In case you ever wondered whether or not you have anything in common with people of your race and gender, check out this article.
Is it possible to define a culture without being accused of stereotyping? OkCupid has taken the direct words of 526,000 of their users and turned them into racial statistics. OkCupid definitively states that this article has NOTHING to do with their opinion; rather it is a racial analysis “determined by the words of the group itself.”
This data collection may be slightly absurd but the results are far from shocking. Here are some trends to contemplate: Black men are likely to call themselves “cool,” Asian men prefer to be “simple,” Pacific-Islanders are “tall, dark and handsome” and Latino men just want to dance. Black people mentioned soul food in their profiles 20 times more often than anyone else – but the only reoccurring food for white people is “diet coke.” Women across the board share an interest in romantic comedies and the New York Times Bestsellers List; whereas male interests ranged from bro-films and testosterone-fueled rock bands to mechanical engineering. Sound realistic enough?
Here are the lists for Black Men and Asian Women:
Remember that this information was collected from a dating website. The profiles of these men and women were created with the intention of attracting interest from the opposite sex (they’re currently working on a gay vs. straight interest trend). It is not improbable that women really do like chick flicks and popular literature (and “god-fearing”) but it seems like there must be another reason for so heavily saturating one’s profile with mentions of make-up, popular movies and religious beliefs. There is a “type” of woman that goes along with every set of values. A woman who bases her relationships off When Harry Met Sally, listens to Alicia Keys, loves baking and wears lip-gloss gives off a distinct impression of pristine femininity. Conversely, a man who enjoys varied cuisine, watching sports and is self-declaredly “tall, dark and handsome” gives off the impression of being, well, “tall, dark and handsome.”
Is there a reason we still, as a whole, look for these stereotypically male or female traits in each other?
Honestly, I’m more worried by the fact that the highest writing comprehension of any group was still only at a 9th grade level.
