On Jan 2, 8:51 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: While there is some truth in this, there have been experiments that > show that the actual way of apprehending differs between the cultures. > And, in some ways, things like ‘they..lack creativity’ is not even > close to reality.
Orn, You are right that I did not explain myself clearly and may be adressing a point that you did not make. I am leading off with what you said so that hopefully, I am responding to your ideas this time. It seems that you are saying "in some ways" the Japanese are not lacking in creativty. Please explain what those "some ways" are and the produce evidence to back up your claim. I have already offered evidence that in the balance Japanese culture, even at the end of the 20th century, is a rigid culture that does not encourage inovation. I will offer more evidence in another post that will follow this one. My evidence also showed that Japanese culture is a cruel, racist, culture much like Nazi Germany was, even today. Those articles that I printed were long and you may not have read some important parts. Here are there paragraphs that are important. The article was written by two "westerners" who have lived in Japan for many years. The article mentions that one of them is married to a Japanese woman. Who are the Japanese? Anthropologically it is not at all clear: a conglomerate of Polynesian, Malay and mainland Asian elements, perhaps from Mongolia, who imposed themselves on the aboriginal Ainu and gradually drove them northwards. The precedence of the Ainu in the islands, like the thorny subject of Japanese army atrocities against the Chinese in the 1930s, is another point glossed over by the schoolbooks. Culturally it is a different story. Japan has a notion of its own uniqueness that many Japanese are convinced an outsider could never fathom. The Japanese language ovefflows with words of status, words of self-abasement, words of guile and subterfuge - and many words that defy accurate translation. Words like Ciri and On translate as 'duty' or 'obligation', but the depth of their meaning is quite different. Within the tightly-ordered framework of Japanese groups - village, family, school, workplace - they weigh heavily indeed. Outside these groups they lose almost all meaning. Thus in Japan there is little goodwill for someone you don't know and little sense of a broader public interest. Peter Tasker, in his book Inside Japan, calls the Japanese the 'kindest, cruelest' people in the world. The face presented depends entirely on whether you are seen to be part of a group or outside it. On April 28 1952 Japan was restored to its sovereignty after the post- war American occupation. The nation had miraculously 'endured the unendurable', as the Emperor had enjoined it to do, and had proved a surprisingly warm host to thousands of US troops. This paradox is usually explained in terms of the group system: events had shown that Japan's imperialist ambitions were illusory, and the White Man was top dog. Thus all ranks and groupings moved down one notch giving Americans top status. One of the first acts of the post-occupation government, however, was to require all foreigners to carry a fingerprinted ID card. Protests were immediate and continue On Jan 2, 8:51 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > “Perhaps Japan has something to teach us, but they also have much to > learn. In the process of fitting in, the Japanese people, though > intelligent, lack creativity. They are good at reverse engineering and > improving products, but originallity is almost non existant. "The nail > that sticks out gets hammered down," describes prewestern Japanese > society and even now this approach is highly influential. I am glad > that I do not live in such a society….” – Ish > > While there is some truth in this, there have been experiments that > show that the actual way of apprehending differs between the cultures. > And, in some ways, things like ‘they..lack creativity’ is not even > close to reality. The same for other prejudices. > I have been studying the Eastern cultures in differing ways since the > 1950s and find much that is miles ahead of western mores and thinking… > and, of course, the reverse it true too. Overall, I have learned much > from these cultures. > > On Jan 2, 5:46 pm, Isparklaria <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Perhaps Japan has something to teach us, but they also have much to > > learn. In the process of fitting in, the Japanese people, though > > intelligent, lack creativity. They are good at reverse engineering and > > improving products, but originallity is almost non existant. "The nail > > that sticks out gets hammered down," describes prewestern Japanese > > society and even now this approach is highly influential. I am glad > > that I do not live in such a society. > > > As for the size of the universe, what has that to do with anything. > > The fact that we are the only known beings that can make a scale and > > measure shows that in some ways we are far more important than the big > > objects and long times we measure. > > > On Jan 1, 10:01 pm, "Jason (Memphis)" <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > True. Perhaps we need to learn something from the collective societies > > > such as Japan. > > > > On Jan 1, 8:37 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > ...as would most institutions in the West today. > > > > > On Jan 1, 5:57 pm, "Jason (Memphis)" <[email protected]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > If hubris became a crime, the entertainment--especially rap music-- > > > > > industry and political system in the United States would collapse in a > > > > > day! > > > > > > Jason > > > > > > On Jan 1, 7:13 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > It is said by many that megalomania is the worst state. Even in > > > > > > classical Athens, hubris was a crime. > > > > > > > On Jan 1, 11:28 am, stem cell <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > ...and God (god) made them all just for ME. > > > > > > > > On Dec 31 2008, 10:29 am, CrossBow <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Nice Marble Collection Orn! > > > > > > > > > check out this galaxy marble...just for fun:) > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Dec 30, 2008 at 8:38 PM, ornamentalmind > > > > > > > > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I guess it is only a pic..not a vid. And, when it comes to > > > > > > > > > 'relative > > > > > > > > > size'...progressions and stars, try this one. > > > > > > > > > >http://www.physics.uci.edu/~observat/Physical_Scales.html > > > > > > > > > > On Dec 30, 7:54 am, CrossBow <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > >http://files.meetup.com/1339416/1204743767038.gif > > > > > > > > > > > this is a pic/vid with relative size of our solar system > > > > > > > > > > progressing to > > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > > > largest known star...borrowed from upload by Cory:) > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > > > > > gnothe se auton > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > > > gnothe se auton- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. 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