Wannabe Nordics

What a coincidence. I was thinking along the same lines this past week, although my "version" is a bit more general. In the US, there seems to be a tendancy for any particular ethnic group to identify itself with the "whitest" group possible. In your post, you gave an example of many caucasions trying to be "Nordic" when they obviously were not. Your observation is just the tip of the iceberg, and it pales (no pun intended) in comparison to the silliness I witness everyday.

Ironically, it's the non-whites who are the most "Wannabe Nordic." Many Mexicans that I know never acknowledge their American Indian and African ancestry, preferring to liken themselves to whites of Med. decent (Italians being to most popular). In reality, many of them are indistinguishable from Phillipinos.

Then there are the Mid. Easterners, a few of whom I've caught impersonating Greek people! Again, many play down the non-white part of of their heritage in favor of the white one. "we're like Armenians, Greeks, Turks, ..." is what I overheard an Iranian man say the other day. Not that I'm a nazi or anything, but I found that remark insulting, since, quite frankly, I see little resemblance between Greeks and Persians. Right by my house, there is a "Greek" restaurant with all the trimmings: souvlaki, spanakopita, gyros, tiropita, etc. Notis Sphakianakis, along with other Greek singers, is constantly playing in the background; yet, the owners are obviously not Greek, and don't seem to mind being mistaken as such. Maybe I'm just overeacting, but it's rather annoying.

This obsession even affects people who could never pass for caucasian in any way, shape, or form. On numerous occasions, I've seen classy, successful, Asian women together with the scummiest white trash. On seeing this, I can't help but wonder, "would she ever go out with an Asian man who lived in a trailor park?" Probably not, unless of course, he had blond hair and blue eyes.

Oslonor:
Yes. Iranian Turks are not in anyway related to Greeks.