re: #196 Fozzie Bear

I have a large nose and curly hair. I’ve been asked more times than I can count if i’m Jewish. While I am not, I still find the question vaguely offensive, because it bears subtle implications that I am not comfortable with. (That one could identify Jews on sight as some kind of distinct “race”)

I usually follow with a question: “Are you a Christian?”. When the question is answered in the affirmative, I say “funny, you don’t look Christian”.

I’ve been accused of not being proud of my “heritage” because I don’t speak Spanish. I have dark brown eyes, light skin and dark red/brown hair so some people think I’m Hispanic. I looked at the lady who had been lecturing me for not being a proud Hispanic and said the last time I looked people of German and Irish decent don’t speak Spanish. I’ve never seen anyone turn pale so quickly, and her boss had a “I want to speak to you in the back” look on his face. She wasn’t working there the next time I went into the store.