I then asked the woman, innocently (in my eyes), "What is your nationality?" Instantly the conversation got really awkward and uncomfortable. I clearly had offended the woman, and her response with a hint of disdain and a grimace was "Well, my nationality is American. My ethnicity is Armenian." I felt embarrassed and bad that I had used the word in the wrong context and offended someone. After apologizing for my mistake, it got me thinking about what these two words really mean, and how people identify themselves in a social context.
According to the Bonilla-Silva article we read, ethnicity solicits the question "Where are you from?" The definition of nationality, according to Merriam-Webster is "membership in a particular nation." From this definition, it wasn't completely ridiculous of me asking "What is your nationality?" and hoping it would solicit her response of "Armenian". So why did she get so offended? Technically, no one is a "true" full-blooded American (except native Americans). What does it really mean to be an "American?" People come to America from all over the world, from thousands of different countries, and feel comfortable identifying themselves as "American." I personally thinks this is what makes our country so great. It's interesting though, because from my understanding, people who (for example) are Canadian and then move to Italy, don't start identifying themselves as Italian. Hopefully from Comm 458 we all get a better understanding of the true meaning of the terms nationality, ethnicity, and even race and how to use them in the "politically correct" way.
Thanks for sharing this experience. I think it may ring true for a number of people. Perhaps the woman was offended because she doesn't like the insinuation that she may not be American (not from you, just in general). Often times recent immigrants, OR people whose family's have a long history in the country but are not phenotypically Anglo have to justify their place in the country and their belonging. Though you clearly were only trying to find out more about her family's origins, she may have taken the remark a bit differently based on her experience and context.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this experience. I think it may ring true for a number of people. Perhaps the woman was offended because she doesn't like the insinuation that she may not be American (not from you, just in general). Often times recent immigrants, OR people whose family's have a long history in the country but are not phenotypically Anglo have to justify their place in the country and their belonging. Though you clearly were only trying to find out more about her family's origins, she may have taken the remark a bit differently based on her experience and context.
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