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There are an inordinate amount of amazing things about Japan and the Japanese; and it's why I've spent over a decade studying the culture and language. But it'

by byuu 12y ago

There are an inordinate amount of amazing things about Japan and the Japanese; and it's why I've spent over a decade studying the culture and language. But it's not really fair to use only rose-colored glasses. There are serious issues with extreme conformity and group-think in Japan. Yes, there's exceptions to everything, but overall it's far more extreme there than it is elsewhere. Expectations for how you are supposed to behave and interact are much more strict; and that sort of thing really does rob people of their individualism, to some extent. And you can see this by way of Japan having the seventh highest suicide rate in the world; with only two countries significantly higher than theirs. Surely, every country has its problems; but that doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about any of them. > You just don't say that you are happy with yourself because it can limit your development, it makes you look vain, etc, etc. Tell that to the producers of the TV show Cool Japan :P (For those who haven't seen it, it's a show that brings in tourists from around the world to gawk about Japanese exceptionalism in all things; while the Japanese hosts inquire why other countries are so backward by comparison. You probably think I'm exaggerating; but I can assure you, it's actually even worse.)

mikekchar 12y ago
Cool Japan definitely makes me cringe. That is a great example of stuff that I really would rather not happen. Or if you look at the English version of the Japan Times which seems to want to attract foreign readership by slamming all the negative aspects of Japanese culture. There is unfortunately a lot of money in this kind of thing. I probably should never have posted what I did. That kind of poor journalism/entertainment which exploits "we're better than them" attitudes exists everywhere in the world. A random rant in HN is not going to change that. If anything it simply polarizes opinion and invites the trolls to control the stage. I wish I could think of an effective strategy to change opinions on this topic.
- byuu 12y ago
  Oh, definitely. Nationalism is a problem everywhere. I think it stems from sheltered lives and closed-mindedness. The best thing we can do is to tear down the unbelievably fierce restrictions on immigration that exist in literally every first world country. You shouldn't have to be extremely lucky (land an ESL teacher spot), rich (degree/investor), or marry someone to live abroad in the 21st century. We should have open borders. I don't mind your post and wasn't trying to be a contrarian. Just that I really do worry about this issue there. But being honest, even after having studied Japan since high school, I still barely understand some parts of their culture. For one example, 遠慮 (enryo) is a concept I'll never comprehend. They say it shows humility to decline at first; but to me, it feels like it turns the tables and makes the gift-giver feel like the one that has to forcefully impose. It would make me feel bad to beg someone to accept my gift. I'm willing to go pretty far to "act like the Romans", but this is one thing I couldn't bring myself to do.

by byuu 12y ago

mikekchar 12y ago

Cool Japan definitely makes me cringe. That is a great example of stuff that I really would rather not happen. Or if you look at the English version of the Japan Times which seems to want to attract foreign readership by slamming all the negative aspects of Japanese culture. There is unfortunately a lot of money in this kind of thing. I probably should never have posted what I did. That kind of poor journalism/entertainment which exploits "we're better than them" attitudes exists everywhere in the world. A random rant in HN is not going to change that. If anything it simply polarizes opinion and invites the trolls to control the stage. I wish I could think of an effective strategy to change opinions on this topic.

byuu 12y ago
Oh, definitely. Nationalism is a problem everywhere. I think it stems from sheltered lives and closed-mindedness. The best thing we can do is to tear down the unbelievably fierce restrictions on immigration that exist in literally every first world country. You shouldn't have to be extremely lucky (land an ESL teacher spot), rich (degree/investor), or marry someone to live abroad in the 21st century. We should have open borders. I don't mind your post and wasn't trying to be a contrarian. Just that I really do worry about this issue there. But being honest, even after having studied Japan since high school, I still barely understand some parts of their culture. For one example, 遠慮 (enryo) is a concept I'll never comprehend. They say it shows humility to decline at first; but to me, it feels like it turns the tables and makes the gift-giver feel like the one that has to forcefully impose. It would make me feel bad to beg someone to accept my gift. I'm willing to go pretty far to "act like the Romans", but this is one thing I couldn't bring myself to do.