Is there a proper way to ask?

 

        I do not think you can really consider why people ask until you analyze what they are asking.  The multi-ethnicity population is on the rise.  According to the Census Bureau “from 2000 to 2010 the multi-race population grew 32 percent.”(United States Census Bureau) With the increase of biracial people, more of the general public will wonder and ask these questions of ethnicity.  For a long time there have been questions about what biracial really means.  What classifies someone as biracial?  “There has been a push to reclassify people with one Black and one White parent as biracial”, but does this mean a person that has one Asian parent and one Hispanic parent are not biracial? (Royster)  I searched through lots of opinionated documents, and have found that there are many different types of mixes of ethnicity that a person can be, and we all get the same questions.  I will refer to myself as biracial, because I am of two major ethnicities.  After researching I have found that the topic questions that are always asked are “Where are you from?” and “What are you?” (Ahmad)  When I am asked “Where are you from?” I say here, North Carolina, in America.  Then they feel inclined to ask “What are you?”  I often keep my composure, and answer with the results they expect to hear “My dad is African American, and my mom is Caucasian.”  But what do these questions really mean?  Often when being asked “What are you” I would like to shout, a girl, a human being!  I must keep my composure though, because after thinking about it a little more, I have realized they might not know what they have done.  When asking a question of such a significance and touchy subject, some people do not realize that the wording of the question may make all of the difference.  So, is there a “proper” way to ask someone’s ethnicity?  I believe there are ways to ask without offending the other person.  First, you must realize they are human, and they are obviously in the same country as you are.  Thought they might have moved here, it is a little inappropriate to ask them where they live.  When asking where they come from, most biracial may give you a smug look and answer, as I do, with “America”.  Secondly, when asking someone’s ethnicity it is proper to word your question in a non-demeaning way.  Often biracial people are asked, “What are you?”  It makes it seem as if I am not human.  As if I am not on the level that others are.  By wording your questions correctly, such as “What is your ethnicity?” it helps to get rid of this condescending tone.  It is important to consider the other person and their feelings when asking. (Alexander)