We were at the convenience store in New Orleans and the guy asked us where we were from and we said Australia and I asked him where they was from and he said Vietnam and I said "No I mean where in the US are you from, you don't seem to have a southern accent" and he said "oh... actually I'm from California" ... I guess this is the reverse of how this conversation usually goes down, but why do I still feel like a jerk?
For him to identify as Vietnamese could be quite a political statement for starters. But maybe more importantly, by assuming that just he has a US accent he identifies as American I'm enforcing the idea that to become American you have to give up your own culture and ethnicity.
I'm going to write a longer post about the costs of attaining whiteness, a couple of really amazing sessions at NCORE2013, especially the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, have really been challenging me to think a differently about whiteness and race. Thank you so much for eshusplayground for putting me on to the People's Institute by the way, such an amazing experience.