# A question which may be horribly racist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 28, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118 "2010-05-28T22:16:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/1 "2010-05-28T22:16:01Z")
…and for which I apologize. A couple in my town adopted a baby from Haiti after the earthquake and I saw them today at the pool. The chubby little baby was beyond cute. Again, I really apologize if this is racist because I honestly don’t know if it is. Ok… Do non-white people think that little white babies are cute? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/2 "2010-05-28T22:26:32Z")
Babies are cute. Period. No qualifiers. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/3 "2010-05-28T22:36:24Z")
If you’re a person who thinks babies are cute, I guess they all are. I don’t actually think babies are cute - they look weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/4 "2010-05-28T23:07:01Z")
[I’m white] I think that many foreign babies have chubbier cheeks, which makes them extra adorable. I’m guessing that scrawnier-looking babies look that way to everyone, not just whites. It’s not racist to wonder how whites look to non-whites. I need to go find a baby to squeeze. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/5 "2010-05-28T23:09:00Z")
I’m a black man, and I don’t think your question is racist. I DO think that babies are cute. I love, love, love babies. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/6 "2010-05-28T23:28:01Z")
I knew some White people in China who had a baby boy. They would go out in public sometimes and people would swarm them when they stopped to look at the baby and make it smile and stuff. It was mostly women, but some men were there too. So, Chinese people think White babies are very, very cute. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/7 "2010-05-28T23:49:14Z")
Most babies are cute. In fact, most mammalian babies are cute. I think it helps keep their mothers from abandoning them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/8 "2010-05-29T00:56:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I knew some White people in China who had a baby boy. > > They would go out in public sometimes and people would swarm them when they stopped to look at the baby and make it smile and stuff. It was mostly women, but some men were there too. > > So, Chinese people think White babies are very, very cute. 🙂 That’s what I wanted to do; go over and pinch his cheeks and squeeze him and go all googoo over him. I controlled myself though because I didn’t want to offend anyone. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/9 "2010-05-29T01:52:42Z")
It’s pretty much hard-wired, for obvious evolutionary reasons. Heck, we even find non-human babies cute. [AWW, LOOK AT THE PUPPIES!](http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=puppy&w=all) ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/10 "2010-05-29T01:54:07Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > That’s what I wanted to do; go over and pinch his cheeks and squeeze him and go all googoo over him. I controlled myself though because I didn’t want to offend anyone. As a mother, I can tell you that I am always happy when someone goes all googoo over any of my children. I similarly go googoo over any baby I encounter of whatever national stripe. The grocery store is actually a lot of fun for me because of all the darling children I get to coo over. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/11 "2010-05-29T02:31:58Z")
Worldwide, a blond-haired blue-eyed baby (just like a blond adult) is going to get a lot of attention simply because those traits are so rare. There are a lot of positive media stereotypes about blonds, but many people can go their whole lives without actually seeing one. When they do meet one, it’s a source of fascination. White babies also tend to have light skin, which many cultures find to be highly desirable. I’m told that beyond money and green cards, one of the big reasons why white foreigners are desirable marriage partners in largely non-white foreign countries is the idea that the babies will be especially cute. I think mostly the "babies of another race are especially cute’ is the novelty. I’m endlessly tickled by the rosy red cheeks Chinese babies often develop. But I’m sure to their parents it’s just a normal physical trait that is not particularly remarkable. Since pretty much all babies are cute, we interpret these differences as “extra cute.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/12 "2010-05-29T02:37:20Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Worldwide, a blond-haired blue-eyed baby (just like a blond adult) is going to get a lot of attention simply because those traits are so rare. When I lived in Japan (aged 3-4) I got a lot of attention. My hair was blond, and I have blue eyes. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/13 "2010-05-29T02:38:59Z")
I think it’s racist to suggest that all babies are cute. I have seen some pretty fugly babies in my day. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/14 "2010-05-29T03:16:43Z")
Due to hard-wiring beyond my control, most babies appear cute to me. When I do see a baby with a face only a mother could love, it is almost always a white baby with that looks-like-a-potato-but-not-as-charismatic look. I’m white, and I was that baby. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/15 "2010-05-29T03:25:30Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Due to hard-wiring beyond my control, most babies appear cute to me. When I do see a baby with a face only a mother could love, it is almost always a white baby with that looks-like-a-potato-but-not-as-charismatic look. I’m white, and I was that baby. I thought I was the only one who thought some babies look like potatoes. Well I’m glad I’m not a racist for thinking non-white babies are extra cute. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/16 "2010-05-29T03:31:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > When I lived in Japan (aged 3-4) I got a lot of attention. My hair was blond, and I have blue eyes. I lived in Japan when I was 14 to 16, and I had the same experience. I have blue eyes, and my hair was a very light blond back then (it’s brown/gray now). When I’d walk down the street, Japanese people would ask to take my picture with some frequency, usually when they were drunk enough to get over their cultural reticence. A few times, strangers actually asked if they could touch my hair. I didn’t like it, but I’d say OK, figuring that my minor distaste was outweighed by their obvious fascination. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/17 "2010-05-29T03:36:01Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’m a black man, and I don’t think your question is racist. I DO think that babies are cute. I love, love, love babies. How do you like yours prepared, **Sklad**? 😉 I agree with the description of babies=potatoes-with-faces, then again, I’m not a fan of babies/kids and tend to do my best to avoid them ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/18 "2010-05-29T04:05:23Z")
> [@jackelope](#): > > I lived in Japan when I was 14 to 16, and I had the same experience. I have blue eyes, and my hair was a very light blond back then (it’s brown/gray now). [This is me when I was three](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/johnny/johnny8.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/19 "2010-05-29T04:22:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [This is me when I was three](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/johnny/johnny8.jpg). Ok, you were just as squeezable as a Haitian baby. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/20 "2010-05-29T04:24:57Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Due to hard-wiring beyond my control, most babies appear cute to me. When I do see a baby with a face only a mother could love, it is almost always a white baby with that looks-like-a-potato-but-not-as-charismatic look. I’m white, and I was that baby. Even potato babies are cute in their own way, since a a great deal of cuteness can come from the ‘person, only miniature’ thing…although it works for non people too. My dog was a pretty ugly puppy, but the tininess helped her out. I’m black and don’t think white babies that are cuter than average, but do think babies of all races are cute. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118.md?page=2)