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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, 06:00:38 PM)
it is totally slacking.... i think its awful when i meet white americans who become close enough to me to tell me that they always thought asians lookedup to white americans... alot of my white friends went to school with japanese students and they said that most of the people there more adapted then tried to let others know of their background and history
vtbc
Tuesday, June 18, 2002 at 20:39:12 (PDT)
"You can't compare "Scandinavians" to "Asians""
The comparison was Scandinavia to South East Asia, two specific regions of the larger continents.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 19:48:34 (PDT)
FOP:
it maybe improved the image of asain men to the rest of the world. but america will choose to see whatever it wants to see. they're beyond help. maybe give up on soccer altogether if they don't see themselves winning all the time on TV. little baby needs it's candy... and a diaper change too! LOL!
notice how much the american team wanted -- er, i mean, needed -- to beat the koreans. eeeeew, the anger in their eyes. or is it hate. or the sense of racial superiority. and how much it meant to them to beat the asians.... so much more so than others it seems. not to mention the look on the russian's faces in their match with japan. but, i can at least understand that one, since there isn't a whole lot going for 'em, except vodka. (BTW, I think korea has a slightly higher GDP than russia).
But at least Friedel seems cool enough, and most russians i've met are too, hehe. :-)
½kimchi
Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 15:01:16 (PDT)
It makes far more sense to lump European countries together than Asian countries, when you compare them in terms of geographic size and spread. Europe (excluding Russia) is far more united. They went through roughly the same cultural and intellectual movements together, most significantly the Enlightenment. They have the Council of Europe, the European Court of Justice and the European Union. Most even share a common currency.
It would not make much sense to have an "Asian Union" because Asian countries have too many diverse interests and values. Asian peoples comprise the vast majority of the world's population.
You can't compare "Scandinavians" to "Asians" because Scandinavia is a specific, relatively small geographic region with close cultural and linguistic ties. Asia is all over the world. There is not one thing that all Asian countries have in common... except for being lumped together in Western discourse.
It's quite ridiculous, then, that people actually have to explain that "not all Asians are the same".
What a strange world we live in.
krasavitsa
Friday, June 14, 2002 at 04:41:40 (PDT)
I think we are confusing the Japan-as-superpower issue. Look at the former European powerhouses – Germany, France, England, Spain – now all these combined cannot offset the power and influence of USA. And what biz does the Asians have in ¡°demanding¡± the Japanese to become a world leader commensurate with their wealth – as the saying goes – they had had theirs, their bellies are full, what if they don¡¯t give a sh*t about the rest Asians, why should they at least until their money runs out and they need help. The golden rule - the one with the gold makes the rules.
And another thing, as competitive and wary as China and Korea are of Japan¡¯s wealth and influence, maybe things are welcomed just the way they are.
By whose measure should we judge?
NYhomeboy
Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 07:00:08 (PDT)
In the World Cup 2002, Japan definitely has sharpened Asian male mascularity with its attacking style soccer. So does Korea.
FOP
Wednesday, June 12, 2002 at 15:52:57 (PDT)
"Nokia is a FINNISH company, not Norwegian."
Sorry, the point is, it's not JAPANESE."
"Not all Scandanavians are the same, just like not all Asians are the same."
Exactly. It's so offensive when Asians are all lumped together like that. So they are implying that Koreans and Cambodians are the same?
Even Scandinavians are only a small percentage of Europeans as a whole, and people still get pissed when they are mixed up. Calling a Finnish person Norwegian would be equivalent to saying a Burmese guy is Laotian, which isn't that far of a stretch, but as you can see, they still don't appreciate it.
Would you ever dare mix up an Italian and Irish guy? Or French and Greek? You see, when we refer to those nationalities, we make a distinction. We mention their country of origin. We don't just say, "European." That would be far too vague. Each European country has a distinct culture, just like each Asian country does.
So, why the hell are Asians just lumped all together as one? The difference between Malaysian and Shanghainese is like Portuguese to Swiss.
One thing is cool, however. Since when most people think Asian, they think southern Chinese (cuisine, saying "gung hat fat choy" for new years, southern lion dancing, etc.). Since I'm Cantonese myself, it's all good.
TSJ
Eric@KristinKreuk.net
Wednesday, June 12, 2002 at 11:01:02 (PDT)
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