[kunitokotachi]

Originally Posted by SudanSon

Helloooooo everybody!!!

I'm Mohammed Abdel-Raoof, I'm from Sudan, 22 years old medical student........

Hi, Mohammed. First of nice to meet you. What I am about to say is not meant to be disrespectful so I hope that you won't take offense. You are a medical student so I must point out that in your field of work critical thinking is a necessity and ability to be objective is paramount. I'm pointing this out to show you how stereotypical your comments about Japanese people were even though they were positive in nature. Below you said:

Originally Posted by SudanSon

I really love Japan & the Japanese culture!

I really love the Japanese people!

They're so kind & respectable!

I will point out how easy it is for anyone to make this mistake however and even educated people do so. I will give you a perfect example from a book about ethnicity and racism written by Dr. Stephen Worchel. In chapter 3 of his book he wrote, "Some years ago, I took my first trip to China. During my visit, I probably interacted with 20 to 30 Chinese for any length of time. Upon returning, I encountered a Chinese colleague, and during our conversation I proclaimed that I finally had a good picture of the Chinese people: "They are bright, hardworking, happy, and friendly." My colleague smiled and asked me to describe Americans. I was taken aback, but after considerable thought I politely informed him that Americans are so diverse that it is really impossible to describe them in a few words. He never stopped smiling as he reminded me that there are over a billion people in China, including 28 distinct minority groups, yet I had no trouble describing "Chinese people" after meeting only 20 to 30 of them." (Worchel, 1999)

Originally Posted by SudanSon

I'm so proud to make friends from Japan!

I prefer 18-23 years old friends!

Just some advice. If you really want to learn about Japan you shouldn't sell yourself short by putting an age limit on friends. Older Japanese may be able to give you a better picture of Japan than a younger and less experienced one. Also, if you find an educated one it may even be better than finding an ignorant uneducated one.


Reference:
Worchel, S. Written in Blood:ethnic Identity and the Sruggle for Human Harmony, Worth Publishers, Inc., New York, 1999.