Posted on 07/11/2005 6:11:57 AM PDT by Our_Man_In_Gough_Island
An independent investigator for the UN says racism in Japan is deep and profound, and the government does not recognise the depth of the problem.
Doudou Diene, a UN special rapporteur on racism and xenophobia, was speaking at the end of a nine-day tour of the country.
He said Japan should introduce new legislation to combat discrimination.
Mr Diene travelled to several Japanese cities during his visit, meeting minority groups and touring slums.
He said that although the government helped to organise his visit, he felt many officials failed to recognise the seriousness of the racism and discrimination minorities suffered.
He was also concerned that politicians used racist or nationalist themes, as he put it, to whip up popular emotions. He singled out the treatment of ethnic Koreans and Chinese and indigenous tribes.
Mr Diene says he plans to recommend that Japan enact a law against discrimination, which he said should be drawn up in consultation with minority groups.
He said he would now wait for the Japanese government to respond to his comments before submitting a report to the United Nations.
"Seems to me that hate never really enters into the Japanese view of other races. You can't hate an animal for acting like an animal."
Yeah, that's pretty much the way it is. Of course, there are exceptions.
"I don't think they were ever disabused of the notion that they are demi-gods."
That's the core of the problem. Douglas MacArthur was so eager to become known as "the father of Japanese democracy," as his father Arthur was known as "the father of Philippine democracy," that he failed to properly chastise the guilty after the war.
A significant proportion of the infamous thought police went to work for Dentsu. Most of the others went to the Ministry of Education. And that's just one example.
They were thumping Patton in Europe for dragging his feet on denazification, and MacArthur was over here giving dern near everybody a pass.
"I would say that the vast majority of Japanese actually have an inferiority complex when it comes to most foreigners . They actually admire , and are in awe of , we Americans."
Not no way, not no how. That's just the get-out-of-jail-free card they whip out whenever somebody starts suspecting that they are what they are.
"Racism exists everywhere."
Yeah, but I know of no other country where it comprises practically the entire volksgeist.
OK ...What % of Japanese under the age of 60 would you consider " racist " ?
There's no need for quotation marks around the word "racist" as you use it. It's entirely appropriate.
To answer your question, so close to 100% as to make no meaningful difference.
Sorry about the quotation marks , don't know how to get italics . ;)
Regarding your near 100% figure ...ummm...pure nonsense .
"ummm...pure nonsense"
Ummm...stone cold fact.
But don't worry. I don't get anywhere near as irritated as I used to with people who can't see the elephant in the room.
Not being at all fluent in Japanese, I will say all things are possible, even for a foreigner. If you have Bushido, their Samurai rules still apply culturally... round eyes or not...
The Japanese are very “prejudiced,” but not in a context of ethnicity, it is cultural... they revere exceptional people...
I am Samurai...
I think we could learn the ideas of language, borders, and culture from the Japanese. I would like to make it the 51st state or help them completely rebuild their military - - no more worries about SE Asia as a hotbed of troubles for the USA...
"tatemae (What Westerners refer to as "being two-faced." Here, it's a virtue.)"
Interesting!
I really don't care anymore about this.
Enjoy your life, whatever small bit of fun and brightness you can squeeze out of it like a bitter sponge dipped in vinegar and wrath. You can have the last bitter word, but this is my own last word on this useless thread.
Being "oblivious" is a talent I learned from the Japanese when boarding trains packed so tight it seemed everyone was lying on top of you (the pressure often forced my walkman to shut off). It helped me sleep standing up on the way to work and sleep right until I reached my station on the way home.
Probably not. Besides, a person has to be really sharp to pick up on what goes on here in just a short visit, particularly if they don’t speak and read Japanese.
Ah, so that's why Mrs. DTogo always said to her family, "Are you sure you want to invite his family of hairy, stinking, barbarians over again and spend all that time and money feeding and entertaining them?" ;^)
No, they get bragging rights for having a tame n*gger around. Most people are somewhat favorably disposed to people who reinforce their own illusions about themselves.
So you've spent the last 20 years as a tame n*gger living among a population worse than Nazis?? Wow...
You're right. They have little time for non-conforming, whining foreigners, but if you display perserverence and an inner strength to achieve a goal (especially learning their langauge and/or culture), you will be accepted into their "cultural" group and racial differences will fade. I have often discussed this with my in-laws, that despite our appearances we no longer, for a long time now, look at each other in a racial context. The same goes for another friend and his family, who's father, a former Imperial Navy sailor, always enjoyed me coming to his house and drinking sake with him.
The Last Samurai is an excellent example, albeit a fictional story loosely based on events of the Meiji Restoration. But I may just be "oblivious." ;^)
Hey at least I know Japanese won't hold the same sort of conversation that my patient's wife was having within my earshot. They'll be nice and actually ask, instead of being white trash and talk behind your back. My cousin just married a Japanese girl, Japanese wedding and everything. Nice family.
Yup & every person in every country, racist to the bone.
...except me. :o)
I believe that America has been taken over by minorities and it's affecting nearly every aspect of our society.
** I strongly disagree!
very interesting... my sister would agree with you!
Probably because they know they're not worthy.
I agree with you more I think kabar, but one thing that bothers me in the USA is the government racial bean counting. I refused to fill out an EOC data sheet. The lady said if I refused, a race will be appointed to me *LOL* because that's what the STATE wants. I thought that was very interesting.
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