Comments on: When Scientists Act Like Jerks, Asian-Americans Reach for a Hamburger

By: acuvue oasys rebate

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By: geeta

geeta — Mon, 23 May 2011 07:47:39 +0000

Got to agree with what George in #13 says about the typical trend of trying to prove as being inclusive especially when being singled out or having gotten special attention due to looks/ways deemed as of the ‘not belonging’ (see for eg. the offense exhibited by John in #7, while the question should have just been seen as an ignorant one coming from a person who had never had to go about ‘getting citizenship’ and who made some deductions from the looks of John).
However, this happens to the stereotypical weaker characters that have not quite defined themselves in a positive way (or are not happy in how they define themselves) and look for validations by others, of everything they do and are.
And then there are those who take ‘pride’ in their personal choices and in aspects that they couldn’t choose (such as skin color, sex, place/date of birth etc) that are irrelevant to others whatsoever, and find it necessay to advertise their choices. Worse still, are those that ‘feel proud’ (synonymous to ‘try to take credit’) for an achievement by some total stranger they have had no interaction with, ‘relating’ to the achiever by one or more of those aspects that are totally unrelated to the achievement in the news.
There’s a word for these 2 types of behavior – immaturity. And the solution – grow up

By: EXcellentStudy

EXcellentStudy — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:24:27 +0000

Yes, I was a ‘fat kid.’ After age 50, kind of ‘fataholic reformed.’
think similar to Jack La Lanne. Born in USA; almost marry typical USA;
eat the food. Never thought of ‘assimilated.’

Only late after college, shocked at VINCENT CHIN massacre. Officer of OCA
and other orgs. Food partially studied (maybe I am a strange one, eh?)
from MARTIAL ARTS.

Have not eaten BREAD for one to EIGHT years. NEVER EAT BREAD. performing
ad hoc Masters studies on ‘eat rice’ and handle the hyper-glycemia vs.
eat bread and suffer bloat/indigestion.

food-combining laws: from the Bible, etc. no meat and dairy. No hamburger
and milk shake and potato fries – acrylomide,etc.

But, the general conclusion. Asian-Americans tend to be ‘quiet’, ‘conforming’ DO NOT RAISE a ruckus. Yes, sometimes I eat bread because
my friends eat pizza. Would a VEGETARIAN eat BURGER because her family
dines together at THANKSGIVING?

But, there is a balance. My HYPOTHESIS – attack this HYPOTHESIS, please!

social conforming (yes, there was time when I wore mostly black and gray
and NO I am not autistic) but non-conforming – innovative in engineering
or science or accounting – making the NUMBERS DANCE!

Why can Asian Americans eat rice (worse than ice cream on glycemic index)
and NOT BREAD, cake, baked products?)

Hey Crhis the Canadian. I DISAGREE. But the study is POORLY DESIGNED!

better is got slight peanut allergy. could mean short breath and DEATH.
hang out with fellow kids and peeer pressure for peanut buttter and jelly
sandwiches?

In math and other textbooks at least 10 or 20 percent of the STANDARD
books are confusing. It is better to REVOLUTIONARY. But social wise,
politeness, even when someone drunk spits in your face?

Maybe that is the STRANGENESS of Asian American Culture.

No, I am not MS Psych/Sociology. But plenty friends, associates.
ALUMNI orgs and
EXCELLENT STUDY.

better for mostly veggie Buddhist – the turkey is humanely killed, it is
OK, our family eats it… so EAT TURKEY…

that would be fun psycho coercion study.

By: AK

AK — Thu, 19 May 2011 20:42:07 +0000

Did the scientists compare the results from the group of those Asian-Americans whom they hadn’t make self concious and asked what their favorite food type was, to discount the alternative possibility that making self-concious has nothing to do with the food habit described by those Asian Americans?

By: Chris the Canadian

Chris the Canadian — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:34:51 +0000

There is an EVEN BIGGER problem with this study. The problem is, why the heck are we studying this in the first place? What purpose does this study have? I’m sorry, but I don’t see the value of a study like this. New Americans more prone to eating fast food if they are asked “Do you speak english” than those who are not asked. A waste of research time, dollars and effort.

Instead, scientists should be working towards solving the obesity crisis in North America as a whole. What can be done to stem the tide of sedentary lifestyles in people. Find a ‘trigger’ in the brain to get people out from in front of their computers, video games, and televisions and back outside or off the couch.

By: Jake

Jake — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:25:36 +0000

There’s also another problem with the study.

A lot of the Asian food in the US is a bastardized version so perhaps those Asian Americans were simply reminded of how nasty tasting the Americanized Asian food is compared to authentic fare.

And because of that they ordered the regular American food.

By: Jake

Jake — Wed, 18 May 2011 03:40:46 +0000

I would have loved if they split up 1st generation Asian Americans vs 2nd generation.

Because I imagine those Asian Americans you spent a significant number of year sin their native countries would have a much stronger sense of identity.

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:59:10 +0000

“Ironically, they point out, the white students, who embodied the prototypical American identity the others were aiming for, didn’t eat nearly as much American food as Asian-Americans who felt threatened.”

Just as male transvestites dress to a hyper-feminine standard that no woman outside a 1940s movie ever held herself to. And as some people put American flags all over their cars to prove how patriotic they are.

By: Veronique Greenwood

Veronique Greenwood — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:19:04 +0000

@John Lerch, actually, the scientists DID look into whether the subjects were eating more calories because they were stressed, and found that it didn’t change the overall finding. The study’s actually very well designed and controlled–when it becomes available online, definitely check it out.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:04:15 +0000

Is someone were to say “United Statesian” it not only would be cumbersome but it would also infringe on the name of the Mexican nation (los Estados Unidos de Mexico) ! We are the only ones with “America” in the name, people shorten for obvious reasons. And only people with self-identity problems keep bringing up that the name of the continents is America, so Americans can’t call themselves that. Sorry…the continents are North America and South America. Not just America.

By: Brian Too

Brian Too — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:39:59 +0000

Have you ever noticed that “no one” uses the term America to refer to the New World, i.e. the Americas?

I mean, we have several qualified Americas (North, Central & South). Yet I’ve never heard the term America (or america) used to refer to all of them at once.

Linguistic curiosity. Maybe it’s just too confusing and so people avoid that usage.

By: Smarter than a bunch of smart people

Smarter than a bunch of smart people — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:49:32 +0000

@”For a bunch of smart people”:

As the only country in the world with “America” in its name, we are fully within our rights to call ourselves in America and to call ourselves Americans.

My mixed-race family and I are happy and proud to call ourselves Americans. And Asians. We don’t hyphenate the two, however. We’re Asian. We’re American. We’re proud of both. We speak English. We speak Vietnamese. We speak some Japanese, too. Hyphens are for wimps with identity problems and overly thin skin.

@Debbie G. You make me want to vomit. Grow some pride in our country.

P.S. Illegal aliens piss us off. We waited too long in line and did everything by the book to have any sympathy for line jumpers. Put the army on the border and declare a free-fire zone. Watch he problem disappear.

By: George

George — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:28:44 +0000

It wasn’t that the scientists were jerks, they were just being bad scientists. They would have discovered that if they had replaced the statement “You have to be an American to be in this study” with “You have to like the color orange to be in this study.”

By: Ron

Ron — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:25:52 +0000

“Scientist prove what sociologists have known for years.”

Oh puh-leeze. There are a jillion “obvious facts” that have been proven wrong once someone actually investigates.

“AMERICA = spans 2 continents, a ton of little islands, and many many different countries”

The USA as a country came first. That’s why we got to choose our nickname first.

By: Debbie G

Debbie G — Mon, 16 May 2011 21:06:18 +0000

@ “For a bunch of smart people”
This is the best made point of all. And yes, I was guilty too. Thank you for reminding me how egocentric I/we can become sometimes…and no, that was not meant sarcastically.

By: For a bunch of smart people

For a bunch of smart people — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:02:02 +0000

Just a heads up for everyone here that keeps saying “America”:

AMERICA = spans 2 continents, a ton of little islands, and many many different countries

USA = the only country in America that thinks IT IS America.

Discover Magazine, smart people reading here right? *dips head in disappointment*

Congrats “America”.

By: John Lerch

John Lerch — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:57:22 +0000

This report didn’t mention whether the Asian students who were “threatened” ate the extra calories whether they chose the American food or not. I.E. the extra calories merely may have been response to the stress rather than switching preferences. IOW if so, this piece could have been called (should have been called?) When Scientists Act Like Jerks, Asian-Americans Reach for COMFORT FOOD. Put another way the old saw should read “An hour after I eat Chinese food, I let myself feel stressed out again.”

By: Archwright

Archwright — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:39:42 +0000

An alternate title could be “Scientist prove what sociologists have known for years.”

This study brings up another important question: why is “American” food so damn unhealthy?

Funny story, when I went to a Starbucks in Taipei, Taiwan and ordered a flavored coffee drink they asked me if I wanted it prepared the Taiwanese way or the American way. Curious, I asked what the difference was. They replied that they put twice to three times the sugar syrup into the American version, depending on the drink.

By: John

John — Mon, 16 May 2011 07:28:21 +0000

I was getting my passport renewed at the U.S. passport office in San Francisco and a white couple asked me, after we were chatting a little bit, if I was there to get my citizenship … I was born and raised in Massachusetts and don’t have any accent at all … You don’t get your citizenship at a U.S. passport office.

By: Mike Licht

Mike Licht — Mon, 16 May 2011 00:02:30 +0000

“Somebody Give Me a Cheeseburger.”
– Steve Miller, “Living in the USA” (1968)

By: TacoBean

TacoBean — Sun, 15 May 2011 22:09:16 +0000

“I’m sure there are plenty of Italians out there who will dispute pizza being American food.”

American pizza is different than Italian pizza.

By: beanfeast

beanfeast — Sun, 15 May 2011 22:01:57 +0000

I’m sure there are plenty of Italians out there who will dispute pizza being American food.

By: Matunos

Matunos — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:08:07 +0000

Unambiguously white guy here, and I love America as much as the next guy, but I’ll keep wishing for more Asian restaurants near my office.

By: Razib Khan

Razib Khan — Sun, 15 May 2011 20:32:41 +0000

“Do you speak English?”

usually it’s a boomer or someone older telling me how i barely have an accent :-)

By: Brandon

Brandon — Sun, 15 May 2011 20:04:23 +0000

American scientists really don’t care what we eat.