Has Debito gone too far?

[User Name Deleted]

Anyone seen this?
I can't see people in Japan understanding this, seeing it merely as an attack on them. Any comments?

http://www.debito.org/chibikurosanbo.html

[california84]

Great website. You should put this link on the Japanese Racist thread.

Cali

[waller]

Anyone seen this?
I can't see people in Japan understanding this, seeing it merely as an attack on them. Any comments?

http://www.debito.org/chibikurosanbo.html

But you can use the argument that Japanese people don"t understand why racism is racism and thereby nasty and dangerous, in many situations. My very nice and intelligent colleague who is very open minded in many respects, politely and nicely explains to me why we were turned away from onsens. He honestly does not see that it is bad. They should be challenged on such issues if they want to be part of international community.

[person]

But you can use the argument that Japanese people don"t understand why racism is racism and thereby nasty and dangerous, in many situations. My very nice and intelligent colleague who is very open minded in many respects, politely and nicely explains to me why we were turned away from onsens. He honestly does not see that it is bad. They should be challenged on such issues if they want to be part of international community.

Waller, I'd be curious to know what your colleague's explanation was. I mean, I've heard the "if they don't speak Japanese" one before (and can kind of understand that since I don't speak it very well...at all). So, outside of the communication problem (which obviously isn't a problem for many), what is/are the other reason(s)? Again, from your colleague's perspective.

[JayJay]

While my J-girl doesnt make excuses and knows its wrong, she says it has to do with Russian sailors (at least for onsens in Hokkido) and that they never observe the proper ettique, such as washing before getting in the bath. Of course even she says it is wrong and xenophobic to then ban all gaijin.

Its a bit like the "no tatoos" rule because Yakusa have tatoos. Sweeping bans that arent fully thought through seem to be common here. Of course they could just be convienent excuses.....

[User Name Deleted]

This current thread has nothing to do with the onsens by the way. The link is for a parody that Debito has written that may just hit too close to home.

[kurogane]

This current thread has nothing to do with the onsens by the way. The link is for a parody that Debito has written that may just hit too close to home.

I just bothered to wade through the site. His parody is a bit pedestrian, but for someone of his earnestness, I thought it quite clever.
My only response would be that two wrongs don't make a right, but two lefts might. Esp. considering that he is a F'in American, and his people started all that ___ crap in the first place.

Nice find, BTW, J.T.

[waller]

Waller, I'd be curious to know what your colleague's explanation was. I mean, I've heard the "if they don't speak Japanese" one before (and can kind of understand that since I don't speak it very well...at all). So, outside of the communication problem (which obviously isn't a problem for many), what is/are the other reason(s)? Again, from your colleague's perspective.

He just says that non-Japanese don"t or may not know the proper etiquette and the owners can"t explain it to them. I said well, then maybe they can have signs in other languages explaining the rules (have seen this at some bigger onsens) and he says they can"t make signs like that because they don"t know how to write in English.

[comic_muse]

I seem to remember there used to be a restaurant chain named Sambo's in the States.

Not so sure about why Debito finds "Shina" offensive, since there's also the South China Sea (Higashi Shina-kai).

Sometimes Debito does some silly things (the Tama-chan stunt comes to mind), but I figure he's on the mark on this one.

What's also depressing is this quote from the Guardian:

>>100,000 copies of the 30-page book have been sold in the past two months and it has made it into the top five on the adult fiction bestsellers' lists at big bookshops in the capital.

ADULT FICTION???

[User Name Deleted]

He just says that non-Japanese don"t or may not know the proper etiquette and the owners can"t explain it to them. I said well, then maybe they can have signs in other languages explaining the rules (have seen this at some bigger onsens) and he says they can"t make signs like that because they don"t know how to write in English.

What a load of codswallop that is!
I've seen multi-lingual onsen etiquette posters in Japan. I doubt one would be too difficult to get hold of.

[derrick_odd]

There's a thread on the community mailing list and a few people wondered whether many Japanese would actually understand the link being made to little black sambo, as the number of blacks folks is relatively low compared to other "western" non-Japanese. He said that if he got any reasonable complaints that he'd take it down.

I don't frankly think it would get the point across. There's a possibility that people who do understand the point would be so offended that their defensiveness would eliminate any possiblity of introspection, let along civilized debate.

I'd be interested to hear what some of his students think, though. He said on a quick spot on npr that his students tended to think of being Japanese more along the lines of the nation one belongs to rather than blood or appearance by the end of the term.

Here's the NPR link if you're interested: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1319816