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Do you think certain countries tend to think about race

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Ukonkivi Over 10,000 dead.:< Since: Aug, 2009
Over 10,000 dead.:<
#1: Jan 30th 2011 at 6:25:22 AM

More than others?

For instance, the comedy in the United States of America seems to be fairly racial. People are ALWAYS basing routines around. I personally abhor racial comedy, but that's beside the point.

In the United States, there seems to be books and books and books and books about race. Now it's largely about the problem of racism. But a lot of actual "pro-racist", if you might call it that, material, was also written here. You would think that "The Passing of the Great Race" was written in Germany, but it's actually written in the United States. And it's become a stereotype of racial minorities itself that the material they write and talk about will be racial in nature.

For instance, loads and loads of materials by "Asian Americans" is racial in nature. About "Asian fetishism" as a growing problem, emasculation of Asian men, and all sorts of material that I, personally find, very racist in nature.

And yet, in countries such as Japan, Korea, even places like Turkey and Russia it seems to be, well, pretty well absent.

Among English speakers, Mukokuseki seems to be a major talking point. But I hardly hear anything related to it in Japan. One almost would get the feeling it would be alien and annoying to them how much we do.

The English version of Yahoo!Answers has it's cultural section dedicated to discussion of racial matters, often of a rude and racist manner. And youtube is littered with nearly every video being derailed into a discussion of race.

Is this in any way a founded feeling that some countries have cultures that might think about it a little more than others? Or maybe I'm just not noticing it because I'm not multilingual enough?

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Beholderess from Moscow Since: Jun, 2010
#2: Jan 30th 2011 at 6:35:38 AM

I guess it is not so common in countries that are more or less racially homogeneous.

If we disagree, that much, at least, we have in common
Ukonkivi Over 10,000 dead.:< Since: Aug, 2009
Over 10,000 dead.:<
#3: Jan 30th 2011 at 6:41:31 AM

Actually, I bet Moroccans don't think about it a lot, either. I sure haven't heard a lot about the issue when reading about Morocco. I bet they're so used to their diversity that race isn't even a thought.

And I've been told by "Raw Power" here it's a country with a lot of "diversity".

... Or I could be wholly ignorant here. Where's Raw Power when you need him to confirm so we can do less research of our own on the country?

edited 30th Jan '11 6:49:38 AM by Ukonkivi

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CaissasDeathAngel House Lewis: Sanity is Relative from Dumfries, SW Scotland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
House Lewis: Sanity is Relative
#4: Jan 30th 2011 at 6:44:22 AM

Depends on the culture I think. In the UK, bigotry is more of a direct issue than race per se. Even with economic issues, the deprived areas very obviously affect all areas, even if minorities are even worse. Glasgow for example - something like 70% of the population are working class, so while it also has one of the highest immigrant populations in the UK, they're definitely not the only impoverished ones.

So yes, depends on the culture and country really.

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myrdschaem Since: Dec, 2010
#5: Jan 30th 2011 at 7:08:23 AM

Yeah, it's pretty noticable. Having even a space for "race" to fill in on any formular would probably get alot of double takes here. What do you need that information for, anyway?

For me the question is, are we going to get the same attitude of the US (both bad and good - you seem to be more aware of the thematic) if our citizens become more heterogenous or is it an issue we won't face in the future. Still, discrimination for nationality or religion exists but not for "race". Strange, huh?

BalloonFleet MASTER-DEBATER from Chicago, IL, USA Since: Jun, 2010
MASTER-DEBATER
#6: Jan 30th 2011 at 7:54:18 AM

>> all sorts of material that I, personally find, very racist in nature. . >>And yet, in countries such as Japan, Korea, even places like Turkey and Russia it seems to be, well, pretty well absent.

I think that's because you can't read their languages, as they enjoy racist shit just as much as americans. americans are more 'classy' about it IRL though

EDIT: see those Tabloid magazines in Japan that talks about 'foreigners doing crime in OUR country'. I know sankakucomplex has written articles about that. OF course, in East Asia they aren't going to yell in your face 'Japan for Japanese' and jump you as Russians in Moscow would (Russia for Russians)

EDIT 2: for examples of racism in russia, go on stormfront's east europe/russia section and 'slavic unity' forums.

Heck, go on 4chan /int/ and see all that played out there (P An-Turkic nationalists vs Kurds, etc. Misplaced Nationalism basically

edited 30th Jan '11 8:00:34 AM by BalloonFleet

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Beholderess from Moscow Since: Jun, 2010
#7: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:00:48 AM

There is quite a lot of nationalism here, unfortunately. But it is not technically a racial issue, unless one is going to equate race and ethnicity.

If we disagree, that much, at least, we have in common
Ukonkivi Over 10,000 dead.:< Since: Aug, 2009
Over 10,000 dead.:<
#8: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:03:57 AM

Tabloid magazines are just one aspect of pop media, though.

By the way, tell me about . I mostly hear about Russia as having an over-exaggerated Pan-Slavic and Neo-Eurastianist and maybe even Turanist sympathetic movement growing of some sort. But it's mostly like whispers in the dark, I don't hear so much hands on material about it than mention of a couple figures such as Aleksandr Dugin and nothing else. Everyone else isn't by name, they give a couple figure and everyone else becomes this "nameless Nazi horde" crawling about in Russia. Somehow I get the feeling it's exaggerated.

And saying "over-exaggerated" doesn't make sense, silly me.

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Beholderess from Moscow Since: Jun, 2010
#9: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:10:24 AM

They exist, and they are loud and noticeable. But most normal people, even otherwise quite nationalistic ones, consider them idiots, and even traitors of sorts. WW 2 is still considered a sore topic - and point of pride, too - so fascism is seen as betrayal of memory of those who fought here and is not accepted kindly. But seems to be fashionable among damn impressionable youth with nothing better to do who wants to feel superior and special for some reason.

edited 30th Jan '11 8:11:11 AM by Beholderess

If we disagree, that much, at least, we have in common
Grain Only One Avatar from South Northwest Earth Since: Oct, 2009
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#10: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:14:49 AM

Race is more salient in the USA because the USA is a melting pot. Russia is 1.6% non-indigenous. Japan's non-Japanese population is 1.5%. Germany's non-German population is 9%. I couldn't even find a number for Turkey on Wikipedia. Et cetera.

The USA is 74.8% percent White (and remember, USA is extremely large compared to other countries). Since Ukonkivi is talking about media, it should be noted that cities, the big media producers, are the most diverse places in the country. Hollywood is 59.84% White. New York City is 44.6% White. Chicago is 42% White. Et cetera.

edited 30th Jan '11 8:14:57 AM by Grain

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Ukonkivi Over 10,000 dead.:< Since: Aug, 2009
Over 10,000 dead.:<
#11: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:15:39 AM

Surely you can have diversity without the setback of people talking about race way too much.

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Grain Only One Avatar from South Northwest Earth Since: Oct, 2009
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#12: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:16:27 AM

Why is talking about race a bad thing? What country do you live in, Ukonkivi?

edited 30th Jan '11 8:18:19 AM by Grain

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CaissasDeathAngel House Lewis: Sanity is Relative from Dumfries, SW Scotland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
House Lewis: Sanity is Relative
#13: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:18:38 AM

[up]Because skin colour shouldn't determine anything other than skin colour? It does, but it shouldn't, in an ideal world. We're all people. End of.

My name is Addy. Please call me that instead of my username.
Grain Only One Avatar from South Northwest Earth Since: Oct, 2009
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#14: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:19:42 AM

[up]That would true in a perfect world. However, racial dynamics definitely exist in our world. Problems like racism should always be discussed, not ignored.

edited 30th Jan '11 8:20:17 AM by Grain

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Ukonkivi Over 10,000 dead.:< Since: Aug, 2009
Over 10,000 dead.:<
#15: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:22:52 AM

I live in the United States. I'm sick of hearing about it. Honestly.

In a Utopian world with Ponies and Rainbows which we don't have in the world currently because they're made of magic and not common science, nobody would have heard about racial issues.

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Ultrayellow Unchanging Avatar. Since: Dec, 2010
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#16: Jan 30th 2011 at 8:26:43 AM

Even though Morocco is pretty diverse, they've been that way for a while. America's racial dynamics are changing, and even what they had before was relatively recent.

Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.
myrdschaem Since: Dec, 2010
#17: Jan 30th 2011 at 9:00:14 AM

Talking about race isn't bad, per se of course. But the US does practices different. There's support/scholarships for e.g. studying for non-white members of society in the US, right? In my country those scholarships would be given to students with migration background. I'm not sure if there's an explicit scholarship program for non-white students. If that's good or bad, I don't know.

Ukonkivi Over 10,000 dead.:< Since: Aug, 2009
Over 10,000 dead.:<
#18: Jan 30th 2011 at 9:20:13 AM

May I be allowed to not enjoy it?

I think I am surely allowed to feel discomfort with a frequent array of it.

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zoulza WHARRGARBL Since: Dec, 2010
WHARRGARBL
#19: Jan 30th 2011 at 2:35:03 PM

I think countries that are less racially diverse do tend to be more racist, simply because they're not as exposed to people of different race. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I was a bit prejudiced before I moved to the US and saw people of different races working side by side and no one having a problem with it. But my dad, who stayed in Russia, well... he's pretty racist by American standards. (I mean, for christ's sake, we went to Paris over the summer, and he talked a lot about the history and architecture and stuff, because he's a bit of a history buff like that. Then, we went downtown, and he tells me "you can tell this is the bad part of town, because there's niggers everywhere.")

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#20: Jan 30th 2011 at 2:52:03 PM

Looking at this from the perspective of my country, Australia - I think we deal a lot more with 'culture' than with 'race'. People are more worried about the fact that people do things differently to us, have different customs, than the fact that their skin is a different colour. Talking about cultural heritage is a big thing sometimes - people pride themselves on being multicultural and yet still Australian.

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