Racism on cue

OK, this is kind of a continuation of my last post.

Just like people can be cued to tell their most interesting stories, I'm fairly certain that people can be cued up to reveal their racist tendencies. In fact, this is a much more useful application of the idea.

Want to know if someone is racist or not? It's simple. Give them a racial cue and see how they react.

One example is the famous pic of Obama photoshopped to look like an African tribesman (and no, I won't post a link here). Show this pic to most white people and they might chuckle at how preposterous the pic is, but they should also call you a dumbass, a racist, or a douche (I hope). Maybe even smack you one. But show it to a racist and they'll just laugh and then pass it on to their friends.

In Japan, along with the rise of K-Pop, there's also a rise in anti-Korean racist comments (from what I've seen around me). No, it's not the use of overtly racist descriptions of Koreans or outright racist ideas. It's a lot more subtle.

Mention any K-Pop band, like Kara for example (here's a link to their butt dance video), and especially mention you think some Korean is cute and you're likely to get at least one comment about how "they all had plastic surgery," or my favorite, "they all look alike to me." Both of these comments I heard directly from people I know, on several occasions.

Do either of these comments sound so terrible? Not at first glance, until you think about the hidden meaning. If someone suggests that all Koreans (on TV at least) have had plastic surgery, the implicit idea is that they need the surgery to look good. Another idea wrapped up in this comment is that the local talents didn't need to get their faces done to look good. Ergo, my country's beauties are better, because their beauty wasn't made.

It's just like comments from white people in the US that suggest that blacks are only good at sports (or that Jewish people are good with money). The implicit idea is: I don't mind not being able to make a jumpshot as good as that black dude (or being as rich as that Jewish guy), because I have other talents. I am more of a real person, while they are a simple stereotype.

And for the record, I would be surprised if 99% of the people on TV in any country didn't have their faces, boobs, or whatever done. I mean, please. Grow a brain, people.

Update: For the record, I wasn't race baiting. I was talking about a news program I saw that morning that was describing some contract dispute Kara was having, and I casually mentioned that the one lead singer was cute, and then I got hit with the comments I posted above.