Quote:
|
Originally Posted by retardation
well it's expected that the united states or any country is going to be more interested in other countries that directly affect them. but i was just trying to say it's not odd for people to be constantly thinking about what's happening in other countries. i'm guessing the the issues in other east asian countries probably affect japan pretty directly anyway (but that is just a guess).
|
Actually, the U.S. doesn't pay all that much attention to other countries. American news broadcasts don't bring up world news stories very much - barring special reports, they would make up about five minutes of a typical news hour. I've seen NHK news broadcasts, and they're not all that much better. Japanese people don't really concern themselves all that much about the rest of Asia at all.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by retardation
hmm so what's up with that that other-nation japanese fascination then?
|
I'm not a cultural anthropologist, but it's likely linked to the conflict between cultural chauvinism and inferiority complex. As Vexx pointed out earlier, Japanese people entertain quite a few myths about how unique they are; at the same time, they're also strong enough realists that they know that other countries are more successful in many respects. It seems a natural progression from this to wanting to emulate this success.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by retardation
it seems real peculiar to me but i don't even know if i fully understand it. i'm sure after ww2 with all those imposed policies there was a lot of american influence on japan but it's one thing to be into baseball and hamburgers and another thing to want to wear some other nation's flag and have your super sayan characters blond haired and blue eyed.
|
It's no more difficult to understand than white people wearing urban clothing popularized by black entertainers or Chinese character tattoos.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by retardation
also, all countries like american goods but it seems like the general trend with other developed countries is to turn their nose up to america... especially ones like japan with an older culture and higher living standard.
|
Que? Japan, of all countries, most certainly doesn't turn up their nose at the U.S. In fact, most Japanese like and are fascinated by all things American. Moreover, the U.S. is Japan's closest (and in a way, only) ally, so there's quite a bit of common interest involved. I'm not sure why you'd think otherwise.
As for the rest,
1. Not all countries like American goods. This is especially true of the more developed countries - witness the spectacular failure of Wal-Mart's attempt to penetrate Germany's market.
2. While the U.S. has always generated a bit of animosity due to its overwhelming power, most of the dislike is caused by American actions. And this isn't restricted to developed countries at all. Note that for similar reasons, in the late '80s, there was a certain amount of dislike, by Americans, of Japan's seeming economic powerhouse status.
3. Most of the world's current dislike for American policies can be directly attributed to the U.S.'s hamfisted adventures post-2001.