Being in the unmarked state means that you don’t have any trait which is considered so important that it gets more attention than anything else about you.
So? The lack of a trait is itself a trait. To use your example of blood types, everyone has some blood type, so what would an unmarked trait be?
The unmarked state is about how much weight people give to a trait, not whether you have a trait. Everyone has a blood type. So far as I know, it’s only in Japan that your blood type can affect your chances in life.
So far as I know, whether you have attached or unattached ear lobes doesn’t make a difference anywhere, but a cultural shift could turn it into a big deal.
No, I’m saying that there’s something to be said for privacy about traits which people will hold against you, and something to be said for living among people who won’t punish or exclude you for the traits you’ve got, especially if those traits are impossible or very expensive to change.
So? The lack of a trait is itself a trait. To use your example of blood types, everyone has some blood type, so what would an unmarked trait be?
The unmarked state is about how much weight people give to a trait, not whether you have a trait. Everyone has a blood type. So far as I know, it’s only in Japan that your blood type can affect your chances in life.
So far as I know, whether you have attached or unattached ear lobes doesn’t make a difference anywhere, but a cultural shift could turn it into a big deal.
Let’s apply this definition to you comment here:
You seem to be saying that there’s something to be said for having ear lobes rather than a blood type, this seems wrong.
No, I’m saying that there’s something to be said for privacy about traits which people will hold against you, and something to be said for living among people who won’t punish or exclude you for the traits you’ve got, especially if those traits are impossible or very expensive to change.