In fact, their history is more individualized over different communities that have been forced to live together. But isn't that also true for Europe? The USA is very diverse and has a rich history (which is nothing more than knowledge about human past) of inside the continent and outside. It's not that because English is spoken over thousands of miles that they have an uniform culture nor that the immigrant population didn't put their cultural stamp.
Why do the Japanese have an inferiority complex?
Yes but everyone of them I've evr met seemed to be flabbergasted by the sheer amount and time-span of the history and culture in Europe. So, in relative terms their history is inferior - therefore the nationalism.
To be honest I've never interpreted American arrogance as being an inferiority complex, they strike me as being brought up in with the firmly ingrained mentality that as Americans they are absolutely, unquestionable superior to the rest of the world and that their lack of history, rather than making them inferior, actually makes them superior and "the world's first democracy", "land of the free", "no class in America", etc, and the rest of the world backward and antiquated.
This attitude in days gone by may once have stemmed from an inferiority complex concerning their lack of culture, but today I think Americans genuinely have what I would call a superiority complex, they genuinely feel they are superior to Europeans, and many seem quite shocked when I tell them a few home truths. They seem to think that we are all dying to be American and that they are so much more advanced than we are, both socially and technologically.
Also, they seem to have this crazy idea that they somehow "saved Europe's ass" in WW2, they didn't do shit.
This attitude in days gone by may once have stemmed from an inferiority complex concerning their lack of culture, but today I think Americans genuinely have what I would call a superiority complex, they genuinely feel they are superior to Europeans, and many seem quite shocked when I tell them a few home truths. They seem to think that we are all dying to be American and that they are so much more advanced than we are, both socially and technologically.
Also, they seem to have this crazy idea that they somehow "saved Europe's ass" in WW2, they didn't do shit.
Spoken about US nationalism. Check out her channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RottenFrance.
Racism in France part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPf0aRRkQm0
French feminists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGOiqtR6QG0
etc...
Basically she's shocked at the fact French don't share her Anglo-Saxon prudeness about stereotyping ethnic groups (reminds me about Americans tourists seeking to convert us into banning Zwarte Pieten, because they wear blackface) and then concluding the US would be further ahead on racial equality (she even stated somewhere that the reason there aren't big black neighbourhoods in France is that because they don't allow them to have their own communities and then still complains about inequality and keeps bitching about comics from the 60s with negroes being drawn with fat lips and the fact that Europeans are still fine with those).
She's also shocked that most French feminists didn't follow the radical idea of equality between man and woman and wanted to preserve more difference in the man-woman relationship and that they make less problems of sexualizing them.
She only accepts comments like "God bless the USA! Thank God I don't live in Europe where people aren't free, women are slaves and negroes are animals!"
Yes, it's not only about France, but about continental Europe as well. For me a great example of the nationalism in the US. The worst thing is that many act as of they're on a mission trying to bring 'enlightenment' to old Europe, trying to convert us to their values failing to realize many Europeans on their turn actually think Anglo-Saxons are hypocrites only fighting symptoms of societal problems.
Racism in France part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPf0aRRkQm0
French feminists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGOiqtR6QG0
etc...
Basically she's shocked at the fact French don't share her Anglo-Saxon prudeness about stereotyping ethnic groups (reminds me about Americans tourists seeking to convert us into banning Zwarte Pieten, because they wear blackface) and then concluding the US would be further ahead on racial equality (she even stated somewhere that the reason there aren't big black neighbourhoods in France is that because they don't allow them to have their own communities and then still complains about inequality and keeps bitching about comics from the 60s with negroes being drawn with fat lips and the fact that Europeans are still fine with those).
She's also shocked that most French feminists didn't follow the radical idea of equality between man and woman and wanted to preserve more difference in the man-woman relationship and that they make less problems of sexualizing them.
She only accepts comments like "God bless the USA! Thank God I don't live in Europe where people aren't free, women are slaves and negroes are animals!"
Yes, it's not only about France, but about continental Europe as well. For me a great example of the nationalism in the US. The worst thing is that many act as of they're on a mission trying to bring 'enlightenment' to old Europe, trying to convert us to their values failing to realize many Europeans on their turn actually think Anglo-Saxons are hypocrites only fighting symptoms of societal problems.
Are you guys living in Tocqueville's time? American's perceived arrogance is a perception that stems from the US's relative insularity: most Americans have never travelled abroad and are not that interested in what happens beyond their borders, even in Canada. Europeans have summer vacations in the Mediterranean and backpack across the continent in their youth, on the other hand. Americans are "generally" like that because they do (still) live in the economic center of the world, and the country is a continent in itself.
Ren, you cannot be serious when you say that Brazilian TV is not blonde obsessed.
Ren, you cannot be serious when you say that Brazilian TV is not blonde obsessed.
I don't understand that thing about blonde obsession on South American TVs. It is a business, what do you expect, that they show short and ugly indians?. Also many of the audiovisual contents that they produced are exported to other parts of the world where indigenous faces would be considered disgusting.
>>As for studying in the US, most Japanese actually study at home, unlike, saying, Korean/Chinese/Indian, who come to study in US en masse. You can get a decent internationally-competitive Ph.D. in Japan, which is not true in Korea/China/India. <<
Other than cultural traditions, Japan simply has a much longer history of high quality tertiary education than elsewhere in Asia.
Other than cultural traditions, Japan simply has a much longer history of high quality tertiary education than elsewhere in Asia.
The Chinese don't know much about Brazil back home,
but as I see it, the media image of Brazilians is quite good: football stars, sexy girls (any hair/skin color), festivals...
In general, those Latinas of a darker skin tone (from olive to black) are, just like in many other places, considered very hot here too. So, after all, beauty standards don't have to relate to skin tone alone. It just happens that only Latin America, rather than the Phillippines and many African countries, can show some many positive images to us. (By the same token, Chinese also know of a lot of Indian beauties)
but as I see it, the media image of Brazilians is quite good: football stars, sexy girls (any hair/skin color), festivals...
In general, those Latinas of a darker skin tone (from olive to black) are, just like in many other places, considered very hot here too. So, after all, beauty standards don't have to relate to skin tone alone. It just happens that only Latin America, rather than the Phillippines and many African countries, can show some many positive images to us. (By the same token, Chinese also know of a lot of Indian beauties)
<<Why do the Japanese have an inferiority complex?>>
What makes you think it is a "complex"? Maybe they really are inferior?
What makes you think it is a "complex"? Maybe they really are inferior?
<What makes you think it is a "complex"? Maybe they really are inferior?>
If they really are inferior, what does that make you? Trash?
If they really are inferior, what does that make you? Trash?
user23: "but today I think Americans genuinely have what I would call a superiority complex"
You have to trust me, or better, learn from what I say: there is no such a thing as "superiority complex". Period. Let us start from there.
"Superiority complex" is just another name for "inferiority complex". If people exhibit "superiority complex", it's because they feel they are short in some area, so they try to compensate it by showing off something else, to reassure themselves that they are not inferior. Just look at Michael Jackson's huge signature, and you can tell he has a problem.
Now, those arrogant Americans that you have mentioned: what are they trying to achieve? What are they trying to compensate for?
If your answer is "nothing", then we are not dealing with "inferiority complex" (a.k.a "superiority complex") here.
Just like me telling you all this, here. What do I gain by lecturing you about inferiority complex?!
Nothing.
So those arrogant Americans (including yours truly here) are not exhibiting a superiority complex. It is the listeners that have a problem: are you guys listening to the message, are you guys making an effort in understanding other's opinion? Or are you guys exhibiting the unmistakable fingerprint of someone that carries inferiority complex: "We don't need your lectures, we can do it our own way"?
I am not saying that you should agree with other people's opinion. Each person is entitled to his/her own opinion. But, when you start to think that "this guy has superiority complex" or "they are looking down on us", then you've got a problem, just like Michael Jackson: talented, king of the pop, on top of the world, but always feels insecure about himself, due to his childhood traumas.
Inferiority complex is a problem because it diverts the listener's attention away from the core subjects to superficial attitude issues.
What do you care if someone looks down on you? You should not. You should not even think or care for one second if someone else is looking down on you. The moment that you think "he is looking down on me", you have a problem. If you are a self-confident person, this thought of "he is looking down on me" should have NEVER even crossed your mind. Instead, your mind would always be asking "Where is he coming from? What is his point? What is he trying to achieve?"
Finally, look at the clip of Susan Boyle again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
she was being teased big time. But look at her reaction and how she answered all the questions. Was she thinking about how Simon and other people were looking down on her? Or was she really focusing on addressing the questions head-on? She answered all the questions nicely and straight to the point, you don't see her even one second being distracted by the "superiority complex", "arrogance", "looking-down-on-me" types of thoughts.
Trust me. Learn from Susan Boyle, and learn from what I am telling you here. I may sound arrogant to you, but that's because I have looked into inferiority issues much further than anyone of you here. Just like I have looked into Chinese historical phonetics much further than anyone of you here. I know there are tons of smarter people out there, and I look up to them. But as for now, here, and on this subject, I know what I am talking about.
You have to trust me, or better, learn from what I say: there is no such a thing as "superiority complex". Period. Let us start from there.
"Superiority complex" is just another name for "inferiority complex". If people exhibit "superiority complex", it's because they feel they are short in some area, so they try to compensate it by showing off something else, to reassure themselves that they are not inferior. Just look at Michael Jackson's huge signature, and you can tell he has a problem.
Now, those arrogant Americans that you have mentioned: what are they trying to achieve? What are they trying to compensate for?
If your answer is "nothing", then we are not dealing with "inferiority complex" (a.k.a "superiority complex") here.
Just like me telling you all this, here. What do I gain by lecturing you about inferiority complex?!
Nothing.
So those arrogant Americans (including yours truly here) are not exhibiting a superiority complex. It is the listeners that have a problem: are you guys listening to the message, are you guys making an effort in understanding other's opinion? Or are you guys exhibiting the unmistakable fingerprint of someone that carries inferiority complex: "We don't need your lectures, we can do it our own way"?
I am not saying that you should agree with other people's opinion. Each person is entitled to his/her own opinion. But, when you start to think that "this guy has superiority complex" or "they are looking down on us", then you've got a problem, just like Michael Jackson: talented, king of the pop, on top of the world, but always feels insecure about himself, due to his childhood traumas.
Inferiority complex is a problem because it diverts the listener's attention away from the core subjects to superficial attitude issues.
What do you care if someone looks down on you? You should not. You should not even think or care for one second if someone else is looking down on you. The moment that you think "he is looking down on me", you have a problem. If you are a self-confident person, this thought of "he is looking down on me" should have NEVER even crossed your mind. Instead, your mind would always be asking "Where is he coming from? What is his point? What is he trying to achieve?"
Finally, look at the clip of Susan Boyle again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
she was being teased big time. But look at her reaction and how she answered all the questions. Was she thinking about how Simon and other people were looking down on her? Or was she really focusing on addressing the questions head-on? She answered all the questions nicely and straight to the point, you don't see her even one second being distracted by the "superiority complex", "arrogance", "looking-down-on-me" types of thoughts.
Trust me. Learn from Susan Boyle, and learn from what I am telling you here. I may sound arrogant to you, but that's because I have looked into inferiority issues much further than anyone of you here. Just like I have looked into Chinese historical phonetics much further than anyone of you here. I know there are tons of smarter people out there, and I look up to them. But as for now, here, and on this subject, I know what I am talking about.
I didn't know that Japanese had an inferiority complex-except concerning language learning, perhaps.
Japan is the most modern society I've visited outside of the US. I haven't visited Sweden, though.
Japan is the most modern society I've visited outside of the US. I haven't visited Sweden, though.
I am willing to believe many parts of the US are to be called 'modern'. But I don't think you can say that for every single state. Why else are there still states that don't know separation between state and church? Why are there still courthouses with the ten commandments and ridiculous heavy sentences for non-crimes (like an American teacher who got sentenced for 20 years because a pop-up for a porn website showed up when she was teaching)?
Why are there so many Americans who are convinced the Earth is 6,000 year young. You very well might be such an American.
Why are there so many Americans who are convinced the Earth is 6,000 year young. You very well might be such an American.
Inferior doesn't mean anything: the average Jap being shorter and clumsier at basketball than the average Croat does not mean that one Hiroji cannot be taller and nimbler than one Aleksandar.
Culture is a different thing though, although subjective, we're no talking about statistical averages, and Japanese culture is definitely screwed.
Culture is a different thing though, although subjective, we're no talking about statistical averages, and Japanese culture is definitely screwed.
I'm not an atheist, Baldewin and it's possible that you and I have big differences in what constitutes a modern society. However, I don't mind if you think I'm a barbarian or superstitious.
I didn't hear about that teacher. It seems like a silly story, if true.
Modern in its best sense means ethical, good health care (instead of the drop-out plan: euthanasia), water I can drink from the tap, good emergency services, "free education", etc.
I didn't hear about that teacher. It seems like a silly story, if true.
Modern in its best sense means ethical, good health care (instead of the drop-out plan: euthanasia), water I can drink from the tap, good emergency services, "free education", etc.