|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
|
 Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
I've had major problems with Asians' hypersensitivity to noise on multiple occasions over the past 2+ years.
.....
I realize I'm not going to change the mindsets of billions of East Asians, |
Gotta admire a fella that has no fear of making wildly simplistic, bordering on racist, stereotypes of 'billions' of people. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
|
| Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I was going to say the opposite, as my wife says I am much more sensitive to noise than her. Fighting cats, loud TVs, etc find me annoyed  . I also don't llike her to vacuum at 2 am either  . |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
parrothead
Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 342
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I'd be interested in getting an update from the OP. How did things work out for you, Yawarakaijin? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
| markle wrote: |
| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
I've had major problems with Asians' hypersensitivity to noise on multiple occasions over the past 2+ years.
.....
I realize I'm not going to change the mindsets of billions of East Asians, |
Gotta admire a fella that has no fear of making wildly simplistic, bordering on racist, stereotypes of 'billions' of people. |
Then does that mean you think that westerners are, in general, just as sensitive to noise?
This isn't racism, it's just the truth: Asians are more sensitive to noise. Whether it's cultural or whether it's because they have a superior sense of hearing (okay, I guess that would be racist against westerners), I don't know.
I've had multiple neighbors (both Korean and Japanese) complain to the landlord about things like the clinking of chopsticks and spoons and the opening and closing of a door. Not throwing any wild parties here, just sounds that occur in a person's daily life. In one case, a Japanese guy by the name of Masaki threatened to kill me because I'd been talking with a friend in a low voice one night. At first I thought he was just joking, but then a few days later he brought it up again a few days later, not because I'd made more noise, but because he didn't think I'd apologized sincerely (complete with more threats of physical harm), and I realized it was no joke, he actually planned to cause me bodily harm if I made noise again. So I got the hell out of that place.
The OP also has a neighbor who is hypersensitive to noise, and other people in this thread have agreed that this is not just the OP's problem.
So yes, East Asians are, in general, more sensitive to noise. Maybe there are some who can sleep through a leaf blower, but I stand by my statement. It's no more racist than saying "westerners are hypersensitive to living in spaces that aren't huge" or "Americans are hypersensitive to the price of gas." I believe that it's a trend that's generally true, but I'm sure there are some exceptions. I stand by my generalization, though. There is a difference between a generalization made from ignorance, and a generalization made through the experience of living in an area for over seven years. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
Rooster, I disagree. I have been surprised by how oblivious to noise some Japanese can be- the way they put up with all the announcements and loudspeaker monologues is amazing. Sometimes we will walk past someone electioneering and I ask my husband "What was he talking about?" and my husband will say "Who?" He doesn't even notice them, and he's not the only Japanese who does this.
I would say complaints are more likely to happen here largely because of thin walls and proximity rather than anyone's sensitivity. I live in a fairly new, thicker walled building and have never had complaints from other people in the building- we rarely hear any of our neighbours either. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bozo Yoroshiku
Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 139
Location: the Chocolate Side of the Force
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
This isn't racism, it's just the truth: Asians are more sensitive to noise. Whether it's cultural or whether it's because they have a superior sense of hearing (okay, I guess that would be racist against westerners), I don't know.
I've had multiple neighbors (both Korean and Japanese) complain to the landlord about things like the clinking of chopsticks and spoons and the opening and closing of a door. |
I think the problem is they don't like you. I've lived in Asia for nearly 15 years and have not had a noise complaint once, whether to my face to my landlord or to my realtor. And I've had parties, home-theater-with-surround-sound movies, video games blasting, and animals. Certainly not all the time, nor even close to what one would consider even often, but occasional enough I should have come across someone who didn't like it. Nope. Nada.
Compare this to back home in Canada, where I've had pissy little minor complaints about all sorts of stupid things. Hell, someone complained about the Christmas decorations I hung in my residence window.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:30 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| I stand by my generalization, though. There is a difference between a generalization made from ignorance, and a generalization made through the experience of living in an area for over seven years. |
In seven years you have experience with a billion people? I've been in Asia for 21 years and I doubt I'd lived near a thousand. Let's say its a generalisation based on limited experience. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The point is surely that some Japanese will certainly complain about foreign residents making any noise, in the hope (or knowledge, if the complaints are vociferous enough) that the foreigner will probably be moving on (i.e. more or less forced to move on) eventually. It may not be conscious racism, but it it surely harassment, and I wonder if it would be directed so readily at or cause no repurcussions (serious ~ ?) with fellow Japanese tenets (were they to direct their anger at "each other" instead). I mean, did we give the OP a hard time? No, we didn't.
So, Rooster, I hope that you at least notified your landlord (as you moved out) that you had a nutter for a neighbour - or would the landlord endure a potentially repeated loss of rental income just so as not to disturb the wa generally (to say nothing of the peace/state of mind of one poor innocent Japanese tenent). I bet his neighbours didn't like him, especially if he went around making death threats against them too. Pah, what a pathetic individual!
Last edited by fluffyhamster on Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sour Grape
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 241
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Apsara wrote: |
Rooster, I disagree. I have been surprised by how oblivious to noise some Japanese can be- the way they put up with all the announcements and loudspeaker monologues is amazing. Sometimes we will walk past someone electioneering and I ask my husband "What was he talking about?" and my husband will say "Who?" He doesn't even notice them, and he's not the only Japanese who does this.
|
That sounds like the selective obliviousness to noise that has been my LIMITED experience of Japanese people to date. They don't bat an eyelid when the jagaimo van / right wingers / city hall van urging them not to set fire to their kitchen / unwanted electronics truck van drives past, but mutter and grumble if someone dares to whistle or have their mobile phone not on silent mode. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
| markle wrote: |
| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| I stand by my generalization, though. There is a difference between a generalization made from ignorance, and a generalization made through the experience of living in an area for over seven years. |
In seven years you have experience with a billion people? I've been in Asia for 21 years and I doubt I'd lived near a thousand. Let's say its a generalisation based on limited experience. |
I didn't say I'd lived around a billion people. Do I need to live around a billion people to get a basic idea of what the people are like? If that's what you think, then I guess you don't take much stock in polls and surveys, either... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:08 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Sour Grape wrote: |
| Apsara wrote: |
Rooster, I disagree. I have been surprised by how oblivious to noise some Japanese can be- the way they put up with all the announcements and loudspeaker monologues is amazing. Sometimes we will walk past someone electioneering and I ask my husband "What was he talking about?" and my husband will say "Who?" He doesn't even notice them, and he's not the only Japanese who does this.
|
That sounds like the selective obliviousness to noise that has been my LIMITED experience of Japanese people to date. They don't bat an eyelid when the jagaimo van / right wingers / city hall van urging them not to set fire to their kitchen / unwanted electronics truck van drives past, but mutter and grumble if someone dares to whistle or have their mobile phone not on silent mode. |
Exactly. Cutting bricks all day long in front of an apartment building? No problem. Using a jackhammer nice and early in the morning? No problem. Produce truck broadcasting loud messages at 8:00 in the morning? No problem. It's just when you turn up your TV too loud that all hell breaks loose. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
reasonJP
Joined: 17 Jul 2008
Posts: 48
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Nobody complained earlier this year when Rock Band was successfully imported and friends came over to bash on drums and sing exceedingly badly, so I think I'm ok. It all depends on your building though. I've got relatively thick walls. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Yawarakaijin
Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 504
Location: Middle of Nagano
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| Sour Grape wrote: |
| Apsara wrote: |
Rooster, I disagree. I have been surprised by how oblivious to noise some Japanese can be- the way they put up with all the announcements and loudspeaker monologues is amazing. Sometimes we will walk past someone electioneering and I ask my husband "What was he talking about?" and my husband will say "Who?" He doesn't even notice them, and he's not the only Japanese who does this.
|
That sounds like the selective obliviousness to noise that has been my LIMITED experience of Japanese people to date. They don't bat an eyelid when the jagaimo van / right wingers / city hall van urging them not to set fire to their kitchen / unwanted electronics truck van drives past, but mutter and grumble if someone dares to whistle or have their mobile phone not on silent mode. |
Exactly. Cutting bricks all day long in front of an apartment building? No problem. Using a jackhammer nice and early in the morning? No problem. Produce truck broadcasting loud messages at 8:00 in the morning? No problem. It's just when you turn up your TV too loud that all hell breaks loose. |
Can't believe this thread is still alive. I agree completely with the above. It seems utterly selective what pisses them off and what doesn't. I think she may have given up complaining because none have been related to me over the past few months. Maybe she died. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
