“A group of Cambodians settled in California and continued their ‘coming of age’ ceremonies for young men. On his 6th or 7th birthday, I forget which, there’s a big party where all the relatives come and brag about what a fine man he’s getting to be. At the climax of the party, he strips naked and all the relatives file through the receiving line to rub his genitals for good luck.
“How would most social workers react when they heard that a couple had had a birthday part for their son and all the relatives lined up to rub his genitals? Would that be a ‘good touch’ or a ‘bad touch’?
(…)
“Then there’s ‘conversational distance.’ Asia is more crowded than America, so Asians stand closer together when talking than Americans do. It can get funny — the Asian moves closer, the American moves back, they chase each other all around the room. This sounds like ‘diversity,’ but with political correctness, a man can get busted for ‘sexual harassment’ if he stands too close to a women. Is this fair to Asian men, whose culture calls for standing closely? Or is this unfair to Asian women, who are culturally attuned to putting up with things that an American woman wouldn’t?”
