Everyone's a little bit racist

That's right, I saw Avenue Q.

No really, I didn't, but I listened to that song a lot (thanks again, Lauren).

Here's the truth, I was walking out of publix today when a man stopped me and said, "Excuse me, where are you from?"
"...Here?  I live down the street..."
"No, I mean... you look like you're from the Islands...  I'm from Barbados and you look like you're from Barbados, I was just wondering if you were."
"No... no, sorry."

I would like to know, 1) How this is an appropriate thing to say to a stranger.  2) What, specifically, someone from Barbados looks like, and 3) Why does this happen to me all the time?


So, to all my ethnically ambiguous brothers and sisters, the top ten most racist things people have said to me.  All of these, mind you, are entirely unprovoked.

1)While walking by my desk, a coworker stopped and commented, loudly, "...So what are you like... bi-racial or something?"

2) While I was playing the xylophone with her child, "Would you be willing to nanny?  I'm looking for someone who will speak Spanish to her."

3) While working guest services at an American Indian heritage site, "So, did they hire you because you're Apalachee?"

4) 10 seconds after walking into dollar general, "Excuse me, miss?  Can you follow me?" 
"Oh, um... sure."
"I need you to explain to this woman that the balloons are $1 each, not $1 for the bouquet."
"..."
"She doesn't speak English"
"Yeah, I only speak English"

5)At a Starbucks: "Hi.  Can you translate something for me?  I want to get 'honor' tattooed on my calf in Hebrew, and I want to make sure I spelled it correctly."
"..."
"You're Israeli, right?"

6) Friend of my sister: "I didn't realize you were sisters!  I mean, you look so... ethnic."

7) Customer at Steak-n-Shake, "Are you naturally brown like that? Or do you tan?"

8)Hairstylist, "I mean... I have just never seen hair this texture before.  What are you supposed to do with it?"  (Disclaimer- I have regular ass brown hair.  It's not even that effing curly)

9) While getting fingerprinted for a job, "What does "O" under race/ ethnicity mean?"
"Other.  I'm bi-racial, and that's not an option, so I put other."
"Well, you look white to me.  So today you're white."
Then she whited-out my "O" and put a "W"

10) At countless dive bars, "Do you mind if I guess where you're from?"
"It costs a dollar."


Is this a phenomenon that brown hairds experience frequently?

I know this shit happens to other people.