I don’t agree. I spent more time as a child in Mexico than anywhere else and I am very much not Mexican. Hell, I don’t even speak Spanish well.
And by this logic, as well, I would be Mexican.
I don’t think people can make such cut and dry rules about what makes someone. Because they often don’t work.
I don’t agree. I spent more time as a child in Mexico than anywhere else and I am very much not Mexican. Hell, I don’t even speak Spanish well.
And by this logic, as well, I would be Mexican.
I don’t think people can make such cut and dry rules about what makes someone. Because they often don’t work.[/quote]SuchAFob -
I have opinions…not rules.
I agree that this question can be made very complicated.
Thats why I answer the “Where are you from?” by simply saying ‘California’.
I wasn’t born there. Its simply where I “was from” immediately before I moved here. Frankly that satisfies 99% of those who have asked me that question here.
Some of these other comments are responses to a different question.
I have always hated answering the question of where I am from because I feel that people ask it as a way of finding out what “type” of person you are. (Locals do, anyways).
And maybe I have a touch of shame about being from where Bush is from. Haha. And I know that a good portion of people tend to think of Southerners as uneducated hicks. I’ve had people tell me I don’t act/ sound/ look like I’m from Texas. And while for Dallas this is true, it isn’t true for San Antonio or Austin. Then again, a good half the people from Dallas are Yankees who moved down as an adult and fake the accent that none of the locals have.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]DB -
You’re from Illinois.[/quote]
Yeah, and I often answer that way. But in addition to its simple, superficial meaning, the question ‘where are you from?’ can have implications of identity. I am not and don’t have the self-identity of the average WASP Illinois native or American. I’m half NON-American and have spent half my life out of the country. To merely say I’m from Illinois is a simplistic answer which doesn’t really reflect my identity or broader origins. “I’m from Illinois and am half Mexican” works fine for me. You’re free to choose your own answer, TC. Let others choose theirs. 
Sounds like most of us agree that the question depends heavily on the specifics of each case. There are all kinds of unusual exceptions to most of the (generally sensible) guidelines that people have suggested.
Here’s another one for your consideration:
My cousin, Steven. Not a very clear picture, but he’s the one in blue – they’re on an motorcycle camping trip.
We lived next door to each other for much of the time that we were growing up, and I can vouch for the following (at least as of his 18th birthday):
----- He spoke with a noticeable Canadian accent;
----- Almost every single one of his friends was Canadian;
----- All of his girlfriends, up to that time, were Canadian;
----- He knew the rules to curling, and could name all the top hockey players, but couldn’t care less about American football, baseball, or basketball;
----- He could name all the provinces, territories, and major cities in Canada, but would probably struggle with the geography of any other country;
----- The name of Canada’s PM at any given time was an easy question for him, but the name of the US President might require a few seconds thought to remember;
----- He was forced to learn French as his second language, even though neither he nor his parents had any interest in the language;
----- He would often get defensive and angry when people told jokes about Canadians (although he thought jokes about Americans were just good fun);
----- His favourite television programmes were Canadian;
----- He listened exclusively to Canadian radio;
----- He was very proud of Canada, and would often add, after making a criticism of something he didn’t like, “That would never be allowed to happen in Canada”, “You’d never see something like that in Canada” etc.; and
----- If you asked him the question, he’d say “I’m a Canadian.”
Now, I put the question before this august house:
(I am, of course, particularly interested in the opinions of our Canadian forumosans)
[color=red]Was my cousin justified in calling himself Canadian?
Did he deserve the right to put that maple leaf on his backpack? [/color]
GIVEN THAT:
– He was not born in Canada.
– He holds no Canadian passport.
– Neither of his parents are Canadian, nor any of his relatives.
– He has never lived in Canada in his entire life.
Tough one, eh?
A friendly question to which they expect a nice simple answer that allows them to file you as having XYZ characteristics.
Complain that it’s too cold today and every Taiwanese within earshot will reply “but you’re from England. You must be used to the cold.”
The Raven was born in Manchester, has never lived there, and gets very tired of people who hear the accent assuming that he has any interest at all in football. The Raven lived until he was six in a town he couldn’t find again on a map and has never been back. He could find the next place, with difficulty, but has absolutely no connection with it other than that he lived there until he was 14.
After that he lived in Wales, steadfastly not adopting a local accent or fondness for sheep. He is not “from” there, as any true Taffy will tell you, and left after finishing high school. Most of the next few years were spent in Bath, fielding questions about where he was from.
The Raven has now lived in Taipei as long as he has ever lived anywhere. His home and life are here. But he’s not ‘from’ here, he’s not from anywhere.
Its a pointless question to which any simple answer is meaningless, and why the fuck should anyone have to explain his life history to every random stranger? Brits, a la Tom Hill, are the most annoying in this regard. Very often these people just will not let it go, and start insisting that “you must be from somewhere.” What’s so hard about the concept of not having spent the first twenty years of your life in parochial isolation?
Thankfully, the colonials are a lot more understanding. Vague answers like “everywhere really” are met with a nod and you can move on to more meaningful topics.
DB: I think those who aren’t mixed don’t really understand the strange cultural identity that mixed people have. But I think his point is that the question is “where are you FROM” as meaning “NiSongNaLiLai” (where did you geographically come from) and not “where are you from” as Americans tend to mean it.
I think.
Yuck. I have to go to work now.
DB -
I’m not stopping, or trying to stop, anyone from saying anything they want.
As I stated, just my opinions.
Simple is not necessarily superficial.
Like I said, 99% of the locals who have asked me the original question - “Where are you from?” couldn’t give a tinkers damn what my familial lineage is. And I chose not to needlessly complicate the question by assuming thats what they are “really” asking.
[quote=“Hobbes”]
– He was not born in Canada.
– He holds no Canadian passport.
– Neither of his parents are Canadian, nor any of his relatives.
– He has never lived in Canada in his entire life.
Tough one, eh?[/quote]
Where did he live, then? On the border with Canada? Why would he identify so closely with the country if he has never lived there?
“Where you’re from” is the poop smear on the toilet stall of conversations.
I just say I’m from an “apartment complex”
If they keep smearing, I elaborate: “an apartment complex in the suburbs”
I usually say “Montana” and when they invariably say “But you don’t sound like an American,” I reply “I had grapefruit for breakfast.”
Doh! :homer:
I can’t believe I fell for that! I used to be way too gullible (not anymore, though, fortunately).
Now that you’ve fessed up, I just to make sure that I have whole true story now. So, if you didn’t have a grapefruit for breakfast, then what did you eat that made you sound so different from most of your fellow Montanans on that day that I first met you?
[quote=“Hobbes”][color=red]Was my cousin justified in calling himself Canadian?
Did he deserve the right to put that maple leaf on his backpack? [/color]
GIVEN THAT:
– He was not born in Canada.
– He holds no Canadian passport.
– Neither of his parents are Canadian, nor any of his relatives.
– He has never lived in Canada in his entire life.[/quote]
If I were a Star Trek fanatic, learned Klingon, had cosmetic surgery, ect, ect, ect… would that make me a Klingon?
I suppose at a certain point, fake it till you make brings you close to the line, but I don’t believe it gets you across it. Declarations and make belief don’t cut it.
Nurture over nature: the environment in which you’re raised matters more the heritage. A person born to Japanese parents in Canada, and raised in Canadian society, is Canadian. Conversely, a person born to Canadian (non-Japanese) parents in Japan, and raised in Japanese society, is Japanese (though possibly not recognized as such by gov’t or society). Habit over nurture after long habit: if that same person moves at 20 to France, after long habituation, may become French.
Now, if a person were born to American parents, on an air force base in Okinawa, and raised in American society on that base, and never stepped foot in the US, where does he say he’s from?
I’d say he’s American… from Japan.
A lot of great answers here.
Now, wouldn’t you agree that for some of us with a more complicated background, it would also come “how do you feel” where you are from?
I’ve been living here for 14 years, but I sure don’t feel like Taiwanese, although a lot of locals consider me half taiwanese, I just don’t feel even 1% Taiwanese.
I have a French passport, but surely don’t feel French.
The only place I feel at home is in Sarajevo.
When I say “I’m from Canada,” people often say “but you don’t sound Canadian.” So I have to specify every time that I’m French-Canadian.
I’m tired of having a French accent. I want it gone, Calice!
[quote=“bobepine”]When I say “I’m from Canada,” people often say “but you don’t sound Canadian.” So I have to specify every time that I’m French-Canadian.
I’m tired of having a French accent. I want it gone, Calice![/quote]
Be careful what you wish for, jeun’omme.
My father is from just outside Manchester, in northern England. In his entire family he’s the only one who (shock!) moved more than fifteen miles away from where he was born, and (horror!) married a non-Catholic. Anyhow, when he moved south in the seventies he found it was very difficult for his to get the kind of job (managerial) that he wanted and he felt this was largely due to prejudice against northern accents. So he went to elocution lessons in order to change to an “RP” accent (like an old-fashioned BBC newsreader). Now he doesn’t sound RP today, but he definitely sounds like a southerner - and it has caused him all sorts of trouble with his family and the people he grew up around. When he tells people he’s from Manchester, nobody believes him. He certainly feels that he has lost something by losing his original accent. Of course, he can put it back on when he wants to, but he says that just feels like he’s faking it now.
Accent and identity are pretty closely linked, in many cases.
Well, I already lost the ability to write French decently, and when I speak French I’m down to mispronouncing some bits with English phonics and the result is that my old buddies and my family are making fun of me. How worse can it get?
My life/thought process is English now, except for the rare bits poking through. A tad different than your father’s situation since my accent is that of another language, and not a regional accent.
I’m sure some Forumosans who met me can vouch that my accent is very mild, but some words still don’t sound right, and I’m still messing up the “th” sound all the time. “Look, there are tree(3) monkeys in de tree.” :s
Come to think of it, when people ask me where I’m from, I often say I’m from eastern Canada. Saves me having to clarify for those familiar with Quebec.
Which part of La Belle Province?
I spent four years in Montreal and regret not exploring further. C’est magnifique.
[quote=“Jaboney”]Which part of La Belle Province?
I spent four years in Montreal and regret not exploring further. C’est magnifique.[/quote]Unfortunately, with the late nineties amalgamation of small villages, the place I grew up is no longer on the map. It used to be called Mont-Rolland, and now it was merged with Ste-Adele. It’s about one hour North-West of Montreal, just past St-Sauveur which you are more likely to be familiar with. Right in the heart of Les Laurentides.
It is magnifique indeed, but there’s something about the place that makes me want to go there for extended holidays in the summer, and leave before the leaves turn red. Winters are long there, too…
[quote=“bobepine”]It is magnifique indeed, but there’s something about the place that makes me want to go there for extended holidays in the summer, and leave before the leaves turn red. Winters are long there, too…[/quote]Yeah, I’d love to spend summers in Montreal. There’s a building block and street, apparently named for an ancestor of mine, though the only thing French about the family now is our last name. My old man grew up in T.O., hating Montreal. When he visited, he changed his mind and decided to look back a little more fondly on the family roots. Still, I don’t think that’s enough to make me “from there.”
And this morning, a student I still edit for back there said it was -43. When the weather’s like that, I’m happy to be a long ways away from there. Mulled wine, candles, and shared warmth only go so far.