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Post by Fleurs on Dec 18, 2004 22:20:58 GMT -5
Who you think are the worst in guessing nationalities?
After my experience I can say English people, many of them cant tell between chinese/japanese or south european (if very tanned but still very european traits) /middle eastern..etc
I find it a very interesting topic, I m looking forward to see your opinions/experiences.
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Post by jojoscircus on Dec 19, 2004 2:21:15 GMT -5
A chinese woman once told me that although she thought white people were pretty, they all looked the same.
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Post by Solomon on Dec 19, 2004 18:06:54 GMT -5
Americans.
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Post by sbutalia on Dec 20, 2004 19:25:18 GMT -5
A chinese woman once told me that although she thought white people were pretty, they all looked the same. i think american girls all look the same.. maybe because they all TRY to look the same... fake tan.. blonde hair.. blue eyes.. they all DRESS the same as well.. there is no individuality in america lol... well some women (usually brunettes) are just amazingly hot... but americans to me are the worst at guessing nationalities.. they always think im italian because to them an indian has to be dark. |
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Post by jojoscircus on Dec 20, 2004 21:39:26 GMT -5
A Jewish friend of mine who has green-brown eyes, pale oily skin, dark hair, and somewhat semitic features went on a trip throughout Europe. He said everybody asked him if he was Italian (he doesn't look Italian). His theory was that if you look slightly more pigmented and exotic in Europe people think you are Italian. In the US, the equivalent is Mexican. If you look a little different people think you are Mexican.
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Post by Solomon on Dec 20, 2004 22:00:18 GMT -5
^Italian = the default race
It's like you said, if you're a dark white person, people usually think you look Italian.
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Post by buddyrydell on Dec 20, 2004 22:22:28 GMT -5
^Italian = the default race It's like you said, if you're a dark white person, people usually think you look Italian. Very true, though it doesn't get as annoying for me as I actually am Italian-American, but I totally understand that. For many Americans, Mediterranean=Italian. Many think Greeks are Middle Eastern, and I'm shocked as to how many Americans simply think a darker white person has to be part Mexican lol. I've actually gotten a few people who have asked me if I were part Mexican or "Hispanic" as they call it heh. Solomon you'll laugh at this, many people I know can't tell an Arab from an East Indian. I agree that many of our fellow American countrymen are quite bad at distinguishing different peoples. |
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Post by Fleurs on Dec 21, 2004 2:40:38 GMT -5
Oh thanks GOD I was not born in america, it seems to me a very f***ed up place, especialy if it s true what sbutalia said, but I dont really believe there are people confusing an indian for an italian, normaly it s the other way around, a too dark italian mistaken as an indian...
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Post by nordicyouth on Dec 21, 2004 3:10:21 GMT -5
Certainly Americans have problems distinguishing people's ancestry, but the majority of American girls are not blonde haired and blue-eyed. The vast majority are brunettes with brown eyes - some have streaked or bleached their hair - but while you may find many hazel-eyed ones, etc (mixed colour), blue is not that common anymore. It's funny how non-Whites always see more Nordic-looking people than there are, perhaps it's because they are the epitome of Whiteness - the embodiment of Western imperialism, capitalism, and prejudice. Unfortunately, one only has to look beyond the SS officers to see that the man running THAT show wasn't blonde-haired or blue-eyed.
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Post by Solomon on Dec 21, 2004 4:41:23 GMT -5
Very true, though it doesn't get as annoying for me as I actually am Italian-American, but I totally understand that. For many Americans, Mediterranean=Italian... Exactly. Knowing this, it doesn't bother me. Most people in my area have no idea what a Sephardi is, so it's not a big deal. Italians, Jews, we're all Meds anyway. lol. That seems to be fairly common where I'm from. An Indian friend of mind has encountered tons of people like that around here. |
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Post by Ilmatar on Dec 21, 2004 11:30:55 GMT -5
A Jewish friend of mine who has green-brown eyes, pale oily skin, dark hair, and somewhat semitic features went on a trip throughout Europe. He said everybody asked him if he was Italian (he doesn't look Italian). His theory was that if you look slightly more pigmented and exotic in Europe people think you are Italian. In the US, the equivalent is Mexican. If you look a little different people think you are Mexican. You are absolutely right ! My blue-eyed, darkhaired father who likes staying outdoors and tans quite easily is often mistaken for an Italian especially in Germany. Even I used to get comments on being half-Italian when I had my hair dyed dark-brown. |
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Post by buddyrydell on Dec 21, 2004 17:47:36 GMT -5
You are absolutely right ! My blue-eyed, darkhaired father who likes staying outdoors and tans quite easily is often mistaken for an Italian especially in Germany. Even I used to get comments on being half-Italian when I had my hair dyed dark-brown. Yeah, I'd say this is proof that many people place too much emphasis on stereotypes based mostly on pigmentation. I would almost never mistake a dark-haired not-so-pale European for Italian unless their facial features and face shape looked typical for southern Europe. Though pigmentation is important, it's certainly not everything. Some Americans in particular place lots of emphasis on pigmentation. |
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Post by mynameischica on Dec 22, 2004 0:48:33 GMT -5
Who you think are the worst in guessing nationalities? After my experience I can say English people, many of them cant tell between chinese/japanese or south european (if very tanned but still very european traits) /middle eastern..etc I find it a very interesting topic, I m looking forward to see your opinions/experiences. I am only a quarter arab and the rest southern european and have been confused for arabic. |
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Post by Solomon on Dec 22, 2004 2:15:48 GMT -5
1. People can't be "Arabic", Arabic is a language
2. Go away
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Post by Fleurs on Dec 22, 2004 3:06:54 GMT -5
I am only a quarter arab and the rest southern european and have been confused for arabic. If you are 1 quarter semitic they werent really out of track, maybe their precision just upsets you... ;D |
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