Kip Fulbeck stated in his 4th Clip ("Differing responses by gender to the Hapa Project") that a majority of the [multiethnic] people that he photographed were women. His response to why this might have happened was that, in this country (I'm assuming he's talking about America), "...talk[ing] about yourself isn’t perhaps a masculine strength that’s valued in this country." According to Fulbeck we measure masculine strength in ways like "he bit him up, didn't cry, etc."...versus "Eastern philosophy" which apparently measures masculinity by how well men "master quantum physics" or "take care of elderly parents". Well, I disagree with Kip. I'm not saying that different regions/cultures don't value certain qualities more than others, but I don't consider mastering quantum physics a masculine quality, and I don't believe Asian culture does (consider it a masculine quality) either. Does that mean that mastering quantum physics or taking care of elderly parents is exclusive to men, or if women choose to do those things are they considered 'masculine'? I'm not saying that Fulbeck is entirely wrong, but its important to remember that Fulbeck is human and entitled to his own opinions. Jumping to conclusions through speculation doesn't guarantee accuracy.
"Discomfort at being labeled by others". This was an interesting clip by Fulbeck. In short, he got a ticket at the beach for having his dog there. While receiving the ticket, the cop said to him "I've been telling you people about this for a long time", and Kip wasn't exactly sure what was meant by "you people". He didn't know whether he meant long haired people, or "you people" as in those with dogs on the beach, etc. The cop definitely identified Kip as one of "those people", but what people? It could have been that the cop was old, and Kip young, thereby meaning "you [young] people". Whatever he meant by "you people", it was a label that he attached to Kip. I think it's important to recognize that we all have labels put on us everyday (and do so to others), and its not always necessarily about race. We have preconceived notions about other people, and we MUST remember not to make the mistake of assuming that we know somebody before we meet/get-to-know them.
Thank you for your comments.
I agree, people have all types of labels put on them as well as the labels we identify ourselves with.
I think the "race" thing is everywhere, most especially in the U.S. because of the diversity of people. It's been a hot topic for decades and I'm guessing it will continue to be a topic of discussion for many more decades to come, in the U.S.
I admit that I'm a pretty judgmental person. It's easy, almost basic instinct, for me to have preconceived notions about other people who I don't know well. But as I meet more people and learn about them, I see my tendency to judge slow down and shift to an attitude of wanting to learn more from people.