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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
JAPAN'S IMPACT ON THE ASIAN IMAGE
t has long been seen as the fountainhead of consumer electronics technology. Its cars are consistently among the world's most admired. Its corporations own two major Hollywood studios. Its kiddie culture has all but killed off Mickey Mouse and Barbie. Its $4 trillion GDP is number two behind the U.S. and its workers earn 25% more per head than Americans.
Bravo Castrati!
That's how many Asian Americans see Japan. A nation that should command the stature of a powerhouse -- and elevate the image of all Asians in the process -- possesses the geopolitical profile of, say, Switzerland, a nation a thirtieth its size. Japan's leaders are seen as mere hand puppets in a sad half-century charade of democracy. Its homes are cramped. Its men function as soulless drones whose women fly into the arms of western males. Even its vaunted economy has been on the ropes for ten years and looks ready to go down for the count. What little testosterone it possessed seems to have left with Ichiro.
A nation that should champion the Asian image has only reinforced every insulting stereotype. To many Asian Americans, Japan has done less than its smaller, poorer neightbors. Little Hong Kong exports asskicking action stars. South Corea exports people who take hooey from no one. Taiwan exports tech entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley. Impoverished China, Vietnam and even nutcase North Corea showed balls in standing up to the west. But mighty Japan? Spiritually it seems never to have recovered from its defeat in World War II.
Is Japan carrying its weight or slacking in the Asian image department?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 06:00:44 PM)
All this drivel and pseudo intellectualism about the status of Japan amongst its Asian neighbors!
There is no question that Japan is the industrial and economic heart of Asia, built upon the talents of its peoples.
Lesser Asian nations (Vietnam and Korea are perfect examples) provide the U.S. with way too many of their own native thugs and criminals. Their presence here only serves to tarnish the reputation of Asians in this country.
You don't see large numbers of Japanese nationals coming to the U.S. to actually set up permanent residence as one does from Southeast Asia and Korea.
Yuzuru
Friday, November 23, 2001 at 11:14:55 (PST)
one reason why japanese dont leave their country coz they dont speak other languages well. Many or maybe too many japanese can't speak english and hd never learned how to speak in a foreign language. They try to be pretentious white wannabes but then, they dont understand a word of english. (the ones in japan).
anyway,im not against the japanese, but i do think japan should move closer to its neighbor and brothers in asia, coz japan is indeed asian and its in asia, not in europe or the americas. They have to learn that eventually they need to have close relations with their poorer neigbours, china and the others, whether they like it or not.
Laskmi
Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 20:16:30 (PST)
No one responded to my previous arguments concerning this issue. It seems some must view the current world reality through a very distorted lens formed many years ago regardless of present facts.
It is worrying and bothersome to see some of the posts by other "asians" regarding the Japanese. It is particularly bad when one realizes that the bile spewed at the Japanese is really just a by product of the feelings of the self hate of many "asians.
A clear example of distorted views caused by one's feelings of self hate is "amon-ra". The user name "amon-ra" is indicative of typical black american need to grasp at a symbol of any non Western culture as a defense mechanism against perceived white cultural supremacy. This particular use is clearly shown in the laughably tedious list of so called noted "african" works. Then Mr. "ra" uses the words "mimicked" and "copied" to describe Japan's successes over China. This is not surprising as these are the exact same words that educated white Americans and Europeans used to use with regard to Japanese accomplishments. It is not surprising because Mr. ra is descended from people enslaved by whites. As a result, he sees all non whites as victims like himself, and he evaluates other "non whites" according to "white" standards. As a slave, how could Mr. Ra see it any other way?
More worrisome is the post by 2 cents. 2 cents has to come to grips with what assimilation really means. To blame foreigners for perceived ill regard by whites is clearly misplaced blame. It is possible for whites to regard asian americans independently of Japanese. If whites wish to find any excuse to look down on asian americans, they certainly do not need the Japanese as an excuse. And if one needs to "fight" as he puts it, he already shows a bias against white people. His perception is that whites are actively trying to oppress him, thus making it necessary to "fight" back. Since he doesn't know the mind of every or , probably even a few, whites, this perception is a bias.
energytraderus
Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 18:29:14 (PST)
Amon-Ra,
Here is an assumption for you. You have to assume people generally behave rationally according to the information they have. Without such assumption, current social economic theories are worthless.
Obviously it would be irrational for Africans to enter South Africa during Apartheid regime if they thought they were better off where they were. Does that mean South Africa's Apartheid regime was great? Hell no. However, for whatever reason, people who went there had rational reasons for thinking that living in South Africa (with or without Apartheid) was better off for them.
Furthermore, you didn’t elaborate how many of its own people in South Africa left. It is far more important to see the entrance/exit ratio as one of the gauge in measuring the wellness of its people.
Another thing. Sorry, the West cannot take credit for originating aggression against its neighbors, and Japan certainly didn’t “copy” that from the West. The Asian history is full of aggressions and atrocities between countries and to its own people, just like any other parts of the world.
Last thing. Japanese is being very rational by accommodating US. As a relatively “free” trading partner to US, and US being the biggest single market nation, Japan would be irrational to butt heads with US now. Why piss off your biggest customer or biggest partner in trade if the well being of your country depends on it. Call it whatever you like. I call it intelligent and rational choice for a country endeavoring to heighten security and wellness of its own people.
World Traveler
Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 11:18:42 (PST)
What makes JApan so interesting is that it developed indepenently of the continent, any wisdom it took from China was of its own will, never was there a military conquest and forced assimilation, Only Japan and Western Europe can say with pride it was of thier own will they took innovations from the rest of world. Remember after the Tokugawa's decreeed JApan closed to all but the Dutch No european nation dared to Invade, not even the vaunted Spanish who sacked Philipines, nor the Portugese who occupied Taiwan, the name Formosa is Portugese for Beautiful Island.
no use for a name
Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 10:32:15 (PST)
My feelings toward the japanese is that i hate them as a whole, but like japanese people individually. as far as their image, i think they don't do us (asian-americans) any favors with the way they dress, speak english, and behave when they visit. it's like asian-americans fight for legitimacy 365, and japanese tourists or students come over and mess it up in a week.
that's my two cents.
My 2 cents
Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 01:46:46 (PST)
World Travler:
Like AZN Unity, your ignorance and ASS-U-mptions mean very little. What do you ASS-U-ME that China is so primary within my thoughts? Speaking English does not an Englishman make. Nor does a grasp of the Chinese language necessarily imply Chinese nationality. There are many Africans who desperately strove to enter racist South Africa under the aparthied regime, so what exactly does that prove, that South Africa was great??? Obviously Japan copied its way and made great strides in the economic realm. It is just too bad that it mimicked Europeans so much that it wished to do to its own cousin China, the same evil that Europe, did to father Africa. Too bad AmeriKKKa had to drop some bombs on it and force it to become a "gun pi chong". See how the "chong" follows AmeriKKKan ass into Afganistan, hoping to get some oil money too!
AMON-RA
Tuesday, November 20, 2001 at 21:51:46 (PST)
ABC etc. :
Since Egyptian history, according to the most moderate estimates, starts in 3200 B.C., it becomes indespensable 'out of solidarity' to make Mesopotamian history begin at about the same time, even if all the known historical facts about that region can fit into a much shorter period. - Chiek Anta Diop, "African Origin of Civilization" p. 105.
Egypt was the first to emerge, all ideology put aside. It is not possible - it clashes with chronology - to establish a parallel between Mesopotamia and Egypt, even though the first Mesopotamian civilizations were black. It was much later, compared to Egyptian history, that this region, that this black world, was also to emerge to civilization. - Chiek Anta Diop, "Great African Thinkers Vol. 1: Chiek Anta Diop, eds. Ivan Van Sertima and Larry Williams (New Brunswick:Transaction Books, 1986), p. 235.
Ancient Sumer, the Biblical land of Shinar, was the formative civilizing influence of early West Asia.........................While it would be foolish to assert that Sumer's inhabitants were homogeneous or exclusive to any particular racial type, it seems rather obvious that the bright light of Sumerian civilization can only be attributed to the arrival of Black migrants for Africa's Nile Valley. In their own lierature the Sumerians called themselves "the Black-heads," and were only one of the numerous Nilotic Kushite colonies implanted in early Asia.
- Runoko Rashidi, "African Presence in Early Asia", p. 21.
It seems that reading is a good thing ABC etc., but it looks like you had best partake a bit more of it..................Enjoy yourself.............
AMON-RA
Tuesday, November 20, 2001 at 21:26:03 (PST)
Japan sucks,
What is your point? U.S. eats with knifes and forks (some with chopsticks), and uses alphanumeric characters. None of those originated in US.
We live in a world where people, cultures, and information travel freely (some more than others). Historically, the nations that advance greatly have always taken advantage of new ways and ideas.
Mongol Man,
What makes you think Japan IS a warrior nation to begin with? Now days, the primary virtue of a nation is the security and happiness of its own people. Their security is established through U.S.-Japan alliance and Japan’s Self Defense force that has the highest military spending in the Asia. I don’t know if China has surpassed the spending in recent times – but nevertheless it has worthy capabilities. As for happiness, I’ll just leave you with the next statement.
Before criticizing Japan on your ridiculous criteria, think about why so many people from your Asian country want to leave.
World Traveler
Monday, November 19, 2001 at 09:35:08 (PST)
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