$200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute? • Hacker News Board

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#51

Post by brlewis » Wed, Sep 26, 2007, 2:43 PM UTC

foo2bar wrote: post #11

Prejudice is just Bayesian reasoning. What's wrong with it?

Bayesian treatment of email examines a large number of indicators (words) and chooses the best ones to make decisions. It can be very reliable. Prejudice works with a much smaller number of indicators (race, gender, etc.), most of which are poor quality, resulting in a lot of wrong decisions.

Stereotypes are useful in books and movies, because they fool you into thinking you have deep knowledge of a character you're barely acquainted with. In real life this is not a good thing.

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#52

Post by augustus » Wed, Sep 26, 2007, 5:20 PM UTC

8en wrote: post #7

jsmcgd wrote: post #3

There is nothing more wrong about this product than tanning creams. The users of this product aren't aspiring to be white people (which seems to be implied). It's used for aesthetic reasons.

I think there is a basic difference between a skin lightener and a tanning product. A more apt analogy would be 'hair relaxers' that were popular in the 1960's and 70's, these products helped African Americans straighten their hair. There is a pretty rich dialog about these products that I think would be worth reading to get a better appreciation of the context and controversy here. I personally would not want to mar…

8en,

So which culture are you from? You can't be an American? And of course America is a culture without a history and prejudice against people with dark skin right?

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#53

Post by juwo » Wed, Sep 26, 2007, 5:39 PM UTC

ajju wrote: post #44

juwo wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) I hate to say it but often lower castes have dark skin and african features. You will also find most of the brightest students in a University are brahmins - the highest caste - just ask your friends their caste and correlate with their intelligence. The caste system is racist. You cannot change your caste. Period. You were born with it. It is interesting but sad. Forced hereditary occupations lead to differences…

What the hell is "african features"? You say the caste system is racist and then yourself say the most intelligent people are from higher castes. Don't you think that is a racist claim? By the way I know several people from lower castes who are super intelligent. And forced hereditary occupations are a thing of the past EVERYWHERE. Even in Bihar, our most backward state, you can't FORCE someone from the lower cast to…

It is my observation - I too studied in India. It is common knowledge that brahmins (caste) as a group are more intelligent than the average population. For example, They have made up the bulk of Nobel laureates from India.

My room mate was from the untouchable caste (translation for Americans). He was super intelligent too - managed to leave the country and got 2 post graduate degrees in the USA, trained himself to run marathons.

regarding your comment on hereditary occupations, please read this article

And no, I am not a brahmin.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2231011.stm

"In the dead of the night, when the city of six million goes to sleep, groups of jobless low-caste Hindus, known as Dalits, eke out a living by removing human excrement from pits in the poorer neighbourhoods of the city."

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#54

Post by juwo » Wed, Sep 26, 2007, 5:42 PM UTC

ajju wrote: post #45

nailer wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you've been modded down as noting the differences between races is seen to be discriminating against them in the US. There could be a number of factors that determine the difference between university entrance scores for different racial groups. While those places are free, lower caste groups may be too worried about feeding themselves, or trying to protect themselves in rough environments, to worry about stu…

No, he is modded down because he is making factually inaccurate statements (which are also racist). Where is the data backing up his claim that the most intelligent students in colleges across India come from the highest caste?

ask any student from India. (I was born and raised there). That is why there is affirmative action for the lower castes.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=59891

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#55

Post by juwo » Wed, Sep 26, 2007, 5:54 PM UTC

bosshog wrote: post #48

juwo wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

many Asian/Indian men find white women more attractive - that is why models in these countries tend to look caucasian. It works the other way, too. My wife said that she observed in Africa, that white women only married Africans if they were highly educated, handsome and wealthy. "what it is that makes black-white marriages taboo" Black Americans are a lower caste - Unfortunately. How many wealthy intellectual white-…

------- I personally find it offensive that you even put that line in there, juwo.

Sorry, but that is the truth IMHO. Anti-Hispanic feelings run high in many states in the US and is largely unreported in the media. Just as anti-black feeling was socially acceptable in an earlier era.

(I look Hispanic myself, and realized how much they are disliked when my wife observed that I receive glares and cold stares from strangers).

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#56

Post by webwright » Wed, Sep 26, 2007, 6:06 PM UTC

nostrademons wrote: post #10

Yeah, like deodorant, diamonds, Armani, the Model T, cruise ships, tanning salons, makeup, corsets, diet pills, jumbo mortgages, health spas, and The Great Vowel Shift of the 1600s. Nearly everything is marketed by making you seem like a person of higher social status. If people were comfortable with who they were, we wouldn't need 90% of the goods on the market (and the remaining 10% would likely be much cheaper). I…

Not to mention hair dye, padded bras, shoe lifts, tanning lotion, girdles, braces (for straight teeth),teeth whiteners, razors, etc.

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#57

Post by cant_login_juwo » Thu, Oct 04, 2007, 12:57 AM UTC

ajju wrote: post #44

juwo wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) I hate to say it but often lower castes have dark skin and african features. You will also find most of the brightest students in a University are brahmins - the highest caste - just ask your friends their caste and correlate with their intelligence. The caste system is racist. You cannot change your caste. Period. You were born with it. It is interesting but sad. Forced hereditary occupations lead to differences…

What the hell is "african features"? You say the caste system is racist and then yourself say the most intelligent people are from higher castes. Don't you think that is a racist claim? By the way I know several people from lower castes who are super intelligent. And forced hereditary occupations are a thing of the past EVERYWHERE. Even in Bihar, our most backward state, you can't FORCE someone from the lower cast to…

Ajju,

the word 'caste' comes from the Sanskrit 'Varna' which means 'skin color'.

see http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl...

Re: $200M market for a product catering to prejudice. If you had a similar product idea or implementation that could make you rich; would you still execute?

#58

Post by cant_login_juwo » Thu, Oct 04, 2007, 12:59 AM UTC

ajju wrote: post #40

juwo wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) I hate to say it but often lower castes have dark skin and african features. You will also find most of the brightest students in a University are brahmins - the highest caste - just ask your friends their caste and correlate with their intelligence. The caste system is racist. You cannot change your caste. Period. You were born with it. It is interesting but sad. Forced hereditary occupations lead to differences…

Regarding (1) - Have you ever been to South India my friend? So many of the Brahmins from South India I know, the Aiyyars and the Aiyyangars have dark skin. I was born a Brahmin myself and > 75% of my family members have "dark" skin. The caste system is definitely racist and a much much bigger problem but this whole linking of skin color to castes is just not true.

see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=62854