Comments by "Gordon Graham" (@gordonbgraham) on "Do Japanese Elders Want Foreigners in Japan?" video.

  1. She looked to be about 85. That would mean she was 7 when America fire-bombed Tokyo, burning hundreds of thousands of people to death. Perhaps that traumatic experience influences her perspective. Also the "what is your favorite country that you've been to?" was an off topic question intentionally meant to make her look like a bumpkin. That was kind of an underhanded, low blow. She was honest about her answer. No need to belittle her.
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  2.  @takosdon7754  THIS! It's remarkable how many young people hold prejudiced views of the elderly or "boomers" while simultaneously lecturing about being "open-minded".
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  3.  @avocado8952  There are plenty of Indians working in IT in Japan, there are Germans in engineering. Japan has diversity where it needs it. Japan addresses labor shortages in low skilled positions by offering 3~5 year visas, for which there are endless lineups from foreigners throughout Asia. Meanwhile, the West is experiencing political and social discord because its citizens are at odds with each other culturally. Japan’s cautious approach to immigration is prudent and serves the best interests of its citizens.
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  4.  @seiji6195  That old lady looked about 85, which would have made her 7 when Tokyo got fire-bombed by American incendiary bombs that burned hundreds of thousands of people to death. Perhaps she had family or friends who died in the most horrible way. Perhaps that's her reason for her disdain for Americans in particular. We don't know. Assuming she has "no reason" is not being open-minded.
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  5.  @seiji6195  Do you mean like black Americans still holding grievances over slavery?
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  6.  @seiji6195  You've made the assumption that she has "no reason". That's the point I'm addressing. If she were a Tokyo resident during the fire-bombing, which targeted civilian neighbourhoods (not military targets), she likely remembers the screams of people being burned alive. That trauma would still resonate with her despite the changing of the times. She mentioned that there "are a lot of Americans" in Japan. I can see how she might be uncomfortable with that if in fact she experienced the fire-bombing as a child.
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  7.  @avocado8952  Japan has plenty of foreigners in AI segments as well as in tech specialized jobs. Speaking of AI and automation, all estimates point to AI and automation making 50% of current jobs obsolete within the next 25 years. What good is taking on more immigrants if those immigrants are unemployable? As mentioned, those positions for highly skilled in sectors of need are being filled by qualified individuals who have much to offer to Japan. Those mewling like a kitten sucking on a hind teat are of no use to anyone.
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  8.  @avocado8952  who are “they”? I know countless Japanese who speak English perfectly well.
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  9.  @avocado8952  In my experience Japanese treat foreign workers with the same respect as they do Japanese workers. I know several foreigners who have made successful careers here, one of whom became national marketing manager for EPSON. In my case my school gave me a year hiatus and an interest free loan to get my teaching license from a Japanese university. What I have found is Japanese tend to reward commitment and effort. In most if not all countries non skilled manual laborers get treated with less respect due to their not having had taken any initiative in life to develop any skills. Japanese laborers in manual labor get barked at and scolded by their superiors harshly, too. Foreign workers often take such reprimands as being because they are foreigners while completely ignoring the fact that their Japanese counterparts often get harsher treatment.
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  10.  @aphoriste5067  Takeshi was speaking down to her. He didn't ask any others that question. Clearly, it was intended to show her as a bumpkin. He could have just as easily asked "How old were you when the Americans fire-bombed Tokyo?" "Were any of your family or friends among the hundreds of thousands who were burned alive?"...Such a question would have elicited more empathy from this channel's western audience. It seems he would rather pander to them when he gets an answer from his interviewees that might trigger them, such as hers. Why not just leave her answer as is, objectively providing his audience with her answers without intentionally belittling her.
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  11.  @okitasan  It wasn't asked to any of the others he interview, precisely because he wanted to show her as a bumpkin. He could have easily asked, "How old were you when the Americans fire-bombed Tokyo? Did you lose any friends or family when hundreds of thousands were burned alive?" That would have been a clever question, too. It would have elicited more understanding from those who dismiss her as a racist, xenophobic bumpkin for "no reason".
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  12.  @aphoriste5067  I've merely brought up a point that most on here either ignore or are oblivious to. That is, her prejudiced perspective could very well be the result of her experience of being a young girl when Tokyo was firebombed and hundreds of thousands were burned alive. It could also be influence by the fact the North Korea fires missiles over the archipelago or that China and Russia are continually threatening Japan by entering her waters with military vessels, or it could be influenced by repeated news reports of foreign crime gangs in Japan, such as those of the Vietnamese. Admittedly, news reports are biased and slanted by elevating foreign crime, but that's the reality of life in Japan...a constant flow of negative news regarding foreign nations. So, to dismiss her as a "closed off person" is to be somewhat closed off oneself, as that perspective fails to account for her perspective and what informed that perspective. "You've never been abroad" is one side of the coin, the other is what is your experience with foreigners here in Japan.
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  13.  @avocado8952  "sorry I cannot write oranges and apples here to explain you how things work." Why? Is your English ability insufficient?
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  14.  @tirosc  Your grandmother has a legitimate reason to dislike the Japanese. That she has forgiveness in her heart is admirable. But to say she has "no reason" is absurd considering what she went through first hand. To insist that it's the elderly who are more closed minded regarding forgiveness and moving on doesn't take into account young people's stubbornness on matters such as race or nationality. For example, black youth tend to be more hateful of white people in America, even though they hadn't experienced slavery or Jim Crow first hand. The older generation of Black people tend to be more open-minded and less apt to make claims such as "whiteness is a blight on our society". In North America, victimhood is a kind of trend among young people who are vying for the most oppressed backgrounds and thus the most "reason" to have grievances and habour resentment towards white people. Clearly, the video above shows elderly Japanese who are open-minded and accepting of foreigners in Japan. To suggest that "most" are xenophobic or racist shows a lack of understanding and open-mindedness about the elderly in Japan.
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  15.  @vennisan7268  It appears he is "stuck in his mindset" that elderly people are "stuck in their mindset". Clearly, the other two elderly people interviewed were most certainly not stuck in their mindset. He wants us to imagine the elderly in Japan as a monolith when there is a myriad of opinions and beliefs among them. I find it ironic when people accuse others of that which they are guilty. In this case being closed minded about that old woman "having no reason".
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  16.  @avocado8952  You've explained nothing vis a vis the unemployment that AI and mass-automation will cause. All you've done is demonstrate that you're in no position to criticize the Japanese for a lack of English ability. How is your Japanese, by the way? Are you functionally literate? What percentage of foreigners in Japan do you suppose are functionally literate? Do you think not being able to read and write in any country would pose a threat to someone's advancement in the workplace? The US has less racism than Japan? Can you post videos of Japanese randomly punching foreigners in the head? There are countless videos showing Americans randomly attacking Asians in America...for being Asian.
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  17.  @aphoriste5067  As I’ve said, he could have asked her if she lost any family or friends in the fire bombing of Tokyo. She looks to be about 85 which would have made her 7. That would have more clearly indicated where her perception of foreigners were formed. Rather, he decided to elicit a response that showed her as internationally uncultured. It was clearly intentional. He wouldn’t dare have gone the other way as that would have alienated much of his western audience which is more than 90% of his viewers. He knew exactly what he was doing with that question...pandering to his western audience. The question about fire bombing would have given us a broader perspective of why some people hold certain prejudices.
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  18.  @tirosc  Most, if not all of us are a product of our upbringing and experience. Your quoting of "no reasons" concedes that there are, in fact, some reasons.
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  19.  @avocado8952  English is compulsory in the Japanese curriculum. Above and beyond the public school system there is a huge English language industry. Reality suggests your perspective is incorrect.
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  20. "What is your favorite foreign country that you've been to" was kind of a douche question. It was clearly meant to show her as a bumpkin. Clever, but douchebag nonetheless.
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  21.  @aphoriste5067  His intent was obvious. He didn’t ask anyone else that question. It was out of the blue and off topic. Clearly, it was meant to show her as a bumpkin.
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  22. I've lived in Japan since 1988, I've lived in rural Japan (in Chichibu), I've lived in Tokyo (Setagaya), I've lived in Kyushu (Tsuetate) and I spend each August in Kushiro (Hokkaido)...In my experience, attitudes and customs etc. are pretty much the same throughout Japan. Perhaps Okinawa is the exception.
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  23. You can't speak for "the Japanese", clearly as the video above shows there are differing viewpoints among them
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  24.  @Jadriandnd  ￥5000 and I'll type it for you. ￥10,000 and I'll write it for you. If you need an essay hand written in Japanese it’s 5 times that.
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  25. I've lived in Japan for more than 30 years and have found it to be the opposite of what you claim. I've been treated particularly well at work, in my neighborhood and in the general public, exceptionally well. Sorry things didn't work out for you, Jose
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  26. She looked to be about 85. That would mean she was 7 when America fire-bombed Tokyo, burning hundreds of thousands of people to death. Perhaps that traumatic experience influences her perspective. Also the "what is your favorite country that you've been to?" was an off topic question intentionally meant to make her look like a bumpkin. That was kind of an underhanded, low blow. She was honest about her answer. No need to belittle her.
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  27. They only know America? What gave you that impression?
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  28. Get a calendar, Champ
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  29. @Detective Conan You mean you read a chapter in a history book and you want to flex your common knowledge on here to shit on the Japanese for doing precisely what every other group of people in human history has done
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  30.  @dmon728  "American bombing has nothing to do with the rest of the world"...OK...but it might have something to do with her perception of "foreigners". There have also been incidents in Japan of Korean terrorism, whereby North Korean agents abducted Japanese citizens. Also, there has been no end to sabre rattling with threats from China and Russia who contest islands and waters surrounding Japan. If you were to live in Japan, like I do, you would see this on the news constantly. If you were to live in Japan you might have heard the early warning air-raid sirens when North Korea sends missiles over the archipelago at 3am. There are countless stories in the news about gangs of Vietnamese pick-pocketing or committing robbery or stealing cars, etc. The news tends to exaggerate and elevate stories of foreign crime in Japan. There are a myriad of things that influence people's thinking. I'm not saying her perspective is justified, only that saying she has "no reason" is narrow-minded and lacks a more comprehensive understanding of where, why and how people form their opinions and perspectives.
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  31.  @aphoriste5067  When she was a little girl, America fire-bombed her city, burning hundreds of thousands of people alive. You don't think that would have an impact on her perspective regarding foreigners? In Japan we regularly get early warning sirens due to North Korea testing missiles by firing them over our archipelago. Russia and China conduct military drills in Japanese waters and on contested islands. This is in the news daily. The news is full of reports on foreigners committing crime. Albeit the news is disproportionately biased regarding such news, but it's constant. There are many reasons for her to have a negative opinion, whether justified or not. Takeshi got the answer he was intentionnally eliciting. The question served its purpose which was to make her out to be the internationally uncultured person she is. Takeshi being Japanese, knows most Japanese people over the age of 80 haven't travelled internationally. International travel has only been a common thing in the past 20 years or so. He knew very well she likely hadn't travelled abroad. It was an underhanded way of intentionally making her look like a bumpkin. He knows it and so do I. I'm the only one on here taking that direction because the rest of you are oblivious.
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  32.  @Jadriandnd  Sure, how much?
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  33.  @Japanimal1992  True, and that our individual perspectives can and do colour our assessments. Two people can have similar experiences and come away with opposite impressions.
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  34. For God so loved us that anyone who refused to return his love is sentenced to eternal torture
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  35. "What is your favorite foreign country that you've been to" was kind of a douche question. It was clearly meant to show her as a bumpkin. Clever, but douchebag nonetheless.
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  36.  @clintkeepin  The question served its purpose which was to reveal her ignorance. He could have asked her her age, which might have indicated that she had experienced the fire-bombing of Tokyo and provided some insight in the other direction as to why she has reservations about foreigners. However, Takeshi understands that his channel panders to a western audience, so he’s sharp enough to facilitate their appetite for xenophobia vis a vis “the Japanese”.
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  37.  @clintkeepin  the question was out of the blue and off topic. It was clearly meant to elicit the response it got. He didn’t ask that question to anyone else.
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  38.  @yuvarajamallikarjunan8104  In general, they don't. That said, there are quite a few Indians in IT in Japan.
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  39. She also looks old enough to have been alive when Americans fire-bombed Tokyo. Perhaps she had family or friends who were burned alive.
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