History Main / MistakenForForeigner

* In ''ComicBook/TheRunaways'', the kids time-travel to the early 1900's and their new allies mistake Nico for a Chinese immigrant; she corrects them that her family is Japanese but she herself was born in California.

* ''Film/MeanGirls'': The principal announces that they have a NewTransferStudent from Africa. The schoolteacher gestures to a girl of African-American descent, telling her "Welcome." The girl, clearly affronted, says "I'm from Michigan."

-->-'''Creator/MargaretCho'''

* In ''Film/TheNakedGun 33 1/3'', Frank and Jane uncover a terrorist plot to blow up the Academy Awards, but when they run outside to tell a cab driver to call the police, he only speaks Arabic. They go to the next one but he only speaks Spanish. They come to a third one, an older African man in a turban, at which point they don't even brother and head back inside. Once they leave, the cabbie says in a posh British accent, "I wonder what the devil they wanted..."

* In ''Film/TheNakedGun 33 1/3'', Frank and Jane uncover a terrorist plot to blow up the Academy Awards, but when they run outside to tell a cab driver to call the police, he only speaks Arabic. They to to the next one but he only speaks Spanish. They come to a third one, an older African man in a turban, at which point they don't even brother and head back inside. Once they leave, the cabbie says in a posh British accent, "I wonder what the devil they wanted..."

* In ''Film/NakedGun 33 1/3'', Frank and Jane uncover a terrorist plot to blow up the Academy Awards, but when they run outside to tell a cabbie to call the police, he only speaks Arabic. They to to the next one but he only speaks Spanish. They come to a third one, an older African man in a turban, at which point they don't even brother and head back inside. Once they leave, the cabbie says in a posh British accent, "I wonder what the devil they wanted..."

* The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NMrqGHr5zE Mississippi Delta Chinese]]" are the descendants of migrant workers who moved to the DeepSouth after slavery due to the...job openings, meaning this is an Asian community that has lived in the United States for generations in a part of the country that isn't commonly associated with Asians. One of the people interviewed in the video is an older lady with a charming Southern accent, and yet she ''still'' has people asking her when did she move to the US and who taught her English.

* The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NMrqGHr5zE Mississippi Delta Chinese]]" are the descendants of Asian migrant workers who moved to the DeepSouth after slavery due to the...job openings, meaning this is an Asian community that has lived in the United States for generations in a part of the country not commonly associated with Asians. One of the people interviewed in the video is an older lady with a charming Southern accent, and yet she ''still'' has people asking her when did she move to the US and who taught her English.

* The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NMrqGHr5zE Mississippi Delta Chinese]]" are the descendants of migrant workers who had settled in the DeepSouth after slavery due to the...job openings, meaning this is an Asian community that has lived in the United States for generations. One of the people interviewed in the video is an older lady with a charming Southern accent, and yet she ''still'' has people asking her when did she move to the US and who taught her English.

* The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NMrqGHr5zE Mississippi Delta Chinese]]" are the descendants of migrant workers who settled in the DeepSouth after slavery, meaning this is an Asian community that has lived in the United States for generations. One of the people interviewed is an older lady with an obvious Southern accent, and yet she ''still'' has people asking her when did she move to the US and who taught her English.

* Chinese-American U.S. Air Force Captain (and future [[https://lieu.house.gov/ congressman]]) Ted W. Lieu [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1999/06/19/are-you-in-the-chinese-air-force/671e8d5c-acce-4e89-a0e8-0df2146858cd/ wrote in 1999 of his familiarity with this trope]].

->''"I can't 'go back to my home country.' I was born and raised in San Francisco; I'm IN my home country!"''

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin ([[InterchangeableAsianCultures or someplace vaguely close to it]]), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, asked about an aspect of an Asian culture (whether it's their own or not), or is assumed not to speak English, only for them to curtly respond in a plain American accent, "I'm from [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philly]]." [[note]]And even within Philadelphia, people might assume an Asian is from Chinatown and not, say, Cheltenham.[[/note]]

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin ([[InterchangeableAsianCultures or someplace vaguely close to it]]), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, asked about an aspect of an Asian culture (whether it's their own or not), or is assumed not to speak English, only for them to curtly respond in a plain American accent, "I'm from [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philly]]." [[note]]And even within Philly, people might assume an Asian is from Chinatown and not, say, Cheltenham.[[/note]]

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin ([[InterchangeableAsianCultures or someplace vaguely close to it]]), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, asked about an aspect of an Asian culture (whether it's their own or not), or is assumed not to speak English, only for them to curtly respond in a plain American accent, "I'm from [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philly]]." [[note]]And even within Philly, people might assume an Asian is from Chinatown and not, say, Cheltenham.]]

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin ([[InterchangeableAsianCultures or someplace vaguely close to it]]), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, asked about an aspect of an Asian culture (whether it's their own or not), or is assumed not to speak English, only for them to curtly respond in a plain American accent, "I'm from [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philly]]."

* ''AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'': Edward Kenway once asked his ex-slave quartermaster Adéwalé if he'd take his share of treasure from a fort they were about to attack and live like a king in Africa. Adéwalé clarifies that he's Trinidadian and has never set foot in Africa.

* ''Film/BornInEastLA'' is about a Mexican-American who is mistaken for an illegal immigrant and wrongfully deported.

->'''"I can't 'go back to my home country.' I was born and raised in San Francisco; I'm IN my home country!"'''
-->'''Creator/MargaretCho'''

* Henry Cho (no relation) is of Korean descent, but was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee and speaks with a southern US accent. Much of his comedy involves the difference between how people ''expect'' him to act/speak, and how he really is.

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin ([[InterchangeableAsianCultures or someplace vaguely close to it]]), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, or asked about an aspect of an Asian culture, or is assumed not to speak English, only for them to curtly respond in a plain American accent, "I'm from [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philly]]."

This trope is when a minority character is automatically assumed to be from the country of their ethnic origin ([[InterchangeableAsianCultures or someplace vaguely close to it]]), even though their accent, dress, and all other mannerisms reflect the country they call home, which makes sense because they were born and raised there. A common example would be an Asian-American being asked where they're from, or asked about an aspect of an Asian culture, only for them to curtly respond in a plain American accent, "I'm from [[UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} Philly]]."