# My co-worker doesn't believe I'm American **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635 "2010-12-02T05:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/21 "2010-12-02T14:19:12Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > There’s a Mississippi River in Eastern Ontario? 🙂 Hey, I cross the mighty [Mississippi](http://maps.google.ca/?ie=UTF8&ll=45.381874,-76.260824&spn=0.020738,0.038581&t=h&z=15)of Ontario twice daily. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/22 "2010-12-02T14:19:35Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > The only reason Mississippi is a state is that Missouri loves company 😛 You owe me a new keyboard and monitor. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/23 "2010-12-02T14:26:26Z")
Back in my college days I came across a lot of international students who thought they were paying me a compliment by not thinking I was American. Is he doing that? I’d sorta pegged Ecuadorean line cooks as not being snobbish that way. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/24 "2010-12-02T14:26:47Z")
Set him straight. Confess to him that you were funning him on, and that you’re not really American at all. You’re really from Japan or Botswana or Lapland, or whatever the most absurd place for you would be. He might then be a little more open to your being from exotic Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/25 "2010-12-02T14:41:07Z")
Tell him you’re from Antarctica. He’s probably never met a Native Antarctican. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/26 "2010-12-02T14:42:13Z")
Finally, we have proof that Mississippi is not a state. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/27 "2010-12-02T14:44:25Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > The only reason Mississippi is a state is that Missouri loves company 😛 Just for that, you have to watch [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NztfOSyCCFM). (Nobody else click. This is his **pun** ishment!) > [@tdn](#): > > Set him straight. Confess to him that you were funning him on, and that you’re not really American at all. Tell him you’re from Ecuador. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/28 "2010-12-02T14:51:43Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Set him straight. Confess to him that you were funning him on, and that you’re not really American at all. You’re really from Japan or Botswana or Lapland, or whatever the most absurd place for you would be. He might then be a little more open to your being from exotic Mississippi. The most absurd place would be San Seriffe, or Sealand. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/29 "2010-12-02T14:55:15Z")
I used to get peopkle not believing I was English back when I worked in a cafe, because most people who do that sort of work aren’t English. My daughter also frequently gets asked where she’s from, because there aren’t that many white British kids her age round here. Is your situation similar to either of those? The guesses are all various Eastern European places, especially Poland and Lithuania, and they can be quite persistent. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/30 "2010-12-02T14:59:07Z")
Aside: Hi **ScifiSam**! How’ve you been? I don’t think I’ve caught you on-board in years! And slightly back on topic, IIRC you looked more Northumberland than English. But that was about six years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/31 "2010-12-02T15:22:19Z")
Man, that is some imopressive ignorance. But reminded me of a situaton a co-worker is currently going through. She was born in Hong Kong but is a naturalized citizen. She worked for a number of years for DHS with a security clearance. She was recently hired to a pretty high-level position with another component of the federal government, requiring yet another background check. Had to provide all kinds of documentation, and sign all manner of releases for background and credit checks, agency file sharing, etc. As of today, she has complied with SIX requests that she provide proof of her citizenship. She currently has an appointment to appear in person with documentation. It is just WILD! I mean, if anyone should have access to the proof of her citizenship, it would be the federal gov’t! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/32 "2010-12-02T15:25:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Tell him you’re from Ecuador. But then she’d have to explain why she doesn’t speak Ecuadorian. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/33 "2010-12-02T15:31:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Tell him you’re from Ecuador. When I was writing that post I thought of including both Ecuador and Antarctica. The other night I was talking to a couple of people with odd foreign accents. I often had to ask them to repeat themselves because of their thick accents. Turns out that they were born about 30 miles from here and have lived there all their lives. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/34 "2010-12-02T15:36:41Z")
Show him a map of the U.S. that has the states labeled. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/35 "2010-12-02T15:42:26Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > But then she’d have to explain why she doesn’t speak Ecuadorian. ‘I’ve been dead so long… I forgot?’ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/36 "2010-12-02T15:44:42Z")
Ask him what [province in Ecuador](http://www.ecuadors.org/pictures/ecuador-map2.gif) he’s from. If he says Zamora Chinchipe or Pichincha, laugh at him. In fact, laugh at him whatever he says and tell him you don’t believe him. 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 2, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/37 "2010-12-02T15:48:52Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > The only reason Mississippi is a state is that Missouri loves company 😛 _glares at **Noone Special** _ _holds up wet trout_ ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/38 "2010-12-02T15:50:06Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > He asked you for your country and you replied with your state? No wonder he’s confused! This might merit it’s own thread (actually, I think it’s been done before on the boards) but IME that seems to be an American thing, to reply with the state name rather than the country name. Then again, I’m Canadian and (like most of us) happen to know the names of the states, and so if someone _did_ reply “the USA” I’d likely ask what state anyways, and I don’t really know if it’s the more common response outside of North America. I do know, however, that when I’m asked the same question, I’ll rarely answer “Quebec” first, because I’ve actually had a couple of Americans ask me what state that was in! Similarly, I know a Texan that struggled with believing that Saskatchewan was a real place :smack: ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/39 "2010-12-02T15:53:28Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > _glares at **Noone Special** _ > _holds up wet trout_ And I don’t really believe he’s an Israeli… ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/40 "2010-12-02T15:58:37Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Similarly, I know a Texan that struggled with believing that Saskatchewan was a real place :smack: Right. There is, in fact, an empty space in Canada between Toronto and Vancouver, just as the United States has empty space between the East and West coasts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635.md?page=3)