happyhappy 0 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 OK I have just been in a meeting at work and there were a few new people as well as a few from a company that my company does business with. I didn't have much to do in the meeting apart from be there and make a few points at the beginning. Nearer the end it became more relaxed and a few of the new people started coming out with you know the usual fairly harmless but tiring gaijin comments (one told me that 'all gaijin eat cornflakes for breakfast' - not ask me of course, tell) but then it descended into this gaijin discussion and a few pretty racist remarks were made. It all made me very unfomfortable and I didn't quite know how to react. I wanted to walk out, but didn't because there were some important people there and I thought I would sit it out and maybe mention it later. I was wondering how other people dealt with this kind of thing. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 It's annoying when people say racist things, but as a white guy, I'm pretty much at the top of the totem pole :smug: I get more annoyed when I hear racist comments about other races like Chinese because it tends to be a less benign then. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 It is good to talk about it happyhappy. If you suffer in silence nothing will EVER change. If it were me I would probably suffer through it just like you did, for want of being polite, BUT I think I would have a word to my boss/supervisor about it later on. Make an appointment, address the issue, compare it to sexist comments or whatever else you have to draw parellels to that your company will understand, and ask for his/her help to try and correct the behaviour of others. If it comes from above - not from the complaining cornflake eating Gaijin - all the better. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Japanese are quite openly racist about Chinese I find. The only other time I've seen such racism is in Australia where it seems to be acceptable to be racist to abbos and muslims. As ger says, in Japan caucasians are on top of the totem pole so its mainly positive discrimination. Link to post Share on other sites
happyhappy 0 Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Yeah I know about the racism to different people etc, I was hoping this thread might be more a 'how to deal with situations like I had today' rather than 'are Japanese racist', if you see what I mean. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 were they racists comments, or ignorant comments? I find most Japanese fall into the latter category. I dunno what was said so not saying they werent, but find that most people are just ignorant here is all. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Originally Posted By: Mamabear Make an appointment, address the issue, compare it to sexist comments or whatever else you have to draw parellels to that your company will understand, and ask for his/her help to try and correct the behaviour of others. MamaB, In the Japan world that will not work. Happy will end up looking like the whiner in the situation and will likely harm his standing in the company. Unfortunately, in Japan it is sometimes better to just walk away (like mum always said!) Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Originally Posted By: bobby12 Japanese are quite openly racist about Chinese I find. The only other time I've seen such racism is in Australia where it seems to be acceptable to be racist to abbos and muslims. As ger says, in Japan caucasians are on top of the totem pole so its mainly positive discrimination. "abbos" I have always thought that to be a racist name. Like nigger, chink, jap, gook, wop, dago, spade, pole, taff, mick, jock, frog, kraut, gringo, paki, etc. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Go on Thursday - have a good stir. Seriously, I do actually agree, but have no problem referring to my Dad as a POM...it is somehow different when you are using them as terms of endearment within your 'own'. Sometimes it is the tone in which the term is used, rather than the term itself. ***As for what technique will work in Japan...I am sure you guys are right ... but how will any change occur if no-one is ever made aware that thier comments or behaviour is offensive?...I just don't get it...**** Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 hands up those who don't eat cornflakes. Me. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Me either. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Originally Posted By: thursday. hands up those who don't eat cornflakes. Me. I'm pure Gaijin - I do! Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I eat em too. Wish I could say I didn't but I do. I'm also a Canadian whose favourite sports are skiing and hockey. I'm a walking stereotype! Hey, Happy Happy... Are you really getting bullied over there or is it just a few dumb-ass ignorant but otherwise harmless comments? Link to post Share on other sites
AK 77 0 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Originally Posted By: Mamabear Me either. I think you mean "Me neither." Honestly, where did you learn to speak English? Oh, wait, I see... Bloody Ozzies. Now what was this thread about again? Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I get a little sick of the explanation that most Japanese are just ignorant. Racism is always born out of ignorance and the Japanese are a classic example and they are without doubt one of the most xenophobic and racist nations around. Whether or not they mean any harm (sure, usually they don't) is somewhat beside the point. If you encounter it you should make it known that you don't feel comfortable with those sort of comments. Still I often say pretty racist things about the Japs so I guess it cuts both ways Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I've had some apparently racist things said in my presence, sometimes "just loud enough so he can hear" by obaachans, and other times directly to my face. Sometimes it's shocking coming from a work associate or someone else that you've known for a while, and you get that "now where the heck did that come from" feeling. I get the impression that half of the time it's simple ignorance, and the other half of the time it's a passive-aggressive attack by someone trying to be the "alpha dog". If you get visible upset and flustered, they give you a pandering "sumimasen, I didn't think that kind of thing bothered you," then go off and giggle to themselves because "they got you". I'll usually tell them with a total deadpan expression that I didn't think Japanese were that ignorant and make it out to seem that I am not angry, but instead "feel sorry" for he or she for being backward or somehow otherwise beneath me. That way you "save face" and win. Also, even if it happened to be an innocent ignorant comment and not some pointed mind-game attack, you will still come out on top. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 AK77, Yes you are correct! LOL!!!! It is not normally colloquial slackness that gets me!!! It is normally typing too fast, typing "Deaf" (grammatical issues and leaving the ing/ed etc off things), or late night alcoholic stupor. But on this occassion - I have no excuse! I stand corrected! My ethnicity is showing!! Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Funny story - well not funny but surprising Was teaching a doctor a few weeks back - we'll call Tanaka. Now anyway Tanaka and I were just talking abotu sports he liked and he mentioned he loved baseball. Fair enough I thought. Then asked him why he loved baseball. His retort was that it wasn't a sport that the British invented. Now had to correct him on this and he wasn't chuffed about hearing it and refused to believe me. Anyway, he then proceeds to say that he hates football. Again, understandable and wanted to hear why; over-paid prima donnas, diving, cheating or can't play it himself. The answer I will never ever forget but he said that he hates it because the British used it to colonize the world and take over countries food and money by introducing football because it was easy to play. The British would come to a new country, give people footballs, then injure the natives to stop them from defending their food. At this point he then protested his English wasn't very good to which I cried BS and pulled him up on it. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 He sounds like an angry man! The people I work with pretty much know what is acceptable and not - though when they do come out with a 'no brain' racist-type comment I can't help but be disappointed. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Bring them up on it - make them think about it. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Originally Posted By: RobBright Funny story - well not funny but surprising Was teaching a doctor a few weeks back - we'll call Tanaka. Now anyway Tanaka and I were just talking abotu sports he liked and he mentioned he loved baseball. Fair enough I thought. Then asked him why he loved baseball. His retort was that it wasn't a sport that the British invented. Now had to correct him on this and he wasn't chuffed about hearing it and refused to believe me. Anyway, he then proceeds to say that he hates football. Again, understandable and wanted to hear why; over-paid prima donnas, diving, cheating or can't play it himself. The answer I will never ever forget but he said that he hates it because the British used it to colonize the world and take over countries food and money by introducing football because it was easy to play. The British would come to a new country, give people footballs, then injure the natives to stop them from defending their food. At this point he then protested his English wasn't very good to which I cried BS and pulled him up on it. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Originally Posted By: stemik Originally Posted By: RobBright Funny story - well not funny but surprising Was teaching a doctor a few weeks back - we'll call Tanaka. Now anyway Tanaka and I were just talking abotu sports he liked and he mentioned he loved baseball. Fair enough I thought. Then asked him why he loved baseball. His retort was that it wasn't a sport that the British invented. Now had to correct him on this and he wasn't chuffed about hearing it and refused to believe me. Anyway, he then proceeds to say that he hates football. Again, understandable and wanted to hear why; over-paid prima donnas, diving, cheating or can't play it himself. The answer I will never ever forget but he said that he hates it because the British used it to colonize the world and take over countries food and money by introducing football because it was easy to play. The British would come to a new country, give people footballs, then injure the natives to stop them from defending their food. At this point he then protested his English wasn't very good to which I cried BS and pulled him up on it. I hope no Englisher gets to be one of his patients. Link to post Share on other sites
Ewok 2 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 "The English Patient", good movie. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Of course the Japanese know nothing about taking over other countries for food, money and resources.... Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Ok just got back from teaching the dude - so today's lesson was British History as I thought screw the English and lets get to the nitty gritty So I asked Tanaka what he thought about British history as he mentioned that he was an Anglophile (yes I know, stupid as it may seem after the last story) and thought that about 200 years ago, the British were kind and very 'gentlemenly'. I politely asked in what way did he think that the British were kind and to my aghast he said that they were very accepting of racial, and religious miniorites, in the Georgian era. I suggested that he might not know what he was talking about but he insisted that he was right. So out came the history file - human zoos of foreigners, blacks, asians, freaks and misfits, how public lynchings still happened and the best for last - hwo the British invented the concentration camp. It shut him up good and proper and I walked out the lesson feeling great - fed up of Brits being perceived as gentlemen and purveyors of honour! Link to post Share on other sites
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