In Defence of Japanese Culture

[Q Classic]

explain to him that he drives a mitsubishi.

which is a second-string car in japan.

======

also explain to him that he should be thankful he's not one of the millions of crazy white people who wishes they were japanese, and worships the ground the japanese walk on.

however, also explain to him that his japanophobia would have done much better for him in american pacific life, 1940s.

[Q Classic]

You could point out how the Japanese use Kanji and the Chinese don't

well, the Chinese don't use Kanji, but they use actual characters... which Kanji are, only given a few extra pronunciations...

i think what you mean is that the Japanese use kana, or an actual syllabic writing system, whereas the Chinese are still stuck with an unwieldy, even if it is graceful, logographic writing system.

[Snowflake]

Hey perhaps you could choose another technique. Pretend you totally agree with him. Say with your most extremem enthusiasm that you want to kill everyone of them. See if that will shock him.

... I know I'm getting insane again now.

[Evil Knevil]

Originally posted by Snowflake
Hey perhaps you could choose another technique. Pretend you totally agree with him. Say with your most extremem enthusiasm that you want to kill everyone of them. See if that will shock him.

... I know I'm getting insane again now.

I've tried that, but he still goes on and on and on.. oh god I want to kill him

Thanks for the advice everyone, but I'm specifically interested in counter-arguements. I utterly agree that he's speaking bollocks, but I need examples:

"Japan is just a poor copy of China..."
" What about xxx"

You guys fill in the blank

[pchang]

Originally posted by Q Cubed

You could point out how the Japanese use Kanji and the Chinese don't

well, the Chinese don't use Kanji, but they use actual characters... which Kanji are, only given a few extra pronunciations...

i think what you mean is that the Japanese use kana, or an actual syllabic writing system, whereas the Chinese are still stuck with an unwieldy, even if it is graceful, logographic writing system.

Except in the comics section. There, Chinese uses a syllabic writing system.

EK: Anime tentacle rape porn definitely qualifies for your purposes....

[Urban Ranger]

Actually, Japanese worship white people, particularly Usians. As I pointed out before, after the Meiji Restoration, a period of rapid industrialisation followed, making Japan the strongest country in Asia. After defeating Tsarist Russia in battle, the Japanese superiority was firmly reinforced. They no longer considered themselves to be Asians, but superior to the rest of Asia.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with Japanese culture itself mostly. There are of course messed up bits, like treating the emperor as a god and being absolutely obedient to him. Then there is this bit about Japnese politicians worshipping war criminals.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Oerdin
EK: You could point out how the Japanese use Kanji and the Chinese don't...

Dude, Kanji are Chinese. More specifically, they are borrowed Chinese characters.

kan = han (Chinese)
ji = character

[Q Classic]

it's a well-known fact that the japanese wish they were white...

but ur, have you been to any anime conventions here in america? the sheer number of white people wishing they were japanese would make your brain dash itself on the rocks of some deserted battle royale island...

[Q Classic]

kanji (japanese) == hanja (korean) == hanzi (chinese, but i've never heard anyone actually use this term...)

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Q Cube
i think what you mean is that the Japanese use kana, or an actual syllabic writing system, whereas the Chinese are still stuck with an unwieldy, even if it is graceful, logographic writing system.

It's debatable that a logographic system is superior to a phonetic system. Instead of conveying sounds, it conveys meanings directly. Thus, it's more compact and has a higher information density.

[Q Classic]

how is it debatable? with fewer written symbols to memorize, it's easier to teach and learn, it's easier to sort words (though the radical system found in dictionaries is brilliant and clever...)...

sure it might be more compact and have higher information density, but that's like saying apple computers are sleeker, slimmer, and prettier. whoopty big ****in' do, if only a few people can actually use it for any real utility.

[Dinner]

Isn't it a shrine to all of the nation's war dead and not just a shrine to war criminals per say? Plus I wouldn't call it worshippng. More like honoring; saying we have not forgotten you and all of that.

[Snowflake]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
how is it debatable? with fewer written symbols to memorize, it's easier to teach and learn, it's easier to sort words (though the radical system found in dictionaries is brilliant and clever...)...

Actually Chinese characters are equivalent to English words. They are made up by limited number of "BiHua" which is correspondence to letters, only there are fewer BiHua than letters. To teach and learn a Chinese character for a Chinese is no more difficult than to teach and learn a English word for a westerner.

Corresponding to misspelling in English, there is "CuoBieZi" in Chinese, with missing or wrong BiHua, while people can still guess its meaning most of the times.

[Q Classic]

it is a shrine to the nation's war dead, per se.

there is a book there, that lists all the names.

a few years ago, somebody went into the yakusuni shrine and added the names of the war criminals--and since they can't be removed, war criminals are now honored there as well.

naturally, this causes consternation and displeasure among those nations most directly abused by the japanese war criminals, korea and japan.

i think it's understandable that even if good war heroes are honored, you'd take issue that the person who said it was ok to infect your countrymen, rape your women, and pillage your nation was being honored alongside them.

it's like honoring dahmer right next to the duke.

[Q Classic]

Actually Chinese characters are equivalent to English words. They are made up by limited number of "BiHua" which is correspondence to letters, only there are fewer BiHua than letters. To teach and learn a Chinese character for a Chinese is no more difficult than to teach and learn a English word for a westerner.

is this simplified or traditional written chinese we're talking about?