Rudeness in Japan? - A 20/20 Segment

[CheapyD]

7 minutes
Go here and then click the video about Japan:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1576101

[SpottedNigel]

Very interesting. On on hand, I love the reserved nature of thier society, and the beauty that they bring to the most simple of actions. Then again, those people have every right to walk down the street with a Starbucks. Should be interesting to see how far it all goes, especially since they are now raising young Hooligans :)

...and what am I remembering Bashir from? Some major news story included him, right?

[rodeojones903]

Was he the guy from the Michael Jackson interview?

[SpottedNigel]

Was he the guy from the Michael Jackson interview?


Yep! Thanks, that was gonna bug me...

[Citizen#1Game]

Boy I didn't know the Japenese find almost everything offensive. Oh, Cheapy have you done anything that was offensive there, and what were the peoples reaction.
p.s. What are the consequences for doing anything rude.

[SpottedNigel]

He was a tall American in an elevator. Small children get very offended by that :)

[maxg]

I believe that the level of politeness depends on what location you are in in Japan. In Tokyo, I saw a good ammount of stuff that was reflected in that 20/20 report. In Nagoya, I encountered very little "rudeness".

[beguile]

Hey i just saw this like 20 minutes ago on TV. It was on channel 10 news in sac.

[vietgurl]

Well, as long as the culture clash doesn't result in them losing too much of their culture...

[Brak]

I liked Tom Green's rudeness in Japan special better.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008972F.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[integralsmatic]

interesting....we were just talking about this in my Japanese class the other day. What a great Combo Mickey D's and starbucks to start a day...Yum

[The Successful Dropout]

smoking is considered rude? sign me up...i can't stand smokers/smoking

[GuilewasNK]

smoking is considered rude? sign me up...i can't stand smokers/smoking

Seconded.

[CheapyD]

Oh, Cheapy have you done anything that was offensive there, and what were the peoples reaction.
p.s. What are the consequences for doing anything rude.I'm always on my best behavior, so if I did something rude, I didn't know it. My guess is that for a gaikokujin, a Japanese person will just stare in disgust and not bother trying to say something.


smoking is considered rude? sign me up...i can't stand smokers/smokingNo, the Japanese love smoking. Many restuarants don't even bother with no-smoking sections. There is just this ongoing campaign to try and stop people from smoking on the streets for some reason. Everywhere else (except the subway/bus) seems to be fair game.
It doesn't make much sense to me. I say ban smoking indoors and let people smoke outside like in New York City. Either that or making cigarettes more expensve. They are way too cheap here (about $2 US a pack).

[daphatty]

I'm always on my best behavior, so if I did something rude, I didn't know it. My guess is that for a gaikokujin, a Japanese person will just stare in disgust and not bother trying to say something.

Consider yourself lucky. A buddy of mine, who also happens to be a tall, bald white guy, was almost accosted in the middle of the street by a middle aged Japanese man because he was eating a donut on a street corner in Tokyo. He had no idea what the guy was yelling about and eventually figured out the man's furious hand gestures. He shoved the rest of the donut in his mouth and the Japanese man went on his way. Of course, not without spouting a few Japanese obsenities first.

[Graystone]

Isn't their street vendors in Japan that sell food?

In a way eating here in America in public can be offensive. If someone eating a candy bar, something small, burger, or in their car no problem. But when I was a salesman people would come into my work eating sandwiches, peanuts in the shell, pretzels etc. That stuff was semi offensive to me cause they were making a mess and I would think to myself. If you are that hungry maybe you should go eat instead of shopping.

[The Successful Dropout]

Isn't their street vendors in Japan that sell food?

In a way eating here in America in public can be offensive. If someone eating a candy bar, something small, burger, or in their car no problem. But when I was a salesman people would come into my work eating sandwiches, peanuts in the shell, pretzels etc. That stuff was semi offensive to me cause they were making a mess and I would think to myself. If you are that hungry maybe you should go eat instead of shopping.Isn't there a picture of Cheapy eating food in the street that he bought from a street vendor? :lol:

[CheapyMom]

Isn't there a picture of Cheapy eating food in the street that he bought from a street vendor? :lol:Yes. Maybe eating outside at a fair or festival doesn't count....
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81236

[graf1k]

I wonder if it's rude in Japan to film a segment of an expose in the middle of the street...

[2poor]

do they consider it rude to grope people on trains?

[cletus]

I wish they would ban cellphones in restaurants here.

[vietgurl]

I wish they would ban cellphones in restaurants here.

I would have like 50 messages on my cell phone per day. Whenever my mom calls, she will keep calling and leaving messages until I pick up. No matter how many times I tell her not to do this, she still does it. Sometimes when she calls and I'm at work, I check my cell phone on my break to find around 40 messages of her cussing me out and telling me to answer or else.

It'd be nice if they would also ban excessive cell phone calls, haha.

[Rozz]

I wonder how many huge, bald caucasian dudes CheapyD sees on a daily basis.

[HeadRusch]

Its considered rude to touch someone on the subway, but not if its with one of your 200 tentacles....

Actually that was a decent, if abbreviated, article on Japanese society. The problem was it was too abbreviated. It would have been interesting to see a comparison of the behavior of a 45 year old man wearing a suit versus a 22year old "trendy Japanese youth" to get an idea of how the standards have relaxed.

[1modernboy]

Kids today! ;)

Seriously, I think the concept of collective cohesion vs. the attitudes and whims of the individual poses an interesting dilemma for ever-westernizing Japan.

On an unrelated note -- I love the chopstick song!

[mkg12]

I think this segment was poop. They ask some conservative old lady that teaches proper manners in Japan about this stuff. Of course she is going to give the conservative responses. Japan isn't nearly as tame as they try to play it off as. Them and their crazy freak TV shows.

[Puffa469]

Is this the same society that produces 700 new Bukake videos every week???

[HeadRusch]

Is this the same society that produces 700 new Bukake videos every week???


Oh right....you'e so full of it.

Links to support your theory?

:D

[Quackzilla]

A New York based news show criticising another culture for being rude? WTF?

do they consider it rude to grope people on trains?
They go with the Soviet-tyle court system when it comes to sexual harrassment.

You are guilty, the only reason you came to court is so we can determine whether to fine you or throw your ass in jail.

Very draconian, but it's more effective than one would think.

[Zoglog]

there's a difference between abnoxious rude and straightforward rude =)

[Ecofreak]

I don't think that writing the story from strictly a city perspective is fair. Is such a situation happening in the rural parts of Japan as well? Because, really, people who live in cities are always more liberal than those in the country who tend to be more traditionalist.

Still, good stuff to know when I go to Japan this summer! :)

[GTmaster39]

. They are way too cheap here (about $2 US a pack).

Oh SNAP! If anything that would give me more of a reason to smoke. I mean, smoke more...... yea...

[989boi]

Unrelated subject here but did anybody check out the 20/20 segment about sexy moms? Eric Bischoff's wife was featured in there for any of you wrestling fans.

[Deadpool]

:lol: