Do you like Japan? Well, Japan doesn't like you!

Nonbirira · Post by **Nonbirira** » Nov 16th, '07, 05:30

Thanks, Doink-chan! Right along the lines of what I was going to say!

coldfate · Post by **coldfate** » Nov 16th, '07, 06:32

I LOL'd at the title. Wow, look that seems like a racist remark to me. An eye for an eye statement, that's awesome. Great way to make a statement there

groink · Post by **groink** » Nov 16th, '07, 06:46

Did anyone even bother to see why the uploader posted that anti-Japanese video on YouTube? It was a response to an earlier video titled Anti-Japanese schooling " **** Japan! " in South Korea I don't blame the guy for posting that anti-Japanese video... but it is a very weak response to that SK video IMHO.

--- groink

powlow · Post by **powlow** » Nov 16th, '07, 07:14

japanese = of japan or the language of japan.

if you saw "english only" in america would you call them racist? lol

seirin · Post by **seirin** » Nov 16th, '07, 07:20

Yorokobi wrote:I dont have the time to read where this thread is actually going but id just thought id say that today I felt like Japan didnt like me when I was in PE class practicing volleyball and we had to do passes in a group like 40 times in a row without sqrewing it up or something and not once did i get passed the ball. Kinda of felt like it was a game of exclude the foreigner

I don't think it was cuz you're a foreigner. It's cuz you're not in the "social" group. I've always had that problem in grade school hence I never liked working in groups. The kids tend to pick their friends as partners. Or if there's anything group related I am never in a group cuz they pick their own friends to be in groups and I get thrown in with left over people who also don't have groups or placed in a group randomly. The only reason if I do get picked into a group is if I am good at something and they can get good marks if I'm in their group.

oh btw whoever called Japanese as "Jap". You just made a racist remark. They don't like being called that FYI.

doink-chan · Post by **doink-chan** » Nov 16th, '07, 08:20

^
If you're referring to doinkies' post...I was quoting the doink who posted the video. Those were not my words. I know very well that "Jap" is a racist word.

Yorokobi · Post by **Yorokobi** » Nov 16th, '07, 08:49

seirin wrote:
Yorokobi wrote:I dont have the time to read where this thread is actually going but id just thought id say that today I felt like Japan didnt like me when I was in PE class practicing volleyball and we had to do passes in a group like 40 times in a row without sqrewing it up or something and not once did i get passed the ball. Kinda of felt like it was a game of exclude the foreigner
I don't think it was cuz you're a foreigner. It's cuz you're not in the "social" group. I've always had that problem in grade school hence I never liked working in groups. The kids tend to pick their friends as partners. Or if there's anything group related I am never in a group cuz they pick their own friends to be in groups and I get thrown in with left over people who also don't have groups or placed in a group randomly. The only reason if I do get picked into a group is if I am good at something and they can get good marks if I'm in their group.

oh btw whoever called Japanese as "Jap". You just made a racist remark. They don't like being called that FYI.

they arn't hard out into the groups thing here and anyway its sorted out by what class number they are anyway so they were all seperated from their friends plus one of my best japanese friends was in my group and im standing there doing nothing the whole time thinking what the hell!!!

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 16th, '07, 09:41

After watching that video and doing futher research about current and long-term issues in Japan, I have decided that I support and admire the Japanese for proudly wanting protect their unique and rich culture (as any heathy nation would.) And out of respect for the Japanese, I will never to go to Japan. It's their country, not Disneyland for children to run through for amusement.

Arudou Debito and others who do not agree should consider a few questions such as; are you Japanese? If not, do you respect that they are a population that before the last century has been almost completely undisturbed for over 1000 years? They are a people whose ancestors reach back to the Agricultural Age. No wonder they are so smart, hardy, strong, capable and beautiful.

And you wish to put yourself in the middle of them to gain from them? What are you offering them that they do not already have within? It is understandable that you would like to take from their bounty, but that would not help them in any way and you could not in any way help them by inserting yourself into their land, culture, and genetic population.

It seems strange when the first-world objects to the intrusion of the third-world seeking gain, and yet the decaying first-world desires to intrude on the pure and stable who are still strong. Those sinking always try to take down another who not only floats, but is swimming well. Ah, then those who sink decide that all must all drown together simply because they cannot leave others alone to swim further.

coldfate · Post by **coldfate** » Nov 16th, '07, 09:56

groink wrote: I don't blame the guy for posting that anti-Japanese video... but it is a very weak response to that SK video IMHO.

--- groink

I do, the logic is cyclic.

S Korea is racist against Japan!
Oh yea well Japan is racist against all foreigners so there!

Does that sound like justification for S Korea to be racist against Japan? Sounds like it. Even if it's not for some, does that mean everyone will think the same way? Doubt it. And for those it'll continue to propagate.

Hence an eye for an eye statement is a big waste of time. Totally detracts from me learning my japanese

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 16th, '07, 10:19

|ZERO| wrote:After watching that video and doing futher research about current and long-term issues in Japan, I have decided that I support and admire the Japanese for proudly wanting protect their unique and rich culture (as all heathy nation would.) And out of respect for the Japanese, I will never to go to Japan. It's their country, not Disneyland for children to run through for amusement.

Arudou Debito and others who do not agree should consider a few questions such as; are you Japanese? If not, do you respect that they are a population that before the last century has been almost completely undisturbed for over 1000 years? They are a people whose ancestors reach back to the Agricultural Age. No wonder they are so smart, hardy, strong, capable and beautiful.

And you wish to put yourself in the middle of them to gain from them? What are you offering them that they do not already have within? It is understandable that you would like to take from their bounty, but that would not help them in any way and you could not in any way help them by inserting yourself into their land, culture, and genetic population.

It seems strange when the first-world objects to the intrusion of the third-world seeking gain, and yet the decaying first-world desires to intrude on the pure and stable who are still strong. Those sinking always try to take down another who not only floats, but is swimming well. Ah, then those who sink decide that all must all drown together simply because they cannot leave others alone to swim further.

What you said is so sad. Traveling to these places and seeing them is how we know they are beautiful. And isolation is why there are conflicts between races. It's human nature to fear and hate what you don't understand. If every culture was undisturbed everyone would hate everyone and we would be back at where civilization started. Traveling to different places in the world, learning about the people and culture brings you understanding and removes the fear. Exchanging cultures is how you put aside the differences that separates people. Resolving never to visit a country so you can help them maintain the pure existence that you are confused into thinking they have is foolish. If you hadn't noticed, asia in general has willingly adopted a lot of western culture as well so how is that "pure?"

ailesdeciel · Post by **ailesdeciel** » Nov 16th, '07, 11:12

|ZERO| wrote:After watching that video and doing futher research about current and long-term issues in Japan, I have decided that I support and admire the Japanese for proudly wanting protect their unique and rich culture (as all heathy nation would.) And out of respect for the Japanese, I will never to go to Japan. It's their country, not Disneyland for children to run through for amusement.

Arudou Debito and others who do not agree should consider a few questions such as; are you Japanese? If not, do you respect that they are a population that before the last century has been almost completely undisturbed for over 1000 years? They are a people whose ancestors reach back to the Agricultural Age. No wonder they are so smart, hardy, strong, capable and beautiful.

And you wish to put yourself in the middle of them to gain from them? What are you offering them that they do not already have within? It is understandable that you would like to take from their bounty, but that would not help them in any way and you could not in any way help them by inserting yourself into their land, culture, and genetic population.

It seems strange when the first-world objects to the intrusion of the third-world seeking gain, and yet the decaying first-world desires to intrude on the pure and stable who are still strong. Those sinking always try to take down another who not only floats, but is swimming well. Ah, then those who sink decide that all must all drown together simply because they cannot leave others alone to swim further.

Racism has been around for thousands of years, perpetuated by wars and isolationism. Yet you swing to the opposite spectrum and perpetuate it by worshipping a race. Welcome to the 21st century, where worldwide communication exists and isolationism only impedes progress. You think the West is the evil imperialist nation who seeks to rape and pillage Japan? Did you know that "rape and pillage" is what Japan did in WW2? That was the cost of their isolationism. Through their arrogance, they saw the rest of the world only as dogs. The fact that communication exists between all the countries is a blessing. Your japanophilia is supporting xenophobia, which is nothing but ignorance and fear mongering. This is not the age of bushido anymore, it is the age of using the technology available to us to embrace our fellow man.

Some of you have this patronizing view of the Japanese as if they're pets you protect. Get over yourselves, it's offensive and condescending.

Maeks · Post by **Maeks** » Nov 16th, '07, 11:18

I remember seeing something a couple years ago about how some foreign people had messed up and disrespected a hot springs, so the owners decided to not allow non-Japanese citizens to enter the hotsprings.

Thing was, some white people, Japanese citizen white people, I think successfully sued them (sued them at least) for discrimination because the sign they had up said Japanese "Citizens", which they in fact were.

I know that some Japanese are racist, in fact, every country has racism, even our beloved America. But it isn't representative of the whole, I haven't met a Japanese person who wasn't extremely nice. And while a lot of them may be ignorant of non-Japanese things, most of that stems from the cultural isolationism that prevails in some parts of the country, more than and sort of hatred.

seirin · Post by **seirin** » Nov 16th, '07, 13:10

Yorokobi wrote:
seirin wrote:
Yorokobi wrote:I dont have the time to read where this thread is actually going but id just thought id say that today I felt like Japan didnt like me when I was in PE class practicing volleyball and we had to do passes in a group like 40 times in a row without sqrewing it up or something and not once did i get passed the ball. Kinda of felt like it was a game of exclude the foreigner
I don't think it was cuz you're a foreigner. It's cuz you're not in the "social" group. I've always had that problem in grade school hence I never liked working in groups. The kids tend to pick their friends as partners. Or if there's anything group related I am never in a group cuz they pick their own friends to be in groups and I get thrown in with left over people who also don't have groups or placed in a group randomly. The only reason if I do get picked into a group is if I am good at something and they can get good marks if I'm in their group.

oh btw whoever called Japanese as "Jap". You just made a racist remark. They don't like being called that FYI.
they arn't hard out into the groups thing here and anyway its sorted out by what class number they are anyway so they were all seperated from their friends plus one of my best japanese friends was in my group and im standing there doing nothing the whole time thinking what the hell!!!

yea, even those who you think are your friends will ignore you if you aren't in the 'cool' crowd. That's why I didn't trust people to be my friends. If you wanna be cool, you hang out with the cool crowd. I had a dislike for groups. Socializing was definitely not my thing in school. I guess you can say it's something like Nobuta wo produce.

Hanakurosu · Post by **Hanakurosu** » Nov 16th, '07, 14:40

nophankh wrote:To put in my two cents, Every country is racist in some aspect.
What I do know is that Japanese doesn't like to mix their underground activity with tourists.
Most host bars, prostitution establishment does not allow foreigners because of the misconception that all foreigners are dirty and infested with STDs. Also, every country wants to portray their country has something pure, they don't want to be embarrassed by these kinds of activities. I think that is why the signs are there.

I think the signs only applies to shady businesses such as soapland and host bars.

Unless you're planning to go to Japan strictly for the red light district, I don't you need to worry about being discriminated on.

please allow me to butt in... how can someone explain the signs that "Filipinos" are not allowed to be exact...

SP1CA · Post by **SP1CA** » Nov 16th, '07, 19:03

powlow wrote:japanese = of japan or the language of japan.

if you saw "english only" in america would you call them racist? lol

i agree

also i asked a Japanese friend if Japan welcomes me (and other non-japanese people) i was replied; you're all welcome

san_kurogane · Post by **san_kurogane** » Nov 16th, '07, 20:02

I don't think I've read one post where one of you say you've been to Japan. If there are then there are hardly any.

I went last year. I wasn't ostracized. I was served at every store I went to. I had the time of my life. I can't wait to go again next year.

Kanin · Post by **Kanin** » Nov 16th, '07, 22:46

There are plenty of anti-Japanese trolls in South Korea and China. I reckon this one originally comes from China.

groink · Post by **groink** » Nov 16th, '07, 23:00

coldfate wrote:
groink wrote: I don't blame the guy for posting that anti-Japanese video... but it is a very weak response to that SK video IMHO.

--- groink
I do, the logic is cyclic.

S Korea is racist against Japan!
Oh yea well Japan is racist against all foreigners so there!

Does that sound like justification for S Korea to be racist against Japan? Sounds like it. Even if it's not for some, does that mean everyone will think the same way? Doubt it. And for those it'll continue to propagate.

Hence an eye for an eye statement is a big waste of time. Totally detracts from me learning my japanese

Ummmm... There's a big difference between:

"Don't come into my store if you're not Japanese!"

and

"I f**king hate Japan! I wish they would die! I want to bomb them...." and the list goes on...

In other words, some Japanese stores don't want foreigners. But some South Koreans want to literally kill Japanese. Watch the video and see what the happy patriotic SK children are thinknig. That's not an eye-for-an-eye; that's more like "You poked me with a needle, now I want your limbs!"

--- groink

scanky_chops · Post by **scanky_chops** » Nov 16th, '07, 23:19

As a scarf-wearing Muslim (so female then and an extreme example of a foreigner - she must be a suicide terrorist!), i spent 11 months in Japan and i was never told i couldn't go to any store/restaurant/place etc. And apart from one crappy incident in Umeda station, i never had anyone say anything racist to me (at least, not to my face). I travelled quite a bit around the country, nothing was ever said. So, how we can anyone say all the Japanese are racist? Having said that...

|ZERO| wrote:And you wish to put yourself in the middle of them to gain from them? What are you offering them that they do not already have within? It is understandable that you would like to take from their bounty, but that would not help them in any way and you could not in any way help them by inserting yourself into their land, culture, and genetic population.

You make it sound like they know the meaning to everything and aren't bothered at all about learning from others. 'Not help them in any way'? What? I feel the biggest and best thing i did during my time in Japan was to give a bunch of Japanese people a chance to interact with someone who was totally different to them, with different views and educate them on the fact that the images of Muslims they've seen on the TV are not always true. And all of those people became my friends and told me they were glad to have met me.

But i did get a bit fed up of the guys asking me to take my scarf off. It's not some sort of dance of the 7 veils thing!

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 16th, '07, 23:30

I'm sorry but not everyone is in need of the Islamic god or Islamic intellect. Perhaps that is important to you but they are not Muslim and as sensible as Islam may be to you, it is completely meaningless to Japan. The desert values have no place the white snowy land of Hokkaido or the tropical beaches of Fukuoka. The Japanese have their own beliefs that were created for them by their ancestors and reflect their spirit and instincts perfectly.

milleu87 · Post by **milleu87** » Nov 16th, '07, 23:38

My brother in law study in japan for 4 years and he said nothing like this ever happens.He even got love letters from kids that he was tutoring.

and I have a bunch of friends that study all over japan and some of them wear headscarf but yeah nothing pretty much interesting happened to them.

So I don't think japan is racist. if there is i am sure it is very few people.We shouldn't let this few signs change our opinion of the country as a whole. That would be pretty rash and irrational.

scanky_chops · Post by **scanky_chops** » Nov 16th, '07, 23:47

|ZERO| wrote:I'm sorry but not everyone is in need of the Islamic god or Islamic intellect. Perhaps that is important to you but they are not Muslim and as sensible as Islam may be to you, it is completely meaningless to Japan. The desert values have no place the white snowy land of Hokkaido or the tropical beaches of Fukuoka. The Japanese have their own beliefs that were created for them by their ancestors and reflect their spirit and instincts perfectly.

Right.

I must remember that the white snowy lands of Hokkaido just aren't ready yet for my 'Islamic God'. Maybe in a few years time. I can wait.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 00:00

|ZERO| wrote:I'm sorry but not everyone is in need of the Islamic god or Islamic intellect. Perhaps that is important to you but they are not Muslim and as sensible as Islam may be to you, it is completely meaningless to Japan. The desert values have no place the white snowy land of Hokkaido or the tropical beaches of Fukuoka. The Japanese have their own beliefs that were created for them by their ancestors and reflect their spirit and instincts perfectly.

What are you even talking about anymore? Every culture has their own beliefs, that's a duh. Saying that because you have your own beliefs that there is no need to learn a damn thing about anyone else's appalls me.

You sound like my annoying Christian friends who love to say how wonderful their religion is by saying how silly others, such as Buddhism, is without knowing a single thing about what Buddhism is. It made them sound like idiots. Especially when they were talking to me because I have read most of the Buddhist Bible, despite not being technically Buddhist. Why did I read it? Cultural exchange. To learn and understand so i don't sound like an idiot when talking about things I don't know about.

Which that is basically what this whole topic is about, right? Basing opinions about cultures on tiny bits of biased information without taking the effort to actually learn anything.

Saying no one cares about anyone else's culture because it's not their own is naive. Why do you think the world participates in exchange student programs? To shun the exchange student? No to teach them about us and us about them. Japan has a large number of exchange students going in and out of their country. My high school had a lot of them and they loved to answer and ask questions. So I'm pretty sure they want to learn about other cultures.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 00:42

Seems like you didn't understand my post. I am not Christian nor do I believe in any myths that have no connection to me. My point is that there is no reason for anyone to force or promote their religion on others in foreign lands who already have their own beliefs and are living successfully with those beliefs. It is rude and unnecessary.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 01:10

san_kurogane wrote:I don't think I've read one post where one of you say you've been to Japan. If there are then there are hardly any.

I went last year. I wasn't ostracized. I was served at every store I went to. I had the time of my life. I can't wait to go again next year.

There are quite a few posts already from people who have like yourself, been to Japan. Though it is understandable that you enjoy their graciousness, hospitality, civility and culture, what do you have to offer them that is better then that which they have already created for themselves? And if given a choice, do you really think that they would prefer to choose you over their own capable citizens?

I am not telling anyone where not to go or what not to do, I do not have such right. However, I am pointing out that traveling to a foreign country is like being a guest in someone's home and it is impolite to be a burden on those trying to live there. And if they do not want you in their home them that should be considered.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 01:23

I never said you were my Christian friends I said your point of view of the world was similar to theirs. No one said anything about FORCING people to accept another's culture. But you make it sound like they have no curiosity at all. Which is wrong.

Also, Japan has adopted A LOT of western culture willingly. Their culture is no longer 100% Japanese. Japanese people like to go to non-Japanese restaurants and many have western styled houses and furniture. They didn't create all that themselves. This IS what we gave them. So your whole "what do you have to offer them that is better then that which they have already created for themselves?" is a silly question.

And the Japanese are also curious about other countries because they are one of the highest demographic of tourists in most countries.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 01:38

Western culture was forced on them by cannon fire, first by Perry then by MacArthur. You can do whatever you want and by your logic, it is all right to dilute what is left of a nations culture on the grounds that she has been previously culturally subverted against her will. For myself, I have decided that I do not go anywhere that I am not wanted or do not belong.

ali_sen · Post by **ali_sen** » Nov 17th, '07, 01:40

I'd also like to submit another thought.

I firmly believe that it is the politest thing to do, to learn a country's language, culture, and manners, and to mind them as best you can when you're there.

What's better than learning these things when you're visiting a country?
Learning things BEFORE you get to the country.

I've been to a few other countries. Japan and Korea, to name a couple. When I was there, I was appalled by the lack of foreigners who made no effort to honor the country they were in. I hadn't learned anything before going to Korea, so while I was there I studied a lot until I was able to follow a lot of general conversations.

People often talked to me, asking me about the USA, their perceptions of it from TV vs. reality, language questions, religion, etc. It occured to me how smart it is that they were doing that.

We can only be bettered to be learning about other countries and cultures and religions. Even if we do not agree on things, it is wise to know the other aspects of things, and not to offend if possible.

I wish I had been more like the Koreans, had talked to Koreans before going over, had learned more about the country I was about to live in. Before I went to Japan, I prepared myself. It made a difference in the positive aspect of touring their country. Yes, there are always some people who are rude to foreigners without giving you a chance to show your respect for them and their country.

I'll say this. I expect that when people come to the USA, that they learn English, that they study our rules and cultures, and respect them. Just as I do the same (and SHOULD do the same) in other countries. I can see why some places don't like foreigners... it's sad but true that many don't honor the culture they are in.

We can't change the rules, perhaps, but we can try to change what some see as a necessity for the rules. Make sense?

Just my take on the issue

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 01:52

|ZERO| wrote:Western culture was forced on them by cannon fire, first by Perry then by MacArthur. You can do whatever you want and by your logic, it is all right to dilute what is left of a nations culture on the grounds that she has been previously culturally subverted against her will. For myself, I have decided that I do not go anywhere that I am not wanted or do not belong.

That happened in every country, even European ones. My point is MODERN society. No one forces them to have interest in or use any of our culture anymore. They still do because they like it. And it's not deluding it if you learn from them as well. The not exchanging part is what was wrong with it in the past. If they really wanted to they could close themselves off completely and revert back to the way it was. But even they realize that communicating with the world has benefits and is progressive towards the future. No country wants to go back in time. Japan, like every other country, was actually a really crappy place to live way back unless you were a wealthy and privileged man.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 02:08

I am not telling anyone revert back to the past. There are no time machines. I wonder if the Japanese would agree with you that their Japan of the past was a crappy place. The Japanese had a tremendously rich history that suited them well for thousands of years until it was disrupted by foreigners who demanded exchange and trade. All of their great culture, art and civilization was created in the past. By your statements, it is OK to take what is not your as long as you have something you think is of value to give back even though it might be irrelevant to those you are giving it to.. Kind of similar to how the British rudely forced themselves into China and forced the Chinese to trade with them and them later introduced opium as a trade exchange for tea.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 02:11

ali_sen, I agree with you. If i were to go to Korea I would bring along a Korean friend who could translate for me and keep me alert of any cultural nuances that I might overlook or be completely ignorant of.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 02:23

Take is forceful. Exchange is willing. And yes all the historical artwork of every culture came from a long time ago but every society back then sucked in comparison to todays beliefs and mindsets becasue pretty much no one had rights. Ask some old rich guy in Japan today if he liked ancient Japan he might say yes. Ask some poor young woman, there is no way she would say yes. It's the same in every culture.

ali_sen, I agree with you. If i were to go to Korea I would bring along a Korean friend who could translate for me and keep me alert of any cultural nuances that I might overlook or be completely ignorant of.

That's still not making any effort yourself though. You are making someone else do it for you.

PocketKiriyama · Post by **PocketKiriyama** » Nov 17th, '07, 02:55

seirin wrote:
Yorokobi wrote:
seirin wrote:
I don't think it was cuz you're a foreigner. It's cuz you're not in the "social" group. I've always had that problem in grade school hence I never liked working in groups. The kids tend to pick their friends as partners. Or if there's anything group related I am never in a group cuz they pick their own friends to be in groups and I get thrown in with left over people who also don't have groups or placed in a group randomly. The only reason if I do get picked into a group is if I am good at something and they can get good marks if I'm in their group.

oh btw whoever called Japanese as "Jap". You just made a racist remark. They don't like being called that FYI.
they arn't hard out into the groups thing here and anyway its sorted out by what class number they are anyway so they were all seperated from their friends plus one of my best japanese friends was in my group and im standing there doing nothing the whole time thinking what the hell!!!
yea, even those who you think are your friends will ignore you if you aren't in the 'cool' crowd. That's why I didn't trust people to be my friends. If you wanna be cool, you hang out with the cool crowd. I had a dislike for groups. Socializing was definitely not my thing in school. I guess you can say it's something like Nobuta wo produce.

I know what you mean. Been there, but the difference was I hated to be in a group. I thought it was too much trouble to associate with others. Kind of like Shikimaru in Naruto. But some how I got popular in freshman highschool after I beat down a bully. Which was unintentional. Who'd knew he go down with one punch?

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 03:01

Puppet Princess wrote:Take is forceful. Exchange is willing. And yes all the historical artwork of every culture came from a long time ago but every society back then sucked in comparison to todays beliefs and mindsets becasue pretty much no one had rights. Ask some old rich guy in Japan today if he liked ancient Japan he might say yes. Ask some poor young woman, there is no way she would say yes. It's the same in every culture.

ali_sen, I agree with you. If i were to go to Korea I would bring along a Korean friend who could translate for me and keep me alert of any cultural nuances that I might overlook or be completely ignorant of.
That's still not making any effort yourself though. You are making someone else do it for you.

Once again, there are no time machines. No one can go back to the past. Let stay in reality here please. Exchange is the always the word that the conquering side prefers to call it. The other side usually calls it rape or subjugation. It seems like you prefer pretty lies over truth.

Though I said if, I would actually never have a need or reason to go to Korea, especially since it is obvious that Koreans aren't interested in outsiders coming to their country. So therefore, I have no need to make any effort in working for the approval of a people to whom I am irrelevant and unwanted.

Though it might be instinctive for you to force your opinions on others, If you do not like my ideas, hope, or character, please respect that I am alive too and that your anger and fatalism should be kept to yourself so that the world does not suffer under the projections of your psychological damage. We all need our space to be what we are. I am not imposing on your space or interested in demanding that you conform to my values, so please do not attempt to impose your ideals and beliefs on me.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 03:20

I'm not forcing my opinion I'm informing you that history aside, you are wrong in thinking Asian people have no interest in "outsiders." I grew up in a community that was the definition of cultural exchange (mostly Asian as well) and found that nothing was deluded from learning about others and teaching them about me. You obviously come form a place that is much more closed off. How does it make me damaged to believe in a society structure that I have experienced work? I've met and been friends with a lot of Asian people, American born and Asia born. None of them thought the way you think they do. So where are you getting your idea of what Asian values are, from?

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 03:40

You make a good example of how most of us only see the world through the small portion they have experienced. Your opinion of whether I am right or wrong is irrelevant. What matters is that there are nations that do not want foreigners or foreign values in their land, such as some Asian and Middle-eastern countries and that they passionately demonstrate this point by putting up signs, organizing rallies and staging protests. All this should be considered when deciding to travel. It is only respectful.

How would you like it if strangers came to your house and acted as if it belonged to them?

I am an Asian and I live in Asia.

Pointer025 · Post by **Pointer025** » Nov 17th, '07, 03:44

Laws govern Japan. It is up to you to stay in Japan or not, simple as that. Just like people from other countries, Japanese doesn't like other people telling Japanese what to do and not to do. Japanese are civilized enough governing themselves. Thanx

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 03:53

I hope you're not talking to me, I don't tell the Japanese what to do or what not to. I only do what is right for myself and am not concerned with what others do as long as it doesn't interfere with or put burden on my life and my loved ones. Nor would I behave in ways that burden others.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 03:57

|ZERO| wrote:How would you like it if strangers came to your house and acted as if it belonged to them?

My country is not my house. There are laws about coming into other people's home. No such law exists for countries... well at least most of them.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 04:28

So how do you like those illegals coming up from the south? Good exchange?

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 04:31

ahahahahaha... you are comparing illegal immigration with tourism?

doink-chan · Post by **doink-chan** » Nov 17th, '07, 04:34

Puppet Princess wrote:
|ZERO| wrote:How would you like it if strangers came to your house and acted as if it belonged to them?
My country is not my house. There are laws about coming into other people's home. No such law exists for countries... well at least most of them.

to Puppet Princess!

I also agree that being isolated does not do a country any good, and that most people agree on this. And if anyone needs an example of why isolation is doinky...well...look at North Korea, and all the problems they've been having all because of their doinky government and their juche/self-isolation policy.

Many Asians, including Japanese, enjoy various things from the West, and many parts of Japanese modern culture and pop culture wouldn't exist today if they were still isolated. One example is anime. Many of the distinct character designs and other elements of anime and manga originally came from...oh teh horrorz...Disney movies of the 30s-50s! (as well as other American animation from this time period such as the Betty Boop series). This wasn't because the American animation producers FORCED people to draw in that way...but rather, because Tezuka Osamu (who pioneered many of the techniques used in modern-day manga and anime) liked old-school American animation and Disney in particular. He was even *gasp* friends with some Disney animators and met Walt Disney himself. Those influences came from Tezuka Osamu's OWN INTEREST in American animation and NOT from some sort of eeevil doinks forcing him to draw in that way.

Another example of Japanese pop culture majorly influenced from the West would be J-pop music itself. It was very influenced by the American/other English-language pop music that became popular during and after the occupation. And again, the early J-pop artists played/sang that type of music because they had become interested in it. The occupying force did not FORCE them to play American-style rock and roll, it was out of the artists' OWN INTEREST in the music because it was different from the enka songs that had dominated the music scene, and it was something new and fresh. Even some enka songs began using some Western instruments (several of Misora Hibari's songs for instance). If Japan was still isolated, we definitely would not have these things, nor would we have the ability to watch J-dramas at all. And Japan would still be a poor country and not have the huge economy that it does today. And most of the people would be treated doinky, etc., etc., etc...

I definitely think that Zero is a troll, and quite possibly a sockpuppet of yamcha.

Uesuri4649 · Post by **Uesuri4649** » Nov 17th, '07, 04:51

@doink

Totally agree with you about the j-pop, and even japanese music in general, i mean , what new songs do you hear nowadays without any english in them?

sfsjkid · Post by **sfsjkid** » Nov 17th, '07, 04:53

I remember in high school we were specifically told not to go to the corner store. I still see signs at various stores near schools to that effect. I see similar signs at toy and game stores, maybe with a caveat of having an adult or what not. Along the same lines, signs like "Bathroom for customers only", "Change for customers only", "No bills over $20", "Driver carries only $5 in change", etc. This is all in the US BTW.

People will have differing opinions and reactions on the above so called customer service, but think about what prompted these signs by store owners. Having lived in Japan for 13 years, I feel for the most part, the signs in the You Tube video were put up for the same reasons. Not saying that Japan is perfect nor that there isn't prejudice, but feel it is not segregation as we experienced in the past.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 04:56

Puppet Princess wrote:ahahahahaha... you are comparing illegal immigration with tourism?

I am not comparing. Just asking you a question about the cultural exchange where you are.

quashlo · Post by **quashlo** » Nov 17th, '07, 04:57

|ZERO| wrote:I'm sorry but not everyone is in need of the Islamic god or Islamic intellect. Perhaps that is important to you but they are not Muslim and as sensible as Islam may be to you, it is completely meaningless to Japan. The desert values have no place the white snowy land of Hokkaido or the tropical beaches of Fukuoka. The Japanese have their own beliefs that were created for them by their ancestors and reflect their spirit and instincts perfectly.

|ZERO| wrote:Arudou Debito and others who do not agree should consider a few questions such as; are you Japanese? If not, do you respect that they are a population that before the last century has been almost completely undisturbed for over 1000 years? They are a people whose ancestors reach back to the Agricultural Age. No wonder they are so smart, hardy, strong, capable and beautiful.

Frankly, you're starting to sound like some sort of supremacist or something... Your point about the West "barging" into Japan's "house" and demanding service historically is well taken, but you make it sound like the Japanese people owe nothing to the rest of the world. But, the Japanese would likely have no writing system to this day if they didn't borrow characters from the Chinese... Just like they borrowed lots of other things from the Chinese, including Buddhism, tea, calligraphy, poetry, etc.

And of course, don't forget that Japan industrialized by assimilating the philosophical, political, sociological, technological advances made by Western countries. The Japanese learned English, French, and German and traveled to Europe and America to understand Western culture and adapt it to their own country's efforts to industrialize and become an international power. The unique geography of their country and a sequence of historical events has certainly created a unique "Japanese culture," but it owes a lot to the beliefs, traditions, knowledge from other peoples.

But putting all that aside, the fact of the matter is we are in a globalizing world... You seem to think all Japanese would prefer not to have any contact with other cultures, which is of course a dubious assumption. Look at all the Japanese university students studying abroad, or all the scholars, businessmen, and professionals who travel and do work outside of Japan and tell me that isn't of their own volition. Those people are smart enough to realize that there's another world out there and that isolation will do Japan no good in the future.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:00

doink, as I have stated somehwere before, I am not vamcha and I do not know who or what it is. It seems like you think anyone with a different opinion is a troll. This thread is controversial enough without any need for any troll.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:08

quashlo, I do not think or assume anything for the Japanese. I am not a supremist and I am not Japanese. However when I see a country that tolerates citizens putting up "No Foreigner" I think twice about going there. And it's not out of hatred but out of respect.

Yes the Japan, like most other civilized countries in Asia, borrowed heavily from the Chinese. But the Japanese have never enjoyed having foreigners in their land. Their last Shogunate kicked all of the foreigners out and made it illegal for Japanese who have left their country to return. Later on the Japanese, like the rest of Asia were forced to westernize by the western powers. in order to protect themselves from western powers.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:13

We weren't talking about illegal immigration though. We were talking about tourism. Asking my views on immigration laws is irrelevant. If you wanted to ask me if I talked to the Mexicans in my neighborhood or left them completely alone that is more on topic. In which case I would have to say I love Mexicans. Half my family is Mexican (by marriage) and my mother and her family grew up in Mexico. I love learning about the culture from my relatives and even made the effort to learn basic Spanish phrases to use when I saw my Mexican relatives.

The basic point though is, to think Japan doesn't want foreigners to come to their country is a little foolish considering they make a huge effort to promote tourism and create attractions for tourists. Why would they tell people to come to their country if they didn't want them there? I'm a huge supporter of tourism. It creates jobs for the locals and improves the countries economy. Tourist attractions are also usually educational and work to break down cultural stereotypes by teaching tourists what their culture is really like. Even I would love to go to the tourist attractions back home because it was the same things they taught us in school only it was usually more fun and entertaining.

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:17

saw the video. got me really pissed off..
what's with the "FILIPINO's are not allowed inside" sign?
and the grammar. just makes me laugh and pisses me off at the same time.
what if the filipino can speak japanese? i don't know what other people would be calling it.
but that is plain racism. they should be hiring people who are good in english too,
to be able to cater their costumer's needs. why do japan advertise their land for vacation spots,
if they won't even let foreigners enjoy some of the establishments?

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:22

biniBningPunkista wrote:
they should be hiring people who are good in english too,
to be able to cater their costumer's needs. why do japan advertise their land for vacation spots,
if they won't even let foreigners enjoy some of the establishments?

Some establishments are designed for tourists while others aim for local customers. It would be unreasonable to expect EVERY shop to be able to accommodate foreigners.

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:26

Puppet Princess wrote:
biniBningPunkista wrote:
they should be hiring people who are good in english too,
to be able to cater their costumer's needs. why do japan advertise their land for vacation spots,
if they won't even let foreigners enjoy some of the establishments?

Some establishments are designed for tourists while others aim for local customers. It would be unreasonable to expect EVERY shop to be able to accommodate foreigners.

but its still sad and pisses me off at the same time to know that they are actually restricting out a certain ethnic group...

i love japanese drama. but im having second thoughts with their culture.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:34

biniBningPunkista wrote:
Puppet Princess wrote:
biniBningPunkista wrote:
they should be hiring people who are good in english too,
to be able to cater their costumer's needs. why do japan advertise their land for vacation spots,
if they won't even let foreigners enjoy some of the establishments?

Some establishments are designed for tourists while others aim for local customers. It would be unreasonable to expect EVERY shop to be able to accommodate foreigners.

but its still sad and pisses me off at the same time to know that they are actually restricting out a certain ethnic group...

i love japanese drama. but im having second thoughts with their culture.

Well, if you read some of the other posts the signs are from mostly shady establishments anyways. Not sure why they specified Filipino other than perhaps that store once had a problem with one Filipino customer and banns all of them as a defense mechanism. The signs are all taken out of context though, so who knows.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 05:49

biniBningPunkista wrote:
i love japanese drama. but im having second thoughts with their culture.
[/color][/b]

The few Japanese that I have known have always said that they do not consider Filipinos to be Asian. I also heard that Filipinos have a really hard time in Japan.

ali_sen · Post by **ali_sen** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:03

I'd also remind people of a few things.

DIVERSITY. Every country has its dissidents. People who don't like other people for whatever reason. This doesn't mean its the popular opinion, it doesn't mean the whole country hates foreigners, doesn't mean anything other than a very specific person or group or establishment has a preference. Even in the US we have this, welcome or not, laws or not. In the US we have a little more protection because of the freedom of speech, but in asian countries this is not as widely protected. People can have these preferences.

It does hurt, a little, to see those signs. I found a couple places in Korea (not many... most of Korea was very welcoming, albeit very rude) that didn't welcome foreigners. I wouldn't want to go somewhere where I wasn't wanted, so in that aspect I'll agree. However... there are numerous, vast other places in Korea, Japan, and wherever else that DOES happily welcome foreigners. Those places are where I'll go.

As I said before, sometimes the reason some places don't welcome foreigners is because they've had bad experiences with rude and culturally-uneducated foreigners there. The best way to remedy this is not complaining, nor fighting against these signs, but rather, to become the kind of foreigner that they WOULD want to visit there. Polite, well-mannered (in that particular culture, mind you), able to speak the language, and informed. I found people were always much more accomodating when they realized how much effort I put into communicating in their own language and culture. Bringing someone along to translate, I'm afraid, is not considered good manners. In other countries, everyone learns multiple languages. They tend to look down on Americans for being lazy and selfish in only speaking English. Learning to speak the country's language and to speak it well shows a great amount of cultural respect and goes a long way in earning the native's respect and welcome.

I really, really can't stress that enough.

AboutDrama · Post by **AboutDrama** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:03

And yes, I know there are a lot of Japan apologists here. How can a, so called, civilized country like Japan allow this? Whats next? "Gaijin must sit at the back of the buss"?

Well... There are racism in every country, including the most civilized countries. I think it's unfair just to single out Japan only. Everyone in this forum that live in their own countries will also heard or encounter stories that their countrymen do discriminate certain races or countries. So, why such an outrage about the issue that there are some Japaneses in Japan are racist??

It takes time to solve the racism problem and it's a global issue.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:05

biniBningPunkista wrote:
why do japan advertise their land for vacation spots,
if they won't even let foreigners enjoy some of the establishments?

Because they want the money. Unlike other countries, foreigner friendly vacation spots in Japan aren't located in the best spots and facilities aren't nearly up to par with Japanese only vacation spots.

One of my Japanese classmates told a story about one of her family vacations to a hot spring inn and how some Australians were given a refund and asked to leave because of doing stuff like not cleansing before entering the bath, pissing in the bath, getting drunk and rowdy in the bath, wearing mud-laced shoes all over the tatami floors, wearing the bathroom slippers out into town, having loud sex etc.

ali_sen · Post by **ali_sen** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:12

|ZERO| wrote: One of my Japanese classmates told a story about one of her family vacations to a hot spring inn and how some Australians were given a refund and asked to leave because of doing stuff like not cleansing before entering the bath, pissing in the bath, getting drunk and rowdy in the bath, wearing mud-aced shoes all over the tatami floored inn, wearing the bathroom slippers out into town, having loud sex etc.

A good example of foreigners who didn't have enough respect for the country they are visiting to learn the rules and customs. I would have been upset at them too. It is only the right thing to do to follows the rules and customs of the country you are in. The "When in Rome" adage is really quite appropriate.

It's really nice to visit a country, but you are missing more than half of the country's beauty and greatness if don't learn enough to get all the way into the culture, language, and history.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:17

People who have experienced cultural unity understand its meaningfulness and treasure it.

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:20

|ZERO| wrote:
biniBningPunkista wrote:
i love japanese drama. but im having second thoughts with their culture.
[/color][/b]
The few Japanese that I have known have always said that they do not consider Filipinos to be Asian. I also heard that Filipinos have a really hard time in Japan.

i think i heard about that.. and an email circulating around that filipinos are not asian and ARE TRYING SO HARD to be asian. i was just wondering, if that's the case why is the Philippine island located in ASIA. and it is in the map of asia. (that was just a side comment..)

to go back to the main topic, im still not happy about the video. and if there are also some news about that kind of thing happening in my very own country, i would be pissed off as well.

ali_sen · Post by **ali_sen** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:20

|ZERO| wrote:People who have experienced cultural unity understand its meaningfulness and treasure it.

As long as they don't exclude the value of diversity, globalization, and world unity.

It's quite alright to treasure one culture above others. As long as its not at the expense of another culture.

It might be a good idea to clarify your definition of "cultural unity" for the rest of us, so we can understand your thoughts on it better.

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:25

ali_sen wrote:I'd also remind people of a few things.

DIVERSITY. Every country has its dissidents. People who don't like other people for whatever reason. This doesn't mean its the popular opinion, it doesn't mean the whole country hates foreigners, doesn't mean anything other than a very specific person or group or establishment has a preference. Even in the US we have this, welcome or not, laws or not. In the US we have a little more protection because of the freedom of speech, but in asian countries this is not as widely protected. People can have these preferences.

It does hurt, a little, to see those signs. I found a couple places in Korea (not many... most of Korea was very welcoming, albeit very rude) that didn't welcome foreigners. I wouldn't want to go somewhere where I wasn't wanted, so in that aspect I'll agree. However... there are numerous, vast other places in Korea, Japan, and wherever else that DOES happily welcome foreigners. Those places are where I'll go.

As I said before, sometimes the reason some places don't welcome foreigners is because they've had bad experiences with rude and culturally-uneducated foreigners there. The best way to remedy this is not complaining, nor fighting against these signs, but rather, to become the kind of foreigner that they WOULD want to visit there. Polite, well-mannered (in that particular culture, mind you), able to speak the language, and informed. I found people were always much more accomodating when they realized how much effort I put into communicating in their own language and culture. Bringing someone along to translate, I'm afraid, is not considered good manners. In other countries, everyone learns multiple languages. They tend to look down on Americans for being lazy and selfish in only speaking English. Learning to speak the country's language and to speak it well shows a great amount of cultural respect and goes a long way in earning the native's respect and welcome.

I really, really can't stress that enough.

i do get your point. but still. im not happy about the signs...
i am entitled to my own feelings and opinions right?
although im not happy about the signs, it does not change the fact that i still love japanese drama.

kekekeke · Post by **kekekeke** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:26

filipinos are better off labeled as austronesians rather than asians since they are so different from the chinese,korean,japanese.. culture,language etc

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:26

|ZERO| wrote:People who have experienced cultural unity understand its meaningfulness and treasure it.

You don't have to ignorant to have cultural unity.

As for the Filipino thing. Now that I think about I've noticed it a lot of cultures do look down on Filipinos for some reason. I think it's because they are a race originating from racial mixing, so most of the races who consider themselves "Asian" don't see them as "pure." Though Asian is not a race it's a region of the world. Russian and Indians are also Asian but no one seems to acknowledge it.

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:31

Puppet Princess wrote:
biniBningPunkista wrote:
Puppet Princess wrote:
Some establishments are designed for tourists while others aim for local customers. It would be unreasonable to expect EVERY shop to be able to accommodate foreigners.

but its still sad and pisses me off at the same time to know that they are actually restricting out a certain ethnic group...

i love japanese drama. but im having second thoughts with their culture.

Well, if you read some of the other posts the signs are from mostly shady establishments anyways. Not sure why they specified Filipino other than perhaps that store once had a problem with one Filipino customer and banns all of them as a defense mechanism. The signs are all taken out of context though, so who knows.

that might be a possibility... and the shady establishment part is correct. after you mentioned this, i had to watch the video all over again to notice that. i was too much engrossed with the signs that i didn't notice where it was actually posted.

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:36

kekekeke wrote:filipinos are better off labeled as austronesians rather than asians since they are so different from the chinese,korean,japanese.. culture,language etc

austronesians?
so this has to be about the culture and not about the location then?
ok.. this is being way off topic now.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:41

ali_sen wrote:
|ZERO| wrote:People who have experienced cultural unity understand its meaningfulness and treasure it.
As long as they don't exclude the value of diversity, globalization, and world unity.

It's quite alright to treasure one culture above others. As long as its not at the expense of another culture.

It seems to me that unity and diversity are opposites. Cultural unity versus cultural diversity. Why do you admire the culture of Korea so much? Perhaps it is because they have a rich culture and a distinct character that makes then unique.

Don't understand what you mean about treasuring culture at the expense of another culture. Example?

I don't know much about the values and benefits globalization and world unity so I cannot comment on it.

So let's say that this whole world became completely a unified culture and under one government and English as the only operative language (world unity right?), then what's next? Assimilate other planets into the unity if possible?

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:48

|ZERO| wrote:So let's say that this whole world became completely a unified culture and under one government and English as the only operative language (world unity right?), then what's next? Assimilate other planets into the unity if possible?

lol You can lay claim on whatever planet you want, but intergalactic unity must wait until we actually find another species in space.

And you can be a unified culture and still be knowledgeable about other cultures. Accurately knowing about a culture and adopting it are two different things.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:52

biniBningPunkista wrote:
kekekeke wrote:filipinos are better off labeled as austronesians rather than asians since they are so different from the chinese,korean,japanese.. culture,language etc

austronesians?
so this has to be about the culture and not about the location then?
ok.. this is being way off topic now.

Well "Asia" is a boundary that was invented by the west. There are many nations in Asia that have absolutely no cultural connection to each other and do not consider each other to be in anyway similar. It is like that in Europe too, I don't think the Northern Europeans feel they have and cultural or genetic connection to Southern Europeans such as Italians or Turks but they are all labeled Europeans.

coldfate · Post by **coldfate** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:56

groink wrote: In other words, some Japanese stores don't want foreigners. But some South Koreans want to literally kill Japanese. Watch the video and see what the happy patriotic SK children are thinknig. That's not an eye-for-an-eye; that's more like "You poked me with a needle, now I want your limbs!"

--- groink

I bet there are some Japanese that thinks along the lines of Koreans in your statement and some Koreans that thought along the lines of the Japanese. Trying to compare apples and oranges and say they're different is a bad argument.

An eye for an eye is probably a bad argument but the underlying concept is simple on matter how vastly different the situation is. How are problems to be solved if both sides continue to point fingers saying I'm right because your wrong is much worst than my wrong. The moral behind the statement remains the same. As long as finger pointing continues, what is to be solved.

For this reason alone, even if the author is trying to make a point, he has lost all credibility in his arguments. He put no thought into it, no foresight, and god knows what people (not person) will make of this video. Hence not even worth discussing.

We know it's not true with all Japanese. We know it's not true with all Koreans. We know not all of us act like that. That's why this is a funny video. It's so full of irony and hypocrisy, you just can't help but laugh. And move onto more noteworthy things like those pets doing cute tricks videos.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 06:59

Puppet Princess wrote:
|ZERO| wrote:So let's say that this whole world became completely a unified culture and under one government and English as the only operative language (world unity right?), then what's next? Assimilate other planets into the unity if possible?
lol You can lay claim on whatever planet you want, but intergalactic unity must wait until we actually find another species in space.

And you can be a unified culture and still be knowledgeable about other cultures. Accurately knowing about a culture and adopting it are two different things.

In a unified world culture there are no other present cultures to be knowledgeable about, that's the whole point.

One can only accurately know about a culture if one is of that culture. Even if you are a white man living in Japan and can speak and read Japanese fluently and have a Japanese wife, you still will never know what it is to be Japanese. That's the whole point of being Japanese, only the Japanese can be Japanese.

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Nov 17th, '07, 07:03

coldfate wrote:
groink wrote: In other words, some Japanese stores don't want foreigners. But some South Koreans want to literally kill Japanese. Watch the video and see what the happy patriotic SK children are thinknig. That's not an eye-for-an-eye; that's more like "You poked me with a needle, now I want your limbs!"

--- groink
I bet there are some Japanese that thinks along the lines of Koreans in your statement and some Koreans that thought along the lines of the Japanese. Trying to compare apples and oranges and say they're different is a bad argument.

An eye for an eye is probably a bad argument but the underlying concept is simple on matter how vastly different the situation is. How are problems to be solved if both sides continue to point fingers saying I'm right because your wrong is much worst than my wrong. The moral behind the statement remains the same. As long as finger pointing continues, what is to be solved.

For this reason alone, even if the author is trying to make a point, he has lost all credibility in his arguments. He put no thought into it, no foresight, and god knows what people (not person) will make of this video. Hence not even worth discussing.

We know it's not true with all Japanese. We know it's not true with all Koreans. We know not all of us act like that. That's why this is a funny video. It's so full of irony and hypocrisy, you just can't help but laugh. And move onto more noteworthy things like those pets doing cute tricks videos.

have no other comments to say about this... except for the pet tricks part. lolz...

btw, i do like the post though. you get to know everybody's opinion on this certain topic.
and some of the discussions are getting intense too.

Puppet Princess · Post by **Puppet Princess** » Nov 17th, '07, 07:06

I meant unified with your own culture. No one has to give up their own culture to learn about another person's culture.

|ZERO| · Post by **|ZERO|** » Nov 17th, '07, 07:10

When did anyone say that you had to?

quashlo · Post by **quashlo** » Nov 17th, '07, 07:11

|ZERO| wrote:One can only accurately know about a culture if one is of that culture. Even if you are a white man living in Japan and can speak and read Japanese fluently and have a Japanese wife, you still will never know what it is to be Japanese. That's the whole point of being Japanese, only the Japanese can be Japanese.

And if this couple has children, would you consider them Japanese?

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