Frazz by Jef Mallett for January 26, 2012

@truthtella2

Not really more like profiling. It was meant as a social compliment but does not really apply to the whole.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racismrac·ism   [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA

noun1.a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.2.a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.3.hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

She neither believes 1. her race is superior or has the right to rule, nor 3. shows any hated toward the race.

I stand by the term profiling.

“A number of cross-cultural studies have documented the apparent higher achievement in mathematics of Asian students as compared with students from other countries. By now, it is no secret that Asian students perform at a higher level in mathematics than do students in the United States, as indicated in such international comparisons as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The mathematics performance of students in the United States seems to be in decline, and mathematics education in the United States appears to be facing a crisis.”http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=1618

I don’t think her tiger mum would be pleased! More homework with less tv & play coming up.

Or

“You tried very hard & did your best – well done. Veg out.”

I don’t think it’s meant to be taken as directly racist or anything…it’s the kids’ view, likely put on them by the parents’. Doesn’t mean that the comic strip is actually saying Chinese are good at math.

I have to agree with smetlavich, the word “racist” is vastly overused, particularly by people who don’t know the definition. Pointing out a stereotype is not racism.

I think “stereotyping” is more accurate. “A positive or negative trait or traits ascribed to a certain group and to most members of that group”

It’s stereotyping indeed. We do it all the time. A cute joke here, but good to be cautious about the use of stereotypes. Thank you Trutella2 for raising the issue.

A significant proportion of cartoons play with stereotypes and assumptions. At a guess, I’d say that the majority of Frazz cartoons revolve around someone in the cartoon making a wrong assumption, misunderstanding something, over-generalizing, or combining disparate ideas. That is where the humor and charm come from, for me.

While today’s Frazz isn’t one of them, some cartoons also deal with racism. Usually to parody it, but sometimes to encourage it. I’m disappointed with the number of comments on such cartoons, which assert that parodying racism is itself a racist act. I think it is a part of the antidote to racism.

This joke is based on self-deprecation. The weekly arc is based on wanting to belong to a group, presumably seen as a positive. If this is racism, it’s against the race she started with. (I do agree that the arc is stereotyped, but so much humor is about stereotypes being wildly wrong in a given instance that I assumed it was going there . . .)

I wonder what grade a disaster equates.

I agree that this is following a generally positive arc throughout the week. And what about Frazz’s comment? Is he commenting on the “stereotypying” comment the girl is making?

…and by an Offended-American, surprise, surprise. Now there’s a “community” desperately in need of being targeted with some stereotypical humor.

I LIKE the idea of having a culture among us that MAKES their kids study. I LIKE the fact that even poor Chinese parents in this country send their kids to ‘discipline schools’ for four hours in the evening to study and REALLY learn.

Crappety-heads who let their kids veg ARE GUILTY of child abuse and treachery to their country…

When I was growing up, that stereotype applied to Jews. Diaspora Chinese, like central European Ashkenazi, were a constant minority and so often subject to persecution. As a result, they went into fields that permitted rapid moving to safer places – business, science, arts, etc. – in which most of the “tools of the trade” could be carried by one person – generally in the head.

Racism is implying you have talent because of your race. While Chinese are generally better at math, this isn’t due to their genetic makeup, it’s because their populations is better educated.

Wow. Generalizing much? It’s sad that stereotypes whether bad or good persist in such an information-heavy era such as today. You would think mis-informed people with access to the internet would do a little research before using blanket stereotypes to define a whole group of people.

At least our grandparents and great-grandparents had an excuse, the lack of free information hindered education so they had to rely on personal experience and stories from their friends and family. Now-a-days, that’s just not the case.

Nuthin’ harder than chinese ’rithmatic…except the night i bumped into Dame Edna on the dance floor at the Rio club in LV last September….

Acknowledging that different groups have different overall patterns of behavior is not racist. It CAN lead to sloppy thinking and over-generalizations or ‘stereotypes’. Applying those trends to individuals is where the trouble truly lies.

This student believes that a person CANNOT be terrible at math and also be Chinese. Or, from the definition above, she may have a: ‘belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement’. In a child, that kind of ignorance is cute but needs corrected. It’s scary (and racist) when adults believe the same thing.

Look for absolutes to see if an idea is prejudiced or ‘racist’. I.E. ‘All members of Group A are (select a description)’ or ’Group A is (select a description).

I suppose it is stereotyping, or profiling, however, it is complimentary, so I don’t think it should offend.

Just wondering…. Is the termm"whit man can’t jump" racist?