From:  (Hajime Yoji)
Subject: Re: Re: Actually
Organization: University of Tasmania
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 08:44:12 GMT

In article <1besrnINNfmg@agate.berkeley.edu>, jcliu@four-lab4.Berkeley.EDU (James C. Liu) writes:


> It seems that Hajime-san doesn't realize that if Japan had more
> minorities, they too would have much more unequal distribution of
> wealth.

Yeah, i agree with that. But if Japan has more minorities, we would be more tolorent to minoritie since
it become necessary to accomodate to such minorites. When you make some hipothesis situation, you
can't use such assumption as 'other things remain unchanged' cos any change affect other factors of 
society and such effect is often unpredictable.

> (Example:  look at all the poor middle eastern persons inYoyogi park in Tokyo).

I never been to Yoyogi.  I am a country boy from Saga-ken of Kyushu Island.  It  is a bad habit of foreigners
to assume that every Japanese come from Tokyo. But anyway, I must tell you that I'm not saying Japan
has no poverty, I'm just try to show 'relative' condition of poors in both countries.

> The US is based on a somewhat free enterprise 
> system which allows almost anyone to start their own business and
> work hard at it to succeed.  This is the reason why so many immigrants
> come here.  Just because the distribution of income is unequal does not
> mean that the system is completely unfair.  Of course no system is
> perfect, but the American system provides the most equal opportunity of
> any nation.  (And I speak as an immigrant myself.)
> Japan on the other hand, discrimates against foreigners as well as their
> own people so that they are prevented from obtaining the level of success
> of their potential.  The ability to start your own business and to
> compete freely on the open market doesn't happen in Japan. I can cite
> Toy 'R' Us's battle to open its stores in Japan as a good example of
> Japan's discriminatory policies which prevent new businesses from becoming
> very successful. 

If American system provides the most equal opportunity in the world, I just can't figure out why there are
such difference of rich and poor in America.  If there is equal opportunity, I think there sould be acceptable
level of equal wealth distribution too. 
Can you explain me why there is so much poverty in US. 

> Japan is more racist, I agree.  But I don't believe the US discriminates
> in terms of opportunity for wealth.  Much rather the opposite is true.
> We can debate on the net over why the US has so much more visible
> poverty and I have my own opinions, but that is probably more for
> another newsgroup.

I would like to here your opinion very much. Question like "why there is more poverty in US than Japan" 
"should" be discussed in soc.culture.Japan. Where else?


> 
> Poverty is an economic state which can be overcome by one's self (at
> least in the United States this is true), but racism is a problem with
> society that is much harder if not impossible for an individual to
> change.  With racism, there's eternal opression, while poverty is just a
> transitory state which I and many immigrants like myself pass through on
> our way to financial freedom.  This is an easy question to answer.
> Poverty in itself, will always be better than racism.
>

You probably think that the reason people in slum are poor is because they don't work hard. 
Yeah, it is true they are often lazy but it is because they are born in environment where
'working hard' or 'going to uni' aren't encouraged. Born in such environment are as unfair as not born as a 
white. Think of yourself. How much support have you obtained from people around you while you
went through so called 'transitory state'. You probably worked hard but your hard-woking nature didn't come
from yourself. It is your parents who brought you up well. 
By saying ' Poverty is an economic state which can be overcome by one's self ', do you mean that if someone,
is poor(so poor that this person even can't feed himself) the reason he is poor is completely his fault. 
So you can just say to him. "You lazy buggar".  


*****************************
  Hajime Yoji 
  Nippon-Kid from Australia 
*****************************
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> James C. Liu - Okay!  I admit I'm a karaoke addict.  Tuesdays and Fridays
>                Cafe Jun.  Berkeley.  On University just across from UC
>                Theatre, next to Round Table Pizza. Japanese, Korean, English
>                See ya' there!
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> End of article 19645 (of 19699)--what next? [npq] 
> 
> 
>