From: aoki@physics.ucla.edu (ken aoki)
Subject: Re: What do most of Japanese think of Korean (Re: An open letter..)
Organization: UCLA Department of Physics
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 92 15:57:40 GMT

In article <2489@aegis.or.jp> davidg@aegis.or.jp (Dave McLane) writes:
>aoki@physics.ucla.edu (ken aoki) writes:
[lot of not directly related stuff deleted...]
>
>>Just to add another data point, I was such a returnee.
>>I spent three years in England as a kid and came back in the
>>first year of junior high school. I was indeed called names
>>(in fact one girl used to call me 'london hakuchi gorilla shiro buta',
>>which means stupid white gorilla pig from london.)
>>In general, I felt no malice and perhaps I was insensitive
>>but I got along with the other students fine, incl. this girl
>>who is a friend of mine.
>
>After the recent flame war (where people said they felt hate because
>of what somebody had done to them and I was trying to say that this
>isn't the only possible response) could you tell us more about
>how/why you didn't feel malice? What did you feel toward the name
>callers? 
>

I think I am usual in this respect.
I think I felt as much or as little malice as I did
for any other types of name calling depending on the
tone, context, etc.
Probably from kindergarten or so, most kids learn not to
react too much to names. Those who react too much tend
to become the bullieds.  I was neither a bully nor a bullied.

Name calling with racist connotations is only one of the many
kinds of name calling that goes on.  The kids do not distinguish
between various kinds of name calling  that much and do so as they
grow up ONLY if they are explicitly told so, at least in most cases.
In the past, people were pretty insensitive to these kinds of things.

I think calling others names that is beyond
their control is unfair, like using their physical features.
(fat, thin, short, long nose, big ears, etc.)
Also racial slurs are most disgusting, and kids should be told so.
                            ___Ken.

>>Just for reference, I mention that in London, I was called
>>a 'chink' many times. In junior school, I was often taunted
>>with 'chinese, japanese, dirty knees'. This was about twenty
>>years ago, so things must have changed a lot.
>>I emphasize, though, that here again I felt no malice
>>and I really had a great time in London. Made friends
>>there and got along with other kids fine.
>
>Some people can do that, some people can't. The ones who can't
>handle it have to go to special schools (either in, or outside of
>Japan), I guess. 
>
>>Kids are cruel. Name calling is common (in Japanese
>>schools, 'baka, hakuchi, notarin, etc' meaning stupid is common.)
>>Unless the older people explicitly reprimand kids regularly
>>not to use names with racist connotations, they will do it
>>amongst other types of name calling.
>>I think racial insensitivity is a great problem and I do not mean
>>to condone it. In this regard, the US is very impressive, but
>>it is by far not the norm. I do not attach any special inherent
>>Japanese behavior in this aspect but I might be in the
>>minority here. I guess I missed the thread on this 'pure
>>Japanese' stuff about which I am totally clueless.
>
>I agree that Japan isn't alone in this sort of thing. And what
>there is doesn't compare with the "ethnic cleansing" going on
>in once-upon-a-time Yugoslavia.
>
>But it's there and some people cope with it better. By that I mean
>everybody. Japanese being called 'chinks', non-natives being called
>'gaijin', etc., etc. Part of this comes from the external event,
>of coursek, but IMHO a lot of it comes from the person being
>called the name. Some people duck, and it goes over their head;
>other people take it head on and get angry....
>
>Dave
>
>--
>Dave McLane 
>JUNET: davidg@aegis.or.jp (ONLY within Japan: post otherwise)
>Nagaokakyoshi, Kyoto Japan Tel: +81-75-951-1168 Fax: +81-75-957-1087


-- 
                        Kenichiro Aoki. aoki@physics.ucla.edu