negativenadia replied to your post: negativenadia replied to your post: Ah this is…

oooo very true…he’s 1st generation? his dad is japanese and his mom is american though…but he has the same mindset!

Then he is 2nd I think. Usually that’s how it’s counted (1st generation means ‘arrival’ generation).

• Could be some Japanese thing.
• In Japan, each locality (state, prefecture) has quite different mindsets/culture for how to judge personality based on ‘speech act’ and ‘what the person really is’. So his dad might carried it - 
• *Also we have our own tradition of uncompromising, un-yieding individualism. 
• or he - had some clues about how not to drown in this giant culture of ‘sarcasm’ 
• or he was able to cut through clutter with his own intellect etc - 

It’s just -this American sarcasm culture - especially now spreading among younger side of its population - is really gigantic. 

And in short, in Japan, probably we tend to choose to shut our mouth - than to speak sarcastic or cynically. That kind of silence - while holding onto something one believing in - is our way. More respected. And probably considered more empowering - in our own ways.

In our view probably learning to be sarcastic or cynical - looks like divorcing from your own core beliefs or values. (Thus such person become considered irreparable. Also a person who can’t be taken seriously.) 

Rather choose to be silent. Or state firmly and plainly - with strength - what you believe, support etc. 

No jokes. That is important.

negativenadia replied to your post: Ah

this is exactly how my boyfriend is…i guess it is a japanese thing

Dunno he is 1st or 2nd generation. 

But yeah. 

We dont’ really play American kind of sarcasm. Nor we consider American kind of sarcasm as the sign of intellect or good heartedness. 

We tend to plainly consider person who is often sarcastic as - a person with flawed (defective) personality. Probably. 

It’s a sign of ‘giving up’ - giving up raising your voice or continuing into your action - based on your values and belief. 

Making such compromises with making sarcastic comments - repeatedly - is a character flaw - fatal - to Japanese eyes.

Either you endure for what you hold and strike out sometime -  or - yeah, we believe people should make statements matching to what they believe. 

That simple strength in personality is expected. 

So - to Japanese - I think American sarcasm and cynicism is the sign of ‘fudging your own core belief/value’ - in a way. 

Not having courage to - live with simple statements and simple actions. 

And that kind of explains how American individualism died.

Everyone became always thinking about how other people react. There is no individualism in there. 

negativenadia replied to your post: Log

no he changed his url and only giving out to a select few bc people were threatening outing him!

He did one particular post which helped wrapping my take/view on Islam most rational and natural (non-forceful, no posture, no pressure - really humane and caring) way. 

And it’s been like 4 months? and now I finally came to have space in my head to think along with his posts - I thought :(