Racial Demographic of SF

[ragdoll]

Are Indians not Asian?
Or is that category of 'other' for Native Americans and Middle Easterners?

 

[Fabienne]

I'm white, half French, half Polish. Most people can't place my accent in English or German, and based on my looks, the nationalities most often attributed are Brazilian or Czech. At least when they hear I'm French, it's usually a positive thing, despite what a lot of you might think.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by mack11211

But via Argentina and Canada, yes?
I was born in Argentina of Austro-Hungarian and German descent, I then moved to Canada and became a Canadian citizen.

Jon.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

At least when they hear I'm French, it's usually a positive thing, despite what a lot of you might think.

Jon. I love it the habitual line-stepping.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

I'm white, half French, half Polish. Most people can't place my accent in English or German, and based on my looks, the nationalities most often attributed are Brazilian or Czech. At least when they hear I'm French, it's usually a positive thing, despite what a lot of you might think.

I can see the eastern european thing but not the Brazilian - that is perplexing. Of course I have never met you so I cannot tell other than the small pic in your avatar

 

[skalogre]

I just remembered, years ago when I was taking Malev to Budapest the stewardesses kept talking to me in German. Over and over and over again. And people here in Tucson have thought I sounded French or German before - THAT I do not understand.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by ragdoll

Are Indians not Asian?
Or is that category of 'other' for Native Americans and Middle Easterners?

Maybe the poll needs to be expanded

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by skalogre

I can see the eastern european thing but not the Brazilian - that is perplexing. Of course I have never met you so I cannot tell other than the small pic in your avatar

That happens most often in the summer, as I tan easily. Plus, I guess, the long hair. Go figure. But it's always amusing to keep people guessing, I'm sure you do that too!

 

[Fabienne]

Originally Posted by skalogre

I just remembered, years ago when I was taking Malev to Budapest the stewardesses kept talking to me in German. Over and over and over again. And people here in Tucson have thought I sounded French or German before - THAT I do not understand.

How would you qualify your accent in English? Nobody ever wants to guess based on my accent, strangely. I don't think it's your typical French accent, for sure.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

How would you qualify your accent in English? Nobody ever wants to guess based on my accent, strangely. I don't think it's your typical French accent, for sure.
My wife, even though she is American, after living with me for almost 8 years can tell that while at face value I have a flat english accent there are syntactical and pronounciative (sp?) quirks that I exhibit that throw it off. Plus I can sound a wee bit old fashioned when I am going full-kilter english (as oppossed to speaking to people around me in Tucson) due to the fact that I grew up without much contemporary english slang. Anyway, the problem being bilingual like I is that though you speak two languages very well neither is perfect. As for your accent, people in the USA in general seem to have difficulty with that anyway. I can often guess correctly specific regions of Europe from the way people look and talk as you probably can. Of course, I can tell a Cypriot from a 100 paces

Edit: Funny sidenote. After living with me for so long, my wife has seriously freaked out some of her clients out by working out in one go where they are from. That happenned with several Cypiot students, needless to say they were usually flabbergasted considering we are used to people not knowing our country even exists, never mind knowing what we look or sound like. Edit 2: "She has often followed up the "you are from Cyprus, right?" with "From Limassol? Oh I miss having the gyros and shawarma at Sam's. Haver you been there recently?"

 

[cheapmutha]

i guess im white, tho ive been mistaken for:
-mixed white and black
-mexican
-peurto rican
-jewish
-native american

 

[skalogre]

My brother has actually a deeper base skin tone than I and with his slightly darker hair than mine has often been thought to be some sort of Latino.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by cheapmutha

i guess im white, tho ive been mistaken for:
-mixed white and black
-mexican
-peurto rican
-jewish
-native american

Jewish and white are for the most part the same thing.

Jon.

 

[Etienne]

Originally Posted by kronik

What would you put on a form you were filling out for a job or medical?
What kind of job (or medical for that matter) asks for your race?

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by Fabienne

How would you qualify your accent in English? Nobody ever wants to guess based on my accent, strangely. I don't think it's your typical French accent, for sure.

Over the phone, you have a French accent, although not an unadulterated accent from a particular region, at least not one that my uneducated ears can make out. However, if one knows that you are French, it is easy to pick out certain verbal mannerisms and turns of speech that are clearly French. I am not sure that I would have known that you were French from your photograph alone.