Ethnicity

[Guest Evil_Labs]

For better or for worse, ethnicity is an easy, quick way to distinguish people sometimes. The trick is separating what is appearance and by birth from the equation a person uses in their mind to size up a person's worth. That's a very difficult thing to do for a lot of people, particularly if they've been raised in an environment that is condescending towards one group or another.

[Guest Melody Fate]

I use skin color as a descriptive as well; "there was this hot guy in the bus... tall, buff, Black, with dreads"... I swear whenever I saw that guy I would swoon. There was about two weeks where he kept getting in the same bus as me, but I'm too shy to talk to him x_x. So everytime he'd look in my direction I'd look away 'cause I'm shy as hell with other guys sometimes; I don't want to be noticed (what a good way of getting noticed though -.-'). I hope he didn't take this as racism x_x.

If he knows anything about body langauge, he shouldn't. The body language for, "Oh gosh you are too cute for words" is a whole lot different than the body language for, "Eww, why do they let people like that out in public?"

[Nanaea]

Oreo cookie? So damn cute ^___^.

I thought so too.

There was about two weeks where he kept getting in the same bus as me, but I'm too shy to talk to him x_x. So everytime he'd look in my direction I'd look away 'cause I'm shy as hell with other guys sometimes; I don't want to be noticed (what a good way of getting noticed though -.-').

I had a similar experience at Walmart recently. The guy was either Hispanic or had a lot of Native American blood and was prolly 10 years yonger than me (ah, the benefits of looking younger than your years, sigh). I think he works in electronics. Anyway, I saw him there everytime I went into Walmart in June. Unfortunatley, I'm married so I really couldn't flirt with him, but it didn't stop me from looking (when he wasn't, of course)!!

My Dad was raised in a part of Michigan that had a ton of black people, and he went to high school with them. The way he talked about them used to make me want to be sick.

Detroit or Benton Harbor? I grew up in Michigan. I know what you mean. It always made me sick too.

[Guest Nympho]

Ethnicity? Fuck it, you're either an asshole or your not, that's how I judge people.

Sounds perfectly logical to me.

The only way my ethnicity affects my everyday life is the fact I somehow inherited our Irish and German genes way more than most of my family. I wound up an albino and have to be very careful about sunlight. Other than that I'm pretty much an American mutt.

[Guest Adara]

It means tons to me, but not in a negative way. I mean, different cultures bring different beliefs, not to mention great food! I'm all about the great food! Not to mention that I try to be as polite to people as possible, and sometimes, something we hispanic people might find offensive is something others do regularly.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Sounds perfectly logical to me.

The only way my ethnicity affects my everyday life is the fact I somehow inherited our Irish and German genes way more than most of my family. I wound up an albino and have to be very careful about sunlight. Other than that I'm pretty much an American mutt.

Albinoism can be passed on like that? I though it was just a random genetic anomally (at least, that's what I was taught). As far as I know, it has little to do with geography and more to do with randomness.

Or is it just that you're very fair-skinned? My mom burns excessivly easy as well due to (I suspect) her north-eastern european genes. I got off lucky, I tan quickly but rarely burn.

[Madame Manga]

I enjoy the fact that we don't all match. Male, female, tall, short, thin, plump, dark, light...whatever. Anything else, and the whole world would be like those manufactured neighborhoods where all the houses look similar and are painted in similar colors, so that small children get lost only a block away from home. Uniformity is highly overrated.

Scientifically speaking, it seems that some human differences do exist beneath the skin; there is enough genetic variation between ethnic pools that you can predict different reactions to certain drugs, different susceptibilities to certain diseases and so on. It's not useful to say "We're all really the same at heart!" because we're not identical. And that's good.

Variations between individuals of the same "race" are usually larger than variations between "races", however. Each person's DNA and formative experiences are unique; you've got something in common with the entire human race and with your immediate biological family, and something special to you alone, or which you share with people who have no other connection to you. The internet is great for discovering the existence of your one soulmate on earth who likes both Jane Austen novels and professional wrestling. For example.

Besides, people are just plain pretty. I love the fact that black men's butts tend to be well rounded, that Asian women's hair tends to be straight and glossy and capable of growing very long, that Scandinavians have nearly translucent skin and that Persians have huge, luminous brown eyes. And the ethnic mixes! The loveliest child I ever saw had a Japanese mother and a European father. I melt in the face of human beauty...

MM

[Guest Nympho]

Albanism is a double-recessive. Both parents have to have the gene. My dad has is from a German great gandmother, and my mom from an Irish grandfather. I wish like hell I would have gotten my mom's Cherokee traits instead.

[Guest Jackie_Boi]

And anyway, most Michiganders are crazy. IMO, the only non-crazy ones are the ones who left the state for good

hmpf, I live in a small city right outside Detroit, and I wouldn't say that I'm crazy ! Altho...I do plan to leave once I'm done with college.

[Guest Melody Fate]

Most of my family comes from Michigan. Not Detroit though. They're great people. Farmers. They'll boil the snot out of anything you give 'em to eat, but they're wonderful people.