Japanese don't like rating products

[Maciamo]

You generalize way too much in your posts. Most of your posts argue why the west > Japan, can't take your biased views seriously.

Of course I generalise. That's the only way to compare the general tendency present in a cultural group. Your comment make me think that it is not an established fact that all humans are unique and therefore different. For me it is, so it would be utterly absurd to say that all people in a country do this or think like that. If one wants to compare countries or cultures, there is no other way but make broad generalization. I just can't understand people like you (and there are many, believe me) who criticize the fact of generalizing. No serious inter-cultural discussion can start with generalization. Which make me think that people who do not generalize, avoid comparison of vast groups of people, and end up not understanding major cultural differences between them because they refuse to see the big picture under the pretext that there are (numerous) exceptions.

[-Yu-]

Sorry, I made a few mistakes here.
It's not magazine, but it's one of constant articles( I don't know if it makes sense, if you know what I'm trying to refer, can you tell what word I should use next time?) IN magazine called Shuukann kinyoubi/週間金曜日.

No, you can't buy it at any convenience store cause it's kind of on the side of Left wing, I guess and it's rather like for minorities, I think.

Type following words on Google and you'll see. 買ってはいけない　週間金曜日

I think you can buy a book which contains just those articles on amazon.co.jp.

[PaulTB]

You generalize way too much in your posts. Most of your posts argue why the west > Japan, can't take your biased views seriously.

Of course I generalise. That's the only way to compare the general tendency present in a cultural group.

There's generalising, and there's generalising way too much.

Actually I don't have any particular bone to pick with the amount of generalising you do. Just the tendency to pick points to generalise over that always lean in the same direction.

[Elizabeth]

There's generalising, and there's generalising way too much.

Actually I don't have any particular bone to pick with the amount of generalising you do. Just the tendency to pick points to generalise over that always lean in the same direction.

At least make the effort to get a broader perspective on how things are handled in developed or developing neighboring countries, Korea & China for instance, where my sense is critics might be much less reluctant in expressing a personal / professional opinion. But perhaps not, there still may be more subtle restraints and norms against dictating taste or fashion or standards across large parts of Asia.

[Maciamo]

At least make the effort to get a broader perspective on how things are handled in developed or developing neighboring countries, Korea & China for instance, where my sense is critics might be much less reluctant in expressing a personal / professional opinion.

I would like to do that, but I can't talk about countries which I don't know so well. I have a few Korean and Chinese friends, but that doesn't help understanding this kind of issues at all. I have been living for over 3 years in Japan now, and my Japanese is good enough to understand TV and read magazines. Being analytical by nature, and having a liking for psychology and marketing, I observe my environment and question people as much as I can so as to be able to compare Japan with Europe (where I have spent most of my life, and not just one or two countries, but I have been pretty much everywhere and lived in 5 countries, and also compared them together as I am doing now with Japan). Of course, I am not omniscient, and haven't met all the people in Europe and Japan (indeed just a tiny percentage), but I am trying my best to point out what seems to be the most evident cultural differences with Japan here, because this forum is about Japan. Also note that I didn't compare East Asia with Europe, but just Japan.

[Timsan]

Of course I generalise. That's the only way to compare the general tendency present in a cultural group. Your comment make me think that it is not an established fact that all humans are unique and therefore different. For me it is, so it would be utterly absurd to say that all people in a country do this or think like that. If one wants to compare countries or cultures, there is no other way but make broad generalization. I just can't understand people like you (and there are many, believe me) who criticize the fact of generalizing. No serious inter-cultural discussion can start with generalization. Which make me think that people who do not generalize, avoid comparison of vast groups of people, and end up not understanding major cultural differences between them because they refuse to see the big picture under the pretext that there are (numerous) exceptions.

Its as simple as saying "most" instead of "all."
Generalization is the mark of ignorance, and you come off as very ignorant in most of your posts.

[Satori]

Its as simple as saying "most" instead of "all."
Generalization is the mark of ignorance, and you come off as very ignorant in most of your posts.

I think you're alone in that opinion. Maciamo is highly respected around here, as he is extremely intelligent, among other things. Everyone here likes and respects Maciamo, and we all especially love his posts.

[Elizabeth]

I think you're alone in that opinion. Maciamo is highly respected around here, as he is extremely intelligent, among other things. Everyone here likes and respects Maciamo, and we all especially love his posts.

We do ? . If you love repetition and/or have an extreme dislike(disregard) for the country this board is meant to represent I suppose I can see your point.

[Satori]

We do ? .

Well, most of us do!! (And I don't think that's a generalization!! )

[Maciamo]

If you love repetition and/or have an extreme dislike(disregard) for the country this board is meant to represent I suppose I can see your point.

So you are also one of these extremely touchy people who take all comparisons for negative criticism of one side - and suppose that everything that is not like home is bad ? That reminds me of some people from the Australian outback who would get offended everytime I made a benign comparison like "oh people respect the speed limit on the highway here" or "or crows are bigger than in Europe here". Some would just tell me, "but why don't you go back home if you don't like it !". I never said once I didn't like it (or liked it, for that matter). I was just comparing, neutrally, as an analytical being.

Look, I have lived in many countries and have always enjoyed comparing them, not because one is better than another, but just because I like pointing out differences. So if you think that it is a bad thing in itself not to like "rating things" (=not imposing one's opinion on others), or being "collectivist" (=sociable and caring of others), or to view marriage more traditionally (against the new trend for single parents and nuclear families in the West ?), then I can't help you. Sometimes, I do get a bit critical (negatively) when I don't like something (like political corruption, backward laws, etc.) but that does not affect much my liking for Japan as a whole, or I wouldn't be living there.

But maybe have you understood that I liked Japan (otherwise, why would I spend so much time writing managing tis forum and writing about all the content pages in the Practical, Culture and Society or Glossary sections on this website ?), and you assumed that my comparisons were critical of the West, and therefore of your country, and ultimately you, as you have the uncanny quality of representing all this.

[Elizabeth]

Look, I have lived in many countries and have always enjoyed comparing them, not because one is better than another, but just because I like pointing out differences. So if you think that it is a bad thing in itself not to like "rating things" (=not imposing one's opinion on others)

Detailing various differences is one matter, faced with implying whether the lack of movie ratings could be a sign of extreme individuality (a critics own personal bias may adversely affect readers) or yet another indication of a more general unanalytical mindset of the Japanese people is quite another.

[Maciamo]

Its as simple as saying "most" instead of "all."

I usually use "most" and very rarely use "all", for that very reason (have you ever read other posts from me ?).

Generalization is the mark of ignorance, and you come off as very ignorant in most of your posts.

Well, Yuu (who is Japanese), seemed to confirm what I said about the lack of magazines rating things. If it were just for me, I wouldn't even need a confirmation from a Japanese member of the forum, as I discuss these issues almost everyday with my Japanese acquaintances (or family). That is also part of my job. I almost always discuss cultural differences with a few (2 to 10 maybe) Japanese people (if possible people who have travelled or lived abroad and can also compare) before posting them here.

But again, you are American and I know that there is at least as much difference between Europe and America as between Japan and Europe. So what I should do is limit my comparson to Europe and Japan instead of taking the whole "West" (but I have also lived in Australia, so how should I do ?). I at least know a few US magazines that are available in Europe or Japan. How many Japanese and European magazines or TV programmes do you know ? How much more about Japan or Europe do you know (than me) ?

Anyway, I don't think there was any problem with saying that American like rating things, was there ? But I also don't think this trend is as developed as in some European countries. For example, one of the most famous and widely read magazines in Belgium is called Test-Achats (or Test-Aankoop in Dutch), which mean something like "Test-Purchases". It is a magazines entirely devoted to testing (=rating) anything that can be bought, from computers, supermarket goods and private health insurances to refrigerators, real estate and even medicines. Now there might be similar magazines in the US (hope so, to confirm what I said above), but after searching a lot in Japanese bookshops I haven't found anything even remotely similar in Japan, and noticed that Japanese movies, cars or video games mags didn't rate them like they do in Europe. That is where I started discussing why with some Japanese friends.