Is Japan a Racist Society?

BBC ^ | 11 July 2005 | Chris Hogg

[rabidralph]

So, what ethnicity/race did she give you?

[dsc]

"So you've spent the last 20 years as a tame n*gger living among a population worse than Nazis??"

Me tame? No way, Jose. I'm a free man who can face reality.

[cyborg]

I don't know. I should have put white-American since there were none there, just Europeans and West Indians seeing as how the State of NY is worried about discrimination! LOL Actually there was black Americans there from the welfare-to-work program. Just one girl was there just because the 1199 union sends you to nursing school 'for free'. I have some stories from that class oh boy.

[DTogo]

I guess you and I view Japan as a garage sale: you see trash, I see treasure.

[rabidralph]

Yikes. I hope these free students have some interest in nursing and aren't being sent because the union needs to send a "body" to school.

[cyborg]

After three months of full time working, a person is eligible for tuition reimbursement. It's not easy work though. More I can say but FR is running painfully slow today, the day I have off from work no less! LOL

[subterfuge]

Touche'!

[kabar]

I agree with you. The idea of keeping track of one's race as a matter of public policy is no longer necessary. Initially, it was done to track the progress of racial integration and equal opportunity. Policymakers thought it was worthwhile to track such things as income, home ownership, education attainment, welfare recipients, etc. to check on the progress or impact that various measures were having. In other words, the intent was to breakdown racial barriers and target various legislative initatives to create equal opportunity.

I find it ironic that the biggest proponents for "racial bean counting" are minorities, especially blacks and hispanics. They talk about a color blind society, but they still want the government to use racial categories to classify people. Obviously, some see a benefit in assigning racial designations. Racial divisons are really blunt instruments in any event.

We have plenty of people of so called mixed race and the number is growing all the time. It is estimated that 80 percent of blacks have some caucasian ancestry and 20 percent of whites (classifeid as such) some black ancestry. Hospitals are still using the one drop rule to classify blacks or they allow the parents to decide what to put on the birth certificate.

I think the following discussion of racial bean counting is instructive: What are You?

[oldbrowser]

Japan is clearly a racist society

They are very competitive and form alliances. They are very aggressive and can be brutal to their competition. I have seen them treat other Japanese viciously.

My impression has been that they discriminate against weakness.

They kind of remind me of New Yorkers.

[jayhorn]

You gotta admire someone who learned not to bite the hand that feeds him. Good dog!

[wardaddy]

I like them fine as long as they aren't conquering the Pacific.

How they preserve their way of life is their business to me anyhow.

If they think they are superior to me I could care less....I don't live there and gringo folks who do shoulda considered that first.

I just went to a wedding myself

[AmericanInTokyo]

you haven't the foggiest

[dsc]

"If they think they are superior to me I could care less....I don't live there and gringo folks who do shoulda considered that first."

You're absolutely correct. Good attitide. The only reason I post on these threads is that it is important to know the truth about people whose interests may compete with America's. In such cases, I want American interests to prevail, and that doesn't happen nearly often enough.

[Dr. Marten]

If you want to see a racist culture, come to CHina.

[DTogo]

I've been there several times on business, and have done enough business with them (tried to anyway) to know of their "sneaky" (an understatement) ways, but not enough interaction/experience with the Mainlanders to notice the racism. Spent two years in Singapore though, and racism among the "ethnic Chinese" there was quite apparent.

IMHO, in Japan the "racism" tends to be more an institutionalized caution against most foreingers; common gaijin complaints such as trying to get a credit card or rent an apartment. It's partly to be expected when many gaijin have set a bad example by skipping country on their debts or turning their apartments into flophouses to save some Yen. But on a personal level the Japanese are quite hospitable and friendly, if you make the effort. Singapore was just the opposite: open to do business with foreigners but not so much be friendly.

Those were our general experiences, observations, and conclusions.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I was not going to visit this thread, but I will, here, finally, with this:

To answer, once and for all the title and question at hand: "Is Japan a Racist Society", the answer would be "maybe yes, maybe no. Maybe some Japanese make it that way, may some Japanese don't make it that way."

[burb]

It may not be more racist, but th racism is more apprent. Racists in the UK wouldnt have the time to give a sly under the breath comment to every foreigner they see but in japan, foreigners are still few enough that they do.
I met my white GF in tears the other day after a bunch of businessmen abused her for kicks.