Stealing from Facebook Again
It's now been almost 7 years since I left Japan. But through the magic of Facebook, I still keep in touch a little bit with the old expat community, and I can see what's trending on Facebook among the Japan expat crowds.This article popped up today. It's from The Rising Wasabi which is basically like the Japan expat's version of The Onion--completely satirical and completely tongue-in-cheek.
Red Panic Button Activated After Foreigner Asks ‘Why?’
A red panic button was triggered at a local department store in Nagoya yesterday when a tourist dared to question the cause or reason for which something was done.
Staff working within earshot of the gaijin held their collective breaths after the foreign man asked ‘why?’ – a word whose implications bespeak so much evil that it should not be verbalized in public.
Et cetera....(the story goes on for a few more paragraphs, but I think you get the point. Also, "gaijin" means "foreigner" in Japanese).
The satire of the story is obvious. Japanese people do all sorts of mindless and stupid things without ever stopping to question why they do them. When a foreigner asked, "Why do I have to do this?" it throws them into a panic.
Like all satire, it has a basis in truth, kind of, but it's worth noting that every culture has lots of stupid things they do for no reason--including our own American culture. The only reason we notice it in Japan is because we are looking at the culture from the status of outsiders, and when you are an outsider you notice very clearly all the pointless traditions and rituals and customs. But in America we also do just as many mindless and pointless things without ever bothering to ask "why" every time.
All that being said, I'm going to cut the folks at The Rising Wasabi some slack, because I know when you live as an expat, you need some sort of outlet to vent, or you'll go insane.
2 comments:
Mostly because if they did, they would become the stupid ones. I wouldn't blame my parents if they refused to tell me why do I have to breathe 24/24 honestly.
Unrelated but sometimes I do wonder what do the people who complain about being treated as perpetual outsiders fathom what it would be like if they were one of them.
*say some snarky sarcastic stuff*
If foreigners: Oh, I'm not sure I understand what you said. I don't understand sarcasm, I don't understand foreign culture.
If their own kinds: Did you just fucking say that to me? You want to be slapped or beaten to death? Say that again one more time!
*fail to use proper honorifics or proper polite forms, doesn't try to sound amicable*
If foreigners: Oh it's okay Japanese must be a hard language to learn. Your Japanese is so great anyway!
If one of them: (slap slap slap) Talk properly! (raise hand) Who did you just address?!
*refuse to obey parents, argue against parents*
If foreigners: Hmm... Western culture is weird.
If their own kinds: What a subhuman animal. I heard their parents spoilt him so much when he was young, that's why he grew up like this. Is there any place in society that would accept him though?
Oh wait, why did I forget this: Japan is considered a high-trust society. Those that trust each other don't tend to question the cause of what they have to do. If the system works there are few reasons to incline towards fixing it. It's not like Japan is one of the impoverished South East Asian countries that have its own young students try to articulate and express themselves all because their own systems are so broken they have to get people to trust them by being maximum expressive and explain every rationale. (My sister told stories of how in some occasion Cambodian and/or Thai students were even more eloquent/articulated than her own university students - they don't seem to be articulating their way out of their own issues now).
The question answers itself.
Plenty of my countrymen when came to Japan tend to tell the stories of how inefficient Japanese workers build asphalt or do some public infrastructure stuff. They spent hours patching one two things or how 2 people worked just so the 3rd guy watched. I do suspect the stupidity is actually on my countrymen however, given the state of infrastructure over here.
Perhaps there's an answer that is similar to how mathematicians keep using stupid and unintuitive notations, without bothering to ask themselves why they're doing that. Maybe the mathematicians should focus more time on questioning every fundamental rather than trying to complete their degree first?
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