Bloodism

Hi everyone! [waves]

I wasn't going to post until March break, but as today's Ash Wednesday, and I'm not going to taekwondo...

Anyhow, better make good use of my "free time." I have to get back to studying soon. So, all you people out that who have watched or read Harry Potter surely know of one reoccuring phenomenon that kind of dominates the series throughout, as a bit of an underlying theme.

Hint: it's why Draco hates Hermione. It's also the main reason why the Dark Lord rose to power. And one final hint--it is often compared to something we bring awareness to every February.

Come on, the last one was a total give away. It's BLOODISM! You know, wizard pure-blood supremacy and all that. For anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about, it's basically how in the world of Harry Potter, some wizards believe that those of "pure wizarding stock," or pure-bloods, are better than those of mixed heritage (half-bloods). And those who are muggle-born are considered low as mud, hence derogatorily called "mudbloods."

Being the avid Hermione fan that I am, obviously I think this is all a pile of baloney. Racism is a very, very, very bad thing. Don't engage in it, kids.

Back to the topic. The other day, I came across a VERY interesting topic that immediately brought "bloodism" to my mind. While re-reading a beloved series, (Kare Kano was the first manga series I have ever read!) I noticed that the author put blood-types in the character's profiles.

I remembered that my mother had once told me about how my blood-type, AB+ was pretty rare, and how my personality totally matched with it. I didn't think of it much at the time, but upon the sudden memory, I decided to do some digging around on the topic.

What I found was this: apparently, blood-types are regarded kind of like horoscopes in Asia. A Japanese scientist named Takeji Furukawa discovered that people with O blood-types are supposedly rebellious, from a study done on the citizens of Taiwan, which was taken over by Japan at the time.

He found that 41.2% of Taiwanese people at the time had O blood-types, and concluded that their refusal to cooperate with Japanese occupiers definitely linked to this. 

[Sorry, temporary break in the calm, explanatory mood. WHAT THE HECK WAS HE THINKING? OF COURSE THE TAIWANESE WOULD BE REBELLIOUS. THEIR COUNTRY WAS BEING TAKEN OVER BY A BUNCH OF STRANGERS! WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH BLOOD-TYPE? =.= Okay, back to what I was saying...]

As time went on, his theory faded as no scientific basis was proven. [HAH! Serves him right.]

However, it is still pretty popular in Japanese culture, as a way to determine relationship compatibility in many matchmaking services. Here are some of the personality descriptions I found:

Type A

People with this blood type have a deep-rooted strength that helps them stay calm in times of crises. However, they tend to avoid confrontation, and feel very uncomfortable around people. They can be shy and withdrawn. They seek harmony and are very polite, but feel that they never really fit in with others. They are responsible, and if there is a job to be done, they prefer to take care of it themselves. They people crave success and are perfectionists. They are also very creative, and the most artistic of all the blood types,  likely because of their sensitivity.

Type B

People with blood type B are the most practical of the blood groups. They are specialists in what they do. When they start a project, they spend extra time understanding and trying to follow directions than others might. When they are doing something, all of their attention is focused on it. They tend to stick to a goal and follow it through to the end, even if it seems impossible. They tend to be less than cooperative, as they like to follow their own rules and their own ideas. They are individualists. B type people pay attention to their thoughts a little more than their feelings, and therefore can sometimes seem cold and serious.

Type O

People with blood type O people are outgoing, energetic and social. They are the most flexible of the blood types. They easily start up projects but often have trouble following through because they give up easily. They are flighty and not too dependable. O types always say what's on their mind. They value the opinion of others and like to be the center of attention. Also, people with O blood are extremely self-confident.

Type AB

People with blood type AB are hard to categorize. They can have characteristics on both ends of the spectrum at the same time. For instance, they are both shy and outgoing. They easily switch from one opposite to another. AB people are trustworthy and responsible, but can't handle it when too much is asked of them. They don't mind doing favors or helping out, as long as its on their own conditions. People with this blood type are interested in art and metaphysics.

[Descriptions retrieved March 9, 2011 from http://www.issendai.com/rpgs/takemywings/bloodtypes.htm]

Well, what did you think after reading that? Sure, these profiles can be sort of amusing, especially when you find similarities. But just how far should we take this? Judging people by something they cannot control, such as blood-type, isn't right. It's stereotyping, just like saying that Asians MUST be good at math, or Africans MUST be good at gym.

However, this often happens in Asian culture. ABs are seen as the worst type of people to hire, as they are so unpredictable. This has even gone as far as to hinder people's families and cause bullying among schoolchildren (bura-hara, literally "blood" and "harassment").

Well then, well then. Where does that leave us? For the most part, we don't need to worry about this, because it's not very influential or well-known in Western culture. In fact, you'd be surprised at the number of people who didn't know their blood type.

I'm glad, because it's cleared up quite a number of questions. For example, I now know why I know my blood-type--because my family is Taiwanese, and since the experiment was conducted on them... well. You'd expect us to know about it, no? :)

Also, that's why so many journals and diaries purchased in Asia or made in Asia have a slot for blood-type, while ID here... not so much.

So um, I hope we all learned something new, and uh, OH WAIT! One more thing I forgot to mention. A friend of mine has recently joined the BLOGGING SCENE! OH YEAH. A round of applause please... ;D So um, go check out his blog, and make him feel welcome, yeah? :D

I think that's good enough for today. Don't want to keep you any longer than necessary. xD

Oh, are those WAVES I hear?

Sea you next time! (Hehe, lame, I know.)

THE HOPPING GRASS