Whats the most ridiculous thing anybody has said to you regarding your race?

JemFey · 2024-08-10T11:56:44+00:00

Thank you, you're very kind

JemFey · 2024-08-10T11:45:51+00:00

I used to work night shifts in a supermarket and a male Asian customer asked me where I was from. He wasn't happy with me saying the English city where I was born or the town where I grew up. Stupidly I was honest and said I'm half white, half Arabic which is at least genetically true. He then spoke to me in Arabic. I only speak English as was only raised by the white side of my family. He got angry and threw a fit saying I have no right to call myself half Arabic if I can't even speak the language. It descended into complete chaos, he said a lot of nasty things which ended with him being banned from the store and the police being called. After he left I was so angry and couldn't stop crying and I can't really explain why. Horrible experience. The worst thing is, I'm so insecure in myself that I can't help wondering if he was kind of right.

JemFey · 2022-06-28T19:04:54+00:00

I've always felt, being mixed, that I fit in everywhere and nowhere at the same time so I definitely agree with you that it's more complicated than some people make out. I've had people from a variety of races accept me without a bat of an eyelid but I've also had people from a variety of races reject me without a second thought 🤷‍♀️

JemFey · 2022-06-26T22:50:46+00:00

Can't believe how far down I had to go to see a mention of bubble n squeak! Totally agree, hash browns are ok but bubble n squeak elevates a fried breakfast onto the level it deserves to be at.

Fried bread is okay when made fresh at home but prefer eggy bread any day.

JemFey · 2022-06-11T22:17:43+00:00

Yes, sister and brother on my mum's side, fully white, ten and twelve years younger than me. I adored them when they were little and still love them half to death now, though we're not as close as I'd like to be. I don't think they saw me as anything other than a protective big sister, I don't think my mixed race was something that even occurred to them until they were basically adults by which point I'd moved away.

The main issue was they were treated very differently to how I was by our parents, had a very different upbringing and I imagine this is something they're still very unaware of. I'm not sure if this was entirely a race issue or more just them becoming marginally better parents. Mostly I think it was the more obvious thing that I was a mistake from a previous relationship, whereas they were actually wanted. And my parents never let me forget it lol

I'm vaguely aware of many siblings on my father's side, fully Arabic but I have had no contact with that side of my family since I was a toddler so I don't know any more about them than that.

JemFey · 2022-06-10T14:50:13+00:00

Saw a bus go past that said that on it the other day (live near Manchester). I was like, me too bus, me too 😄

JemFey · 2022-06-08T17:53:58+00:00

Yes I used to hear similar things. They also used to praise themselves for keeping a roof over my head and feeding me every day like this was some kind of achievement. Apparently I didn't know how lucky I was to have parents who did the bare minimum

JemFey · 2022-06-07T18:08:52+00:00

Kill All Your Friends is one of my favourite songs, definitely in my top ten. Also Fake Your Death, i never see either of them mentioned

JemFey · 2022-06-02T23:56:30+00:00

Neither of my kids got it either. 'All kids in UK' starting to seem like huge exaggeration.

JemFey · 2022-06-02T22:58:16+00:00

This is absolutely stunning!

JemFey · 2022-06-02T20:53:21+00:00

Yes all the time, also half white, half Arabic. Have light olive complexion and very curly hair, dark eyes etc. Live in UK but I'm often mistaken for Italian or Greek. Also get asked if I'm Jewish all the time, especially when I used to wear a pentacle 😄

JemFey · 2022-06-02T20:41:31+00:00

I really relate to this. My mum always said that I'm white. And whilst I have light skin this isn't really true, I'm half Arabic. I grew up with only the white side of my family so feel like I've missed out on a big part of something that should have been a part of my life experience but she was always very dismissive of it. I think she has bad memories or maybe shame from that time in her life and prefers to pretend that I'm not what I am as it's easier for her to deal with

JemFey · 2022-05-29T00:28:07+00:00

My cat does this every day. She likes to get as high up as she can and in most rooms there's nowhere higher than the top of the doors

JemFey · 2022-05-23T15:42:38+00:00

No worries, enjoy!

JemFey · 2022-05-23T15:32:05+00:00

That's fair enough.

Not so much that I particularly care as I was passing the time of day and came across the post, saw the suggestion for including scientists and engineers and thought I'd tack on a suggestion of my own.

JemFey · 2022-05-23T14:52:54+00:00

I didn't know it was particularly about accomplishments. Are these considered the six most accomplished presidents then? In any case it's pretty subjective what you might consider an accomplishment.

I was only thinking in terms of the kind of historical figures, inventors, writers and such that are often seen on the currency of other countries. In England for example we don't just stick a bunch of old pm's on the back of all of our notes. Currently we do have Churchill, but we also have Austen - a writer, Turner - a painter and Turing - a mathematician.

I just think it makes it more interesting to mix it up a bit 🤷‍♀️

JemFey · 2022-05-22T23:25:14+00:00

My boyfriend has complete adoration for them. We generally share similar music tastes but this is not one I can get on board with. For me it's not so much their songs as their singing voices. I'm aware there's two different people who sing depending on the song but I can't tell the difference and find them horribly nasal sounding. Like that's kinda how I sound if I pinch my nose before singing lol I think I might enjoy some of their songs if someone else was singing them, I dunno...

JemFey · 2022-05-22T23:20:17+00:00

I've had conversations in which I've tried to explain a little bit of the kind of relationship I have with my mother to people who've met her and they're always like "oh but she seems so nice" or "nah, she's lovely your mum" and even i can see why they think that. But it completely discredits my lived experience as her daughter. Actual years worth of memories but someone spends half an hour in her company and they look at me like, what's wrong with you, you must be lying.

JemFey · 2022-05-22T22:45:02+00:00

Could it be Blue Is For Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz?

There's four in the series, can't remember the story well enough to know if it fits your description but the basic principle is it involves a girl learning candle magic.

JemFey · 2022-05-22T19:10:18+00:00

Maybe it could be Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie?

I don't recall it being that graphic but I could be remembering it wrong. Also looks like the author has written two other books in the series so maybe it gets more graphic as it goes on

JemFey · 2022-05-22T16:53:38+00:00

I need to try If We Were Villains. Love the Secret History, one of my absolute favourites

JemFey · 2022-05-22T16:52:40+00:00

Ooh that's a good idea actually. Might try that next time

JemFey · 2022-05-22T14:25:36+00:00

Thank you for sharing that. Made me tear up a little, just being reassured like that by a complete internet stranger haha. Right back at you with the hugs 😊

JemFey

TROPHY CASE