Where are you from?

As innocent as that question may seem, it can be seen as a great insult, depending on how its used.

Many of us have been asked the "where are you from?" question, I get asked all the time..well actually I get the "where do you live?" question.

In fact, an recurring joke about my city is that 2 of the first things people will ask you is 1. Where are you from and 2. What high school did you go to? (When I read it on a list at facebook, I realized that I myself tend to ask those questions also).

But the "where are you from?" question can go from being innocent, when people mistake someone as a foreigner.

Mostly its asians and people from india who get this, alot. The ones who usually get that question are actually american-born.

Now its natural when you hear an accent, or what seems like a different accent, you are going to ask that "where are you from?" question.

When I visited Oregon in the earlier years, I got asked that question alot...they knew I was not from there...because they knew my aunt, and they knew that all her relatives lived out in the Midwest and the South.

The question itself isn't so offensive, its just that its irritating to have to tell every person where you are from...and for some people, they hate the fact people may assume they aren't American.

When you go off to college...one should expect to hear that question alot, simply because people from anywhere and everywhere are there.

But its always best to just use the line "where are you from?" never say, "are you from china?".