I shared a video on LIY yesterday produced by a gentleman who goes by the name of Ken Tanaka. (Peep his Youtube Channel here)
The video is in the process of going viral, hopefully, and I believe it to be worthy of a bit of commentary.
Perhaps it is receiving its just desserts on its YouTube comment section, but I’ll never know. I’ve sworn off of reading YouTube comments ever since I realized each time I did I came away from the experience with a little less love and respect for my fellow human beings, and a heap more cynicism about prospects for the future of our species than I had when I arrived.
So, about this video…
Well, it inspired a two-hour conversation between myself and a Japanese private student last night (only some of which I can recall, so I’m paraphrasing a bit here). I was teaching the lesson at a cafe and I brought up the video. I whipped out my iPad and showed it to him. Afterwards, the following conversation took place:
Me: What did you think of it?
Student: That guy, the one who says he ‘s from Chiba?
Me: Yeah?
Student: The Nippon Ham Fighters baseball team is not from Chiba…
Me:…
Student: What?
Me: I mean, what did you think of the issues illustrated with this video?
Student: Does that happen to you?
Me: Constantly.
Student: Really? Constantly?
Me: Well, if I’m alone then the staff has no choice but to communicate with me. But, if there’s an Asian with me, even a Chinese friend, I’d say it’s a 70% chance some variation of what happened in that video will occur. Sometimes even if I pay, my change is given to my Asian companion. I’ve even had my Japanese girlfriend pretend not to understand Japanese to force the staff to deal with me, and half the time it turns out just like that video…minus the comedy.
Student: I see…that’s sad. But, I can understand how the waitress feels though.
Me: How does she feel?
Student: She is doing her job, but when she sees a table full of foreigners, naturally she’s going to be nervous.
Me: OK.
Student: And she will want to speak to a familiar face.
Me: Even if the familiar face cannot communicate with her, while the unfamiliar faces can?
Student: You have to understand Japanese people…
Me: Help me.
Student: She has…what’s the word? (he whips out his dictionary and looks it up) We have, ummm, preconceive?
Me: Preconceptions?
Student: Right!
Me: OK.
Student: Yes, very strong preconceptions…about foreigners.
Me: OK. I get it. Foreigners cannot speak Japanese is one of those preconceptions, right?
Student: Yes.
Me: But, once the foreigners made it clear that they could speak Japanese, she–
Student: I think she shut down.
Me: Shut down? You mean, her brain ceased to function properly?
Student: Yes. I guess…
Me: Why?
Student: Because she was put in an awkward and uncommon situation. Maybe she’d never served foreigners before. Japanese are unaccustomed to foreigners.
Me: OK…
Student: What? Do you think that’s racism?
Me: No…well, not really.
Student: Huh?
Me: Well, in the video, the waitress was pretty insistent that the American girl — the Asian one — despite the incomprehensible words coming out of her mouth, was capable of understanding Japanese.
Student: Ummm, yes?
Me: So this shut down is race-specific? A shut down that restricts communication with people she identifies as not-Asian or not-Japanese while it insists on communication with the familiar, even when it’s impossible?
Student: Yes, it seems so…but is that racism?
Me: Perhaps not. But you can see how it might be easily misunderstood though, right?
Student: Sure. But it’s not racism.
Me: What is racism?
Student: When one race hates another race, right? And I don’t think she hates foreigners. She’s just shy.
Me: I don’t think racism is necessarily about hate, though it sometimes looks that way.
Student: Really? Well, what is racism?
Me: That’s a complicated question…I have two working definitions in my head. One is the dictionary’s definition, which is a belief that different races naturally have different cultural characteristics and tendencies, and often these imagined tendencies and traits are used to judge a race superior or inferior.
Student: I see…
Me: The other is more of a political definition. This one suggests that only those with power, generally the racial majority in any given place, are capable of being racist, for they have the power to deprive people, based on those ideas about race from the dictionary definition, of not only their dignity but other necessities. I’m talking jobs, healthcare, places to live, and other basic needs for survival.
Student: Uh huh…
Me: You follow me? In other words, without power, one can never truly be a racist. So, whites in America are the only racists in America. And Japanese in Japan are the only ones here capable of racism…at least that’s the case by the second definition. Personally, I lean more towards the dictionary definition.
Student: OK. Well, let’s say your neighbor is, ummm, French. He can’t speak Japanese or English.
Me: So we can’t communicate…
Student: Exactly. Won’t you try to avoid him? Won’t that situation make you uncomfortable?
Me: Honestly, not at all. I mean, it’s just a fact. Nothing that needs to be avoided or feared.
Student: I see.
Me: Seriously. I will approach him and try to have a conversation with him. If I find that’s not possible I’ll just keep it basic with him. Greetings and what not. I certainly wouldn’t shut down, or avoid him or ignore him. Or be afraid him. Unless of course I have some of these preconceptions you were talking about. Everything is dependent on those preconceptions. Everything!
Student: That’s true.
Me: These preconceptions are poisonous! They are the cause of the shut downs. And not just in restaurants like in that video but in every area of life. And you can see how these race-specific shut downs are often easily misunderstood. They appear on the surface to be callous, insensitive, ignorant, instinctive even. And targeted! Imagine, for example, you’re a person who works hard for years to gain fluency in a language in order to ease communication with the mainstream and build relationships, only to find that a good portion of the speakers of that language will shut down in your presence, due to your only conspicuous difference. That being your race or skin color…or any other cosmetic features you have no control over.
Student: It is racism, isn’t it?
Me: I don’t know…but it’s annoying, I’ll tell you that much. And as a foreigner here, you have to learn to accept this ubiquitous annoyance, internalize it, rationalize it, find some way to make peace with it. And dependent on your tolerance threshold for preconceptions, this can collect inside of you. You have love in there too, of course, and that helps you manage this build up, but it’s there, nonetheless. I can’t speak for all non-Japanese of course but inside of me it’s like this ball of resentment, frustration and ill-will for people who are otherwise fine people. Like a little Fukushima nuclear plant in my heart that needs to be constantly monitored and cooled or…well, there’d be a meltdown.
Student: … (shakes his head)
Me: Don’t worry. I’ve got a great coolant.
to be continued…
Loco