Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 20 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 11 months ago by
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- If you can't ask questions like that here, then where can you? I mean, isn't that the whole reason for this site? Do you want to pretend that the culture of America is not overwhelmingly white? This seems incredibly thin-skinned to me. I have a question about blacks: Why do so many young black males seem to walk around with one pant leg pulled up? What does that signify? I never see any other ethnic group doing that.
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Name : Chris-H32142, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 41, City : Kokomo, State : IN Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Your question is very thought-provoking. At first thought I would suggest you just click off if the questions offend you. However, then none of us could learn from you. When Y? Forum is at its best is when questions are asked, hopefully in innocence, and the responses have turned on a light. While it may anger you to see questions about the color of the palm of your hands, as a white person, I can't begin to tell you the hooey I heard about that growing up in white neighborhoods. Finding out that simply asking can provoke anger is good data, also.User Detail :
Name : Steve27683, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 39, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,I think we all judge the world we see from the perspective of our own experience. I don't think that asking a question about the physical characteristics of another race necessarily means the questioner believes that those characteristics are abnormal or deviant, just different from our own. For example, Shawn assumed that the person who asked the question about palm color was white, when that message only indicated the questioner was Canadian. Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics also live in Canada. However, Shawn seemed to assume that any person who would make an (in his view) insulting comment about African Americans would have to be white. I hope Y? Forum continues to post as many questions as possible. I might be offended by some questions about why women or whites or Christians seem to have some characteristic, but I would rather be slightly offended and try to respond in a mature manner than to have someone continue to walk around in ignorance. If we are going to learn from each other, we all need to develop a thicker skin. No matter what tone that skin is. I'm glad most posters here seem to be able to do that.User Detail :
Name : Stacee27913, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 30, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : TV production, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I think you are over-reacting. The questions you use in your example come once in a blue moon. Agreed, "Why do black people have white palms" is a silly question. But, what would you rather see, an ignorant Caucasian (like myself) post a question like that on the Internet, where no real harm is done, or have the same person stop you in the middle of the street and say, "Hello, black person, tell me, Why are your palms white?" only to embarrass both you and that silly honky? Admit it, there are worse questions that could be posted, and I think Y? Forum does a good job weeding out the "questionable" ones. You say, "As an Afro-American, I find them (questions) offensive." Well, Steve, as a Caucasian, I find (some) of these questions informative. I never knew what "melanin" was until I read the "white palm" question. Agreed, the questions could be better worded, but they wouldn't be as interesting. Why don't you take the opportunity and post some of your own silly questions like "Why do all rednecks seem to be inbred?" or, to borrow a page from comedian Chris Rock, "Why don't white people have any butts?" (That question blows your "Whites are standard" theory.) Anyway, loosen up and just take these questions for what they are : Questions! Peace.User Detail :
Name : Murray C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Unitarian, Age : 31, City : Halifax, Nova Scotia, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : Draftsman, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class,I disagree with you completely. Questions regarding the minor physical differences between whites and non-whites are as valid as any other question. You claim that the questions assume that the physical features of whites are standard and everything else is deviant. On what evidence do you base this assumption? The only logical basis for the questions you detest would be curiosity about something different from one's self. How is that racist or sinister?Determining the cause of differences in physical characteristics of human beings is the entire thrust of genetics and genetics research. Is that entire branch of science invalid and degrading, because it seeks to determine why two people (or groups of people) might have different physical characteristics?
Your interpretations seem to assume racist assumptions on the part of anyone white asking questions regarding physical differences between people of different races. Do you really believe that you can assume the motivations of every person asking an honest question? Do you really believe that every white person asking such questions must be doing so out of a racist point of view? Or is it just as possible that you are making the racist assumptions?
By the way, I do admit that it is at least possible that some of the questions come from people trying to be offensive. By the same token, most of the questions seem to come out of simple ignorance, not ulterior motives.
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Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I want to know why Y? Forum allows asinine and degrading questions about blacks or any other race's physical features to even be posted. For example, I've read posts questioning why blacks have big lips, why blacks' palms and soles are white in color, etc. To post questions of this type implies that the physical features of whites are the standard, and that anything else is abnormal or deviant. Nothing positive or informative can be obtained from questions of this nature, so why are they even entertained on this forum? As an Afro-American, I find them offensive, and an error in judgment on the part of the webmaster of this site.User Detail :
Name : Shawn, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : MIS Programmer/PC Specialist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I want to preface this by saying that I noticed all of the responses (negative) were from Caucasians, which is no real surprise to me, because I offended your way of thinking. This following response is to Murray's response, but it can apply to the lot of you. > Murray, I beg to differ. First off, as I stated in my post, questions of this nature are not to gain enlightenment, but to poke fun, and demean a race's physical characteristics. I haven't run accross any question in this forum asking why are White people so pale, why is their hair generally straight, why they have thin lips, why do they smell funny after they get wet, etc. --- that is because we don't feel it necessary to make ourselves seem superior, by make others seem inferior. I wouldn't ask such silly questions, because there is an underlying hate imbedded within them to make non-whites feel a self-hatred for who they are and what they look like,because our society, for so long, pushed a blonde blue-eyed Barbie and Ken stereotype that was considered the 'norm'. I find it more times than not, Afro-Americans are called upon to explain or justify themselves in this category/forum, as if we've been placed under some microscope to be dissected. I find that European-Americans have such an arrogance about themselves, that they feel they can do and say whatever, and it be justified, NOT SO. You may say I need to lightened up, but I say you need to wake up, especially if you say these types of question are informative for you. Oh, and by the way, I pray no white person ever comes up to me an ask such a question, because just like posting these types of question in the Y Forum, nothing positive would come of it.User Detail :
Name : Shawn, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : MIS Programmer/PC Specialist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I have to defend Y? Shawn, your point of view is lopsided. You insinuate that Y? is Anglo-oriented, but you don't realize that the Y? director is of Italian descent (not white American). You notice "degrading" questions about blacks more because you are from that race. Remember that the most degrading thing a human being can have is ignorance, and white Americans have plenty of it. But it's OK - that's why Y? exists in the first place. I answer stupid questions about Latin/Hispanics all the time, but to the ignorant they are not stupid, they are valid questions. Their ignorance is not their fault. Through us, Y? is doing a great job of helping eradicate ignorance; let's keep up the good work.User Detail :
Name : Nelson A., Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 30, City : Caracas, State : NA Country : Venezuela, Occupation : Lawyer/Business, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,To deny that differences (physical and cultural) exist between the various races is to hide one's head in the sand. The large majority of questions posed about physical differences between the races have answers grounded in scientific fact (regardless of whether these facts make it onto this forum or not). I see no offense in asking such questions. Likewise, most of the cultural questions posed have answers grounded in historical fact, and these questions, in my opinion, are no less reasonable. Perspective, I believe, plays a role in your animosity. What if those questions had been asked by Asian females or by an African-American curious about his/her own physical characteristics? Would you be any less offended? Does your theory of "standards" still apply? Or is it merely the fact that they were asked by Caucasians? If the latter is the case, then I don't think the real problem is with the questions being asked but with the reason offense was taken. This is a forum about differences, and as long as the questions asked are asked in an intelligent manner devoid of malicious intent, they should be allowed. The only way any of us will ever truly "get along" is to understand and embrace these differences and quit persecuting those who notice the differences - which is virtually everyone with a fully functioning set of senses.User Detail :
Name : David S., Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,I think the questions are silly. I agree. As a gay man, I get asked "When did you decide to be gay"' or "Does it hurt?" all the time. However, I find the best approach is to point out the similarities. When a person asks when I "decided" to be gay, I remind them how they may have thought girls were dumb at 8, but changed when they went through puberty. They did not "decide" to start being attracted to women. In the same way, it makes sense to point out to a white person, who doesn't understand why blacks have white palms, to tell them to look at their tanned arm, and see how the underside is always lighter. They have the same lightness, and hopefully, they will understand that this group of people they see as foreign is not so different after all.User Detail :
Name : Craig, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 37, City : Minneapolis, State : MN Country : United States,I understand Shawn's frustration. Underlying questions such as the ones he refers to is a demand that black people justify their humanity (after all, it wasn't too long ago that black folks were rumored to possess tails). It seems to me that anyone smart enough to operate a computer would also be smart enough to realize that human beings' physical characteristics vary over a wide spectrum (even those within the same 'race'). To continue to allow questions of this nature to be posted on Y? Forum is, in my opinion, counter to the spirit in which this site was supposedly created.User Detail :
Name : ED25503, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 43, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States,While you find the questions asinine, it is important that ignorance on these issues is disspelled. People have many misconceptions, and I would think you would embrace a forum that seeks to promote the facts. It paves the way for understanding.User Detail :
Name : B. Johnston, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States,While I do think the question is a little sensitive, I have to say that I am more provoked by the answers. The questions posed is as legitimate as the questions it, er, questioned. If we are going to treat each other's so-called 'stupid' racial questions with respect, then we should use that same kindness when answering queries of any sort with the same sensitivity. For the record, I disagree about the author's question on whether seemingly offensive questions should be answered. Since the intent here is not to ridicule, we should answer each question as matter-of-factly as they are asked. I used to be offended by questions such as these, too, and as an activist, an African-American studies major and a womanist, I get questions like this very frequently. Since I am also a performance poet and a webmaster, I recently became a lot more accessible, so believe me, I understand your frustration. One day I thought, why not just answer these questions as they come up and postpone my personal feelings, and see what happens? Invariably, dialogue is started when you make a conscious effort not to be offended. A bridge is built, and you eventually get to a point where you can say, 'I prefer you ask questions like that of me than offend others who don't know your intent.' I think it takes a lot of courage on the part of a man to ask me why feminism is necessary, a lot of bravery for a person not of color to ask me if I tan. These questions show that they are interested in people like me, and they trust me enough to ask. Sometimes the questions I get are amusing, sometimes they border on hurtful. But they always end up as one more step toward navigating across this Grand Canyon between groups that should not still be there. Am I suggestiong a love-in? Of course not. but, man, we are stuck together. We might as well be less afraid of each other. If we pass this test of time, maybe our children can bring America to its full potential for all its people.User Detail :
Name : Tinu, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 27, City : Greenbelt, State : MD Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,It is funny that all of the posters who don't have problems asking dumb a** questions are white. Why is that?User Detail :
Name : Black-Female23082, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 24, City : Detroit, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I agree with you Shawn. I think as an African American, I have to treat whites as babies and that they expect me to answer questions on command, no matter how stupid or irrelevent they are. It's not necessary to put every one under a microscope. I don't expect to receive answers from questions like why do whites have thin lips. How would they know?User Detail :
Name : Susan27503, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Boston, State : MA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College,
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