Colors assigned to races have never made sense to me

[Minoosh]

Even as a little kid it was obvious to me Indians didn't have red skin. Asians never looked "yellow" and only extreme outliers were "black" or "white." It seemed to me most people were either beige or dark brown.

In reading books on China I've read that Englishmen were considered to have "red" faces which is somewhat true depending on individual coloring.

I don't really know if there's enough here to discuss, but has anyone else thought the same thing?

 

[JoeMorgue]

There are some very extreme levels of pigmentation that do get close enough to legit "black" that the term makes some sense, but in general I agree with you, especially with red and yellow.

 

[theprestige]

I don't know if it happens when you reach a certain level of atheism, or a certain level of skepticism, but this inability (refusal?) to distinguish between literal meaning and figures of speech has never made sense to me.

 

[Venom]

Eventually color got conflated with "race" and these labels only work within some melting pot countries.

East Asians and Western European whites have similar skin tones so we gotta have some label to differentiate them.

 

[Minoosh]

I don't know if it happens when you reach a certain level of atheism, or a certain level of skepticism, but this inability (refusal?) to distinguish between literal meaning and figures of speech has never made sense to me.

But it doesn't even work for me as a figure of speech.

 

[MoeFaux]

I was taught this, like so many young children, in the song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." They kind of pound that into you as a little kid. Without that song, it wouldn't have ever occurred to me. Instead, as I aged, I wondered how the heck anyone saw a similarity between the colors mentioned and a person's appearance.

 

[rockinkt]

There was always an "us" and "them".
The will always be an "us" and "them".
Doesn't matter what words you use or how sweetly it is put - it will always come down to "us" and "them".

 

[Venom]

People that many Americans call "brown" are actually white or consider themselves white in their country (Brazil, Argentina, Syria, Turkey, etc.) again to emphasize how inconsistent these labels are in the first place.

 

[Minoosh]

There was always an "us" and "them".
The will always be an "us" and "them".
Doesn't matter what words you use or how sweetly it is put - it will always come down to "us" and "them".

Yeah I think that pretty well sums it up.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I don't know if it happens when you reach a certain level of atheism, or a certain level of skepticism, but this inability (refusal?) to distinguish between literal meaning and figures of speech has never made sense to me.

I think it's supposed to be found charming and/or deep.

Reminds me of a bit in a Ramona Quimby book where Beezus reflects on how Ramona's "cute" answer to "what color are your eyes" is "brown and white". The old ladies found this so sweet. Ramona found it clever. Beezus found it exasperating. I found it grounds for wondering whether the houses on Klickitat Street had been tested for lead.

 

[chrispy]

My father is what was called in the African American community "High Yellow" (if you don't know, look that one up). Also, my skin is always called "olive" or "hey, where do you tan?". All of this is ********. We are all blood packed skin pods. The same. I could never understand the **** I got as a kid...and adult... just for the difference in melanin.

 

[alfaniner]

I was taught this, like so many young children, in the song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." They kind of pound that into you as a little kid. Without that song, it wouldn't have ever occurred to me. Instead, as I aged, I wondered how the heck anyone saw a similarity between the colors mentioned and a person's appearance.

I would say this was backed up by Sly and the Family Stone.

Oh, well.. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[gypsyjackson]

In reading books on China I've read that Englishmen were considered to have "red" faces which is somewhat true depending on individual coloring.

I think the generalised racial slur from Chinese people against white people is ‘ang mo’, which means red hair, rather than red face. I get called that at least once a week. Mostly amicable.

I reckon my wife has light brown skin, while I have very pink skin, but our daughter - especially when I hold her with my pink arms - does look rather yellow. Oddly, when she was newborn and had baby jaundice, she was bright red.

One-offs aside, it’s lazy stereotyping which everyone seems to do.

 

[The Atheist]

My father is what was called in the African American community "High Yellow"...

Don't you mean "high yeller"?

 

[alfaniner]

I think the generalised racial slur from Chinese people against white people is ‘ang mo’, which means red hair, rather than red face. I get called that at least once a week. Mostly amicable.

I reckon my wife has light brown skin, while I have very pink skin, but our daughter - especially when I hold her with my pink arms - does look rather yellow. Oddly, when she was newborn and had baby jaundice, she was bright red.

One-offs aside, it’s lazy stereotyping which everyone seems to do.

I always found it grating that the Andorians would call humans "pink skin", especially since there were people of color right there on the Enterprise bridge. Oh wait, T'pol didn't count because she was a Vulcan. And Travis didn't count at all, in the show. I forgot about Hoshi until I looked it up.

 

[rockinkt]

Don't you mean "high yeller"?

As long as they don't call you "old yeller". They shot old yeller.

 

[EHocking]

As long as they don't call you "old yeller". They shot old yeller.

That explains US police then.

 

[Giordano]

The colors used to describe different people were about as scientifically accurate as assigning them into “races” in the first place.

 

[Brainster]

When I was 8 years old my mom had a heart attack and after she got out of the hospital she couldn't do anything around the house, so she hired a maid. I don't think I had ever seen a black person, at least not one up close in real life (I would guess I must have seem them on TV). I looked up at her and exclaimed, "You have the whitest eyes I've ever seen!"

 

[chrispy]

Don't you mean "high yeller"?

If you have a Southern twang, sure!