Re: [tlug] (OT) The enigma of Japan

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Martin Killmann writes:

 > Japan is unusual, but if you claim it is more unusual than other
 > countries you need to look closer at how diverse human societies are on
 > this planet.

What makes you think I haven't?  I lived with a linguist for a couple
of years, and the first thing she did was to break me of usages like
"primitive language" (although in secret I still say that about Perl).
"Unique" is an absolute, and I acknowledge that Japan is no more and
no less unique than any other country.  But that's a straw man.

The position I take is basically that of van Wolferen: (1) there are
many features that Japan has that are also present in other countries,
but more so; (2) this collection is sufficiently large and
sufficiently extreme that Japanese political relations have a
qualitatively different feel to them, not merely quantitative; and (3)
the interactions of these features are mutually supportive and tend to
be self-perpetuating.  These assertions are amply documented in
"Enigma" and anecdotally supported in many fora, such as "Dogs and
Demons", and the editorial pages of the national dailies.

I don't for a minute think that Japan can't change, or won't change,
but if that change is to be for the better it will need to managed
with an awareness of what the current situation is.