian cook. On my mom’s side, I’m a third generation American.
Even though the emphasis in my family was on Hungarian life and culture, my mom’s ancestry had a larger impact on me. I’ve felt really at home in Prince Edward Island, Scotland, Ireland, and Nova Scotia. PEI had the strongest pull on me.
I did grow up feeling different, more of an observer. Even now, I don’t really think of myself as an American first (could be due to Dubya’s reign of terror). I’m a Hungarian- American.
To answer the question, no I really couldn’t care less about either my ethnicity or my nationality (which of course aren’t necessarily interchangeable terms).
I don’t think about it really. I’m an American. That’s the way my German ancestors wanted to be thought of too. So other than enjoying some “ethnic” foods (that I would like anyway), pulling for Germany once the USA is out of the World Cup, and choosing the Germans in Civ III when I want to win by conquest, I don’t think much about my roots.
I recently found out that I’m part Jewish, and in fact the lineage is 100 percent maternal so I’m considered “officially” Jewish by tradition. The only way I address this is that I use it as license to make Jew jokes, sort of like that dentist of Seinfeld. (I only make the jokes with one Jewish friend of mine, who I know is not offended)
I’m too much of a mutt to put much stock in any of my ethnicities, although I keep trying to learn how to make decent pierogi. I’ve been to three (?) of the four (?) countries my ancestors came from*, and I’d like to visit the fourth someday, but not for any particular sentimental reasons; I’d also like to see a lot of countries where I have no ethnic background whatsoever.
Question marks because nobody in the family seems entirely sure whether we have any Dutch ancestry or not. For the record, the others are the UK and Ireland (which I have visited) and Poland (which I have not).
I never put much stock in my Irish ethnicity; I have no idea how many generations seperate me from the “home country”; and I’m positive I have a large smattering of other genes in me.
But then, I met this guy from New Zealand, that just seemed to take for granted the fact that I have an overtly Irish name means that I’ve got all the cultural characteristics of an Irishman. It really baffled me. If anything, I’ve got all the cultural characteristics of a Texan.
But, hey, if he thinks a “Mc” pegged to the beginning of my last name is good enough excuse to expect me to get piss drunk at every opportunity, who am I to let down his expectations?
I never cared much about the nations that comprise my ancestry. I never hated them, I just don’t care more about my ancestral homelands of Mexico, Ireland, Italy and Germany any more than I do Poland, Peru, Spain or Belgium.
I think we are kind of pressured into believing that this is supposed to be important to us. Once my brother was pulled out of his regular classes so he could be taught about his Mexican background. He was selected because he had dark skin. My mother complained about this and the woman in charge of the program was incredulous. “Don’t you want him to learn about his background?”
Now I’m married to an immigrant from Iran. I think it’s important my son learns about Iran as it is where his mom grew up. Nevertheless, I’m sure he will always be an American who just happens to have that little point of interest about him.
I totally understand how you feel Bryan. Being asian, your situation mirrors my own exactly.
Never really think about my ethnicity. Some of my firends joked with me saying that I was “whiter” than they were. Went to an all white school, lived in an all white county, so thats just the way I am.
I’m Scottish (if it’s not Scottish it’s crap!), Irish, German and slightly Choctaw.
I could, if I so chose, dig through my family geneaology, prove I’m 1/8 Native American, and get money for school and the like. (there are no records for his side of the family anyway)
However, I’m pasty white with freckles and brown/red hair. I’ve never known the native part of my family (my grandfather on my father’s side was 1/2 and never spoke to his family after he was 15 or so. I don’t really care if I am NA, it doesn’t affect me one way or another.
I do feel an affinity for things Celtic, but I think it’s just personal preference as I think all thing Australian New Zelandic(?) are fascinating yet I have no discernible relation to either of those countries.
When a kid I did, thinking I was from Norwegian stock. White hair, pale blue eyes, white complexion.
So I loved poring over Norwegian maps and looking at Norwegian costumes in books.
Then I discovered my grandparent’s passport in a box of old things. They had a Swedish passport, but spoke Norwegian.
So I became a Swedophile. For years.
Then at a family gathering someone said they had just returned from the old home town. It was now in Russia.
So I gave up. Europe has too many border changes to keep up with.
My mothers side is German and my father was adopted. We did learn later his real father is from South Africa.
Considering my mothers family was on the “wrong” side during WWII (my great uncle was Walter Dornberger, the V2 missle guy) my mothers side of the family doesn’t really like to talk about their “heritage” much.
As for my father side,… my father pretty much disowned his adopted family because they’re idiots.
While I’m considered 100% American, I don’t feel it. In fact, I’m pretty much ashamed to be called American considering what the USA has been up to these last few years (but that’s a thread for GD I think)
That said, don’t I feel German or South African either.
Now that I think of it, I don’t really feel like I have a homeland or heritage. Weird.
I wonder sometimes if the new homeland/heritage du jour could be the exploding internet community. I can identify with bloggers and dopers far more than any ethnic community.
