What Does Being On An Island Have To Do With Anything?
The big reason I can’t take the easy route and call the “foreign treatment” in Japan simply racism (although racism certainly is involved) is because Japan is a small, and historically isolated country. Everyone looks so similar because there has always been limited contact with the mainland. So, however good or bad as one may argue it to be, isolation is and has always been a very significant part of Japanese culture. When you take a brief look at the relationship between the geography and the culture, it makes sense in an odd sort of way how the social dichotomy actually does “function”, or at least that it comes from something that makes sense. I’m not saying I condone it, but understanding the big picture is always the first step to knowing how to appropriately address an issue.
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March 5th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Hmmm.
That has to be the weakest argument I’ve ever seen.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
care to qualify that statement, ed?
March 7th, 2007 at 1:18 am
Dude, welcome to 3yen, I see that you’re the new writer here. But permit me to say a few words about this….racism is racism; whether you’re on an island or not.
What I am saying is, after reading your posts, I don’t get why you’re trying to justify racism/discrimination in Japan?
Racism/discrimination exist everywhere in the world, unfortunately and no one is justifying it. This is because, plain and simple, racism is Unacceptable.
Is it not “racism” when we experience racism in Japan simply because of the way they are, culturally and geographically?
There is no excuse to be ignorant, ego-centric, racist or disciminant whether you’re from the west or the far east, esp in this day and age.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Thanks, Expedited Writer, I’m in error as far as my actual intention of the article was concerned; I never had it in mind to so much as justify racism–I’ve had my fair share of it in this country. I’ve thought long and hard about it, and I believe the reason I’m getting across the wrong idea in these articles is because I’m trying to be too sensitive to people who would view such social trends as simply a gut reaction from an isolated nation of people historically not used to diversity. However you are absolutely right that regardless of whatever factors are involved, racism is racism and I apologize for the recklessness of these articles. I would appreciate future feedback as I ease myself into the writing routine for 3yen and just the whole process of thinking my ideas out thoroughly before posting them.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:21 am
Hey… I know what you mean. Sometimes, we just put too much thought into something it just gets out the wrong way. No worries, man…everything’s cool.
Welcome to 3yen again :)