The BBC has posted an interesting story about how people in Japan are resorting to dating by blood type (you know, A, B, AB, O and all that). According to Japanese beliefs/culture/whatever, different blood types have different personalities, so knowing the blood type of a potential spouse can be a good indicator of how well the two people will get along.
I always wondered why author-provided profiles of anime/manga characters listed blood type, which seemed like such a random stat to mention. Now I can say that I am a bit wiser on the subject.
The article mentions "The received wisdom is that As are dependable and self sacrificing, but reserved and prone to worry." I happen to be an A-, at least according to my New York Blood Center card, and the description is pretty accurate, I think.
However, the whole notion is quite preposterous as the article goes on to discuss. From a slightly more scientific standpoint there may be basis for a genetic predisposition to some traits, which I extensively lampooned in my story, "Shidduchim of the Near Future: Don't Wear Genes on a Date."
Despite the inherent chukas-goyim aspect of all this, I really hope that shidduch crazy sectors of our society never catch onto this nonsense. Otherwise, we'd have yet another silly thing to add to our shidduch research checklists.
P.S. I linked the printable version of the article because the regular website had a not-tziyus (as in unclothed) drawing in one of the suggested article icons at the bottom of the page. The picture could easily have been cropped to be more modest, but I guess it's true when they say that "sex sells." What a world we live in...
Whoo! I'm confident and decisive! Except, of course, when I'm reserved and prone to worry. Well, my mother's an A, it's bound to have rubbed off.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously - who can't, at times, be described by most of those terms? Hence the popularity of personality by astrological sign and whatnot.
My mother is AB, my father is B. I had to laugh at the following descriptions: "ABs are well balanced, clear-sighted and logical, but also high-maintenance and distant. The black sheep though seem to be blood group B - flamboyant free-thinkers, but selfish."
ReplyDeleteUmm, neither describes either of my parents. "Logical" and "my mother" only belong in the same sentence if you insert "not," and my father must be the most unselfish person I know. I'm proud to share his blood type.
Ha! Great article. I am guessing I’m an O, but I have no idea. I wonder if this really correlates to personality tests. Now I am so curious! I think I am going to have to find out my blood type.
ReplyDeleteBad4, I’m guessing it’s like personality tests and stuff like that, it only links to your stronger tendencies since everyone possess a little bit of everything.