<p>I am 5'10 and 1/2 or so...and I'm Asian American.</p>
<p>asians are born that way, we have our own specialties, donesnt have to be our height.. maybe like our brains?</p>
<p>we can look it in another way cant we?</p>
<p>urr..
I'm 5'11ish. and i'm even taller than both of my parents. lol</p>
<p>okay but not everyone.. well have to ask the majority.</p>
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we have our own specialties
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</p>
<p>Therein lies the problem: seeing different race groups as these specialized foils, with presumably the all-purpose whites in the center.</p>
<p>There's no Asian specialty; there's no African specialty; there's no European speciality. There are just human characteristics.</p>
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maybe like our brains?
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</p>
<p>That is a rather a racist notion, that somehow Asians are inherently more intelligent than everybody else. Remember that there is a great difference between saying that Asians are smarter because of the rigour of their education, and saying that Asians are smarter because God or nature made them that way.</p>
<p>Like it or not, the statistics (not just Wikipedia, but all over the web) show variances in height depending on ethnicity/nationality. It's pretty hard to argue that.</p>
<p>Of course it's not just genetics -- it's nutrition, access to healthcare also.</p>
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Like it or not, the statistics (not just Wikipedia, but all over the web) show variances in height depending on ethnicity/nationality.
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</p>
<p>Yes, but UCLAri's point was that none of these stats have differentiated between the old and the young; this is important in countries that have faced rapid change.</p>
<p>This is from wikipedia.org, amongst male youth (15-25):</p>
<p>Japan: 5 ft. 7.2 in.
South Korea: 5 ft. 8.2 in.</p>
<p>France: 5 ft. 9.4 in.
Greece: 5 ft. 9.6 in.
Ireland: 5 ft. 9.3 in.
Italy: 5 ft. 9.3 in.
Poland: 5 ft. 6.9 in.
Portugal: 5 ft. 8.7 in.
Spain: 5 ft. 8.3 in.</p>
<p>"Freak" countries (and I use this as a term of endearment)</p>
<p>Germany: 5 ft. 10.9 in.
Netherlands: 6 ft.
Norway: 5 ft. 10.8 in.
Sweden: 5 ft. 10.9 in.</p>
<p>So if this data is more or less accurate, the old stereotype of the midget Asian and the tall European is generally no longer accurate, as long as nobody's comparing Asians and those northern European countries (who are tall by anybody's standard). The Koreans are as tall as the Iberians (Spaniards and Portugese), thanks to a strong economy and better nutrition. About an inch separates the national average between the Koreans and other non-freak Europeans like the Irish, Italians, French, and Greeks. Hardly enough to constitute such a negative stereotype anymore. And as all East Asians probably share some kind of common genetic link, if the Koreans can achieve this kind of height, there is no reason why the Chinese or the Japanese can't either. In other words, whatever shortness they have must be due to environment and health rather than "bad Asian genetics". The North Koreans are among the shortest people in the world. Their southern neighbours, who share the same genetic makeup, have sprouted to European standards and are still growing. </p>
<p>Korea, North 5 ft 4.9 in
Korea, South 5 ft 8.2 in</p>
<p>In support, notice how large the difference between SK and NK.</p>
<p>Environment is obviously a VERY LARGE factor.</p>
<p>A lot of people seem to forget that a lot of Asians still tend to eat far less red meat than their European counterparts. I'd be interested to see how different Asians stack up in the West. For example, are Asian Americans taller or shorter than their Asian counterparts?</p>
<p>Moreover, how can we truly achieve a good sample when most Asian Americans still tend to eat less red meat than their caucasian counterparts?</p>
<p>What's most interesting to me, however, is how black Americans are actually SHORTER than their white counterparts.</p>
<p>most black friends of mine are taller than white people. Many ancestors of Afro Americans were from the region where world's tallest people are produced.</p>
<p>I'm a 6' 2" Asian indian here.</p>
<p>I'm 5'3.5" asian female. taller by 2 inches than mother. brother is 5'8" taller by 2 inches than father.</p>
<p>imissatx,</p>
<p>You might have what is called a "biased sample." The fact is, blacks are statistically the same in height to American whites.</p>
<p>I went to Vietnam a few times.</p>
<p>All the people are ridiculously short, regardless of female or male. SO LITTLE. It's so strange 'cos my dad's family sticks out like a sore thumb in their village. They're light-skinned, curly-haired, TALL people. My theory: somebody along the line was French.</p>
<p>SHORT, short. South Korean people seemed very small to me also.</p>
<p>I am Asian (Korean) and 5'8.5. I am probably one of the shorter amidst my group of Asian friends, who I would say, average at about 5'10. And Asians these days in their native countries are TALL.</p>
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I went to Vietnam a few times.</p>
<p>All the people are ridiculously short, regardless of female or male. SO LITTLE. It's so strange 'cos my dad's family sticks out like a sore thumb in their village. They're light-skinned, curly-haired, TALL people. My theory: somebody along the line was French.</p>
<p>SHORT, short. South Korean people seemed very small to me also.
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</p>
<p>Maybe it has nothing to do with French genes. Maybe it has to do with the fact that multiple wars and famine have really royally screwed over Vietnam health-wise.</p>
<p>South Koreans are the tallest Asians, and are among the fastest growing peoples in the world, having gained 4 inches nationally since the start of their economic ascent, further proving how prosperity and health are more important to growth than genetics; case in point, North Koreans, who are basically the same as South Koreans (genetics-wise) except they have the misfortune of being ruled by Kim Jong Il, are the dwarves of the world. Rich with access to nutrition = tall, poor and starving = short. Simple as that. </p>
<p>Looking at the wiki source, South Koreans are only an inch shorter than the French; it might just as well be that you have a Korean in your ancestral line to account for your family's tallness.</p>
<p>Ewww..I feel so short now. I'm like barely 5. Any tips for growing tall? I think its genetics because my mom is 5 and my dad is I think 5'4". I want to grow tall. I want to grow tall. I WANT to grow tall!!!!</p>
<p>lol. If you are a girl, short is a good thing. Short girls are always so cute.</p>
<p>On height, I agree with everyone who mentioned diet. Many of our first gen parents grew up in pretty frugal conditions, and many people living in Asia nowadays still eat much less than we Americans.</p>