For goodness sake, what's the big deal?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.guardian.c...-brown-answer-curious

People are forever curios, what is wrong in asking someone "where do you come from".?

Colour of one's skin, strange attitude, unusual accent, anything else that sets one apart, people will often say "now that's an unusual accent", what part of the country do you come from? etc, etc.

Do you think this person is being over sensitive?.

[tamborine]

Phoning India (BT) brings on a Paul/Robert/Mark.......sussed out I get lovely environment chat. My asian GP has a christian name....and and indian accent ;)

Most asians arrived in UK from Kenya in 60s - Idi Amin slaughtered lots, while India & Pakistan refused them admission saying they were 'Kenyans'.

History lesson over!

[Ankou]

so aog, you are from emgland ?
where were your parents from ?

[jno]

you're joking? If someone asks me where I come from them, I tell them where I come from, not where my parents come from. What do you do?

[anotheoldgit]

Ankou

ENGLISH, born, bred and very proud of the fact.

They may try and take my country away from me, but no one can alter this fact.

[Ankou]

i think aog is being a bot over sensitive about where he comes from, do you?

[Ankou]

yes ago, what about your family where did they originate ?

[jno]

he certainly dodged the real question, which of course about where his parents came from.

[swedeheart]

They say it takes three generations to make a gentleman... How many generations does it take in your world, aog, to make an Englishman?

[jno]

I imagine aog is too embarrassed to admit his ancestors were actually here before the Angles and Saxons and that he is not English at all but British... oh, the shame...

[anotheoldgit]

Over sensetive? No.

Just answering your stupid question.

Regarding my parents, yes they were English also as were theirs and theirs and theirs and theirs and theirs. -------------------

[Ankou]

so, eventually french or germanic then ?

[Quinlad]

"They may try and take my country away from me".

Christ, it's like a cross between Braveheart and Last of the Summer Wine. What a paranoid little man.

[rov1200]

I always annoyed when asked where I was born. Unfortunately they don't accept Londonistan even though its true.

[Ankou]

how could i have missed it ?!!!!

"Just answering your stupid question"

so the woman in the article is being over sensitive is she ?
lol, lol, lol !!

[jno]

Fell right into that one, I'm afraid, aog. And you haven't been asked more than five times.

So are you starting to see what she might be getting at?

[LoftyLottie]

PMSL !!

[swedeheart]

Tragic.

[rojash]

"t's like a Spaniard asking a person of English decent, (who happens to been born and lives in Barcelona), "where do you come from"? "
Not really is it?
A person of English descent born in Barcelona would be pretty indistinguishable from a Spaniard, so they'd have no reason to ask. The question she faced was purely because of her colour.

[BertiWooster]

Dear O Dear AOG - Youv'e ended up displaying the same reaction, you are accusing her of .
You do get yourself in a tizz most of the time - dont you

[Kromovaracun]

"ENGLISH, born, bred and very proud of the fact.

They may try and take my country away from me, but no one can alter this fact. "

Is this normally what you say to people in real life when they ask where you're from?

I'm beginning to imagine you sounding a bit like Mumm-Ra from Thundercats...

--

The woman in the article isn't attacking the fact that she was asked where she was from, it was more the mentality behind it - the assumption that if you're non-white then you are intrinsically less British (which to be honest you do seem to share, so I can understand why you don't see it as a problem).

I really don't think the author of that article objects to such questions in small talk/polite conversation - but think about it, if you've been asked it so many times it must be easy to sense that mentality she's talking about a mile off. That's what she's attacking.