Is a Dumb Question thread ok?

Rhoda Nightingale · Jan 16, 2012

Just throwing in my two cents here:

I think growing up, as I did, in the South, there are a looot of common phrases and sayings that I'm used to and didn't even realize were racist until many years later. Because I never heard them in context.

Example: my cousin was an elementary school teacher for a while, and one day she had some kind of display fixed up and didn't want the kids to touch it until she had a chance to explain it to them. One of them, a black boy, reached for it, and she heard herself say the following: "I told you to keep your cotton-picking hands off the--Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean--shit!"

Yeah. I never gave the words a second thought until she told me that story. It kind of terrifies me to think of all the people I may have unintentionally offended simply due to my Virginianness.

kuwisdelu · Jan 16, 2012

mirandashell said:
Why do you see white and blonde as pure? Why not dark and black?

Not having a go. Just asking.

I'm curious too.

Rhoda Nightingale said:
Example: my cousin was an elementary school teacher for a while, and one day she had some kind of display fixed up and didn't want the kids to touch it until she had a chance to explain it to them. One of them, a black boy, reached for it, and she heard herself say the following: "I told you to keep your cotton-picking hands off the--Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean--shit!"

Yeah. I never gave the words a second thought until she told me that story. It kind of terrifies me to think of all the people I may have unintentionally offended simply due to my Virginianness.

I never knew what that particular idiom meant until now, either. Thanks.

crunchyblanket · Jan 17, 2012

mirandashell said:
Why do you see white and blonde as pure? Why not dark and black?

Not having a go. Just asking.

It seems like a very common narrative device. I seem to recall the 'blonde = pure' thing being something to do with a woman's hair darkening with age - blonde hair was considered a sign of youth, and therefore 'purity'.

Anjasa · Jan 17, 2012

Most angels are also depicted with light hair and skin, as are common images of Jesus.

It's also just a really, really popular trope, like the white hats and black hats. White represents day, black represents night, so white represents things that happen during the day like children playing and people fitting into society, where as black represents things that happen at night like sex and violence.

It's not an easy thing to combat tropes, because people form their first impressions based on their former experiences and popular tropes.

Though apparently blondes are evil now, which I didn't know about. I blame Six.

kuwisdelu · Jan 21, 2012

missesdash said:
I don't know if miyazaki movies count as "anime" but a lot of his characters are definitely european. And I'm sure there's some context here to explain why his characters are obviously european and the other aren't. But if you hold them up side to side

thebloodfiend said:
They are anime. And that's because a lot of his characters are European.
...
Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle, and Castle in the Sky take place in various European countries and feature European casts.

Just rewatched Howl's Moving Castle and was reminded of this thread. I'd forgotten how European the characters look compared to the anime I usually watch. And it is because they are, indeed, European.

Snitchcat · Feb 20, 2012

mirandashell said:
You know how white people often see MCs as white people by default. Do people of colour do the same? Or is your default your own colour? Or do you not have a default?

I've been thinking about this for a while. Part of the reason it's been rather difficult for me to answer, or offer an opinion is the fact that I don't see my MCs in terms of colour. I see them in terms of species: type of animal, type of human, type of alien, type of energy / ghost / spirit, etc.

And my MCs identify themselves in terms of who they are, what their nationality and species are, and where their loyalties lie.

Even forcing the issue of colour or ethnicity or race with regards to Earth and humans... hehehe, my MCs and other characters are rolling their eyes at me. And their choice of words: "Oh, for crying out loud. Get a grip!" :tongue

(^_^)

Snitchcat · Feb 20, 2012

missesdash said:
When someone tells me their name, I immediately find three opportunities to use it. So if it's "Jim," and someone else walks up "have you met Jim?" If I state an opinion,"What do you think, Jim?" or just "let me ask you something, Jim."

/derail

Lol! Then I must be the exception to that guideline! I absolutely despise hearing my name used frequently, even rarely. Hate hate hate. :tongue

Part of that hatred comes from the fact that my name was used against me growing up. And I hate being named for the one person I do not think very highly of, nor do I even like my namesake. Hence some of the reason I use one of my other names. :tongue

Back to topic: recognising people and remembering names aren't activities I find difficult. Nor is distinguishing between each individual. Part of the latter comes from comments akin to "you all look the same; can't tell the difference between you" when talking about my ethnicity. Well, unless we've perfected cloning, no, we don't look the same. And the person who made such a statement would always react with righteous indignation if you got so much as even the tiniest bit irked by their words.

Anyhow. That's some of the background to why I've made it a point to recognise individuals as much as possible, regardless of ethnicity. And, thinking about it, perhaps one of the major reasons my MCs don't identify via colour. Nor do they emphasise it. It's not that they're colourless; it's just that they don't care. To them, the others could be blue-purple-neon-pink. The combination might make their eyes water a bit, but as long as said entities could communicate, that'd be about it. A reflection of how I see the peoples of the world? Yes.

/derail

Snitchcat · Feb 20, 2012

kuwisdelu said:
Just rewatched Howl's Moving Castle and was reminded of this thread. I'd forgotten how European the characters look compared to the anime I usually watch. And it is because they are, indeed, European.

A lot of Miyazaki's anime, if I remember correctly, were all about the wider world, the Europeans. Even Princess Mononoke.

Howl's Moving Castle and Porco Rosso featuring European characters don't surprise me. The first was based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, and the second was about a traveller famed for trading with China.

Was Kiki's Delivery Service European, too? Memory's hazy on that one. I don't think My Neighbour Totoro was European, nor was Spirited Away? Could be wrong on the latter.

But PoCs writing about PoCs from different ethnicities... heh, why not? (^_^)

alessahinlo · Feb 20, 2012

Snitchcat said:
A lot of Miyazaki's anime, if I remember correctly, were all about the wider world, the Europeans. Even Princess Mononoke.

Actually, Princess Mononoke was set in Japan. A fantastical Japan, to be sure, but that was definitely pre-Tokugawa Japan. I mean, the names were San, Ashitaka, and Eboshi. These are not European names.

Was Kiki's Delivery Service European, too? Memory's hazy on that one. I don't think My Neighbour Totoro was European, nor was Spirited Away? Could be wrong on the latter.

Not sure about Kiki's Delivery Service but Totoro and Spirited Away were definitely set in Japan.

thebloodfiend · Feb 20, 2012

alessahinlo said:
Actually, Princess Mononoke was set in Japan. A fantastical Japan, to be sure, but that was definitely pre-Tokugawa Japan. I mean, the names were San, Ashitaka, and Eboshi. These are not European names.

Yeah, their dress is Japanese, too. As well as the people they're based off of. And the culture.

Not sure about Kiki's Delivery Service but Totoro and Spirited Away were definitely set in Japan.

It's a Stockholm-inspired city. I think I posted above which were based off of Japan and which weren't.

Ah, here we go:

They are anime. And that's because a lot of his characters are European.

Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko, Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns, Only Yesterday, I Can Hear the Sea, and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, all take place in Japan and feature Japanese characters.

Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle, and Castle in the Sky take place in various European countries and feature European casts.

As for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, I'm unsure.

Geek that I am, I've seen all of them, and I've read Howl's Moving Castle. The reason that the latter are European is because they take place in European countries (ie, Italy, or fictional England). They also have European names. But the link Kuwidelu provided explains their appearances. And even in Porco Rosso, the American in the movie (the stereotypical Western cowboy) has a very foreign appearance.

In the former, especially the movies that feature a bunch of Japanese culture and history, ie Grave of the Fireflies (saddest movie ever), it becomes obvious what race they're supposed to be.

kuwisdelu · Feb 20, 2012

Off-topic, but Grave of the Fireflies is Studio Ghibli but wasn't Miyazaki.

Dawnstorm · Feb 20, 2012

kuwisdelu said:
Off-topic, but Grave of the Fireflies is Studio Ghibli but wasn't Miyazaki.

Neither is Pom Poko, which features a "racial default problem" of a very unusual kind. Many people assume the protagonists are racoons, but they're actually racoon dogs. I can't tell if that's on topic, but I tend to correct people when they make that mistake.

kuwisdelu · Feb 20, 2012

Dawnstorm said:
Neither is Pom Poko, which features a "racial default problem" of a very unusual kind. Many people assume the protagonists are racoons, but they're actually racoon dogs. I can't tell if that's on topic, but I tend to correct people when they make that mistake.

Actually, I think that correction is on-topic...

Sorta.

Snitchcat · Feb 20, 2012

Ah, thanks for the clarification and correction. It's been a long time since I've seen anything from Studio Ghibli and I missed that earlier post about the specific anime.

missesdash · Feb 20, 2012

Definitely thought kiki was asian. I don't know why. Probably because she looks exactly like the ones that are asian.

FoamyRules · Feb 20, 2012

I always thought of anime/manga characters as being Japanese unless otherwise says so, but that could just be because I am a casual weaboo

Is a Dumb Question thread ok?

Rhoda Nightingale

Vampire Junkie

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World

crunchyblanket

the Juggernaut of Imperfection

Anjasa

Fantasy Smut? Yes please!

kuwisdelu

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Snitchcat

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Snitchcat

Dragon-kitty.

Snitchcat

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alessahinlo

thebloodfiend

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kuwisdelu

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Dawnstorm

punny user title, here

kuwisdelu

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Snitchcat

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missesdash

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FoamyRules

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