# Am I a racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 14, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239 "2005-06-14T17:09:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/21 "2005-06-15T10:41:44Z")
That’s the one…and though I couldn’t recall the site or my score the first time, this time it was a dismal/‘very bad’ 6/20. Anaamika, give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/22 "2005-06-15T13:46:45Z")
Weird-I got a 7, and that rated a “pretty good.” ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/23 "2005-06-15T14:16:15Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > That’s the one…and though I couldn’t recall the site or my score the first time, this time it was a dismal/‘very bad’ 6/20. Anaamika, give it a shot. 10 out of 20. 50% ? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/24 "2005-06-15T14:20:29Z")
I did so badly on that test I can’t bring myself to post the score. I’m so ashamed. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/25 "2005-06-15T15:01:19Z")
I got a 6 out of 18. I was just guessing on all of them so I’m not sure that means anything at all. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/26 "2005-06-15T15:12:29Z")
Hah! I got 7, and I _am_ Japanese! Honestly, I can only tell the difference if I can hear them talking. Or if they look a lot like my family. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/27 "2005-06-15T15:37:47Z")
9/18, and I’m Korean. To my credit, I got the majority of the Korean people right. I knew all those Korean soap operas I’ve been watching would pay off eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/28 "2005-06-15T15:50:18Z")
I got a 3. ☹ White girl here, and I work with a lot of Asians. I can tell by their names sometimes. I’m so embarassed. ---
**Author:** ![quasixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/65b543/32.png) [@quasixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasixote)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/29 "2005-06-15T16:01:13Z")
It becomes much easier to recognize one asian nationality from another from regular interaction with people of various asian decent. I’m a white boy from the south, but after a few years ‘‘out and about,’’ I can usually tell Korean from Chinese from Thai from Japanese and so-on. I get irked when watching a movie that has an obviously chinese character playing a japanese one or vice-versa. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/30 "2005-06-15T16:34:12Z")
I scored a “very bad” 7 out of 18. FWIW, as a white guy, I often have trouble telling other whites apart until I have seen them enough to memorize the often subtle differences. ---
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/31 "2005-06-15T16:49:48Z")
> [@quasixote](#): > > It becomes much easier to recognize one asian nationality from another from regular interaction with people of various asian decent. > I’m a white boy from the south, but after a few years ‘‘out and about,’’ I can usually tell Korean from Chinese from Thai from Japanese and so-on. I get irked when watching a movie that has an obviously chinese character playing a japanese one or vice-versa. When I was watching _House of Flying Daggers_ I was getting upset because I couldn’t keep straight who was who. I would think it was the “hero” I was watching, only to learn that it was one of the “bad guys”. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/32 "2005-06-15T17:03:45Z")
> [@Fionn](#): > > Weird-I got a 7, and that rated a “pretty good.” I got a 7 and was called “very bad” ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/33 "2005-06-15T17:03:52Z")
I got a 10. I was mostly guessing based on what my Asian friends look like, and they all happen to be either Chinese or Korean. ---
**Author:** ![Corii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Corii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/34 "2005-06-15T17:26:07Z")
Hah my score of 3 was “Inversely Amazing”. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/35 "2005-06-15T17:31:06Z")
> [@Greathouse](#): > > When I was watching _House of Flying Daggers_ I was getting upset because I couldn’t keep straight who was who. I would think it was the “hero” I was watching, only to learn that it was one of the “bad guys”. Oh, but that main lead guy - how could you confuse him? He was \*so \* cute. He’s 1/2-Japanese 1/2 -Korean, BTW. His name is Takeshi Kaneshiro. ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/36 "2005-06-15T17:36:23Z")
I got an 8 on that test. Rated “Very Badly”. ---
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/37 "2005-06-15T17:39:32Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Oh, but that main lead guy - how could you confuse him? He was \*so \* cute. He’s 1/2-Japanese 1/2 -Korean, BTW. His name is Takeshi Kaneshiro. See, to me it was just another actor I didn’t recognize. But the female lead in the film…She was 10 pounds of sexy in a 5 pound bag! Damn she was hot. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/38 "2005-06-15T17:43:25Z")
> [@Greathouse](#): > > See, to me it was just another actor I didn’t recognize. > > But the female lead in the film…She was 10 pounds of sexy in a 5 pound bag! Damn she was hot. Forgot you were a guy. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/39 "2005-06-15T18:04:10Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > And, it must be noted that the US is quite odd for having the wide variety one sees among people. If you go to Britain, you get a sense that everyone shares a particular look This is true in certain parts of the U.S. as well. The South, for instance, has a lot of (if I may) “stock characters” that you see all over the place. As does Queens/Brooklyn/North Jersey. > [@Greathouse](#): > > When I was watching _House of Flying Daggers_ I was getting upset because I couldn’t keep straight who was who. I would think it was the “hero” I was watching, only to learn that it was one of the “bad guys”. There were other actors in that movie besides Zhang Ziyi? I certainly don’t remember them – but I guess she had to be talking to someone when she was bathing in that pool. **sigh** > [@](#): > > 10 pounds of sexy in a 5 pound bag Yeah, that’s her all right. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239/40 "2005-06-15T18:14:22Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > And a relatively good percentage of Japanese have fairly Western looking faces (but made Japanese)… Ah. That would explain _Speed Racer_, then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-a-racist/308239.md?page=3)