[Keaton421]

Originally Posted by ante

For some reason you leave out some words when you read, making you absolutely impossible to talk to. It's not the same, but there are generally more similarities between different countries in the west, than between western countries and Japan.

The differences between Russia and America are just as profound as between Spain and Japan.

What I'm saying is, why doesn't this work the other way? If Asian cultures are so different from ours, is there an entire army of Asian people obsessed with German Pop Culture?

You are trying to prove a point by claiming that pop-culture is not culture. That is both wrong, and ignorant.

My father got his PhD in sociology. He also agrees that culture and pop-culture are two very different things. Culture is a shared system of beliefs, history, and mindset passed from one generation to another. Pop culture is whatever is popular in the media at the moment. That's an empirical fact, and you're trying to argue with me about the definitions of words. This is not just an argument of "people like different things." Sometimes, Pop Culture almost becomes culture, or even changes it, but it is extremely rare.

I believe that a deviant culture might, to a higher degree, attract deviant people.

There is no such thing as a "deviant culture". Seeing as how Japan is not part of America's social norms, we cannot judge them as deviant - weird, sure, deviant, no. Sorry, I just had to argue with semantics there. But I can understand what you're saying, that a country where "perversion" and nerdiness are more acceptable will attract those types of people.

Besides, you've never explained to me what, exactly, is so weird and different about Japan! You're only saying "it's weird and different"

I believe that you can like a country for whatever reason you like. I like my country because of the social security, the freedom, some of the music, the food and a lot of the people, among other things. I couldn't give a toss about vikings or mad kings trying to conquer Europe.

It's sad to hear that you don't care about Swedish history, cause it's really cool stuff! But you live in your country, and you experience many parts of it, from the second you wake up til the minute you fall asleep - even while you're sleeping, your country affects you! - so if you love or hate your country, your opinion is very valid. An example of an invalid opinion is an otaku who's heard about maid cafes and watched some anime and says "I love Japan." There's a big difference.