From: eugene@wilbur.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Subject: Re: National Asian Brotherhood of Skiiers?
Organization: NAS, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 23:28:12 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.195849.8938@clarinet.com>
grant@clarinet.com (Grant Robinson) writes:
I wrote:
>>1) Greater stress by our cultures toward education and work and less on
>>"play."  
>
>There's the problem.  Not enough people see skiing as an important part of
>one's overall education!  

People will increasingly see skiing as a luxury item (usually) for what it is:
Leisure.  Few people will be as lucky as my friends and partners: Barclay,
Hermann and Keith (who just emailed me an ASCII penguin from Antarctica).
You can find occasional letters to the editor of certain news magazines
decrying snow plowing for skiers.

>Seriously though, I find the "greater stress" part worrysome, I thought
>things were bad enough here.
>there is still an overriding Puritan work ethic: work and school are "good,"
>and except in extremely small and controlled (not to mention socially
>condoned) doses, fun and/or unemployment are bad.

That ethic was one of the factors which made the country strong.
What's the Purtian piece of music: Ode to the Common Man?
In surveys about things like leisure time, it is always pointed out
that American has less leisure time than all European nations.
Those surveys of course leave off Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, China,
India, etc.  Note that the latter nations are under extreme population
pressure as island nations, as old cultures, attempting to hang on
by their teeth.  Even the French (Edith Crosiant[sp]) noted the Japanese
propensity to "work like ants."
Other key words and phrases: ambition, progress, economic competitiveness.

>It seems any time I mention the idea of quitting my job and ski bumming it
>for a year or two, I immediately become an outcast.   In fact, I have yet
>to meet one person who says "Cool idea."

Well, part of that is the Santa Clara Valley ethic (The first time I
every heard that was not local, it was used to describe working for
NCAR [1976]):
	We don't want to hire the guy who is interesting in putting in
	40 hours a week.  We need the guy who will go 50-60 hours.
(back when I was trying to find an out-of-core linear systems solver).

>If I understand Eugene correctly, then I empathize with Asians for whom
>such an idea would not merely be socially undesireable, it would be akin to
>heresy!

You got it!


David Neal wrote:
>Perhaps he meant those good old hollywood stereotypes don't portray
>black people as skiiers.

Kelly gave a good answer (perhaps we need a soc.culture.african.american
X-post).  I, for one, plan to see Spike Lee's "Malcolm X."

>When I mentioned I hoped to get in some early season skiing this year,
>my Vietnamese office mate said "That's awfully white of you, Dave."

Well, I assume you took that in light hearted fashion.
I like Lone Ranger/Tonto jokes myself.


Gen wrote:
>I don't know if you have noticed, but there has been a large influx or
>Asian skiers in the US in the past few, 3-4, years.  They have been
>primarily of Japanese descent and on the wealthy side.
>I think that we might begin to see
>more Asians on the slopes.  OFten I think it is the wealthy young
>Japanese who have money to burn, and want to see and ski America. 

I have, and I noted in two email messages that we will probably see more
of this trend because where else can many of these people spend their
money?  Certainly not on 140 year mortgages as reported in some media.

>Skiing in Japan is, for lack of a better word, incredible.  Lines like
>you would not believe for runs that should not be called a run.

I have seen film footage.

>course the northernmost island, Hokkaido, has good snow and I think may
>be hosting a future Olymics, but skiing on the mainland is crazy.

They already did (1972).

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  Resident Cynic, Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers
  {uunet,mailrus,other gateways}!ames!eugene
Second Favorite email message: Returned mail: Cannot send message for 3 days
A Ref: Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning, vol. 1, G. Polya