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callmesim
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 279
Location: London, UK
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 Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:11 am Post subject: |
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| If it's school kids I say hello. But when it's a teenager, saying "hello" is exactly what they want. Been there, tried that. And I'm not talking about the friendly hellos either. |
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canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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| callmesim wrote: |
| I get the odd "hello hello hello hello hello" from a smartar*e teenager. I've always wondered the best way to handle it. I usually just ignore it and walk away. But deep down I wish I knew the Japanese for "your mum's a wh*re". If for no other reason but to see what the reaction would be. |
 You have issues. |
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markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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| callmesim wrote: |
| yes they're just teenagers but socially it's not acceptable at any level. And they should know it. |
Isn't that the point of being a teenager - knowing you can doing stuff that is socially unacceptable. |
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Venti
Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 171
Location: Kanto, Japan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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If someone knocks into you and doesn't say sorry, sure, go ahead and give that person a piece of your mind.
If it's just some punk-ass Japanese kids trying to have a laugh at your expense, let it go. Japanese kids are pretty hard on their classmates as well as their own friends. By Western standards some of the stuff they say can be pretty harsh even though it's par for the course for them.
The point is: considering all the crap they can dish out to each other, why be surprised or offended if some gets dished out to foreigners. Kids get a free pass in this country anyway. They're called children here until they're 20.
Look at one kid who recently was in the news. He killed his own mother 7 years ago at the age of 16. He was put in a juvenile correctional facility until the age of twenty, then released. His criminal record was not made public. Soon after his release, he killed two 20-something sisters in Osaka. Not too many complaints about the judicial system after that one, either.
People let kids get away with murder here. Getting bent over some racial comments made by some smart-asses is pointless. |
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kdynamic
Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 562
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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| I just watched a documentary about that, how if you're a juvenile and you commit murder, you'll be sent to reform school and let go in a year or so, at the worst. Crazy system. |
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bluefrog
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 87
Location: Osaka
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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OK, so it seems the majority recomends ignoring the comment. Sorry if I seemed so childish. It seems I should get over the racism and just accept it.
By the way I just gave the teenager as an example. I have been refused service at a restaurant and the owner threw the "GAIJIN" word at me in the most hurtful way possible. I have been called "GAIJIN" in a rude manner by people of various ages, NOT just teenagers. It is a word I find very offensive.
But where do you draw the line with what you will put up with and what you will won't ignore. If someone on the street or in a bar confronts you with "Go home foreigner" in Japanese do you carry on as if the person said nothing? With kids, is it better to let them going on thinking foreigners are called "GAIJIN" or should we correct them? With teenagers is it better to ignore the comment and let them think foreigners are weak or ignorant of the language. With adults is it worth making the effort to explain ourselves or should we concede that we will never change their mind? Just some food for thought... |
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osakajojo
Joined: 15 Sep 2004
Posts: 229
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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| I have been refused service at a restaurant and the owner threw the "GAIJIN" word at me in the most hurtful way possible. I have been called "GAIJIN" in a rude manner by people of various ages, NOT just teenagers. It is a word I find very offensive. |
I find that hard to believe. I think you are lieing.  |
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callmesim
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 279
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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| kdynamic wrote: |
| I just watched a documentary about that, how if you're a juvenile and you commit murder, you'll be sent to reform school and let go in a year or so, at the worst. Crazy system. |
Ooo oooo oooo! Is that the Channel 4 documentary "Teenage Japanese Killers"? I downloaded and watched it last week. Terrible stuff but sadly something that didn't surprise me about Japan. |
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6810
Joined: 16 Nov 2003
Posts: 309
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| Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:38 pm Post subject: |
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| osakajojo wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I have been refused service at a restaurant and the owner threw the "GAIJIN" word at me in the most hurtful way possible. I have been called "GAIJIN" in a rude manner by people of various ages, NOT just teenagers. It is a word I find very offensive. |
I find that hard to believe. I think you are lieing. |
I think you should right click the words like lieing [sic] that have the red dots underneath and select the correct version. Either that or cool concept spelling dude. |
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kdynamic
Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 562
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 12:09 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Ooo oooo oooo! Is that the Channel 4 documentary "Teenage Japanese Killers"? I downloaded and watched it last week. Terrible stuff but sadly something that didn't surprise me about Japan. |
Yes that was the one! I found it pretty interesting.
| Quote: |
Bluefrog:
But where do you draw the line with what you will put up with and what you will won't ignore. If someone on the street or in a bar confronts you with "Go home foreigner" in Japanese do you carry on as if the person said nothing? With kids, is it better to let them going on thinking foreigners are called "GAIJIN" or should we correct them? With teenagers is it better to ignore the comment and let them think foreigners are weak or ignorant of the language. With adults is it worth making the effort to explain ourselves or should we concede that we will never change their mind? Just some food for thought... |
How good is your Japanese? If it's pretty fluent, then I think you're in a position to do something positive in these situations. You can calmly explain that racism is an ignorant way of seeing the world and hopefully get them thinking. Or at least make an impression on other people in the vicinity if the person in question is hopeless. If it's a kid, it could be a good opportunity to educate them by letting them know it's kind of rude and they should be nice to people who look different from them. This is assuming you're in a situation where they are clearly using the word in an offensive way.
However, it sounds to me like you are very likely misinterpreting some of these comments. If your Japanese isn't up to scratch, it's pretty cavalier of you to jump to all these conclusions. I have seen a lot of people get very worked up about percieved insults when in fact they are just misunderstanding what people are saying. |
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Hoser
Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 694
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 12:25 am Post subject: |
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| 6810 wrote: |
| osakajojo wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I have been refused service at a restaurant and the owner threw the "GAIJIN" word at me in the most hurtful way possible. I have been called "GAIJIN" in a rude manner by people of various ages, NOT just teenagers. It is a word I find very offensive. |
I find that hard to believe. I think you are lieing. |
I think you should right click the words like lieing [sic] that have the red dots underneath and select the correct version. Either that or cool concept spelling dude. |
He probably doesn't use Firefox. Oh the poor IE user. I feel for him. |
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canuck
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 1921
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 1:07 am Post subject: |
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| bluefrog wrote: |
| By the way I just gave the teenager as an example. I have been refused service at a restaurant and the owner threw the "GAIJIN" word at me in the most hurtful way possible. I have been called "GAIJIN" in a rude manner by people of various ages, NOT just teenagers. It is a word I find very offensive. |
Your location is Osaka? Name the restaurant or provide the address. I call bullsh*t.
| kdynamic wrote: |
| However, it sounds to me like you are very likely misinterpreting some of these comments. If your Japanese isn't up to scratch, it's pretty cavalier of you to jump to all these conclusions. I have seen a lot of people get very worked up about percieved insults when in fact they are just misunderstanding what people are saying. |
This seems like the most logical explanation. However, I still call bullsh*t. You made your point earlier, but extending it with your current rant seems convenient.
| Hoser wrote: |
| He probably doesn't use Firefox. Oh the poor IE user. I feel for him. |
FF 2.0.0.1 > IE7
More people on this board would make reading it much more pleasurable if they understood that concept! |
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bluefrog
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 87
Location: Osaka
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| Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 1:52 am Post subject: |
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My Japanese is pretty good. Like I said, I've been here a few years. I passed 2 Kyu 2 years ago (although I realize not everyone who does well on those tests can communicate verbally). I've also worked a number of part time jobs that required me to speak only Japanese.
I don't think it's fair of you to say I'm lying. It shows a complete lack of class. I wouldn't make up something like that just to gain sympathy or strengthen my point. I'm also not a pregnant man. Not everyone's experiences in Japan are the same.
For the record, It was a curry restaurant in Kyoto. I don't know the name because it was one of those hole in the wall joints. Actually, I was with Japanese friends at the time and they it was better to leave than make a scene... |
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kdynamic
Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 562
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:18 am Post subject: |
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| I never said you were lying. I am sorry that happened to you. It sounds like your Japanese is good enough to correctly interpret what they said. So yeah, that must have sucked. It would probably make me feel really bad if that happened to me. I guess all I can say is try to find a way to turn it into a learning experience for both you and them and see if you can't get something good out of a bad experience. |
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bluefrog
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 87
Location: Osaka
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| Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| kdynamic wrote: |
How good is your Japanese? If it's pretty fluent, then I think you're in a position to do something positive in these situations. You can calmly explain that racism is an ignorant way of seeing the world and hopefully get them thinking. Or at least make an impression on other people in the vicinity if the person in question is hopeless. If it's a kid, it could be a good opportunity to educate them by letting them know it's kind of rude and they should be nice to people who look different from them. This is assuming you're in a situation where they are clearly using the word in an offensive way.
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I agree. I always make a point of correcting my students when I hear them say "GAIJIN". I also do this with my friends and it usually works.
How do you deal with the jerks in public who confront you for no other fact than you are a foreigner? Is it better to ignore these people? I was taught that racism is a combination of fear and ignorance. Can talking to these people make a difference?
I've replied a few times with "NIHONGO GA WAKARIMASUYO" and gotten very suprised facial expressions in response. That and silence. |
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