I get offended when people think the mandolin is a ukulele. Am I very immature?

[sriganesh98]

I am a Carnatic classical mandolin player. Most of my friends, cousins, and basically anyone who sees my instrument asks "That's a ukulele, right?" I feel very angry about this. Is there a stigma against ukulele among many musicians? A lot of people think it's basically a toy and not a "real" instrument. Am I suffering from this same mindset?

[KostasKouvalis]

Pretty stupid thing to get offended over. I don't know where you're from, but the Mandolin isn't a very popular instrument outside of the Mediterranean.

I on the other hand, I was watching this new gameshow called "Crazy Lottery", and they had a blindfolded, "Guess the instrument" challenge, and one guy was playing a banjo and I actually guessed mandolin. They do sound somewhat similar I guess. But the banjo looks completely different. I would more have guessed it's some kind of acoustic guitar. But don't be so snowflakey about it. Most people have never seen a mandolin before.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

The burden of knowledge is a heavy one. You know the difference but not everyone does. You forget what it’s like to not know something and you tend to see them as stupid for not learning what you’ve already learned, forgetting that not everyone knows instruments like you do or has a reason to know. Be kinder, remember that it’s not always common knowledge, and don’t take it as a personal offense that someone doesn’t know what instrument you have.

[sriganesh98]

I mean, the real reason I get angry is because many people think that the ukulele is a toy instrument. I don't want people to think I play the ukulele because it lacks prestige.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

I mean, you could definitely bring up Hawaii and how it was illegally annexed and the tropical environment of the islands was taken over by white colonists and now it’s little more than a tiki tourist spot where luaus, which were originally a sacred religious ceremony performed maybe once or twice a year, are now turned into a gimmick and isn’t that interesting how white people turn non-white culture into playful gimmicks as if they matter less? A little shame never hurts to shut up the pretentious.

[Lliam]

That's like someone seeing a clarinet and asking if it's a trumpet. Some people are just really ignorant on some subjects. There are things they've never come into contact with. But it's nothing to get upset about. A quick demonstration should enlighten and maybe even inspire them.