Good sir, what's your penis size? Do tell, I pray thee!
Today I was invited to give a 1-hour speech in a small town in southern Yamagata about the importance of exchange activities and cross-cultural understanding.I dont think they liked what i had to say so much. One of the revealing comments i got at the end was: you really talked with your honne (real feeling; as opposed to tatemae, which is the facade that masks what you really think and what you usually show people), didnt you?!... Yeah, that's me! What else can i say at such honneistique comment?They probably werent warm to idea that exchange activities are important but it shouldnt stop there (could be taken as "you are not doing enough!"), to have real cross-cultural understanding you not only acknowledge the other but you also have to accept. Tolerance doesnt mean you keep people at arm's length, it's about inclusiveness. One of the examples that I used was: it is important to help train new comers to japan in terms of seeking employment, but it is useless when after receiving all sorts of trainings they still couldnt find a job because companies wouldnt hire them because they are not japanese. ... etc... But i think the last drop in the bucket was my personal example: my family moved to canada, where i spent about half of my life, and i am standing here speaking to you as a canadian. had my family moved to japan instead, i dont think i can stand here and say i speak to you as a japanese.My talk was not about bashing Japan at all. I wasnt in the mood today! I was making efforts at being constructive. But by pointing out the not so inclusiveness of japanese society and hinting that though the exchange activities that they do are necessary, they stop short of real understanding and acceptance, i had crossed the line of going too far with my honne. That said, the speech was given at an inauguration gathering for the town's new international exchange association! If there were a place to speak the truth about cross-cultural understanding and what needs to be done, it sure was the one. At least, this way it provoked their thoughts as to what they really want to accomplish with the new association, i hope.Another interesting, bizarre thing was the Yamagata Newspaper guy who interviewed me. Ok, if you were him, what sort of questions would you devote the majority of your interviewing time on? what's the content of your speech? what are the main points that you would like to impart? why do you think they are important? you see, those would be the questions that i would dwell upon.the yamagata newspaper man? he spent about 80% of the time asking me:what is the name of the town you were born in? (to which i said: i was born in a small town in the mekong delta)what is the name of the city you are from? (a small city in the middle of canada)how old are you? can you tell me your date of birth? (i am 26, and i dont think my birthday is that important. to which he replied: but your birthday isnt tomorrow and you are not turning 27 anytime soon, right? !!! wow!!! hey, can you blame the guy for trying to get the number correctly and be precise? i dont know about you but i use an entirely different set of judgement when encountering a 27-year old person than a 26 one. oh, and dont even mention the 25!)where do you live in yamagata city? yup. i am not kidding. he really did ask me for the name of my current residing district!the entire time i was thinking, you gotta be kidding me? i was beyond amazed at this time, but i was quite entertained. boy, some quality journalism we got here, i caught myself amusing.I was expecting him to ask my for my penis size so that i can show off. But, sadly, he didnt! He probably knows already that vietnamese men have a reputation as raging stallions. Have to check the paper tomorrow to make sure that he doesnt fail to mention that important fact.
