I think it’s wonderful that he chose to compete under Sweden’s colors, speaking as an American. The crossing of borders in the name of sportsmanship is the whole point of the Olympics, no? A dual-citizen choosing which country to compete under shouldn’t be seen as a slight to the one not chosen. We should celebrate it.
According to the boys father he was killed for defending his friend who was being bullied. The brawl involved a stolen pair of headphones and vape pen.
Jfc my gut tells me to ask wtf is wrong with kids these days but I know this kind of thing has been going on for generations.
My teacher in middle school had a friend in the 80s that was killed trying to break up a fight at a party.
We should back away from Israel. We have absolutely no legitimate business with them and they bring nothing to the table.
Israel offers no unique military logistics, as we already have full access to the region via neighboring installations. They offer no substantial business to the U.S. They bring only strained relations with neighboring countries, with whom we have much more lucrative business ties.
It’s time to back away from this toxic, one-sided relationship. It’s time for Israel to be diplomatic with their neighbors instead of starting wars they want the U.S. to win for them.
This is why they’re weird. They were bragging about Project 2025 a few months ago, because since everyone in their little far right bubbles wanted authoritarianism, they assumed normal people did.
To the mixed race or non-white people in this thread, just start asking white people where they’re from. Heck, if someone asks you where you’re from, it’s only polite to return the curiosity
Edit: if they say US born and raised, then ask but where are your ancestors from?
Out of curiosity, can you explain what effect you believe this might have?
I am glad to be wrong, but I feel like most white people in the USA wouldn’t be offended or even find that to be a strange question. They’ll just answer it as best they can: Florida, Sacramento, born in Boise but raised in Fairfield. Or if you press about ancestry, most white folks will gladly say French-German, Irish, etc and then maybe even ask you the same thing because they’re genuinely curious and because it’s a natural way for an otherwise polite, as you put it, conversation to steer once the topic has come up. Probably most wouldn’t even recognize if another person were asking that question specifically to make a point about racism/prejudice/etc.
I really doubt that many white people have had these types of questions weaponized against them so unless they are made aware of how offensive it can be or how it betrays their own biases/prejudices (which we all have by the way), they may not even know. I would think that explaining how those questions impact you negatively in a supportive and understanding way will get you much further with most people than being retaliatory or intentionally inflammatory.
Yeah if you want to make it sting you need to add an “oh” or some form of judgement to the answer. White American culture is proud of our history as immigrants, it’s just also racist and anti current or recent immigrants.
I think this is a uniquely American experience tbh. In Canada people have no problem being asked their background and I’m sure the same could be said in other countries.
To your point, race in America has been intentionally weaponized.
For me, it’s not about offending but about invoking empathy in case the other person does it in a way to “other” someone. If someone’s question is innocent, then no harm done. You’re just having a chill conversation. If their question is not innocent, then maybe it might invoke empathy or also maybe annoy them
In your original comment that I responded to, it sounded like you’re making the case that mixed and non-white people should start asking white people those questions as a matter of policy, and not just those times when a specific white person asked first. That’s why I was curious what you thought the effect would be.
That being said, even if you meant that people should only return the question if the white person asked first, that’s something which would just be normal and instinctual for most folks, I would think? Like if someone I’m getting to know asked me my favorite color, I’d probably follow up with the same question after I gave them my answer. So it seemed a bit weird to see a call to action to do something that I would have otherwise thought most people would already be doing (at least in my experience, which I certainly am open to the possibility that my experience is atypical of what racial minorities endure).
And although I am white, and thus I’m certainly coming from a place of privilege, I am a minority (lgbt) and have had my fair share of experience with inappropriate and/or weaponized questions, so I’m not coming from this from a place of complete naivety. I’m certainly aware that sometimes people will ask questions like “are you the boy or the girl in the relationship” from a place of authentic and unintentional ignorance, but that it’s quite often coming from people whose intent is to be derogatory.
Ok as a non-racist white dude but I grew up in a small town and will admit to ignorance. I don’t get the problem here.
I don’t care where you’re from I will ask your background it’s more how you ask. I work with lots of people all over the world and I love learning about new cultures. If you’re black maybe you’re Nigerian or Kenyan. I don’t fucking know the difference I just hear a weird accent so I get curious.
Now the rub to me is how you ask and are you being sincere. Let’s stop demonizing people for innocently asking “so where are you from?”
For context I live in Toronto so very, very multicultural. I have friends from every background, but why hide wanting to expand your knowledge?
I wonder if part of the American problem is the fact that they continue to not come to terms with the fact that they’re racist AF?
Tbh, I am okay with people who ask it if they’re just curious and not trying to bring it up in a weird way to other you. People can tell from the context
You made the distinction that you ask when they have an accent. That’s different to just assuming they must be from anywhere else because they’re black.
Imagine how that feels? Not the first or second time, but after the hundredth time…
It’s because the question gets weaponized or used as a micro-aggression. Because of a person’s skin color they can’t possibly be a “real” American, right? Usually, the person can tell by your tone of voice or phrasing when you ask the question whether you are just curious to learn more about them or if you’re a racist dick. But either way, the question comes at them so often that they bristle when they hear it even when it is asked out of curiosity.
That will accomplish nothing. White people in the US love saying both where we are from and where we know/think our ancestors are from. It’s a common question for white people to ask other white people. White people in the US are so proud to say they are Irish or German or “Italian on my mother’s side!” It’s like we crave to have something interesting about ourselves since the US is a bit generic, while also being fiercely proud of being from the US. Heck, it’s also easy to find people who act proud of being 1/16th Native American… without realizing the reason you’re 1/16th is because your great great grandfather stole your great great grandmother from her parents.
“Where are you from” should never mean ethnicity, but only where that person has lived. “What is your ancestry/ethnicity” should be specified if that’s what you’re asking about. No white person with an American accent would think anything of being asked where they’re from and will respond with where they’ve lived.
I know, I agree. I am speaking to the experience of people who get asked that question with a follow up of but where are you really from or some alternative. I mean, it’s totally innocuous and innocent question, but sometimes people use it in a weird way even if they don’t mean a bad thing by it. Because of our history of racism with each other (I mean humans), people are naturally sensitive about race. Things don’t exist in a vacuum
Four years ago, I moved to New York to start pursuing my journalism degree at a graduate program in the city. I spent my first week researching and reporting an audio story about the local farmer’s market. When I handed it in, my professor looked down at the script I had written, looked back up at me, and said, “Your English is good. Where are you from?”
While that was supposed to be a compliment, it didn’t feel like a pat on the back. Whether it was based on how I looked, sounded, or information the professor had gathered about me beforehand, their tone implied that, because I was an international student, my ability to write English well (or not) was tied to my geographical and cultural background. I was confused and hurt.
It’s silly and meaningless and there’s no real point. It’s symbolic but what it symbolizes is the cartoonishness of our society. When these people get locked up, that will mean something.
As a Minnesotan I’m a little sad that he’s going to be VP. But I understand. He’s been a great governor. Any person that the conservatives give a shitty nickname, you know is doing a great job. Who knew checks notes making sure school children are being fed is such a controversial issue.
In Obama’s case, he had an estranged father in Kenya who died in 1982. Kamala’s father is a tenured economy professor at Stanford (first black scholar granted tenure at Stanford too) and very much still alive at 85.
Kind of hard to sow doubts about her birth, when her father is not only living in the US, but also as an authority figure.
You are assuming that the birthers use logic. If that was the case, they would not have cared where Obama was born because his mother was an American born in Kansas. That would make him American even if he was born in Kenya or Canada (like Ted Cruz).
All aid workers around the world don't have a choice but to collaborate with 'militant groups', gangs, dictators, mafia, warlords, cartels... if they have to make a deal with the devil himself to be able to help some children be damned sure they're gonna.
Having their ranks infiltrated is nothing new to aid orgs either (remember that sexual abuse scandal not long ago) or any other organization really, specially those that try to do good. Cutting the aid because an organization isn't perfectly invulnerable is imo utterly stupid.
So I don't care much for those proofs, as I think the facts are most certainly true (to a degree) but NORMAL. The way they are interpreted and used as an excuse to cut the aid is absolute bullshit.
I meant 'collaborate' as in having talks or meetings, paying a 'tax', playing by their rules... nothing that leaves much of a record.
'Ties with militant groups' is vague enough so many people will read 'on the terrorists' payroll'. And on time some 'proof' like phone calls, pictures in the same place with a 'militant group' member, or handing them some material aid, going to the same mosquee...
The thing is unless they're able to articulate more concrete accusations I wouldn't even ask for proof, proof of what? I mean I have a bunch of cousins I barely met when I was a child, and no clue what they've been up to these ~30 years... I might have some 'ties' to 'militant groups' too, who knows?
True. But in this case they alleged 12 UNRWA members to have participated in the attack as well. Which is more than just a vague claim but a very specific one. So now we can demand NYT and WSJ proof for their claims.
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