I've noticed over the past few years that people racialize me more than they used to and I don't really know what to do with that.

Maybe it's a real uptick, maybe they always did and now I'm just noticing it. I apparently look somewhat ambiguous, because I've had people ask if I'm Asian, Lebanese, or Israeli, all unprompted. I'm none of these. I'm quarter Hispanic. I never felt Hispanic growing up, owed in large part to my upbringing by conservative parents. Raised Baptist, never learned Spanish until high school. I can't and don't claim a Hispanic experience.

So what do I do when a white customer calls me 'señor'?

How do I respond when I'm on a first date with a woman and she asks about an immigrant experience I don't have?

When my white mom complains that I look like a cholo, do I treat that as just racism or racism against me, personally?

When I look at my cousins who can reasonably claim to be Hispanic, I feel some anxiety, like I'm missing something.

Just a bunch of weird insecurity. Hell, even the insecurity about it feels white.