Stereotyping?

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ossobuco wrote:

On alcoholism... I have read that some populations have trouble metabolizing alcohol. If the genetic marker regarding alcohol metabolism is true, I don't know if that does or doesn't relate to alcoholism prevalence in that population..

Apparently that's common in the Japanese population. But as far as I know, it doesn't relate to alcoholism, it just means they get drunk easier.

Which means I could very well have Japanese blood in me, 'cause I get drunk ridiculously easily.

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Right, Wilso, the two might not relate at all or only on an ordinary basis. My own view tends toward blaming a culture of getting swacked as opposed to a culture of a mild apperitivo, re inculcated behavior. I know, I know, I go on about admiring italians, but - in fact - I am multiply ignorant of celebrations and rituals in the myriad italian cultures that make up just a region.

All I know is they might have been saved for the wrong reason, that is Vanity, as to be drunk in italy is to have brutto figura, that is, ugliness, ugliness around your home and your town, all very very bad. Even this I say in conjecture, as I am not italian, just interested in their culture.

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What I remember reading is that there can be a 'tendency' toward alcoholism in families. That doesn't make it automatically hereditary.

American Indians live in some of the poorest regions in the US, especially Pine Ridge. No wonder alcoholism is prevalent.

The Irish lived in desperate poverty for so long that alcoholism became a sort of ritual.

I wonder if a more accurate study would be one on poverty and its results regarding alcoholism and drug use. I doubt ethnicity has much to do with it.

BTW, it has become known on a2k that I am a sugar junky. My ethnic background is English, Irish, Dutch, German, Welsh and French. Do mongrels have a tendency to have sugar cravings??

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I do remember hearing stuff, re genes. But I'd be happy to chuck it, trust me.

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Diane, funnnnneeeeee. It's probably better to be a mongrel in this world of ersatz royalty. Most mongrels are survivors. Perhaps George W. should be the first president to go to the moon, and then on to mars Smile

Osso, you are priceless. So chuck it, already.

The media, of course, reinforces our notion of stereotyping, and is continually creating false demands. All little girls like barbies. I'll bet if a study was done on that, we might be totally surprised by the percentages.

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The song is wrong. Tolerance has to be taught; stereotyping is innate. People made snap judgments of a stranger based on appearance which indicated what tribe he/she was from. You had to know whether the tribe was hostile or friendly (perhaps due to blood or marriage ties).

Even today, people who dress and look like you can be expected to adhere to the same standards of behavior and are therefore "trustworthy." You may not know what to expect from someone whose appearance is different, thus indicating membership in a group or culture of which you have little experience, or negative experiences. My husband learned to be wary of blacks when he went to college in a large city where groups of blacks harassed them often enough to be seen as a threat. Of course he does not think that all black men are muggers, but blacks in cities are statistically more likely to commit violent crimes. He does not apply that stereotype to blacks in our small community.

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Yes, alcoholism has a genetic component.

Quote:

Genetic Influences on Alcohol Drinking and Alcoholism
"We have identified two genes that protect against heavy drinking, and these are particularly prevalent among Asians," Li says. "We have shown that Native Americans, who have a high rate of alcoholism, do not have these protective genes. The one that is particularly effective is a mutation of the gene for the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, which plays a major role in metabolizing alcohol. The mutation is found very frequently in Chinese and Japanese populations but is less common among other Asian groups, including Koreans, the Malayo-Polynesian group, and others native to the Pacific Rim. "We've also looked at Euro-Americans, Native Americans, and Eskimos, and they don't have that gene mutation," says Li. Thus, incidentally, the study of genetic mutations and alcoholism links native North-American populations to central Asian ancestors, not to those from China and Japan.

Quote:

Serotonin Transporter Gene Shown to Influence College Drinking Habits
The researchers found that the students who carried two copies of the short version of 5-HTT were more likely to report troublesome drinking patterns. Dr. DePetrillo says, "Our findings reveal a significant association of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism with increased alcohol consumption behavior in the students that we studied. Taken together with other research, this finding suggests that genetically mediated differences in serotonergic response play an important role in mediating patterns of alcohol intake." The students with two copies of the short form of the gene engaged more frequently in binge drinking, drank more often to get drunk, and consumed more alcoholic drinks per occasion than did students with the other genotypes.