Official forms bollocks
What drives me crazy is seeing official forms which ask for my ethnic origin. I mean, what fucking relevance is that??? Grr... I see it as an intrusion on privacy, but the fact that whoever has designed these paper monstrosities feels that there is a need to differentiate between Bangladeshi and Pakistani irks me greatly although "White European" is an acceptable definition with goalposts three thousand miles wide.

Who gives a fuck, if you're a British citizen then you're British. End of.

My great, great granddaddy originated from Koblenz in Germany. He settled in London and indeed his grandson married a girl from another German immigrant family - around the time of WW1. My mum's parents were Irish and both killed during WW2 after settling in London, so my mother's family history is patchy at best. There is (probably apocrophal) family legend that one of my mother's ancestors was a Japanese schoolteacher, but either way I guess I'm Anglo-Saxon / Celt. There is a slight possibility that my big toe on my left foot is Japanese however.

I take great pleasure in making sure that the above information is diseminated at length when being asked to fill in my ethnic background, if forms make the fatal mistake of asking "Other, please state:_______" then I take carte blanche to ensure I make full use of it.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Fri 23 Nov 2007, 12:15, 8 replies)

All my family come from the south-west of England
one day I will put down "White-Yokel" as my ethnic background.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Fri 23 Nov 2007, 12:20, closed)

I always put myself down as Chinese
and hand the form back to the person in a way so they can see what I've put down. And for occupation I always put 'dentist'. Even though I'm a black call centre worker.
(housetits is channelling Natalie Cassidy - then, Fri 23 Nov 2007, 12:52, closed)

Norn Iron
I used to take delight in putting 'Northern Irish', especially if the form was specific to include 'Irish' in the catrgories. I knew I'd just get lumped in with all the other Irish, but I felt I was making my tiny little point.

Now, of course, I can put 'Ulster Scots' as they're officlally recognised!

Oh, and I've lived in mainland UK for all bar two years of my life and have an awful London overspill accent
(lardyboy Next stop, Fissplap Central, Fri 23 Nov 2007, 12:58, closed)

Norn Irish
Haha! I do that also.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Fri 23 Nov 2007, 13:18, closed)

My HR department sent out forms to us
wanting to know our sexual orientation. I fought the urge to add an additional option of 'horizontal'.
(Reverend Fister "a disciplined fuckwit", Fri 23 Nov 2007, 13:49, closed)

This stuff pisses me right off
I'm not racist (I have black friends!!! - not really but that's just circumstance) but all these forms seem to have about 20 options for variations of black or asian and usually only 2 or 3 for white.

I too usually identify myself as Celtic/Norse. As a Geordie, I live just north of Hadrians Wall, making me a Celt, another famous historical period of my locality was the Viking invasions of the local coastline. I did wonder about getting one of those DNA tests or doing a family tree to see if this was all bollocks and I'm actually German or something....
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Fri 23 Nov 2007, 15:32, closed)

i get annoyed with that stuff
firstly, why ask for ethnic background?

secondly, why are there 20 different "black-..." ones, and then just "white" on it's lonesome. balls.
(notjustahatrack peeling a sausage..., Sat 24 Nov 2007, 15:46, closed)

I always put English - bu toddly Id be happy with a "European" box too. But Im NOT "British" (shudders)
(kitescreech still here, Sun 25 Nov 2007, 12:44, closed)