How would you interpret this question?
Comments
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I don't want to get into the fracas of the later posts -- I just want to say this guy's remarks strike me as just flat icky.
Back when I lived in Kansas, I was once at a party for staff at the University's school of education (where I worked at the time), and one of the deans came over to me and one of my coworkes and said, "Konichiwa!" to my coworker. She looked at him for a moment and finally said, "Um, sir? I'm actually Korean." He was all embarassed, mumbled some sort of apology, and made awkward small talk for a couple of minutes before making an excuse to go talk to someone else. She then turned to me and said, "Jesus. I'm adopted and I was raised in fucking WICHITA. What WAS that?!"
See? Icky. -
apollonia666 wrote: I don't want to get into the fracas of the later posts -- I just want to say this guy's remarks strike me as just flat icky.
Very icky.
Back when I lived in Kansas, I was once at a party for staff at the University's school of education (where I worked at the time), and one of the deans came over to me and one of my coworkes and said, "Konichiwa!" to my coworker. She looked at him for a moment and finally said, "Um, sir? I'm actually Korean." He was all embarassed, mumbled some sort of apology, and made awkward small talk for a couple of minutes before making an excuse to go talk to someone else. She then turned to me and said, "Jesus. I'm adopted and I was raised in fucking WICHITA. What WAS that?!"
See? Icky.
I generally think people could just be a bit more subtle in their initial interactions with a person. I don't really think people should be asking questions about a person's race, gender, income bracket or reproductive status within minutes of meeting somebody. -
Actually I just remembered that I was asked almost the same question by a black (biracial) woman I had just met a little while ago and I didn't find her question inappropriate or annoying at all. But then she was asking me the question because she was considering moving to the Slope and she wanted to hear, from a fellow black person, what that might be like. Her question seemed appropriate to me and it didn't feel voyeuristic, the way the man's question had. Anyway my response to this woman was that I LOVE the Slope but that I have lived in very white neighborhoods all of my life so if Slope is very white, I'm likely to not really notice or care. Outside of the big cities, England is still very very white (and I grew up in the countryside) so it is actually a joy for me to live in a neighborhood where I see people of many races every day - Hispanic, black, white, Asian.
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Subject: Re: !
eggcream wrote: You're doing the same thing as this guy trying to be the cool understandable pc white guy. Don't lump all white males or "your people" into one asinine category.
What's the matter, too close to home? Accidentally say 'konnichiwa" to a Korean lately? If you can't see that my post was tongue in cheek, you need to get a clue. I stand by my comment. -
Precious Williams wrote:
Sounds awkward. Having been on the other side of the equation: I vividly remember the first time I saw a person with very dark skin (probably a Papuan) at age 6 while out walking. It was such an extraordinary occurrence (in those parts in those days) that my father stopped and pointed him out, and said "I bet you've never seen a person with such black skin before, we don't see them often so take a good look". Like he was a rare butterfly or something. But if I instinctively knew then it would be impolite to intrude upon him with silly questions, you'd think an adult at a party in the most diverse city on earth in history would have a bit more of a clue. I think that this kind of first-contact experience is more and more a thing of the past, which is almost entirely a good thing.
And I've had some very amusing experiences while ski-ing in a remote German village when I was a teenager. I encountered many people who had actually never seen a person of color in the flesh before (the closest they had come were some local Turkish immigrants) and they were confused by the fact that I actually spoke German too. People were generally very friendly to me but I was a shy kid and I didn't really enjoy being asked so many questions and being looked at so much. -
doctorj wrote: [quote=Precious Williams]
Sounds awkward. Having been on the other side of the equation: I vividly remember the first time I saw a person with very dark skin (probably a Papuan) at age 6 while out walking. It was such an extraordinary occurrence (in those parts in those days) that my father stopped and pointed him out, and said "I bet you've never seen a person with such black skin before, we don't see them often so take a good look". Like he was a rare butterfly or something. . Wow. In Germany I remember having dinner a German family who were friends with one of my friends. During dinner the Grandma actually kept touching me: my cheek, my hair, my shoulder. When she touched me, she'd say "sehr schone" (very pretty) and then giggle. But then rural England is just as crazy. On the rare occasion we had hot weather, people would say "you must be used to this, my love. Where you come from must be ever so nice all the time." Yet I was born in England. The difference in cosmopolitan cities like New York is that people are expected to have more of a clue when it comes to various ethnicities. I can't imagine how there could be any novelty factor at all in seeing a black person in New York.
And I've had some very amusing experiences while ski-ing in a remote German village when I was a teenager. I encountered many people who had actually never seen a person of color in the flesh before (the closest they had come were some local Turkish immigrants) and they were confused by the fact that I actually spoke German too. People were generally very friendly to me but I was a shy kid and I didn't really enjoy being asked so many questions and being looked at so much. -
eggcream wrote: "You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room? Only if they had the hotel staff in here." -Howard Dean
[quote=ana.log][quote=dailyheights]
I'm just saying that I doubt anyone sane would agree to such a gross generalization: "ALL black men have such hopeless lives that being HIV+ is a step up"
When you consider that Barbara Bush said something very similar about victims of hurricane Katrina, is a statement like this so hard to believe?
"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them." - Barbara Bush
Can you explain how Dean's suggestion that there aren't a lot of black Republicans is (a) inaccurate and (b) comparable to Barbara Bush's suggestion that the Katrina refugees were lucky duckies?
Or are you too busy writing checks to Mark Foley's legal defense fund? -
When I was a kid, people used to touch my head because I was so blond, my hair was almost white. I don't think it was a racial thing, people just liked to touch my head.
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Jamzer wrote: When I was a kid, people used to touch my head because I was so blond, my hair was almost white. I don't think it was a racial thing, people just liked to touch my head.
LOL. There are certain hair colors or textures people seem to want to touch. Did you like having strangers' hands in your hair though? -
Did you like having strangers' hands in your hair though?
I actually did not mind it that much. What I really hated was when people (strangers or not) would pinch my cheek! -
Jamzer wrote:
Did you like having strangers' hands in your hair though?
I actually did not mind it that much. What I really hated was when people (strangers or not) would pinch my cheek!
Everyone used to pinch my cheeks too. Believe it or not, it still happens occasionally now and I am over 30! Admittedly I do have very pinch-able cheeks. -
Precious Williams wrote: [quote=Jamzer]
Did you like having strangers' hands in your hair though?
I actually did not mind it that much. What I really hated was when people (strangers or not) would pinch my cheek!
Everyone used to pinch my cheeks too. Believe it or not, it still happens occasionally now and I am over 30! Admittedly I do have very pinch-able cheeks.
Ethnicity and race aside, I am seriously going to slap the shit out of the next person who pets me on the head. It takes me at least five minutes to style my hair. Twice at work, this crazy woman I hardly know patted down my hair with her hands that had been god-knows-where. I don't mind a pat on the back from a friend or colleague -- I even tolerate the European double kiss thing, but almost-strangers touching my hair -- what I have left -- is crossing the line. -
Is there any particular reason people are patting your head? That seems odd, I thought people generally only patted the heads of children and animals.
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this is off topic, but your dog is really cute!!
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Smitty wrote: this is off topic, but your dog is really cute!!
Thanks! She appreciates the compliment!
She is used to people making a big fuss of her prettiness and she's kinda vain -
Um Rose, have you ever heard of innocent until proven guilty or does that just apply to liberals? Foley did the right thing and resigned but we don't know the whole story about those cyber sex emails yet do we. At least you won't see the GOP giving Foley a standing ovation like the democrats did with Gerry Studds during his censure by the House Ethics Committee ( while his back was turned)You know Studds, he had sex with a minor, a 17 year old page and who continued to be re-elected after his censure until his retirement in 1997. Oh, and how about Barney Frank. Running a prostitution ring out of his house. At least when Repbulicans screw up, like humans do, we take action. We don't wag our bent finger and say we didn't do anything wrong. Double standard? I guess if Foley were a democrat......
Oh, and re-read Dean's remark or have someone explain it to you. What do you think he meant by hotel staff???Rose wrote: [quote=eggcream]"You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room? Only if they had the hotel staff in here." -Howard Dean
[quote=ana.log][quote=dailyheights]
I'm just saying that I doubt anyone sane would agree to such a gross generalization: "ALL black men have such hopeless lives that being HIV+ is a step up"
When you consider that Barbara Bush said something very similar about victims of hurricane Katrina, is a statement like this so hard to believe?
"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them." - Barbara Bush
Can you explain how Dean's suggestion that there aren't a lot of black Republicans is (a) inaccurate and (b) comparable to Barbara Bush's suggestion that the Katrina refugees were lucky duckies?
Or are you too busy writing checks to Mark Foley's legal defense fund? -
OMG!!! A Republican has infiltrated Park Slope! :shock:
eggcream, just don't tell me you're a member of the co-op. I'll cry... -
eggcream wrote: Foley did the right thing and resigned but we don't know the whole story about those cyber sex emails yet do we.
So anything goes as long as you resign after you get caught?
You left out the part about how it's all Bill Clinton's fault. -
cythren wrote: OMG!!! A Republican has infiltrated Park Slope! :shock:
Someone call 311. -
cythren wrote: OMG!!! A Republican has infiltrated Park Slope! :shock:
BRING IT!
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