complaints from the wife, family

[Mehdi]

How can you know if I've taken out of context something somebody else has said. Surely only they can know the context intended, and Tresbien can weight in with that anytime he likes.
So what you're meaning is that is should have been obvious he mean lower class Vietnamese. The fact they just happened to have tattoos had no bearing on his arbitrary assessment of their position in society.
As far as your story goes, I'm not sure what it illustrates, Koreans have jaded views of tattooed people? Ok, so what. I'm not Vienamese, or Korean, neither are you, neither is Tresbien, just because something negative gets perpetuated "out there" doesnt mean it needs to be repeated in here.

What I've read, and it seems that's also what muddy/mjh/holvoetn read, is that people with tattoos are perceived as "lower class" by the locals. I didn't read that Tresbien perceived them as lower class. What made you think that?

[hardestgainer]

Tresbien hasn't even used this sit since June, why are we even debating this?

[FilthyMcNasty]

@ Hargainer - A post from MJH yesterday said he was in correspondence with Tresbien, so although he's not posted, he's up to date on this discussion.

@Medhi - My impressions are that Tresbien's family are not generally supportive of his training and try to dissuade him, which is a shame for the guy, it's gotta be tough and isolating.
However, if he'd said "lower class Vietnamese people" and not mentioned tattoos, then "my problem" with the statement would be more apparent. Well "lower class Vietnamese people" is what's being used to illustrate why weight training is undesirable, and they just happen to be identifiable by the fact they have tattoos.
In short, it's a negative stereotype about other and adds no weight to understanding his subject or resolving the problem, which seems to be a lot closer to home,and seems to boil down to "give up weight training and resent his family or continue and have his family resent him".
But this has nothing to do with anybody being low-class, which is an objectionable label, regardless of whether it's a personal prejudice or repeating the prejudice of others to illustrate the "low company" you are perceived to mix with.

[mjh]

@FmcN: sorry I gave the impression that I have discussed this issue with Tresbien. I mean that I have corresponded with him in the past about living in Vietnam. That, and the impression I got from his posts, makes me sure that I my reading of that post is correct.

I think you've made your point, and others have made theirs.

[FilthyMcNasty]

@FmcN: sorry I gave the impression that I have discussed this issue with Tresbien. I mean that I have corresponded with him in the past about living in Vietnam. That, and the impression I got from his posts, makes me sure that I my reading of that post is correct.

I think you've made your point, and others have made theirs.

OK, no worries,cheers.