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Recognizing Japanese Who Are Passive-aggressive Or Racist

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vondoom said:
and polite because otherwise they would loose their jobs... that is usually a good argument for everything...
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Yeah, it surely is terrible to live in a country where shop clerks just pretend to be polite and nice to you.

Instead of them being downright rude and hostile like everywhere in Europe.
 
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That's what I like about North America (or, at least in Canada) as it's somewhere down the middle: a place where a clerk can talk back to customers if they deserve it, and where customers can argue back and file complaints should a clerk cross the line.
 
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faboo2001 said:
That's what I like about North America (or, at least in Canada) as it's somewhere down the middle: a place where a clerk can talk back to customers if they deserve it, and where customers can argue back and file complaints should a clerk cross the line.
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Very true. There seems to be a balance in America as well. The market basically dictates things. Shops with shitty service get less customers.
 
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Lukes said:
Very true. There seems to be a balance in America as well. The market basically dictates things. Shops with shitty service get less customers.
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Yeah, shops with shitty service in Japan would get NO customers :p. But if you think a jerk customer doesn't get what he deserves in Japan think again. It's just way more subtle.
 
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This thread is hilariously going back and forth between:

1. Japan is full of racism and shit. Foreigners can't rent apartments, we get coughed at, get the rolled eyes, women get discriminated, brah!

2. Way better than other countries, brah! I experienced the same or worse in the US! I only get friendlyness here, everybody is awesome!

3. If you can't deal with it, don't come here, brah!

4. Many foreigners behave bad, we only get what we deserve, brah!

5. It is a matter of (past) isolation and education. So yes, there definitely is a general thing about being more or less open towards foreigners, but that is not necessarily evil or racist, brah!

Especially 1 and 2 pop up when the general consensus is on the edge of shifting towards one of the two. Very entertaining.
 
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Garcian said:
This thread is hilariously going back and forth between:
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And each and every one of the items is correct. It just depends on your viewpoint and how you decide to react to what you encounter.

I really like the quote from Sting "it takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile". Of course that has it limits too, when people start chasing after me wanting to swing me by the neck to the nearest tree I might not be that kind of a man and just smile.

But in general isn't it better to know what you can change and learn to take the rest as it is? As foreigners in Japan we still have it easy as moving away to the country which we have our passports from is just a matter of booking a flight.
 
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MikeH said:
And each and every one of the items is correct. It just depends on your viewpoint and how you decide to react to what you encounter.

I really like the quote from Sting "it takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile". Of course that has it limits too, when people start chasing after me wanting to swing me by the neck to the nearest tree I might not be that kind of a man and just smile.

But in general isn't it better to know what you can change and learn to take the rest as it is? As foreigners in Japan we still have it easy as moving away to the country which we have our passports from is just a matter of booking a flight.
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So that is a number 3 for you, good sir. :)(y):cool::ROFLMAO:

I respectfully disagree with the fact that it is easy to "go back". About 6 years ago, I shifted my whole life here. It is not a decision that I took lightly. My life partner is here, my work (that I worked my ass off being where I am now) is here, all my belongings are here, all contracts, insurances, health care, everything.

This place is my home. There is no such thing as "going back".

For me saying: 'If you don't like it, go back!' to a foreigner who is a full member of society here is the same as saying it to a local. Basically, taking all rights from them.

But maybe your post was just sarcastic and I am just not getting it. LOL!
 
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Garcian said:
But maybe your post was just sarcastic and I am just not getting it. LOL!
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It was not trying to be sarcastic but I think you still misunderstood me. I will try to be more clear and then we can figure out if we really disagree or not. :p

First let me take the number 3 out of the equation, I hate that one and would never say that to anyone. OK, now let's proceed.

Pretty much my philosophy in life is you'll be given a lots of stuff, but it is up to you to decide how you handle it. And it is always easier to change yourself than the ones around you.

Part of the philosophy is the deep understanding and belief that world is full of shitty things, bad people, misfortune and suffering. So you can take all this and feel terrible and kill yourself.

Or you can try to ignore the bad stuff that is ignorable, enjoy the good things in fullest and try to be happy and make other around you happy.

Then if there is so much bad stuff that it cannot be ignored or suffered then you need to change something you can change. And most of the time it is not the other people or your surroundings.

So if I would feel Japan is so full of shit I cannot tolerate it my solution is not to cry about it and be unhappy but to move away. The reason why I said it's easier for us with a foreign passport is that there are no laws preventing us to move to another country and to see if it would feel better there. For those who only hold the Japanese passport this is way more difficult.

I never meant to say that it would be an easy solution; as you said many of us have deep roots here. Me too. But if I start not to feel happy here why wouldn't I try to move out. The only thing I know for sure is I cannot change this or any other country to be what I want it to be.

To make this even longer here is my modified list:

1. Japan is full of racism and shit. Like everywhere else too.

2. Way better than other countries, in many ways, worse in others. Still the place I decided to live.

3. If you can't deal with it, try to change something about it.

4. Many foreigners behave bad, many Japanese behave bad, many people suck. Try to ignore them and find good people regardless of passport, skin colour etc.

5. It is a matter of (past) isolation and education. Partly and that is the good thing because then with time that part is going to get better.
 
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MikeH said:
It was not trying to be sarcastic but I think you still misunderstood me. I will try to be more clear and then we can figure out if we really disagree or not. :p
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Good call mate.

MikeH said:
I never meant to say that it would be an easy solution; as you said many of us have deep roots here. Me too. But if I start not to feel happy here why wouldn't I try to move out. The only thing I know for sure is I cannot change this or any other country to be what I want it to be.
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Agreed.

MikeH said:
To make this even longer here is my modified list:
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I like it. My original list was merely a comedic summary of what is going on in this thread.
Of course I agree that life is what you make it.

I do think it helps to have some kind of understanding as to why people here (or any other place) act and react the way they do. The first few times I was really offended, but the longer I live here the more obvious it becomes to me that there indeed is a very very limited view on the world. Sure that might exist in other places too, but as of now we are talking about Japan.

For me, the limited perspective is a fact. Not one that I am in the position to judge as good or bad, but a fact nonetheless.
Understanding that (and trying to understand the reasons for it) makes my life here much easier.

And you are right, it is very likely to become better over time, making JP an even better place. (y)
 
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Garcian said:
My original list was merely a comedic summary of what is going on in this thread.
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Well, it was funny and to the point. I don't react to choices very well normally, so it was good to have both in the same list. :p

Not one that I am in the position to judge as good or bad, but a fact nonetheless.
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In my mind it is bad. Because it limits the person him/herself the most. With a limited view and limited thinking they are preventing themselves to enjoy the life the fullest.

If a kid spends all his time in school studying she might find she is not good with that or maybe she gets bullied and that's then her whole life: bad and/or bullied. How could she not be miserable?

On the other hand if she goes also to music lessons, sports club, or some other activity with a totally different circle of people she will learn school (or whatever one place) is not the whole world. So when she gets bullied she can take that as "those are not very nice people" rather than "I am not a nice person".

But yeah, as I kind of guessed we pretty much agree on everything in this subject. ;)
 
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Wwanderer said:
Fwiiw, I have never been made to feel more welcome and at home anywhere in the world (on six continents and in about 50 countries) than in Japan...and that includes my home country (the US) where I am widely regarded as a bit odd/unusual at best. I think Japan is a difficult/demanding place to live for the Japanese but is wonderful for many foreigners.

-Ww
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So you have lived and traveled to 50 countries and felt welcome in most of them?

This must be because you are rich and people are more welcoming when you have money and they perceive you as high status.
 
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TokyoJoeblow said:
So you have lived and traveled to 50 countries and felt welcome in most of them?
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No, not at all! That isn't what I said. I said that I felt more welcome and at home (comfortable) in Japan than in any of those other countries (including the US...my home country). I didn't say how I was treated and felt in the other countries, which has varied a lot, some were good and some definitely were not.

As an aside, I am reasonably well off money-wise now but did much of my traveling when I wasn't at all comfortable financially.

-Ww
 
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The thing which gets me is I didn't even notice all the little things that the Japanese do until I began reading about it online, now it's all so blatantly obvious and the cracks in the woodwork are everywhere.

Ignorance is blissful :(
 
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drlucozade88 said:
The thing which gets me is I didn't even notice all the little things that the Japanese do until I began reading about it online...
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Isn't that a good, wonderful in fact, feature of Japanese culture? If their micro-aggressions are so veiled that it requires sensitivity to subtle signs and perhaps even hints from others to even notice them, what more could one ask? Do you expect them to be better than humans anywhere else on the planet and simply not have any racism, xenophobia, feelings of superiority etc? Seriously?

Trust me, in NYC, you would have to be deaf and blind not to notice the (not so) micro-aggressions as expressed by most of its population. Is that better for some reason??? o_O:confused:

-Ww
 
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Wwanderer said:
Isn't that a good, wonderful in fact, feature of Japanese culture?
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For random people on the street, yes, absolutely. While I am grocery shopping or whatever, I prefer hearing absolutely nothing from anybody. Silence in the gym, absolutely fantastic.

As for work situations, I find it to be more of a hazzle. Saying what's on your mind (appropriate time, manner and place) makes things so much easier and faster
 
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The Japanese that do this are trying to either:

A. Make you feel emotionally unwelcome so that you leave Japan.
B. Make you react physically, so that you get kicked out of Japan.
 
Maybe he is just a smoker with developing lung cancer?
He was just buying cigarettes from the vending machine
 
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Mr Cat said:
Maybe he is just a smoker with developing lung cancer?
He was just buying cigarettes from the vending machine
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No, he wasn't. He was walking behind that foreigner in the middle of the street. Watch the video.

Not every Japanese that does a fake cough at foreigners has lung cancer. I have had teenagers do it to me...you think they have lung cancer too? lol
 
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