Well, I don't know what to tell you, except that I found many Germans to be dark-haired. Hell, Scandinavia is known for its blonds, but the Norwegian who used to frequent the liquor store I worked at had black hair, and the one Icelander I've met had dark brown hair. So I would suggest going to the place and looking around, and not relying so much on stereotypes -- you may be surprised.
Location: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:08 pm Post subject:
Quote:
America's Growing Problem New Study Says Americans No Longer the Tallest in the World
June 19, 2007 —
It's a small world, after all... especially in America.
New research shows that Americans are coming up short, but not in terms of money or lifestyle. Our growing problem is with our height.
The study, conducted by the University of Munich and Princeton University, found that the United States had the shortest population in the industrialized world, and the reason may have to do with the way people live.
America's first president, George Washington, stood a commanding 6-foot-2. In Washington's day, our country's residents were the tallest in the world.
"It's well known that the Americans held the title for 200 years," said University of Munich professor John Komlos. "Ever since the colonial times, the Americans were the tallest."
Today the Netherlands towers above the rest of the world as the tallest country, with an average height of 6-foot 1, without the wooden shoes. In 1850, Americans were two inches taller than the Dutch.
In Denmark, men average 6 feet in height, a couple of inches taller than the American male average of 5-foot-10.
American men aren't responding well to their shrinking stature. "There is no way I want the Dutch towering over the United States of America," said one 6-foot-3 man.
Komlos said height revealed a lot about a country's well-being, including how long its citizens lived and how healthy they were. Researchers said that one reason for Denmark's high ranking could be that the Danish health-care system provides better care to children when they are young, the time of life when most growing takes place.
Another reason for our lag might be the American diet, which is filled with fast food. Overeating can cause kids to produce too many growth hormones too early, which halts growth at a younger age.
Outside a Manhattan McDonald's, young Jacob said the news would make him think twice about going to the Netherlands or Denmark.
"If men here are getting shorter, then I need to move to Denmark," one 5-foot-9 woman said.
I suspect a big part of it has to do with the people who've been immigrating to this country in huge numbers over the last 15 years, namely Mesoamericans and Asians, who tend to be shorter than the average Caucasian or African American. I cannot tell you how many Mesoamerican males I see in this city who come up to less than 5 ft. At 5'6", I feel like Amazon Queen!
The Basque depending the regions are tall or short, for example the Souletin's stereotype is a short-man compared to Labourdins who are tall, the hair color is different too, the Navarrese are dark-brown with brown eyes, hairy and thickset, the Souletins are blonds or chesnut brown blue or green eyes, and thickset too.
Location: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:29 pm Post subject:
Sorry guys! I thought I could merge threads to avoid redundancy. But apparently, this site doesn't give me that option, and I couldn't move posts into pre-existing threads either (only to forum folders and subforums) And to top it off, I couldn't undo what I already started, so alas, I'm forced to repost the messages in this unruly fashion. Please forgive me for screwing this up royally.
The following are responses to my post above.
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Joanne, Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:36 pm:
Yes, you're right. I live in an area that's mostly comprised of Asians, and hardly anyone is over 5'9" (1.75 m). Even in the city I hardly ever have to look way up at anyone, especially if I wear heels!
An exception, though. I've noticed that Japanese men and women in general are quite a bit taller than other Asians. I wonder why that is? It probably has something to do with changing diets in Japan due to globalization...
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Elaine, Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:02 pm:
I work around the Civic Center-Little Tokyo area and I do see a lot of tall Japanese tourists.
Most of the young ones have rust-colored hair and the girls all look like they stepped out of the Sailor Moon cartoons-- fashions that I personally find ridiculous.
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Joanne, Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:36 pm:
Elaine wrote:
Most of the young ones have rust-colored hair and the girls all look like they stepped out of the Sailor Moon cartoons-- fashions that I personally find ridiculous.
They probably toned down because they were in America! I was in Tokyo a few years ago, and I swear, it's like stepping into a parallel dimension, in some ways. Most dressed they way we do here (well, maybe better), but they really can go way out when it comes to their fashions. I saw groups of girls dressed in full on Victorian gowns (except the hems were a few inches off the ground), complete with bustles, corsets, pelisses, and day bonnets. They were walking around next to similarly modified empire-waisted Elizabeth Bennets, and various Rainbow Brite characters. I shit you not. It was great, though, to see people so un-self-conscious, and just having fun with clothes.
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Porthos, Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:43 am:
Quote:
I suspect a big part of it has to do with the people who've been immigrating to this country in huge numbers over the last 15 years, namely Mesoamericans and Asians, who tend to be shorter than the average Caucasian or African American.
That article and newsclip which it came from specifically said that it had nothing to do with America's changing ethnic composition. What's the basis for such a claim??? If an increasinly large portion of the population is comprised of Mesoamericans and east Asians, do the math and you'll find our height averages shrinking. The PC Nazis refuse to acknowledge this, and they even dismiss it as a possibility.
They should give more consideration to the ethnic factor however. Despite the self-reported ethnic statistics, I would still wager that the largest ethnic group among Whites in this country is "British", ie. - from the British Isles. A quick glance at the height stats in Britain will reveal that the average British male is 5'10, identical to the American average. The reason Dutch people and Scandanavians are so tall is largely because of their ethnicity. They're the commonly tall, blond, blue eyed, "Nordic" type.
The more Asians and Latin Americans that come to this country, the lower our average height is going to be.
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Walker, Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:29 pm:
Joanne wrote:
Elaine wrote:
Most of the young ones have rust-colored hair and the girls all look like they stepped out of the Sailor Moon cartoons-- fashions that I personally find ridiculous.
They probably toned down because they were in America! I was in Tokyo a few years ago, and I swear, it's like stepping into a parallel dimension, in some ways. Most dressed they way we do here (well, maybe better), but they really can go way out when it comes to their fashions. I saw groups of girls dressed in full on Victorian gowns (except the hems were a few inches off the ground), complete with bustles, corsets, pelisses, and day bonnets. They were walking around next to similarly modified empire-waisted Elizabeth Bennets, and various Rainbow Brite characters. I shit you not. It was great, though, to see people so un-self-conscious, and just having fun with clothes.
Did you talk to any of those people? Have you any idea which social class they might've belonged to?
Japan seems fascinating. They've copied much of Western culture, so much in fact that it seems almost perverse, and yet they keep their own traditions and customs. Maybe I should start a band and head for Japan! Seriously though, I'd like to go there sometime. If I could take it, that is. The tomboy at work I was talking about went there with a friend, and when she told us about it she compared the noise when they'd walked into shops to that of a chicken yard. People had been nice but sometimes they'd been a bit too nice.
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Loic, Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:18 pm:
I just feel that the Japanese are scrupulously polite. I remembered taking their bullet train and being very self-conscious as there was dirt underneath my nails and I looked like a vangabond in a compartment where all the men were probably dressed in bespoked tailoring. A woman entered the compartment to sell us refreshments and what impressed me greatly was the way she bowed at all of us when she entered before doing the same as she left.
I was blown off my feet. Everywhere I went, the standard of service was excellent. If there was a downside, it was their presumption that they can make you understand their Japanese by slowing down their speech. Otherwise, I must say that the Japanese retail industry opened my horizons as far as service is concerned.
Did I say that almost every girl there wears a dress or a skirt, even in winter? Maybe it has changed, but I didn't see anyone in jeans while I was walking down Ginza.
For all their good manners, their cities are ugly. Tokyo is a congested warren with badly planned streets and characterless skyscrappers. Living in Tokyo or Osaka would be a nightmare for anyone suffering from claustrophobia. I know I was feeling a bit under the weather with the seething mass of humanity all around me.
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Joanne, Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:38 pm:
Walker wrote:
Did you talk to any of those people? Have you any idea which social class they might've belonged to?
I'm pretty sure they were high school (the Japanese equivalent of it) students, although I didn't tap them on the shoulder to interrupt their shopping experience and ask them how old they were, how prestigious the school they attended was, what social class their family was in, and how long they had been in that class Unfortunately, I don't speak a syllable of Japanese...otherwise, I totally would have been the Ugly American and asked them!
Walker wrote:
Maybe I should start a band and head for Japan! Seriously though, I'd like to go there sometime. If I could take it, that is.
Dude...white guy in Japan? I'd hate to perpetuate a stereotype here, but you'd have to beat the ladies off with a stick, rock star!
loic wrote:
Living in Tokyo or Osaka would be a nightmare for anyone suffering from claustrophobia. I know I was feeling a bit under the weather with the seething mass of humanity all around me.
After weeks in rural New Zealand, I was starting to feel a little stir crazy, so the crowds and noise of Tokyo were a welcome change for me. It was invigorating
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Porthos, Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:13 pm:
Quote:
Dude...white guy in Japan? I'd hate to perpetuate a stereotype here, but you'd have to beat the ladies off with a stick, rock star!
Yes, they'd probably be very anxious to see your yang.
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Walker, Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:55 pm:
Joane wrote:
Walker wrote:
Maybe I should start a band and head for Japan! Seriously though, I'd like to go there sometime. If I could take it, that is.
Dude...white guy in Japan? I'd hate to perpetuate a stereotype here, but you'd have to beat the ladies off with a stick, rock star!
Yes, I know!
Porthos wrote:
...they'd probably be very anxious to see your yang.
And I'd be anxious to... uhm, this is the news thread, right? Ahum, right!
I do remember Japanese girls wearing the most ridiculous things. Knee socks and bun covers were all the rage when I was there. As was dyeing hair orange or yellow or getting really ugly perms (for men!). Heinous. I think Hirajuku was where they liked to show off how bizare they could get.
The other thing was their love of mangled written English. Once in a while you might see French, but mostly it was English. They liked to plaster words, phrases, and even long run-on sentences all over shirts, handbags, and other items, and reading those things would drive you to distraction, because they were often so tortured in grammar and vocabulary that they made no sense at all! But they didn't seem to care. I suppose much of that was simply a verbatim translation of how they would have expressed the same ideas in Japanese -- and if so, it shows just how different Japanese syntax must be!
Uh, say what? _________________ An apple a day....
We have quite a few Japanese exchange students and to say that the fashions are bizaare is a bit of an understatement. Most the guys at the moment have David Sylvian haircuts and wear ultra-ultra-skinny leg with cowboy boots, with colours mismatched.
As for height, I'm 172 cm which translates just under 5'8. I think the average Australian woman is 5'4, man 5'10.
I was very surprised to see how tall those young Singaporeans are. The Dutch are enormous, I felt like a dwaft and soooooo blonde.
I used to be about 183 cm; now I'm only about 181 cm.
You shrunk? But still you're taller than me... _________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
That's true. Deborah would still be a commanding presence. It's not very common for a woman to be above 1.80 m. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:05 am Post subject:
It's not that there's anything wrong with being short -- like 181 cm -- it's the shrinkage that bothers me and prompted me to get a bone density study. I finally got the result today. Yes, my spine shows a bit of bone loss, but only as much as is normal for my age (I hate that expression!). It's still considered healthy and I'm far from having osteoporosis. So as long as I keep taking my calcium and get more exercise, I should be OK.
Last edited by Deborah on Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:07 pm; edited 2 times in total
Well, I don't know what to tell you, except that I found many Germans to be dark-haired. Hell, Scandinavia is known for its blonds, but the Norwegian who used to frequent the liquor store I worked at had black hair, and the one Icelander I've met had dark brown hair. So I would suggest going to the place and looking around, and not relying so much on stereotypes -- you may be surprised.
That's true there are some people for example here where I live who have stereotype about the fact that all Germans and Scandinavians would be blond. They would be surprised to see that they are more dark-haired Germans than they thought mainly in Southern Germany. But I noticed something which is not really a cliché. When I was spending a month in Stockholm. I nevertheless saw a higher percent of very blonde people than dark-haired ones.
_________________ Jag tänker alltså finns jag
jag är en svensktalande fransman och älskar svenska språket
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And to top it off, I couldn't undo what I already started, so alas, I'm forced to repost the messages in this unruly fashion. Please forgive me for screwing this up royally. 
They probably 
I shit you not. It was great, though, to see people so un-self-conscious, and just having fun with clothes. 
Seriously though, I'd like to go there sometime. If I could take it, that is. The tomboy at work I was talking about went there with a friend, and when she told us about it she compared the noise when they'd walked into shops to that of a chicken yard. People had been nice but sometimes they'd been a bit 
Unfortunately, I don't speak a syllable of Japanese...otherwise, I 
