What are the British Like
Oct 7th 2007, 1:46 pm
#92
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Oct 7th 2007, 1:57 pm
#95
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Oct 7th 2007, 2:37 pm
#96
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Re: What are the British Like
I mean is it just personal choice the heritage that you hyphenate? Or do people normally go with the larger part or the mothers side or the fathers side or what? I mean this guy has 1/2 German, 1/4 Swedish, 1/8 Dutch, 1/16th belgian and 1/16th Irish heritage, but he chooses the 1/16th Irish part. Why? That strikes me as not really being motivated by embracing his heritage (cos he's ignoring the largest part of his heritage), more being motivated by what he thinks is "cool". Or did he go down the list -German? nah, the war. Swedish? - nah, dont like meatballs. Dutch?...hmmm, they've never upset anyone, and they're pretty laid back hmm get back to them. Belgian? - too boring. Irish - love a drop of the black stuff - bingo! I'm Irish! Ok the article was taking the p1$$ (as, hopefully, is the one next to it - Ho Ho Ho I saw you masturbating
) as is my response to it, but I have a couple of friends that "hyphenate" a 1/8th heritage over a 1/4 heritage. It doesn't actually bother me - I find it a bit odd, but quite quaint, in the way I guess a lot of our customs back home are to foreigners. Ok, task for the week - ask them why! 2nd task, work out what the kids are going to be!
Oct 7th 2007, 3:15 pm
#97
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Re: What are the British Like
Ok, now, dont jump down my neck, this is a genuine question. How does it work?
I mean is it just personal choice the heritage that you hyphenate? Or do people normally go with the larger part or the mothers side or the fathers side or what? I mean this guy has 1/2 German, 1/4 Swedish, 1/8 Dutch, 1/16th belgian and 1/16th Irish heritage, but he chooses the 1/16th Irish part. Why? That strikes me as not really being motivated by embracing his heritage (cos he's ignoring the largest part of his heritage), more being motivated by what he thinks is "cool". Or did he go down the list -German? nah, the war. Swedish? - nah, dont like meatballs. Dutch?...hmmm, they've never upset anyone, and they're pretty laid back hmm get back to them. Belgian? - too boring. Irish - love a drop of the black stuff - bingo! I'm Irish! Ok the article was taking the p1$$ (as, hopefully, is the one next to it - Ho Ho Ho I saw you masturbating) as is my response to it, but I have a couple of friends that "hyphenate" a 1/8th heritage over a 1/4 heritage. It doesn't actually bother me - I find it a bit odd, but quite quaint, in the way I guess a lot of our customs back home are to foreigners. Ok, task for the week - ask them why! 2nd task, work out what the kids are going to be!
I mean is it just personal choice the heritage that you hyphenate? Or do people normally go with the larger part or the mothers side or the fathers side or what? I mean this guy has 1/2 German, 1/4 Swedish, 1/8 Dutch, 1/16th belgian and 1/16th Irish heritage, but he chooses the 1/16th Irish part. Why? That strikes me as not really being motivated by embracing his heritage (cos he's ignoring the largest part of his heritage), more being motivated by what he thinks is "cool". Or did he go down the list -German? nah, the war. Swedish? - nah, dont like meatballs. Dutch?...hmmm, they've never upset anyone, and they're pretty laid back hmm get back to them. Belgian? - too boring. Irish - love a drop of the black stuff - bingo! I'm Irish! Ok the article was taking the p1$$ (as, hopefully, is the one next to it - Ho Ho Ho I saw you masturbating
) as is my response to it, but I have a couple of friends that "hyphenate" a 1/8th heritage over a 1/4 heritage. It doesn't actually bother me - I find it a bit odd, but quite quaint, in the way I guess a lot of our customs back home are to foreigners. Ok, task for the week - ask them why! 2nd task, work out what the kids are going to be!Yes Virginia Americans do have a sense of humor.
Oct 7th 2007, 3:26 pm
#98
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Re: What are the British Like
maybe thats why i said it was a p1sstake...?
But that aside, the people that are the target of the satire exist - the 2 friends I mentioned for starters. So, care to venture an answer?
Oct 7th 2007, 5:06 pm
#99
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Re: What are the British Like
Oct 7th 2007, 5:25 pm
#100
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Oct 7th 2007, 9:42 pm
#101
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Re: What are the British Like
I seriously don't know. 
Oct 7th 2007, 11:20 pm
#102
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Re: What are the British Like
I live in the UK and what I can add to this is this - there can't be anyone left in Poland who is under 30 years of age. They're all over here and most are doing a bloody good job and employers love them. They could solve the current UK postal dispute at a stroke given the chance.....Royal Mail entirely staffed by Poles. 
Oct 8th 2007, 12:18 am
#103
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Re: What are the British Like
It goes as far back as you want to take it. I generally say I'm 'German Irish' as my paternal grandfather and grandmother are Irish, and my maternal grandparents are German. But through some digging, I've recently learned a horrid fact--I may be partially French(!). :-) My grandmother might have had a French mother, making her 1/2 French, 1/2 German. We're not sure.
There really are no hard and fast rules. The only attempt at codifying rules applied to 'Are you Colored?' rules that applied in the deep South during the days of Segregation, and 'Are you a Native American?' rules (which actually still kind of exist today for the distribution of benefits & casino revenues. Some of it is cultural--what holidays and traditions you celebrated (I grew up very, very American away from all Irish & German type events). But when I first visited Ireland, I noticed a lot of mannerisms and things that seemed somewhat familiar to my own upbringing.
(Actually there has been some recent fights about Blood Quanta in Indian tribes, most notably the Cherokee as many people with 'Cherokee blood' are actually freed slaves from Africa or others with predominatly European lineage. Interesting post here: http://www.rachelstavern.com/?p=431)
It's often said Europeans do research on their roots to 'prove who they are' and Americans do it to prove 'where they come from', often as a way of saying (to their own kids) 'My grandfather came to this country with nothing but the clothes on his back and a banjo and he made a good life for us so no, no you cannot have a new Xbox--you don't need it' or something like that.
There really are no hard and fast rules. The only attempt at codifying rules applied to 'Are you Colored?' rules that applied in the deep South during the days of Segregation, and 'Are you a Native American?' rules (which actually still kind of exist today for the distribution of benefits & casino revenues. Some of it is cultural--what holidays and traditions you celebrated (I grew up very, very American away from all Irish & German type events). But when I first visited Ireland, I noticed a lot of mannerisms and things that seemed somewhat familiar to my own upbringing.
(Actually there has been some recent fights about Blood Quanta in Indian tribes, most notably the Cherokee as many people with 'Cherokee blood' are actually freed slaves from Africa or others with predominatly European lineage. Interesting post here: http://www.rachelstavern.com/?p=431)
It's often said Europeans do research on their roots to 'prove who they are' and Americans do it to prove 'where they come from', often as a way of saying (to their own kids) 'My grandfather came to this country with nothing but the clothes on his back and a banjo and he made a good life for us so no, no you cannot have a new Xbox--you don't need it' or something like that.
Last edited by penguinsix; Oct 8th 2007 at 12:23 am.
Oct 8th 2007, 1:39 am
#104
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Location: Richmond Hill, GA USA
Posts: 38,860
Re: What are the British Like
It goes as far back as you want to take it. I generally say I'm 'German Irish' as my paternal grandfather and grandmother are Irish, and my maternal grandparents are German. But through some digging, I've recently learned a horrid fact--I may be partially French(!). :-) My grandmother might have had a French mother, making her 1/2 French, 1/2 German. We're not sure.
There really are no hard and fast rules. The only attempt at codifying rules applied to 'Are you Colored?' rules that applied in the deep South during the days of Segregation, and 'Are you a Native American?' rules (which actually still kind of exist today for the distribution of benefits & casino revenues. Some of it is cultural--what holidays and traditions you celebrated (I grew up very, very American away from all Irish & German type events). But when I first visited Ireland, I noticed a lot of mannerisms and things that seemed somewhat familiar to my own upbringing.
(Actually there has been some recent fights about Blood Quanta in Indian tribes, most notably the Cherokee as many people with 'Cherokee blood' are actually freed slaves from Africa or others with predominatly European lineage. Interesting post here: http://www.rachelstavern.com/?p=431)
It's often said Europeans do research on their roots to 'prove who they are' and Americans do it to prove 'where they come from', often as a way of saying (to their own kids) 'My grandfather came to this country with nothing but the clothes on his back and a banjo and he made a good life for us so no, no you cannot have a new Xbox--you don't need it' or something like that.
There really are no hard and fast rules. The only attempt at codifying rules applied to 'Are you Colored?' rules that applied in the deep South during the days of Segregation, and 'Are you a Native American?' rules (which actually still kind of exist today for the distribution of benefits & casino revenues. Some of it is cultural--what holidays and traditions you celebrated (I grew up very, very American away from all Irish & German type events). But when I first visited Ireland, I noticed a lot of mannerisms and things that seemed somewhat familiar to my own upbringing.
(Actually there has been some recent fights about Blood Quanta in Indian tribes, most notably the Cherokee as many people with 'Cherokee blood' are actually freed slaves from Africa or others with predominatly European lineage. Interesting post here: http://www.rachelstavern.com/?p=431)
It's often said Europeans do research on their roots to 'prove who they are' and Americans do it to prove 'where they come from', often as a way of saying (to their own kids) 'My grandfather came to this country with nothing but the clothes on his back and a banjo and he made a good life for us so no, no you cannot have a new Xbox--you don't need it' or something like that.
Oct 8th 2007, 4:35 am
#105
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Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Where bad things rarely happen in movies
Posts: 8,933
Re: What are the British Like
It goes as far back as you want to take it. I generally say I'm 'German Irish' as my paternal grandfather and grandmother are Irish, and my maternal grandparents are German. But through some digging, I've recently learned a horrid fact--I may be partially French(!). :-) My grandmother might have had a French mother, making her 1/2 French, 1/2 German. We're not sure.
There really are no hard and fast rules. The only attempt at codifying rules applied to 'Are you Colored?' rules that applied in the deep South during the days of Segregation, and 'Are you a Native American?' rules (which actually still kind of exist today for the distribution of benefits & casino revenues. Some of it is cultural--what holidays and traditions you celebrated (I grew up very, very American away from all Irish & German type events). But when I first visited Ireland, I noticed a lot of mannerisms and things that seemed somewhat familiar to my own upbringing.
(Actually there has been some recent fights about Blood Quanta in Indian tribes, most notably the Cherokee as many people with 'Cherokee blood' are actually freed slaves from Africa or others with predominatly European lineage. Interesting post here: http://www.rachelstavern.com/?p=431)
It's often said Europeans do research on their roots to 'prove who they are' and Americans do it to prove 'where they come from', often as a way of saying (to their own kids) 'My grandfather came to this country with nothing but the clothes on his back and a banjo and he made a good life for us so no, no you cannot have a new Xbox--you don't need it' or something like that.
There really are no hard and fast rules. The only attempt at codifying rules applied to 'Are you Colored?' rules that applied in the deep South during the days of Segregation, and 'Are you a Native American?' rules (which actually still kind of exist today for the distribution of benefits & casino revenues. Some of it is cultural--what holidays and traditions you celebrated (I grew up very, very American away from all Irish & German type events). But when I first visited Ireland, I noticed a lot of mannerisms and things that seemed somewhat familiar to my own upbringing.
(Actually there has been some recent fights about Blood Quanta in Indian tribes, most notably the Cherokee as many people with 'Cherokee blood' are actually freed slaves from Africa or others with predominatly European lineage. Interesting post here: http://www.rachelstavern.com/?p=431)
It's often said Europeans do research on their roots to 'prove who they are' and Americans do it to prove 'where they come from', often as a way of saying (to their own kids) 'My grandfather came to this country with nothing but the clothes on his back and a banjo and he made a good life for us so no, no you cannot have a new Xbox--you don't need it' or something like that.
Lol - me too on the French bit, but it was so long ago I can't even work out the fractions....apparently just a year or 2 after a chap who was quite good at shooting arrows into peoples eyes....
Thanks for the insight. I asked my friends over coffee this morning (kids at pre-K yeeha!) and one of them said exactly that. She had just started describing herself as Irish-American as a way of instilling some sense of their family history in her children. Her parents had never done that as their parents had tried to cover their history as a way of "fitting in". She said she always felt that there was something missing as she grew up and didn't want her kids to have that feeling. She was quite open about the reason she had chosen the "minority" portion - she found it more interesting!
The other was the exact opposite - they maintained the hyphenation to keep the fathers (minority) side happy - he had always taken that and so it had passed to the family. She reckoned that she always said she would revert to plain "american" once her dad died, but didn't know if she actually would...
My wifes family are an interesting variety - there are 4 kids who came to the US when they were in their very early teens. The eldest is married to another chinese, and they are the most chinese of them all - speak, eat, worship - everything is chinese. They are a bit older and already describe themselves as Chinese-American. The eldest sister is the exact opposite. Has not been back to their homeland since they arrived in the early 80's. Her kids only have western names, and they do not speak any chinese (although they enjoy the food!) They are definitely going to be brought up as unhyphenated americans. Ours are a bit of a hybrid...have chinese and western names (though we use the western most of the time), they are learning chinese, though its a bit hard for them as we dont use it enough at home, and they are learning some of both of our cultures. 2 out of the 3 have visited my wifes hometown, and we will be making sure they all stay in contact with that side of the family as they grow. But what will they be called? I have no idea....they're not really Chinese Americans cos they are half and half (chinese/caucasian) and look more caucasian. They are dual citizens UK/US, but I can't imagine them describing themselves as british americans. If we stay here for the long haul, I guess they will be unhyphenated Americans. Unless I can persuade them that Yorkshire-American is the way to go....
(and keep fingers crossed they dont discover the offshoot that went over the hills to Lancashire....)
