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Fantastic comment. The feedback loop between some Japanese people arguing that Japanese culture is unique in some fundamental and unique way amongst all other
by GuiA 8y ago
Fantastic comment.
The feedback loop between some Japanese people arguing that Japanese culture is unique in some fundamental and unique way amongst all other human culture, and non Japanese people lapping it up, is a little insane.
- luckydata 8y agoyes, however... have you seen Japan? It's not that hard to believe there's some insane cultural trait that's fundamental to Japan since their society is so inscrutable and profoundly weird. p.s.: I used to work for a Japanese company, I have first hand experience :)
- GuiA 8y agoI have lived intermittently in Japan, and grew up between French and US cultures. Their society is inscrutable and profoundly weird to you, (I presume) an anglophone westerner. To a Chinese, Thai, or Korean, their society isn’t that inscrutable or weird. The French culture I grew up in is as inscrutable and weird to the Japanese as the Japanese culture is to you, I can guarantee :)
- luckydata 8y agoFirst of all, not anglophone by birth. Second, my Asian friends (mostly Viet and Chinese) also find Japan inscrutable and weird. I've traveled to China multiple time for business and while it's not exactly my favorite place I get pretty easily why folks behave the way they do, I actually noticed that beyond some cosmetic differences the culture is very similar to southern Europe (everything is negotiable, highly transactional relationships based on feigned goodwill...). When I go to China or Korea it just feels like a different part of the world, when I go to Japan it feels like a different planet.