We have witnessed the birther attacks on President Obama and the lunacy of questioning family heritage in Massachusetts. I would like to talk of how it could apply to me if I was ever crazy enough to run for office.

Republican opponent [RO]: "Alessandra, that must be Italian?"

Me: "No, I was named after my great grandmother".

RO: "So you are related to Mussolini?"

Me: "Pardon?"

RO; "Alessandra Mussolini daughter of Benito Mussolini, this would explain your wish to bring fascism to America."

Me: "Her family emigrated from Norway, and she was born here."

RO. "Can you prove this, and I notice you didn't deny the inherent fascism of your policies"

Me "No, and I'm not a fascist"

RO: "You are not Norwegian either"

Me: "I'm American".

RO: "You said you were Norwegian, you now deny that, how are we to believe anything you say?"

Me: "Like most Americans I have complicated roots, I wouldn't call myself Norwegian, I wouldn't call myself anything but American, my family has has been here too long."

RO: " Why did you live in France?"

Me: "Oh for god's sake my mother's a registered DAR".

RO: "Can you prove she is your mother, and wasn't Alessandra your paternal grand-mother anyway?"

Me: "Dad served during Vietnam"

RO: "Oh yes he was based in Bangkok, no doubt working closely with the Thai Patriotic Front against America"

Debate ends as I try and scratch out his eyes.

Next day they air a TV ad

Alessandra A, a baguette wielding viking related to Benito Mussolini, with a communist father; do you really want this type of foreign heritage representing you?

Phew.  Good job that I didn't mention either the Irish connection n
or the Scottish and English education then.

;-)

This is why talking about your own family roots as Americans can be complicated, we all have our own personal stories and for a great deal of the time most of it has been passed on by word of mouth.

Bringing it up as a slur, smacks of racialism.