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[Alpha-Bromega]

this is a question i've been thinking about a lot lately. It seems every time I read a piece on/against stereotypes (for instance the Jeremy Lin cracked article) or casual racism sometimes I feel admittedly conflicted with this question; where does a set of cultural traits (as well as food, language and other cultural forms) which has developed through the respective history of a group become a stereotype and a mean of casual or extreme (violent even?) racism.

where's the line between these? there's no doubt that cultures can differ widely, drastically, each with their own 'perks' and then on wider strata they can be seperated, but it seems even to generalize these (from German punctuality to Western views on X ) can be seen as stereotyping. or?

ps; Clearly "ching chong chang u eat frie rie" or "ey broda gotsta eat dat fride chikken son" or whatever offensive shit that can come out of a dumbasses mouth is racism, but there are generalisations that can be more or less true within a given cultural group. There will always be exceptions, outliers and such, in fact those people are necessary, but I just wonder where saying "Rice is a staple of Asian Cuisine" which is a fact and a part of the culture, and the above mentioned racist slur.

 

[Noirulus]

You draw the line when cultural traits are used to attack one's culture? That's how it is for me.

I'm reminded of my Indian friend who was raised in Japan. They called him "Curry boy" because he wore a yellow jacket to school. Eating curry is a part of Indian culture, but when someone uses that to attack the person/their culture, that is over the line.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Assumptions about people.

I don't know where the line is, but once you say "All of those people are *blank*" you are way over the line.

 

[daviyoung]

I draw the line when it's about my culture.

 

[edornob]

WOULD

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

At the bus terminal as far as I can tell.

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

You draw the line when cultural traits are used to attack one's culture? That's how it is for me.

I'm reminded of my Indian friend who was raised in Japan. They called him "Curry boy" because he wore a yellow jacket to school. Eating curry is a part of Indian culture, but when someone uses that to attack the person/their culture, that is over the line.

that's what i was thinking as well.

and ouch, that story is awful :'(

 

[Al-ibn Kermit]

I guess a cultural trait is something you observe to be true. A stereotype is something you assume to be true.


The twist is there isn't a massive difference between anecdotes and assumptions.

Assumptions about people.

I don't know where the line is, but once you say "All of those people are *blank*" you are way over the line.

I've heard a lot of people say that most/all the members of their own culture are shallow, rude, gossipy, or racist even.

 

[Noirulus]

that's what i was thinking as well.

and ouch, that story is awful :'(

Yeah, and there's even worse stories of what he went through. He's a bit of a weird guy now because of all the bullying he's experienced as a kid.

 

[Slayer-33]

When your friend leans over to you on the train and whispers "voodoo" into your ear once you both saw a Jamaican guy with alot of hair/bangs-braids scrunched up in a huge bun under his cover hat.


That friend of mine almost gave me a heart attack from laughter, the train was packed and then he tells me that shit like that... He even mimmicked the African accent... I'm like omg..


People thought I was crazy man lol...

Picture that in your head and not laugh.. Packed A train during afternoon rush hour here in manhattan.. And everyone is really quiet.

 

[Desmond]

When your friend leans over to you on the train and whispers "voodoo" into your ear once you both saw a Jamaican guy with alot of hair/bangs-braids scrunched up in a huge bun under his cover hat.


That friend of mine almost gave me a heart attack from laughter, the train was packed and then he tells me that shit like that... He even mimmicked the African accent... I'm like omg..


People thought I was crazy man lol...

Picture that in your head and not laugh.. Packed A train during afternoon rush hour here in manhattan.. And everyone is really quiet.

Jamaican. African.



Wut?

 

[rdrr gnr]

Patrice O'Neil had a great bit on this question. To him, there was a difference between being 'racial' and being 'racist.' It's a sentiment that I generally share. No amount of political correctness is going to mitigate certain realities (e.g. Asian people eat lots of rice), but the best we can do is be honest about it. It becomes an issue when it's malicious in nature and without any context is meant to demean and demoralize and to truly discriminate. For example, no Jeremy Lin pun has been inappropriate to me personally, not even 'chink in the armor.' What are the chances that reporter who wrote that is actually racist? I'd say it's highly unlikely. Whereas, when a candidate for political office believes all black people are on welfare, that's a different issue. The most appropriate criticism of my position is probably that 'certain realities' are not often realities, which I will concede as so, but I generally don't find some stereotypes to be completely unfounded. My response would be, that sort of 'fabricated' reality should be contextualized and understood and not wholly condemned for just being uttered.

I draw the line when it's about my culture.

Oh, man. Don't even get me started on this bullshit.

 

[wenis]

what line?

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

For example, no Jeremy Lin pun has been inappropriate to me personally, not even 'chink in the armor.' What are the chances that reporter who wrote that is actually racist? I'd say it's highly unlikely. Whereas, when a candidate for political office believes all black people are on welfare, that's a different issue.

the crux i think is that these so called 'cute and casual' racism's are simply manifested from or are helped from the structural racism

 

[krypt0nian]

Stereotypes get a bad wrap. It's not like they aren't ever true. They're just bad when you go in with that assumption that they are.

 

[rdrr gnr]

the crux i think is that these so called 'cute and casual' racism's are simply manifested from or are helped from the structural racism

Sure, in some cases that may be so, and it others that may not be. Elaborating on this Lin example, this man has become an overnight superstar. How many of those people (his viewers) do you think have made a Lin joke, or pun, or even commented about Lin in some racial manner? How many people do you think also draw from the pool of structural racism? After uttering a pun, do they then deny his success on a racial basis? Do they like him any less? And if anything, his success deconstructs certain racial stereotypes.