MercTech
Posts: 3706
Joined: 7/4/2006 Status: offline
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Is it really skin color or that skin color is associated with a cultural ethos that has negative connotations? If you wear a hoodie and garish jewelry and speak in an angry, antagonizing, tone of voice won't you be equated with "gangsta" culture? Don't be surprised if you are avoided on the street and people get between you and their children. And you get no respect but avoidance. If you speak garbled "mush mouth" accent and stop to gossip with everyone you know instead of paying attention to your job and get angry when asked to pay attention to what you should be doing; you get tagged as "stupid and lazy" and are avoided and get no respect. If you storm in wanting special consideration and talking trash about anyone and everything; you get tagged as a "Diva" and are avoided and get no respect. Just three examples of cultural behaviors that have become associated with American "black" culture and perpetuated by the mass media. Every cultural niche has quirks that can be irritating to persons of other cultures. Stereotypes exist for a reason. I think a stereotype is to a culture what a characature is to a person... a gross exaggeration of defining characteristics often with humorous intent. Please note the "gross exaggeration". Alas, human being generalize and start equating morphology (physical characteristics) with cultural habits. Face to face, one on one, this isn't too hard a habit to break. But when dealing with the crowd, people tend to go with what they personally find comfortable and attractive and exclude what they find foreign and irritating. There are cultural memes that have nothing to do with race. A whole topic thread could be done on "rude Yankee" vs "dumb Redneck". Now, if someone doesn't find you personally attractive, for whatever reason, move on. Being attracted to someone in no way obligates them to be attracted to you. Heck, I think Angelina Jolie is attractive but I'd have to be very nutso narcissistic to think she would give a flying flip who I was. Physical attributes may get my notice first but it is what is between the ears that will keep my attention. Stefan
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