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Archive for the ‘Japanese Culture’ CategoryFrom Wikipedia:
Is “gaijin” a bad word? NO! This is a response to an article I read dated back to 2004 in Japan Times entitled “Foreign Branding.” The full article plus the comments is located here or here. All right. So I have this site called “Gaijin-in-Japan.” Why would I have a site named so if I thought the word “gaijin” was bad? Let me end this petty debate right here and now. Foreign perspective is very clouded when it comes to eastern culture. It’s like mixing oil and water (or “mizu to abura” as a Japanese would say). Our thoughts of democracy, freedom and independence have encapsulated us giving a false sense of understanding. We as westerners believe categorization and meaning through scientific proof show, beyond any reasonable doubt, that which is true. In laymen’s terms…we’re ignorant. If you ask a Japanese to point out the gaijin at a party, they’ll point to the white people. But there are Chinese and Korean there too.
It’s pretty obvious to an American who is Jewish, Mexican, Black (”gaijin?”), Asian (”gaijin?”) or Indian. Japanese have not had enough exposure to foreigners to decipher the differences between facial types. Thus the use of “gaijin.” Until there is another word to describe someone they cannot determine blah blah blah, then the word “gaijin” will stick. Do you have a better idea? Ok ok. So you’re upset when the drunken salaryman sways in front of you on the train slurring what you think are gaijin insults. You take offense and feel you are being attacked. As has been said before: you’re a foreigner! Deal with it. If you don’t like it, then get off the boat. “Waiter, can I have another beer and an order of karaage?” Foreign branding Being called a ‘gaijin’ is not unusual or harmful, says Cai Evans Before I start, let’s get one thing straight: I am well aware that the term “gaijin” has pejorative overtones and that its etymology is grounded in a history of discrimination and exclusion. Yet the issue here is not what the kanji mean in a technical sense; we all know they mean “outsider” (or when you’ve really upset someone, “fiendish outsider who may defile your tatami and eat your pets”). The contention, rather, is whether use of the term should offend foreigners living in Japan right now. One complaint is that the label is used to herd us all into one clumsy enclosure, thus obscuring our diversity and leaving the Japanese alone to claim a unique sense of ethnic identity and cultural sophistication. But is it really so odious that Japan has a tendency to divide its residents into “Japanese and the rest?” Don’t the majority of nations do this to a certain extent? Some tabloids in the U.K. and Australia, for example, aren’t too fussy about describing the divergent cultural or racial backgrounds of “bogus asylum-seekers.” Neither are certain politicians. These people are just bracketed as unwelcome interlopers from somewhere else and that’s the end of it. Besides which, Japanese people don’t necessarily subscribe to this lopsided view of humanity, even if they do use the g-word. If the Japanese really saw the foreign community as one amorphous mass, strangers in bars wouldn’t keep asking you “where you from?” all the time. Moreover, Japan is famously one of the most ethnically homogenous nations on Earth. The “us and them” thing may not be too edifying, but it makes sense in practical terms, no matter what the PC police say. The best reason for not blowing your gasket when you hear yourself called a gaijin, however, is to remember that it’s your word now — if you have the guts to claim it. Think of it this way: The longer we stay offended by this tag, the longer it will be used by some as a tool to keep us in our place, as it were. Yet the sooner we embrace it as a badge of honor, the sooner it will lose its power to denigrate and oppress.
All kidding aside, the world social climate basically evolved from the teachings of Aristotle, in the West, and Confucius, in the East. From this basic understanding of bipolar thought processing we can at least agree on both sides that we are different. You say Black and White and I say White and Black. Agreed. “Aristotle is in agreement with Confucius that the family stands at the foundation of the entire social and political order.” I’m going to ask my students this question tomorrow and give you a report. ========================================== You are in the desert. You are traveling with 5 animals: * A Lion It is a long way more to the safety of civilization, and one by one, you are forced to release each animal, until you are left with only one. In what order would you get rid of each animal from your possession? Rank them an continue on below: The desert represents hardship. Each animal represents the following: * A Lion - Pride So, in the face of hardship, you will sacrifice each of these things in turn. Your last animal represents that thing which you cling to at the expense of all others. I was lying there watching Tomoko’s gaping mouth as she sounded off like a rooster this morning and noticed that her chest was not in sync with her snoring. She was calling the gods while breathing out. At first I couldn’t understand why, but then I simply confirmed, “EVERYTHING’S opposite in Japan.” Give a Japanese a bottle of aspirin with a childproof cap and see what happens. Tomoko picked up this bottle and asked me how to open it. Then I thought, hmm, Japan doesn’t have childproof anything. I started thinking about it more. There aren’t any childproof things in the stores. We had to go to Toys R Us to get all of our baby stuff. Actually, I can’t even think of another baby supply store in Japan. Is there one? Do Japanese get paranoid about baby safety? I also wonder why the Baby in Car signs are written in English. |
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Peace.
so uhm yeah, greetings from an half irish half arabic guy that lives in germany! ah and start making more podcasts, like 3 a week 
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