Comments on: “You don’t look Spanish”

By: Joel (DCNats)

Joel (DCNats) — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 07:35:08 +0000

I was at a doctor’s office with my wife wednesday and had a similar incident… the receptionist listened to me translate for my wife then said, “My Dad is Spanish…”
I thought she meant, you know- Spanish, but then she paused and said, “Or Mexican… whatever. I never learned Spanish. I failed it in school, I hate Spanish.”
I just shrugged. Like you, I had no idea what to say.

By: Julissa

Julissa — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 20:50:29 +0000

Great the back-handed insult/compliment.
What did she want you to respond with, “Like yeah I know I don’t want to look like them” She needed a clue.

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 17:50:48 +0000

JAJA.. I completelly identify with that…
like a read in a book by Junot Diaz.
I would have responded:
” Well, I’ve never been to Spain,
Care to tell me what the are to look like…? ”

Good post…
You have gained a loyal reader..

By: Mamita Mala

Mamita Mala — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 14:55:52 +0000

I get that all the time too. I politely explain that I am not Spanish but speak Spanish. Sometimes they feel stupid and shut up. Sometimes they say, “well you know what I mean”. Um no. I don’t.
Or you could always say, “You don’t look stupid”.

By: Pancho

Pancho — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:01:37 +0000

Elenamary I didn’t mean that you were in New Mexico or the southwest I’m saying that the saying and the cultural reference to calling people Spanish originated from there and traveled back east as the country countinued to grow. With the Mexican-American war people might be down to kick your ass if you claimed Mexican ancestry for quite a while even after the civil war.

By: tin

tin — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 06:29:36 +0000

comments are still suppossed to work, let me try. thanks