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Dual Nationalities -
05-21-2009, 04:53 PM
I was just downloading some videos on YouTube and this came up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD3r5C1h0gw  No idea about this Korean singer, but it certainly is rather moving, tells a real story, and reminded me of certain things in Japan and the discrimination people faced on a daily basis. I did some translation on the topic for a local government dept. in Japan for residents affected. I guess it's easy to look past, but the hurt and pain inside the person must be heart breaking. I also think this is an awesome performance  Make sure you read the annotations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD3r5C1h0gw Cheers - Oz 
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05-21-2009, 05:03 PM
Thanks for the post. I like this one, but I also have two friends that can really relate to the lyrics first hand.
 Only an open mind and open heart can be filled with life. ********************* Find your voice; silence will not protect you.
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05-21-2009, 05:07 PM
not only japan, everywhere round the world
I've faced racism before, because of my race, in england. 'Dirty chink' is the word that comes to mind. "I'm sorry, but i must have given you the impression that I actually care about your opinions"
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05-21-2009, 05:20 PM
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I think it's a fine line between the terminology, because in japan, many Japanese are discriminated against. My experience was with two young male Japanese students. Big K and Little K. Their parents (Both full blood wealthy Japanese) from Kyoto, were both surgeons. They went to study in the US for I think three years. Big and little K went to a US scholl and made many African American friends. When they came back to Japan, the two boys were to put it bluntly, "different" to other Japanese kids. They were ruffer and tougher so to speak. They were solid kids. It took Big K quite a short time to udnerstand it all, it was easier for him due to age, but little K could not understand why the other kids didn't like him. If Sachiko (Mother) and I talked about it with him, he would start to cry. It was very difficult to explain due to his younger age. So we are talking one race discriminating against the same, all with reasons of course. Your side I don't take as "real" racism, but rather ignorance form arrogant people who simply don't understand themselves. Infact, if you questioned them, I'm sure they would be lost for words. Cultures and nationalities discriminate for reasons. Sometimes the reasons can be understood. I guess all in all, It's a fact of life, but I think it affects people of dual nationalities a hell of a lot more, as they have to put up with a confusion factor twice in their minds. Cheers - Oz
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05-21-2009, 06:33 PM
Sometimes it hard to distinguish racism from discrimination based on nationality or social class. And often because the acts are results of all three.
But I will never forget my first face-to-face encounter with what was primarily racial, but also class discrimination. And like Little K, it was very hard for me to understand at the time. I grew up in the military and was taught to ignore such arbitrary boundaries between people as race, though both my parents were raised in highly racist environments. I think I was about 7 years old when I visited my paternal grandfather for the first time. I immediately made friends with two of the children whose parent worked on his farm. Since my grandfather was one the people that held that little town together I could wander anywhere I wanted and everyone was very nice to me. One hot hot afternoon I and my 2 friends walked a few blocks to their version of a convenience store for ice cream. But this time I was stopped at the door and told we couldn't come in. He had never stopped me before, so I was confused. Immediately there were several adults gathering inside the door, whispering and pointing at us. Then we were told we could sit on the steps and that someone would bring us what we wanted. That seemed ok, though we really wanted to go in where there was air conditioning. The obviously upset man brought us our ice cream and we wandered back to the house. When I got home, my friends were sent home and I was sat down for a rude awakening. The store owner has called the house and explained what happened. My parent understood, but my grandfather was very upset. I am white and I had tried to take two black children into a "whites only" store in central Louisianna! The only reason we were treated with any civility at all was that the owner knew I was not from around there, and (more importantly to him) he feared retribution from my family if I was mistreated. This was a year or two before I saw my first race riot in Ohio in 1966. Only an open mind and open heart can be filled with life. ********************* Find your voice; silence will not protect you.
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05-22-2009, 12:20 AM
When it comes to non-racial dicrimination - I think that when it comes to looking at foreign countries a lot of people tend to gloss over or flat out miss the similarities in their own country/culture. I think it`s because from the outside, the reasons (however shallow they may be) for the discrimination aren`t clear... But when it`s your own group you just take it as a given and even if you don`t agree - you can at least tell why. To another culture, their reasons are just as clear.
Everyone discriminates against someone. No matter how much we try to eliminate it and how similar people may be there will always be some sort of discrimination. Despite looking the same (racially) and living in the same area, raised in the same sort of environment, etc... There were plenty of examples of discrimination all through my years of schooling. There were "hicks", "rednecks", "preps", "geeks", and all varieties of the similar which could set someone up for complete isolation and discrimination.
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05-22-2009, 02:51 AM
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I know for example some hot spa centres in Hokkaido (Onsen) refuse foreigners. This is actually meaning Russians, although because of the terrible experiences by the owner of these places, it tends to reflect on white skinned caucasians. I would probably do the same if I owned a Spa centre in the town  Another example is I was once seriously thinking of opening a guest house type backpackers in Cairns, although making it a Japanese only place, simply because I know Japanese, well at least many, to be very clean, accurate and honest people, where as young British and American 20's, run a bloody riot! So I am discriminating here, although does this make it right? Then how about the Palestinian people. Nobody wants them. It's only Israel that has support centres, hospitals, schools, work, and also accommodation for them. You have countries like Jordan, Egypt, Iran, they are not interested at all. Look at Burma, North Korea. To be discriminated in these countires means hard labour, torture and quite possibly death! The Taliban discriminate against everyone and the harder cases means being beheaded! TainSG:I can hear you, and it definiely affects both cultures in your case both white and dark skinned. Cheers - Oz
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05-22-2009, 03:30 AM
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Racial discrimination is one thing, but you brought up the case of discrimination of ethnically Japanese children by other ethnically Japanese children. It`s no less surprising or confusing than discrimination of anyone - growing up in the US, there was racial discrimination... And then there was non-racial discrimination. Even without something so obvious and visible as race no one seemed to have any trouble finding something else to discriminate against. It`s no different elsewhere.
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05-22-2009, 04:41 AM
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Find me a society where there is no discrimination and I`ll agree with you. Humans like to be part of a group and like to make the separation of groups clear - this results in discrimination.
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