These Asians all look alike

[cowo]

Yesterday a friend and i saw "crouching tiger hidden dragon" on DVD. He saw it the first time and was bugging me all the time
"Is that the guy who gave his sword away?"
"No, thats the night-watchman."
-a few minutes later-
"Is that the guy who gave his sword away?"
"No, thats Governor Yu."
-a few minutes later-
"But that is the guy who gave his sword away."
"No, that's a police inspector."
"They're are all chinese and have all the same hair-style, how should i tell them apart?"


I simply cannot understand, why for some people all Asians look alike. Why is it so hard for them to differ?

cya
cowo

 

[neko_girl22]

I really like that movie!

 

[Iron Chef]

Heh, the dialogue you recounted sounds very much like my sister-in-law who thinks every male Asian actor she sees on TV or in the movies is either Jackie Chan or Chow Yun Fat...

 

[maji]

I cannot understand why, for some people, all Asians look alike. Why is it so hard for them to differ?

IMHO its because people who... well... how to say... are not used to Asians? It sounds strange... but you know what I mean. Those people then pay most attention to the differences of the "races" and not to the smaller differences of the people themselves, and thus they think that Asians look all the same. Kind of...

Just a matter of what you pay attention to.

 

[jeisan]

ive met people whove been amazed i could keep all the people straight in a kung fu movie. they always ask how i do it, like it some special trick or something. but i think your right maji, those people that think all asians look the same dont take the time to tell them apart.

 

[cowo]

yeah, that sounds plausible.
so because of my intense study of martial arts movies and asia-cinema in general i earned my 7 points in this funny chinese-korean-japanese-faces-test.
yeahh me

 

[ghettocities]

Originally posted by maji
imho its because people who... well...

Hey, not to brag or anything but i'm more of a ho and I've never seen the movie. If you want a REAL ninja movie then you need to go, find an old copy of "Ninja Thunderbolt" and yeah two words for you, "Shower," "Scene." I remember renting that movie when I was a little kid cause it had the regular imported-film NR rating and I peddled home on my big-wheel soooooo quick lemme tell you -- and around the time it was finally played out I had a 90.00 late fee if you know what im sayiinnnnnnnnn. To make a long story short I found one single copy of it on Ebay ten years later and bought it, yeah, I pretty much have it framed as if it's the holy grail.

Peace to Asian Backpackers,

Josh

 

[Mandylion]

The reverse is true too. Every time I go home after being in Japan for a long time, all the people of the Caucasian persuasion look the same to me (and I am one of them). I don't know how you people keep everyone sorted out...

 

[den4]

must be limited vision impairment causing brain to focus on the hair or the eyes or some feature that is similar, so they overlook everything else that is unique of that particular individual....

kind of like how engrish all looks the same after going to the engrish.com site a few too many times....

 

[Dream Time]

well
Asians do not look the same
take some time and you will know the differences

but I have always been mistaken for being Japanese,either by Chinese people,Japanese people or white people.
I am Chinese

 

[Carolgirl00]

well, personally, the reason I think ppl think all asians look alike is because they are not familiar to that race.

I mean most americans for example are constantly surrounded by whites and so we get used to that. practically everything in foreign culture is aquired, so I think that's pretty much it. They're just not used to asians.

 

[jeisan]

yet im sure these same americans that cant tell asians apart can tell the difference between black folks.

 

[cowo]

@Dream Time
I think you you didn't read my posting but only the title.

 

[budd]

"yet im sure these same americans that cant tell asians apart can tell the difference between black folks."
nope.

 

[suntory]

I have lived in Japan for a while now. Yes its true people from other nationalities this asians look the same BUT NOT ONLY WHITE PEOPLE THINK THIS SO STOP BASHING THE WHITE MAN!! Im sick and tired of people doing this. I have heard EXTREME racist remark about asian by black people.
Anyhow getting back to the topic......obviously if you are not use to a race then sure they may all look the same.
But in actual fact asian people DO look far more similar than what e.g. white people do. NOT the same but very similar.... think about it they all have the same color hair, same skin type, same color eyes and most are small. There are great variations with white people.
This is a fact. So live with it and stop pissing and moaning!!

 

[budd]

BUT if people do not note discrepancies like this, things WILL NEVER GET BETTER.
the days of just taking abuse ARE OVER.

 

[suntory]

abuse?

Taken abuse???what kind of abuse?? your American? where did you come from originally?

 

[jeisan]

Originally posted by suntory
I have lived in Japan for a while now. Yes its true people from other nationalities this asians look the same BUT NOT ONLY WHITE PEOPLE THINK THIS SO STOP BASHING THE WHITE MAN!! Im sick and tired of people doing this. I have heard EXTREME racist remark about asian by black people.
Anyhow getting back to the topic......obviously if you are not use to a race then sure they may all look the same.
But in actual fact asian people DO look far more similar than what e.g. white people do. NOT the same but very similar.... think about it they all have the same color hair, same skin type, same color eyes and most are small. There are great variations with white people.
This is a fact. So live with it and stop pissing and moaning!!

i think the point of this thread was that some people cant tell asians apart, namely people we know personaly. if we only know other white folks who cant tell two different asians apart in a movie then what to you expect our examples to be of then? its not like were trying to diss crackers here. most of us are, beleive it or not, white ourselves. another point that i was trying to make is the same people who cant tell jet li from jackie chan, can easily tell the difference between black men/women. who are all dark skinned and have the same eye color, hair color and curly hair. so if they can do that then why not the same for asians? no one was pissing and moaning just laughing and joking. maybe you should re-read this thread as its intended before you get all worked up and judgemental.

 

[Himura]

Saying all Asians look the same is stupid, just because some (a lot of) people can't differ... One reason is probably the hair color. If you look in an Asian crowd of people - all ya see is (mostly) black and sometimes a bit brown. For example in Europe you'll see minimum 10 different colors....

 

[jeisan]

no one is saying that all asians look alike, just that we know some people that cant tell them apart.

 

[Himura]

This thread is "These Asians all look alike", isn't it.....

 

[jeisan]

did you even read the first post?

 

[Sgt. Wang]

I think it's always fun to go to Japan, and be noticed for being caucasian, and then coming back, and you have that same opinion of all the caucasion people when you come back to the airports. When you're back you don't get noticed.

Oh and on Himura: probably not. You can't really blame some people. Some people just don't have time to read a lot of the messages ( yes, I do do that, and I have a life other than the computer).

Hah, I said do do.

 

[Sgt. Wang]

Hee hee, Budd gets abused by Japanese..............

 

[budd]

hahahahahahha!
everybody abuses me
but that wasn't what i meant
but i like it for some strange reason
hahahahaha some more