From: blamb@hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Foreign Ogres (was Mr. Baseball
Date: 5 Oct 92 20:31:35 GMT
Organization: Horizon Research, Inc.



=> >=> >I wrote:
=> >The phone booth incident happened in a rural area, and it's reasonable to
=> >assume that I was the first foreigner that girl had ever seen in person.
=> >So.... what can be used to explain 8 year-olds who run screaming into
=> >phone booths?

In article <1992Oct5.154126.886@u.washington.edu>,
tvp@gibdo.engr.washington.edu writes:
=> Certainly there's an appearance component to Japanese children's fears
=> of foreigner's, but my point is that it's probably more
=> psychologically complex than that by age 8.
=> 
=> Or as I said in an e-mail to someone, there is the phenomenon of
=> 'gaijin-con' (so-called "foreigner complex") in adults to consider. I
=> invited a good Japanese friend and his fiancee to my place for a party
=> once.  She accepted the invitation but chickened out at the last
=> minute and stayed in the car. I mean, come on now, you wouldn't say
=> that she did this *only* because I don't look Japanese, would you?
=> 
=> I believe that in Japanese culture (opinion alert!) there is a strong
=> tendancy to avoid situations for which there is no "script". Japanese
=> seem to like having rules to guide them through almost any situation.
=> In anthropological terms, Japanese culture is highly codified. Much of
=> Japanese life is therefore very predictable, and that's the way
=> Japanese seem to like it. From what one says, to how one dresses, to
=> how one holds there hands, etc. I think for some Japanese, throwing a
=> 'gaijin' into the mix is just too much to handle and they freak out
=> because they can't operate on autopilot like they usually do.
=> 
=> I'm not inclined to believe that this phenomenon is completely
=> unrelated to Japanese culture and the socialization of it's people.
=> Sure, we're all pretty much the same, definitely *capable* of the same
=> things, but culture emphasizes some things and deemphasizes others. I
=> think this is one of the things that Japanese culture has come to
=> emphasize.

A bit over simplified and over generalized for me.... but OK, I know
what you're saying. The implication though, is that it is fear that
drives such a "gaijin con". It is fear sometimes, but mostly it is
fear of not acting properly, or fear to offend, and this is a little
different than that of your implications (actually, I'm trying to
explain better the background of what I think you mean), but
causing the same outward effect.

I have this friend who invited some of us G's to dinner a couple of
times, and then cancelled each time. We were becoming a little put off.
Finally I asked what was going on. He explained that his wife really
wanted to meet us, and have a nice dinner, but she became so afraid
that she would do something wrong that she made herself sick. He
explained that she was also ashamed that her english was not good,
even though she took english classes for many years, and so on.

Finally, he invited us again and the dinner went well, although the
hostess was obviously distraught through the entire affair. One of
the things she served buffet style was hard-boiled eggs. She put the
plate on the table and explained, "These are Japanese eggs." I said,
"No they're not.... they're chicken eggs!" She had to say that because
she thought there may be some difference in eggs. Wakarimasu ka?

I agree with Tad to a certain point, in that Japanese do have their
conventions and expectations in the social arena, and are fearful
to be with G's who don't have or know those conventions. But it is
usually more fear of offending or looking stupid than fear of bodily
harm. There's often an element of inferiority complex afoot. This
is also tied in with the tight Japanese social conventions, because
many Japanese feel uninformed about what's expected by foreigners....
assuming that foreigners have similar conventions and restrictions
that they don't know about!

- Bill Lambert