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Topic: "How do you know I’m NOT a mutant?!" (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:02pm | IP Logged | 1  

Where are you from?

Why doesn't it say so underneath your name?

---

Southern California.

I dunno.
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David Miller
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:07pm | IP Logged | 2  


 QUOTE:
David Miller wrote:
I'm not sure; it's been a whle since I tested myself.

Oh, so you can't. Got it.

Quote:
But I can tell Korean and Japanese names apart, which is darn better than what most Americans can do.

They have a handy compendium of what most Americans can and can't do that you consult on a regular basis?


You realize you're making my point, right?  If we're expected to go strictly on appearance, than people aren't going to make distictions between "Homo Superior" and the people who were exposed to cosmic rays, right? 

I may not be able to tell Koreans apart from Japanese based on appearance, but that's not what makes them different.  Relying on appearance is the crudity I was referring to.

If I meet an Asian named Park, then I would not assume they were Japanese.   Because I'm familiar with the differences in naming conventions.  In college I had a roommate from Korea who vehimently (and offensively) insisted on the clear natural differences between Koreans and Japanese.  I had a friend named Sadat, whose named provided the only clue of his Middle Eastern heritage; he was Persian, and to all appearances Caucasian; he was also raised in New York, so he basically came off as a white guy. 

A lot of the differences that enthicities hold dear between themselves are just not that apparent to people looking from outside. 

Just look at the current contraversy about a Dubai-owned company buying control of US ports.  A whole lot of smart people are hearing the word "Arab" and assuming every Arab is the same. 
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James C. Taylor
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:09pm | IP Logged | 3  

 James C. Taylor wrote:
  1. Where are you from?
  2. Why doesn't it say so underneath your name?

 Michael Roberts wrote:
  1. Southern California.
  2. I dunno.

If you go to settings, then click profile, at the top of your profile page is a location area where you can pick your country of origin, in case you do want to set that.
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David Miller
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:11pm | IP Logged | 4  

I've lived in the US my whole life, grew up in Baltimore, and I've lived in Seattle for the past fifteen years.  My family hails from the Southeast and Midwest, and I've spent a lot of time in those regions, as well as traveled extensively.  The only part of the country I can say I'm entirely unfamiliar with would be the Gulf states.   
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James C. Taylor
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:11pm | IP Logged | 5  

 David Miller wrote:
You realize you're making my point, right?

Actually, I don't care. I merely wanted to call you on your boast that you can tell Japanese and Koreans apart.

 David Miller wrote:
I may not be able to tell Koreans apart from Japanese based on appearance...

And my work here is done.
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James C. Taylor
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:19pm | IP Logged | 6  

Since you're an American, David, I think you need to cut your fellow Americans some slack with the whole can't tell Asians apart, thing.

Because I am originally from the Cleveland area, I can tell (to a small degree) a Polish surname from a Ukranian one from a Russian one.

But I would not take it as some sort of blunt racial attitude that most people here in the South where I currently live can't do it, and certainly not as an indicator that they are therefore more likely to not make a distinction. That, to steal a phrase, is the soft bigotry of low expectations.
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Ray Brady
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:19pm | IP Logged | 7  

I can tell Eskimos from Leprechauns based on flavor alone, and there's
nothing you can do to stop me.
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David Miller
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:29pm | IP Logged | 8  


 QUOTE:
David Miller wrote:
You realize you're making my point, right?

Actually, I don't care. I merely wanted to call you on your boast that you can tell Japanese and Koreans apart.

David Miller wrote:
I may not be able to tell Koreans apart from Japanese based on appearance...

And my work here is done.


Boast?  Hmmm...  Let's go to the source.


 QUOTE:
(many Americans can't tell the difference between Asian backgrounds, for example, or between Arabs and South Asians)


Yeah, I was clearly swinging my dick in your face.  I can see how that set you off.

You again make my point for me by being unable to get past the simplest of distinctions. The word I used was "background," not "appearance."  Which means you're demonstrating the same lack of nuance I was talking about (unless you intentionally moved the goalposts, which is sort of... dishonest).    

Shouldn't you be out picketing the Baxter Building or something?
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David Miller
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:34pm | IP Logged | 9  


 QUOTE:
But I would not take it as some sort of blunt racial attitude that most people here in the South where I currently live can't do it, and certainly not as an indicator that they are therefore more likely to not make a distinction. That, to steal a phrase, is the soft bigotry of low expectations.


To clarify:  I'm making blunt cultural distiction. 

Compare the US to Europe.  American racial bigotry is pretty simple: White, Black, Asian, etc.  As opposed to Europe, where Poles, Slavs, etc have historically been oppressed.  I don't think most people in America see  or care about the differences between Czechs and Slavs, for example. 
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Ed Aycock
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:35pm | IP Logged | 10  

The original premise of the thread reminds me that in "Days of Future Past", the non-mutants were killed alongside the mutants.  So, people really couldn't tell.
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David Miller
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:37pm | IP Logged | 11  

I just want to make clear: any infringement on mutant rights is wrong.  Between Ed Brubaker, Peter Milligan and all of Marvel editorial, they have enough problems of their own.  
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James C. Taylor
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Posted: 02 March 2006 at 7:48pm | IP Logged | 12  

 David Miller wrote:
To clarify: I'm making blunt cultural distiction.

That's fine, but that's not what you said at first.
 David Miller wrote:
I don't think most people in America see or care about the differences between Czechs and Slavs, for example.

Probably true, but how does that make them more likely to not see the difference between Iron Man and the Toad?
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