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Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

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Re: Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

#141

Post by Locke1689 »

jimbokun wrote: post #121
Locke1689 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said in a cousin comment, the nationality of the players is irrelevant. I would count non-Japanese citizens playing in the NPB as members of Japanese professional baseball, just as I count Mo as a member of the MLB.

As I noted in another comment, we can compare MLB with the English Premier League. MLB and the EPL are considered the best leagues in the world for their respective sports, but that does not mean that the U.S. and England produce the best players. Comparing the two leagues, MLB has placed a greater emphasis on the home run (probably because Japanese players are smaller on average than many U.S. and Latin American pla…

As I noted in another comment, we can compare MLB with the English Premier League. MLB and the EPL are considered the best leagues in the world for their respective sports, but that does not mean that the U.S. and England produce the best players.

Except that that's never what I said. I said the MLB is a more competitive ball league than EPL. With the internationalization of trade and sports I'm not sure it's terribly important what the nationalities of the players are.

The World Baseball Classic is the only serious competition we've had to compare national styles at the highest level, and so far the Japanese system has won out. Granted, a sample size of two is probably not significant, but it seems all we have to go by.

As a good statistician would say, a result with an insignificant sample size is worse than no result at all because it can fool one (as it did you) into thinking it has any significance at all.

Re: Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

#142

Post by carussell »

harisenbon wrote: post #130
Poiesis wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reminds me of the trouble I have with "African-American". I often have no idea where someone's cultural, racial, or national background is, and I believe it would be rude of me to presuppose a particular country. Anyway, the problem usually comes up when I'm trying to describe someone to someone else (physically, I mean). I mean, if I work with three people who are black and 50 who are not, there is an obvious w…

This reminds me of a story that my friend told me from when she was at college. The daughter of the ambassador from Jamaica was a student at the college, and she was being interviewed by the student newspaper as an interest piece. The interviewer apparently asked her how she felt being an African-American at the (predominantly white) college. The interviewer could not fathom why the daughter (being neither African no…

The interviewer apparently asked her how she felt being an African-American at the (predominantly white) college.

The interviewer could not fathom why the daughter (being neither African nor American) was upset by the question.

Since when are black Jamaicans any less African than black United States-ians?

Re: Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

#143

Post by Locke1689 »

jimbokun wrote: post #120
Jun8 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, it's hard to agree with this. I think you're equating success in world tournaments with professional level of play, which may not be the case. As a case in point, consider the recent FIBA World Campionship: Turkey played the final with US and gave it a run for its money (at least at the start of the game). Serbia was awesome, too. The US Team didn't even make it to the final in the previous three times ( http://…

In basketball, also, the level of play has come much closer to the U.S. level. The U.S. did not win the FIBA tournament since 1994. They lost in 2006 with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. It's also important to note that several of the best non-U.S. pros sat out this tournament, also. Notably, Pau Gasol, the second best player on the champion Lakers and probably the best big man in the world right now.…

Do you really watch a lot of baseball? The American roster there looks pretty crappy. They have Jeter (thank god) and a couple other big names but where's the power? Where's ARod? Pettite? Halladay? Teixera? Cliff Lee (god I hate him for how awesome he was in the 09 WS)? Sabathia? Buerhle?

I think the entire setup is bullshit though. You get a bunch of guys who don't really want to be there to play in an "all-star" team that, for some reason, is assumed to have any unit cohesion at all. You're better off just playing championship series in every country and then playing the winning teams, regardless of nationality. I think "The Yankees" is a better team than any "All-Star" bullshit they come up with.

Re: Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

#144

Post by inboulder »

This doesn't explain or even address why the Japanese favor 'large round eyed' actors in ads for beauty products, why darker skinned Japanese women are not featured on TV, and why the current depictions of beauty in Japan eschew many traits common to classical Japanese portrayals of beauty.

It is glaringly obvious that European ideals of beauty have enormously affected the Japanese aesthetic, especially including anime; almost any Japanese person you meet will readily admit to this, to claim otherwise takes willful ignorance.

Re: Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

#145

Post by mbubb »

jimbokun wrote: post #126
mbubb wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US has the best players at every position in basketball, hands down. Not quite the same in baseball but you could produce a dominant American team. But might not have the best team always. I think there has been a decline in US baseball and basketball as team sports. I am not sure I could empirically prove it though. I find it hard to sit through an actual game in any major US sport, though I find myself still follow…

"US has the best players at every position in basketball, hands down." I'd take Pau Gasol over any U.S. big man. That's probably it, though.

Yes true - or perhaps Hakeem Olajuwon in his prime or Tim Duncan maybe... not quite as absolute as i made it

Re: Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

#146

Post by jimbokun »

Locke1689 wrote: post #143
jimbokun wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In basketball, also, the level of play has come much closer to the U.S. level. The U.S. did not win the FIBA tournament since 1994. They lost in 2006 with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. It's also important to note that several of the best non-U.S. pros sat out this tournament, also. Notably, Pau Gasol, the second best player on the champion Lakers and probably the best big man in the world right now.…

Do you really watch a lot of baseball? The American roster there looks pretty crappy. They have Jeter (thank god) and a couple other big names but where's the power? Where's ARod? Pettite? Halladay? Teixera? Cliff Lee (god I hate him for how awesome he was in the 09 WS)? Sabathia? Buerhle? I think the entire setup is bullshit though. You get a bunch of guys who don't really want to be there to play in an "all-star" t…

Hmm. I guess it's clear, then, that I watch a lot more basketball than baseball. I do remember, though, this weird thing with ARod not being able to decide which team to play for.

I'm a sucker for international tournaments. I guess I just like the idea of professional athletes organized around something other than who is offering the highest salaries at the moment. I think the U.S. is just starting to come around on the concept.

Re: Why do the Japanese draw themselves as white?

#147

Post by stcredzero »

Gotttzsche wrote: post #136
restruct wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that doesn't mean that large eyes means white. Black people generally have characteristically large eyes too.

anime characters clearly aren't black though

Some of them clearly are. Like Brezhnev from Dulalala.
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