| > There is such a huge gap between your incredibly bleak image of Japan and the lively, optimistic and impressive Japan that I live in. Yet you manage to tackle not a single one of those criticisms head on. Of course, nobody read anything into that. And revenge? For what? For someone not liking you? That right there points directly to what I don't find particularly sexy about lots of Asia but Japan especially, the obedience and the obsession with appearances, apart from not dealing with WW2 a whole lot. Why would you need revenge the opinion of someone else? And you are saying that Japan among other things is unrivaled in ambitions for the future.. how do you measure that? By almost every measure even. I don't care if you lost count, I'll have the list of those measures the areas in which Japan is number #1. Not because I agree or dispute it is, I just find that in itself so odd that I'd even be just keen on hearing the dimensions you think there is a clear "best" at all. Meanwhile, here's my first association when it comes to ambitions for the future: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan And to tie in with the above, > Cultural tolerance of suicide in Japan may also be explained by the concept of amae, or the need to be dependent on and accepted by others. For the Japanese, acceptance and conformity are valued above one’s individuality. Is this totally off the mark? Edit the article then. > I feel genuinely sorry for people who can't see a good thing for what it is. It's not about not seeing the good, it's about seeing the bad. In my case, it's about saying "thanks but seriously, no thanks". People who think patriotism or friendship include blindness should start with being a friend to themselves. I don't behave differently towards individuals of any stripe, why should I treat individuals cloaking themselves in the vague word "culture" or "tradition"? If it helps, you can consider that my culture, my personal one. |
