I Can't Believe You Asked That



The Corsair is a little bit slow on the uptake, so he has just got around to an interesting book called I Can't Believe You Asked That, by Philip J. Milano, which distills the very best of YForum.com. On the subject of Race and Culture and Ethnicity, this book brings up some interesting "Fuck-if-I-know" questions that are inadvertently pretty funny, for example, Christopher L, a 25 year old "White and Latino" male, asks, "Why are most black people afraid of the woods?"

Or, from Melody, 34, white, "Why do Italians use their hands so much when they speak?" And this little chestnut from Naomi, 20, a black female, who asks, "Why do a lot of people of Asian descent own black hair care product stores? What do they know about black people's hair?"

To all of the above, I say, crisply, "Fuck if I know." Also, from a grown man who calls himself "Toast (Averted Gaze)," 24, white, "Why do black people eat so much cheese doodles and drink grape soda?"

Oh no "Toast" didn't ...

J. Wu, 18, Asian-American, asks the time old question, "I've always wondered why it seems the majority of older Spanish/ Mexican men gawk at females who walk by and even call out to them with lewd gestures and whistles."

I'm not sure if that's relegated to Spanish/Mexican men. Were they construction workers? That would explain a lot, J. Wu.

Anonymous, 30, asks, "I work for an older, wealthy Jewish woman. I am taken aback when she walks into our office and begins criticizing everything. I've been told this trait is typical of Jewish women. Is there any truth to this"

Don't hate the playa, Anonymous, hate the game.

NP, 35, African-American asks, "How do white people feel about the phrase 'White Trash'?"

J. Cooke, 43, white, asks, "What is the origin and significance in Hispanic culture of weeping until one passes out after the death of a loved one?"

Fuck if I know, J. Cooke.

Laurie. S, 48, a bisexual females asks, "I'm in a relationship with a Vietnamese man who says he loses his 'essence' when having an orgasm. He also believes too much sex makes a man age. Is this true of the whole Vietnamese culture?"

Fuck if I know, Laurie. S.

Finally, Julie, a 22 year old white female asks, "What does it mean when an American calls someone a 'French Whore?'"

Read all of this and more in the book, I Can't Believe You Asked That?