tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post1249382676699633603..comments2009-07-10T16:39:52.400+09:00Comments on The Monster Flower: We Don't Need to Be ParagonsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-3671344713466154442008-11-04T13:51:00.000+09:002008-11-04T13:51:00.000+09:00"at some point made a comment along the lines that..."at some point made a comment along the lines that they thought gaijin were like "this, this and this," but once they got to know me, at least, they realized the negative stereotypes are not true about all foreigners."<BR/><BR/>I can't help but wonder whenever I hear some foreigner in Japan make this comment, or one very much like it, what they would do if they were told this or overheard someone saying this in their home country. Would they recognize the speaker as a rascist idiot full of prejudice and possibly confront them? Or would they go on congratulating themselves, or the person spoken about, for being such a wonderful example of humanity and continue to think they have somehow made the world a better place and changed someone's heart. Nothing has changed. You just get to be the exception to that person's rule.Sherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08050270762088395325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-69593846497471284932008-11-03T18:52:00.000+09:002008-11-03T18:52:00.000+09:00If you're assumed to be a "gaijin jerk" before you...If you're assumed to be a "gaijin jerk" before you visit, it's not because someone actually was a jerk but because the people who run the shop were already prejudiced. Magazines like "Gaijin Crime File" are far more responsible for negative impressions of foreigners than actual foreigners.<BR/><BR/>The whole notion that we have to be regarded suspiciously merely because we are foreign is an idea based in prejudice. If you consider that any shopkeeper in America who automatically regarded someone poorly because they were a member of a minority would be lableled a bigot, you can see how the same standards ought to apply in Japan. Somehow though, the Japanese are let off the hook for their prejudices by foreign people. <BR/><BR/>While I agree everyone should prove they're good people by being well-behaved, the difference is that the Japanese are regarded as behaving well as the default and we are regarded as behaving poorly as the default. This is the very essence of prejudice.Orchid64https://www.blogger.com/profile/07132543155589881288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-57445799859853124682008-11-03T16:35:00.000+09:002008-11-03T16:35:00.000+09:00That works for me! ^_^ I just want to be able to ...That works for me! ^_^ I just want to be able to frequent the businesses in my neighborhood and not immediately be assumed to be (and thus treated) as some kind of gaijin jerk before I even say hello. <BR/><BR/>I'm certainly not of the opinion that if I behave myself in public (which doesn't take effort), it'll make everyone love foreigners, but as long as I do my part to be a respectable person in my own neighborhood, I have a better chance of being treated well by others. Wouldn't that apply to anyone, anyway? What I've noticed, is that the Japanese I've come to know so far have at some point made a comment along the lines that they thought gaijin were like "this, this and this," but once they got to know me, at least, they realized the negative stereotypes are not true about all foreigners. Making a good impression just as one person, even *though* I'm only one person, really can make a difference in that regard, thus far! ^_^Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-52396255196792947192008-11-02T19:15:00.000+09:002008-11-02T19:15:00.000+09:00I know what you mean about some of those groups. ...I know what you mean about some of those groups. They seem to think that their way of living in Japan is the only way to live and everyone else must follow their lead or they are a failure at life. Because of that I often find other foreigners, at least those on the internet groups, far more annoying than any Japanese person I have dealt with. <BR/><BR/>I live my life and I don't care what anyone else thinks of it, foreign or Japanese. I also don't particularly care how someone else lives their life in Japan. I often wonder if the people who do care so much what others do or don'd do have way too much time on their hands.Sherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08050270762088395325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-53399195810472612762008-11-02T17:49:00.000+09:002008-11-02T17:49:00.000+09:00We get plenty of folk here in the UK as well, thou...We get plenty of folk here in the UK as well, though we're a lot more accepting of different cultures given we've got more experience. There's the "one of my friends is black and he's very nice" syndrome as well as the "they're taking all our women" one as well. I have a couple of friends who ask me if there are any white folk who live in my part of London. It drives me nuts to hear this because we're actually in the majority, although there is a high Carribbean-origin population here too.<BR/><BR/>And, like Japan, there are enough "indigenous peoples" on this island to go around!<BR/><BR/>A bit off the point, perhaps - more of a reply to Girl Japan and your comments.Emskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01695482838326498180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-76820184666588036232008-11-02T14:24:00.000+09:002008-11-02T14:24:00.000+09:00The "stay out of my Japan" thing has always puzzle...The "stay out of my Japan" thing has always puzzled me. Only 2% of the population is foreign. I'm pretty sure there's enough to go around. ;-)<BR/><BR/>Thanks for reading and commenting! :-)Orchid64https://www.blogger.com/profile/07132543155589881288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-47008496603940807402008-11-02T14:11:00.000+09:002008-11-02T14:11:00.000+09:00The crux of my point is that people who already ho...The crux of my point is that people who already hold a prejudice and are just looking for confirmation are never going to view foreigners differently, no matter how perfectly mannered they are.<BR/><BR/><BR/>---- So glad someone finally gave words to this, I wonder when the other idiots will get in tune! <BR/>This is NOT a difficult assumption/assessment, it is just mere common sense, I don't see why WE have to try SO hard to change anyone's prejudices... against the Ole' might Gaijin, no matter how nice or how much of a GREAT citizen we are, in the end we are still Gaijin. This is similar to "stay out of my JAPAN" syndrome.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com