US-born Americans: How strongly do you identify with your ethnicity?

My ethnicity is mixed – Irish, English, and German. I visited Ireland with my Dad last summer, but apart from that I don’t “celebrate” my ethnic heritage in ay particular way.

I was born in Germany but have lived here since I was 3. I consider myself to be American. I speak English and carry on American customs. I feel as though sometimes I have no true “culture” like my American friends who carry on customs of their cultures or ancestor’s cultures. I truly love this country and what it stands for but I have little that connects me with it that are material things. I connect more through customs and traditions.

I think like most white mutt americans, I associate more with the american culture I grew up in than my half german, quarter irish, swiss/french, 16th native american, and god only knows what else heritage.

No.

I’m a mix of german, irish, scottish and english but i just see myself as american

Funny, growing up I thought of myself as American with Irish parents. But as I get older and connect with my relatives from Ireland, I definetley feel a strong “bond” to my parent’s heritage.

“Do you feel a sense of connection with others who’s ancestors came from the same part of the world?”

Mm..not really. I mean I’m part African, part Native American and probably part European in some distant way. How the heck would I know what country my people came from?! lol. I identify myself most strongly with fellow Americans, regardless of their origins.

“Do you belong to organizations that reflect your ethnicity?”

No, can’t say that I do. In fact, I tend to avoid doing things like that because deep down inside I think I have a phobia of “the sea of sameness.” Nothing against ethic clubs or anything, but I just like being around varied groups of people.

“Do you own anything that’s symbolic of your ethnicity?”

Besides an American flag? Nope. I mean, what flag do you bear for Africa? lol. Besides, I’ve never been there in my life.

This is a funny question for me because I really do not think of myself in terms of being an “African-American.” Though, technically, that is what I am. I was born in a black community, left it and was immersed in a pretty cosmopolitan city (Phoenix). But I don’t feel the need to gather with those who are of similar ethnicity. The whole idea is kinda foreign, even strange, to me because I’m so used to being around lots of different people.

I am a European mutt but I associate most closely with my Scottish heritage. In fact a certain flutherer and I bonded over our shared heritage. :)

< < first documented Irish ancestor came to The New World in 1598 or something.

Not much. Just American.

I guess now that I think about it, I do show more interest in other people who are from countries that look like me, like blonde hair blue eyes stuff. but not much beyond that, and also every week is oktober fest week for me.

I’m 100% American, and proud of it.

I gained and interest in my Scottish ancestery when I joined my father in researching the family’s migration over the Oregon Trail. We had some interesting questions, which we never answered: When did our family name ancestor first come over from Scotland, and when did the the spelling of our name change, before or after the immigration? My family has always kept our tartan. I have a tie and my son has a kilt. He even wore a kilt (though not the family one) to his prom.

As for organizations, I wound up in the Presbyterian Church, so I guess so, though it was not really for that reason.

On the other hand, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. I see myself as an American because the Scottish ancestory probably accounts for less than 15% of my family tree.

No. I am a mutt and hate all of the people who want to label me.

I appreciate that other people can identify with something, but don’t force me to.

I’m a mutt. My mom’s a European mix (German and Scottish foremost) and my biological father is unknown, so he could be just about anything. (I used to make up stuff for him to be when I was a kid.)

That said, I do have some identification with my ethnic heritage. The Scottish bit has a family history that goes back to the 1700s. The German bit goes back to my great grandma, who had older siblings born there but she was born in the US. I went through a Scottish phase about ten years ago where I dated guys who wore kilts, and I did the tartan research and all that. I watched Braveheart and Rob Roy and Highlander until I was blue in the face.

However, I don’t have the ethnic-affiliation thing going nearly as strongly as my sweetie, who is an Asatrúer. I sympathize with the Norse and Celtic religions, though, and used to try to do that sort of thing myself. So I guess you could say that I have that check box filled in on the Heritage chart. And those ancestors that I do know, I honor regularly by putting up their pictures, eating their foods, and remembering their names.

I am first generation American but I strongly identify with the fact that I am 1/2 Japanese. My father is first generation Canadian and pretty much a United Kingdom mutt – which I appreciate. One of my children identifies stronger with the Japanese 1/4 than the other one, don’t know why.

I really don’t because I’m adopted and I really don’t have any clue as to what I am. It’s something that’s always bothered me. I always have felt like I’m missing out on something there.

I am only second generation Irish so my family tends to lean towards our Irish heritage pretty strongly. My daughter is half Korean and half Irish so as far as passing it along, it will different then what my parents did with my bro and sis and I.

@Grisson & anyone else who had their name changed…

Most name changes were from the census that started in 1790 and continues today. In the early census from 1790–1920’s most people could not read or write, so they told the census takers their name and the CT wrote it down the way they would spell it.

We ended up with families like Gren, Green, and Greene, that were all related. this is credited to the German name Von Bron becoming Brown, and so on.

I have relatives named Runion, who in Scotland were Runyon.

I don’t feel a sense of connection with others who’s ancestors came from
the same part of the world. Though I do feel a sense of connection to my own ancestors.
Not in the broad ethnic sense. But to the ones who actually lived and died before me.

Even though I have only had a chance to know one of my grandparents,
I feel as though I am the end of a line of continuity.
The end result of many human and beautifully imperfect choices.

We are both the speck and the culmination. Ancestors or a darwinian battle of genes.
Regardless of what you’d like to call it, I do feel the burden of their hope and dreams.
While it can be tiring, it can also be something brilliant and encompassing.

@laureth: I’m actually related to William Wallace. Another point of Scottish pride. :)

Do you feel a sense of connection with others who’s ancestors came from the same part of the world?

No. Too many tribes I’d have to deal with from three continents.

Do you belong to organizations that reflect your ethnicity?

No, Jeebus, which one would that be? Don’t give me a headache.

Do you own anything that’s symbolic of your ethnicity (e.g. clothing, trinkets, bumper stickers, flags…)?

I have a small Union Jack on my desk, but I’m an Anglophile.

Why do you maintain this connection?

Gee, I don’t really.

If you have kids, will you want them to carry that connection forward?

At this point, if I were to have kids, they’d be adopted, so I’d show them the culture of whoever their ancestors were as much as I could.

All of my grandparents were Jewish immigrants who fled from 1) the Russians, 2) the Poles, 3) the Ukrainians 4)the Lithuanians. I consider myself a secular Jewish-American.

Some (most, in fact) of my best friends are Jews.

Ok, here goes.

My family on my maternal grandma’s side were here before the United States existed. We’ve fought in every war before and since. Virginia/Tenessee etc.

On my maternal grandfather’s side, we are all Irish. We were here before the famine, if that rings a bell. New York/Ohio.

On my paternal Grandfather’s side, Norwegian. Put foot to soil during the heyday of Ellis Island. Minnesota/California.

On my maternal Grandmother’s side, Finn. Ellis Island also. New York/California.

In that mix were French trappers, Seminole Indians, Confederate soldiers, Union Soldiers, Sergeant York, bomber pilots who perished over Germany, Navy personnel at Midway Island, Marines wounded in Vietnam, Airmen in the Persian Gulf, and others…

You can call us all Americans; we know where we came from, and we acknowledge each of those places.

This is the country we chose.

I feel like I have answered this question before.

My mother is Swedish, German and French. She is your basic white American from a farm in Missouri. But I never knew her family. When she decided to marry a Mexican-American most of her family no longer communicated with her. I did know my grandparents, I grew up with them. And I knew my grandfather’s brother and his wife, but that’s it.

So I grew up with my Mexican-American family in a Latino neighborhood. I was one of the whitest kids in my high school. I’d say at least 60% of the people in my high-school were the children of immigrants. I grew up hearing Spanish, and going to quiñceaneras; the families that lived around me lived by old-world values, and the churches were filled at midnight on Christmas Eve.

I consider myself an Angeleno. I have a great connection to the places that remind me of my childhood.

My great grandparents were from Italy – so I don’t identify as Italian.

I very much identify as Italian/American from my childhood. My family were florists, my grandfather was a bookie, my two aunts are wonderful Italian cooks, etc. Very North End Boston Italian.

Ultimately, I’m an American.

My grandfather was very into the Italian/American club, my uncle spent every waking moment in the North End with his piezans.

Me, not so much. I have no use for clubs or associations.

As my wife (who was born in Argentina and spent 10 Summers in Italy as a kid) is fond of saying, “There’s a big difference between an Italian and an American/Italian.”

I only mention it if someone asks. Being half German is not necessarily something that I brag on, Hitler white supremist heritage.

My Scotch ancestry gets blamed a lot for my skinflint attitude, but I like that. Guess cause I am a frugal kinda person.

I am an American, 3rd generation. My blood is red, white and blue. There are days that I am not proud to be associated with others actions, I am hopeful that the day will come that I will be proud to be American no matter where I may be on this planet.

German doesn’t necessarily mean Hitler. My German relations were in America during WWII.

I’m not US-born, but I am American. I was born in Nicaragua and I am of Spanish, Native Nicaraguan and some Arab descent. However I came to this country when I was a year old and although I identify mostly as Latino or Nicaraguan American, I have to say I feel 100% American. I have people that make me feel like I’m not though, even family members, but I don’t care what they say, I’m American and that’s it. This is the country I would fight and die for, not Nicaragua, or Spain, or some Middle Eastern country.

@mrviolentlyhappy: What a wonderful answer! If only more people figured out that this is not too bad a place to live maybe more Americans would be proud to be so. :)

Shit. I wouldn’t fight and die for any country.

@tinyfaery- my thoughts exactly

I am of several ethnic backgrounds and mother languages. Being American born and raised with only English as my language, I kind of got the cold shoulder as a youngster when I wanted to “get in touch with my roots”. Anymore, I enjoy the history of my family but I am not involved in any particular ethnic affiliations or activities.

My twins were born in the US, but we raised them in Germany. They had a lot of identification problems during the 8 Bush years, but since November 4, 2008 everything seems to have changed. And they were so proud participating in the US elections. Right now Obama is actually in Germany and millions of people are very excited.