Comment on Cool Japan đ¸
hark@lemmy.world â¨2⊠â¨weeks⊠agoIsnât it ironic or perhaps hypocritical that youâre speaking about Japan in such generalities?
Comment on Cool Japan đ¸
hark@lemmy.world â¨2⊠â¨weeks⊠agoIsnât it ironic or perhaps hypocritical that youâre speaking about Japan in such generalities?
kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world â¨2⊠â¨weeks⊠ago
I am not generalizing people based on genetic traits, race, etc. Iâm talking about the culture. It is a documented systemic issue. Like saying that Victorian era people in the UK were sexually repressed. There is nothing intrinsic to Victorians that made them that way, and it certainly didnât apply to everyone. But that was absolutely a significant part of the culture at the time.
X people are A. Y people canât B. Z people are worse than C people. These are racist statements because they attribute intrinsic qualities to a group, or comparatively qualify them. Stating a fact of sociology can often be used to erroneously support such a racist statement. But the sociological fact isnât racist in itself.
hark@lemmy.world â¨2⊠â¨weeks⊠ago
Couldnât Japanese people who discriminate against foreigners make the same argument about culture? The sign could be used to exclude based on assumptions of culture.
kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world â¨2⊠â¨weeks⊠ago
Yes, absolutely. In fact I believe that is exactly why they are doing it. When non-Japanese people come in, they donât understand the unwritten cultural rules and expectations, they donât have a great grasp of the language⌠it can be a challenge to serve people like that when everyone else just conforms implicitly. And when those people are a microscopic part of the population, that makes every interaction with them a rare and negative experience that makes the annoyance of it seem all the worse because you are never used to it. And the value of each interaction for that restaurant ownerâs annoyance is a single meal served, so it isnât worth it to them from that perspective.
Iâm not saying I donât understand that perspective. I do, 100%. But thatâs not the only perspective here. The foreigner has a perspective and an experience too. That mindset of the restaurant owner, of protecting your personal comfort for one interaction, is a common one. That means that itâs not just this restaurant for this foreigner that theyâre not welcome. It means that the would-be patron is denied in numerous interactions, services, and maybe even a livlihood. Your personal comfort over one interaction shouldnât outweigh that.
Think about Jim Crow laws. Why were they wrong? âOh so you canât eat at this diner. Big deal. He has a right to not serve you if he doesnât want to.â For you it is just this diner, and you are choosing for yourself who to serve. For the black community, it was every diner, every bus, ever water fountain, redlined neighborhoods, sundown towns⌠it creates a cultural class system and systematically holds one group down while proping up the class in power. The inequality is a problem, no matter your personal choice about your own business.
Again, I can understand why it may be a personal challenge for them and how they would rather just avoid that entirely. But it is still xenophobic/racist and still effects the object of their prejudice far greater than themselves. I donât think it is right. And I think, if and when their demographics start to become less homogenous, there will be a major civil rights movement in Japan similar to the USâs and it will be a struggle. Iâd rather see those in their culture start to recognize their xenophobia, and make efforts to correct it.