Suranis wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 9:41 am
The problem is that people in England and Ireland ask everyone "Where are you from?" as a matter of course when meeting people. Saying it adds on a sinister meaning when said to Black people is a bit of a stretch, to but it mildly.
I think this is a matter of repetition and experience. "Where are you from" asked once is curiosity, perhaps courteous conversation. Touching another person's hair to move it so you can see a name tag clearly ups the ante a bit. Refusing to accept the answer given and asking yet again "Where are you from" communicates that you are not "one of us so explain yourself".
If one experiences this multiple times over one's lifetime and the questioner is always white you can understand the meaning even though that may not be the conscious intent.
I saw this happen once in Arkansas. A family member and I were canoeing. We encountered an Asian looking woman. We made small talk. My family member asked the woman " Where are you from". The woman responded with the name of a town in Arkansas. The family member then said, "Where are you really from" meaning "originally from". This family member does not pick up on body language at all. The woman was irritated by the question. She was an Arkansan and an American. Why keep asking questions because her ancestry was Asian?
The Lady in Waiting became an interrogator of a woman who was being honored for her work. The Lady in Waiting acted like an ignorant, entitled person who needs some training in communications.
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.