I was in class the other day, which consisted of almost all Caucasian students. There was one African-American (let's call her "Jane") and one Chinese student.

Anyway, the course is on World Multiculturalism. We were discussing a topic, when a student in the class asked Jane: "Do African American people think such and such...?"

After class Jane said to me, "I hate it when I'm supposed to be the spokesperson for my race. No one would ask you, 'Paige, do white people such-and-such?"

It reminded me of when a friend of mine in college found out that one of our acquaintances was gay. "Oh, do you know John? He's gay too."

Why do people say these things?

That's a little like one of the standing jokes around here..."I hear what's his name is from Ohio, too. You know him, don't you?"

I like to believe most people aren't trying to be boorish or mean -they just don't think before they speak, Pagiedamon.
That's what I prefer to think, anyway...

In a multicultural class where there is only one person present from a particular ethnic group, I fail to see where the person asking the question is being derogatory in any way. Don't you think her interest came from the class subject? Of course, I don't know what the question was or the way in which it was asked, and that could make a difference.

Though I've never been asked what white people think about something, I have been asked what folks in the South think or believe; I have had to be spokesperson for my church; spokesperson for 'hillbillies' since I grew up in the North Georgia mountains (truly I have been asked what mountain people do or think, etc.). We all get a "chip on our shoulder" about certain things from time to time, but we need to realize that folks usually ask because they care and are truly interested.

That's what I think anyway.....

MadMartha, you are probably exactly right. Like I said, I'm sure no harm was intended. It's just that the person being questioned kind of hung her head low and felt that it was hard to speak up on behalf of her race--especially b/c her personal experiences have been very different from others' (maybe stereotypical?) experiences.

But I agree with you, that most people do care and are just trying to learn more.

I've been asked what i as an Australian and as presumably a western thought about all sorts of things, at no point have I considered this offensive.

I too am asked as a Noongar person (indigenous person of the south west of Western Australia) what Noongars think about various things. My response is that I personally think such and such - but that is not necessarily a community view. I don't feel offended by it, but I am guessing your friend is quite young, and I think it would have embarrassed me majorly forty years ago.

Yes, you are right: she is young. She's 21, and not comfortable with the spotlight anyway!

As someone who has taught college students, I can testify that it IS difficult not to turn to the only representative of a given ethnic group in a class and ask for the group perspective on an issue.

But similar things can happen among older people. When a black friend completed his PhD and was applying for university teaching positions, the interviewers ALWAYS assumed that he must know all about African art, that all black people must be deeply interested in the subject, and that he would be prepared to teach courses on it. He said to me, "I don't know a thing about African art! My field is 18th-century Italian!"

Lanfranco,

That reminds me of my Indian friend. She grew up in America. One night, in our multicultural class, we were supposed to bring food that was representative of us. People assumed she would bring in some authentic Inidan food. Instead, she brought chicken salad & sweet tea. She was grinning, going, "What?! I grew up in the South. THIS is what I love to eat."
It was funny.

You can not speak for your group but you almost certainly will have a better idea of the general concensus among your group than other people and I suppose that is what people mean when they ask 'what do you Xs think about Y'

I belive that when there is a visible ethnic majority, those people tend to picture all of the "others" as the only manifestation of the foreign culture. Im sure that the ethnic majority do not try to be mean or insulting, only that they want insight from someone (Jane) who is more likely to have a proper understanding of a certain culture.

It can be difficult to be put in the spotlight, especially for someone who is young or particularly shy, but one of the only ways to break through ethnic stereotyping is to speak openly with people from a different culture. A university classroom is a great place for this to happen, but the instructor needs to be sensitive about what is happening in the classroom.