When Do They Start Looking All The Same?

[Queequeg]

Probably the worst thread title I can think of, but I started thinking after reading James Fallow's blog.  Fallows has spent the last 4 years in China writing for The Atlantic, and in that time he has constantly heard that he looks like George Bush.  Here is a picture of James Fallows.


I don't think anyone on this board would ever think that he really resembles, let alone is the spitting image, of George Bush, but the vast majority of Chinese People will go for a lot of their lives seeing only a couple of honest-to-god Caucasians, and maybe a few more on TV.  How are they supposed to tell the difference? 

So here's a two part question. 

Firstly, do any general group of people (say, Vietnamese, or maybe even East Asians, or maybe Native Americans and Mexicans) look a like to you?  Could you confuse a random Mexican person for, say, a Sioux Indian?  Or various African groups? Does a person look "Korean", "Japanese", "Mongolian" or "Siberian" to you or just "Hairy Asian", or maybe just generic "East Asian"?

[MadImmortalMan]

Maybe he has similar mannerisms/voice inflection/etc. Sometimes those things are just as telling as facial features.

[Admiral Yi]

He looks a little like George sr.

[DontSayBanana]

In dim lighting and from a bit above or below, I could see there being some resemblance. Also, our facial recognition tends to be a bit primitive, so with a low sample in Caucasians, you might be onto something.

[jimmy olsen]

I and the other teachers had a lot trouble identifying a trio of Chinese girls at the school I student taught at. They wore their hair the same length, and wore similar styles which made it really difficult.

[HVC]

I and the other teachers had a lot trouble identifying a trio of Chinese girls at the school I student taught at. They wore their hair the same length, and wore similar styles which made it really difficult.

Racist!

[jimmy olsen]

I and the other teachers had a lot trouble identifying a trio of Chinese girls at the school I student taught at. They wore their hair the same length, and wore similar styles which made it really difficult.

Racist!

Not being CdM I hadn't had daily interactions with teenage Asian girls before this.

[PDH]

Or with girls of any ethnicity, for that matter.

[HVC]

I and the other teachers had a lot trouble identifying a trio of Chinese girls at the school I student taught at. They wore their hair the same length, and wore similar styles which made it really difficult.

Racist!

Not being CdM I hadn't had daily interactions with teenage Asian girls before this.

Great, now all asian girls are whore. keep digging!


:p I don't think i ever met a group who i thought all looked a like. Sure, i can't tell if someone is vietnamese or chinese, but i can tell individuals apart.

[HVC]

Or with girls of any ethnicity, for that matter.

:pinchL

[DontSayBanana]

Not being CdM I hadn't had daily interactions with teenage Asian girls before this.

Hood rats, Tim. Seedy's MO is hood rats.

[PDH]

:pinchL

It was coming in over the middle of the plate, I HAD to hit it.

[Alcibiades]

Asian women... I think If one came over introduced herself, and then blended back into a crowd of Asian women her age... I couldn't find her again.

Other than that, no.

[Caliga]

  ...and yet Tim calls me a raciss.

[Eddie Teach]

I don't think anyone on this board would ever think that he really resembles,

I can see it.


I think the most generic-looking group of people is probably Hollywood starlets. Flaws add variety.