[ SECRET POST #351 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #351 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Spawned by one of the secrets posted here → Fire Emblem Kink Meme!

Secrets Left to Post: 12 pages, 300 secrets from Secret Submission Post #051.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 ] broken links, [ 1 ] not!secrets, [ 1 ] not!fandom, [ 1 ] too big, [ 1 ] outright says it's not a secret wtffff, [ 1 ] every possible category (???).
Next Secret Post: Tomorrow, Sunday, December 23rd, 2007.
Current Secret Submission Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[thano.livejournal.com]

17. Good book! Although, you know, some people are just slow readers. 8D I'd advise you to be patient. Fangirl/boy later~

32. ... I felt something fluttering in my 11 year old heart at that scene. 8D I wonder if I'm in the same handbasket as you. I just chalked it up to suspense at the time.

33. ... b'aaaaaaaw cute pairing. Too May/September for me, though. =/

47. ... My long-ass rant of rantiness was lost to my laptop's crappy battery, but now that I look back on it, it might have been for the better. Let's see if I can phrase this more tactfully the second time around.

I wonder why anyone goes to a foreign country expecting, well, anything. I know I have preconceptions of Malaysia, Australia, Germany, despite having never been to such places, but I know I'll never know everything about them unless I've actually been there. I'd never take a television show or even firsthand accounts over an actual experience, because the image of reality that that source presents is not the same as mine, and even then, I know my perception is flawed by what I don't know. So when someone describes another country as some sort of Shangri-La, I seriously am doubtful until I go there myself. From what I've personally experienced, most modern countries are very much the same from a cultural viewpoint.

I mean, think about it. Besides nerd and/or geek culture, how much about other American cultures do you know? Let's start with nerd and geek subculture, even: I know I know an amazing amount about anime and manga, a good amount about video games, a fairly decent amount about traditional American pulp fantasy, and a healthy amount about pop music in general. After that? Not much. You could throw a grue at me and I wouldn't know what the fuck hit me. Cthulhu? Huh? And why do some people side so fiercely with DC and/or Marvel? How the hell should I know? Now let's expand that a little more: I know a good amount about rich white kid and middle-class American-Asian workaholic culture, but I have no idea what the latest ghetto trend is, or what's happening to the rich and the famous of Hollywood or Broadway, just because I'm American. Considering how poorly our (nerd) culture is represented on TV, I'm surprised that anyone would consider a TV show an accurate barometer of any given culture of any modern culture of the world. No matter how culturally homogeneous Japan may or may not be, a few television shows could never hope to even begin to describe entire cultures, much less the people who you meet, whether they be truly racist, chauvinistic, sheltered, or scared. Actually, scared might be a good word for what they might be feeling right now: the Japanese place so much value on being the same as anyone that any change might rock their world so hard that they react as though they hate you... which they might, unless someone joins in and makes it okay because they aren't alone. That's why it might seem like they're resistant to change because they hold too stubbornly to their traditions -- it's because that's exactly the case, and they have to be spoonfed any radical idea, or else they react horribly and violently.

You're a fool for expecting too much out of Japan, and doubly for not being able to keep an open mind in a country of minds that are closed. Is it that hard to be understanding? What, are you somehow so much better than the average Japanese person that you can't even afford to give them a little empathy? Would it be better if the world catered to your every need? Are you too wussy to stay with people who are *gasp* racist, or *shock!* chauvinistic, or *dramaz!* close-minded? Newsflash: hermitage might be a good option for you, because some of the most progressive people I know are also close-minded, or racist.

Teal deer, there is no heaven on earth, so suck it or gtfo.

...

Wow, I'm going to regret this, aren't I?

[thano.livejournal.com]

Sorry, that last progressive needs a pair of quote marks because... seriously. >>

[asmaria.livejournal.com]

Thank you for saying that so much more eloquently than I could. And besides, hating people never helped anyone to change, and the Japanese have come a LONG way towards opening up their standards in society. Women have roles now that they didn't have years ago. It took America a long time to get to the point we are now, and even that hurdle isn't fully over- We still have issues with race, gender, religious, political, and other standards. Is it so much to expect another country to change overnight when they started learning of other ways later in life than we did? Were we ever so much better ten or twenty years ago? I really can't bring myself to judge someone like that even if I disagree. I can only share my opinions and hope that perhaps one person at a time, people (and me too, by talking with them!) learn a little.

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[murasaki-kaze.livejournal.com]

Dear Lord, I agree with you so hard.

I've lived here for two nonconsecutive years now and I've met so many people who come here with stars in their eyes and I just want to punch them in the face to give them a wake-up call before the shit hits the fan. Two to three months later, they usually become the most racist people I've ever met. I try to talk to them, help them understand, but they just shut down because Japan isn't "perfect" or it's not "better than home." They berate me for trying to stick up for the country or even because I'm of Japanese descent, and I just wish I could tell them exactly what you just said. They're being complete hypocrites and their attitude only increases the Japanese hostility to foreigners when they go around talking at the top of their lungs how much they hate the "fucking Japs." It doesn't make me hate them, but it makes me sad for them like nothing else.

People need a reality check like there's no tomorrow before they come here. And if they hate the country that much - Go Home.

Re: 47

[doinkies.livejournal.com]

That post reminded me of this one person I had the displeasure of encountering on a Japan-related message board. He was from Belgium, and in every post he would complain about "WHY ISN'T JAPAN LYK BELGIUM" and how Europe is so much better and whatnot. It also seems he had doinky encounter after doinky encounter. Though he did at least leave when he grew to hate it, he still continued wanking about how Japan is so doinky and all Japanese people are doinks, and how Belgium is so much better. And when other members of the board - many of whom had lived in Japan for many years - disagreed with his views and overall view of Japan, he BANNED them (yes, he was the admin -_-). Thankfully, he's gone from that board now. Good riddance.

I think that a major factor in enjoying life in Japan, and really any other foreign country for that matter, is one's attitude and preparedness. Living in a different culture is tough, and everyone gets culture shock - but holding a more positive attitude, and doing research about the place to know if you'd like to live there or not, helps a lot. Many expats I've met online generally like Japan, even if they disagree with some aspects of the culture or if they've had a few encounters with doinky people, and stress that they've had many positive experiences that have outnumbered the negative ones for them.

And then there is the second camp of expat which you described, and the secret-maker definitely falls into this camp. I think she should have only gone for a visit first and not moved right off the bat.

(Man, this is a long reply. XD)