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The difference is that this article alleges the existence of a single individual, rather than a trend. The other article spoke in vague words of quantity, whic

The difference is that this article alleges the existence of a single individual, rather than a trend. The other article spoke in vague words of quantity, which is quite common in news articles, that a certain quantity is suggested, but actual numbers are never shown. They are then not technically wrong but know full well most readers would infer a more spectacular claim than what they know the truth is. I'd argue that when numbers actually be spectacular, news articles invariably cite them, and when they not be, cover them up in vague words — in this case however the number is 1, as it's about a single man only.

CobrastanJorji 6y ago
Yes, but the article's critique is a good one. "Look at this weird thing that they do in Japan" is practically a genre of online story. Japan gets a special media callout, to quote the article, as a "menagerie of the weird, the alien, the freakish." When you see these articles about folks in the U.S., it's framed at "this guy is weird." When you see these articles about folks in Japan, it's frequently framed as "Japan is weird, and anti-social, and they don't have enough sex, and if we're not careful this could be us one day!"
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  Yes, it does seem to be about stereotypes, not so much quirks per se. The Japanese stereotype is that they are lonely, and it is true that in Japan various things that cater to that, such as Host Clubs, are more common place. There was also an article about how the Netherlands supposedly pays for prostitutes for the disabled, diving into the stereotype how the Netherlands tends to sit at the vanguard of encouraging sexual nontraditionality — the reality was less interesting and could be summed up as: A) disabled persons obtain financial support from the state; B) prostitution is legal. I also read articles about the Norwegian military having unisex showers and dorms, which also ties into stereotypical expectations, notwithstanding their existence in other places, I'm sure.
- deleted 6y ago
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CobrastanJorji 6y ago

Yes, but the article's critique is a good one. "Look at this weird thing that they do in Japan" is practically a genre of online story. Japan gets a special media callout, to quote the article, as a "menagerie of the weird, the alien, the freakish." When you see these articles about folks in the U.S., it's framed at "this guy is weird." When you see these articles about folks in Japan, it's frequently framed as "Japan is weird, and anti-social, and they don't have enough sex, and if we're not careful this could be us one day!"

Blikkentrekker 6y ago
Yes, it does seem to be about stereotypes, not so much quirks per se. The Japanese stereotype is that they are lonely, and it is true that in Japan various things that cater to that, such as Host Clubs, are more common place. There was also an article about how the Netherlands supposedly pays for prostitutes for the disabled, diving into the stereotype how the Netherlands tends to sit at the vanguard of encouraging sexual nontraditionality — the reality was less interesting and could be summed up as: A) disabled persons obtain financial support from the state; B) prostitution is legal. I also read articles about the Norwegian military having unisex showers and dorms, which also ties into stereotypical expectations, notwithstanding their existence in other places, I'm sure.
deleted 6y ago
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