# How to answer questions about ethnic background **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372 "2009-07-17T18:49:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/1 "2009-07-17T18:49:08Z")
I was going to respond to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=524815) but I really have more of a related question so didn’t want to hijack. How should I, having no idea as to my ethnicity of origin(due to adoption) answer people who ask “what are you?” On the whole I think I look mostly white and was raised by white parents, however I clearly have quite a bit of “other” in me, though what that other is remains a mystery. It’s most often foreigners that ask and quite often they’re inquiring becasue they think I’m from their country of origin. Anyway, it seems kind of odd and TMI to tell them the truth, yet I don’t particularly want to lie or go to the trouble of making sonething up. Also, I find the whole ethnic heritage thing to be kind of pointless(I admit that may be because I don’t have one) so it can be annoying to be asked constantly about something I don’t know or care about. By the way, I’m never nasty to anyone who asks, I just can’t decide what an appropriate answer would be. So, anyone have a clever response for this Heinz 57? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/2 "2009-07-17T18:55:58Z")
Make it up. The more exotic and obscure, the better. Points will be given for how well you sell it, and how long the mark believes your bull. Tell them your mother was a minor princess in the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, and your father was a Usbekestani mercenary captain. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/3 "2009-07-17T18:56:44Z")
My mom always used the term “hash”. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/4 "2009-07-17T19:00:00Z")
I would say that I’m an American/Englishman/Australian whatever country you grew up in, call home, and pay taxes too. The rest is none of their business. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/5 "2009-07-17T19:01:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Make it up. The more exotic and obscure, the better. Points will be given for how well you sell it, and how long the mark believes your bull. > > Tell them your mother was a minor princess in the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, and your father was a Usbekestani mercenary captain. 😛 Ha! In my wilder days I would often tell the undesirable guys that were trying to hit on me in bars that I was Pilar from Chile (pronunced chil AY). This only worked if it was really loud though, since my Chilean accent leaves a lot to be desired. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/6 "2009-07-17T19:03:26Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I would say that I’m an American/Englishman/Australian whatever country you grew up in, call home, and pay taxes too. > > The rest is none of their business. This does work well with foreigners. Do you think it would sound flippant if I said that to an American, since I realize they’re actually asking about my background? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/7 "2009-07-17T19:04:12Z")
If you just want to change the subject, tell them whatever ethnicity your parents are. If you want to fuck with them, tell them you’re African American. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/8 "2009-07-17T19:05:22Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > This does work well with foreigners. Do you think it would sound flippant if I said that to an American, since I realize they’re actually asking about my background? No, it just makes the point that they’re asking an incredibly personal question that is not of their business. Smile politely after, then change the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/9 "2009-07-17T19:28:21Z")
I’m totally white bread American mutt, but my son’s father was Native American and Mexican American. So my son has dark hair and eyes, and a kind of pronounced epican…that eye thing. I got a lot of blunt “So, what is he?” questions about him when he was smaller, many people assume Asian heritage of one flavor or another, and once there was a couple who swore up and down he was Burmese, whatever the hell that means. I’ve always just replied with a smile and answered “He’s a Zachary!” with a glare that implies _how rude!_ Now that he’s a teenager, his favorite answer is MesoAmerican. It’s really not very accurate at all, but he likes it, and of course most of the people asking have no idea what it means anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/10 "2009-07-17T20:11:16Z")
Apparently my (rather odd) grandfather claimed that the red hair in my family is the result of some ancestress being raped by a red-headed Cossack. It’s unlikely to be true, but it sounds awfully exotic…or something. So tell them your grandmother was raped by a red-headed Cossack. Given that it sounds like you’re much darker than the average redhead, it will certainly leave them confused. Seriously, though…I have no idea what to tell you. Maybe you could get by with a “oh, a little of this, a little of that…” Or you could give the same answer I get sometimes when I inquire what a dog’s breed is-- “I’m not sure. What do you think?” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/11 "2009-07-17T20:20:15Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > . . . I have no idea what to tell you. Maybe you could get by with a “oh, a little of this, a little of that…” > > Or you could give the same answer I get sometimes when I inquire what a dog’s breed is-- “I’m not sure. What do you think?” 😛 Oddly enough, I have used both of these. The former when I just want to gloss over it and the latter when I feel like engaging someone (you can’t imagine how much effort some people will expend trying to figure it out. Kind of a waste of time since they’ll never know if they’ve guessed the right answer :smack:) I guess it’s not that big of a deal. I’ve been going through it my whole life so I’m not sure why it should bother me now, plus you’d think I would have come up with a standard answer that makes me comfortable after all this time. Thanks to you and everyone else for your suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/12 "2009-07-17T20:27:21Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > If you just want to change the subject, tell them whatever ethnicity your parents are. > > If you want to fuck with them, tell them you’re African American. I play poker with a white guy who is African American. He was born in South Africa and immigrated here when he was 18 and he still has an accent, he’s 30, and it sounds Australian. One time we were discussing why his accent sounds Australian, which he thinks it doesn’t but the rest of us do, and one guy commented that he was like “a triple AAA”. As for me I’m a Heinz 57 myself. One of my grandmothers is of French-Canadian decent and the other is of Irish. One of my grandfathers is of German decent and the other is of English. My surname though is from the English grandfather and I claim I’m an English-American because there is a historical site in Enlgand with my surname and that’s my only claim to fame so that’s what I go with. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/13 "2009-07-17T20:39:49Z")
Look very, very solemn, stare them in the eyes for a few minutes, look around, and then say very quietly, “diseased”. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/14 "2009-07-17T20:58:44Z")
President Obama has called himself a _mutt,_ which added a certain dignity to the word. _Mongrel_ is a little longer, if that’s better for you. Dogs like Labradoodles, Puggles, and Shih-Poos are called _designer breeds._ Twenty years ago, an off-road racing motorcycle was named for a translation of the word _mongrel._ I can’t remember the word. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Salt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bacon\_Salt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Salt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/15 "2009-07-17T23:22:07Z")
Ooh, designer breed. I like that one. I’m stealing that one if someone asks me even though I’m whitey white white. > [@Smeghead](#): > > Look very, very solemn, stare them in the eyes for a few minutes, look around, and then say very quietly, “diseased”. I read this as deceased. How about “Ohhhh, I don’t know.” “Oh?” “Yeahhhhh…” “Well, why don’t you know?” “Ohhhh, it’s a long story…” But say it in a very bubbleheaded way. ---
**Author:** ![otorophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@otorophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otorophile)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/16 "2009-07-18T01:02:38Z")
What are you? Human. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/17 "2009-07-18T01:12:12Z")
You look mostly white, you say? There’s always, [“I was born a poor black child . . .”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079367/) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/18 "2009-07-18T02:33:07Z")
**WOOKINPANUB** , I think you answered your own question. It seems like an odd question to come from strangers without some context, so why not answer as you did in the OP if you choose to? I think that’s a forthright and elegant response. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/19 "2009-07-18T03:15:53Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > It’s most often foreigners that ask and quite often they’re inquiring becasue they think I’m from their country of origin. This is your biggest clue. If the people are mostly from a particular country, and they think you are too . . . then you probably are. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372/20 "2009-07-18T03:33:46Z")
Some variations to consider: I’m a mystery. I’m a mutt without a pedigree. I’m a paella/gumbo/casserole/hash/tossed salad but I don’t know the recipe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-answer-questions-about-ethnic-background/503372.md?page=2)