In recent times, spurred on by the rhetoric coming out in some other countries, I’ve noticed a big swing in how Japanese social media figures discuss politics. Maybe it’s that they feel that they’ve been given permission to speak openly due to the rise of the Sanseito party (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanseit%C5%8D), whose leader is allegedly a fan of Mein Kampf.
But partly it is because they fear the things they see evidence of in other countries that go quietly ignored, like illegal immigrants or asylum recipients committing rape or other violence against women. The trust and safety that is foundational to the Japanese way of life is something they closely guard. They don’t know what to expect when they hear their leaders want to invite 50K immigrants workers from India, even though these cultures are quite compatible. The phenomenon of leaders gaslighting concerned citizens in other countries gives life to the myths in Japanese social media that this article discusses.
In my opinion, there are social media myths but also some truths. Talking about the truths honestly will prevent the myths from taking hold. Otherwise I suspect the fear held by Japanese citizens will continue to fuel the rise of the extremist Sanseito party.
joules77•4mo ago
It's an example of what sociologists call "Compressed Modernity". The Japs jumped from a racist feudal society to a top down American imposed order after the nukes dropped. They have a long way to go to repair that brainfuck.
The West took thousands of years to learn how to get along with other cultures and they are far from perfect. Population level Learning takes that much time. Always the hard way.
Say our chimp brain can update 100 of its beliefs a year. That rate drops drastically the larger the chimp troupe gets. So institutions and populations update beliefs maybe 2-5 times a decade. Culture/Religion/Social Norms all take centuries.
There is no free lunch. Things will take their own sweet time.
bigyabai•4mo ago
Can you take a minute to actually research why immigration is a hot topic, right now? Your recent comment history is not made in good-faith and lacks basic due-diligence. For instance, what's so unique about Japan?
Japan has an aging problem. Old people need to be taken care of, and everyone who is capable of caretaking is working in a more-valuable job. How do you keep your old people alive without blowing up your GDP? Any ideas? If you've got a short-term solution to this, go tell Japanese economists. Their short-term answer is immigration.
America also has this issue, exacerbated by a housing crisis. What happens when H1B immigrants buy up the house that a family of four wanted to buy in America? Do you think a new house gets built? Nope, the cost of housing goes up and rearing a family becomes that much harder. "Real" American families are falling through the cracks to make pensioners rich and allow immigrants to subsume our highest-GDP jobs. We should be copying Japan's strategy, the H1B floodgate has quite plainly not done anything for America.
mytailorisrich•4mo ago
Europe is such a cautionary tale that I don't think that Japan will be suicidal enough to follow suit despite the usual narrative...
wrp•4mo ago
Japan did have an extended immigration debate in the 1980s. Guess what they decided? I'm not saying things don't change, but debate on social issues without knowledge of the past is unhelpful. If only journalists would...oh, never mind.
SilverElfin•4mo ago
But partly it is because they fear the things they see evidence of in other countries that go quietly ignored, like illegal immigrants or asylum recipients committing rape or other violence against women. The trust and safety that is foundational to the Japanese way of life is something they closely guard. They don’t know what to expect when they hear their leaders want to invite 50K immigrants workers from India, even though these cultures are quite compatible. The phenomenon of leaders gaslighting concerned citizens in other countries gives life to the myths in Japanese social media that this article discusses.
In my opinion, there are social media myths but also some truths. Talking about the truths honestly will prevent the myths from taking hold. Otherwise I suspect the fear held by Japanese citizens will continue to fuel the rise of the extremist Sanseito party.
joules77•4mo ago
The West took thousands of years to learn how to get along with other cultures and they are far from perfect. Population level Learning takes that much time. Always the hard way.
Say our chimp brain can update 100 of its beliefs a year. That rate drops drastically the larger the chimp troupe gets. So institutions and populations update beliefs maybe 2-5 times a decade. Culture/Religion/Social Norms all take centuries.
There is no free lunch. Things will take their own sweet time.
bigyabai•4mo ago
Japan has an aging problem. Old people need to be taken care of, and everyone who is capable of caretaking is working in a more-valuable job. How do you keep your old people alive without blowing up your GDP? Any ideas? If you've got a short-term solution to this, go tell Japanese economists. Their short-term answer is immigration.
America also has this issue, exacerbated by a housing crisis. What happens when H1B immigrants buy up the house that a family of four wanted to buy in America? Do you think a new house gets built? Nope, the cost of housing goes up and rearing a family becomes that much harder. "Real" American families are falling through the cracks to make pensioners rich and allow immigrants to subsume our highest-GDP jobs. We should be copying Japan's strategy, the H1B floodgate has quite plainly not done anything for America.