Needs Help: Identical Looking Asians

While discussing on the Nostalgia Critic cleanup thread, mightymewtron and I decided this trope needed TRS after we found an example where the Critic thinks black people look alike. However, the trope description forbids races other than East Asians as the butt of the joke. Since a good chunk of examples both on-page and off apply this trope to other races, as well as in instances of Fantastic Racism (which is what Ditto Aliens is for, sort of), I'd say this trope needs an overhaul. Here's the wick check.

Tropes Are Flexible, so I'd say we broaden the definition, and change this trope's name to "Other Races Look The Same".

Edited by ccorb on Aug 26th 2020 at 7:59:07 AM

Opening.

to expand+rename, but not sure on the name.

Expand the definition to include other races and rename.

Edited by ADrago on Aug 26th 2020 at 3:27:13 PM

Expand and rename. But I'm not keen on the proposed rename. Any one got anything better ?

Identical Minority Group? Agree with expanding and renaming.

I don't think this has primarily to do with minorities but the fact that people can better recognize faces within their own race as compared to other races. It's called the cross-race effect.

Maybe in reality, but this is a trope and all that matters is how the media portrays it.

So then, Cross-Race Effect In Media.

If the trope's going to be expanded to "people not able to tell people of an out-group apart", there's no sense in limiting to minority groups.

See, the title of the trope threw me off. I thought it was about the work portraying Asians as identical, not a character thinking they are.

I do agree the title should change. It sounds like Only Six Faces but (East) Asian. But I don't support Minority in the title.

Oh. That makes sense.

Edited by Tabs on Aug 26th 2020 at 4:41:59 AM

This was a split from All Asians Are Alike, fwiw; the stereotypical phrase is “all Asians look alike” so I guess it sprung from that.

I guess broadening and renaming would work.

Also, yeah, this could theoretically apply to white people — I’ve actually heard the clapback “well, all white people look alike”.

Edited by Synchronicity on Aug 26th 2020 at 6:39:32 AM

I agree with renaming and expanding. Identical Minority Groups might work, but I'll wait for further suggestions before voting on a name.

Mistook People Of Another Race?

Cross Race Effect seems a pre-existing term so I'd prioritise that. Other suggestions: Cross Race Face Blindness, Xerox Race Members, Copy Paste Race Members. I'm also against "minority" in the name - this isn't about e.g. non-heterosexuals, and the "other" race isn't necessarily a minority.

I like Cross Race Face Blindness the best.

I think They All Look Alike would be the best name. It is general but it is clear that it's derived from the common reference to Asians, so the meaning can be guessed fairly easily.

Too stock-phrasey unfortunately.

I agree. To clarify, stock phrases are not allowed because they tend to be (or invite) chair-sitting and get Sinkholed into unrelated entries. I support Cross Race Face Blindness. The other suggestions again imply this is Only Six Faces, but it is not.

Edited by Tabs on Aug 28th 2020 at 11:46:16 AM

Even if it didn't violate No New Stock Phrases, it sounds too similar to You All Look Familiar (note that that name predates the No New Stock Phrases policy) and it's non-indicative on top of that.

Edit: Also, I like Cross Race Face Blindness. The rhyming with the middle two words makes it sound catchy.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 28th 2020 at 4:06:14 AM

I wrote a new description for the trope.

Cross Race Face Blindness. The Other Wiki calls it out-group homogeneity, but that's too technical.

There is a consensus to rename, so perhaps it's time for a crowner? Or would we jump straight to renaming?

Updated the description to distance it from Interchangeable Asian Cultures.

Bumping for discussion

Crowner: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/PageAction/IdenticalLookingAsians?open=all#37h6524v

Feel free to add whatever I missed.