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Minder
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Clearly I am from a different generation or your comments would not have touched such a nerve with me. I was raised by an extended family of relatives who got to experience first hand the "benefits" of the "superior" Japanese culture during WWII. Be careful with such throwaway lines as dinosaurs such as me still walk the earth and had you said such a thing to me in person well...my reaction would be instinctive and akin to yours if you caught me pissing on a grave at Arlington.
Now that is behind us I do find the original post subject here interesting. The international media being what it is you seldom see or hear good things about anyone.
Japan to me therefore is land where people work long hours 6 or 7 days a week as corporate cattle, housed in tiny dog box accommodation, where you can buy used female underwear from vending machines, where people are employed to pack passengers into overcrowded subway trains, where young men are turning into hermits in their own homes (1% of an agegroup) rather than face the continual demands to excel in their society. Most recently I saw a documentary on a Japanese school for very young children where they are kept bare chested to make them
tough (the programme said this was extreme even for Japan but highlighted what the competition to excel was like). Do any of these points have any basis in reality?
Of course the same international media still has me and my peers hunting our native aboriginals for sport, letting boat people drown rather than land and ready to go to war with most of our Asian neighbours.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:56 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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dannyboy
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Minder...with all due respect...I am speaking from living amongst them not from the past...so I understand their are "negatives" in any culture. But it is my belief that the positives of the Japanese culture outweigh the negatives. I assume you are from Australia and you are correct concerning the media. Have you seen the movie Rabbit Proof Fences? If so is that the right interpretation of what happened to the Aboriginals?
db
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 7:31 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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Minder
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Dannyboy - with all due respect - I AM trying to move on - not talk history - forget history - the negatives I mention about Japan are those that I am exposed to regularly by the media. Do they have any basis in fact, I am curious to know. I thought I made that clear.
As to past sins - I have not seen Rabbit Proof Fence but am told it is accurate. Can we now Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and move on to the present?
Re-reading your post it would appear you are saying that the things I mention are all true and correct.
What are your impressions of the general treatment of women there. Would you advice a Thai woman to take up with a Japanese man and move to Japan or would she be treated as a third rate citizen? Again I am curious about this.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:26 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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Thin White Duke
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Jeez Minder- What's your point? First world ness has never come easy, and Japan was nearly blown back to the Stone Age. The entire social structure was taken apart and put back together, and luckily, some of the Bushido code survived and was transferred to what westerners call the protestant work ethic.
Is this more useless continual blathering the Unibomber was so keen on, about the "bad" industrial society, or would you just rather see us all up in trees again eating nuts and berries?
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 9:24 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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Minder
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WTF? Do I have to type it slowly and in CAPITALS?
Question 1. Does the international media portray the problems of modern Japanese society accurately or is it all a crock? Is "hikikomori" really sending over a million young Japanese into hiding from modern society due to the pressures placed upon them or is that crap to? Thought I would ask someone who lives there.
Question 2 What are your impressions of the general treatment of women there. Would you advice a Thai woman to take up with a Japanese man and move to Japan or would she be treated as a third rate citizen? Again I am curious about this.
Unibomber? I have no idea what that reference is about. As to being offended by Dannyboys original post about wishing that Japan had won WWII (Go an opinion on that TWD?) - ???? (To be fair DannyBoy sort of retracted that post).
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 10:02 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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11bravo
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I see nothing in Minder's posts about wanting to move back to the trees. Who's fault was it that they were taken back to the stone age (as in don't start something you can't finish). I certainly would not like to be a salaryman in Japan; homogeneity is nice up to a point. Respect is great, but when it hobbles creativity... As Zulu said, junior staff quiver before senior staff, not willing to speak unless spoken to. And perhaps it IS because they know you are american that you are treated with respect. Ask the 2nd generation Korean how well he is treated there. Or other asians... Or ask them why their digestive tracts are different than caucasians so they cannot import so much american beef.
Not saying that America, or other countries necessarily treat immigrants (or natives) better, but I do think other countries tolerate diversity much better.
And certainly not saying Japan does not have its good points, and certainly the things you cited are valid; I just think one has to look at the total picture. After all, what do you think the answer would be to this question asked of any third world person: America or Japan - your choice.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:05 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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Oldtimer
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The chairman of Sony told me a couple of years ago that the biggest problem Japan faced was the shortage of reasonably priced housing. This has led to many women choosing to stay single, and young couples going childless. As a consequence, the population is aging badly. Without significant immigation the Japanese race could actually die out in about 200 years.
I know all the countries of Asia and have quickly learnt to feel at home in them, except for Japan where I will always be a "gaigin" despite having a basic knowledge of the lingo.
I was alive during World War II and remember the shocking tales boys of my age told after lights out at boarding school about the Japanese internment camps in Hong Kong, Shanghi, and Malaya. So this probably makes me quite prejudiced about this tribe of people.
Nevertheless, I have known and lived with many Japanese people and respect them as individuals. They can also have a good sense of humour. But if I was planning a trip abroad, I would prefer to spend my time with other folk e.g. Thais.
I also do my best to keep out of Japan on my travels although I frequently use the rule driven airline called JAL. The planes are clean and the Thai stews on the NRT/BKK sector lots of fun both on board and in BKK if one is lucky enough.
IMHO Japan Inc. was at its zenith in the early 1990's. In the first quarter of the 21st. century it will be time for China's place in the sun. I grant you though that Toyota still makes the best motor cars in the world.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:42 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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dannyboy
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I apologize Minder for reading your post incorrectly...as far as your question about Thai women moving to Japan with a Japanese man well to generalize as to my experience. The older generation here is stuck in the traditional times women sit int the back seat of the cars frequently...wear aprons at all times and are very domesticated...they seem to do all the child raising. The younger generation (I believe mostly due to the influence of western culture) the women are more liberated and I percieve are seen more like equals by their husbands as opposed to inferior like the older generation. So I guess if a Thai women could move to Japan with a Japanese fellow...I believe it would depend on the age of the man. BUT she would have to get ready for a big culture shock regardless of the age. This culture is very closed off and the Japanese people seem very rigid until you get to know them as friends and they are very nice people. I have been told that the Japanese see themselves as superior to the "darker Asians" I guess this can be confirmed by their neverending quest by the women to escape the sun. So it would be tough for a Thai women.
db
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:14 pm on Nov. 23, 2003
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Minder
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Dannyboy - No worries mate as we say, no blood no foul as you say. Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, her boyfriend is clearly of the new generation and I guess therefore unlikely to treat her badly "per se". Still you have confirmed my fears of what awaits her when she returns to Japan as his wife.
Not that there is a damn thing I can do about that anyway. It's her choice. Mai bpen rai.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 12:39 am on Nov. 24, 2003
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Zulu
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Interesting point about China reaching for the golden ring. From all my business contacts, personal investments, research and general observation, a agree withe pundits that China most likley will be the next economic superpower - rapidly eclipsing even the US.....
....But only if they can solve the problem of unbalanced growth. I understand that the Government is shovelling 70% of overseas development assistance directly to the poorest western counties. So I guess the leadership sees the same problem - a coastal economic powerhouse with a few hundred million disenfranchised citizens is woefully unstable.
Curious to see how it all plays out but right now shrub's response seems to be protectionism as PRC seems to need less of our gadgets than we need of their garments.
Sheesh, this is really off the good old topic of Sanuk. Mea culpa.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:29 am on Nov. 24, 2003
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