New Book From Debito

[Mulboyne]

Debito has posted a provisional image of the cover of his new book which goes on sale next month. More details on his site here.

[Taro Toporific]

[floatl][/floatl]

[color="White"].
.
.
.[/color]

WTF?! "Civil society" has a very specific meaning that has nothing to do with the Zombie Life of salarymen, Louis-Vuitton OLs and sleep-deprived kids.

That is, "Civil society" is the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial institutions.

Do Japanese volunteers exist? How about force-backed commercial institutions like service zangyo? Society of shame, sure: Civil society, no way Jose.

[ttjereth]

WTF?! "Civil society" has a very specific meaning that has nothing to do with the Zombie Life of salarymen, Louis-Vuitton OLs and sleep-deprived kids.

That is, "Civil society" is the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial institutions.

Do Japanese volunteers exist? How about force-backed commercial institutions like service zangyo? Society of shame, sure: Civil society, no way Jose.

Using the London School of Economics Centre for Civil Society working definition from Wikipedia (emphasis mine):

Civil society refers to the arena of uncoerced collective actioninterests, purposes and values around shared . In theory, its institutional forms are distinct from those of the state, family and market, though in practice, the boundaries between state, civil society, family and market are often complex, blurred and negotiated. Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of formality, autonomy and power. Civil societies are often populated by organizations such as registered charities, development non-governmental organizations, community groups, women's organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associations, coalitions and advocacy groups

It seems applicable to me? Maybe not too much in Tokyo, but out in the boonies it was pretty common to attend community groups (we even had community bowling lessons) and every small town or shopping arcade in the larger towns had their own business associations, rotary clubs, etc.

[Taro Toporific]

Using the London School of Economics Centre for Civil Society working definition from Wikipedia (emphasis mine):

It seems applicable to me? Maybe not too much in Tokyo, but out in the boonies it was pretty common to attend community groups (we even had community bowling lessons) and every small town or shopping arcade in the larger towns had their own business associations, rotary clubs, etc.

Those associations are NOT voluntary. They're more rank-enforced, and force-backed than an ant hill.
Just try not paying the fees of a shopping arcade association or asking a PTA for help considering changing any of the 10,000 school engrish policies that are non-rational and unsupported by educational research.

Uncivil-society Japanese community groups are not voluntary, seldom rational but always ageist, sexist, and undemocratic.

[hundefar]

seldom rational but always ageist, sexist, and undemocratic.

You make it sound like it is a bad thing.

[dimwit]

You make it sound like it is a bad thing.

Hey I'm getting to an age where it works for me.

[Catoneinutica]

Those associations are NOT voluntary. They're more rank-enforced, and force-backed than an ant hill.
Just try not paying the fees of a shopping arcade association or asking a PTA for help considering changing any of the 10,000 school engrish policies that are non-rational and unsupported by educational research.

Uncivil-society Japanese community groups are not voluntary, seldom rational but always ageist, sexist, and undemocratic.

Hey! Mrs. Catone's decision to join the neighborhood medical association here was entirely voluntary: they said, do it, and, uh, she did it.

[ttjereth]

Those associations are NOT voluntary. They're more rank-enforced, and force-backed than an ant hill.
Just try not paying the fees of a shopping arcade association or asking a PTA for help considering changing any of the 10,000 school engrish policies that are non-rational and unsupported by educational research.

Uncivil-society Japanese community groups are not voluntary, seldom rational but always ageist, sexist, and undemocratic.

Ahh I see what you're saying. But there are still community activities and stuff which are voluntary and fit the description, so I guess we'd have to see the book to see what he is labelling as civil society.

I don't plan on buying it though, so I leave that up to you

[dimwit]

Hey! Mrs. Catone's decision to join the neighborhood medical association here was entirely voluntary: they said, do it, and, uh, she did it.

Our local medical association is afraid of my wife, so she never gets volunteered to do anything. But having a strong wife is not always a good thing -having received a few too many frying pan blows to the head.

[Greji]

Ahh I see what you're saying. But there are still community activities and stuff which are voluntary and fit the description

The bigger the city, the safer you are! If you leave in the suburbs or the countryside, these are small dictatorships run by the members of the local self governing associations.

If you do not join, you are in for a lot of harassment headaches, if you do join, you or your wife must attend every meeting for the rest of your life, because the minute you miss one, it's your turn in the barrel. After a short period of membership, maybe 15 or 20 years, you will have built-up seniority and established your own power base and will be qualified to be an ass hole; whereby, with the backing of all, you can start fucking with the people who don't become members and miss meetings. The are some benefits. In our area, we decide on who will be elected to the city assembly and then they enter the election, where they will be guaranteed to receive a minimum of 90% of the vote from the ward. Some times, if there's any questions, or problems, no one else is allowed to run in the election.

Part of the wonderful local culture.

[amdg]

[quote="Greji"]After a short period of membership, maybe 15 or 20 years, you will have built-up seniority and established your own power base and will be qualified to be an ass hole]

Um, excuse me, I think I pre-qualify for that ass hole position.

[hundefar]

Japan Focus has a piece on the book:

Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants, and Immigrants to Japan

Debito shows his great experience from many years of living on the edge:

Interrogations, like interrogations in many other countries, can involve teams of police, under hot lights and in smoke-filled rooms, asking you similar questions again and again for days.

[omae mona]

Japan Focus has a piece on the book:

Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants, and Immigrants to Japan

Debito shows his great experience from many years of living on the edge:

I realize the Japan Focus piece is not the same as the book itself, but I got irritated as soon as I read the first section about random police spot checks. He's suggesting that your average run-of-the-mill fresh-off-the-boat FG should start a dispute with police who won't share their name and badge number. I cannot imagine the majority of newcomers want a confrontation, nor do they care about the "point" Debito's trying to make about the unreasonableness of spot checks. To the contrary, they probably want to end the encounter quickly and move on. I think Debito's book may be geared at getting newcomers to further his agenda, not at helping them adjust to life in Japan.

I have no problem with Debito's agenda most of the time. But this advice belongs in a book called "Handbook for Bitter, Disgruntled, Long-term Fucked Gaijin Who Have An Axe To Grind", not "Handbook for Newcomers". In fact, I think I am going to go out and buy the book now

[kusai Jijii]

... this advice belongs in a book called "Handbook for Bitter, Disgruntled, Long-term Fucked Gaijin Who Have An Axe To Grind", not "Handbook for Newcomers".

Or better yet, "Handbook for Bitter, Disgruntled, Long-term Fucked Gaijin Who have An Axe to Grind & Complete Fuckwits who Naturalize".