"Coming from a gypsy-esque style of upbringing, I can't say that my
experiences differ substantially from a state of being I find usual
and fairly comforting. Of course, I have found differences, and
differences within differences--countries differ, cities differ, towns
differ. Essentially, people are people, though, and this often holds
true even in their differences. For example, people from small towns
in Japan and in America share the same stereotypical differences from
the big city folk and vice versa. Though superficially our differences
may be similar, I think the true cultural divide is in how we view
those differences, or rather, how a particular society views them and
in what light they are illuminated.
The focus on differences is what
has been most alien in my experience thus far. The attention to the
'other,' to difference, is by no means a Japanese societal construct,
but it has a jarring feel here. It is the emphasis of conformity
versus individuality. Perhaps conformity has too negative a
connotation for what I mean, but it is as close as I can manage to
describing a group mentality as opposed to a personal one--we the
Japanese, and America, the nation of 'I's.
I could go on at length as
to how this manifests itself, including everyday activities such as my
veganism, my love of sports and the way I dress and how this has been
reacted to, or even more personal instances, which have had a
detrimental effect on my sense of privacy or body image, but I doubt
either of us have the time or inclination to turn this into a
counseling session. Basically it comes down to my feeling of striving
to stand out in America and no matter how weird I looked or acted,
there was always a sense of blending into a crowd, because everyone
else was trying so hard to be an 'I"-entity, too. Whereas now, I find
myself oddly flummoxed by the same feeling of trying to play catch-up,
but the rules have changed. The goal now is to be a united front; to
fit in by not standing out, to not speak first but to consult, and, I
find that for all my work at 'acting normal,' the essential
differences innate in my appearance, my heritage and my language
invite a scrutiny that is difficult to know how to react to.
Please
bear in mind that I am not presenting either mode as superior. There
are benefits and drawbacks to both. There is an incredible selfishness
pervasive in Americana because of this desire to be separate, and in
Japan this sense of we is often welcoming, as well as successful in
promoting teamwork. It is the analogy of the shooting star versus the
rising tide and I am not clever enough to pass judgement on either. I
also apologize if I have completely misinterpreted this assignment;
if I was supposed to create a list of things such as restaurant
etiquette or toilet design. I just wanted to express what I thought
was the real difference between our two countries as best as I was
able in my own words. Thank you."
experiences differ substantially from a state of being I find usual
and fairly comforting. Of course, I have found differences, and
differences within differences--countries differ, cities differ, towns
differ. Essentially, people are people, though, and this often holds
true even in their differences. For example, people from small towns
in Japan and in America share the same stereotypical differences from
the big city folk and vice versa. Though superficially our differences
may be similar, I think the true cultural divide is in how we view
those differences, or rather, how a particular society views them and
in what light they are illuminated.
The focus on differences is what
has been most alien in my experience thus far. The attention to the
'other,' to difference, is by no means a Japanese societal construct,
but it has a jarring feel here. It is the emphasis of conformity
versus individuality. Perhaps conformity has too negative a
connotation for what I mean, but it is as close as I can manage to
describing a group mentality as opposed to a personal one--we the
Japanese, and America, the nation of 'I's.
I could go on at length as
to how this manifests itself, including everyday activities such as my
veganism, my love of sports and the way I dress and how this has been
reacted to, or even more personal instances, which have had a
detrimental effect on my sense of privacy or body image, but I doubt
either of us have the time or inclination to turn this into a
counseling session. Basically it comes down to my feeling of striving
to stand out in America and no matter how weird I looked or acted,
there was always a sense of blending into a crowd, because everyone
else was trying so hard to be an 'I"-entity, too. Whereas now, I find
myself oddly flummoxed by the same feeling of trying to play catch-up,
but the rules have changed. The goal now is to be a united front; to
fit in by not standing out, to not speak first but to consult, and, I
find that for all my work at 'acting normal,' the essential
differences innate in my appearance, my heritage and my language
invite a scrutiny that is difficult to know how to react to.
Please
bear in mind that I am not presenting either mode as superior. There
are benefits and drawbacks to both. There is an incredible selfishness
pervasive in Americana because of this desire to be separate, and in
Japan this sense of we is often welcoming, as well as successful in
promoting teamwork. It is the analogy of the shooting star versus the
rising tide and I am not clever enough to pass judgement on either. I
also apologize if I have completely misinterpreted this assignment;
if I was supposed to create a list of things such as restaurant
etiquette or toilet design. I just wanted to express what I thought
was the real difference between our two countries as best as I was
able in my own words. Thank you."
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