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Comment by 88840-8855 | Hacker News Reader

Please don't misunderstand me. Maybe I wasn't precise enough with my thoughts. My main point was:

Western people are often pro Japan but anti China. If people would apply the same norms, this wouldn't be possible as there is clearly a double standard.

My wish is that Western people (i am one of then) stop apply their world view, norms and values to everyone else on this planet. We believe that so many things that define us are universal and we expect that all people around the world start demanding that and thinking that.

I totally understand your pointed that harmony, order, hierarchy works for you and many other countries. I respect that - however I like many Western norms better because they work better for me. It doesn't mean that I want that Japan or China stop behaving the way they behave.

I am an advocate for your points.

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I’m one of those people. Japan and China are quite different. I really liked visiting Japan. I really did not enjoy visiting China at all. The two cultures are not as similar as you imply, and the differences matter, at least to me.

If you are just visiting, you won’t see much similaries. Japanese also consider non Japanese (or more precisely, non Asian looking), to have different norms than us so we treat them differently. Its an internal barrier that homogeneous society make. We will be polite about it but forever we will consider you a foreigner.

Fair enough. I agree with that. The westerners like to idolize Japan compared to China. I do think sometimes it is unfair.

On the other hand. I think Japan is trying to have a good balance between western style democracy with harmony, hence Japan is not as totalitarian as China. Due to bushido culture, Japanese individuals have more shame built-in so it is easier to have a homogeneous society compared to China, to the point that this bushido culture is sometimes frowned by westerners.

Each society makes their own laws and values, with its pros and cons, and it is reflected differently.

My experience is that Western people are generally against the Chinese government, not the Chinese culture. The Chinese government is currently authoritarian, expansionist, and genocidal. Japan's government is none of these things (it was all of them back in WW2, and then it received the same hostility that China's does now).

Well, Western people generally dont know ANYTHING about Chinese culture. Ask them to name 3 pop stars, 3 polititians, 3 Chinese brands, 3 cities (excpet Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong), 3 rivers, 3 philosophers and 3 Chinese concepts.

And YET, they have an opinion on China.

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