Job Discussion Forums

angrysoba · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 446 Location: Kansai, Japan

Personally, I find the word "half" - as used in Japan - to be far more offensive than "gaijin". It implies someone that is not complete. I have never had much patience with students stupid enough to use the term in class. "What makes you think English speakers use the term 'half' for people who are half JAPANESE. How much more ethnocentric can you be?" I say before sending them out of the room.

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

Tough love Twisted Evil

! I haven't sent anyone out, but I have 'pulled a face' a few times. 'Half' is not much of an improvement, bi-racial or bi-cultural would be better Cool

.

Maybe we should start a campaign to call Japanese 'insiders' (inside what I will leave to your imagination Wink

)?

BradS · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Gaijin = non-Japanese. Fine. But when, in any intelligent conversation would you say "non-Australian" or "non-Canadian", etc? NEVER. Grouping everyone outside your country into one category is extremely offensive and childish and immature!

I hate when people introduce me as being Gaijin without actually saying what country I'm from. It's not important. Only the fact that I'm NOT Japanese is what matters.

My school recently had a kind of sales period and the sales staff would always tell the new students that "This school has lots of Gaijin". The new students would "wow" and "Sugoi", but all of us could have been from a non-English speaking country for all they know.

I would never refer to someone as an "outsider" or "non-Australian". Maybe "tourist" if anything but otherwise I'd call them their NAME and find out about where they're from (as a 4th or 5th question, not the 1st as seems to be the case in Japan).

The word "Gaijin" just isn't functional and is a dated concept.

luckyloser700 · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 308 Location: Japan

Enough non-Japanese use the term "gaijin" during their conversations with Japanese people that those Japanese people have become comfortable using the term around other non-Japanese people. If several non-Japanese teachers in a school got together and asked the Japanese staff not to use the term "gaijin" because it's found to be offensive, the staffers will probably stop using it. They're not as insensitive as you might think. And, I bet they really don't want to offend the people who help bring new students into their schools. Of course, I'm talking about eikaiwa schools here, but it's worth a try anywhere.

Nismo · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 520

craven · Joined: 17 Dec 2004 Posts: 130

Non-Japanese using the term "gajin" in this country is a lot like blacks in America or Canada using the term "*beep*" in my opinion. By taking possession of a term that has been used against you in a derogatory way, you can assign it new meaning and rob it of its negative connotations. However, in the same way it's NEVER cool for whites to walk around saying *beep*, it's not ok for Japanese to use the term gajin. From their mouths it has racist overtones. From mine, it means whatever I want it to mean!

Interesting side note...when I go to visit elementary schools, I almost never hear kids call me gajin. They'll use my name, or right off the bat ask me what country I'm from and then call me "Canada jin". In JHS though, where they really start teaching kids "how to be Japanese", I hear gajin and gaikokujin a LOT more often...

buddhaboyjp · Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 75 Location: Dai Po, Tai Wo

Like a Rolling Stone · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 872

Thankyou everyone or your thoughts. Domo arigatou gozaimasu. Smile

Big John Stud · Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 513

[quote="angrysoba"]Personally, I find the word "half" - as used in Japan - to be far more offensive than "gaijin". It implies someone that is not complete. I have never had much patience with students stupid enough to use the term in class. "What makes you think English speakers use the term 'half' for people who are half JAPANESE. How much more ethnocentric can you be?" I say before sending them out of the room.[/quote]

I agree! Half is a lot worse because often a child is being referred as half. An adult like Nagoyaguy getting upset about a word just shows he is a cry baby! But calling a child a name to make him or her different from eveyone else is just wrong.

And no Nagoyaguy, I was not threatening you. How in the world could you assume that. I am just concern that you are doing too much drugs and wanted you to know the risk you are taking!

Big John Stud · Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 513

[quote="angrysoba"]Personally, I find the word "half" - as used in Japan - to be far more offensive than "gaijin". It implies someone that is not complete. I have never had much patience with students stupid enough to use the term in class. "What makes you think English speakers use the term 'half' for people who are half JAPANESE. How much more ethnocentric can you be?" I say before sending them out of the room.[/quote]

I agree! Half is a lot worse because often a child is being referred as half. An adult like Nagoyaguy getting upset about a word just shows he is a cry baby! But calling a child a name to make him or her different from eveyone else is just wrong.

And no Nagoyaguy, I was not threatening you. How in the world could you assume that? Assumptions like that is what makes me concern that you are doing too much drugs and so I wanted you to know the risk you are taking!

craven · Joined: 17 Dec 2004 Posts: 130

For some reason, gajin-san has a far more insulting tone to it than just calling someone gajin...something insidious about going beyond labeling me as "foreigner" and trying to replace my actual NAME with "gajin"!

I make my kids learn how to say "Canadian" Very Happy

angrysoba · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 446 Location: Kansai, Japan

Big John Stud · Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 513

Wow! Very well put angrysoba Exclamation

Hopefully the people who posted on this thread will open their eyes!

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

I disagree.

My example is very valid. The fact that in my first story I identify a man as African-American (hence not a foreigner) is completely irrelevant.

Let's reason through this one logically. How can the realtor ASSUME that I am a foreigner? What does a foreigner look like?

I had a caucasian student in my class that was born to a Japanese mother and who didn't speak a word of English. In fact, compared to his classmates, I'd say he was a little behind. He was about as Japanese as Japanese can be...

Recently, a Filipina-Japanese woman was detained by the police and held without charge for several days... When they found out that she was IN FACT a Japanese citizen they released her immediately (but without apology).

Debito Arudo is a naturalized Japanese citizen who carries around his Japanese passport to prove to others that he is Japanese. Should he really have to do that?

Short of airbrushing my skin and getting cosmetic eye surgery, there is NOTHING I can say or do to alter peoples' view of me as a foreigner. Heck, even if I showed a Japanese passport, I'm sure I would be called a foreigner ANYWAY.

All the above people are examples of JAPANESE people who don't look Japanese even though they are. If you think that both of my stories in the previous post are NOT about race and race ALONE, then you are only fooling yourself. If you truly believe that, I've also got some slightly-damp real estate in Florida for sale... Razz

For this reason, my example is no less valid.

Secondly, to answer your (rhetorical) question, soba: YES! I absolutely expect to be accorded the same rights, respect and consideration as a Japanese citizen.

You seem to be confusing two very different issues here.... The rights of a citizen versus basic human rights which should be respected regardless of citizenship.

I'm not asking to vote here.... But nowhere in the Japanese constitution or laws does it say ANYTHING about having to be a citizen in order to be given the same considerations... In fact, I can cite you several examples where foreigners have successfully sued for discrimination in such cases. A famous case in Osaka in 1993 saw a second-generation Japanese-born Korean man sue a landlord who refused him tenancy on the basis that he was not Japanese. The Korean man won restitution for this.

Again, for this reason too, my example is very valid.

Next, I cannot recognize the "foreigner might skip the country" excuse. While this may seem like a legitimate concern, anyone who has ever rented an apartment in Japan, knows that you usually pay 2 month's key money, 1 or 2 month's damage deposit, and your first AND last month's rent! Even if I did skip the country... I can guarantee you, the landlord would NOT have lost on the deal!

Lastly, the colour of my skin is completely irrelevant. Whether I am a white, caucasian, straight, young male, does not entitle others to reverse discriminate just to fill some long-needed historical grudge or "just-world" hypothesis. It may well be true that the doors are open far wider for a white, caucasian, straight, young male than for an underprivileged, African, gay, old female but discriminating against EITHER of them is wrong. Period.

We should have the courage to fight racism regardless of whether we are privileged or not.