Tuesday, July 12, 2005

All Look Same—The Test

How well can you tell the differences between people who are Chinese, Japanese or Korean? Put it to the test. I did so bad I'm not even going to tell you my score. Very cool project though. Props to Ja'AmLo for the linky link.

9 comments:

Rozanne said...

I got a "very bad" score. What a freakin' value judgement that is!!!! I really have to take issue with what this test is implying, i.e., that if you "can't tell the difference," it means you are some kind of ignorant racist who actually does think that all Asians look the same. That is a load of crap!

I don't go around looking at people and attempting to label and dump them in categories, according to their race or ethnicity. I take each person I meet on their own merits.

And you know what? I'll bet you anything that a lot of actual Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese people who take the test don't score too well either. It's preposterous to think that everyone in a given country has certain physical traits that make them Korean, Japanese, or Chinese, esp. in a huge country like China. Even Japan--known for its homogeneity--has its minorities (e.g., the Ainu) who don't look "Japanese." So there!

I wear my "very bad" score proudly. The main thing I kept thinking as I took the test was--what a gorgeous, cool-looking, individualistic bunch of people they found to photograph.

[end of rant]

Zoe said...

I was going to say about the same thing. I may not identify easily between these ethnic groups, nor do I discriminate against the same groups or individuals.

Same case is true for "latinos" who may be from diverse places where the heritage is black ancestry not spanish.

Welcome to the melting pot.

Anonymous said...

Good points. I don't go around trying to determine someone's nationality or ethnic background nor do I think they all "look the same". I see each person as an individual, not a group. I thought that I was being sensitive (I hate the phrase politically correct). But the test has me wondering if my cluelessness regarding ethnic differences could be seen as a sign of disrespect. I don't know. I certainly hope not.

L

geeekgirl said...

i got a 5, and am considered "hopeless".

that was fun. thanks.

Joseph said...

ya, I didn't do so well either. (actually, reeeeaally bad or something like that)I don't put a lot of weight on this test though, even if it was interesting. Living in Seattle, you see all kinds of Asian decendants here and I'm always trying to determine, japan? chinese? thailand?

but from a totally social curiosity standpoint, not a prejudiced point of view.

Kathryn said...

I got a "Normal" rating. I'm glad that I'm NORMAL about something!!!

My XH is half Japanese and no one ever knew "what" he was, most people thought he was Hawaiian or Phillipino. I did really well at recognizing the Japanese people, probably because I had the pleasure of being around a lot of different Japanese people, (and really none of them look the same...just like ALL Americans don't look the same.)

Lelo, I think we should find a "Is She a Lesbian" test...now THAT would be FUN!!!

Janet said...

I tried to do this one, but whenever I have to enter my 411 to take a quiz, I opt out. What I will comment on is that the quiz asks you to guess which country the people are from- not from the USA? I live in Seattle, too, where there are many American Asian natives.

Just like L Anon said, I don't see people for their ethnicity, just for who they are. Heck, I dated a guy once who I thought was from HI. He was Japanese. When I told him I was surprised to learn that about him, he said, "How could you not know? I have a rice cooker in my kitchen!" /shrugs/ I don't know, I just thought he was cute!

LeLo said...

I think all of your responses to the test are good and interesting. Check the back story on that website about why and who developed it: I don't think anyone is calling anyone out as racist, unintelligent, or anything. Ethnicity and race can be a loaded topic: I appreciate this quiz for putting the topic on the table without anything else tied to it. There's a stereotypical phrase out there that "they all look alike", and if anything, this quiz shows us that's wrong.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see the same test done with Europeans. I think we would all do equally poorly.