[Kurofune]

At the risk of alienating anybody here, the opposite of the language snob is the person who's been in Japan for years and still can't ask where the bathroom is in Japanese. I've met a few of these people, and it's embarrassing to see them try to press Japanese into speaking English, then acting like they're the cooler person because of their native English.

[American Oyaji]

There is also the jealousy factor.

Those who havent bothered learning the language get jealous of those who have and get annoyed when they get left out of conversations.

I have gotten jealous of those who can speak better than I sometimes. But it is rare. I havent taken any classes and everything I've learned Ive just kindof picked up. (Im good with languages).

I can converse quite well, but get lost on complex subjects.

I need to take some classes and stop whinging.

[Blah Pete]

Some of the worst cases I have met are civilians who work on US military bases. I have met quite at few people who have been in Japan 10+ years and know about 20 Japanese words.

[American Oyaji]

They are usually the worst.....but some of them end up being the best tho.

The ones that fall in love with the country. They are the ones that usually stay.

[den4]

Dave Spector (sp?) seems like a good candidate.....
I will say his japanese is great, but he just comes across as a know it all. I will say he does appear to know a lot about japan and a lot of other things, but just his attitude is that of a snob......

den4

but Dave doesn't hold a monopoly on this title...there are plenty out there to share in this....unfortunately.....problem is the just don't realize they are that way....but oh well...life goes on....

[Steve Bildermann]

[Taro Toporific]

Dave Spector (sp?) seems like a good candidate.....
I will say his japanese is great, but he just comes across as a know it all...

Yeah, "SPECTOR," is correct although 'Dave Expectorate' might be more fitting.

I've met that fellow wiseass from Chicago a couple of times. Ya gotta remember... he's gotta have a chip on has shoulder (and foam-rubber shoulder pads) cause he's only 5' 5" 140 lbs (165cm, 63.5kg).

He even gave me an autographed his Japanese book of racist jokes, "It's Only a Joke!" which he sign, "DAVE. a Legand which included PC howlers like:

Q: What do you do with the dead body of a black?
A: Flay his skin and make a wetsuit.

Q; Why don't black mothers let children play in sandboxes?
A: Because they don't want them to be covered with sand by cats.

He's a real charmer, ain't he?

[den4]

So not only Mr. Spector is an arrogant little bastard, but he's a racist one as well, eh? I'm sure the African Amerikan Brothers would get a real kick out of finding that one out.....
but then I've heard many of the gaijin celebrities tended to be jerkoffs, so it's not surprising....

I did like the Dokkiri Camera they did on that one dude who was once a lawyer turned celebrity? a number of years back.....can't remember his name, but they got him good on that show.
He was eating at a local sushi shop, where there were no prices, and as each customer left, the "master" of the shop would call out the "price" for the meal, and it went in the hundred thousands of yen, and all the customers were "in"on the joke....the slackjawed expression on Kent Gilbert, yeah, that was his name, as each customer paid their bills was a real crack up....and when he came to pay the bill, he realized he had no way to pay up, and he was sweating bullets calling his friend up to get a cash advance to help pay the bill, and the camera crew came up and told him he was on that candid camera.....

too bad they didn't do that to Davey boy.....but I think they did scare the crap out of him when they stuck him together with a geisha girl who just happened to be a yakuza's mistress, and he hid in a closet...but I think it was Spector....or maybe it was Kent Delacarte (sp?)....oh well, my memory is fuzzy on that one, since it was over 10 years ago that I saw that one...

but, ol' Dave is a language snob in my book.....

den4 :O

[American Oyaji]