the strange workings of ‘gaman’ and ‘ganbatte’, again
To someone who has witnessed, in dismay, the strange workings of this zombified society over the years, the following recent comments by equally concerned fellow expats ring so true, so sadly true.
When will the Japanese ever outgrow their collective madness, set their priorities straight, and start showing any genuine care and compassion for others, beyond the damned rotten tatemae and the obsession with decorum?
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Japan needs less ganbatte, more genuine action
By DEBITO ARUDOU
The Japan Times, October 4, 2011Ganbatte kudasai!
You hear this expression every day in Japan. “Do your best!” “Try harder!” “Stick to it!” “Don’t give up!” are but a few of the positive messages conveyed. It offered succor 25 years ago when I was in university bushwhacking through the Japanese language: One “ganbatte!” from Sensei emboldened me for the rest of the week.
However, recent events have exposed a problem with ganbatte.
It’s gone beyond being a harmless old saw, platitude or banality. It’s become at best a sop, at worst a destructive mantra or shibboleth. It creates a downward cycle into apathy in the speaker, indifference in the afflicted.
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‘Ganbatte’ and ‘gaman’ stifle debate, hinder recovery
The Japan Times, November 1, 2011Nuclear debate discouraged
Re: “Japan needs less ganbatte, more genuine action” by Debito Arudou (Just Be Cause, Oct. 4):
I was wondering when such an article would show up in the newspapers. Thank you for finally commenting on some of the finer workings of how the triple disaster is being dealt with in Japan.
Like any event on this scale, the catastrophe has brought out the best and worst in Japanese culture. While one cannot help but admire the stoicism, calmness and composure in dealing with the events in March, the lack of discussion about the future of nuclear energy, food safety and lessons learnt is shocking.
For non-Japanese it is difficult to follow the social workings in Japan. Concepts such as ganbatte and gaman, which are raised by the author, play an important part in discouraging necessary debate. Also, the Japanese social convention of considering the expectations and feelings of others suppresses discussion.
At a wedding, I was told not to discuss Fukushima, because it was supposed to be a happy event. On other occasions, I was told not to tell anybody that we were planning to leave Japan because of food safety issues, because everybody else would not have such a choice. The social space where such an important discussion can take place seems rather limited.
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