British professor gets Japan all wrong? Or alright?

[torasan]

[torasan]

He added later on his post bottom of comments, apparently very angry at me, to which I wrote him an email of apology and said sorry sir if i misread you:



''I must admit that I am getting a teensy bit tired of being obliquely
admonished for alleged racial prejudice by people who are not capable
of reading and understanding a simple text. I offered a humorous
reflection in fake Twitter mode (recall Roland Hedley?) on the way the
world looks to someone who is illiterate. Nobody seems to have noticed
my last five words at all.

Did you ever think about what life must be like for someone who has to
get around and deal with life without being able to read? I think
about it a lot. While bonehead commenters above loftily imply that
perhaps I can't deal with Asians for racial reasons (!), almost
everyone seems to miss my actual focus.

My late father-in-law, crippled by extreme dyslexia, managed to get
through life, and found and manage 29 businesses, and raise a
philosopher daughter, without ever being able to read. He kept the
balance of every one of his bank accounts in his head, and bluffed on
menus (order the hamburger; they always have that). But he was an
angry and frustrated man sometimes. No wonder.

It wasn't racism or inability to appreciate other cultures that made
him grumpy. The maddening experience of never being able to take
advantage of the wonder of writing, though, must have bugged him quite
a bit. I have begun to have some insight into what it may have been
like for him.''

[Mock Cockpit]

Fuck the pompous cunt. He was a moron who couldn't handle being out of his comfort zone.

[Adhesive]

Racist? No. Ignorant? Yes, but he admits as much. In fact, it's the basis of his rant. Although, I do find it weird how much energy he's spent criticizing the writing system before even bothering to learn basic vocab and phrases, apparently. The cart before the horse and whatnot.

[Yokohammer]

... almost everyone seems to miss my actual focus.

A sure sign of a very self-centered world view.
"Oh woe is me! Nobody understands! Everyone is stupid except me!"
Uh-huh ...

Edit: a couple of additions.

Could disastrous Japanese writing system be left here by aliens to make sure human development is held back by a few centuries?

Don't hate it just because you don't understand it. That's the basis for intolerance and racism.

Disaster: took wrong 11:29 Shinkansen train. There were 2. And me illiterate. Went 100 miles in wrong direction. Missed appointment.

Um ... there are signs in English too, Mr Illiterate Guy. You just fucked up.

Shinkansen ("bullet train") quiet, smooth, incredibly fast. Best train on planet. Shame about platform signs written mainly in Klingon.

Once again, stunning lack of observational skills. The signs are in English too.

Being here is one long sequence of difficulties, mistakes, and small humiliations. NOT THEIR FAULT. Must volunteer for adult literacy.

Thank you. That makes your position clearer, but this "amusing" blog entry of yours is going to piss off a lot of people who really aren't familiar enough with the English language to read between the lines, which could be considered irresponsible.

Oh never mind ... waste of time ...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Guys, I think you're being a bit harsh on the bloke. It seems to me as though he was taking the piss out of himself and his inability to understand the language. He wasn't having a go at the Japanese, but himself. It's pretty clear that he was engaging in self-deprecating humor of a type that is sometimes difficult for North Americans to understand.
I say he's lucky....sometimes I hate being able to read Japanese and knowing what these racist cunts say about outsiders.

[Yokohammer]

I say he's lucky....sometimes I hate being able to read Japanese and knowing what these racist cunts say about outsiders.

On the other foot, this is very true too.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Well, maybe I misread his post. Maybe I am stupid. I often am. Just curious how those of you in Japan or interested in Japan see his post. If I was wrong, of course, I will apologoize to him.

Torasan, I know you (we've actually met -- and worked together -- many, many years ago, which is more than I can say for most people on the board). And I know you're a good man and not stupid.
But I think you have misread him. It was harmless and he was laughing at himself rather than being racist toward the Japanese.

[Coligny]

Humm... I 100% agree with him... Once tried to take for the 1st time the train from Nagoya to Toyohashi with my pissed of cat and some luggage...

Ended up in Chubu Centrair... The sight of big planes and the sea instead of the Red Toyoki was quite unpleasant...

Tokyo is not really in japan anyway, it's one of those interzone set on "generica" who survive because of their international purpose. Like New York, Paris, Hamburg, Hong Kong. These cities should be entirely bilingual if they want to work properly in their 'hub' role.

With their respective train infrastructure, Paris/Tokyo/hamburg don't make any sense anymore. Crowded shitholes are a victorian heritage that should die like steam trains.

[omae mona]

I fully understand the professor was poking fun at himself. But as such, he is making a side commentary I disagree with: namely, that Japan is unnavigable without Japanese language skills. I think the reality is more likely that this guy lacks some basic common sense (and perhaps can't read English too well, either). How on earth can you get on the wrong shinkansen? There is so much English signage around the shinkansen platforms at Tokyo Station that you have to be blind not to notice it. If some 3rd party bought his shinkansen tickets on his behalf and had them printed in Japanese, not English, and further did not bother to tell him the name, number, or destination of the train he was supposed to take, then he probably should get some new friends or colleagues.

I've had more friends and relatives pass through Japan than I can count, and none of them knew any Japanese words besides "sushi" and "konnichiwa". They virtually all rode Japanese trains including shinkansen by themselves, and none ever got on the wrong train or even reported getting confused.

I think his self-deprecating humor would have been more on the mark if the punchline was "I'm a country hick and just can't get used to big cities".

[torasan]

A Japanese friend in Tokyo tells me re all this:

[ "No, torsan, I don't think he was being racist or is racist.

We say "mizu ga awanai" in Japanese : literarlly, "the water doesn't
agree with me". Some foreigners get stressed out while in Tokyo, I've heard.
Then, better run away." ]

[hundefar]

I thought it was a very funny post. I love Language Log..one of my favourite blogs. Best linguist blog out there IMO.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Best linguist blog out there IMO.

The best linguist is a cunning linguist...

[CrankyBastard]

The guy, in an attempt to write something witty, just seems to have gotten carried away.

[flipflop100]

sounds to me like lulz.
not a big deal, its just internet talk. let him have his own opinions and move on.

[klimmer]

It's just the English and their peculiar sense of humor. I am sure there was no offense intended.