Asking someone where they are from

[FnG]magnolia said:
GD smooth brains: "How do I reconcile my racial intolerance of those brown folks while also upholding our sovereignty and the Royal Family themselves (god bless 'em, everyone)"

e: does anyone ever understand anything jpaul types? I can't parse any of his comments, they're like they're written by a self-learning AI just starting out.
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where do you originate ?

e: if you follow any channel 4 otr bbc media you'd understand
 
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Tony Edwards said:
But the thing to say after someone says they are english is to okay. Not No you idiot where are you really from?

The whole thing was a let down by the first question. Where are you from. Im from so and so company, no where have you come from. Oh we are based in Hackney. No where are you really from. Im ******* english **** off.
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Absolutely. I said that she should have been offended by the line of questioning.

But to be offended means that this woman expects to be treated like a British person, no matter what her colour or apparent heritage (which is of course, correct).

At the same time, this woman runs a charity in the UK for women who have suffered from domestic abuse but only if they are of black or African heritage.

So at some point, there has to be an assessment on her part of where a person looking for her services comes from originally, no?
 
Pawnless Endgame said:
"Where are you from?" - that's ok.

"No, but where are you really from?" - not ok.
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Indeed. Some people are genuinely interested in getting to know you and find this stuff really interesting.

However the latter is almost implying that you're somehow illegitimate or "not one of us".

I often offer that I'm a Johnny foreigner it either starts a conversation or invariably breaks the ice. :)
 
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Is she not 83 or thereabouts?

Seems to me akin to my late grandmother, she’d often ask inappropriate questions or indeed say inappropriate things (inappropriate in today’s society, not necessarily in the society she grew up and lived in, for all the rights and indeed wrongs I’m sure)

Did I think she (my gran) was racist? No. Could a lot of what she said be construed as such these days? Most certainly yes, I’m sure.

I’m sure she (the lady in question) could indeed should have worded her question’s better (although not asking in the first place would have been wiser) that said, I can’t help thinking this was far more innocent than portrayed and very much blown up into something far more than it was.

I guess this will ultimately undermine the important issue that true racists need to see that’s being raised here,this is the greater shame.
 
SH just wanted to make sure she had the correct cultural barriers and biases removed.
Cultural competency and all that.
Thought that would be a good thing?
 
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I think what concerns me more about this than anything is that fact that with everything going on in the world (Wars, Pamdemics, Rampant Inflation, Energy Crisis,etc) all our major news outlets choose to lead with a news story about how an 83 year old woman asking somebody about their heritage in a tactless manner has caused offence to them.

Seems very strange how this even makes the news TBH.....
 
BBC have just aired some footage of the conversation between the two, judge for yourself.


To be fair she could just be old and incompetent rather than racist, either way perhaps she shouldn't be in an official position of meeting and greeting guest at Buckingham Palace give the two.
 
Tony Edwards said:
Its like you have never read any of my posts before. If I grew up in an all white area then I might have the same view as you but I didnt and I dont.

I grew up in south London in the 70s 80s and 90s. Most of my friends growing up were not white english (heritage). Infact quite a lot of the time I was the only white english heritage there. I grew up in a fairly black dominated group. That is why I know quite a bit about how young non white kids were chased through the streets and called racist names. I have a fair bit of knowledge as regards to racist **** heads thanks.
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I doubt you can call the area of GM I live in as all white. The only time I've been in an all white area was when I visited the US many years ago, and I found it odd.

Most of my friends have been Pakistani, Bangladeshi and some from India.

None of my friends were offended when people asked them where they came from. Many had flags from their family background country, especially when it was cricket season.

Asking where someone is from isn't a racist remark.
 
The woman is British and born in the UK and I absolutely respect that, she is as British as anyone else there without question. I think it's quite obvious though that the question being asked was what her racial heritage is, since obviously she has an African name and her parents or Grandparents will have immigrated to the UK from a part of Africa. It isn't racist to simply be curious about that. Probably the question was badly worded but I doubt the intention was to be malicious or insult the lady.
 
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Russinating said:
The why ask part as the immediate intro, not the question in general.
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What makes that racist? Rude, yes. Racist? I'm struggling.


As a British born Indian I have been asked this question a gazzilion times in a bajilion different ways by god knows how many different races of people. Is it racist to be curious? No. Is it rude to ask in the manner she did, yes.
 
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