What is your heritage?

[Zhangliqun]

I think you're taking this thread waaaaaaaaay too seriously.

Personally, i think it's all a bit silly.

How far back do you go?

I was born in Wales, and so were every generation of my family since records have been kept. Am i 100% Welsh? The Romans invaded this area around 2000 years ago, and the Vikings around 1300 years ago and i'm sure they did some raping. Should we go further back to when homo sapien first left Africa 200,000 years ago... am i 1/100,000th Namibian and 1/78,000th Angolan?

I suppose the issue is that people just spout figures without any kind of definition.

If you're mother and father are both 1/2 English and 1/2 Italian... then are you also 1/2 english and 1/2 italian... or since your parents are american citizens and you were born in america, are you 1/3 america, 1/3 english and 1/3 italian? Do you not count the american part at all? If not, then what would you say to a person with an american mother and british father who claims to be half british and half american? If you don't count it at all, then why even acknowledge that your grandfather was german since maybe he only lived in germany and might well have been born to non-german parents! If you do count the american heritage, then what proportion of the pie do you give it?

Do you see the problems?

I know a guy who was born in Wales. His father is French and his mother is English. But his mother's parents were Italian and German. His father's parents were Albanian and Austrian. So what is this guy born in Wales? Is he Welsh? Or is he half english and half french. Or is he one quarter italian, 1/4 german, 1/4 albanian and 1/4 austrian because that's where his grandparents were from... so we'd be discounting his parent's nationality and the place he was born and raised...? Or do we go back further and see what nationality his great-grandparents were?

[Kramer Guy]

100% American! Nuff said!

[Aceman]

mattt - I think you don't get the interest for exactly the reason you said. You KNOW and they are all still right there.

Pizza, Perogies, Cashew Chicken, and Schnitzel can all end up on the dinner table over the course of a week. The amount of immigration to this country is still amazing compared to other places.

Italian neighborhoods, Polish, Russian, Asian, mexican, Cuban, etc...all still exist in some state of semi-segregation, but it is all blended somehow.

It's very interesting.

[elscorcho]

All four of my grandparent were from Italy.

[texasguitarslinger]

Half German
Half Prussian

That's basically the same thing...

[Jessie's ghost]

I decline to argue with such a person. Let me out of the car this instant.

Most of the rest of us were born in places that are not synonymous with specific ethnic identities. When people say they're (ethnically) 100% American, they're basically saying the topic doesn't interest them, I suppose. Fair enough. But many of us are interested and, without trying to track down the most granular genetic contribution regardless of how small or how far back, we don't mind knowing that the people who came to where we are now, settled, intermarried, etc., and eventually lead to us, were from this place, or that place, etc.

[Kam]

I've only ever looked back about five generations but everyone in the past who has donated sperm and womb space to the eventual goal of me being born has been all Irish. My surname is Scottish in origin, though, so I'm sure there's some highland blood in there somewhere.

[idsnowdog]

Nobody with Scottish heritage is ever from the lowlands?

[Bones]

I am half ugly half crazy.

[Redmist]

Some parts of the Lowlands are actually physically high, and some of the Highlands are physically quite low.

It all depends on how tall you are and how big you stuff your sporran the noo.

[Kam]

...highlands doesn't just refer to north-iness??

[Aceman]

Nobody with Scottish heritage is ever from the lowlands?

I'm Border Clan

[threechordcharlie]

Funny, the people from my dad's side were "Scotch-Irish", which realy means Ulster Scotts in Europe. We were originaly Irish but settled in an area of Scotland when the British monarchy wanted to establish a colony there. We moved on to America when the colonies first were settled here. My family, Mitchell, was very involved in the Whiskey Rebellion. My grandmother on my father's side was from Louisianna, she was Fench and Creole, that's right Coon - ass.
My mother's side is Irish, Cherokee, and Dutch.
I don't know the breakdown except for the Cherokee which is I think 16%.
I just tell everyone that I am AMERICAN.

[Zhangliqun]

It's not silly at all. You may not intend it so, but your idea of logical and proper comes across as anal retentive and irritating. Like one kid in class says "It rained 3 inches yesterday!" and the other kid raises his hand and says "It was 2.97 inches, silly!!!" Your defense is you're just being "logical", like Mr. Spock I suppose. But for a Vulcan, you choose a lot of loaded words:

"I suppose the issue is that people just spout figures without any kind of definition."

And:

"Do you see the problems?"

Words like "issue", "spout" and "problems" over folks just throwing out their ethnic heritage to the best of their knowledge? OF COURSE the figures we're "spouting" are likely inaccurate, that's understood. So what?

Maybe you're going to reply that I'm over-analyzing your post. But if so, doesn't that kind of illustrate the point?

Really, i've not put much time or effort into thinking about it.

But when someone says, "That doesn't make sense.".

I think it's silly to respond, "You're taking it too seriously.".

I can't help but think logically about it, and i don't have to be all 'serious' just to think properly about something.

[That90'sGuy]

An H535'll do.

[Binnerscot]

Half German
Half Prussian

That's basically the same thing...

I always thought to too, and it is these days, but there were some distinct differences a couple hundred years ago.

Drill and Ceremony for the U.S. military was actually taught to us by the Prussian military. Prussia embodied many of things you now associate as German. Germany picked them up as they assimilated the Prussian territories.

[Agileguy_101]

50% European Jew
25% Puerto Rican
25% Cuban

I only really identify with the Jewish side, though.

[MojoMonster]

Mostly human. Some cyborg.
Does nanotech count?



MM

[Binnerscot]

50 Percent South Vietnamese

50 Percent Southern Caucasian*

*somewhere in that mess: German, Native American, English, Idaho-ian. I'll verify with G'ma the next time we go to her house.

100 percent American.

All lies! You are 100% grump, and no one knows where that comes from!

[ImmortalSix]

I am 1/8th Irish and 7/8ths *******