Date:  Wed, 7 Feb 1996 12:15:10 -0500

From:  Benjamin Barrett <Gogaku[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]GNN.COM>

Subject: Re: urgent help needed



>Date:     Wed, 7 Feb 1996 05:14:48 -0500

>From: "M. Lynne Murphy" <104LYN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MUSE.ARTS.WITS.AC.ZA>



>if not, i'd be happy to hear about other studies in which appearance

>(i.e., racial/ethnic prejudice) determines the success or failure of

>communication.



Having lived in Japan as a Japanese-speaking Caucasian, I know lots of

instances. The best one is from a book, though, and I believe it's true:



A Japanese man was dressed up as a clown with a Caucasian woman in the car.

He didn't know how to get somewhere, so he stopped to ask some high school

students. He had a horrible time communicating with them, because they

couldn't speak English and wouldn't even listen.



This stuff happened all the time to me. If I were on the phone, I would be

okay till I had to say my name. Then everything would go to hell. Once,

somebody insisted on getting my personal name and not my company name

(benjamin baretto) about three or four times before I gave up and told him I

wasn't Japanese. Then, as always, there was an uncomfortable silence while

he decided what he wanted to do (ie, give the phone to the person I wanted

to talk to).



I suppose you'll get a lot of letters like this, so I'll stop now.



Benjamin Barrett