<p>Alumother, your weight is also based on your frame. Asian women have smaller frames. Smaller feet. Narrower shoulders. Smaller hands. I still don’t see how laughing about someone’s weight/size/height can be compared to commenting unfavorably on rude & pushy behavior.</p>
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<p>Since when is running to the queue rude and pushy behavior? They are just running, not pushing… were you there?</p>
<p>“if I start a forum saying jewish stereotypes didn’t come from thin air, I wonder what kind of responses will follow.”</p>
<p>You don’t have to start one. Read the one running now in Parent Cafe related to McCain and Hagee. These are more about anti-semitic comments, but I usually consider Jewish stereotypes, anti-semitic, also.</p>
<p>Sunnymamere:</p>
<p>Okay, I missed the pop in pop singer.<br>
But I know plenty of English Ph.D.s who do not appear bright to mathematicians and plenty of top flight scientists who seem dumb to historians or literature Ph.D.s. What’s your criterion for judging someone bright or not? Will I sound awfully dumb if I admit that I don’t know what Cauchy numbers are? Will a physicist sound awfully dumb if s/he does not know about the Fronde?</p>
<p>I have spent my life sounding dumb to friends of mine who have only a B.A. from third tier universities because they know where the best deals are for clothes or electronics, etc… and I hate shopping and thus don’t have the same amount of knowledge. But among my peers, I’m considered pretty good.</p>
<p>I promise. No frame impact. They just are able to eat a lot less than I do. I could be as skinny as them. Was skinnier as a young woman. But now I like my cheese and wine. Two things Chinese in China consume little of.</p>
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<p>Exactly, I doubt many Jewish readers will allow so many posters spewing stereotypes about Jews. But why is it so many will allow it for Asian stereotypes ?</p>
<p>Is it the squeaky wheels phenomenon? Asians too passive?</p>
<p>So Asians should consider Asian stereotypes here anti -Asian, you agree?</p>
<p>Marite #144</p>
<p>Marite, I was attempting to make the distinction that a virtuoso violinist or Michaelangelo cannot be created by any parent who is attempting to direct their child’s career path. I realize I chose my words poorly by the responses
I received.</p>
<p>I admit I did not read the previous posts made today carefully. My skimming seemed to indicate that the artistic students’ comments were being criticized.</p>
<p>The idea that a student should pursue a math or science career seems perfectly logical to me. Unless someone is very talented, an arts’ career is very difficult. I know several PhD musicians who wish they had gone to law school.</p>
<p>I also sensed that the Asian respondents felt they were unable to defend themselves. That is a cultural trait, I think. If that comment had been applied to my nationality, even in jest, I would have had the same response as Alumother. Just as she realized it was not intended to be hurtful, so did I. My post #34 was to encourage a discussion that might educate people about racism. </p>
<p>My criteria for judging someone dumb or not (your words) is the universal judgement. They get their PhD from a 4th tier college. They get it from an online school. They have never published. They don’t receive tenure. I realize there are specialists and generalists, self taught people who have never had formal schooling, but are very bright. </p>
<p>As I am sure you know, one could go on and on defining intelligence.</p>
<p>The idea that a student should pursue a math or science career is perfectly logical to me, as well. Provided that the student has an aptitude for math or science. Which is not given to just anyone. </p>
<p>There are lots of high-schoolers who are quite decent at high school math or science and realize in college that they don’t have what it takes to do college-level science or math or pre-med. They drop out like flies after weed-out courses such as organic chemistry. Often, though, parents, and especially immigrant parents, try to pressure these students into soldiering on, convinced that the reason their child is not succeeding is lack of application. I’ve known several cases in which such students became emotional basket cases.</p>
<p>As I said, online degrees are not worth the paper they’re printed on.</p>
<p>“But what I says has import, so I am willing to persist”</p>
<p>And I respect your opinion, but I think it’s hyper-sensitivity that precludes understanding and open communication. Much better we should discuss something that seems amusing, different or confusing and share something in return than to pretend we don’t see what we do.</p>
<p>“I have many Jewish friends who fit into the Asian stereotypes, aggressive, success oriented, have children who are either doctors, lawyers or bankers, very creative in getting the best deal etc.if I start a forum saying jewish stereotypes didn’t come from thin air, I wonder what kind of responses will follow.”</p>
<p>I’ve already posted that I’m a member of a stereotypical community and Staten Islanders get made fun of all the time. I take no offense, just show something different. Actually, you know what? There ARE aspects of the stereotype that apply to me and some of them are funny.</p>
<p>I have been a cc member for a while but I have been just browsing. I read through this whole thread and there are lots going through my mind. I am Korean- a first generation- and I teach at a university here in the states. I have a sophomore son in high school I am going to take some time to think about this and will get back on this discussion…hmmm…I will give some serious thoughts.</p>
<p>I have not read all the posts, but ZooserMom, my kids were in a sport league with age brackets and I did data entry. Almost every year I would catch some one lying about their kids birthday to have them compete in a lower age division. </p>
<p>They were usually white, maybe whited lie for a sports advantage?? I certainly knew several people who red shirted their kids out of kindergarten to make sure they would every athletic advantage- for the truly gifted ones it did seem to help. Many kids in my Ds age bracket sport were in a grade below her and many of them are competing in university in the sport of their choosing. How is that for the All American stereotype?</p>
<p>our community league you provided birth certificates with registration, so grade wasnt relevant just age</p>
<p>Zoosermom - I have to admit I am so surprised and disappointed at how serious this thread has become. I didn’t sense any nastiness on your part - and I thought your description was pretty darn funny. I suspect you could write an equally funny post about aggressive sports moms, or overzealous girl scout leaders, or crazed tupperware ladies. </p>
<p>Hey, I have always been a wise cracking, slightly irreverent person myself (which I attribute to my Irish Catholic background) so your humor didn’t strike me as offensive, because all it did was put a funny spin on people whose only crime is perhaps caring TOO much for their kids.</p>
<p>Look, I don’t like sarcasm or hatred veiled with humor - but I like to laugh and I will be the first to make myself the butt of a joke or a story. In fact laughter feeds my spririt, my marriage, and my life. When something bad has happened in a day, DH and I can usually find a way to see the lighter side. </p>
<p>I have never met you, Z-mom, but I suspect you are much the same.</p>
<p>I agree. I thought the op was funny and I tried to put a different perspective into the phenom. </p>
<p>I suppose it is also good some people see it differently and want to have a serious discussion about stereotypes.</p>
<p>"didn’t sense any nastiness on your part - and I thought your description was pretty darn funny. I suspect you could write an equally funny post about aggressive sports moms, or overzealous girl scout leaders, or crazed tupperware ladies. "</p>
<p>Exactly, and what seems to be lost in the shuffle is that EVERYONE was laughing. It was just a darn funny experience. The age thing, not so much, but if there were three it’s a lot, so they don’t represent anyone except themselves.</p>
<p>"Look, I don’t like sarcasm or hatred veiled with humor - but I like to laugh and I will be the first to make myself the butt of a joke or a story. In fact laughter feeds my spririt, my marriage, and my life. When something bad has happened in a day, DH and I can usually find a way to see the lighter side. </p>
<p>I have never met you, Z-mom, but I suspect you are much the same."</p>
<p>Yes that’s right. If you’ve ever seen or can see the MTV show “True Life: I’m a Staten Island Girl,” populated by inarticulate Oompa Loompas (that’s what we call tanning booth addicts), then you would know I can laugh at my own community just as well. More, even. But you know what? When posting this, someone came back and discussed the lack of resources in some Asian countries, which put a different light on it. I’ll remember that in future if I have dealings with people of Asian descent who might seem pushy to me at first, so the exchange of information was helpful. Bottom line: something funny happened that related to CC. I posted it for comment and got some good comments and there was no ill will from me and I don’t think from most other posters, either. No harm, no foul.</p>
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Somemom, again, it was not picked out of the air. It is true that many Americans put an inordinate weight on their kids’ sports prowess. Parental pressure to achieve can be harmful, just as an inordinate weight on test scores or obsession with math/science to the exclusion of other interests among many Asian families is harmful. My D e-mailed me her SAT subject tests today. She mentioned that a Korean girl is curled up in the fetal position because she scored below 600. SHe is known to have crazy parents. I feel terrible knowing what that poor girl will face after arriving home today.</p>
<p>I agree, worknprogress. The post was not intended to be nasty, and I, too, love to laugh.</p>
<p>___<strong><em>(ethnic/racial group) is very </em></strong> (adjective).</p>