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RE: Top 8 Reactions of Japanese Scumballs When Caught Red-Handed Doing Something Stupid, Repulsive Or Illegal (Notes from Under the Tatami Mats–30 … My Adventures in Japan)
The longer I live in Japan, the more I'm aware of the way I contextualize everything I experience through my own cultural lens. A despicable scoundrel is a despicable scoundrel, no matter how you slice it. But my interpretation of a foreign culture is virtually guaranteed to be the product of me not understanding the culture... just sayin'.
I'd agree fully with your comment.
During my long stay in Japan, one thing I (EVENTUALLY) noticed was the way we expats would denounce certain Japanese actions by grouping ALL Japanese together.
So, when a few Japanese would do something stupid, we'd state that "Japanese people can be soooo stupid." But when someone in our home country would do something stupid, we would NOT say "CANADIANS are soooo stupid." Instead, we'd say "People are sooo stupid."
That may not be intentionally malevolent, but the simple fact that we look at the world that way colors our perception. And while it's not dangerous, it can lead to dangerous distortions.
Also, I agree that a scoundrel is a scoundrel, regardless of where he was born. In this series of notes that I'm posting, I introduce a few Japanese scoundrels. But that in no way is meant to imply that the Japanese are worse scoundrels than any other scoundrels.
Thanks for your input.