Tired of constantly having conversations like this:
“Where are you from?”
“USA”
“But where are you really from?/But whats your nationality?/Are you actually american?.. like… full american?”
American isnt a race! American =/= white. Yes im “full american” even though im ethnically latino! If you want to know my ethnicity/race then just ask me that instead of implying im not a “real” american.
I know most people asking this arent doing so from a place of malice, but damn does it get tiring after the 100th time.
This is really true. I’ve always been fascinated by Japan and Japanese culture.
I was admittedly surprised when I learned less that fewer than 20% of Japanese passports and that a Cambodian childhood friend who moved there 15 years ago, learned Japanese, works for a Japanese company, said he never felt like a part of society because he wasn’t ethnically Japanese.
Japanese overall are some of the kindest, most polite people you’ll encounter. But there’s still a great divide between being ethnically Japanese and not being ethnically Japanese.
I moved to the US as a child, and as soon as people hear my accent when I travel overseas, many will say “you sound American.” I also feel more American than Cambodian at this point in my life.