Quote:
Originally Posted by Tenchu
Why? Were you in a bad mood yesterday?
You can't say it ends here, MMM, to a "grown man". You want to tell me I should grow up and behave a bit better, then you order me around like you're my mother?
I'm not trolling anyone. I just want to point out a very simple, personal view that is not an attack on anyone: almost every time someone says something negative about Japanese culture, they're told they should just accept it, it isn't so bad, or they've more to understand, they don't get the full picture.
This isn't true. The fact is, different people have different perspectives on individual things. If something is having a negative, exclusive or detrimental effect on someone, it should be paid attention to. Within reason, of course; I'm not asking everyone to cater for emotional fragilities of others. People can think and disthink what they like. All I'm saying is, just because you think so, it does not make you right.
A lot of people here like to pretend Asian cultures have little to learn, and the West is usually the one with the catching up to do as far as understanding the foreign world is concerned. I find it's the exact other way around. Japan has a lot of serious problems when it comes to dealing with the outside world when cultures collide. Japanese people do not notice it, of course, as they're conditioned culturally to be a certain way. Most people think because the Japanese are conditioned this way, it means the goal of cultural understanding is to tolerate these flaws (as Westerners would put it). There is no sense in this.
You can call me and Daffy trolls if you want, MMM, but the fact is, we, and a massive portion of the Western world, have got a long history in dealing with other cultures and tolerance. The idea that, in any way, Japan is beyond us in dealing with ethnic proprieties is a serious misinterpretation of the proper usage of cultural tolerance/acceptance.
The majority of Japanese people could not possibly have any idea of how to deal with the foreign world, as they've never dealt with them. People like you sweeping staunch critics like myself under the carpet every time we open our mouth is not going to help educate these people.
You may or may not agree with our perspective/impression. It's up to you. But when it's based on facts, it should be respected and acknowledged.
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Tenchu, we have both been here long enough to see when personal issues affect people's actions on this forum. I was simply asking you to not fuel the fire. I have PMed and had positive interactions with the other parties, so let's really leave it at that.
I was only talking about that, and it had nothing to do with Western and Asian countries, and I do agree with what you are saying there.