Forum - View topicNEWS: NPR: The Revenge of Japan's Nerds
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nobinobita
Posts: 75 |
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Thank you! That was very well put and I couldn't agree with you more. People often treat Japan (and other cultures) with too much mystique, or even worse condescension. Human nature does not vary that much. People will be people the world over. They may have different beliefs and customs, but if you try to see the humanity behind those things, then you might understand them. What I mean is, instead of focusing on the novelty or the oddness inherent in cultural differences, try to figure out WHY someone might have a different attitude and belief than you. Take sushi for example. I remember when I was a kid, other kids would make fun of sushi (to be more exact, they were refering to sashimi). They thought it was WEIRD and GROSS to eat raw fish, and this was reinforced by the media of the time which would occasionally poke fun at Japanese food. I didn't see anything wrong with it because I grew up eating it and all i could say is, it's pretty good, just give it a try. As the years passed, the jokes got old, and people eventually did give it a try. It got popular and now it's beyond trendy, it's a fixture of american eats, like burgers, tacos and chinese food. Of course, this metaphor gets complex when one considers the disparity between Sashimi in Japan and in the US, and that most people who say they like Sushi just eat California rolls (which I think are GROSS!)... But you know, culture's complicated. But you should give it a shot anyway. Maybe something will click. I'm sure alot of you guys really like Sushi. More importantly though, even if you don't like it, at least you aren't bewildered by other people who enjoy it. |
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astra
Posts: 131 |
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^^^Haha, what are you even trying to say:?:
Um, what? Are you trying to say that those things aren't mental disorders? Those are mental disorders- they even have names- kleptomania, pedophilia. I think the thing that you don't understand is that Hikikomori IS a mental disorder. It can be seen as both a mental disorder AND a result of the social situation in Japan, where having such a disorder is seen as shameful and the individual retreats further into himself and eventually does not leave his room. This can be aided by the parent, who sees the socially challenged child as shameful and encourages him to hide. It's not just an instance of kids just not feeling like going outside. Japan does have a problem with "parasite" young adults who live off their parents and buy luxury items with their money. The case of hikikomori is completely different. These people don't even see the light of day because they are afraid of what is out there. There is a difference between fear and laziness. The parasites have social lives; they just don't work to support themselves. And this phenomenon is not just limited to Japan. My brother is very similar to a hikikomori. He is addicted to internet games and spends at least 8 hours a day playing them. His excuse for not doing hw in high school was that he did not have enough time- because he needed to play his game. You have no idea how hard we tried to get him off his ass and working. But his problem stems from depression and severe social anxiety, coupled with a fear of just going outside, as he has been mugged a few times and our neighborhood is a little rough. He refuses to take medication because he is ashamed and refuses to even admit he has a problem. He was not always like this- the symptoms were present when he was young and they spiralled out of control. For awhile, I used your arguements and tried to get some sense into him. What if mom and dad kicked you out? Get a job! Just go outside!  I thought it was laziness too. But it's obvious now that anyone who refuses to even see the light of day and leeches off his parents is clearly suffering from a mental disorder and can't be cured with your logic. He must get professional help.
Whew, that was long... |
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Iritscen
 Posts: 793 |
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I understand what you're saying, nobinobita. People can be quite derisive of other culture's habits, and in America I certainly see this the most with Japan and France.
When I said that the Japanese are hard to understand, I was speaking as an enthusiastic student of Japanese culture, to other anime fans who have also studied the culture (to one degree or another, we're not talking about majoring in Japanese Studies here). A person who is ignorant of the Japanese altogether could say the same thing, but they're just being nationalistic in saying, "Oh those crazy Japanese and their crazy television shows." I learned to look beyond that, and I still find them hard to understand. Maybe some of you are more knowledgeable than I and feel that they are perfectly understandable, and it's just my personal failing. I can't say. But I certainly wasn't saying that we shouldn't try to understand them. We shouldn't just resist other cultures because they're different. But I still see no harm in acknowledging that traditional Japanese thinking is largely opaque to us Westerners. Incidentally, the Japanese would largely agree with me. And they probably say all the same things about our culture too. |
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