International Manner: R U XYZese? vs Where R U From?

In this world, Nations are created by mankind for the use of mankind. This week's Newsweek reveals that there were several sets of human like people they spreaded all around world since last 1 million years, and Homo Sapios made first debut around 50,000 years ago, and the debut started from Tanzania, Africa. It is based on Scientific Reasoning, and don't bring faith in this controversial topic.

The modern human's journey began because they needed more food, housing, and safety. As they spreaded they developed unique language, arts, culture, and WHAT ? "skin and face also varied to suit the local need: weather and geography". As an example, the people in Sri Nagar, India has larger nose to accomodate wind, and humidity. That was the reason I read somewhere sometime ago. So, in last 50,000 years, our genes diversified and we have a unity in diversity: human of different colors, cultures, arts, languages, and foods. As our cultures evolved, and family widened, we created first undocumented boundaries just the way lions and other animals in Jungle have territories, where your rival will be killed or fought until defeat to protect one's territory. Ability to speak was probably the greatest thing in human's development to current state. Human primarily developed knowledge because of the knowledge and experience transferred by parents or being part of society, and they developed strong bond of being a community, and finally, communities formed much wider territory. As the knowledge, culture, and language diversified further ahead, our territories widened: concept of leadership and nation developed. Leadership exists in Jungle's herd based animal world too.

As the idea of nation grew and national boundaries became pride, and also source of power, source of natural resources, freedom to live, source of joy, and so many things. There were ruthless killing, war, and fights just to extend the national boundaries. The some of these boundaries were fixed permanently, and some are still widening, and some other nations are still divided into smaller nations. Yugoslavia is the recent example. Today, national boundary means much more than your own life and family. People are ready to sacrifice their own life to protect their national boundary, and some are ready widen their national boundary, example: India vs Pakistan, India vs China War, China vs Taiwan, Iraq vs Kuwait War, ..... So, neighbors are part of your life. You want to work with neighbor and enjoy the positive benefit to maximum limit whatever you can, but smaller neighbours (less powerful) consider powerful neighbors as big brothers, and they might have economic reason to share good things, but when it comes nationality then it is very dangerous to compare one neighbour with another neighbor, e.g. Don't ask an Indian, are you a Pakistani? or vice versa is also true. So, if you meet a guy who look like an Indian, but in fact is a Pakistani national, and if put a question like: Are you are an Indian? The Pakistani national will feel it an embarrasing question. Vice versa is also true. So, if you ask an Indian (especially, Hindu [religion slighly matters]) citizen the similar question, then you might have hard time defending your question. You can hardly make a good relation with the person because you asked such embarassing question. How dare you assume I look like an Pakistani? He might retaliate or backfire by asking you a ridiculous question. So, the best question would be polite one without identifying India or Pakistan in the question. The guy might ask you to guess, be cool don't rush to guess the nationality. Guess on region: e.g. "You must be from SouthAsia, right?" That might give you and him an opportunity to develop relation between you two. If he insists you to make further guess then, you might make a vague guess: You must be either an Indian or Pakistani? Even if he is Bangladeshi, or Srilankan or Nepali, I am sure that he will not be embarrased by your last guess. Thats OK. You came very close.

So, what I want to tell you here is that: People don't like to be guessed as if from a neighboring country, because of big brother kind exploitation (like Nepali, Bhutani, Bangladeshi, and Srilankan won't like to be guessed as an Indian, because they don't like India exploiting these smaller countries as if a big brother. Indian People dominate the people from these small countries in such an embarassing way that they are not a nation, but as if a part of India. India as a big neighbors dips its nose in their internal affairs). On the other hand, India and Pakistan have not settled their national boundary around Kashmir, and that is why they fought three war including the recent Kargil war. Because of India factor, if you guess a Bangladeshi look like a Nepali or vice versa, it won't be a big deal, because they are next door neighbor, and their national boundary has nothing to do with their personal relation.

Lets move out of South Asia. I have personally met people from almost all countries in the world. I have talked to them at least once. So, don't call Polish as Romanians even by mistake (vice versa is also true). As you know: French vs British. Brazillian vs Neighboring Countries. Australian vs New Zealanders. Kenyan vs Tanzanian vs Euthopean or any other African country. Iranian vs Iraqi. Irish vs British. Canadian vs US Citizen. US Citizen vs Mexican. Thai vs Vietnamese or Thai vs Malaysian vs Singaporean.

I remember an incidence when I went to immigration in Japan, where you can see people from all over the world. One middle easterner was a friend of mine while staying in International Residence of the same university, and his nick name was Alibaba. I met him there at Immigration office, so he started talking to me. My tutor (every Monbusho scholarship student in Japan get as tutor to avoid problem with Japanese language) was also standing beside me, and Alibaba wanted to know who is this guy standing on my side. Being it the immigration office, and consider the flow of chinese student at our university (Chinese plus Korean student = 95% of International Student's population), so Alibaba asked the question: Are you from China? Wow, the tutor was very furious, nervous, and surprised: how dare you guess me as a Chinese. He was murmmering that "Shocked", "I am very much shocked".... he continued saying it several time, and finally, he replied to Alibaba: "Of course, I am a Japanese, how could you guess me as a Chinese". I and Alibaba were very nurvous, and we had hard time controlling the situation there. Alibaba immediately replied to him that "No, No, I did not mean you look like Chinese, since I did not know you before, and since this is an immigration office, I thought you also came for visa, and that is why I guessed you as a Chinese". Alibaba apologized, "Hon to ni Gomennasai. Honto ni Gomennasai. Ma chigaimasita". Literally, he said: "I am very sorry, I made a mistake." The remaining time we spent on repairing the issue: look like chinese vs why did not he guess as a Japanese. Once our visa issue was done, while returning to university, my tutor kept on confirming me that whether he looks like Chinese, "why? I am a pure Japanese." I was very shocked. Blah blah." Years after year, whenever I met my former tutor, he always reminds me the same incident, and tells that he is still shocked for the question.

Why such fuss? It has historical reason in addition to current political situation in China "a communist country", and the economic situation of Chinese People because Japanese economy is so good that Chinese are considered people living in misery (as compared to Japanese). If you really ask me, I will agree with Alibaba, that you can hardly distinguish between a Japanse and Chinese if you have to see them in Public Bath room in naked form. But, once you speak you can easily identify them: Chinese do not have "r" and Japanese don't have "l". So, litmus test is: ray = lay in Chinese, and Lay = ray in Japanese. Don't worry, such mismatch occurs in Arabian languages too: they don't have "p". So pub is Bub in Arabian tongue.

Well, if you guess a Chinese as Japanese while you are in Japan, a Chinese will not be offended, but a Chinese will be offended if you call him a Japanese outside Japan.

Then, what about Japanese vs Korean. Japanse and Korean both are peace loving people in 21st century. But, historical benchmark set on hate against each other is not yet erased between these two new economic rivals. Telling a Japanese a Korean look like or vice versa will trouble your friendship with them. Follow the rule above: I can not guess whether you are Korean or Japanese, better not guess rather than ruining you relation by making a wrong guess. Japan exploited Korea. With Koreans don't talk about Sakura "Cherry Blossom". Korean women were used as if gifted comfort women (prostitute) to Japanese Imperial Army during second world war, and Japan has not formally apologized against their agression on Korea and China. That is why the Chinese state TV runs hours of TV time criticizing Japanese for its past. The TV programs are like Japanese Hate Channel, just the way Al-Jazeers does to US. You feel so disgusting to watch the Chinese national TV if you don't know the historical reason behind such hate. One chinese in One conference, showed to me a cut Japanse news paper, where a Japanse soldier claimed to be Hero for slaughtering 100 Chinese in one morning (he was shown wiping out blood from his sharp Shord). Imagine what would you do if you see such picture of someone slaughter your country man, and that too in a village: unarmed people. I am not trying to create difference or division, but just to identify why should you be careful when calling someone's nationality if you don't know yet. Just Don't guess it. Show some respect in tricky manner. You might meet many new people espeically in international ocnferences, so just becareful. Extend handshake, and avoid guessing nationality. So that the person returns with good memories and good extended friendship with you. Don't ruin your 4 days trip in this corner of the wonderful colorful world. Respect colors, though some peope pretend that this is no genetical diversity in the world, but there is cultural, language, food and art based diversity, and we have to respect it.