5 ms·

The language barrier might be a big reason that prevents people from making friends very easily https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13651981 https://news.ycom

The language barrier might be a big reason that prevents people from making friends very easily https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13651981 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13651981

andy_ppp 9y ago
The culture too... Japan is at times the most capitalist and alienating culture possible.
- Razengan 9y ago
  That is how many “Eastern” people feel about “Western” culture.
- Feniks 9y ago
  That's subjective. I still remember that time Fox News did a documentary on euthanasia. I personally don't think Japan is weirder than living in the US or Saudi Arabia. If you want to live in a completely different culture you have to adapt.
- thinkingemote 9y ago
  A Japanese friend tells me that on the contrary Japan culture can be more like Socialism. not much individualism, strong social security network, high tax, strong government controls, low social mobility, lots of barriers to entrepreneurs. It's just that technology and blinken lights make it seem modern and capitalist to westerners.
  - danharaj 9y ago
    None of those things are socialism. Socialism is the direct control of industry by the workers communally.
    - zdkl 9y ago
      Well if you want to nitpick, isn't what you describe communism instead?
      - danharaj 9y ago
        Some people use socialism interchangeably with communism, e.g. libertarian socialists are the same as anarchist communists. Others, like Marx use socialism to mean a society where both capitalist and communist modes of production coexist in a transitory condition. In any case, the element I described is necessary for it to be called socialism, and it doesn't exist in Japan at any significant scale. The welfare state is not socialism and this is not a nitpick.
        zdkl 9y ago
        > The welfare state is not socialism You keep using that word, yet I do not think it means what you think it means. > Some people use socialism interchangeably with communism Well some people also believe credit and debit cards have no fundamental difference. That they believe it doesn't make it true. You said yourself something about "the direct control of industry by the worker". That is unequivocally a communist concept. Reforming a capitalist society to those ideals through democratic process is socialism, but the end goal is a communist equilibrium. Post transition "socialism" has no meaning and no identifying properties: it is a transformative process by opposition to "true believer" anarchist/communist's grand revolution schemes. So tell me again how Japan is reforming itself into communism?
        danharaj 9y ago
        > So tell me again how Japan is reforming itself into communism? You know for someone acting so smug and combative you've completely missed the point of my remarks. It wasn't me who was claiming that Japan is socialist in any way. Whatever floats your boat tho.
        zdkl 9y ago
        I must confess I realised that a couple hours after writing it. I apologise for coming across as smug and missing the point entirely. This whole "socialism==communism" thing upsets me.
bobsman123 9y ago
I have Indian coworkers who struggle with English, and on top of that we have 0 shared cultural background. No media, no games, no shared experiences. It’s drudgery trying to come up with a conversation topic. Game of thrones? Haven’t seen it. Latest games that came out? Don’t play them. Building an app? Nope no entrepreneurship. Dating? Nope arranged relationships, or no relationships. It’s impossible and I hate every second I’m forced to deal with these people.
- gooseus 9y ago
  Jeez, must be real hard on you... while I'm sure they're delighted to be working with someone who only ever tries to relate to them based only on their own personal interests. I have an idea, how about starting a book club with your coworkers in order to create a shared culture? I recommend Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

The language barrier might be a big reason that prevents people from making friends very easily https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13651981 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13651981

andy_ppp 9y ago

The culture too... Japan is at times the most capitalist and alienating culture possible.

Razengan 9y ago
That is how many “Eastern” people feel about “Western” culture.
Feniks 9y ago
That's subjective. I still remember that time Fox News did a documentary on euthanasia. I personally don't think Japan is weirder than living in the US or Saudi Arabia. If you want to live in a completely different culture you have to adapt.
thinkingemote 9y ago
A Japanese friend tells me that on the contrary Japan culture can be more like Socialism. not much individualism, strong social security network, high tax, strong government controls, low social mobility, lots of barriers to entrepreneurs. It's just that technology and blinken lights make it seem modern and capitalist to westerners.
- danharaj 9y ago
  None of those things are socialism. Socialism is the direct control of industry by the workers communally.
  - zdkl 9y ago
    Well if you want to nitpick, isn't what you describe communism instead?
    - danharaj 9y ago
      Some people use socialism interchangeably with communism, e.g. libertarian socialists are the same as anarchist communists. Others, like Marx use socialism to mean a society where both capitalist and communist modes of production coexist in a transitory condition. In any case, the element I described is necessary for it to be called socialism, and it doesn't exist in Japan at any significant scale. The welfare state is not socialism and this is not a nitpick.
      - zdkl 9y ago
        > The welfare state is not socialism You keep using that word, yet I do not think it means what you think it means. > Some people use socialism interchangeably with communism Well some people also believe credit and debit cards have no fundamental difference. That they believe it doesn't make it true. You said yourself something about "the direct control of industry by the worker". That is unequivocally a communist concept. Reforming a capitalist society to those ideals through democratic process is socialism, but the end goal is a communist equilibrium. Post transition "socialism" has no meaning and no identifying properties: it is a transformative process by opposition to "true believer" anarchist/communist's grand revolution schemes. So tell me again how Japan is reforming itself into communism?
        danharaj 9y ago
        > So tell me again how Japan is reforming itself into communism? You know for someone acting so smug and combative you've completely missed the point of my remarks. It wasn't me who was claiming that Japan is socialist in any way. Whatever floats your boat tho.
        zdkl 9y ago
        I must confess I realised that a couple hours after writing it. I apologise for coming across as smug and missing the point entirely. This whole "socialism==communism" thing upsets me.

bobsman123 9y ago

I have Indian coworkers who struggle with English, and on top of that we have 0 shared cultural background. No media, no games, no shared experiences. It’s drudgery trying to come up with a conversation topic. Game of thrones? Haven’t seen it. Latest games that came out? Don’t play them. Building an app? Nope no entrepreneurship. Dating? Nope arranged relationships, or no relationships. It’s impossible and I hate every second I’m forced to deal with these people.

gooseus 9y ago
Jeez, must be real hard on you... while I'm sure they're delighted to be working with someone who only ever tries to relate to them based only on their own personal interests. I have an idea, how about starting a book club with your coworkers in order to create a shared culture? I recommend Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]