Columns

By PHILLIP MILANO Question Is Latino culture more sexist? I can’t walk through the mostly Latino neighborhood near my house without getting harassed by men who think it’s acceptable to make sexual comments or catcalls. Katie, 23, Korean and white female, Washington, D.C. Replies In Latin cultures, men give out piropos (“little gems”), poetic compliments to get a woman’s attention, ...

By PHILLIP MILANO Question Why do fundamentalist Christians cite the Old Testament for their views on homosexuality when it is not part of the Ten Commandments? If they follow this part of the Old Testament, how about all the other stuff in there, such as dietary restrictions? Claire, 23, secular humanist, Los Angeles Replies Because it doesn’t fit their larger ...

By PHILLLIP J. MILANO Question Is it true that U.S. society values men with a full, thick head of hair more than those of us who are going bald or are bald? Andy, 36, Albany, N.Y. Replies Absolutely. Thick hair connotes health and youth. Also, most people’s faces just aren’t attractive enough to pull off the no-hair deal. Hair can ...

By PHILLLIP J. MILANO Question My friends and I are always curious about what kind of Asian girls foreigners think are beautiful. Ying-Yao, 24, Asian female, Miami Replies I’d say it’s just the “exotic” aspect of them to the Western imagination. We have a long history of imagining the mysterious Asian, however mistaken that may be. Vail, 40, male, Philadelphia ...

By PHILLIP J. MILANO Remember the kids in school who hurled insults whenever they saw someone they deemed too fat, too dorky, the wrong skin color, a sissy, the wrong faith, a foreigner? The truly deft members of this abuse posse almost never seemed to get caught in the act, much less in trouble. Then there was everybody else. The ...