Ethnic minorities: have you ever felt ashamed of your background?

Question

Middle Eastern here with some Italian heritage.. On many occasions I attempted to pass as Italian benefitting from my Italian surname. You can probably take a good guess at why a Middle Eastern wouldn't want to be known as one.

If you can relate, what was the context? all anecdotes are appreciated. and please no smart-as$ remarks.

Answer 1

you should not be ashamed every human ethnicity or group has committed wrong, you can only be responsible for your self. Please be proud of your own heritage

Answer 2

You're right a lot of people can relate to your plight. This too shall pass. I'm not considered an ethnic minority but the area of the US that I was born has been at an disadvantage because of a war that happened 150 years ago. I never understood how a great country could allow unequal education while pronouncing the equally of all. Anyway, so you see violence of yesteryear affected me and violence of today is affecting you.  There is a bright note, the Japanese committed an act of violence 60 years ago but today they are in peace and high living standards. Time heals at a faster and faster speeds as time goes on. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Not at all! i happen to be Irish & french-canadian as well as a pan-aryanist. Meaning all Indo-European peoples;including the likes of Persians and Kurds must finally unite together in the common cause to overcome the Zionists-Neo-con domination of the Earth. It is thanks to them that we are finally reached peak oil and the world's environment is finally going down the s**+thole!

Answer 4

I was never ashamed of my ethnicity. In fact, I am really proud of it. My name may not sound like Filipino and it is really funny how people pronounced it in an American way but I always tell them this is what I am. Being ashamed of your heritage is like having to lose an identity. Be proud of what you are!

Answer 5

At times yes I am a bit ashamed, but proud too, and ashamed of the pride I do feel.

My situation is odd. I am a National Socialist. I believe that all races have the right to be pure. And the people that mix races end up with children that are confused and isolated not belonging to one race. White people stay near whites, and blacks stay near blacks, so what happens to the mixed child never fully being accepted?

I am Cherokee and Irish. We don't know exactly how much Cherokee is in our blood but my Grandparents were full blood. But the surname is English which I am thinking may be common. There's not many records. Dad thinks that at one point a Cherokee child or family was taken into an English home and given the surname, but who knows. We all look it, Dad is at least haft, so I'm 1/4th.  My mother was full Irish.

Answer 6

It all has to do with the environment in which someone is raised/in which they are socialized. Based in sociological theory, people learn what they should/shouldn't do or what is/isn't acceptable through their observances of the actions and attitudes of others. Knowing this, we can take away from our society the fact that there is a great amount of intollerance for many middle-eastern individuals given the political and religious wars that have taken place between middle-eastern countries and western countries in the past number of years. So, assuming that you were raised in a western country or live in one, you would have been subject to people's prejudice attitudes towards middle-eastern people with stereotypes of terrorists being so readily and ignorantly thrown around. This may have contributed to your willingness to first identify yourself with your italian heritage, which is more neutral as far as world politics is concerned, rather than your middle-eastern heritage, which could have come with some negative connotations from racist or prejudice individuals.

Hope that helps!

Answer 7

honestly its safe to say all people have .

every nationality has and is discriminated in some form or another at all times, somewhere under the sun.

im persian and assyrian and i know people hate but then others love us, and its within the same race.

meaning yes some whites. blacks and all in between might not like my race but then again some whites , blacks and all in between will like my people. so again yes sometimes your  'ashamed' and sometimes your not. i find myself ashamed when a middle eastern does something that is extremely dumb but as a whole no way im i ashamed. after all everyone comes from our cradle of civilization ;) pride and shame comes in all shapes and sizes but truly a person is measured by their heart and actions not by race. so if your of a 'good race' and are an ignorant jackass then one should be ashamed vs. being kind and heartful from a 'bad race'.

cheers, God bless

btw. middle eastern italian nice mix

exactly what my kids are ;)