COol interview, teaching in Japan, and Korea

[Harvey]

[Harvey]

this is cool too.
http://tom.mangan.com/new7q/mikecash.htm

[Crispy]

[kamome]

Well, bikkle very eloquently summarized how the Japanese believe in their inflated uniqueness. It's like every Japanese has memorized a script for approaching a foreigner, because ALL of the Japanese I've ever met asked me the same questions, in the same order: "Can you eat natto," "Can you use chopsticks", etc. If you speak to them in Japanese, some insist on responding in English despite the fact that it's plainly obvious their English is not as fluent as your Japanese.

Anyway, bikkle's quote is maybe the best/most accurate description I've read yet about the phenomenon of Japanese-foreigner interaction. Can't really add more to it at the moment.

[cstaylor]

... of the time I went into a Lawson's down the street and met some old lady working there.

She asked if I was an American. "Hai", I said. She asked where I was from. "California-shu", I said. She asked if I knew where "den-bah" was, and I said, "Colorado-shu".

Next, she started going on about her son was attending some college in Colorado.... Boulder to be exact. Now, I have a friend who went to Boulder... that school can be quite exciting if you like skiing. So I joked, "I bet your son is skiing everyday, huh? What a lucky guy".

Man, you have never seen someone get so pissed so quickly. She gives me this look, "No! My son studies very hard! I work in this combini so he can go and study abroad"

Yeah, if I was that kid, and she was my mother, I'd flee to America too... and go skiing everyday.

[cstaylor]

I once knew the father of a Japanese high school kid who sent his son off to school in New Zealand as "punishment" because he was too rowdy in Japan. I'm sure the kid partied his ass off, and being in New Zealand probably made him worse, rather than curing him of his attitude problem.

There's this huge disconnect between what parents think is punishment and the actual effects on the brat^H^H^H^Hkid.

First thing I'd do is cancel the kid's Docomo account. If that didn't work, that PS/2 goes in the trash (or maybe just kidnapped until the kid shows some improvement... they could make it like a real kidnapping, sending periodic videotapes to the kid as evidence showing the console sitting next to the daily newspaper newspaper). Finally, if all else failed, you get him a job as an orderly at a hospital during the night shift in a bad area... "check it out son," the Dad could say, "if you don't straighten yourself out, one day you'll be on the other side of the gurney".

I always liked that Bill Cosby line: "I made you, I can always put you back!"

[cstaylor]

The best punishment for that kid probably would have been sticking him into a really strict monastery.

What about the poor priests? What if you really believed all of the things monks believe, and then you end up playing baby sitter to some jackass.

Makes you wish that Soylent Green was available today... maybe with a Japanese flavor... something like "Yanki Yakitori" or something...

[cstaylor]

something like "Yanki Yakitori" or something...

That was uncalled for.

What can I say? I'm on a roll tonight...

[Harvey]

There are just some ignorant people who can't get over the stereotype (or shock) of seeing a foreigner speak Japanese. I think it's getting rarer these days though.

They used to call it "the talking dog phenomenon." Like, if a dog came up to you on the street and started speaking perfect English to you, your brain would probably fry and you'd be speechless, unable to reply.

That's great. Hey, who used to call it the "talking dog phenomenon"? Was it other gaijin? Or the Japanese? That's a great analogy, it's so true. Some people are just -floored- when a foreigner speaks Japanese to them, they don't even know what to do. Shatters all of their preconceived notions in an instant. You can even hear their brain snapping.

FG: sumimasen, asoko no jyuusu tte ikuradesuka?*
--==SNAP==--
.o0 (Wow... I understood this foreigner... maybe my English is good)
NJ: itto... izzzu..... fourteen ninty free....
NJ: -turns the cash register display around so you can read it-
FG: -dives over the counter and proceeds to vent his frustration aka. whoop ass-

[cstaylor]

FG: -dives over the counter and proceeds to vent his frustration aka. whoop ass-

"Hey, at least I don't work at a combini."

[cstaylor]

I mean, if Japanese we're using it, it would mean they were critically judging their own actions (which they would never do, because they're completely oblivious to the fact that they're doing it in the first place).

Not entirely true, but then again my wife did live in the U.S. for eight years, so she's pretty critical of some Japanese views on foreigners.

[cstaylor]

No, Brainiac 5, I'm just talking about people who do that sort of blank stare at gaijin. Not cool Japanese. Step off, man.

Ah, naruhodo.

[kamome]

No, Brainiac 5, I'm just talking about people who do that sort of blank stare at gaijin. Not cool Japanese. Step off, man.

Jeez, Ultra, give CS a break. That's some harsh sarcasm, dude.

[cstaylor]

Jeez, Ultra, give CS a break. That's some harsh sarcasm, dude.

Thanks for the backup Kamome, but yeah, Ultra's right. We're just keeping each other in shape... it's difficult to talk shit with Japanese because they take it too seriously.

[kamome]

You obviously haven't been reading FG lately...you've missed out on a lot of mutual trash talking.

Are you kidding me? Not only do I read FG everyday, I've suffered some serious trash talking myself (and dished some out, too). Basically, I learned one lesson: never, ever mess with mini-G. He'll kick your ass in a heartbeat.

[cstaylor]

He'll kick your ass in a heartbeat.

I thought it was more like "peeing on your icon"