Japan is a Fucked Up Country

Vorpy

No, this has nothing to do with anything in Anime or Hentai.

In general, from what I gathered, they are

* Involuntarily conforming
* Have extremely warped ownership/creative commons rights (whatever the fuck it is that allows you to make fan works or post pictures of something on the internet) on the use of already existing works
* Have high suicide rates
* Have extremely rigid censorship policies
* Xenophobia to foreigners
* Unsteady produce budget (buying food and shit)

Icalasari

Eh, I think every country is fucked up

vacasama

Then there's the rampant misogyny and the ridiculous emphasis on class and hierarchy.

Ponicalica

« Have extremely warped ownership/creative commons rights (whatever the fuck it is that allows you to make fan works or post pictures of something on the internet) on the use of already existing works»

Not really, it's just that they don't enforce copyright with regards to dōjin because half of all manga creators used to write dōjin anyways.

FrodoGoofballCoTV

Personally I think they're more fucked than fucked up.

• Japan already has one of the highest debt / GDP ratios in the world.
• Earthquake cleanup is expected to exceed cost of rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina.

But they do have a rather odd approach to culture from a western point of view.

vacasama

What do you mean "odd"?

CommandoDude

Its no wonder their suicide rates are so high. The way they overwork their students and employees.

FrodoGoofballCoTV

Well, maybe I should say, odd from my point of view, but anyway:

• Censoring hentai with a thin line.  I know it's just getting around a stupid law, but....
• The whole bushido thing always bothered me.
• Panty fetishes.

But I still love Japanese culture, it's just that it feels like I'm a Nightmare Fetishist sometimes.

Vorpy

Did you know:

Victory Dragon was deemed too overpowered in Japan due to the fact that their moral codes and sense of honor was so high that most people would threaten to kill themselves than surrender to avoid losing a match to this card. In America (and everywhere else) people don't mind quitting to avoid losing an entire match.

Icalasari

^ That seems a little too ridiculous to be true

Vorpy

^ Yugioh is ridiculous. People threaten to kill each other because of Judgment Dragon.

Icalasari

^ I SERIOUSLY doubt any of those threats are serious/made by someone with any maturity

DonZabu

I already made this thread back on old IJBM.

RocketDude

Yeah, from a Western standpoint, they look weird as hell.

DonZabu

You know what, fuck that perspective stuff. They're weird as hell no matter what lens you look at it from.

CommandoDude

Deemed too overpowered? Victory Dragon sucks. The effect is just a big stupid "F U NOOB" and its not useful at all.

vacasama

I think I can explain the Victory Dragon/suicide thing.  In Japan, losing face is SERIOUS BUSINESS.  Japanese players losing to that card would be considered a loss of face.

RedEyedAbyss

Didn't the Abridged Series teach you anything? Card games are Serious Business.

Back on topic, I think Americans are weird. Why single out Japan?

snowbull

TvTropes is rather obsessed with Japan and related things.

Noimporta

I think I can explain the Victory Dragon/suicide thing.  In Japan, losing face is SERIOUS BUSINESS.  Japanese players losing to that card would be considered a loss of face.

I think this is overstated, I'm sure people would consider, or even actually go through with, suicide for not being able to enter college or something serious, but I really doubt that'd be the case for losing a children's card game. Particularly since nobody ever plays Victory Dragon anyway, because it sucks.

Wicked223

For some reason, I feel like most criticisms of Japanese culture is based on a slightly skewed view of the place.

RedEyedAbyss

Well, I like American cartoons.

Anyways, why I find Americans weird:

*They are very individualistic. The free market is often worshipped as a god, most notably with the idea that universal health care as used by every other developed nation is "socialism". Not to mention right-libertarians.

*They generally seem ignorant of foreigners. Even Canada is treated as some mystical land.

*The gap between the rich and the poor. That leads to things like the US having the best universities, but some of the worst public schools, which probably explains a lot.

*They are rather hostile to science (rather ironic, considering their scientific achievements). Creationist classes would rarely, if ever get mainstream attention in other countries.

*American football.

Chagen

oh wow

The ignorance in the above post is so fucking insane it's incredible.

We don't have creationist classes. It's required by law to teach evolution, even in the south. That's just one I could point.

RedEyedAbyss

Yeah, I don't really play American football, so I suppose it's not fair for me to judge it.

More seriously, why do you respond so much more strongly to my post than Vorpy's post about Japan? Stereotypes are nastier when they hit closer to home, eh?

Trash_Vortex

He said "mainstream attention". They don't necessarily have to happen, but way more people over there seem to want to push it.

DonZabu

^^ I have yet to see most of these accusations against Japan refuted.

Ponicalica

«We don't have creationist classes. It's required by law to teach evolution, even in the south. That's just one I could point.»

Not entirely true.

Although in terms of bad curricula, I'd point to history class first.

DonZabu

>Although in terms of bad curricula, I'd point to history class first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_history_textbook_controversies

Wicked223

Eh, most of those were pushed by fringe conservative groups. You know, like the ones that do the same thing in America.

Vorpy

^ like with the Marias Massacre.

Never heard of it?