Re: Comment on yesterday's entry
Jan. 28th, 2009 06:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmxratedThanks, Chelle, for your comment last night. Thanks to you, I've decided to touch up on another point about Japanese culture that irritates me to some extent:
Seek harmony with those around you. In Japan, society tends to put more emphasis on the group than on the individual. Okay, I can understand that to some extent; even here, we're taught "The world does not revolve around you" and "There is no 'I' in team." But, just how far does this rule go in Japanese society? Does it mean that, during any spare time one gets, one would be practically forced to do stuff with with their peers, rather than just sit at home and enjoy one's solitude as they read books, watch TV, play video games, or smoke pot? (Just kidding about the last item; probably illegal in Japan.)
Here's my story: Back when I was in high school, I used to think that it was necessary to have friends to hang out with, because once I got a job, I would no longer have opportunities to be social. Much of the time, I would trade phone numbers with random students in each of my classes, and I would often spend much of my lunch period sitting at crowded tables, trying to get in on conversations, but losing track of what anyone was saying. In truth, though, I already had Matthew (who didn't go to my school), and to have him over or go to his house for almost eight hours every other weekend was practically a chore. All we ever did most of the time was sit back as one of us surfed the internet, or play video games that rarely interested me. (I generally prefer single-player gameplay in any game over sharing the game with someone. We even took turns playing one-player games like Dark Cloud). When I started 12th grade, I finally figured out that I would much rather just sit by myself and think about stuff (mostly video game-related) than go out of my way to have friends. Having decided that made me feel somewhat self-liberated. (With my relationship with Matthew, Mom and I agreed that I would spend a more reasonable amount of time with him each visit, and I actually did start to enjoy said relationship more from there on.)
Mind you, I do enjoy face-to-face conversations when they occur naturally, but not when I'm practically forced or forcing myself to have them. But taking the above paragraph into consideration, if I'm right that it's not socially acceptable in Japan to avoid human contact altogether during your spare time, then I'd really hate to grow up there. Having decided to be a loner at the beginning of 12th grade also brought a slight sense of bitterness with it, from having strived for something I actually didn't want, because we're all taught that "It's important to have friends so that we can be happy." (Maslow's pyramid, anyone?)
...................................................................
Putting aside the concept of human contact, one wonders how much control any one individual has over his or her own life and way of doing things in general. I do know that, for instance, you're expected to wear uniforms and to style your hair a certain way when you're past primary school but not in college yet. But, do they value any kind of individual differences in character, likes/dislikes, or decisions?
Well, according to some Japanese anime and video games, they apparently do to some extent (unless this is only what the writers of said works wish were true). Let's look at a few of those:
A Little Snow Fairy Sugar: For most of the series, Salt believes that he can only become a sun fairy because his father was a sun fairy. Towards the end, though, all the fairies go on a trip to learn how to control their part of the weather, and upon returning home, he considers and eventually decides that he would rather be a cloud fairy instead.
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald: When you first confront Flannery, she tries to sound intimidating, but stutters frequently. Upon beating her, she realizes that by trying to be someone who she's not, she confused her Pokemon, which is why she lost. She needs to do things her natural way in order to stand a chance.
Grandia II: This one is really notable. There is no way anyone could have modified this to fit American teachings.
-Roan: Halfway through the game, Roan realizes that blindly following orders from others is not a life. As it turns out, he is the prince of Cyrum Kingdom, whose people have been hiding in shame ever since their god Valmar had been defeated ages ago. Roan tells the people that Valmar wanted them not as people, but as pawns, and that the people must decide their own destiny.
-Tio: An automata (android), one of many who was built to blindly serve their master. During the same part of the game, she had been rescued by Mareg, and thus perceives him as her new master. From there on, Mareg spends a good length of time teaching her how to be her own master.
-Elena: For most of the game, she is a blind follower of Lord Granas, the benevolent god who defeated the evil Valmar ages ago. After meeting with Pope Zera, she is instructed (revealed later) to absorb the remaining pieces of Valmar (she was already possessed by the Wings of Valmar, who in turn claimed Valmar's Tongue and Eyes along the way). Meanwhile, Ryudo is sent by Zera to find the Granasaber (the sword with which Valmar was slain), so that he can defeat Valmar once again. As it turns out later, Zera actually sent them and their friends on this journey so that he could re-embody Valmar. Elena later expresses her regrets to Ryudo about having worked for Valmar instead of Granas, but Ryudo assures her that she is a slave to neither Granas nor Valmar, and it wasn't her fault that they had been deceived all along.
Seek harmony with those around you. In Japan, society tends to put more emphasis on the group than on the individual. Okay, I can understand that to some extent; even here, we're taught "The world does not revolve around you" and "There is no 'I' in team." But, just how far does this rule go in Japanese society? Does it mean that, during any spare time one gets, one would be practically forced to do stuff with with their peers, rather than just sit at home and enjoy one's solitude as they read books, watch TV, play video games, or smoke pot? (Just kidding about the last item; probably illegal in Japan.)
Here's my story: Back when I was in high school, I used to think that it was necessary to have friends to hang out with, because once I got a job, I would no longer have opportunities to be social. Much of the time, I would trade phone numbers with random students in each of my classes, and I would often spend much of my lunch period sitting at crowded tables, trying to get in on conversations, but losing track of what anyone was saying. In truth, though, I already had Matthew (who didn't go to my school), and to have him over or go to his house for almost eight hours every other weekend was practically a chore. All we ever did most of the time was sit back as one of us surfed the internet, or play video games that rarely interested me. (I generally prefer single-player gameplay in any game over sharing the game with someone. We even took turns playing one-player games like Dark Cloud). When I started 12th grade, I finally figured out that I would much rather just sit by myself and think about stuff (mostly video game-related) than go out of my way to have friends. Having decided that made me feel somewhat self-liberated. (With my relationship with Matthew, Mom and I agreed that I would spend a more reasonable amount of time with him each visit, and I actually did start to enjoy said relationship more from there on.)
Mind you, I do enjoy face-to-face conversations when they occur naturally, but not when I'm practically forced or forcing myself to have them. But taking the above paragraph into consideration, if I'm right that it's not socially acceptable in Japan to avoid human contact altogether during your spare time, then I'd really hate to grow up there. Having decided to be a loner at the beginning of 12th grade also brought a slight sense of bitterness with it, from having strived for something I actually didn't want, because we're all taught that "It's important to have friends so that we can be happy." (Maslow's pyramid, anyone?)
...................................................................
Putting aside the concept of human contact, one wonders how much control any one individual has over his or her own life and way of doing things in general. I do know that, for instance, you're expected to wear uniforms and to style your hair a certain way when you're past primary school but not in college yet. But, do they value any kind of individual differences in character, likes/dislikes, or decisions?
Well, according to some Japanese anime and video games, they apparently do to some extent (unless this is only what the writers of said works wish were true). Let's look at a few of those:
A Little Snow Fairy Sugar: For most of the series, Salt believes that he can only become a sun fairy because his father was a sun fairy. Towards the end, though, all the fairies go on a trip to learn how to control their part of the weather, and upon returning home, he considers and eventually decides that he would rather be a cloud fairy instead.
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald: When you first confront Flannery, she tries to sound intimidating, but stutters frequently. Upon beating her, she realizes that by trying to be someone who she's not, she confused her Pokemon, which is why she lost. She needs to do things her natural way in order to stand a chance.
Grandia II: This one is really notable. There is no way anyone could have modified this to fit American teachings.
-Roan: Halfway through the game, Roan realizes that blindly following orders from others is not a life. As it turns out, he is the prince of Cyrum Kingdom, whose people have been hiding in shame ever since their god Valmar had been defeated ages ago. Roan tells the people that Valmar wanted them not as people, but as pawns, and that the people must decide their own destiny.
-Tio: An automata (android), one of many who was built to blindly serve their master. During the same part of the game, she had been rescued by Mareg, and thus perceives him as her new master. From there on, Mareg spends a good length of time teaching her how to be her own master.
-Elena: For most of the game, she is a blind follower of Lord Granas, the benevolent god who defeated the evil Valmar ages ago. After meeting with Pope Zera, she is instructed (revealed later) to absorb the remaining pieces of Valmar (she was already possessed by the Wings of Valmar, who in turn claimed Valmar's Tongue and Eyes along the way). Meanwhile, Ryudo is sent by Zera to find the Granasaber (the sword with which Valmar was slain), so that he can defeat Valmar once again. As it turns out later, Zera actually sent them and their friends on this journey so that he could re-embody Valmar. Elena later expresses her regrets to Ryudo about having worked for Valmar instead of Granas, but Ryudo assures her that she is a slave to neither Granas nor Valmar, and it wasn't her fault that they had been deceived all along.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-11 09:54 pm (UTC)In Japan, society tends to put more emphasis on the group than on the individual.
It's true that in the history of Japan there was strong emphasis on it, due to secluded religious practice and lots of small villages. You're probably not going to get physically coerced to participate in social events, but moving to a smaller village while wanting a secluded life would probably not be a perfect idea, since rejecting the group efforts when they require help or something could be considered offensive. Larger cities are probably more relaxed and more "modernized" in culture, so it might just depend on region. Besides, if you seclude yourself from a large mass, who'd notice?
What the "harmony with those around you" more likely would mean nowadays is that there is more emphasis on respect and dignity in regard to how you people treat others in Japan.
As for uniforms and certain hair styles, it's similar to how some schools in the west still have uniforms, or specific dress codes (no hats in class, and I've seen one girl at my school who got sent home for wearing a top that showed her stomach). It doesn't mean they're not allowed to dress however they want outside school.
Conformity certainly isn't an over strict social rule, just look at Japan's pop stars/fashion. So, individuality is no problem in being highlighted in anime, nor is making your own choices (as long as they don't go at the cost of other people's destinies, but that's a universal value anyway). Japan is modernizing, and if there ever was a social structure that truly punished the different/loners, it's declining, and it's probably depend on the region/family how strict they are with upholding tradition views of society.
Appendix
Date: 2019-07-11 09:55 pm (UTC)I think it's more something in the sense of "don't do things in public that might embarrass or disturb people". Don't talk very loudly in the train for example.
I noticed that the activities with peers mostly take place in school (after classes, but still at school). So people who are going to school often stay there quite long. But there are also quite a few students who don't go to any club after school.
TV is really popular in Japan and at home people are certainly doing things for themselves often.
People who are not in school anymore do often have other activities like going to flower arrangement or baking clubs/workshops.
So it's basically just more emphasis on respecting others, no being forced to be social. Now I think about it, here I've seen people actually be offended when you ask them to talk less loud, here we've got more a "don't get into other people's business", while the Japanese have a "don't bother other people" thing.