Quote:
Originally Posted by Niknaizorai
Tatemae / Honne concept is very essential to understand Japanese culture as any expert in the subject will confirm.
I am in graduate school and I am studying a Master in Asian studies plus my two years girlfriend is from Japan.
I am sorry challenging your status quo but I was trying to contribute constructively to this subject.
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I don`t mind contribution. But I do mind that *you* are not the one doing the contribution - you`re simply mindlessly quoting passages.
Tatemae / honne is important - but not NEARLY as important as the western media and publications try to push it as. Seriously, it`s a concept present in ANY culture. Take away the fancy terminology - "Sometimes saying the truth would make things more complicated, so I`ll just go along with the flow until things look like they`d go in my favor. I sure hope someone picks up on the clues I drop so that will happen sooner." Not such a foreign or hard to comprehend concept now, is it?
It`s truly no different than dealing with someone you don`t like, while hoping they (or someone else around with the power to "rescue" you) will pick up the hint. Or accepting the food you don`t like, while staring longingly at the one you do. Elevating it with pretty names and presenting it as this mysterious foreign concept does no one any favors. Especially when you`re quoting from a text in regard to
business that is 20 some years out of date.
And if you want to push and put up qualifications... *sigh* -
I`ve lived in Japan 10 years, married to a Japanese guy for 8 of them, have a degree in linguistics (language acquisition) and a degree in cultural studies. Both received in Japan at a Japanese university. Also, JLPT 1.
But I really don`t see how that has anything to do with pointing out that information pertaining to business dealings from a 20 some year old book isn`t really valid at the moment.