# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/21 "2010-05-29T04:27:02Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I need to go find a baby to squeeze. You do know that’s not where baby oil comes from, right? I think most babies are cute. However, I have been known to remark on a resemblance to Winston Churchill and/or Yoda. Rarely in the mother’s presence, though… (only that once, when I was 9…) ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/22 "2010-05-29T04:32:43Z")
I think white babies look like Winston Churchill. Asian babies, on the other hand, are very cute. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/23 "2010-05-29T05:28:59Z")
Somewhat related: I think black dolls are typically ugly. That’s right, I said it. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/24 "2010-05-29T05:31:55Z")
I have three pictures of friends’ babies on my fridge. Two are white and one is black/white (with strong black features). Now, I think all of these babies are super cute - and I’m not the type to think that all babies are cute - but I’ve had 3 people comment on just how absolutely _gorgeous_ the mixed race girl is. She does have these amazing huge eyes that are very sparkly even though they’re deep brown. Perhaps she is putting a spell on everyone? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/25 "2010-05-29T07:02:40Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I think most babies are cute. However, I have been known to remark on a resemblance to Winston Churchill and/or Yoda. > [@BMax](#): > > I think white babies look like Winston Churchill. Everybody knows that white babies look like Ernest Borgnine! ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/26 "2010-05-29T08:03:09Z")
My Amerasian girls were all squeeeeeeeeee’d over as babies in China. Strangers constantly wanted to touch/squeeze/kiss/admire them. I really had to aggressively head off the touching (Chinese have much smaller personal space). They were extremely cute but I think the novelty factor was by far the biggest draw. As you can imagine, the twins got even more attention. Hell, at 5 and a half, the last time we went to an amusement park I could have sold tickets for picture taking a made a bundle. It was mainly teenage girls that wanted to have the photos taken with the twins. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/27 "2010-05-29T08:08:35Z")
> [@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. My parents still talk of how my brother, sister and I were ‘stalked’ by Japanese tourists in the undergrowth on the beach in Hawaii when we were all between 2-6, blond and blue eyed. But I think the general combination of chubby cheeks, big eyes and general squishiness is meant to appeal no matter what race you are. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/28 "2010-05-29T08:31:39Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Somewhat related: I think black dolls are typically ugly. That’s right, I said it. I’ve noticed that, too. Most either look like exact copies of the white version, or exaggerated features that make them look like a caricature. This lack of realism makes them look ugly to me. It’s probably something related to the Uncanny Valley. Because most actual black babies are extra cute. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/29 "2010-05-29T08:50:58Z")
I can’t imagine why the question would be racist. I’m with Cat Whisperer- I think babies look like aliens. And kids suck big time anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/30 "2010-05-29T09:07:37Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > My Amerasian girls were all squeeeeeeeeee’d over as babies in China. Strangers constantly wanted to touch/squeeze/kiss/admire them. I really had to aggressively head off the touching (Chinese have much smaller personal space). They were extremely cute but I think the novelty factor was by far the biggest draw. > > As you can imagine, the twins got even more attention. Hell, at 5 and a half, the last time we went to an amusement park I could have sold tickets for picture taking a made a bundle. It was mainly teenage girls that wanted to have the photos taken with the twins. I’ve gotten quite used to Taiwanese (usually young women) wanting to have their pictures taken with my daughter. It boggles the mind to think that she (my daughter) is growing up thinking this is a normal thing. I also hold my hand out after the picture is taken and say, “that’ll be 500 NT dollars, please.” Jokingly. For now. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/31 "2010-05-29T13:07:50Z")
> [@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). > > 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. HAHA i had that happen in IOWA . When i was a kid I didn’t figure out that the rest of America wasn’t Chicago.. and that plenty of people had never seen a black person up close.. so when a little old lady touched my fro (this was 1978.. come on.. Fro’s we still big then) I was kind of shocked.. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/32 "2010-05-29T13:18:22Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > I think white babies look like Winston Churchill. Asian babies, on the other hand, are very cute. …considering they all look like Mao. And a lot of black babies look like Louis Armstrong. Yeah, the cuteness definitely overrides everything, regardless of race. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/33 "2010-05-29T13:21:58Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > …considering they all look like Mao. I laughed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/34 "2010-05-29T14:07:48Z")
Cute, cute, cute cute cute. My little neice Sylvia has a white Mom and a black Dad, but she looks mostly white. Her black grandparents are convinced she is the cutest thing to ever grace the planet (an opinion I strongly concur with, with the caveat that my kid, uniquely among the world’s children, was cuter.) They turn into puddles of goo when she’s around. Actually, they thought my very white kid was cute, too. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/35 "2010-05-29T15:10:20Z")
This thread put me in mind of an essay I read in college about the evolution of Mickey Mouse, and how he came more and more to have characteristics associated with babies, which are therefore found “cuter” by adults. Imagine my surprise and pleasure to [find the essay](http://www.monmsci.net/~kbaldwin/mickey.pdf), and discover it was written by Stephen Jay Gould! Anyway, the upshot is that babyish physical characteristics are similar across not only races, but species (see, e.g. “Puppies!” above). So it would make sense that the answer to the question is yes. ---
**Author:** ![Negative\_Lite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Negative\_Lite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Negative_Lite)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/36 "2010-05-29T15:24:59Z")
It’s not racist to think babies are cute. It’s just horribly, horribly ageist. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn\_K\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Shawn\_K\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn_K_1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/37 "2010-05-29T15:37:12Z")
I’m on the other end of the spectrum, I find babies as a whole generally look odd. Little kids are much cuter in their mannerisms but the best is that when the cute ends and the tantrum starts since they’re someone elses kids they can take care of 'em 😃 I was white blonde when I was kid (I’m still white but my hair has gone dirty blonde) and a family friend’s thai wife was fascinated by my ultra blonde hair and always wanted to touch it apparently. ---
**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, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/38 "2010-05-29T15:37:37Z")
This thread reminds me of a little girl I saw years ago. She was a dark-haired thing with big brown eyes and a dark complexion. She had a cleft palate. She was a cute little thing in spite of it. I hope she’s all right now. ---
**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 29, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/39 "2010-05-29T19:59:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > This thread reminds me of a little girl I saw years ago. She was a dark-haired thing with big brown eyes and a dark complexion. She had a cleft palate. She was a cute little thing in spite of it. I hope she’s all right now. Well, I don’t think a cleft palate is too big a deal. they can fix it and there is just a scar where it was. I guess she might get made fun of, but I don’t think a cleft palate is anything to worry about. Then again, I may be wrong. ---
**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 29, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118/40 "2010-05-29T20:02:42Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I think it’s racist to suggest that all babies are cute. I have seen some pretty fugly babies in my day. 😕 How is that racist? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-which-may-be-horribly-racist/541118.md?page=3)