Emoni
先輩
- 20 Sep 2003
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For those who are unfamiliar with this word, "Nihonjin-ron" roughly translates to the, "Theory of Japanese-ness." Nihonjinron - Wikipedia
Now, there are uses for a so-called "theory" like this in study of societies in order to judge fundamental differences in belief and ritual; however, in most cases I have seen (especially in Japanese related classes in the US) Nihonjin-ron effectively ends up to be, "Why Japan is amazingly unique, no one else in the world is like us, and how this mysterious magical quality about us cannot be understood by the human mind."
The result? A highly inflated self-image of Japan that is based neither on reason nor in reality that is on par with the monstrous size egos of any other country in the world such as China, the United States, France... only with a nice dash of racial superiority. In my personal opinion it is simply excessive national and cultural pride which actively limits the growth of a more international and cooperative mindset with other nations in the world who's culture is different from the standard of "Japanese perfection" yet actually just as unique in their own way. This is even more ironically since Japan has strong aspects of Chinese and other mainland Asian culture since the major cultural exchanges around the Yayoi and Nara period respectively.
Is Japan alone in this? No, of course not. Every country in the world likes to think they are special in some way, and most people do as well. Yes, they are unique, just like every other country in the world! However, it is Japan's position in Asia and the world that makes this sort of behavior even more unacceptable. This racial arrogance causes a dangerous sense of national pride, hurts minority groups that exist throughout Japan, damages progress towards a more global mindset, and hampers efforts towards resolving major issues between Japan and Asia that have been left to fester since World War II. Minority groups face prejudice in even the most simple areas of life and where they live, Japanese politicians speak without concern to global politics and the global welfare of their own nation in their actions and words, national love-of-self is taught instead of expanding the education and fixing glaring problems, the Japanese system is seen with an imaginary sense of near perfection that cannot be bent in anyway to deal with others, and Japan remains at odds in many ways with all of its neighbors over issues from over 60 years ago. Nihonjin-ron.
This sums up my feelings.
This is my rant based off some academic research I have done in the past. I'm very curious in hearing everyone else's; especially those who are veterans to the board and I know have very detailed thoughts on the subject.
Thank you.
Now, there are uses for a so-called "theory" like this in study of societies in order to judge fundamental differences in belief and ritual; however, in most cases I have seen (especially in Japanese related classes in the US) Nihonjin-ron effectively ends up to be, "Why Japan is amazingly unique, no one else in the world is like us, and how this mysterious magical quality about us cannot be understood by the human mind."
The result? A highly inflated self-image of Japan that is based neither on reason nor in reality that is on par with the monstrous size egos of any other country in the world such as China, the United States, France... only with a nice dash of racial superiority. In my personal opinion it is simply excessive national and cultural pride which actively limits the growth of a more international and cooperative mindset with other nations in the world who's culture is different from the standard of "Japanese perfection" yet actually just as unique in their own way. This is even more ironically since Japan has strong aspects of Chinese and other mainland Asian culture since the major cultural exchanges around the Yayoi and Nara period respectively.
Is Japan alone in this? No, of course not. Every country in the world likes to think they are special in some way, and most people do as well. Yes, they are unique, just like every other country in the world! However, it is Japan's position in Asia and the world that makes this sort of behavior even more unacceptable. This racial arrogance causes a dangerous sense of national pride, hurts minority groups that exist throughout Japan, damages progress towards a more global mindset, and hampers efforts towards resolving major issues between Japan and Asia that have been left to fester since World War II. Minority groups face prejudice in even the most simple areas of life and where they live, Japanese politicians speak without concern to global politics and the global welfare of their own nation in their actions and words, national love-of-self is taught instead of expanding the education and fixing glaring problems, the Japanese system is seen with an imaginary sense of near perfection that cannot be bent in anyway to deal with others, and Japan remains at odds in many ways with all of its neighbors over issues from over 60 years ago. Nihonjin-ron.
This sums up my feelings.
This is my rant based off some academic research I have done in the past. I'm very curious in hearing everyone else's; especially those who are veterans to the board and I know have very detailed thoughts on the subject.
Thank you.
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