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GOLDSEA |
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)
Hey AC,
China may be #2, but look at the per capita stat, each person in Japan has 7x the $$$ that each person in China has. I'm more willing to believe that the wealth in Japan is also more evenly spread out.
Here's the website that I found this info on in case you're interestsed.
http://www.polisci.com/almanac/economics/fifty.htm
huu76
Sunday, June 30, 2002 at 23:34:43 (PDT)
Well, you got me there. I guess China is now the second largest economy. Will wonders never cease?
The bit about "impoverished China" was taken from the article on this site, so you can't pin that one on me. However, per capita GDP is obviously very low.
I never suggested that there is a level playing field for minorities in the US, or anywhere for that matter. I was only saying that the successful people I've seen have succeeded due to great professionalism and effort, not giving people attitude.
Desslar
Sunday, June 30, 2002 at 22:17:48 (PDT)
TH Lien
I think the report was talking about the 1.2 billion poor who do not live in cities nor have access to proper medical care. Same as Africa? Exactly the same. Even in the cities medicne would be too expensive. I don't wanna say it but it seems a good way to reduce the rural population which the government is trying to do.
China is not the second largest economy. Only if you base this on PPP. PPP means nothing in the global market other than cheap labor. If you measure economies by PPP than Vietnam would be a bigger economy than Taiwan which is not true.
question.
Sunday, June 30, 2002 at 15:12:35 (PDT)
Desslar,
Japan is the 3rd largest economy and dropping. Impoverished China is the 2nd largest economy.
Nike's largest plants are in India and Pakiastan.
I think you need to brush up on 20th century history and what asians are reacting to. It is really a shaking off of USA and western imperialism influence that brought down most asian nations in the first place.
Just like your preception that China is impoverished and that everything is a level playing field for asians in USA soiety is also false. When was the last time you heard of a white guy or a black guy needing to score a 1400 SAT just to get into a second tier college.
AC Dropout
Saturday, June 29, 2002 at 16:41:55 (PDT)
All this business about Asians needing to have an attitude is surely more harmful than good. Being assertive and aggressive is fine, but being obnoxious is no virtue.
***An asian attitude is needed since we've been losers for far too long. It's not harmful at all, it just increases your pride and strength as an asian.
Haya
Friday, June 28, 2002 at 18:41:50 (PDT)
Question:
You must be reading a lot of American news based off this UN report: http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/newadds/AIDSchina2001update.pdf. It calls AIDS "China's Titanic Peril." How titanic are we talking exactly?
Projected 10 million cases by 2010. That's a 0.7% rate, presuming 1.4 billion people by then. Less than three-fourths of one percent. In contrast, Uganda has the lowest infection rate in Africa, at 6%. China isn't likely to turn into another Africa. None of the same transmission vectors. The vast majority of the people in China likely to have multiple sex partners (i.e. in the cities) are literate enough to read the directions on a condom box, and practises like "dry sex" are unknown.
T.H. Lien
Friday, June 28, 2002 at 17:53:00 (PDT)
Certainly there will always be cheap labor somewhere to churn out Nike sneakers, etc.
"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."
This statement displays a high degree of insecurity. Why do Asians have anything to prove? Can't they just be themselves, whatever that may be? Japan has done a fine job of becoming the world's second largest economy (faltering though it may be). It's hard to imagine many accomplishments more impressive than that.
All this business about Asians needing to have an attitude is surely more harmful than good. Being assertive and aggressive is fine, but being obnoxious is no virtue.
Desslar
Friday, June 28, 2002 at 11:01:26 (PDT)
Isn't China's cheap labor going to become overrun by AIDS in 30 years? I think they're already killing themselves.
Question?
Thursday, June 27, 2002 at 22:28:50 (PDT)
Desslar,
Then where are we going to find a stable manufacturing base. Africa, South America.
I think a lot will hinge on this trend towards globalization, and the other trend of polarized militarization. Which will determine the feasibility of our current lack of ability to manufacture any goods these days.
AC Dropout
Wednesday, June 26, 2002 at 13:54:24 (PDT)
"What is gonna kill Japan is when China finally surfaces with its #1 Resource....CHEAP LABOR."
China has already been competing on this basis for years. Japan, like the US, has wisely gotten out of the cheap labor business and mover on primarily to high value-added products and services. China will shake things up when they make a similar move, but that is at least decades away.
Desslar
Tuesday, June 25, 2002 at 09:15:26 (PDT)
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