[whispers] i kinda don’t get people who are really into their ancestry. no judgment, i just don’t get it.
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More generally: I don’t understand being either proud or ashamed of a factor one has no control over.
@adamgreenfield Yeah, I’m interested, but I don’t get “proud” either. But I grew up without “my” culture, in the sense that my immigrant grandparents were very explicitly assimilationist (in part because they were WW2 survivors; “if nobody knows, it can’t happen again,” I was told), so I feel very disconnected from any real sense of family or ancestry, and while I didn’t care when I was younger, as I get older I very much feel that void.
@adamgreenfield My grandfather spoke 8 languages. My mother spoke one, because “Canadians speak English.”
@adamgreenfield I think it’s interesting, but proud?
@CStamp Interesting is fine. Enjoying the foods and dances and other traditions of your people, sure. That’s all great.
It’s when it gets to bumper-sticker declarations that I start to lose the plot. What’s that about, identifying yourself to compatriots? It’s somewhat mystifying to me.
@adamgreenfield I once dated someone whose dad was of Ukrainian descent. My dad was also half Ukrainian, so I could make some Ukrainian food. His parents decided to join the local Ukrainian social group. The group invited a popular Ukrainian artist over to Canada as part of their Ukrainian appreciation of the culture. Man comes over, a celebrated Ukrainian artist. Turns out, he doesn't pain folk images of people in Ukrainian costumes. They are confused, he was confused. 1/2
