J-folk don' care too much bout keeping racial purity?

[Skankster]

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Japanese don't really care too much about keeping racial purity...Do they???

Although this goes very much against popular opinion
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Although Japan is rather racially pure... if they can find someone who can correspond to Japanese values they are open to them, don't you all think??

[vir-jin]

if they can find someone who can correspond to Japanese values they are open to them, don't you all think??

Does that lead into a marriage or somehow long relationships inside the country in most of the cases? I don't think so. During my research here I have been taken a class about Japanese cultural history. Japanese nowadays appreciate the foreign cultures when they are young but when the system gets them work for it all the foreign culture is just a rock in the way to success in this society, like something you pose with if you need it. They are happy in homogenity not in cultural variety. In the 90ies the Japanese intellectuals turned to an absolutely nationalistic view on Japan and I can just tell the stories from my university where this crowd is now in the upper positions, most of them having been studying abroad when they were young. My art history professor gave a nice view on different countries museums, you should have heard the comments that were historically prooved and right but the way he was telling it being disgusted like hell was really making me throw up my natto nigiri. I was surprised to hear that he studied 7 Years out of Japan! Another professor teaching about conservation science took the same ride through research labs in the whole world and pushes his students to go out of the country to do research but when it comes to cultural diversity he thinks that only a Japanese student can bring the long time success to his departement in future. I could tell you three pages of stories other foreign students told me about the nationalism in this university. And since it is considered to be the top national university- like todai is for other subjects- you see what is going to grow out of it under the influence of such teaching. I think Japanese are very open to other cultures as long as they get something out of the relationship- if it is just another point of view or the openness we are expected to have for this culture -and we hopefully all do not lose it. The US being the 'elder brother' is of course the best example to imitate at the moment. As I can see from another post it is still cool to promote in an american way to get the youth for Japanese culture- as for example J-pop. We have the same way of (hiphop) movement in Germany. Ever translated the text of a song? I think Japanese are international on the surface that might be eventually changing but the deep Japanese roots are too strong and special( am I getting Japanese?) to just mix it with other cultures in a way that 50% are given up for unity. It's an iland where living has been always hard for natural catastrophies and the rules that were best for staying alive have been teached to the children that were not supposed to find their own way because that would have killed them in former times. Even if I try to act as they do I don't look like them and am always expected to do wrong. Let me put it better, It will be noticed at anytime that I am a foreigner. I don't say they wouldn't accept me but I am not supposed to just be part of the homogenic movement. I read an article about the Japanese school system and you can tell when the first grades of primaryschool get the same lessons with the same topic using the same books all over Japan. This is what makes them think homogenic. It's very funny to see the differences between the departements here. You can tell they turn up in groups. And they are educated in different subjects. You can see that. But in one group they move absolutely homogenic. This is an Art University where I thought internationality was needed. It is, in fact, only accepted. Most of the private Universities don't accept foreigners or barely accept them. This is why all foreigners find their way to Geidai. It is the only University that deals with them. I could have choosen any button because they are open and not open at the same time. They are special. :P

[maraboutslim]

Although Japan is rather racially pure... if they can find someone who can correspond to Japanese values they are open to them, don't you all think??

No, I'd have to be insane to think that. The Japanese are only "open" to such a person in the same way they are open to foreign pop-culture as entertainment. They will go to see Hollywood movies, they will eat French food and they will have foreign friends and tolerate foreigners of certain sorts living in Japan. They will be friendly to these things, even enthusiastic. But deep down, they are not "open" to these things in the sense that they might regard them as equals and clearly regard them as inferior to pure Japanese culture and pure Japanese people.

[AssKissinger]

Again, dude, your poll is complete crap. You suck at making polls. My opinion is not offered. I think Japanese care a lot about racial and cultural purity and I'm glad they do. I'd like for Japan to keep the foreign population at around 1% and not over. It's because I support global diversity that I'd like to see Japan remain pure. It's boring that the entire first world looks the same and embraces the same values. Their uniform belief in multiculturalism has wiped out their cultural identities making more multicultural cities but a less muliti cultural world. Sidney=Berlin=Paris=London=New York=Chicago= Thank God Japan bucks the trend.

[GridReaper]

My wife is Japanese and I'm half filipino/half white with no kids yet (crosses fingers). When we talk about our kids features, she hopes that they get her eyes, hair, skin, etc., basically she hopes they look more Japanese than anything else.

Being happa (Hawaiian word for mixed race), I am proud of my mixed ethnicity. Plus, everyone knows Nature favors diversity. Heh, with my dominent genes, I know I'll have exotic looking superchildren whether she likes it or not.

Aside from looks, she would like the children to have a good sense of Japanese values, but a more worldy outlook and independent mind.

[Cubed]

Again, dude, your poll is complete crap. You suck at making polls. My opinion is not offered. I think Japanese care a lot about racial and cultural purity and I'm glad they do. I'd like for Japan to keep the foreign population at around 1% and not over. It's because I support global diversity that I'd like to see Japan remain pure. It's boring that the entire first world looks the same and embraces the same values. Their uniform belief in multiculturalism has wiped out their cultural identities making more multicultural cities but a less muliti cultural world. Sidney=Berlin=Paris=London=New York=Chicago= Thank God Japan bucks the trend.

Oooh, I think there's thinly veiled raci .... isolationism there.

Cultural purity and racial purity are different things.

[maraboutslim]

It's because I support global diversity that I'd like to see Japan remain pure. It's boring that the entire first world looks the same and embraces the same values. Their uniform belief in multiculturalism has wiped out their cultural identities making more multicultural cities but a less muliti cultural world. Sidney=Berlin=Paris=London=New York=Chicago= Thank God Japan bucks the trend.

You mean I agree with AssKissinger about something? I think I do...

[Charles]

Somewhere I have a very interesting linguistics book by a Japanese woman who grew up in both Tokyo and London, she's a linguist at Oxford now IIRC. She wrote something that astonished me, it was obviously true once you stop to think about it, but it would never occur to anyone to see things from this perspective.
She did an analysis of foreign words, particularly English, as it appeared in advertising and mass media. The use of katakana or even romaji to represent foreign words obviously sets this language apart from Japanese words. Her hypothesis is that these words are specifically used to emphasize the Japaneseness of the other text, to give an impression of foreign exoticism while emphasizing the product's essential Japanese nature. Foreign words only exist in the media to make the Japanese text feel more Japanese in comparison.
I totally agree with this hypothesis, and am willing to extrapolate it to Japanese society as a whole. Japanese students study English, and poorly, to get students to believe they are internationalized, but actually it only makes them feel more culturally isolated, due to the difficulty and obvious foreignness of English. Japanese people use these experiences (and others, like foreign vacations) to reinforce their Japanese identity.
Isn't it ironic that the Japanese use the symbols of their internationalization to subtly reinforce their non-internationalization?

[Adhesive]

It will probably change as the younger generation replaces the current nationalistic leaders. If you think about it, Japanese underperformance in Nobel Prizes and Olympic gold medals (in relation to their economic power) is probably due in large part to this type of mentality. Doesn't really bother me, but I guess it would if I was looking to actually be accepted by the society, which I'm not.

[Adhesive]

[AssKissinger]

It will probably change as the younger generation replaces the current nationalistic leaders.

I've said this before but I think the youth in Japan are bigger racists than their parents

[maraboutslim]

As far as racial purity is concerned, I've heard way too often the desires of Japanese females to have half-white children for me to vote for racial purity. They may want cultural purity, but the amount of Japanese wishing for children with Caucasian features is astonishing.

This fits well with what I said about liking non-Japanese stuff on the pop-culture level. These women want happa kids simply because they will look cuter as fashion accessories.

FWIW, it works: my daughter is totemo kawaii.

[cstaylor]

I've said this before but I think the youth in Japan are bigger racists than their parents

They just don't have the good manners to hide it as well.

[amdg]

I've said this before but I think the youth in Japan are bigger racists than their parents

They just don't have the good manners to hide it as well.

Agreed, unfortunately....

[Bongo]

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Japanese don't really care too much about keeping racial purity...Do they???

Although this goes very much against popular opinion
and
Although Japan is rather racially pure... if they can find someone who can correspond to Japanese values they are open to them, don't you all think??

What a load of crap!
Unless you consider whoring yourself to buy, pathetic brands like Lui Vitton, or paying for your keitai by selling your soiled underwear, traditional Japanese values.

[torasan]

japanese are in no way racially pure. take a look on the subway and trains, look around. these people come from chinese and korean stock, not to mention ainu stock, all interbred and mixed breeding....

the myth of homogeneity is just that.... a myth

look around at the faces and eyes......the japanese people are a mongrel nation of chinese korean mongolian and ainu

there is no japanese race. they all come from mainland asia....long ago

probably the biggest influecne is chinese dna, and korean dna

no japanese race

period

[AssKissinger]

I think they got a dash of white Russian tossed in as well, light skin and bigger boobies. They may not be full-on Mongolian super pure but I likes the way they look now. It's perfect. Don't change a thing, don't add no more spices to the stew. These ladies gots it reeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiight!

[kamome]

I'd say racial purity, no, cultural/national purity, yes. But these are huge generalizations, and just like the rest of us, Japanese individuals have differences of opinion on the issue that can't be reduced to a crummy poll with three answer choices.

[torasan]

quote

i'd say racial purity, no, cultural/national purity, yes.

it's called mindcontrol, police state, narrow thinking, ignorance of world around them, not cultureal./national purity

the govt likes to instill this muyth into evertyone. it is a muth but in mindcontrolled textbook controlled japan, whattaya expect......


smile

[AssKissinger]

the govt likes to instill this muyth into evertyone. it is a muth but in mindcontrolled textbook controlled japan, whattaya expect......

I expect better writing.

[bejiita]

the govt likes to instill this muyth into evertyone. it is a muth but in mindcontrolled textbook controlled japan, whattaya expect......

I expect better writing.

Come on, you gotta cut him some slack. People can't write well after a six pack of beer for lunch.

[Caustic Saint]

the govt likes to instill this muyth into evertyone. it is a muth but in mindcontrolled textbook controlled japan, whattaya expect......

I expect better writing.

Come on, you gotta cut him some slack. People can't write well after a six pack of beer for lunch.

And those people are called "lightweights."