"Missing White Woman Syndrome"

European descent doesn't say much though, actually. White has come to mean a collection of phenotypical traits largely associated with Europe, particularly white skin. It's used for more though it ought to not. And is sometimes even simply used in contrast with African Americans in our country which conveniently ignores other groups. Anyway, since the term white is so variety, meaning "European", some people claiming certain Europeans aren't "white" throughout history, meaning light skin, meaning some nebulous concept of facial structure that most "white" people don't share, I just thought it would be good to clarify. Hearing "white" doesn't tell me very much.

Cookie Cutter Cuties says a lot more. So I see. Yleck, I've never enjoyed the "Cookie Cutter Cuties" aesthetic present in American media. That aesthetic isn't even representative of the majority of women of European descent. I don't know why this is so popular, but I think it's annoying. I guess it's a continuation of the classical "Hollywood beauty".

Anyway, I guess I was sort of curious if this sort of thing included "Asian" and "Hispanic" women. I hear a lot of this about "Missing White Woman Syndrome" being centric to "white" and "black", with no mention of Asians and Hispanics, almost as they're being lumped in with one group or another. Like is done with many racial issues. Or Arabs, for that matter. If someone on TV is likely to be chosen based upon being white, does that mean a young Israeli American girl is unlikely to be shown? "White" doesn't really tell me much. Rather, it gives me all sorts of possible ideas.

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The Asian and Hispanic and probably Israli girls would fall under the "black" side as you described as being the ones who are less likely to be given screen time and be unrepresented victims of MWWS.

It's basically people whose melanin is too high or doesn't fit something similar to the Cookie Cutter Cutie standard.

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According to that article, the default skin colour for "Cookie Cutter Cuties" is actually tan and But Not Too White. Or basically somewhere between But Not Too White and But Not Too Black. That definitely includes a lot of people of non-European, of Asian(Israeli is technically in Asia, but because of the "Arab" classification, we call them Arab Americans, I think I've heard some people call Arab Americans classified as "White American"), Hispanic American, Native American, all very, very frequently have skin tones common among so called "white" Americans. I am a European American, and yet there are Asians with less "yellow" skin and skin paler than mine. I have black hair and green eyes and a natural "tan" to my skin which can be darker than the skin of some Asians. And Angelina Jolie, whom is on that "Cookie Cutter Cutie" list, has darker skin than MANY Asians.

See, that's why race is so confusing. You're saying that white is pretty plainly known to in the United States to mean "European American". But apparently many people considered Arabs "White". Also South Africa apparently has considered Japanese people white. White means so many things it's not even funny.

Anyway, now you're clarifying it being about skin colour. That's why I asked to begin with. At first I thought "European American, hmmmmm, does that mean people who are pale skinned but not European do not count, such as the many pale Asians, such as Israelis, are not to be selected for this?", or by "white" do we mean "skin colour", or does "white" mean some ill defined collection of traits such as being taller or having a long nose?

I think it'd be good to have a close description of what the cultural and phenotypical features are of people who are so called selected against those who are not. If you're saying "White" as in European, you're not saying skin colour, you're saying things such as Irish American and Spanish American. If you're describing a skin colour, you're not describing "white" to mean European.

When you said this

You were pretty clear in the European meaning.

However, when you said this

You basically contradicted that.

edited 28th Feb '11 4:19:57 PM by Ukonkivi

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If it makes things easier, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant with a dose of Cookie Cutter Cuties is what is meant.

edited 28th Feb '11 4:16:27 PM by Jordan

Hodor

I was beign cynical but racism with that second statement but i get what you're saying, but I basically mwant the first one.

You see, it's like that semantics thing I broguht up barely a few posts ago, unless everybody in the conversation is coming form identical cultural backgrounds the words thrown around that we think is universally the same is different to someone from elsewhere. These race topics are confusing and to be fair, it really doesn't make sense, but they are the social constructs they are we have to deal with it despite their worthlessness.

I mean we can sit around here all day trying to define exactly what we're all talking about here. I mean to some extent a good number of South East Asians and Arab people could be considered "White" by definition of skin but there are so many things like facial structure and features that make oh so many differences that the terms are virtually meaningless. What is white? What is Asian? What separates Black and Brown? Should we still Yellow and Red? What about them Arab people who aren't dark enough to be Black and brown but not light enough to be white or yellow?

Trying to weed out the teeny little nuances for a topic as basic as "The News is Racist When it Comes to kidnappings: How and Why?" into a nightmare.

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I really think class has more to do with it than race. For example, it's pretty clear that the reason the police didn't care about Pickton's victims was more to do with them being (mostly) drug-addicted prostitutes than being (mostly) Native American. After all, they didn't suddenly become concerned when he attacked a white prostitute.

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