From: alan@auntbea.austin.ibm.com (Alan R. Weiss)
Subject: Re: ***(NEW EDITION) JAPANYES;VERY POPULAR PAPER ON JAPANESE BUSINESS STRATEGY (1of2)
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 17:44:16 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: (speaking only for myself)

In article <1992Dec08.175857.24248@microsoft.com> nobuyah@microsoft.com (Nobuya Higashiyama) writes:
>In article <1992Dec5.025004.17665@midway.uchicago.edu> buzy@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>>DISCRIMINATION:
>> 
>>     Although the Japanese are individually are very polite people, Japan is
>>a very racist country, maybe even more so than we are. The common name for
>>foreigners is 'gaijin' in Japan. This is a racial slur somewhat in the way
>>'nigger' refers to a black person in America. There is however a polite form
>>of this word, 'gaikokujin', which means literally 'outsider country person'. 
>
>gaijin - breaks down to [gai] = foreign
>                        [jin] = person
>
>gaikokujin - breaks down to [gai] = foreign
>                            [koku] = country
>                            [jin] = person
>
>BTW, the term for Japanese is 'nihonjin' - "Japan person".  Compare this to
>'gaijin' which is very similar in structure.


This is like saying, "Negro" == black person.  "Nigger" == "dark skinned person."

One is marginally acceptable in anthropological terms, the other
patently offensive.  Yet both point to the same kind of person.
What's the difference??  Its not the actual WORDS, it how they
are SAID.  Its their CONTEXT, their implied meaning.

Another example:  "gook" is a ridiculous, almost childish word:
"mommy, can I have a gooky?"  But, when spoken by a non-Oriental,
it is an OUTRAGEOUS racial slur, and one that is DEEPLY offensive.

No amount of rationalization can replace the fact that, when spoken
by a Japanese, gaijin is meant (to one degree or another) as a slur.
And I find it offensive.  Get it?


>'gaijin' as a racial slur?  Oh, come on ... anyone even slightly knowledgeable
>about the Japanese language know better.  Ignorant remarks like this cast an
>air of doubt, ignorance and hidden anti-Japanese agenda on the entire article.

This is absurd.  Whether or not Leclerc is wrong about this one
particular item has NOTHING to do with the main thrust of the article,
which you have studiously avoided discussing.  One can only
wonder why you focus on the trivial, instead of on the MAIN issues.

Could it be that you tacitly admit their truth?

This is not about race, this is not about culture -- this is about
economic warfare, and explanations for its justification and
the methodology employed. 


>Follow-up to: alt.paranoia and alt.japan.bash.bash.bash

Nah, lets keep it RIGHT HERE where all of us can stare at it
real hard.

If you have rational arguments contradicting Leclerc's assertions,
backed by facts, then by all means post them.  I'm waiting ...............


.... and by the way, I've had foreign exchange students from Japan
live in my home for long durations.  I count them among my friends.
This is not personal.


>Higgy (and no, I don't speak for Microsoft!)
>-- 
>Nobuya "Higgy" Higashiyama              |
>Microsoft Corporation                   | .signature under construction...
>Internet: nobuyah@microsoft.com         |
>CompuServe: 71570,533                   |




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