Pop Star racism!

[Feba]

Re: Pop Star racism!

It's not racism, it's just stupidity.

Japan hasn't really caught up to the whole PC thing yet. I've heard someone call Thailand "very, very gay"; and they weren't being insulting, that's just how they were expressing the impression of it having a lot of flamboyant entertainers.



Also in related news, I've seen Japanese students push their eyes together to look like westerners. Again, not to be insulting, these kids at least actually like the foreign students. They just don't see it as offensive.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Pop Star racism!

You've activated my trap card!

[Ketaru]

Re: Pop Star racism!

I see your lame Chinese stereotypes and raise you a:

Harro Amellica!

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Pop Star racism!

Chinese

I instantly feel sorry for you.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Pop Star racism!

A few thousand years of warring, invading and enslaving each other will do that to countries.

Seriously, how do you think Tecmo-Koei stays in business?

If Asia didn't have war and racism, there wouldn't be all those Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms games, to say nothing of all the related movies.

[Ketaru]

Re: Pop Star racism!

I never thought a whole lot about how I was Chinese and my family waited to tell me about it until some girl in the school bus called me a "Chink Chong Chang". I went home and asked why on earth anybody would call me that. My parents explained to me that the girl was making fun of the fact I was Asian.

So there you have it. I blame my race consciousness on a stupid suburban white girl.

[Aeni]

Re: Pop Star racism!

If it's still there, we haven't exactly overcome it, have we?

You then go into the discussion of conscious and subconscious.

"Birds of a feather, flock together" really sums up this well. It's natural to discriminate. The trick is for people to "evolve" beyond that simple primal urge and consciously differentiate caution from discrimination. It requires rationality; unfortunately, this has been lacking recently around the world and I blame it on many, many things, but education (or lack of PROPER education) is the primary driver. When people strongly believe they can be "self taught" and pick and choose "what they want to learn", that's when we get into trouble.

[Caspian]

Re: Pop Star racism!

Depends on if you're acting on that impulse or not.

[Murphie]

Re: Pop Star racism!

I agree that in the 21st century we have the tools to overcome it and with some coordinated effort make it a non-issue in our society. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's still there even after we've overcome it.

Caspian, I think you might be on to something there.

If it's still there, we haven't exactly overcome it, have we?

[Ziero]

Re: Pop Star racism!

...wait wait wait...this fuss is being caused by asian girls doing something that makes them look more asian? Them crazy asians are all crazy.

(considering they're all asians and descended from the first Chinese ... which I find great irony in the bitter vitriol between the two countrires)

A few thousand years of warring, invading and enslaving each other will do that to countries.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Pop Star racism!

Well, yeah, when we were disparate tribes of neo-humans roaming the steppes during the ice age. But as humans in the 21st century, we have the luxury of access to information, so that there is no need to fear those who just happen to look different. We may not understand them, but the tools are there. Fear? That's...yeah, that's just called ignorance.

I agree that in the 21st century we have the tools to overcome it and with some coordinated effort make it a non-issue in our society. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's still there even after we've overcome it.

Caspian, I think you might be on to something there.

[Murphie]

Re: Pop Star racism!

Well, we're all born ignorant, but curiosity is also human nature.

Of course, it has a bad rap, what with all the dead cats and stuff...

[Caspian]

Re: Pop Star racism!

Yes and no. I don't think racism in and of itself is human nature but disliking and/or being distrustful of people that are different than you is human nature. Racism is just a manifestation of that. Same goes for religious and cultural intolerance and homophobia. Change is scary and someone who represents something different than yourself is easy to dislike.

Only way I see it going away completely is if there are aliens and we someday, somehow make contact. Give people something completely new to fear and hate.

Murphie, I agree but I also think ignorance is human nature.
To be clear, I'm not trying to justify it in any way. It is ignorance. But I do think its human nature to be somewhat distrustful of unfamiliar things and people. And like you said beneath this post, learning to get past that initial distrust is very important.

[Murphie]

Re: Pop Star racism!

Well, yeah, when we were disparate tribes of neo-humans roaming the steppes during the ice age. But as humans in the 21st century, we have the luxury of access to information, so that there is no need to fear those who just happen to look different. We may not understand them, but the tools are there. Fear? That's...yeah, that's just called ignorance.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Pop Star racism!

Racism is not human nature, only a matter of ignorance.

Um, yes it is. We tend to group with people similar to ourselves and fear that which is different. Ethnicity creates an "us" and "them" on a very primal level.