<p>I’m afraid I still fail to see how this is about Asians laughing at stereotypically Asian behavior.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, you have hit quite a nerve! A LOT of responses.</p>
<p>I noticed that a LOT of the students at my D’s (we’re just WASPy, except Catholic) summer program were taking courses like algebra 1 and geometry in the summertime. I asked my D’s roommate (Asian-American) why she was taking alg 1 and she said she wasn’t taking it for HS credit, but rather to give her a background for when she took it in the fall. (that way she was sure to get an A)</p>
<p>I was a little shocked. Most American kids, or their families, don’t think ahead like that, and also their parents may not be able to afford the $1,800 cost. American kids are just as smart as Asian kids, but many just don’t have that background of hard work. While I wouldn’t want to see American kids having the same ridiculous amount of pressure from their families that Asian kids seem to ‘enjoy’, I think that so many American kids shouldn’t be averaging 5 hrs a day of tv watching, and something like that for videogames. That can’t be helpful for the development of their talents so that they can have an interesting job someday in a field that interests them.</p>
<p>“I’m afraid I still fail to see how this is about Asians laughing at stereotypically Asian behavior.”</p>
<p>Ok. The stereotype here is that Asians push their kids very hard academically and that they focus on math/science. THis was a sign-up for a calculus class and 34 out of about 35 people were Asian and they were making a mad dash to be first on line. and laughing like heck about it. Does that help? Be aware that this is CC’s Asian stereotype, which may or may not exist anywhere else.</p>
<p>Sorry Zooserman, I’m guess I’m just not following. </p>
<p>I get the stereotype, I get how it’s funny to be making a crazy dash to be first in line. What I’m not seeing is where the interpretation that they were laughing because it’s such an Asian thing comes from. I’m truly not saying this to be infuriating but I just don’t get it. Sorry…</p>
<p>“What I’m not seeing is where the interpretation that they were laughing because it’s such an Asian thing comes from. I’m truly not saying this to be infuriating but I just don’t get it. Sorry…”</p>
<p>It’s not about Asians laughing at stereotypical Asian behavior. It’s about people, who happened to be Asian, laughing at something funny that tied into the stereotype that is held here on CC. Does that distinction clarify?
You’re not getting it because that’s not what I’m saying. The stereotype comes in because of CC, not because of the people present. They and I were simply laughing at a silly situation in the middle of a day. As it was happening, I made the connection with CC and reported it back here. The people were laughing because we were all human beings together seeing something funny.</p>
<p>So they’re laughing because they’re running and when you were there, you were laughing for the same reason. But afterwards, you tie it into this stereotype?</p>
<p>I definitely see the humor in a bunch of people breaking into a run like that but I guess I fail to see the humor in how a particular Asian stereotype turned out to be true. I’m not trying to pick on you Zoosermom but I would feel bad if I’d been one of those parents and I knew that another mom laughed with me because “we were all human beings together seeing something funny” but then later you thought it was amusing how I had fulfilled a stereotype. I hope this explains some of my earlier confusion.</p>
<p>“I’m not trying to pick on you Zoosermom but I would feel bad if I’d been one of those parents and I knew that another mom laughed with me because “we were all human beings together seeing something funny” but then later you thought it was amusing how I had fulfilled a stereotype. I hope this explains some of my earlier confusion.”</p>
<p>You’re simply reading something that isn’t there. It was amusing because it was amusing. Period. Full stop. The stereotype only came into play with respect to CC and I came back to say “I thought you were nuts but sometimes these things do really happen.” I’m sorry that we aren’t communicating because you seem well-intentioned, but clearly you’re not getting what I’m saying and there’s no point in continuing a circular discussion.</p>
<p>Oh, and Kal? The thing is this: as all the running was going on, things were moving quickly. We were all laughing, but it wasn’t until later waiting on the line for a while that I realized that everyone was Asian but us. Because I was bored and studying and counting everyone. At the time of the running of the bulls, I didn’t notice and probably couldn’t have, the ethnicity of the people.</p>
<p>I really was only referring to this part:</p>
<p>You really don’t understand, do you? “The Asian Stereotype (humorous)” and then posting a story about laughing at Asian stereotypical behavior,” </p>
<p>It was about Asians laughing at stereotypical Asian behavior as I’ve clarified repeatedly. Do you think those people were insensitive?</p>
<p>I wasn’t accusing you of laughing at them while you were there, certainly. I get that you weren’t looking around saying “what race are they?” But surely you see how the above paragraph doesn’t seem like a fair response to those who were offended. (How can the Asian parents be “insensitive” or not when they were not laughing in response to the stereotype anyway?) </p>
<p>Very politely, what I’m trying to say is that I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. Obviously I didn’t see the humor in this thread. Maybe that makes me overly sensitive, maybe not. I feel like you might be frustrated because you weren’t the one seeing all these stereotypes before and yet you got all this criticism because you made this one post. For me, that still doesn’t remove (personally) the point I made in post #206.</p>
<p>Kal, we are going to have to agree to disagree. I do think you are overly sensitive in the context and you obviously think I’m not sensitive enough. That’s quite fine on both sides. I accept and respect your opinion. That matters to me very much. What I don’t accept are the calls to not discuss different perceptions.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, it’s refreshing to have a cordial disagreement. I think I like the parent forum!</p>
<p>And very strongly agree that we should discuss different perceptions!</p>
<p>"Zoosermom, it’s refreshing to have a cordial disagreement. I think I like the parent forum!</p>
<p>And very strongly agree that we should discuss different perceptions!"</p>
<p>See? A meeting of the minds. Nice!</p>
<p>Zoosermon, I don’t see the humor either. I wonder how you will react if I started a thread on being amused after observing how people keep bypassing an empty seat in the front of a bus because a large person is occupying one of the two seats. </p>
<p>Do you wonder why 35 out of 36 “selected students” were asians? Perhaps you can admire that aspect of it? Alternatively, perhaps you could be sympathetic toward recent assian immigrants who are not sufficiently educated to appreciate the importance of history or cinema, the two other subjects that you alluded to? Instead, you chose to propagate the stereotype.</p>
<p>Sorry for the venting.</p>
<p>If one person taking umbrage disqualifies us from finding a situation to be humorous, I doubt that anything will be qualified as humorous. There are precious little humor that offends no one. Whether it’s intended to be hurtful is another subject.</p>
<p>Also: Don’t take offense for someone else. It’s not your right or duty.</p>
<p>^^ Agree with Son of Opie. Get over yourselves, people.</p>
<p>“Alternatively, perhaps you could be sympathetic toward recent assian immigrants who are not sufficiently educated to appreciate the importance of history or cinema, the two other subjects that you alluded to?”</p>
<p>I can’t imagine what leap of our imagination would allow you to create a scenario under which these were recent immigrants. I never posted any such thing. Perhaps one should leave one’s own emotions out of a thread if they can’t refrain from embellishing.</p>
<p>"I wonder how you will react if I started a thread on being amused after observing how people keep bypassing an empty seat in the front of a bus because a large person is occupying one of the two seats. "</p>
<p>I see the point you are attempting, badly, to make, and if you had gotten it right, I would laugh at that one too but neither would it apply to me. Here’s the thing: I met my lifelong best friend, the woman whose dog is my daughter’s God-sister, when someone refused to sit next to her on a bus because she was so large. I changed seats to sit next to her and got a blessing beyond measure. This is the woman with whom I embarked on the 6 hour journey into the unknown on 9/11 and who has taught me things I can’t even articulate to you. Your penchant for assumptions and creativity about other posters is extremely unattractive. If you feel the need to make up stories, there are contests for that, but leave me out of it.</p>
<p>“If you feel the need to make up stories” Okay, would you rather have me posted some hilarious chem exam answers by woefully underprepared first year college students?</p>
<p>“Okay, would you rather have me posted some hilarious chem exam answers by woefully underprepared first year college students?”</p>
<p>What I would rather is that you not attribute thing to me that I didn’t post. How’s that for a concept?</p>
<p>Zing! ______</p>
<p>Zoosernom, , you are not acknowledging other people’s perspectives, I think you should just let this thread go.</p>