Red Greece

Why do people always mix Italian, Spanish and Greek people up?

My family is of Italian background, and at school my friends would always say things lie "You know how your family is greek?' or "How do you say this in spanish?" Whats the deal people? Not really that bothered by it, sometimes I think its cool. Just one of my friends, who has known me since we were about 3 or 4, still does it, even after I tell him. I think he just ignorant. PS. I got sum Korean friends, who get the same thing happen to them, lol ie: "Are you Japenese?" and "Are you from China? Is Asia a country?" Ha ha.

Public Comments

1. I think it is probably due to the whole similar hair color and eye color thing. Italian and Greek hair and eye colors are sometimes close to each other.
2. Most people have not come in contact with enough people of different backgrounds to correctly identify them. But let them know that your Italian and explain your culture to them, that way next time they will know.
3. All three of those societies share some general physical similarities.Be grateful your friends don't say: "You know how your family is Vietnamese or African or whatever?" What I'm trying to say is it's not always obvious.
4. Cuz we all kind of look the same. It's like people mixing up Japanese, Chinese and Korean. What can you do? I don't think anyone means any harm.
5. Cause we're all so damn good looking. Dark features, meditteranean beauty. I look 100% Greek but am only like 60% and I hear I look Italian all the time.
6. Italian, Spanish and Greek are all good looking people, there are some people looked distinctively of their ethenic background, I can tell where they are from, but some just look like they could be from any of the 3 countries, also portugese can be mistaken as one of the 3 as well, or vice versa. Why are you bothered though? just explain to them, I got mistaken as Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Philipino.....just to name a few...lol
7. I have the same problem. I think that people are just ignorant!