By Colby Carrington
“Where are you from?”
“Well, where are your parents from?”
“But, what are you? Like, your background.”
This line of questioning probably sounds familiar to those with features that look like a little bit of this. A little of that. Skyhigh cheekbones. Curl patterns. Almond eyes. Shadeism.
The interrogation always comes from guys with a P-Touch persona who are clueless enough to go down that rabbit hole before a proper introduction. They dig and dig for answers, before finally paraphrasing with a disappointed, “So….just Black?” (Equally maddening common responses: regular Black, only Black, plain Black.)
I suspect our Asian sistren must hear it even more than we do. Directors David Neptune and Ken Tanaka offer one way to respond, in their hilarious video titled: ‘What Kind of Asian Are You?’
Watch here:
