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Why do people keep asking where I'm from? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by Shampoo_Bottle@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Up until I started working, I didn't really encounter that question. When I did start working, people started asking me that question.

Them: Where are you from?

Me: Canada.

Them: Where are your grandparents from?

Me: Canada.

Them: Ok, where are your great grandparents from?

Me: Canada.

It's irritating sometimes. I just want to exist, do my job and go home, like anyone else. Once is ok, twice is odd, three times is weird, and the fourth time is a pattern.

The only accent that I might have would probably be from Newfoundland, Canada, as I grew up with a lot of people from there. I also talk too fast sometimes.

Have you had similar experiences, and if so, how did you handle it? Can fast speech patterns cause this? Why do random people care so much?

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[–] Thalion@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Personally when someone asks me where I'm from, I respond in order of:

A) if I'm in my home city, I tell them the province I grew up in (because I came from a small town I would never expect anyone to know, if it was a big city I'd say that.)

B) If I'm away from my home city in my home province, I tell them my home city.

C) if I'm away from my home province, I tell them my home province.

D) if I'm away from Canada I'll tell them I'm from Canada

E) if based on context it seems they're asking about my ethnic background, I tell them I'm some kind of western/northern European mutt.

Now obviously I'm white as hell and no accent, but OP is saying they're basically that as well, so I'm not sure why race would be the assumption for them either. I don't even know how I would respond if i asked someone at work where they're from and they answered Canada.