Best of the Week
of July 14, 2002
Best of Week
Archives
Here are the most intriguing cross-cultural exchanges
either begun or advanced during the week of July 14, 2002, as
selected by Y? These postings, as well as "Best of the Week" entries
from previous weeks, also can be found by accessing Y?'s database
using the search form, or, in the case of
answers posted before April 24, 1999, in the
Original Archives (all questions
from the Original Archives have been entered into the database as
well). In the Original Archives, as well as in the database, you will
find questions that have received answers, as well as questions still
awaiting responses. You are encouraged to answer any questions
relevant to your demographic background, as well as to ask any
provocative question you desire. Answers posted are not necessarily
meant to represent the views of an entire demographic group, but can
provide a window into the insights of an individual from that
group.
First-time users should first make a quick stop at Y?'s
guidelines pages for asking and
answering questions.
The book
on Y? is here!
"Why Do White People Smell Like Wet
Dogs
When They Come Out Of The Rain?"
Order it here!
Read the
Associated Press story on "Wet Dogs"
Question:
To men: Why do some of you make an attempt to cover your
balding heads with a 'comb-over'? This style does not fool anyone,
and you all would look much more attractive if you would get a decent
haircut. My current gentleman friend reacted like I asked him to cut
off his you-know-what when I suggested he would look much better if
he changed his style.
POSTED 7/19/2002
Jo, Ft. Wayne, IN, United States, 53, Female, White/Caucasian,
Straight, Programmer, 2 Years of College, Upper middle class, Mesg ID
7192002121026
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Question:
How does the Spanish spoken in different countries differ?
Especially when comparing Spain to Latin America. Do Spaniards view
Latinos as butchering the Spanish language? I've heard many English
people say this of Americans and English.
POSTED 7/16/2002
Ridley S., Chambersburg, PA, United States, 22, Male, Agnostic,
White/Caucasian, Mesg ID 7112002110046
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Question:
I went into a bank recently and several East Indians were in
line, and the placed smelled of strong body odor. The sweat and the
spice smell made me ill, and I decided to hell with getting money out
and left. I do not feel that all of them take a bath, brush their
teeth or wash their clothes properly. What do others think?
POSTED 7/16/2002
Lilly, Calgary, Alberta, NA, Canada, 40, Female, Mesg ID
7122002124019
Responses:
You are not alone. Many
people of other races accuse us of being smelly. I guess the problem
is India is hot and tropical, and Indians smell a lot because they
give out more sweat to survive in the tropical climate. Besides, we
have a habit of putting on a lot of hair oil (which apparently is
great for the hair), which could lead to odor. But the biggest
culprit is deodorant. Use of deodorant is uncommon in India, because
until recently very few people in India knew about it and hardly used
it. After all, the modern deodorant is a Western/European invention.
So if you have a smelly South Asian freind, you know what to give on
his or her birthday.
POSTED 7/19/2002
Ajay, Anand, NA, India,
31, Male, Hindu, East Indian, Straight, Govt. Service, Over 4 Years
of College, Middle class, Mesg ID 717200265740
I have noticed the same
thing, especially a strong 'curry' smell. I don't want to be rude to
them, but I would sometimes like to suggest a bath. Is it a cultural
thing?
POSTED 7/19/2002
Robert, Vancouver,
British Columbia, NA, Canada, 33, Male, White/Caucasian, Straight, 4
Years of College, Middle class, Mesg ID 7172002115523
I'm with you there. I
once had to share a flight from London to Chicago with six of the
stinkiest Indians in the Northern hemisphere. Their hot, sulfuric BO
permeated the cabin and made it difficult to eat. Even more
ironically, they were wheeling large bottles of water through the
airport with them when they got off. The stewardess said it's not
uncommon; the transporting of the water or the stench. Thoroughly
disgusting.
POSTED 7/19/2002
Brad, Boise, ID, United
States, Male, Mesg ID 719200271441
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Question:
Why do people think that people in the Midwest of the United
States are all boring, un-cultured idiots?
POSTED 2/12/1999
B., Minneapolis, MN, United States, 28, Male, Mesg ID
2129944138
Responses:
Short answer: because they are. Having been born in Kansas and grown
up in Iowa and Illinois, and having just come home from an obligatory
visit, I am realizing anew how much I hate the Midwest and why I
left. Minneapolis, Chicago and Madison are exceptions (especially
Madison), but the Midwest is by and large a region of boring,
uncultured, incurious and intolerant - though seemingly friendly, at
least if you're white and American - idiots. They hate and fear
anything unusual and different, and they take no pride in what makes
them and their region unique. They are racists and bigots. They are
too lazy to really think about things or to form their own opinions
through experience. They get their news and views from USA Today,
their food from fast food franchises, their household goods from
Walmart, and if they have visitors, they'll direct them to Hampton
Inn and Motel 6 rather than to locally owned hotels.
POSTED 7/16/2002
Outtathere, San Diego, CA, United States, Mesg ID 714200222705
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Question:
Ogden, Utah, has a rising population of Mexican-Americans. I
work with several nonprofit organizations that attempt to gain
genuine input from this sector of our community. However, we have an
extremely difficult time getting residents of Mexican-American
ethnicity to become involved as board members of these organizations.
Is this a unique phenomenon to Ogden, or is there a cultural
influence at work here?
POSTED 7/16/2002
Rick S., Ogden, UT, United States, 55, Male, Agnostic,
White/Caucasian, Straight, Physically challenged, Educator, Over 4
Years of College, Upper middle class, Mesg ID 716200212943
Responses:
I am a Mexican living on
the U.S.-Mexico border, and I think I can help a bit. There are many
reasons:
-First, what type of
organization is it? If it's too complicated, many would prefer to
stay at home or hang out with their family (I would do that)
-Second, if they are
immigrants (legal or illegal), they can either choose to stay out of
'American' business, or just wait to see how things go.
-Third, the language
factor. Many don't speak 100 percent, no matter what they say.
-Fourth, the 'A mi que
me importa' motto. This motto could be translated as, 'What do I
care.' Of course, this depends on the organization. -Fifth, and most
possible, when they 'feel' a gringo is playing a double game, they
will just quit.
POSTED 7/19/2002
Miguel, Nuevo Laredo,
NA, Mexico, Male, Mesg ID 719200243105
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Question:
To women: How would you show a male that you wouldn't mind
talking to him if he decided to approach you?
POSTED 7/16/2002
Charles, Davis, IN, United States, 19, Male, White/Caucasian,
Straight, student, 2 Years of College, Middle class, Mesg ID
714200233540
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Question:
Why do so many nail salons have Korean manicurists, managers
and owners?
POSTED 7/16/2002
Tracy, Edmond, OK, United States,
<lavenderlilycuao@hotmail.com>, 30, Female, White/Caucasian,
Straight, 4 Years of College, Middle class, Mesg ID 715200234532
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Question:
How can anyone not believe in God? Even if you don't believe in
Him as our Lord and Savior, how can you not believe He is the
creator? At least believe that. You can honestly look at yourself,
knowing how complex you body is, and think you were just there from
the beginning, or that some evolutionary phenomena happened? How can
you look at the moon and the stars and the sun and think they just
happened "just because"? How can you wake up every day and not know
it was by the grace of God?
POSTED 7/2/2002
Erin, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States,
<MsECJ7@hotmail.com>, 20, Female, Baptist, Black/African
American, Straight, Student, Middle class, Mesg ID 72200215100
Responses:
I appreciate where you're
coming from, and as an atheist I can honestly answer the question
'Where did we come from?' with 'I don't know.' I just don't. It
doesn't bother me - there are a lot of things I don't know. When you
answer that question with 'God,' it just raises more questions in my
mind, and it doesn't seem to get me any closer to a 'truth.' 'God'
seems like a way to wave your hands and say, 'There, now I know the
answer,' but in fact you haven't explained or proved anything. I'm
glad you find comfort in believing that God created everything, but
to me the issue of how it all was created is just not important in my
life. Interesting, sure, but not important. You accept God and your
religion; I just accept the world I live in.
POSTED 7/2/2002
James D., Summit, NJ,
United States, <james_witted@hotmail.com>, 45, Male, Atheist,
White/Caucasian, Gay, 4 Years of College, Upper middle class, Mesg ID
72200264203
I know there is a
higher power, but I cannot give it a name. I can't tell you why
things are the way they are, and I can't expect others who were not
around during the creation of the universe to be able to come up with
the explanation, either. I believe in using one's spirituality to
become more in tune with the divine. I know my spirituality may not
make sense to the masses, but it is what makes sense for me in my
life.
POSTED 7/2/2002
Jason, State College,
PA, United States, 19, Male, Black/African American, Straight,
student, 4 Years of College, Middle class, Mesg ID
72200291614
How can YOU believe in
something that has never been seen or proven � ever? How can you mold
your life on the supposed words of a never-verified �entity� that was
written by various people thousands of years ago? Why do you need
threats of punishment from a higher being not to steal, lie, kill,
etc.? Why does the immense complexity of the earth require a
manufacturer? Why would you worship an �entity� that would relegate
an honest, kind non-believer to �hell� and yet spare a murderer/child
molester, solely on the grounds of them believing in God and being
�sorry�? Do you really think there is some supernatural being �out
there� watching over you and worrying about your welfare? If so, how
about the welfare of the millions slaughtered, raped, mutilated or
starved to death every day? Does �he� choose not to interfere in
human affairs even though he is able to do so, or is he unable to
intervene? So the question should be � How could anyone believe in
God?
POSTED 7/2/2002
Jay, New York, NY,
United States, Female, Over 4 Years of College, Middle class, Mesg ID
722002102716
Why is it that deists
have to invent / invoke gods every time they come across something in
nature that they can't intellectually comprehend?
POSTED 7/2/2002
Rich, Boston, MA,
United States, 35, Male, Atheist, White/Caucasian, Middle class, Mesg
ID 722002115324
"...or that some
evolutionary phenomena happened?" There's a lot more evidence
supporting evolution than there is that God made Adam out of clay.
"How can you look at the moon and the stars and the sun and think
they just happened 'just because'?" How can you observe such
phenomena and think that ancient Judeo-Christian folklore provides
the most reasonable explanation for their existence? Ultimately,
science may never know what provoked the creation of the universe as
we know it. That's no reason to resort to superstition any more than
having a disease that modern medicine can't cure is a reason to
resort to witchcraft. "How can you wake up every day and not know it
was by the grace of God?" Easy. Complexity is not evidence of an
intelligent creator. Surely, an omniscient, omnipotent being could
design a better mechanism than humans, with our poor backs, painful
childbirth and the linkage of our sex organs with our excretory
system. Clearly we're the result of evolution. Of course, I can't
prove there's no God (you can't prove a negative), but it's a more
rational conclusion than the nonsense religions have come up
with.
POSTED 7/2/2002
Rick, Springfield, OH,
United States, Male, Atheist, White/Caucasian, Straight, Over 4 Years
of College, Middle class, Mesg ID 72200212702
I am an empiricist,
which means I believe in anything that can be proven scientifically
by experience with the five senses. The existence of a god has not
been proven to me. Therefore, while I do not believe there is NOT a
god, neither do I believe that there IS one. I have not received
adequate evidence to either effect. I don't understand how anyone who
has taken a college-level history class can believe that only their
particular religion is correct - and that therefore, everyone with
different beliefs or faiths throughout history is doomed for
eternity. I respect you for refraining from such judgment in your
query.
POSTED 7/2/2002
Jessica K., Huntsville,
TX, United States, 22, Female, Agnostic, White/Caucasian, Bisexual,
Epileptic, Student, 2 Years of College, Middle class, Mesg ID
72200213139
Do you have any idea
how long 3 billion years is (length of time life has been proven to
been present on Earth) and what can happen on its own during that
length of time? I entered the workforce in 1977. I worked in one of
the most advanced laboratories in the world. At the time, no one
dreamed of owning or using a personal computer. Today, 25 years
later, even my toothbrush has a computer chip in it. Take the
advancement in human thought in just 25 years and multiply it by
40,000 to get to the million years humans have been around in current
form, and it is easy to see how we evolved from grunting,
club-wielding apes to now. Multiply the last 25 years by 120 million
to get the 3 billion years and it is easy to see there has been time
to evolve from single cells to us. The problem with people who
believe in God is that they have no perception of time. Given all
those years, why believe there had to be God? There has been plenty
of time for this to all happen on its own. The second issue is your
assumption that we are all that complex. We, as humans, have
virtually no systems, organs, or body parts that aren't tried and
true designs used in other animals. Do you realize that less than 1
percent of our DNA is different from chimps? We have eyeballs that
are eerily similar to those of an octopus. Several other animals have
frontal lobe brains capable of advanced thought. Every one of our
organs exists in cats. Ninety percent of all pharmaceuticals have the
same effect on rats as on humans. Face it, we aren't that special. We
are mostly made of retread parts.
POSTED 7/2/2002
Steve, Houston, TX,
United States, 46, Male, Atheist, White/Caucasian, Straight,
Corporate Cubicle Dweller, Over 4 Years of College, Upper class, Mesg
ID 72200224247
I consider myself more
agnostic than atheist, but earlier in my life I was an atheist, and I
still agree with many atheist perspectives on the question of whether
God exists. To answer your initial statement: I've questioned the
existence of God because I saw no hard evidence. The only historical
pieces of evidence presented to me were religious books such as the
Bible, which could have been made-up fairytales as far as I know. The
fact that our bodies are complex or that the stars or moon exist does
not prove God exists to me; one doesn't really have anything to do
with the other. Computers are also complex, and that doesn't mean
that God created them or that God exists. As for God's grace, I think
people who suffer a great deal during their lives might not
necessarily feel that their existence is such a gift from above. I
don't know if God is the creator because I'm not sure God ever
existed. The only thing that has made me think that God exists (as I
think you perceive of 'Him') are the Bible, Koran or Torah. Again, I
see no reason to rely on those books as factual or literal. So I
guess I have not believed in God because I thought about it for
awhile and drew my own conclusions. Ironically, today I consider
myself a deeply spiritual person (not religious). My beliefs are
based on my feelings and on what I have observed of the world, the
universe and existence. I feel there are likely higher powers than
man, but I don't think that human beings could truly comprehend
them/it/her/he in the way many religions proclaim. To me, worshipping
a higher power doesn't make much sense, in the same way that I don't
think it makes sense for an electron to worship me. Finally, I
recoginize that people have different beliefs than me, and I try to
respect their beliefs. I try not to make other people feel bad for
believing something different than me. I wish everyone would try to
do the same.
POSTED 7/3/2002
E.R.H, Silver Spring,
MD, United States, 28, Male, Agnostic, Black/African American,
Straight, between jobs, Over 4 Years of College, Middle class, Mesg
ID 722002104640
Erin, you believe in
God because you look around you and see beauty and complexity. For
those of us who view the same surroundings as hateful and chaotic,
there is no way we can believe a loving creator would have left us to
this mess. I think it breaks down to one's level of optimism. Some of
us just can't find anything divine in the state of the world.
Organized religion only further alienates us, as it seems the source
of many of the troubles of humanity.
POSTED 7/3/2002
Emma, Los Angeles, CA,
, Female, Mesg ID 73200264948
I can understand that
people don't belive in God. Some people need physical proof. However,
I feel a need to point out an error in your thinking process. I am
not a religious person, but I am a spritual person. The error is that
God and the Savior are, in fact, two different entities. God created
the Savior. Many religions believe in God, but their prophets,
saviors, etc. are different. That type of confusion of facts would
lead many people to believe that if the religions can't get the facts
straight, there probably is no God.
POSTED 7/3/2002
Andrea H., Tucson, AZ,
United States, 41, Female, No religious affiliation, Native
American/White, Straight, Unemployed, Technical School, Middle class,
Mesg ID 73200295630
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Question:
I am a white teenager and wear 'black' clothing, like Fubu,
Sean John, Phat Farm, School of Hard Knocks, etc. Why do some African
Americans dislike it when I wear these clothes? I might wear a
leather jacket, or a pair of shoes with a special material that might
be seen as 'ghetto,' and I am a little worried about being
harrassed.
POSTED 7/2/2002
Jules, East Hampton, NY, United States, 15, Male, Jewish,
White/Caucasian, Straight, Student, Less than High School Diploma,
Middle class, Mesg ID 712002113506
Responses:
As an African American, I don't care that you are wearing those
clothes, especially if you listen to hip hop like I do. I can tell
you that some African Americans feel that white people shouldn't wear
those clothes because they are designed by African Americans. Like
FUBU, which stands for 'For Us By Us' - meaning the clothes are made
for African Americans by African Americans.
POSTED 7/16/2002
Danielle, Tampa, FL, United States, 21, Female, Christian,
Black/African American, Straight, Full-time college student, High
School Diploma, Middle class, Mesg ID 72200241308
I can only speak from my experience, but it seems to me that most
black Americans really don't care. If you're surrounded by people who
are going to pick on you or harrass you because of your dress, please
understand that these people are very immature. You're young now, so
you probably will get a lot of that. But as you get older, it should
cease. Also understand that if the people who say or do things to you
don't accept you now, they probably wouldn't accept you regardless of
what you wear or how you talk. It's not your problem. Be yourself. If
people don't like it, too bad. There are people who will accept you
on terms other than your clothing.
POSTED 7/16/2002
Erin, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States, 20, Female, Baptist,
Black/African American, Straight, Student, Middle class, Mesg ID
73200283148
When I read your post, the first thing I thought of was the
'acting and talking black or white' issue because your question is
along the same lines. First, let me clarify your choice of words: you
are not wearing 'black clothes.' You are wearing clothes created by a
designer who happens to be African American. There is nothing wrong
with you wearing clothes by African-American designers. Those in the
dominant group (whites) have been appropriating aspects that are
attributed to the African-American culture since forever. However,
there is something wrong with you wearing the clothing if you are
trying to be someone other than yourself. Clothing is nothing more
than self-expression. I don't know why some African Americans would
have a problem with you wearing clothes created by African Americans,
unless they ignorantly perceive your self-expression as
misappropriating the African-American culture or not being yourself.
Lastly, I would refrain from using the term 'ghetto' to describe
clothing or anything else you may attribute to African-American
culture. It is a pejorative term and considered offensive to those
who live in public housing. I encourage you to look up the word and
how it relates to the Jewish culture.
POSTED 7/16/2002
Elle, Chicago, IL, United States, 30, Female, Black/African
American, Straight, Black educated at home mom, 4 Years of College,
Lower middle class, Mesg ID 75200242147
Thank you for putting money in the pockets of black-owned
companies like Sean John and FUBU. But don't you know FUBU stands for
"For us, by Us'? Don't wear clothing that says you are black on it.
That's disrespect.
POSTED 7/16/2002
Sweetwuzzy, Allentown, PA, United States, Mesg ID 77200221111
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