Is this comment racist?

[piedpeppa]

NC for this as appalled it even happened.

Something came up on tv about Japan and 4yr old DS (who asks questions non-stops these days) says to DH, what is Japan?
I'm in the kitchen and I can hear DH telling DS that it's a country with amazing technology and food etc. Then he goes, 'you know how me and mum and your teachers all look different?
Well in Japan, everyone looks the same.'
I couldn't believe he'd just said that!

I piped in immediately and said you can't teach him that, it's a rude stereotype and racist af!
He argues it's not racist and is actually true. I was so upset and told him he can't teach DS things like that! So shocked.

AIBU here????

Yep, racist comment

Racist and untrue.

Omg that is shocking!! Glad you pulled him up on it !

Horribly racist

Am quite shocked by that

Yes it is. I'm surprised you even have to ask.

Racist. Ignorant.

what did your DH mean?
I think it might be true that there is little ethnic diversity in Japan

Yes racist ... and really narrow minded

@Pinkmagic1

Yes it is. I'm surprised you even have to ask.

I know it definitely is! It's fact that he argued that it wasn't offensive that made me think surely he must be taking the piss.

Why do you even have to ask? It's obviously a racist comment

Also can’t believe you’re asking. Racist and untrue.
There are thousands of decent scientific articles on the cross-race effect. I would be deeply ashamed of my husband if he refused to now read one of them.

It is racist but it’s also just weirdly thick.

Yup, racist, ignorant and incredibly stupid thing to say.

There isn't much ethnic diversity but it's possible for people if the same ethnic group to look different!

To me it depends on the person saying it. I think it's more of an ignorant (and stupid) remark than anything else.

Grasping at straws, could he have been commenting on the fact that Japan is less racially diverse than the UK. Eg a quick Google suggests that 86% of the population of E/W is white, whereas Japan is over 98% Japanese?

Ummmm what. That’s appalling! He obviously needs to widen his world. Just watch an episode of terrace house - miraculously, you can tell the people apart 😯

Yes it is racist.

However, it is true that people are better at distinguishing faces of the race they have grown up seeing the most.

E.g. if you have grown up surrounded by mainly white people you will be better at telling apart two similar looking white people. Someone who has grown up in Japan will be better at distinguishing between two similar looking Japanese people than they will be distinguishing between two similar looking white people.

But still racist.

@StillWeRise

what did your DH mean? I think it might be true that there is little ethnic diversity in Japan

But that still doesn’t mean that they look the same. On top of being untrue, it’s also a problematic phrase as it’s a well-know racist demeaning comment, de-individualising people.

Show your husband - and son - the Japanese football team. So, similar age and sex. All different.

www.today.com/news/japan-s-soccer-team-pens-thank-you-note-after-world-t132559

@KindergartenKop

There isn't much ethnic diversity but it's possible for people if the same ethnic group to look different!

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_of_Japan

There is plenty of ethnic diversity in Japan.

@ThePhantom

To me it depends on the person saying it. I think it's more of an ignorant (and stupid) remark than anything else.

Hmmmmm. Until the point where he argued with the OP instead of listening.

Which means we can add racist and closed minded to ignorant and stupid.

@StillWeRise

what did your DH mean? I think it might be true that there is little ethnic diversity in Japan

That is true. However Japanese people come in a huge variety of physical shapes and sizes. Try watching a bit of Japanese TV on You Tube, or the recent Giri/Haji series. I lived in Asia for years and visited Japan many times, Japanese people’s physical appearance varies a lot more than that of the populations if some other Asian countries (but even they do not, of course, “all look the same).

Can't believe anyone is defending this.

So blatantly racist and ignorant.

@PicsInRed I think you were probably being pedantic but that poster obviously meant that the population of Japan has few people of non-Japanese ethnic origin (black, white, Hispanic, Indian etc) compared to the U.K.

@Terrazzo

Ummmm what. That’s appalling! He obviously needs to widen his world. Just watch an episode of terrace house - miraculously, you can tell the people apart 😯

I know which is why I am so ashamed he would think that.