Why do many japanese want to have white skin?

[SmMo]

actually its not really racism its just social status and prejudices.

we're talking Japanese here although its the same for most off the Asian countries. but specifically japanese are just "one" "race" (call it like.. eastasians).

[emiluvsjmusic]

Originally Posted by SmMo

actually its not really racism its just social status and prejudices.

we're talking Japanese here although its the same for most off the Asian countries. but specifically japanese are just "one" "race" (call it like.. eastasians).

except for the ainu ^_^

[SmMo]

Originally Posted by emiluvsjmusic

except for the ainu ^_^

isnt that the really small ethnic group of hairy koreans oO?

[emiluvsjmusic]

Originally Posted by SmMo

isnt that the really small ethnic group of hairy koreans oO?

no no its the "native" japanese people

[SmMo]

oh! the ones who got prosecuted for their beliefs. or am i totally wrong again ? :<

[SmMo]

Originally Posted by Tenchu

Eauh, most people think of racism as blood line, but things like religous groups, traditional groups, social class groups, are technically also races.

It goes without saying, though, black people (Africans) are the SE Asians most least popular blood race.

actually religion, traditions, and the sense of unity through these two is what define the start off a nation rather than a bloodline, wheter peopke think so or not. dont confuse "races" with religion and traditions -_- races is what you "look" like, Christian Asians live in Asian nations that are mainly muslim, Hindu and Buddhist.

[MMM]

Bringing up the Ainu only confuses the issue. Let's try and stay on topic.

[Ronin4hire]

Tenchu if you're going to get technical then get your facts straight.

Racial theory is an outdated and disproven concept in which it was thought that humans of the Earth fell into one of a few "races". Since then, the concept of race has continued but is only accurate as a relative term. It's not a technical term at all.

Japanese are not a race they are a nation (not to be confused with a state). A nation is an imagined (i.e. not face to face), self aware group of people founded on a language and a common history.

(A state is a territory with set borders, administered by some sort of government. States and nations can coincide but it is not uncommon for nations to exist within nation-states. It is also not uncommon for an individual to identify with more than one nation. A Maori person in NZ can identify themselves with being Maori, or being a NZer for example. Which brings me on to ethnicity which is defined as something else... I forget what it is now.. I'll have to go back and look at my politics textbook.)

[Shinshiro]

I haven't read through the whole discussion so sorry if I have repeated someone.

Fashion reflects culture, and it is often lead by those who are in power. For example fair skin was considered to be attractive in the West in the past because rich people, who unlike peasants did not have to work outside in the sun, had fair, white skin. Hence you see tubby (rich = eat well = tubby) white skinned women in old paintings. Now, being tanned is popular the West since rich people go on holiday abroad and get tanned, so again, fashion is lead by the rich and powerful.

So, getting back to the topic, most non western countries (from India to Japan) prefer white skin because frankly, white people from the west represent the rich and powerful right now. Also in Japan, being demure and frail (for women) is still considered attractive, and a pale, fair skinned person gives off that vibe.

As a Japanese girl living in Japan, I often get “whitening lotions” as gifts and the sun cream here is like factor 5000 (ok a bit of an exaggeration there, but…)

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Ronin4hire

Tenchu if you're going to get technical then get your facts straight.

Racial theory is an outdated and disproven concept in which it was thought that humans of the Earth fell into one of a few "races". Since then, the concept of race has continued but is only accurate as a relative term. It's not a technical term at all.

Japanese are not a race they are a nation (not to be confused with a state). A nation is an imagined (i.e. not face to face), self aware group of people founded on a language and a common history.

(A state is a territory with set borders, administered by some sort of government. States and nations can coincide but it is not uncommon for nations to exist within nation-states. It is also not uncommon for an individual to identify with more than one nation. A Maori person in NZ can identify themselves with being Maori, or being a NZer for example. Which brings me on to ethnicity which is defined as something else... I forget what it is now.. I'll have to go back and look at my politics textbook.)

You can say Japan is just a "nation" but I doubt a lot of Japanese would agree. It's like saying Judiasm is only a religion. Is there not a Jewish race? In my experience many, (not all, of course) Japanese see Japan as Japan. An island in the Pacific Ocean. You can bet your bottom dollar they don't see their bloodlines as the same as that of the surrounding Asian countries.