Stupid question: When Black and white people have seeeeex!

[garbon]

Please don't feed the troll.

Nobody gets to claim threads as "my thread."  Responding in this fashion just feeds raz's delusion that he is God-Emperor of threads he happens to start.

[Mr.Penguin]

Actually a great many of our ancestors didn't have a choice.  Some came in chains, some because of persecution and some because of starvation.  Most people, given the choice would rather stay home then travel across the sea and settle in a new land.

Others was given a one-way ticket, just becourse he had made 2 local girls pregnant in less than 3 mdrs. Again others was given a one-way ticket at the age of twelve, just becourse it was more convenient for the family...

[syk]

I'm sure most of the people you mention do consider themselves "German", but they do have substantial connections as well to Russia or Turkey.  Your Turkish-German probably grew up eating different food, going to a different religious building, with different customs and habits.  While they probably have a sense of Germanness, there's no disputing they'll have a different experience than Hans from Bavaria.

So I'll go back to - what harm does it do to anyone if your average Turkish-German likes to eat kababs, goes to mosque and likes to watch Turkey play in international soccer?

It doesn't do any harm at all, its cool as it is. I was going for that example because I think people on one hand want to belong to a group (in this case a country including citizenship) and on the other hand want to be special, to stick out of the mass (being "Irish" or Turkish").

I think citizenship and identity are two very different things.

see above.

[Korea]

Not nearly as embarassing as the friend of my wife's sister who had her first baby with definite half-Black features ... when her fiancee was Chinese.

:pinchL

Allegedly, an amazing domestic scene broke out in the delivery room.

Way we heard the story the first time, was that Chinese Guy had booted his fiancee out of his house (he had money) right after she gave birth. We all assumed he was a pig and a jerk. Until this tiny added detail came to light, which makes it more explicable.

He took her back though, and she has another kid. We assume it's his. At least, the other kid isn't half-Black.

People are amazing creatures. Jeez.

Not really.

Animals are pretty amazing too.

[Barrister]

It doesn't do any harm at all, its cool as it is. I was going for that example because I think people on one hand want to belong to a group (in this case a country including citizenship) and on the other hand want to be special, to stick out of the mass (being "Irish" or Turkish").

People want to belong, but they also want to be special.  That's quite the innovative analysis Syk. 

[syk]

It doesn't do any harm at all, its cool as it is. I was going for that example because I think people on one hand want to belong to a group (in this case a country including citizenship) and on the other hand want to be special, to stick out of the mass (being "Irish" or Turkish").

People want to belong, but they also want to be special.  That's quite the innovative analysis Syk. 

Just add one line of thought. Then the point is, calling yourself Irish or whatever when you're not is a vain thing and thus silly.

[Eochaid]

But I think it's silly and bizarre for someone to get worked up over my interest in geneaology.  It reminds me of Christian losers obsessing over what gay people do in their personal lives.

I don't mind if you have a passion in genealogy. In fact I think it's kind of cool, being interested in genealogy myself.

What I do mind is people who believe that:

1. They absolutely HAVE to detail their family tree any time you discuss anything related to European countries
2.  They use their 1/32 [insert european ethnicity/nationality/native American nation] to say irrelevant stuff about something they are not connected to.
3. Belonging to a culture is just going through the clichés of a culture they believe froze 150 years ago?

I mean seriously. Imagine you go to, lets say, China. You meet this Chinese guy who tell you that his great-great-great grandfather was American and moved to China for whatever reason. And he obviously is "American" because every now and then he eats hot-dogs around a campfire, rides a horse on a ranch and says racist stuff about "redskins". Wouldn't you want to tell the guy that he's just a walking cliché and there's a little more to being American that junk food and John Wayne?

The guy is a poser. He's just a walking cliché and he is offensive to you, even if unwittingly, by reducing something real, deep and very much alive to platitudes.

And I think we'll agree that Irish-Americans who financed the IRA "to defend their Homeland" are a bunch of tossers

Kevin

[Barrister]

I mean seriously. Imagine you go to, lets say, China. You meet this Chinese guy who tell you that his great-great-great grandfather was American and moved to China for whatever reason. And he obviously is "American" because every now and then he eats hot-dogs around a campfire, rides a horse on a ranch and says racist stuff about "redskins". Wouldn't you want to tell the guy that he's just a walking cliché and there's a little more to being American that junk food and John Wayne?

The guy is a poser. He's just a walking cliché and he is offensive to you, even if unwittingly, by reducing something real, deep and very much alive to platitudes.

And I think we'll agree that Irish-Americans who financed the IRA "to defend their Homeland" are a bunch of tossers

Kevin

I would think it rather neat that the Chinese guy feels that connection to America.  It's obviously real to him, although I'd want to correct him about the natives.

I'll agree that anyone financing terrorism is a tosser though.

[Eddie Teach]

Americans are ethnic mongrels. Anyone who's not is either a recent immigrant or lives in an enclave whose loyalty is suspect.

Of course, a lot of us like to make affectations based around that German great-grandmother of ours.

[Ed Anger]

Nope, they think they are Irish-Americans.  There is a sense that if you don't know where you came from (even if invented, like most family histories) you don't know who you are.

What happened to all the English-Americans? And why don't they celebrate St George's day?

They are the un-hyphenated Americans.

And yes. Irish-Americans annoy me greatly. Especially when they decide to come over all anti-British with a hilariously wrong, black and white version of history.

26 + 6 = 1

[Caliga]

It seems like Eochaid's dislike is mostly related to people who make foolish decisions based on their (real or imagined) ethnic origins, a sentiment I whole-heartedly agree with... and I think anyone sensible would.  The IRA funding issue is a great example of that, and just so y'all know alot of ethnic Irish/persons of Irish descent in Boston were horrified by that.

The point about cultures evolving is a good one, but I think it's quite useful that people preserve their heritage for that very reason.  For example, nearly all of the ancestors of the Pennsylvania Dutch had migrated to the region by 1750.  Therefore, their variant of German (which itself was an admixture of various Alsatian, Palatine, Swabian, and Swiss dialects) diverged at that time and evolved separately.  So I think anyone who studies the German language should be thankful the Pennsylvania Dutch have preserved it, because it's got to be very useful in understanding what grammatical forms, pronunciations, etc. changed when.  If the Pennsylvania Dutch were all like "hey, fuck this German shit, we're UH-MURRICAN now!!!111" this information wouldn't be available.

Similarly, Pennsylvania Dutch religion and cuisine have evolved independently of Germany since the mid-18th century, so I'm sure there is useful information there as well.

[garbon]

No one cares about the Pennsylvania Dutch.

[Ed Anger]

I liked the one genealogy family site that claimed one of their dude's had a family connection to one of the two Spartan royal families.

THIS IS FAMILY TREE MAKER!

[Caliga]

No one cares about the Pennsylvania Dutch.

[Ed Anger]

No one cares about the Pennsylvania Dutch.

We'll always have our secret love of shoofly pie.