5 ms·
korea’s birth rate is super low, I’m somewhat surprised they don’t want more high income people staying permanently
by ausbah 3y ago
korea’s birth rate is super low, I’m somewhat surprised they don’t want more high income people staying permanently
- hn_throwaway_99 3y agoKorea (and Japan) are notoriously xenophobic. They simply (as a general cultural characteristic) don't want people of different races settling permanently in their country.
- rayiner 3y agoI don’t think “xenophobic” is the correct word. They’re not afraid or contemptuous of individual foreigners. (Unlike say the French, or Middle Easterners.) At least in Tokyo, they seem to like tourists. But they have a strong sense of having their country, with its distinct ethnic and cultural identity, while other people have their countries.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Adverblessly 3y agoI get that that's not what you meant by "Middle Easterners" but for what it's worth I think most foreigners would find themselves feeling quite welcome in Israel, as most people would feel happy that you decided to come here and want to make sure you have a good time and leave with a positive impression.
- phs318u 3y agoMost but not all. Every country has its xenophobes. https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2023/06/29/israel-priest-spit-jerusalem-tension-245604 https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2023/06/29/...
- otoburb 3y agoPerhaps it depends on which culture defines the word "xenophobia". Mere prejudice is sufficient according to one definition[1], which is indeed still evident in Korea. Also, attitudes towards foreigners are perhaps harder to hide when such foreigners stay longer (e.g. for the purpose of residency, not just tourism). [1] https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=xenophobia https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=xenop...
- rayiner 3y agoI don't know about Koreans. But I don't think the Japanese "dislike" foreign cultures. They have a strong sense of and preference for their own culture.
- PrimeMcFly 3y agoThey seem pretty outright racist the way they do all they can to politely avoid interacting with non Japanese people.
- rayiner 3y agoIn a high context society, it’s a lot of work to interact with people outside your culture: https://study.com/learn/lesson/high-context-culture-definition-examples.html https://study.com/learn/lesson/high-context-culture-definiti....
- PrimeMcFly 3y agoI'm not even talking about interacting. They even try to avoid sitting next to dirty foreigners on the bus or train. Don't make excuses for racism.
- jeeeb 3y agoI suspect you’re mistaking not wanting/being able to speak English for not wanting to interact with non-Japanese people. Reality is most Japanese aren’t competent English speakers and find the prospect of speaking it stressful. Speak (decent) Japanese and you’ll have a very different experience.
- bugglebeetle 3y ago> They’re not afraid or contemptuous of individual foreigners. For Japan, superficially, perhaps, because this would violate rules of decorum, but in reality, no, people are quite hostile to foreigners, especially non-Western foreigners. Being openly racist toward Chinese or Korean immigrants is considered perfectly acceptable. Discrimination in employment, access to housing, healthcare and service by businesses on the basis of country of origin is also common. Despite being technically illegal under the Japanese constitution, there is little to no protection of these rights, outside individual lawsuits.
- d0gsg0w00f 3y agoYou could say the same thing about most American Nationalists. "We like our country the way we like it but ya'll foreigners are more than welcome to join us for supper."
- rayiner 3y agoI think the xenophobia of small town Americans is overstated. That said, it’s different because America is an individualist society. In a society where everyone is an island, it’s harder to explain why you care about someone with a different culture moving next door. By contrast in more collectivist societies, everyone is expected to follow the same norms and behave the same way, so people with disparate cultures moving in does actually create an imposition on everyone else. An interesting story about Japan. I know someone who is ethnically Japanese, but who was raised in America and moved to Japan as an adult. He remarked he gets a lot of flak because he looks like he should know the rules, but doesn’t. It’s really not about “xenophobia.” It’s about having an orderly society where everyone knows the same rules and adheres to the same culture.
- PrimeMcFly 3y ago> It’s about having an orderly society where everyone knows the same rules and adheres to the same culture. It's about discouraging and punishing individualism which is bonkers.
- rayiner 3y agoThat’s a very American viewpoint. I think individualism should be punished. It’s why everything in America that requires social cooperation (public transit, government, etc.) is so shitty. Even just walking down the street—I nearly had a panic attack taking the New York subway the other day because of all the individualism.
- PrimeMcFly 3y ago> That’s a very American viewpoint. Not really. It's the viewpoint of most cultures throughout history. > I think individualism should be punished.I think individualism should be punished. Individualism allows for innovation and creativity. > I nearly had a panic attack taking the New York subway the other day because of all the individualism. This is a shame. Were you raised in Japan?