Moments of Permanence - We should be clear on certain things: Names, identity, and why certain people need to shut up hard

From: sqbr Date: June 15th, 2009 11:38 am (UTC) (Link)

Totally agreed. I have a half brewed post mulling about the right of people to define themselves. Look at the "They're not really a man/woman" stuff that gets thrown at trans people.

Tangent: there is apparently an unrelated italian surname which is spelled the same as my (totally british) maiden name but the final "e" is pronounced as "ee". Since members of my family tend to (a)Confuse people's ethnicity-dar and (b)Live in areas with a large italian population, people have trouble believing they're not italian :) (I'm about the only member of my family who this doesn't happen to)

(Reply) (Thread)

From: sami Date: June 15th, 2009 03:42 pm (UTC) (Link)

... because you look the least Italian, or...?

You and your ethnically tricksy kind. Don't think I haven't forgotten your husband is a stealth Indian, now you bring this kind of thing up...

(I'd feel worse about making assumptions about his ethnicity than I do, except for the part where SERIOUSLY. First AND last names! Fair skin! Ginger hair! SOMEONE COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAVE MORE "I AM OF SCOTTISH DESCENT" CUES.)

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

From: sqbr Date: June 16th, 2009 12:52 am (UTC) (Link)

*Nods* I think I've told you this story, but when I was a big white ball of a baby apparently someone looked at my parents and me and said "So..he's not the father?". Mum was Not Impressed.

But when we were in Malaysia the guy cooking breakfast asked where I was from, and then said something like "But you're not just from Australia, you don't look like a typical Australian". Cam gets no such questions :) (And I was struck by the fact that I'd never notice such subtle distinctions between Malaysians, if I'm lucky I can pick if someone's Chinese Malaysian or not. White privilege ahoy!)

Which I guess goes to show that ethnicity is harder to pick than people think. Have you seen the which of these people is Aboriginal? ads?

(Reply) (Parent)