Would you be offended...

#2
Happens to me all the time. Or people assume I am another ethnicity and start chatting in that language. Not a fan, but I can see why people would do it, esp. if they're not fluent in English.
The worst though: "Where are you from?"
Me: "Uh, New York. Where are you from?"
I don't go around asking everyone's ethnicities, but some people are so curious about it.
 
#3
Happens to me a lot too. Lots of people come up to me and say things like "Heyyyy, what's goin on?!!!" ...and it's honestly very annoying. I live in Germany, and go to a German school...So I want the people to speak to me in German.

Same thing with relatives that speak English. It drives me nuts that they speak to me in English sometimes, because it makes me feel like that they think that I don't understand German :\\

But offended? Nah, just annoyed :smile:
 
#6
BTBF said:
I mean, like a "white" person see that you're asian or hispanic and would say like "Ni hao" or "Como esta".
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Only if my native language were English and I didn't SPEAK those languages! :roflmfao:

I don't see anything wrong with it depending on the context. Perhaps the person is just trying to be friendly. I wouldn't do that because I only speak English and heaven only knows what I'd end up saying if I tried to greet someone in anything but English. :shame:
 
#7
Everybody thinks I'm Spanish so I get the "habla espanol?" question often. There is a Hispanic neighbourhood close by and if I happen to go to the library there Anglo Saxon people always try to help me out in Spanish.

To come to the United States and then be spoken to in another language because people assume a) I'm Hispanic and b) I don't speak English is annoying.
 
#11
ITA with GTOFan, people look for commonality and just try to be friendly. I am not offended at all. But I do understand if someone goes up to a hispanic person and says hi or something like that in spanish to them, then yes, I see how that would be offensive.
 
#12
BTBF said:
I mean, like a "white" person see that you're asian or hispanic and would say like "Ni hao" or "Como esta".
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that has probably happened to me a few times, but i was never really offended by it.

more often, though, i get elderly Asian people approach me and say something in their native language. and when i give them a confused look, and shake my head that i don't understand, they'll ask me in English what my ethnicity is. i don't mind, i just assume they need some help and are not comfortable expressing what they want to say entirely in English.
 
#14
Irishgal said:
Maybe the OP should define what she thinks "white" means. Maybe a "white"person would be offended to have someone assume they are "white"
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Thank you! Jeesh.

I don't see why anyone would be offensive...be flattered if anything. Someone wants to take the time to speak to you in (what they obviously think) a language that you understand...whether you do or not. I can't imagine anyone is doing it to be rude or obnoxious...they're trying to be friendly.

I'm "white" (whatever that actually means anymore - I'm a card carrying Native American too) and when I go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, always say Hola, Como Estas, etc. Actually, they speak Spanish to me first and I usually answer asi, asi. lol Rarely muy bien. :P

Maybe people who get truly offended are just too sensitive about it.
 
#15
BTBF said:
I mean, like a "white" person see that you're asian or hispanic and would say like "Ni hao" or "Como esta".
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This happened to me once. A coworker thought i was Chinese and said Ni Hao. I told him I was Filipino and then he said "So how do you say Hello in Philippinese" :wtf: I was embarassed for him. I did correct him and said it's Tagalog. But then again, he just probably didn't know.

I get alot of Koreans speaking to me in their native tongue. They get flushed when I say I'm not Korean. This doesn't offend me. I find it cute esp. when the elders come up to me.... :smile:
 
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