Who's Your Type?

A New Way to Tell

http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/love/package.jsp?name=fte/bloodtype/bloodtype

If you just can't find that special someone, take a lesson from the Japanese. "What's your
type?" has a very literal meaning: blood type. In Japan, this is the hot new way to find
everything from true love to a new job.

The Associated Press reports that even though scientists roll their eyes and say it has zero
value, many in Japan pay no attention. They are convinced that a person's blood type is
the secret to his or her personality.

So what does your blood type say about you?

Type Personality traits

Type-A Farmers, shy, introverted perfectionists. Considerate to others

gullible. Loyal to friends and coworkers. Sometimes secretive, or
tight-lipped about their feelings. Don't hold their liquor well.

Type-B Hunters. Independent spirits, strong personalities. May not care what
others think of them; extremely passionate about the things they hold
dear. Can be shallow, lazy and quite impatient.

Type-AB Humanists. Unpredictable, distant, tend to use their heads over

their hearts. Good with money. Seek harmony: work well as
mediators; however, can be viewed as two-faced.

Type-O Warriors. Outgoing, expressive, passionate. Highly motivated,

natural leaders. Charismatic, confident risk-takers. Natural athletes.
Tend to be obsessive about success, which can make them boring
to others.

It may sound like a horoscope, but the Japanese public doesn't care. AP reports that even
Prime Minister Taro Aso considers his blood type relevant enough to reveal it in his official
profile on the Web. He's an A.

How far can this go?

* Japanese matchmaking agencies provide blood-type compatibility tests.
* Some companies even hire according to blood type. It's a common interview question.
* At some kindergartens, children are divided by blood type.
* The 2008 Japanese women's Olympic softball team considered playersʼ blood type
while designing their training routines.
* There is a new word in Japanese, "bura-hara," meaning blood-type harassment.

Your blood type, which is genetically determined by the proteins in the blood, has
nothing to do with your personality. Satoru Kikuchi, associate professor of psychology at
Shinshu University called it sham science. "The idea encourages people to judge others
by the blood types, without trying to understand them as human beings. It's like racism,"
he told AP.
--From the Editors at Netscape, adapted by Rob Ouwehand
What is Your Blood Type? I Am B+; Apparently It Sucks To Be B in Korea
Angsuman Chakraborty, adapted by Rob Ouwehand
February 7th, 2007

I was very amused to learn that East-Asians like Koreans and Japanese make a great deal
out of blood types. Apparently B types are bad boys. Wait, it gets worse.

In East-Asia, the subject of linking blood types to personality began with the 1927
publication of a series of articles by Japanese scholar Takeji Furukawa called "The Study
of Temperament Through Blood Type."

The concept hit pop culture and mass media in 1971 when Japanese writer Masahiko
Nomi expanded upon Furukawa's ideas and wrote "Understanding Compatibility from
Blood Types."

Type-O people were described as outgoing, expressive and passionate. Type-A were
considered introverted perfectionists while type-AB were an unpredictable, distant lot. And
then there was type-B. They were considered independent spirits with strong personalities.
That exactly matches my personality.

However the cultural stereotypes projected are much worse. There are many
characteristics associated with type-B people, but the bad rap going around about type-B
men in Korea is that they are selfish, mercurial and absolutely useless as caring and
devoted boyfriends. Personally I have never been a selfish guy in any way, but I canʼt say
for sure if Iʼll be a "caring and devoted boyfriend" because I never (this is not a typo) tried
the dating scene.

According to a nationwide survey in South Korea conducted by Internet portal site

xyinlove.co.kr, type-B men were considered the most difficult to date and about 40 percent
of women said they did not want to marry a type-B man.

So if you are in Korea and you are type B, then donʼt tell the lady you like your true blood
type... or better yet, lie and say A (all is fair in love and war). Then hope they will not ask
for a blood test before saying "I do".