Why do some americans favor to be rude towards other cultures?

[AkiraYamato]

Japan is different alot from your country. We are a very homogenous group. We have almost no foreigners, no other cultural aspects inside our empire. We are a closed society. Most of us are Shinto-Buddhist. Shinto is deeply bound into our daily lifes. Our society bases much on honor, loyality and trust. If you claim to be christian you leave "japan with your soul". People tend to think such a person is not trustworthy. People doubt the loyality of such a person. They mostly get jobs with low prestige, no matter how educated they are, out of fear of betrayal.

 

[Museveni]

The entire current Japanese economy is based on what the US taught you after WW2, mostly through experts like Deming who was hired to fix the low quality japanese industry.

Heck one of the reasons Japan lost in WW2 was the inferior quality of Japanese made weapons and equipment. Even one of Japans greatest military construction during WW2, the Yamato, was destroyed barely scraping the US military forces. This can be compared to the terror spread by German made ships like the Bismark and Tirpitz.

Then again one can wonder how the US industry forgot lessons they taught to others in only 60 years.

 

[Rion]

The entire current Japanese economy is based on what the US taught you after WW2, mostly through experts like Deming who was hired to fix the low quality japanese industry.

Heck one of the reasons Japan lost in WW2 was the inferior quality of Japanese made weapons and equipment. Even one of Japans greatest military construction during WW2, the Yamato, was destroyed barely scraping the US military forces. This can be compared to the terror spread by German made ships like the Bismark and Tirpitz.

Then again one can wonder how the US industry forgot lessons they taught to others in only 60 years.

The inmates now run the asylum?

 

[Museveni]

The inmates now run the asylum?

Somewhat. The US industry started dropping in the 60's and 70's (ironicly the same time the Japanese started picking up speed) after tyccoons and industry leaders decided that Quality management and controls were too expensive and tried to "top stear" the industry instead of listening to workers with better understanding of the production cycle and any flaws it might have.

 

[AkiraYamato]

That is not true. The Yamato and her sisters are counted as the worlds most powerful warships till today and they where absolute ebst quality. They were designed in a time before planes were a big part in war. The Yamato could fire shells over 40 Km, that is greater than you can see a ship on the sea (because the earth is round...). The Yamato could have ripped the Bismarck into two parts with a single shot with her mainguns. In a traditional seabattle i believe Yamato and Musashi alone would have destroyed the entire american fleet. We should not forget, that american ships were not well armed and mostly low quality. They were better than british ships but still easy to sink. In most cases a single hit or torpedo was enough. It is wrong and bad words to say our products were bad quality. Our products were always designed to be good quality. Just look at our swords and other old products. Many of our old craftsman guaranteed with their own honor that their product is best quality possible.

 

[QuiltAngel]

I am still wondering why you came to the US to study, what you hoped to gain from it. What your expectations were. The fact that you had a bad experience does not mean that the whole country is like what you experienced.

It does seem like your purpose was to find the worst of the US and use that to elevate Japan even higher in your mind. You seem to want to push Japanese culture and beliefs onto us. If that is what you did during your exchange year, then I can understand why it was not a good year.

 

[jgarden]

Why do some Americans favor to be rude towards other cultures?

American are just the latest "great power" to be going down the same "arrogance" route as the the British, French, Germans, Spanish, Romans, Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Chinese, etc. from the past.

Why would you feel a need to educate themselves about other cultures when you've lived your whole life based on the assumption that everything associated with your nation is "superior" to everyone else?

 

[ThatRobGuy]

So you are just referring to language? I was thinking this was in the context of foreign visitors, and I'm not sure other than expecting them to learn English, what they need to do to embrace our culture, and why some would call it racist. Maybe a better question is...what is American culture?

An example would be Piers Morgan...he moved here from home country and spends 3/4 of his time lobbying for the US to change our laws to more closely match those of his homeland.

 

[QuiltAngel]

An example would be Piers Morgan...he moved here from home country and spends 3/4 of his time lobbying for the US to change our laws to more closely match those of his homeland.

Yeah, that is something I just don't get. Usually people move to another country because for them they think it is better. I never do understand people who move to another country and want it to be like their home country. Why not just stay in your country and visit here once in a while.

 

[AkiraYamato]

I am still wondering why you came to the US to study, what you hoped to gain from it. What your expectations were. The fact that you had a bad experience does not mean that the whole country is like what you experienced.

It does seem like your purpose was to find the worst of the US and use that to elevate Japan even higher in your mind. You seem to want to push Japanese culture and beliefs onto us. If that is what you did during your exchange year, then I can understand why it was not a good year.

I learned english at school and i thought it would be positive to be a year abroad. It helps in your future job as well.

It ended bad because several things. I was bad prepared. Normally you get courses to learn about the other cultures. My lessons there were short and i only got chats and so on. Most expectations i had were formed from TV shows. I ended up in a village area. There was nothing near that village. The family that hosted me was not what i expected. The house looked pretty poor and my room was small. It was ok though but some things would be not accepted in japan, but i said nothing out of respect. School also was not so nice. I did not feel good there.

 

[TheOtherHockeyMom]

But we're speaking of visitors not following American culture not those who move here wanting to change gun laws.

 

[QuiltAngel]

I learned english at school and i thought it would be positive to be a year abroad. It helps in your future job as well.

It ended bad because several things. I was bad prepared. Normally you get courses to learn about the other cultures. My lessons there were short and i only got chats and so on. Most expectations i had were formed from TV shows. I ended up in a village area. There was nothing near that village. The family that hosted me was not what i expected. The house looked pretty poor and my room was small. It was ok though but some things would be not accepted in japan, but i said nothing out of respect. School also was not so nice. I did not feel good there.

So, a lot of it was your expectations. An exchange student needs to go with a very open mind and not having that open mind is what makes the experience bad for some. Also, exchange organizations allow for you to ask for a different placement if things are not working out. We had one where it was obvious that it was not going to be a good situation for her so we asked that she be moved to a larger town and things went well for her.

What the organizations do not do a good job at of preparing students is letting them know that this country has a lot of smaller towns and that is where most students are placed. Why don't you talk with the organization on how to better prepare students for life in a small town.

I have never heard of a school where the classes were "little chats". If you were expecting the Japanese style of education, whatever that may be, then the organization needs to better prepare the students for the educational system of the countries they are going to.

Yet, trying to prepare students for their experiences is difficult as the students are thinking that they will be able to handle it.

Here, in this country, you need to express that you are not happy about something instead of sitting silent and letting it fester in you. You can let others know that you are not happy in a respectful way. Yet, letting things go and then go home and bad mouth the experience is not respectful to your hosts and the country you were in.

Instead of generalizing and saying that America is all that way, you would do yourself, others and us a great service by stating that "in my experience" it was this way, that it may be different in other situations. Now that shows that your experience was the way it was, but is more respectful to the rest of the country and people.

Respect goes both ways you know. From your thread here and past posts, you expect the respect to be one way and that is towards you and your country. In this country, respect is earned, not demanded by people or cultures.

 

[AkiraYamato]

My preparation was mostly some chats with my host family. Not the school. Sorry i said it wrong. I expected that i go to San Francisco and ended in the middle of nowhere (pilot point). It was disappointing from day one. But i could not say it, because i did not want cause trouble. I´m from Kyoto and my parent raised me very conservative. That mde it not easier. I did not integrate well into the class and tried to be mostly alone. Its common in your country to give each other nicknames. My name is Akira and many just called me Aki...that was very bad for me. They meant it not in a bad way but i felt angry and it was unacceptable for me. I started to provocate then at school. Well...as i said it was a desaster...

Also at school, it was so much talking, while i was used to learn facts.

 

[QuiltAngel]

That is one thing that the organizations need to work on. They need to make it clear that the likelihood of going to San Francisco, New York City or Los Angeles is very very low.

Why don't you find a way to go there for a year of University study then?

I am sorry, but it sounds like you took your disappointment and let it consume you. What you needed to do is to look at the positives and focus on those.

I can also tell you that it was hard on your host family. It is hard for us to take someone who is 17, 18 or around there and to absorb them into our families. We have not been around you for your whole life and we have to learn how to understand you. We have to learn about your expressions.

I have seen exchange students go from being extremely disappointed to loving it. My area has even less population than the one you told me in a PM that you had.

I am just saying that many times our experiences in life depend on how we look at them and what we do with them.

When we can respect the area where we are, then they are going to respect us. My experiences with exchange students is that the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese have the hardest time with life in America. I think it is because of those cultures and how different they are from us and have no way of knowing how to cope. When being shown how to cope, it goes against everything you have ever known.

Check out a University program where you can also be with other Japanese and then you would have the support of others from your culture while trying to find your way in this country. It can be a whole different experience.

 

[rambot]

Living abroad can be very hard. I lived in skorea for almost 5 years. Ultimately, an experience abroad can only be as good as you make it. When you set up expectations for yourself when living abroad, you give yourself an out to be miserable when things don't go "your way".
I knew virtually nothing about Korea (certainly NOTHING about living there) before I went; the Olympics, that's about it. I lived in a tiny bachelor apartment that was smaller than the kitchen I was living in back home. Yes, that could have sucked a LOT, but, I just chose to spend more time out of my apartment exploring. I lived in a city of 200,000 people with only about 12 native english speakers. I RARELY got a chance to speak English (until about month 10 when I started going out of my little berg). There were other challenges, but I made a choice to try to overcome them.

You have to problem solve and be willing to go out of your comfort zone. Not everyone has the character traits, desire, and willingness to live happily abroad for extended periods of time in a culture that is very different from them.

I'm sorry that your experience abroad was so poor. But we are in charge of our own experiences and we frequently have more control over how much enjoyment we can get out of something.

 

[AkiraYamato]

I know it was also hard for my host family. I believe i´m not made to leave Japan. Maybe i can cope with it now more easily since 4 years have passed, because back then i could not so well. I guess you are right that its hard because the cultural difference is so great. Before that i was never outside Japan.

 

[rambot]

I know it was also hard for my host family. I believe i´m not made to leave Japan. Maybe i can cope with it now more easily since 4 years have passed, because back then i could not so well. I guess you are right that its hard because the cultural difference is so great. Before that i was never outside Japan.

Well, living abroad for a long time is NOT the same as just travelling Akira. Travelling is VERY VERY important. My parents were immigrants and I had done a fair bit of travelling before my move. That definitely made it easier even though I knew no specific information.

Do NOT coop yourself up in your own country. The world is a wonderful, large and amazing place. Please do travel around; even revisit America. Visit the places you WANTED to go to. It will probably much closer to the awesome you expected. And if it isn't? Get on a bus/train/plane and go somewhere different!

Travel....HORRAY!!!!

 

[QuiltAngel]

Well, living abroad for a long time is NOT the same as just travelling Akira. Travelling is VERY VERY important. My parents were immigrants and I had done a fair bit of travelling before my move. That definitely made it easier even though I knew no specific information.

Do NOT coop yourself up in your own country. The world is a wonderful, large and amazing place. Please do travel around; even revisit America. Visit the places you WANTED to go to. It will probably much closer to the awesome you expected. And if it isn't? Get on a bus/train/plane and go somewhere different!

Travel....HORRAY!!!!

I agree with Rambot. I love to travel. I have been to 8 countries and am getting ready to add another one. I have traveled to countries that are pretty equivalent to the US as far as modernism and such and I have been to some really poor areas of some countries.

The more I travel and experience first hand the different places, the more I can appreciate the views that the people of the country have and as a result, I have differing views of some places than what the average American has. My travels have allowed me to go past the stereotypes of the countries which is a good thing.

Most of my foreign travels have involved being able to stay with people who live there.

There is so much to see and to do. So many people to get to know. So much to learn.

 

[AkiraYamato]

Well...maybe in next year and not so far. My USA experience really shocked me and i did not leave Japan from that on.

 

[keith99]

Well, living abroad for a long time is NOT the same as just travelling Akira. Travelling is VERY VERY important. My parents were immigrants and I had done a fair bit of travelling before my move. That definitely made it easier even though I knew no specific information.

Do NOT coop yourself up in your own country. The world is a wonderful, large and amazing place. Please do travel around; even revisit America. Visit the places you WANTED to go to. It will probably much closer to the awesome you expected. And if it isn't? Get on a bus/train/plane and go somewhere different!

Travel....HORRAY!!!!

I can understand his feeling isolated and out of place. But there are times and places where that is minimized in the U.S.

Years ago we did a trip to Bryce, Zion and The Grand Canyon, with a one day stop at "Valley of Fire" state part near Los Vegus on the way out. This was in November, the very end of the season for these parks.

My wife being German we noticed just how many Germans there were. Almost as many as Americans at "Valley of Fire". It wasn't until The Grand Canyon that I notices a lot of Japanese. The Grand Canyon has many spots to look out into the canyon. Once or twice it was the Americans who were the minority.

Now I think a lot was the timing, with Japanese and Germans not staying to the peak season nearly as much. But my bet is at least for The Grand Canyon there would always be enough to keep from feeling totally alone.