Hostile Hostels Article in Japan Times

[JasonTakeshi]

[dogsbody70]

I have not visited Japan but I would have thought that hotels need to take bookings-- isn't that what they are for?

Some people talk about foreigners as though they cause trouble. Maybe they might do so but surely the majority would not. It does seem really strange to me.

are all japanese residents ANGELS all the time?

Surely visitors bring money to the country?

Hmm all very odd.

[MMM]

One word: Debito

[Tsuwabuki]

I agree with Debito, but he's more like Malcom X than he is like Martin Luther King, Jr, if I may be so crass as to compare this to the US civil rights movement.

I'm not dismissing Debito. I actually think he's right most of the time. I disagree with his tactics. The problem is, he scares ethnic Japanese people, and he reinforces their racist or bigoted opinions of non-Japanese, and non-ethnic Japanese. When Debito gets in people's faces about his nationality, and he is Japanese as far as my own view of citizenship is concerned, instead of creating an environment where a frank discussion of racism and bigotry can be had, most ethnic Japanese just think, "now I should avoid anyone who isn't ethnic Japanese as best I can, because if I offend one, I'm going to get yelled at/protested against/sued/arrested." It reinforces de facto segregation, even if it doesn't enforce a legal segregation. And the former is far, far more insidious, more difficult to overcome, and longer lasting.

Take a look at Atlanta's Vine City or Houston's Fifth Ward, if you don't want to believe me about how bad de facto segregation affects the party discriminated against...

[YukisUke]

Hey we do it here sometimes. It's their country, their hotels. If they want to exclude foreign people from their hotels, what can you do. I know that discrimination is wrong, but what can you do in another country where you can't speak the language?? Not much, I'll tell you.

[Tsuwabuki]

Actually it's not always "their country, their hotels." Debito is a Japanese citizen, so for him, especially, his arguments have serious weight. It's just the whole fly, honey, vinegar analogy.

[kunitokotachi]

Japan is a very old country with an old way of thinking. It does not surprise me at all that things like this occur in some instances. My people have tunnel vision when it comes to many things. Ask my people to think outside of the box and be innovative and you may run into a brick wall. Ask my people about equality and fairness and you may draw question marks. However, that is part of what makes Japan Japan. What does surprise me however, is some people who go there and protest or make a huge deal about it. I think it's those in cultures where we are told to speak up and voice our opinions are the ones who has so much trouble with Japan. Japan is very different. I also think that it's people within the majority class where they come from who are so shocked about it because it's the first time they faced any type of discrimination.

I really have mixed feelings about it. Should you just brush it off and go to another hotel? Is this a case of when in Rome do as the Romans do? There is also this issue of having to deal with people of other cultures, habits, etc. It is really a pain in the ass to deal with for lots of Japanese. Japan is not diverse like some countries so there isn't that idea of understanding one another and acceptance. Historically, foreigners are always trying to tell Japan what to do. My people are more standoffish and don't like to get outside of that comfort zone, but some people seem to want push them out of it. Shouldn't it be ok for a private business to exclusively deal with Japanese clientele and not have to deal with language barriers or people who might do something that would be considered culturally offensive in Japan? I might shoot, there are many Japanese who have absolutely no interest with the world outside of Japan.

[kunitokotachi]

Originally Posted by Tsuwabuki

Actually it's not always "their country, their hotels." Debito is a Japanese citizen, so for him, especially, his arguments have serious weight. It's just the whole fly, honey, vinegar analogy.

He has a paper saying he is a Japanese citizen but that's different than being a natural born citizen who has understood the language and culture since he came out of the womb. One thing he already has against him is his super out-spoken attitude. Also, his expectations are too high. He expects Japanese people to be like "welcome our Japanese brother," but look at the way he looks. Realistically, who is going to see him and immediately think he is a Japanese citizen.

[MMM]

Debito is what he is...a non natural born japanese citizen. He has turned this into a political party of one.

Either you are on his crazy train or not.

[Tsuwabuki]

Citizenship is citizenship is citizenship.

You're either a citizen, or you're not. There's no wiggle room on this. No shade of gray. Second class citizenship is a misnomer; if it's not citizenship, it's not citizenship.

There's no room for moral or cultural relativism here; treating two groups of citizens unequally under the law is wrong. I don't care what your national origin is.

No wonder Debito has gotten to the breaking point. Such a simple concept so easily denied.