User Comments - BEBC

Posted on: Chinese Zodiac Birth Year

Haha ! Nice one, Changye.

Posted on: The Black Spectrum of Meaning

Cheers, Siteng. That works fine ! You're of Indian origin, right ?

There's not much prejudice hereabouts nowadays, at least not around where I live. I work with lots of people of all sorts of nationalities, and I meet plenty of other people in my job too, so I can say that confidently. There is little racialism amongst the young, but there is some in those over 60 or so. People are mainly judged by their character and work-habits; the main criticism I hear from work colleagues concerns some muslims who take time off work to pray 5 times a day and go to the mosque at inconvenient times. But that's not really racialism.

Posted on: The Black Spectrum of Meaning

Thanks babar, I can see it all now.

I just found the article I was refering to. It's at:

http://intermultiracialissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/racialism_in_china

Another depressing read is at:

http://static.rnw.nl/migratie/www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/asiapacific/090318-China-racism-redirected

(can you see all that ? I can't)

Posted on: The Black Spectrum of Meaning

Babar - could you rewrite that link because it hits the brick wall at the end of the universe (at least, on my screen) before it ends, and can't be followed.

Cheers

By the way, pedreira, hope to see more of you in the community section : I'm sick of looking at all the palefaces here :)

Posted on: The Black Spectrum of Meaning

I read an article the other day, maybe following a link from someone else on here, by a black guy who spoke fluent chinese and was able to understand everything said around him. He wishes he hadn't been able to, because when he went to China everyone assumed that he couldn't understand what they were saying about him. He was shocked at what he heard. Maybe his experience isn't typical, but if it is a fair reflection of attitudes in China, then it would make me, a white guy likely to experience less ignorance, think twice about going there again.

It's possible that the chinese are more enlightened in HK because of the influence of western attitudes there (former British colony),and because it is more cosmopolitan and so has more experience of people of different colour.

Posted on: The Black Spectrum of Meaning

See the link on tal_'s comment here:

http://chinesepod.com/community/conversations/post/6812#comment-150939

The lighter your skin, the better, even for native Han. Black is worst. I think Babar also linked to examples of colour-prejudice somewhere. Maybe in the same discussion.

Posted on: Western Zodiac

Sorry oxygem

i) It depends how religion is defined. Your definition is just one way of defining religion.

ii) To many, your definition of religion encompasses the astrological world-view, and your definition of astrology encompasses religious world views.

iii) go_many's point was not that religion and astrology are the same thing, but that both use gobbledegook for the same end.

Posted on: The Super Bowl

Yeah, I always found the naming confusing - 'public' doesn't sound very 'elite'. Public and Private are pretty clear.

Actually, I've never found that the middle class/professional class, or whatever, have more brain cells. They just generally have a better education because their parents can afford it. I love England, but the thing I hate most about this country is that class still matters. That's what attracts a lot of poms to Australia - just like any other country you still have classes, but you don't look down your noses at each other.

Posted on: The Super Bowl

There's a lot of animosity in certain circles in the UK between League fans and Union fans. It tends to be a class thing - the game of the working-man vs the game of the public school brigade. Is it the same elsewhere ? I used to play Union for a state school against public school teams, and it's my impression that Union is a tougher game and definitely not for cissies, but I'm willing to stand corrected.

Posted on: The Super Bowl

It's got flashy suits of armour and helmets !

Should be interesting how an american ( Clint Eastwood ) handles Rugby in his latest film.