> Would you have been satisfied if the statement said "... are often strongly idealised ..."? Yes, I would agree with that statement, at least regarding Japan.

> Would you have been satisfied if the statement said "... are often strongly idealised ..."? Yes, I would agree with that statement, at least regarding Japan. I don’t have enough first-hand knowledge to comment about other East Asian countries. As you noted, they seem to be quite different from each other. Thank you for your comments on generalization. I will reply to just one: > I often wonder why people take offense at generalizations. One reason, I suspect, is that generalizations about groups of people can become stereotypes, and people can resent being stereotyped, especially if the generalization/stereotype has negative connotations or if it doesn’t apply to one as an individual.