How do you look at china and future of china

[Wind In My Hair]

Like in the news, "Washington considers to...", "....Beijing is...".etc.

I guess the cities would not think, here are the governments and of cause the people sitting in their offices meant. Is it a good analog?

Excellent analogy! Those clueless newscasters... Vaucluse should spank them all

[nakatago]

I know someone who's half-French, half-Chinese (by blood), but grew up in France; speaks with a French accent. Doesn't look Asian. Never thought about her race until she got to Singapore. She once exclaimed about filling up forms, "should I put 'Asian' or 'Caucasian'?" It, apparently, bothered her.

[Vaucluse]

Conversely a Caucasian adopted by Chinese parents and raised in China all his life would not be Chinese by race, yet be ethnically Chinese in thought and behaviour.

Or am I mistaken?

This is exactly how the US treats race and ethnicity. There are six racial groups. Then there is a separate box to check if you are of Hispanic ethnicity. You can be any race and check this box.

So, for your example, and if there were a Chinese 'ethnicity' check box on the US census forms, your child would mark the 'white' race box, and the Chinese 'ethnicity' box.

However, I don't think there are too many 'Native Hawaiians' checking the 'Hispanic' ethnicity box. Me, I always check 'Black or African American' for race, since my family origins, if you go back far enough, are in Africa.

The US census totally stuffs up any distinct racial boundaries, making a mockery of the whole thing:



The degree of mental retardation on behalf of the originator of the boundaries is quite immense . . .

[ksl]

The degree of mental retardation on behalf of the originator of the boundaries is quite immense . . .

Probably a UK civil servant that's migrated to US

[JR8]

You know Singapore, Case by Case, my daughter is registered Eurasian in school, though its only recently changed, like the weather.

Yes, it is bizarre . . . I believe the SG gahmen definition of a Eurasian is someone who has Indian ancestry . . . or at least that's the way it was.

I have SGn friend. Malay but 1/8th Irish. Throughout most of her life when she had to complete forms she was categorised as 'Other'. It was only after she left school/uni (late 80s/early 90s?) that they started recognising Eurasian as a category.

Anyway, I side with Vaucluse on the definitions. It does not seem to be about race rather ethnicity. Indians are caucasians too... I bet recognition of that would make the SG gubment machine blow a fuse or two...

[JR8]

It is interesting that the issue of race is of such utmost importance especially in Malaysia and Singapore . . . as well as religion, of course. All forms to be filled out have 'race' and religion as part of it.

The reasons are primarily historical and geographical. I'm trying to think of any two neighbouring countries with different majority races which don't make race an issue... can you?

Aside from that, race is useful in medical research. It's believed that Africans, for example, are more prone to prostate cancer than Caucasians; while Asians are more prone to cardiovascular disease. While it is dangerous to over-simplify all diseases to genetic causes, surely there is merit in recognising racial differences for the purposes of public policy, namely raising awareness and teaching prevention.

Basically I think that 'race' is not an entirely useless concept, though I agree that today boundaries are blurring enough for some adjustments to be necessary.

I believe that you will find similar geographic racial proximity issues across north Africa, where the Caucasian north abuts the black south. Egypt vs Sudan, Libya vs Chad, and so on...

The friend I mentioned in another post here is 7/8ths Malay. I wonder why being 1/8th Irish meant she was not allowed to tick the Malay box on forms?

[Eau2011]

I know someone who's half-French, half-Chinese (by blood), but grew up in France; speaks with a French accent. Doesn't look Asian. Never thought about her race until she got to Singapore. She once exclaimed about filling up forms, "should I put 'Asian' or 'Caucasian'?" It, apparently, bothered her.

Again Nak, not Caucasian!

Wiki: The modern ethnic French are the descendants of Celts, Iberians, Ligurians and Greeks in southern France, mixed with Germanic peoples arriving at the end of the Roman Empire such as the Franks and the Burgundians, some Moors and Saracens and some Vikings who mixed with the Normans and settled mostly in Normandy in the 9th century.

Caucasian is a sweeping term that encompasses a wide variety of people of European descent, just like the term Asian covers a wide variety of ethnicities in Asia. But beppi is correct... the term originally referred to a group of people in the Caucasus mountain areas.

To make matters even worse, the so-called Caucasian ethnicity didn't originate in or near the Caucasus mountains (that was a wrong assumption of early anthropologists), but in Persia (nowadays Iran). They migrated to Europe from there through Mesopotamia (now Iraq), Turkey and the Balkans, and at the same time also settled in Northern India (where related languages are spoken until today). Another word for these people, Aryan, is politically sensitive since it was abused by the Nazis for their misguided idea of German-ness.
I am not Caucasian, but Indogermanic or European. But most of all I'm member of the Human race (no complaint received so far when filling this into official forms).

[nakatago]

I know someone who's half-French, half-Chinese (by blood), but grew up in France; speaks with a French accent. Doesn't look Asian. Never thought about her race until she got to Singapore. She once exclaimed about filling up forms, "should I put 'Asian' or 'Caucasian'?" It, apparently, bothered her.

Again Nak, not Caucasian!

her words, not mine.

[JR8]

I am astonished with those (assuming most of u here) who had lived abroad and well travelled has little idea what ethnicity, language, culture and religion meant in Asia..

Are we meant to care that you are astonished? I don't recall you posting anything of any interest or value at all in your short newbie life.

[x9200]

Like in the news, "Washington considers to...", "....Beijing is...".etc.

I guess the cities would not think, here are the governments and of cause the people sitting in their offices meant. Is it a good analog?

Excellent analogy! Those clueless newscasters... Vaucluse should spank them all

Mealsothinks it is commonly used in such meaning and not only in English. Enough to run google to see who uses it. Besides, speaking about being pedantic, china has definitely memory and it can be determined by thermoluminescent dating techniques
....but it will be a spelling error then.

[Vaucluse]

I am astonished with those (assuming most of u here) who had lived abroad and well travelled has little idea what ethnicity, language, culture and religion meant in Asia..

Are we meant to care that you are astonished? I don't recall you posting anything of any interest or value at all in your short newbie life.

Still waiting for him/her to explain what he/she is trying to say . . . but Manthink is obviously a braindead cretin whose sole claim to fame is using his elder sister's laptop while she's on the bog sms-ing her friends.

Have a nice day now, y'hear, manthink!

[Eau2011]

Like in the news, "Washington considers to...", "....Beijing is...".etc.

I guess the cities would not think, here are the governments and of cause the people sitting in their offices meant. Is it a good analog?

Excellent analogy! Those clueless newscasters... Vaucluse should spank them all

Mealsothinks it is commonly used in such meaning and not only in English. Enough to run google to see who uses it. Besides, speaking about being pedantic, china has definitely memory and it can be determined by thermoluminescent dating techniques
....but it will be a spelling error then.

Yes fine bone China

[Eau2011]

I am astonished with those (assuming most of u here) who had lived abroad and well travelled has little idea what ethnicity, language, culture and religion meant in Asia..

Are we meant to care that you are astonished? I don't recall you posting anything of any interest or value at all in your short newbie life.

Still waiting for him/her to explain what he/she is trying to say . . . but Manthink is obviously a braindead cretin whose sole claim to fame is using his elder sister's laptop while she's on the bog sms-ing her friends.

Have a nice day now, y'hear, manthink!

Vaucluse, I'm not a native English speaker, can you please tell me if you people often use the word "smell"? What a coincidence here, "smell" from two different persons.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't...

I maybe a little sensitive but I smell a tint of sinophobia here...

I gather some may take a little longer to adjustt to this paradigm shift

I can categorically say you needn't have any fear of me. I don't make it a point to remember what goes on in the forum. As for the national security, lol, that's really so funny I can smell something!
I'm sorry if I can't feel convinced that I know who I'm talking to, no offence meant.

[JR8]

I am astonished with those (assuming most of u here) who had lived abroad and well travelled has little idea what ethnicity, language, culture and religion meant in Asia..

Are we meant to care that you are astonished? I don't recall you posting anything of any interest or value at all in your short newbie life.

Still waiting for him/her to explain what he/she is trying to say . . . but Manthink is obviously a braindead cretin whose sole claim to fame is using his elder sister's laptop while she's on the bog sms-ing her friends.

Have a nice day now, y'hear, manthink!

I reckon he is a repeat troll who is back and playing subtle...

[Eau2011]

But how can that be, guys?

I guess Anne is almost my mom's age? almost 60 years old?

Will she have a 18 years old brother?