Skin colour is just a lazy way of defining ethnic groupings. It is not a reliable indicator of race, and I don't think it is of any real consequence to define someone by skin colour. Italki has personal setting for country and language(s) spoken, but no setting for skin colour. This is because it does not matter. I don't think any genuine person on iTalki would care about the race of others here, and that is exactly how it should be. Ultimately, race is used used by those who wish to exclude others. It is interesting that so many movies set in the future show non-Caucasion people in positions of authority, more so than in real life. Is this reflecting our collective wish for a more equal society? The sooner the world can ignore racial typing, and treat all people as partners, the richer this world will be.

There is a difference in skin color but yeah it seems like whites and asians are closer related than whites and blacks or asians and blacks for example. Then again, some people here get a massive tan and then I'd be inclined to disagree with my previous statement. :P Besides, you always have a blend of people, remember. People in Scandinavia are whiter than the white people in Italy or Greece. And in Harbin (northern part of China) people are lighter than in Guangdong or Indonesia. Generally speaking "white" refers to Caucasian. (Cauc-asian... :P) But I get what you mean, some of my Chinese friends here are whiter than me, but others are way more tanned. It just differs from person to person, just like some of my white friends are whiter than me while others are way more tanned.

Still, my wife is Japanese. When we take photos side-by-side, she looks REALLY Asian!!!

nyobzoo Interesting question!!!