Hello MSX users,
This message is especially for non-Japanese MSX users (so, almost everyone
on the mailinglist! ;-)
Today it became very clear again that Japanese and non-Japanese have a
complete different attitude towards certain things. In this e-mail I want
you to warn for this.
Since in Japan it is easier (well, most of the time) to get MSX stuff (most
of the time rare in Europe), many European MSX users ask Japanese MSX users
to look for MSX stuff in Japan. Please be very careful with this:
If you ask a Japanese person a favour in the form like: if you might by
accidence walk into some MSX stuff some time, could you buy it for me,
please?
This request is most often meant as a not important favour. The European guy
is asking the Japanese guy for a very small favour (in his opinion): just,
IF you run into MSX stuff, SOME TIME, please buy it for me. He means: don't
take any trouble, it is okay if you did not run into MSX stuff, it is okay
if you have no time to go anywhere (so no chance to find MSX stuff), it is
only that IF you by ACCIDENT run into some MSX stuff, please buy it. If you
are in that shop ANYWAY (for your own purpose), please take the very small
trouble to buy it for me.
This is what European people mean normally. They are NOT asking the Japanese
person to GO to a shop ESPECIALLY for them... NO, they only say: IF you are
there BY ACCIDENT some time and see something BY ACCIDENT, please buy it...
However normal this sounds to a European person, it sounds very strange to a
Japanese person. When you ask this to a Japanese person, he is reacting not
as you would expect from a European (or American, whatever non-Japanese)
point of view. The Japanese person will think he should be very kind to the
European person (or anyone else)who asked him this favour, just out of
politeness. Therefore, he will see it as his DUTY to try and find MSX stuff
for the European user. He will try his ultimate best to find MSX stuff for
him, even if it costs him a lot of time and money. He will also try to do it
as soon as possible, like immediately. (Even if the guy who asked for the
favour said that it is not a priority thing, that he should not hurry!)
And when he finds it (finally), he will tell the European guy it was no
problem. So the European guy thinks: hey, he ran into some MSX stuff and
bought it... Great! We are both happy, since I have now my MSX stuff and the
Japanese person had almost no work getting it. How easy! So next time he
will ask the Japanese guy again, since it isn't any tough work anyway, he
supposes.
The Japanese guy will try his best again and if this happens a lot, you can
almost destroy him... Most Japanese are too polite to refuse or to complain!
CONCLUSION: Be VERY careful when asking a favour from a Japanese person.
Maybe you should first make it VERY VERY VERY clear that there is a
difference in culture/attitude regarding favours and that you mean a
different kind of thing than the Japanese person would assume you do.
Otherwise you will have a chance that you ruin the Japanese person, without
even knowing/realising it!
This whole thing may sound very strage to non-Japanese people, but today I
had an experience and an extensive talk with my Japanese collegues here
which made me write this e-mail. It is really TRUE! So be VERY VERY careful!
Maybe you already knew this, but then again I want to repeat: please
consider this very thoroughly and be REALLY careful!
I hope I do not sound too patronizing, but I think it is a very important
thing. Good luck...
(And I would appreciate it if someone would forward this to the MSX
newsgroup (I have no access now) and/or spread it otherwise....)
Best regards,
Manuel
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PS: MSX 4 EVER! (Questions? See: http://www.faq.msxnet.org/)
PPS: Visit my home page at http://bilderbeek.cjb.net/
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