🚀 go-pugleaf

inagaki@aclab1.resrch.anritsu.co.jp (Shintaro Inagaki) writes:

>In article <2734@aegis.or.jp> davidg@aegis.or.jp (Dave McLane) writes:
>    >>I just came on a copy of the U.N. Universal Declartion of Human
>    >>Right. If ideas presented there were fully implemented, things
>    >>would indeed be very different but, in fact, they aren't. I'm not
>    >>denying the need for human rights, I'm just saying it's an
>    >>implementation problem, not a design problem. 
>    >>
>Yes, it is an implementation problem; but my point was:
>Implementing methods are a lot different in U.S. and in Japan;
>that will make many foreigners feel difficult to survive in Japan.

Only if the continue to assume that things work (or should work)
here the same way they do in their home country :-)

>The method difference is:
>
>In U.S. society, people tends to pass the human rights law (design) first
>and then implement the rights.  They believe in law.

This seems to be so and I think it comes from the history of the
society where people banded together to overthrow the previous
colonial government and create another form of goverment. 

>While, in Japanese society, people tends to try to implement human rights
>not relying on the law; no one believes in law.

I have no evidence to support this, but my suspicion is that this
is coming from the fact that people in Japan have never risen up
and overthrown their form of government. Instead, great reverernce
and respect is shown to historical continuity. Thus change
comes about in a very different pattern.

>People does not try to establish the design on paper;
>but try to have an agreement by many men as a common idea.
>It is sometimes called the atmosphere or the AIR of the society.
>It is a too long story and I will discuss the AIR another time.

I've never heard this term before. Is is something like the French
"ambiance" (social-emotional atmosphere)?  In any case, I hope
you'll put up the details when you have a chance. 

>Any way, Western way of approach sometimes does not solve the problem.

I agree. However, sometimes it does and the skill involved here is
to know which one best fits the situation....

># By the way Dave,
># I feel that your way of life is very Japanese; if you do not mind.
># Would you express the same opinion if you were discussing in U.S.?

Yes, I would say exactly the same thing. I've always spoken my mind.

But of course in the U.S. I would be accused of various "Unspoken of
Crimes Against Society" as many/most people there expect my line of
thinking to be according to U.S. Conventional Wisdom.  Of course
some people on this side of the water expect my line of thinking to
be what they think is U.S Conventional Wisdom and it's not. 

I think you would find the same thing: ideas that go against
Japan-side Conventional Wisdom wouldn't cause you so much trouble in
another country as you wouldn't be expected to conform.  Except, of
course you might well be expected to conform what the people
there thought was Japan-side Conventional Wisdom.

The great part about living in Japan is foreigners aren't expected
to fit in (like they are in the U.S.) and hardly anybody talks to
you. Most of the time I get to live outside of both kinds of
misplaced expectations. Very comfortable :-)

Dave

--
Dave McLane  davidg@aegis.or.jp
You're free to copy/quote/translate as long as credit is given. 
Nagaokakyoshi, Kyoto Japan Tel: +81-75-951-1168 Fax: +81-75-957-1087