Herbivore men in Japanese is not "soshoku danshi", it's "soshoku KEI danshi". Just sayin'.
Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
11–20 of 107 posts
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#12>from dreams of the infinite to realities of the finite It certainly feels like the entire developed world is at this awakening point. Some cultures are just built to handle it worse, or better, than others.
If we make it for long enough we will face a time when growth based economics fail. The funny thing is that if you think quality of life is related to GDP per capita then one way to improve quality of life is to allow GDP to stagnate while you decrease the population.
We desperately need to find alternatives to US style consumer economies because they are simply unsustainable and don't really lead to happiness or fulfilment. It amuses me that this article seems to suggest that it is not technological innovations that may save Japan but their longstanding cultural habits and priorities.
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#13> And then there’s the view. Whether it’s the outskirts of Queens on the way from New York’s JFK airport, or the fringes of the Los Angeles highway off-ramps by LAX, everything seems a bit run down and decrepit. Even on the train from Narita Airport to Tokyo, you'll pass plenty of comparatively run down "commerce areas" adjacent to small train stops. The buildings are old, and made of nondescript concrete that have b…
The whole thing mostly boils down to: I've been to the nice parts of Tokyo and its awesome.
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#14Nearly everyone was on the same proverbial page: Japan's population is 98.5 per cent Japanese, as defined by citizenry. While ethnic diversity has its strengths (and some academics point out that, when you analyse the population's regional roots, Japan is quite diverse), a set of common cultural values, instilled from birth, may strengthen resilience in the face of crisis and adversity. Thought-crime in progress, cit…
I think what that means that if some Japanese folk are in a crisis, they (within obvious limitations of individual personalities and capacities) can generally count on each other to "do the Japanese thing". That brings a certain spontaneous efficiency and order into a chaotic situation, compared to having to deal with clashes of different mindsets on top of the crisis.
Indeed, we were all counting on that with Fukashima.
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#15Herbivore men in Japanese is not "soshoku danshi", it's "soshoku KEI danshi". Just sayin'.
I just looked it up and you're technically right; that's apparently the official dictionary term, but I've never heard anyone actually say that. Everyone calls them "soshoku danshi."
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#16I don't find his reasoning compelling at all. Countries can coast on the efforts of previous generations for a long time. Indeed, you would expect to see all the outward signs of prosperity in a society which has comparatively few children to whom resources must be allocated.
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#17Nearly everyone was on the same proverbial page: Japan's population is 98.5 per cent Japanese, as defined by citizenry. While ethnic diversity has its strengths (and some academics point out that, when you analyse the population's regional roots, Japan is quite diverse), a set of common cultural values, instilled from birth, may strengthen resilience in the face of crisis and adversity. Thought-crime in progress, cit…
Well even Robert Putnam has admitted that diversity is overrated.
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#18Not exactly a hard-hitting analysis.
Just looking at the title of his book "Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S." gives doubts to his objectivity.
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#19I think when comparing Japan's growth versus other countries one has to remember the differences between GDP growth and GDP growth per capita (as the article alluded to). I live in Ontario, which basically has been sub 2% GDP growth since the 90s, but has had around 1.1% population growth. So most of the GDP growth has been from population increases rather than people individually becoming richer. Sometimes I thing the Japanese are on to something.
Re: Turning Japanese: Coping with stasis
#20Herbivore men in Japanese is not "soshoku danshi", it's "soshoku KEI danshi". Just sayin'.
I just looked it up and you're technically right; that's apparently the official dictionary term, but I've never heard anyone actually say that. Everyone calls them "soshoku danshi."
Well the kanji uses "kei" too.