3 ms·

> pretty famously racist I hear this a lot and I'm not sure where people get it from. In my experience Japanese overwhelmingly discriminate between races - tha

by fenomas 11y ago

> pretty famously racist I hear this a lot and I'm not sure where people get it from. In my experience Japanese overwhelmingly discriminate between races - that is, they see themselves as a separate race from everyone else. But to me racism implies discriminating against races, and naturally that happens but I've never heard any evidence that it's notably worse here than elsewhere. For example, a black friend once commented that Japan felt more welcoming than home (New York), because here, while he was seen as a foreigner, he also wasn't seen as any different from any other foreigner.

sandworm101 11y ago
That is the american experience. In the US racism is often defined as oppression of one race by another. There must be a power differential. Taken to the extreme, this allows groups like the KKK to state that they are not racist if they only seek separation rather than oppression. On the flip side, many black americans believe that black people cannot ever be racist because, as an oppressed minority, they lack the necessary power. Both views are extremist nonsense imho but are not uncommon in the US. Some of this can be seen in US political speech. If you first ascribe power to a group then you may attack them without being "racist". The talking heads speak openly about the black/white/latino vote because as voters they are not "oppressed". Statements about such groups are therefore not racist. But you won't see a Canadian newscaster talk of such things. (At least not on a canadian channel. Half of CNN is canadian these days.) Most of the developed world sees racism as the attitude that races should be treated differently even if under the guise of equality. Japan has issues that while unique to Japan are not more substantial than those faced in many western nations.
- fenomas 11y ago
  Frankly I've no idea what any of that had to do with my post. Japan is not America; in a country that's (considered) 98-99% monoracial the sorts of issues you're talking about basically don't come up. More broadly, Japan doesn't really concern itself with "race" at all - rather it sees race, culture, ethnicity and nationality as one big indivisible clump. When someone experiences bias or discrimination here, in most cases it'll be all those things at once - i.e. a matter of "not being Japanese", rather than race per se. That's what my friend was commenting on.
  - lsaferite 11y ago
    I think they were just pointing out that equating the racism seen in the US to the racism seen in Japan skews opinions. Racism is racism, no matter how overt or covert. Racism is defined as "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior." While in Japan you may not face much overt 'antagonism', you do, from what I'd read frequently, encounter overt and covert 'prejudice' as a non-Japanese. So, your post referenced a person from the US as an example of Japan not being racism, but that seems like a simple matter of severity based on previous experience.

by fenomas 11y ago

sandworm101 11y ago

That is the american experience. In the US racism is often defined as oppression of one race by another. There must be a power differential. Taken to the extreme, this allows groups like the KKK to state that they are not racist if they only seek separation rather than oppression. On the flip side, many black americans believe that black people cannot ever be racist because, as an oppressed minority, they lack the necessary power. Both views are extremist nonsense imho but are not uncommon in the US. Some of this can be seen in US political speech. If you first ascribe power to a group then you may attack them without being "racist". The talking heads speak openly about the black/white/latino vote because as voters they are not "oppressed". Statements about such groups are therefore not racist. But you won't see a Canadian newscaster talk of such things. (At least not on a canadian channel. Half of CNN is canadian these days.) Most of the developed world sees racism as the attitude that races should be treated differently even if under the guise of equality. Japan has issues that while unique to Japan are not more substantial than those faced in many western nations.

fenomas 11y ago
Frankly I've no idea what any of that had to do with my post. Japan is not America; in a country that's (considered) 98-99% monoracial the sorts of issues you're talking about basically don't come up. More broadly, Japan doesn't really concern itself with "race" at all - rather it sees race, culture, ethnicity and nationality as one big indivisible clump. When someone experiences bias or discrimination here, in most cases it'll be all those things at once - i.e. a matter of "not being Japanese", rather than race per se. That's what my friend was commenting on.
- lsaferite 11y ago
  I think they were just pointing out that equating the racism seen in the US to the racism seen in Japan skews opinions. Racism is racism, no matter how overt or covert. Racism is defined as "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior." While in Japan you may not face much overt 'antagonism', you do, from what I'd read frequently, encounter overt and covert 'prejudice' as a non-Japanese. So, your post referenced a person from the US as an example of Japan not being racism, but that seems like a simple matter of severity based on previous experience.