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違いばかりを強調しすぎなのでは?
違いばかりを強調しすぎなのでは?
東京の外国人向け情報誌によると、
日本のある学校のスピーチコンテストの課題文として
日本人と外国人の違いを強調し、外国人を
非難するようなエッセーが使われていたそうだ。
筆者はその記事を読んでうんざりしたが、
似たような例は多すぎるほどある、とも感じている。
Who Cares About Differences
By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA
The Tokyo Weekender, a publication read by many in the foreign community in Japan, recently
published essays that participants of an English speech contest at a school in Kawasaki City,
Kanagawa prefecture, were required to read out aloud. These pieces, which were chosen by the
school staff, were all critical of foreigners' actions compared to those of the Japanese.
It is ironic that a school that is trying to teach English and "communications" is instead
making the gap between Japanese and non-Japanese wider.
The female author, who wrote five of the six selected essays, remarked in one of her
pieces: "Foreigners have strange ideas about etiquette. They don't think there is anything
wrong with buying a present in a discount store. The price and usefulness of a gift are often more
important than whether or not it is a famous brand or if it comes from Europe."
She concludes:"Foreigners don't understand the need for high-class, famous brand products.
Perhaps their fashion magazines don't stress this. All my friends know the importance of a Gucci
scarf and Louis Vuitton bag."
While most essays were written by this author, one piece was by a different author, who wrote:
"Foreigners make a bad impression on Japanese people when they disregard traditional
customs. For example, they don't pay attention to the seasons. What I mean is they don't wear a
coat in the fall; they become angry when the heat in a building doesn't come on before December
first or the air conditioning systems before July first logic. Foreigners don't understand the
calendar year at all."
The logic of these essays alone is questionable, of course. But I also do not like the way
both writers try to insert a "Japanese vs. foreigners" theme.
As a long time foreign resident of Tokyo, I find it both amusing and distressing that so
much effort is made by some Japanese to identify how different foreigners are from Japanese, and
how each side perceives the other side.
On television, and even in real life, many Japanese enjoy pointing out the difficulties
foreigners have in trying to adapt to Japa
nese culture - such as filming an African family's first experience at the onsen, a British guy
failing to pronounce Japanese words correctly, or a Southeast Asian couple trying to eat natto.
Elsewhere, people would find such topics boring, because differences are a fact of life rather
than an oddity.
At the same time, much effort in Japan has been devoted to finding out what foreigners think
of Japan and the Japanese. I have often been invited to speak at various conferences all over
Japan. Ninety percent of these events have had a single theme: "What foreigners think of the
Japanese."
I always felt that if the tables were turned and there was a symposium of foreigners giving
their impressions of Filipinos, for example, I would probably not go even if I was paid to do
so.
On the above, I just want to say: Who cares about differences and what various races think of
each other?
This is the 21st century, and the most dynamic countries, cultures and cities are those that
celebrate the differences within, instead of pointing them out.
The Tokyo Weekender, a publication read by many in the foreign community in Japan, recently
published essays that participants of an English speech contest at a school in Kawasaki City,
Kanagawa prefecture, were required to read out aloud. These pieces, which were chosen by the
school staff, were all critical of foreigners' actions compared to those of the Japanese.
It is ironic that a school that is trying to teach English and "communications" is instead
making the gap between Japanese and non-Japanese wider.
The female author, who wrote five of the six selected essays, remarked in one of her
pieces: "Foreigners have strange ideas about etiquette. They don't think there is anything
wrong with buying a present in a discount store. The price and usefulness of a gift are often more
important than whether or not it is a famous brand or if it comes from Europe."
She concludes:"Foreigners don't understand the need for high-class, famous brand products.
Perhaps their fashion magazines don't stress this. All my friends know the importance of a Gucci
scarf and Louis Vuitton bag."
While most essays were written by this author, one piece was by a different author, who wrote:
"Foreigners make a bad impression on Japanese people when they disregard traditional
customs. For example, they don't pay attention to the seasons. What I mean is they don't wear a
coat in the fall; they become angry when the heat in a building doesn't come on before December
first or the air conditioning systems before July first logic. Foreigners don't understand the
calendar year at all."
The logic of these essays alone is questionable, of course. But I also do not like the way
both writers try to insert a "Japanese vs. foreigners" theme.
As a long time foreign resident of Tokyo, I find it both amusing and distressing that so
much effort is made by some Japanese to identify how different foreigners are from Japanese, and
how each side perceives the other side.
On television, and even in real life, many Japanese enjoy pointing out the difficulties
foreigners have in trying to adapt to Japa
nese culture - such as filming an African family's first experience at the onsen, a British guy
failing to pronounce Japanese words correctly, or a Southeast Asian couple trying to eat natto.
Elsewhere, people would find such topics boring, because differences are a fact of life rather
than an oddity.
At the same time, much effort in Japan has been devoted to finding out what foreigners think
of Japan and the Japanese. I have often been invited to speak at various conferences all over
Japan. Ninety percent of these events have had a single theme: "What foreigners think of the
Japanese."
I always felt that if the tables were turned and there was a symposium of foreigners giving
their impressions of Filipinos, for example, I would probably not go even if I was paid to do
so.
On the above, I just want to say: Who cares about differences and what various races think of
each other?
This is the 21st century, and the most dynamic countries, cultures and cities are those that
celebrate the differences within, instead of pointing them out.
Shukan ST: October 13, 2000
(C) All rights reserved
chu.htm
- (見出し)Who cares about 〜 ?
- 〜などだれが構うものか。
- Tokyo Weekender
- 隔週刊の外国人向け英語情報誌(http://weekender.co.jp)
- publication
- 刊行物
- foreign community in Japan
- 在日外国人社会
- participants
- 出場者
- pieces
- 課題作品
- (were)critical of〜
- 〜に批判的だった
- ironic
- 皮肉な
- author
- 筆者
- remarked
- 述べた
- etiquette
- 礼儀
- Gucci
- イタリアのブランド、グッチ
- Louis Vuitton
- フランスのブランド、ルイ・ヴィトン
- impression
- 印象
- disregard
- 無視する、軽視する
- customs
- 慣習
- logic
- 理屈
- questionable
- 疑わしい
- insert
- 入れる
- 〜vs.〜 theme
- 〜対〜というテーマ
- amusing
- 面白い
- distressing
- 苦痛な
- identify
- 明らかにする
- perceives the other side
- 相手について感じ、思っている
- pointing out
- 指摘する
- adapt to〜
- 〜に溶け込む
- failing to pronounce〜
- 〜を発音できない
- boring
- つまらない
- fact of life
- 厳然たる事実
- oddity
- (番組でわざわざ取り上げるような)珍しく奇妙なこと
- has been devoted to〜
- 〜に費やされている
- conferences
- 会議
- if the tables were turned
- 状況を逆転させたとして
- Filipinos
- フィリピン人
- races
- 人種
- dynamic
- 絶えず変化する、力強い
- celebrate the differences within
- その中にある(人種などの)違いを尊重し、喜ぶ