Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 16 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 24 years ago by
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Why is it that the title of the book based on the Y? web site – Why Do White People Smell Like Wet Dogs When They Come Out Of The Rain? – is acceptable to all races, but if any other race were substituted for “White People” it would be considered a horribly racist observation?
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Name : Steve27595, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 41, City : Orlando, State : FL, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,That is probably an unfortunate, valid point.
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Name : BB23280, City : Jacksonville, State : FL, Country : United States,Yes, I agree. Why is that the title of the book? That’s not right, because you know that if it was substituted with black people instead of white people, they would have cows. If it’s not right for you to do it to them, then there should be no reason in hell for you to do it to white people, either.
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Name : Meghan, Gender : F, City : Rochester Hills, State : MI, Country : United States,For many many years, blacks were the butt of things such as Minstrel shows, blaxploitation, demeaning caricatures and various other indignities. We Latinos have had to put up with everything from having our ‘accents’ mocked on down to the Taco Bell dog. This goes back for decades, even centuries. Not to mention centuries of oppression and discrimination. With all these rights minorities have scratched and clawed for, we can get a little hyper-sensitive when faced with ethnic caricature. Yet when I think about it, ‘Why do Hispanics drive so slow?’ would be a more appropriate title than ‘Why are white people greedy and evil?’ I think ‘Wet Dogs’ is appropriate for the nature of the book.
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Name : Dan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : na, Race : Chicano, Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class,It’s because verbal ideas aren’t neutral; they react with a history. Hardly any white people have found themselves subjected to black people who did not regard them as fully human; whereas the reverse is within living memory. We talk about how animals smell because 1) we don’t much care about how the animal feels about it, and 2) we don’t think they understand us. That’s the implication behind questions about black body odor. But very few white people – or at least few straight white males – have ever felt that their humanity or relevance was seriously in question. Hence, the issue doesn’t sting as much.
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Name : John B., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 42, City : Rural area, State : CO, Country : United States, Occupation : College professor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Steve: Unfortunately, ‘Wet Dogs’ is not only an appropriate title, but it is safe. It’s safe because in society it is acceptable for the little guy to finally stand up to the big guy. We applaud it, actually. Minorities have been demeaned, abused and disrespected for as long as we all can remember. Why then would whites, the majority, believe they would be exempted from criticism and stereotyping? Granted, every white person isn’t guilty of some social injustice or living some grand life simply because he/she is white. However, remember you’re not immune to unwarranted generalizations, either. The title of the book illustrates that you’re fair game for some of the same prejudice that minorities experience. While prejudicial thoughts and comments are undesirable, we all are guilty of such feelings and have made some unsavory racial comments in our lifetimes. We’re lying if we say otherwise. What’s more important is that we fess up to our prejudices. Can you say that you have never made a comment about minorities that you might be less than proud to publicly admit?
While the title is unflattering, it speaks true of a feeling that many minorities believe about whites. Given the nature of text, the title boldly addresses such prejudices. If you feel personally offended, try to understand this perspective. We’re talking about collective consciousness here. The title doesn’t say ‘Steve smells.’
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Name : Zawadi, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Detroit, State : MI, Country : United States,The reason the title of this book is erroneously seen as inoffensive or ‘hilarious’ is that we live in a culture that A) tends to blame every social ill on white people, B) refuses to acknowledge that, in this day and age, blacks (via their culture, not their color) are mostly responsible for their second-class citizen status, and C) is paradoxically oversensitive to racism directed at any people except whites. As a black man who regards all people as brothers and sisters (yes, my homies, even the white people), I’m very offended that the perpetrator of a web site that’s dedicated to easing the gap between people would choose to title his book in such an offensive manner.
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Name : Steve M., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 35, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : Systems Analyst, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,It’s really hard to feel sorry for white people – especially white straight males.
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Name : Brian23004, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Minneapolis, State : MN, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,For criminy’s sake, people, somebody needs to lighten up. Let’s not forget the title of the book is supposed to be a STUPID QUESTION, one that deserves a SMACK ON THE HEAD FROM MOM. It’s not a racist comment, it’s a JOKE! Geez!
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Name : Mark, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 29, City : San Francisco, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Musician/Nerd, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Do we really smell like wet dogs?
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Name : Tawneca, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, City : Wellington, State : KS, Country : United States, Occupation : housewife, Education level : High School Diploma,The title doesn’t just read, ‘Why do white people smell like wet dogs when they come out of the rain?’ You’ve left out the last and most important part: ‘And other questions that deserve a smack on the head by mom.’ Which means the author is implying that is a dumb question to ask and that you should know better. So, it’s not a racist title at all. I’ve been asked this question before by my black friends. And I’d rather them ask me that question and for me to tell them it’s all a myth than for them to keep spreading a lie. Now, for all those who are wondering, white people can’t smell like wet dogs when they’re wet simply because we don’t have the same oils in our hair that a canine does. It’s the oils, once they’re wet, that create the foul smell. It has nothing to do with the hair or makeup.
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Name : Mekki20750, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Irish/Puerto Rican, Religion : Catholic, Age : 22, City : Virginia Beach, State : VA, Country : United States,Many responses here have been basically ‘What’s good for the goose…’ But is it ever OK to be insulting and rude? Many people who are offended by the title may be so because it’s just plain mean-sounding. Methinks the title is what it is because it will grab readers, who may buy the book. Just another marketing ploy.
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Name : Mamageph, Gender : F, Age : 27, City : Smokey Point, State : WA, Country : United States, Occupation : Mama, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Hair, all hair, absorbs smells, odors, fragrances, etc. All hair of all life on the planet. So why the difference between African-Americans and Euro-Americans? The difference is that African Americans use various oils on their to maintain a certain socially acceptable level of sheen, shine, appearance and general health of the hair. Oil seals the hair preventing the absorption of other fragrances, smells, etc. Europeans avoid all oil in hair, and so it becomes a fragrance magnet for any fragrances that happen to be near.
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Name : KW, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 31, City : Indianapolis, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : customer service, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,The primary issue is not whether white people smell like wet dogs (and by implication are unhygienic), but whether people from different cultures have different odors. I have traveled extensively throughout the world and can say that, for the most part, people in Hong Kong smell like fish/shrimp, Indians and Nepalese smell like masala spices or curry, Middle Eastern people and Mexicans smell like spicy foods, blacks have an acrid, oily odor and, as has been said, whites smell like wet dogs. This is not a hygiene issue (though I can see where this perception about white people may arise among blacks because they are, unfortunately, often relegated to poverty, and the whites with whom they would most likely have contact would tend to be poor and, typically, poor people often have worse hygiene than those who are more privileged). In many ways, this whole discussion seems to be a thinly veiled attempt at racism toward whites, because its initial premise singles out whites as odiferous and excludes the peculiar odors of other groups.
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Name : M., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Humanist, Age : 32, City : Monterey, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : management, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,The black passenger told the white passenger to take a bath & he turned it into a book, without taking the hint. Bet he’s still not taken a bath. Glad he’s on the internet and not sitting next to me.
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Name : Jim30716, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Columbia, State : SC, Country : United States, Social class : Middle class,
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