Have you ever been expected to know exactly who every political figure, author,...

[salishlady]

...or celebrity of your race is? I work in a tribal museum, and often times our guests arent so much interested in learning about the history of my tribe as they are about finding a native to showcase their knowlege of other natives to. I often get people who assume that because i am native american, I know the name and life story of every native american that ever existed. One of my good friends, who is African American, said that often times people assume the same thing with her and African american political figures and celebrities. I was wondering if this sort of unrealistic expectation is made of people from other races too.
haha, thats great..but I doubt they get beligerant and start asking about why you have your job for not knowing the preferred diet of Zues. Today a customer wanted to speak to my boss about my "lack of knowlege in native american history"...it was wonderful.

 

[PaoloPH]

Italian American...all the time. Rather than questions about inventors, artists, scientists, etc...I mostly get questions about organized crime figures I have never even heard of.

I have to say though, that among the people expecting me to know about everyone who ever lived [or descended from someone who lived] on the Italian Penninsula for the past 2500 years, Native Americans [I live in New Mexico] and African Americans have made the same assumptions as everyone else. Therefore I think it might be a natural trait in human curiosity.

 

[piddycakes]

im native american too, blackfoot.
they start asking me questions i say shut up before i stick my teepee were the sun dont shine