Selfish Pigs

I love British humor, not to compare, only to tickle...

Mycernius said:
I cant believe how this thread has grown. Serpico never did say whether he had any positive things to say about Japan :( . And then this attack and defense of the US, It was like a word war. Oh well everyone seems to have calmed down now.
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The peace is mostly appreciated, thanks to some people who gracefully took the blows, and some who justly complained. The power of civilization will be the light to shine upon the darker corners of the earth.
How do Australians now a plane of Brits has landed at Sydney airport?
When the engine are switched off the plane is still whining.
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Well, if everybody were happy watching mushrooms grow in their back yards, there still might have been 500 native Amerindian peoples watching their great plains, hills, and forests. Discontent is a deadly thing. :(
And just to equal things up

Why wasn't Penicillin invented in Australia?
Because there's no culture there :D
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Actually there was, Mycernius. The Brits just transferred it to the British museum to preserve for posterity. And the bacilli from which to harvest the penicilin only grow in damp, stale atmosphere which is hard to find in Sunny Australia !:D
 
I think thats the root of it. Not so much a lck of caring about your fellow man, but a fear of sticking your neck out, being in the public eye, that really prevents people from helping or doing the right thing. That Japanese adage about the exposed nail getting struck down.
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This also resonates with me as a root cause. It's similar to the story I posted earlier about the woman being struck in the wrist by a flying rock in the road but enduring the pain and swelling, not saying anything out of embarrassment at possibly delaying the bus and inconveniencing the other passangers.

Added to this the awkwardness of talking to a stranger out of the blue ("ú–{'Å'Í'm'ç'È'¢l'Æ' 'Ü'èŒû'ð—˜'«'Ü'¹'ñ) as casually as we do, there would be a severe strain before the other person understood your motives or reason -- in addition not being able to communicate normally under the pressure of an emergency. :sorry:
 
Mycernius said:
I know, all us English are absolute cads. Australians do have a fighting chance, after all they do play cricket, not like the Americans, who have to make up their own sissy games because they can't handle real sports like Rugby. (Go on take the bait. I dare you. I double dare you :evil: )
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i followd the Rugby last year, great england won , as i was in australia at that moment, and to many BRITISH where there.. really i was going crazy of the Britisch in australia......

OFF TOPIC LOL

just i do not understand why the aboriginals let england mess with them, and the maori didnt... but this is for another thread haha SORRY SORRY OFF TOPIC A LOT
 
Davey said:
just i do not understand why the aboriginals let england mess with them, and the maori didnt...
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Now which people taught Cptn. Cook's crew to do the Australian crawl ?
 
Which brings us to the final question: who's got a better football team, NZ or Australia?

:biggrin:
 
NZ,, lets do the HAKA together !!!!!! love your AVATAR MAD PIERROT

Ka Mate! Ka Mate!
Ka Ora! Ka Ora!
Tenei te ta ngata puhuru huru
Nana nei i tiki mai
Whakawhiti te ra
A upane ka upane!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra!
Hi!!​
 
:biggrin: Thanks!

NZ rulz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


(Actually, I just put that quip in because I heard that Australians and NZ's hate each others football teams. Funny, reminds me of the time I saw a fellow American almost get punched out in bar for calling a Aussie a "Kiwi." Seriously, what's up with that? :) )
 
mad pierrot said:
Funny, reminds me of the time I saw a fellow American almost get punched out in bar for calling a Aussie a "Kiwi." Seriously, what's up with that? :) )
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We don't like it ;)

I'd agree with the OP tho, too many of you simply balk at the idea that Japan is anything but perfect, although if he had the eloquence of Maciamo his posts may have lasted longer :(
 
Davey your Haka is fantastic :) If women were allowed to do it I would join in...
Im not opposed to the Australian rugby team, hell I dont even like rugby fullstop. People assume Australians and New Zealanders hate each other, but secretly I think it's all show. I like Australia because they have Cherry Ripes. If anyone in Australia wants to send Cherry Ripes to Korea I will gladly send some sort of Korean snack to you :)
Lots of Americans have asked if im Australian, Koreans asking if im American, South Africans asking if im English... im getting confused myself.
Some very serious issues addressed here, good to read :) I think most people are agreeing that its up to the individual as to how they want to perceive something. I could start ranting about Korea but I just take the good with the bad, bad always gets better. Im not here to make money, Im here to enjoy life with very interesting people, the day that im not happy I will move onto somewhere else. Maybe some other people should think about that before they write all that poohey stuff... or just keep a 'dear diary' at home?
*yawn* tired and hungry now... where are those cherry ripes?
 
"Originally Posted by Mycernius
I know, all us English are absolute cads. Australians do have a fighting chance, after all they do play cricket, not like the Americans, who have to make up their own sissy games because they can't handle real sports like Rugby. (Go on take the bait. I dare you. I double dare you ) "

there is actually a small base of rugby players in the US. mostly on the college level, i was good friends with a brother in the frat that played rugby and an old ex-girlfriend of mine now plays rugby.

though im sure everyone's feelings on the first topic have been exhausted by now, but i agree with Elizabeth[and whoever she quoted] that japanese people, who love conformity and ambiguity among people, dont want to stand out by helping someone else. its not in essence a misanthropic feeling, but a general apathy towards everything.
 
andorin said:
though im sure everyone's feelings on the first topic have been exhausted by now, but i agree with Elizabeth[and whoever she quoted] that japanese people, who love conformity and ambiguity among people, dont want to stand out by helping someone else. its not in essence a misanthropic feeling, but a general apathy towards everything.
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Thanks for the tease; I am exhausted, but this is interesting.

"not in essence a misanthropic feeling, but a general apathy towards everything"​

Now I could imagine that someone might think this is a timeless Japanese trait, while others might think this is a unique historical phenomenon of recent times, and still others might think this has been a recurring pattern with local varieties, both in time and space. Is anyone familiar with the history of Japanese detachment if I may call it that ? I'm thinking of Michel Foucault's theory of the human-centered idea as a unique historical phenomenon that came, that is, and that will fade away like spring fashion, for example. Is the apathy a postwar, postcoloinal phenemenon ?

"Our current concept of man is the result of a mutation in our culture... via an archeology of contemporary modes of thought, we might discover not-too-far off a day, when conditions change once again, when 'man' will disappear, and a new mode of thought will come into being."--The Order of Things, an archeology of the human sciences
 
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Hello peeps,

I think that once you learn a lot about ANY country (or live there), you will find
aspects of it that annoy you. I must admit I still have my 'rose tinted glasses' when it comes to Japan.
Many things I was warned about (some from this site) did not happen when I visited Japan. I was treated very well.
All places in the world have their problems.

I love being British, but am sick of some the attitudes here, such as aggressive drunk people who want to fight, spitting, loss of morals - this week a 12 year-old girl's mother tried to sue the government for lack of sex education,even though she allowed the girl to sleep with her boyfriend when she was 11 years old!

Couples without a job between them are allowed to have 8 children,a free house and 37,000 pounds a year in benefits, while someone like me who has a degree and has worked since I was 16 cannot get on the housing ladder, except in some poxy town full of hooligans and slags

Last week British youths threw a plank of wood through the front window of a funeral car - absolutly no respect for human dignity.

This is why I find it frightening when I see western values held up as something to aspire to.
Still, it's not all bad here,..Rule Brittania! - Rich303
 
so what youre sayin, lexico, that according to the 'order of things' someday down the road we might all live in a completely benevolent society, where everyone will gladly lend a helping hand. or we will continual our downward spiral to a world where friendly banter is completely lost, directly according to what happens in society, as a whole, around us.... this seems to be a very true statement, a very sad one but still true.
if america keeps acting like it is[i mean acting like a jack ***, which our president is], then the common feelin towards foreigners in japan will keep growing worse and worse, and who would want to help out someone that you dont care about? as the apathy towards foreigners spills out into the apathy towards your common man... the situation only gets worse. but so are the 'order of things', right?
 
Sorry for the double post ! :sorry: I would think of something else to replace it, but no time at the moment....
 
Although actually apathy there is very directed and specific towards natural or unchanging, institutional aspects of life. In matters of social relations or of immediate, practical or personal concern there is an almost hyperawareness or sensitivity --mostly to other Japanese but in the case of helping perhaps extending to foreigners as well. I wish there were a more satisfying explaination. All I know for certain is how strong the sense of community spirit among friends, family, neighbors is and how well-attended I've been in private when sick or injured (on the train).

Œˆ'µ'āA"ú–{l'ª—â'½'¢'ÆŒ¾'¤'Ì'Å'Í'È'¢'Ì'Å'·B (You can never say the Japanese people are cold). :shock:
 
lexico said:
Come on, let's not all get nationalistic, look who's talking ?!?
Who's my favorite US president ? Kennedy was inspiring.
Who's my second best ? Carter for human rights.
Who's next ? ???
I hope that makes some of you feel better. :?
Okay let's not equate people with the land or the president. They are actually separate things I think. :-)
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No 3 favourite President: Truman --NOT because of the A-bomb, but because I admire the "Truman doctrine", his policies, the Cold War policies, his personality (from his biography, and reading his loveletters to his wife, which are published..... :blush: ).

I agree completely about not equating the land with the President. I admit that I am not an advocate of Bush, however, I love the U.S...the people, culture, the cities (especially New York!!).
 
I read that. I can say it is very moving how you helped a girl on the train. I just can't imagine that people would just do nothing if there was a woman collapsed on the floor. It is really sad. In my country, Slovenia, I think it isn't so. At least i didn't have such experience.
 
Kara_Nari said:
Davey your Haka is fantastic :) If women were allowed to do it I would join in...
Im not opposed to the Australian rugby team, hell I dont even like rugby fullstop. People assume Australians and New Zealanders hate each other, but secretly I think it's all show. I like Australia because they have Cherry Ripes. If anyone in Australia wants to send Cherry Ripes to Korea I will gladly send some sort of Korean snack to you :)
Lots of Americans have asked if im Australian, Koreans asking if im American, South Africans asking if im English... im getting confused myself.
Some very serious issues addressed here, good to read :) I think most people are agreeing that its up to the individual as to how they want to perceive something. I could start ranting about Korea but I just take the good with the bad, bad always gets better. Im not here to make money, Im here to enjoy life with very interesting people, the day that im not happy I will move onto somewhere else. Maybe some other people should think about that before they write all that poohey stuff... or just keep a 'dear diary' at home?
*yawn* tired and hungry now... where are those cherry ripes?
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I LOVE TIM TAMS :blush:
 
WOW !! that was an eye opener I always thought of the Japanese as being very much into the respect bit and some of these stories reflect quite badly. I must say it has influenced my opinion considerably however I still wish to visit.
 
I felt the same as Slider when I read this thread. In the UK we tend to think of the Japanese as being polite - but going by what others have said it is not so much politeness as not rocking the boat.

someone like me who has a degree and has worked since I was 16 cannot get on the housing ladder, except in some poxy town full of hooligans and slags
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You must live near me Rich, that sounds familiar!

:blush:
 
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