Seven Sisters on pinterest - racist or just weird?

[darareaksmey]

I'm going with racist. These 7 women are sheltered, but not so sheltered they can't be bothered to differentiate among different Asian ethnicities. I would bet several paychecks they don't know for a fact whether all those girls are actual Chinese and that it hasn't occurred to them to care.

[latraviata]

Exactly. I don't think there is malicious intent, but it's still racist ... "collecting" babies based on their presumed race.

Oh come on, please.....

[SayNoToMullets]

They're equating Asian babies with accessories, which is both naive and racist (in a fetish kind of way).

[MonkeyMomma]

Oh come on, please.....

?

I'm saying they probably don't see their own behavior as racist, and would probably be hurt if it was pointed out and deny away ("I'm not racist, I have friends that are [insert whatever you want here]"). But it's still racist. That doesn't excuse it or make it less terrible.

[latraviata]

?

I'm saying they probably don't see their own behavior as racist, and would probably be hurt if it was pointed out and deny away ("I'm not racist, I have friends that are [insert whatever you want here]"). But it's still racist. That doesn't excuse it or make it less terrible.

[Terrie]

I'd call it passively racist, rather than actively racist. But still racist.

[latraviata]

I'd call it passively racist, rather than actively racist. But still racist.

Years ago we lived in the middle East and in Africa. My late youngest son was a beautiful little boy with very culrly blond hair and very blue eyes.

The locals adored him because in their eyes he was considered to be very exotic. That wasn't racism at all.

I love all children and indeed Asian, Indian, African children and the like are absolutely adorable, that isn't racism.

Hitler, KK, neo nazies, extremely right wing people and unfortunately, but not this very infantile sisters.

[thoughtful]

I think it is racist -- something need not express hate to be racist. it may be a milder form, but it's still not the same as seeing people who are different from oneself as fully human.

I also think they have been raised in such a strange bubble, and present as so much younger than they are, that they may not have a clue.

A page titled "Cute children," with pics of children from various backgrounds and of various races. might bother me less.

Part of what is odd, to me, is that the title of the page is "Chinese," like that was a noun, not an adjective. It makes the page feel even more like they are thinking of those children as inanimate objects, or at least lesser than white folks.

[latraviata]

I think it is racist -- something need not express hate to be racist. it may be a milder form, but it's still not the same as seeing people who are different from oneself as fully human.

I also think they have been raised in such a strange bubble, and present as so much younger than they are, that they may not have a clue.

A page titled "Cute children," with pics of children from various backgrounds and of various races. might bother me less.

Part of what is odd, to me, is that the title of the page is "Chinese," like that was a noun, not an adjective. It makes the page feel even more like they are thinking of those children as inanimate objects, or at least lesser than white folks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism

[fakepigtails73]

I don't see it as racist, just very strange (like a Chinese fetish), bordering on "orientalist".

If they would be "7 brothers" instead of "7 sisters" I'd find it more than just weird; I'd find it creepy as hell.

On a side note, each time I see a thread with "Seven Sisters" I think of the movie musical from the early 60s "Seven sisters for seven brothers". I saw that film on tv the other day and it creeped me out, lol!! I detest most musicals (aside from "Grease" and "The Sound Of Music", but I had to watch the "7 sisters..." and laugh at the weirdness. I find it odd that some see it as a "classic"... :think:

[sriracha]

I agree with the weird, naive girls thing. Also I hope they're not confusing Japanese/Korean kids with Chinese kids :/

You know they are.

Fricking weird. Cute but weird.

[fakepigtails73]

Oh come on, please.....

I agree with LaTraviata here.

Non malicious intent= non racist.

Maybe a tad patronizing on the 7 sis. part, but come on, they're gushing over chinese kids. Let's not look for racism where there ain't none.

[Terrie]

I agree with LaTraviata here.

Non malicious intent= non racist.

Maybe a tad patronizing on the 7 sis. part, but come on, they're gushing over chinese kids. Let's not look for racism where there ain't none.

Would you prefer the term "ethnocentric"? Even with out malicious intent, they are doing harm by perpetuating the concept of the Other with regards to these kids.

[fakepigtails73]

Would you prefer the term "ethnocentric"? Even with out malicious intent, they are doing harm by perpetuating the concept of the Other with regards to these kids.

Yeah, I can see some ethnocentrism on their part, definetly.

Although I don't think that they themselves see it that way, no no no. Sadly, their world ends where their door is.

What sad lives.

Edited: "their" instead of "there". :doh:

[CanadianHippie]

I agree with LaTraviata here.

Non malicious intent= non racist.

Maybe a tad patronizing on the 7 sis. part, but come on, they're gushing over chinese kids. Let's not look for racism where there ain't none.

I didn't realize that racism required malicious intent... I guess a teacher who brushes off her Asian students struggles because Asians are smarter than average and should understand the material is not being racist.

[theologygeek]

?

I'm saying they probably don't see their own behavior as racist, and would probably be hurt if it was pointed out and deny away ("I'm not racist, I have friends that are [insert whatever you want here]"). But it's still racist. That doesn't excuse it or make it less terrible.

There has to be some element of superiority in order for racism to occur. The Seven Sisters are naive and a bit dimwitted, but I don't think they are showing racism.

[darareaksmey]

The pictures would bug me far, far less if the children were correctly identified as to ethnic background, i.e., here's a Korean child, here's a Vietnamese child. Or if the title were just "Asian Children." But you just know the 7 Spinsters don't consider that important. Every lighter-skinned Asian must be Chinese; they don't see a problem. It's the decision not to care about the label they applied that bugs me. That yellow group of people, they must all be Chinese.

If they had a page of cute white kids of European heritage, would that page be labeled "American"? It makes the same amount of sense, even if none of the kids were from North America.

[darareaksmey]

There has to be some element of superiority in order for racism to occur. The Seven Sisters are naive and a bit dimwitted, but I don't think they are showing racism.

Do you really think they are dimwitted? It's easy to get people to overlook your flaws when they think you don't know any better. I'm just not willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I may be wrong; but these girls don't live in a cave. They have plenty of exposure to what you and I would consider normal life. Surely they are aware that not all light-skinned Asians are Chinese.

[theologygeek]

Do you really think they are dimwitted? It's easy to get people to overlook your flaws when they think you don't know any better. I'm just not willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I may be wrong; but these girls don't live in a cave. They have plenty of exposure to what you and I would consider normal life. Surely they are aware that not all light-skinned Asians are Chinese.

Yes. I think most fundies of that extreme are a few fries short of a happy meal.

[darareaksmey]

Yes. I think most fundies of that extreme are a few fries short of a happy meal.

I thinik they're a lot less extreme than many of the fundies we see here, and I just can't give them a hall pass.

[Nesomja]

Years ago we lived in the middle East and in Africa. My late youngest son was a beautiful little boy with very culrly blond hair and very blue eyes.

The locals adored him because in their eyes he was considered to be very exotic. That wasn't racism at all.

I love all children and indeed Asian, Indian, African children and the like are absolutely adorable, that isn't racism.

Hitler, KK, neo nazies, extremely right wing people and unfortunately, but not this very infantile sisters.

Does this mean that if an African child lives in an otherwise exclusively White village, and gets lots of attention and called exotic, that's not racism either?

I disagree with you. I was brought up in two African countries, I am White. Everywhere I went outside a major city people ran up to touch my skin and feel my hair, and shouted 'White person' in the local language. That was just because of my race, so I think it was racist. Doesn't mean it was malicious or should be punished, but it meant I hated going out and felt exposed all the time I was out. I was never allowed to blend in. If that's not racism, what is it?

[TheJewAmongUs]

Maybe someone should pin some pics of the 7 Sisters and label them "Amish." They seem to get a kick out that, right? Ha, or, you know, label them, "fundie wackos," see if that goes unnoticed.

(Although, I find them to be way more attuned to pop culture and stuffs than most fundies. They just seem to be intentionally obtuse sometimes.)

[punkiepie]

The pastor's wife of my old fundie church was obsessed with little Chinese girls/babies and she wanted to adopt one more than anything. I wouldn't say that she was racist either- she had just watched some Christian documentary/propaganda film about how the Chinese were discarding baby girls in dumpsters and it was up to the Christians of the world to adopt these little unwanted girls. She really felt like God had spoken to her and this was the calling for her unfertile "season" in life. ("season" is used with heavy sarcasm, haha) Nothing ever came of it, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Anyway, I guess my point is that in some parts of the Christian universe, having an obsession with Chinese girls and babies isn't all that abnormal, and is probably more common than you would think (Abnormal for the rest of humanity, yes). So I will give them the benefit of the doubt on this one and because I'm thinking their motives probably aren't racist in origin. But it is weird. Definitely weird.

[Eclipse]

Naivety and being sheltered doesn't mean that aren't being racist. I really wonder why they have that page up. Do the girls want their parents to adopt a chinese girl because of sex selection and/or to save a heathen child? None of those of kids look like children who are currently in an orphanage. Plus they might want to do some reading if they have dreams of adopting a Chinese baby. It isn't like it was 20 years ago.

I think they want to save a heathen child from hell.

[FloraDoraDolly]

I am betting that they heard a story about all the "missing" Chinese girls (that were presumably aborted by their parents) and wanted to show people how cute the kids are (naively thinking this will make couples keep them or want to adopt) and/or they want to adopt themselves.

That's what I'm thinking as well. None of those photos are of Asian boys, only girls.