As a long time anime/manga/uniqlo fan, I cannot agree more. I am in US because it still has world's best opportunities (in tech and finance). Otherwise I would rather live in Japan. But recently I start to feel this is not the case anymore.
Here is the big question: Given that Japan does not have (i) gun violence, (ii) hate crime against Asian in subways, (iii) polarized politics, (iv) larger and larger wealth gap, (v) highest medical cost among all developed countries, it is really wired to see US military bases in Japan. Why not, just like how US helped Japan after WWII, ask Japan to help US by sending its troops to take over the incapable US government who failed to solve all its problems in the last decade?
Hi Noah. I've really been enjoying your Japan sequence. Thanks for this latest. I have picked up Ametora at your recommendation! Curious as to whether you read Roland Kelts' Japanamerica, written back in 2007? That's sort of the prequel to Alt's Pure Invention, and indeed it opens with the same Oscar Wilde quote that Alt borrows for his book title. Interestingly, Kelts interviewed Alt for his book in 2007, but Alt does not return the favor in his book. I assigned excerpts from Alt in my latest Japan class at Haas, because it is more recent, but I would definitely position them as a closely related pair.
1.Japanese radicalism in the ‘60’s died down as their youth bulge aged. Then again, the same will be true of the US soon too.
2. Countries are often at their cultural peak after they have already declined from their economic/hard power peak. That makes me a little wary about celebrating culture.
While gushing so enthusiastically about the effect Japan has 0n global culture, and how creative the young Japanese are in creating appealing styles is interesting but misses the far larger and more important. No matter how appealing Japan to sophisticated Americans the reality is that this is a country that long ago stopped believing in itself, or its goodness, or its place in the world. Japan is far from the only country in this position.
Italy, France and South Korea and many more share the same, sad, view of their role today's civilization. You may think these silly statements, but how else do you explain the rapidly declining birthrate? Surely a country that believes in itself, in its inherent goodness, is a country where citizens would want to reproduce. Like it or not, the future belongs to those who breed. By that measure the future belongs, largely to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Japan's global influence will wane as quickly as it rose.
It’s sentences like this that actual muddy what you’re staying: “These styles were not really “trends” in the sense that we think of that word in the U.S. — memes that people imitate. Instead, they function more as templates for obsessive hobbyists.”
Without Hello Kitty or Mario, our modern world would look totally different? TOTALLY DIFFERENT? Only on the surface (if that's where creativity now lives). The plastic junk is interchangeable (soon to include the family jewels, aka "genitalia," aka "junk"). It's all part of Brave New World.
Unfortunately, the paleocons are onto this. Next stop -- the closing scene from Cabaret. (As a gay male and a Jew, I say that with dread!)
Is this the best that liberal democracy can do? Is that what they're fighting for in Kiev? "Happy times," with free shipping? So lifelike!
Mask up, folks!... It's a crowded world, and we're all hothouse tomatoes now. (I'll take some vocal fry with that.)
Will Japan be able to give us an Allen Ginsberg, or a Lenny Bruce? As I lament to my (living, breathing) cat -- "Lucy, I don't think we're in Woodstock anymore!"
Sorry for the rant -- but (beyond the Successor Ideology) is this the Successor Culture?
As a long time anime/manga/uniqlo fan, I cannot agree more. I am in US because it still has world's best opportunities (in tech and finance). Otherwise I would rather live in Japan. But recently I start to feel this is not the case anymore.
Here is the big question: Given that Japan does not have (i) gun violence, (ii) hate crime against Asian in subways, (iii) polarized politics, (iv) larger and larger wealth gap, (v) highest medical cost among all developed countries, it is really wired to see US military bases in Japan. Why not, just like how US helped Japan after WWII, ask Japan to help US by sending its troops to take over the incapable US government who failed to solve all its problems in the last decade?
Hi Noah. I've really been enjoying your Japan sequence. Thanks for this latest. I have picked up Ametora at your recommendation! Curious as to whether you read Roland Kelts' Japanamerica, written back in 2007? That's sort of the prequel to Alt's Pure Invention, and indeed it opens with the same Oscar Wilde quote that Alt borrows for his book title. Interestingly, Kelts interviewed Alt for his book in 2007, but Alt does not return the favor in his book. I assigned excerpts from Alt in my latest Japan class at Haas, because it is more recent, but I would definitely position them as a closely related pair.
A few thoughts:
1.Japanese radicalism in the ‘60’s died down as their youth bulge aged. Then again, the same will be true of the US soon too.
2. Countries are often at their cultural peak after they have already declined from their economic/hard power peak. That makes me a little wary about celebrating culture.
While gushing so enthusiastically about the effect Japan has 0n global culture, and how creative the young Japanese are in creating appealing styles is interesting but misses the far larger and more important. No matter how appealing Japan to sophisticated Americans the reality is that this is a country that long ago stopped believing in itself, or its goodness, or its place in the world. Japan is far from the only country in this position.
Italy, France and South Korea and many more share the same, sad, view of their role today's civilization. You may think these silly statements, but how else do you explain the rapidly declining birthrate? Surely a country that believes in itself, in its inherent goodness, is a country where citizens would want to reproduce. Like it or not, the future belongs to those who breed. By that measure the future belongs, largely to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Japan's global influence will wane as quickly as it rose.
It’s sentences like this that actual muddy what you’re staying: “These styles were not really “trends” in the sense that we think of that word in the U.S. — memes that people imitate. Instead, they function more as templates for obsessive hobbyists.”
How is a template not a meme?
I remember that the founder and owner of 4 chan is the same guy as 2ch, right?
Without Hello Kitty or Mario, our modern world would look totally different? TOTALLY DIFFERENT? Only on the surface (if that's where creativity now lives). The plastic junk is interchangeable (soon to include the family jewels, aka "genitalia," aka "junk"). It's all part of Brave New World.
Unfortunately, the paleocons are onto this. Next stop -- the closing scene from Cabaret. (As a gay male and a Jew, I say that with dread!)
Is this the best that liberal democracy can do? Is that what they're fighting for in Kiev? "Happy times," with free shipping? So lifelike!
Mask up, folks!... It's a crowded world, and we're all hothouse tomatoes now. (I'll take some vocal fry with that.)
Will Japan be able to give us an Allen Ginsberg, or a Lenny Bruce? As I lament to my (living, breathing) cat -- "Lucy, I don't think we're in Woodstock anymore!"
Sorry for the rant -- but (beyond the Successor Ideology) is this the Successor Culture?
Marxist, Alt-history but referring to appreciation of creative Japanese style instead.