What's With the US Obsession?

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
81

[quote]
Headhunter wrote:
One of my colleagues lived in Japan for 4 years and was married to a Japanese man. She spoke fluent Japanese and had 2 sons with him. She is blond and blue-eyed. In America, she is an attractive lady.

In Japan, she tells how Japanese who did not know her would cross the street to avoid her. The neighborhood moms would not let their children play with the GAI-JIN children. Once, in a minor traffic accident, a Japanese man who hit her car (she was sitting still in a traffic jam) began screaming racial insults at her, until she spoke Japanese. The cop who came assumed she was at fault.

Unless you are Japanese, they are smiling at you while wishing they could nail your guts to a tree and make you run around it.

I’ll take America. It’s a deal.[/quote]

I’m sorry, Headhunter, but this anecdote just doesn’t convince me. First off, was this attractive blond lady by any chance a super-linguist? I mean, fluency in Japanese after only four years is a hell of an accomplishment. I’m guessing it was more like she spoke passable Japanese with a thick American accent.

Second, the Japan you described did exist, twenty or thirty years ago. Sure, there is still racial intolerance and fear of foreigners in really rural, conservative areas, just as there is racial intolerance and fear of foreigners in really rural, conservative areas of every country, including the United States. That said, I live in a pretty rural area myself, and have always been treated with respect and consideration. Hell, they even invited me to serve on the village council!

In any event, I’m sorry your colleague had a bad time here, but her experience is quite different from my own experience, and that of most of the foreigners I know here.

82

[quote]Sabrina wrote:

Something tells me that in an accident involving an American driver and an Asian driver in the US, most Americans will assume the Asian driver to be at fault.
[/quote]

Precisely what I was thinking, particularly if the Asian driver is a foreigner, and speaks only broken English.

At one time in Japan, the stereotypical police response was thus: in a dispute between two Japanese, calmly and harmoniously defuse the situation. Between a foreigner and a Japanese, arrest the foreigner. Between two foreigners, let 'em have at it. It’s not like that anymore, for the most part.

Reminds me of the old schoolyard chant of my pre-PC elementary school days: “a fight! A fight! A n***** and a white! If the white don’t win let’s all jump in!” Happily, it’s not like that (for the most part) in America anymore, either.

83

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

Headhunter wrote:
One of my colleagues lived in Japan for 4 years and was married to a Japanese man. She spoke fluent Japanese and had 2 sons with him. She is blond and blue-eyed. In America, she is an attractive lady.

In Japan, she tells how Japanese who did not know her would cross the street to avoid her. The neighborhood moms would not let their children play with the GAI-JIN children. Once, in a minor traffic accident, a Japanese man who hit her car (she was sitting still in a traffic jam) began screaming racial insults at her, until she spoke Japanese. The cop who came assumed she was at fault.

Unless you are Japanese, they are smiling at you while wishing they could nail your guts to a tree and make you run around it.

I’ll take America. It’s a deal.

I’m sorry, Headhunter, but this anecdote just doesn’t convince me. First off, was this attractive blond lady by any chance a super-linguist? I mean, fluency in Japanese after only four years is a hell of an accomplishment. I’m guessing it was more like she spoke passable Japanese with a thick American accent.

Second, the Japan you described did exist, twenty or thirty years ago. Sure, there is still racial intolerance and fear of foreigners in really rural, conservative areas, just as there is racial intolerance and fear of foreigners in really rural, conservative areas of every country, including the United States. That said, I live in a pretty rural area myself, and have always been treated with respect and consideration. Hell, they even invited me to serve on the village council!

In any event, I’m sorry your colleague had a bad time here, but her experience is quite different from my own experience, and that of most of the foreigners I know here.[/quote]

Maybe the fact that she is female, Japan being an extremely sexist society, played a role.

I’m sure the Japan you love is all nice and lovey-dovey. I think, however, its quite a change of character from their past. Ask any Chinese or Koreans, maybe from Nanking?

I’m a high school teacher. If one of my student has a radical change in behavior, I question why.

84

[quote]Headhunter wrote:
I’m sure the Japan you love is all nice and lovey-dovey. I think, however, its quite a change of character from their past. Ask any Chinese or Koreans, maybe from Nanking?

I’m a high school teacher. If one of my student has a radical change in behavior, I question why.
[/quote]

You are almost as bad as Jerffy.

Don’t they teach children to look underneath racial stereotypes at school anymore? If they do, I bet you aren’t the one who teaches it…

I was in Japan a couple of times. While I felt sadly unable to interact I was certainly not disrespected in any way. I was even (perhaps jokingly) asked if I would like to come and work for them instead of my current employer.

Personally, the language barrier would probably keep me from wanting to live in Japan. However, there, as with most modern countries, you are the determining factor in what you will find there.

In particular, some things will be different. If you can’t tolerate that, then sure, you won’t like anyplace other than your own home town. A lot of people are like that. However, that doesn’t mean other places are all crappy, it means you are used to something and are more comfortable when it is present.

I’ve seen many first time travelers, and they are upset at the appearance of unknown brands, different foods, different customs, different alcohol laws, unfamiliarity with monetary units or pricing, different signage and information conventions, different driving rules. Most of these things are not “bad” or “backwards” at all… but they can be inconvenient and different. You can interpret all this as another place being crappy… but that is more a reflection on yourself than that place.

Also, it is often difficult to “see” the “politics” of a place - assuming we are talking about western democracies. You have to work hard to find it. So, claiming that this or that place is too “whatever” is a bit silly, as it simply is not a part of daily life.

85

[quote]vroom wrote:

Also, it is often difficult to “see” the “politics” of a place - assuming we are talking about western democracies. You have to work hard to find it. So, claiming that this or that place is too “whatever” is a bit silly, as it simply is not a part of daily life.[/quote]

Unless one is talking about the U.S. Then it is quite acceptable to interject any propaganda one feels appropriate to make whatever point they are trying to get across.

I see a double standard here -