Do you think that people who often use the "Japan" section are particularly opinionated?

Question

I've noticed that certain posters here will get thumbs downs, no matter how good their answers or questions are.

I'm guessing at least one thumb-downer is that guy who always complains about being black in Japan, with his eternal chip on his shoulder.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

♡Oh! I almost missed this GREAT Q.
In all honesty, I don't think the people who use the Japan cat. are any more or less opinionated than the other cats. Maybe it's just that the Japan cat. has a smaller group (?) of regular users including the type you mentioned; " that guy who always complains about being black in Japan, with his eternal chip on his shoulder." There are a few of ↑those in case you haven't noticed. (*^o^*)Possibly even the same person.
I came on just now, answered a few Q.s and got 2 or 3 thumbs down immediately. In my case, it doesn't matter. I only answer some Q.s because I hope it may really help someone out! ♡^_^♡　～I even stopped answering for awhile to get rid of the so called "badge" and "place level"! That doesn't matter to me. I think if your answer helps the person who asked, they recognize it and will choose it as best no matter how many thumbs down. \(^∇^)/So don't let it get to you. (Any of you!) ALL the answers here are good. Maybe WE should all give thumbs up to everyone who we feel gave a good answer～that would be something!(^_-)-☆
I can't even begin to guess why people give thumbs down except for the fact that THEY CAN - the option is there, so people use it.
Hmmmm, great Q., (★☆gotta star you!★☆) glad I could put my two yen in. ♡

Answer 2

I stopped worrying about the thumbs down. I answer the questions and I hope they are helpful . A simple questions like( Are there blow dryers in Japanese hotels )Three of us answered, yes there are blow dryer in Japanes hotels . The three of us got thumbs down.
The person that gave us the thumbs down is either ignorant and selfish or trying to make life difficulty for the person who asked the question.

Answer 3

Wow, Mamesmumma had a lot on her chest. But there, you get a report from a person who really does live in Japan and has problems. Yeah, it is not perfect.
I often used to get stared at by people, usually tiny children and tiny old people. If you smile and say konnichiwa to them, they usually will smile back and whatever weirdness there was before at least seems to dissolve. You could sit around worrying about who's talking behind your back, but being a good American I just learned to not give a sh*t. Japanese people also talk about each other, so what.

I have a few stories of mean things people have done or said, both to me or my husband. . .but some people are ignorant, every country has its share of yahoos. . .the point is, the pluses far outweighed the minuses for me.

I do think that certain gaijin personalities fare better in Japan than others. I am something of a loner, and I feel Japan suits me very well. Those w some sort of political agenda do not fare well. Like there was a girl from my company that taught a class of Japanese moms and she was trying to get them to read a bunch of articles about women's issues. Not such a smart move. . .and as I say this I know someone will be reading and starting to foam at the mouth. . .yeah, you, stay home. . .

There were a few times when I wanted so badly to "go off" on someone, but I bit my tongue, and as a result I felt completely empowered.

Then there were a few occasions when I would commit minor acts of rebellion; to myself I jokingly called it "being a good American." Examples would be boldly walking through the door of the conveni when others were tentatively standing waiting to see who'd go first, blowing my horn like mad at fellow motorists, opening the window of our office in winter when it was about 85 degrees in there (kerosene heater), guffawing loudly in the movie theater, etc.

At that time there was no Yahoo answers, so perhaps this category is a place for other disgruntled people to let off steam. . . .

Answer 4

Yeah, you are so right..opinionated. Notice it long ago,no matter how good one answered, it will still get thumb down. One of the most common scenario is when a non hatred/non racial question being asked and was answered accordngly, you still see thumb down although it is a very good answer. As someone who read it, you will find SO what kind of answers is considered good! Really pissed you off when you spent time to answer it.

Another scenario, it could be someone who doesnt like some particular answerers here, so no matter how their answers are, they still get thumb down. One best example is Adam the above TC, he has answered some good questions before but still get thumb down several times!

Pathetic and I dont think those thumberlinas are one time browsers in Japan category!

Answer 5

some people are just down thumbs happy. I see some answers, that are impossible to offend anyone, and they have like 3 thumbs down, but so do all the other answers, which means its just the same as a 0. Maybe someone is just grumpy because we all live in Japan and they dont lol

Answer 6

I suppose we have to be opinionated in order to post answers, but I think the thumbs-down people are not actually responding to questions. I think they just come and thumbs down.

Even with the recent Japan-bashers, I think the "Japan" category has been lucky. Most of the questions are legitimate and most of the answerers are respectful (or try to be respectful). I have seen many other categories where many of the questions are from haters. (Lebanon, Turkey, and Israel can be very volatile categories)

Typically, the haters come for political reasons, as you can probably see from the countries with the most haters.

Answer 7

Well I just started here but Im sure I'll be one of those opinionated people.

It's because I really don't understand the people who crap on about how perfect Japan is and how wonderful Japanese people are. Japanese people are people like everyone else, they have faults like all others. Japan has crime, it is unsafe - it's just in a different way to Western countries.

The amount of times Japanese people have told me to my face that Westerns are rude, they we are criminals, that we don't think of others!!! Yep not all Japanese are like that (the one I married isn't). Yet many Japanese do believe these things as this is what they have been taught subtilely and not so subtilely through education, government policies, media and the actions of others.

But the thing is every country has it's a***holes - Japan included, there are millions of Japanese so the law of percentages means there are lots of a***holes here. So why so many people pretend that isn't true just bewilders me.

If you've ever said "If you don't like it why don't you just go home?" you need to think closely about how you are representing Japan to the world. Why do you think there are 1-2 people in every 5 that hate Japan. Those are people who have lived here, they saw what you see, they lived where you live. The problem is that they cant reconcile the ideas they had before they came with the reality when they get here.

If people were aware of Japan's faults before they came, they would be prepared to some extent and most would not have any issues, they knew what they were getting themselves into. But when you tell people Japanese people are kind and then you get spat on by the obaachan in your street well you have some issues.

When your own husband is attacked on a train and told he should be studying Japanese because he's speaking English with you, you have some issues with the people who say Japanese people arent racist.

And when EVERY SINGLE DAY people cross the road to avoid you (and then cross back again after you've passed) it's gets really difficult not to feel like the lowest piece of sh*t around. Japanese people make excuses like well they've never seen a foreigner before, they don't know any better, your strange to them.

So that means it's okay to be outright rude??? (remember people staring is rude in Japanese society) I'm sure none of you think it is - none of my Japanese friends do, and if I tell them (I usually only tell my hubby) they get upset for me and apologise, because they know it's rude. But the Japanese way of dealing with unpleasant things by ignoring them and not discussing them is not the Western way. Neither is saying anything (including bare face lies) rather than saying a truth that could be hurtful. And I don't know about you but I feel that omitting the truth and lying are just not the way to make people feel good.

Almost all the 'haters' have problems with things that just boil down to cultural wire crossing. And the few other problems there are wouldn't have so many people complaining if they were prepared for them before hand. But more over, we all know the Japanese propensity to follow the crowd and if we can speak out things might just change.

Naturally Japanese people try not to think much about what goes on around them, it's none of their business to be involved in other people's business, but paradoxically everything they do is done with the fear that others will see and judge them. The more people who are aware of the wrongs that happen to foreigners the more it will just naturally become a society no-no. Because at the moment with the undercurrent of gaijin=criminal, that is reinforced by many Japanese laws, it means that if a Japanese person sees another Japanese and a foreigner in some sort of negative situation their first thought is that the foreigner is in the wrong. As many Japanese could not believe a 'timid Japanese' person would ever do anything bad to a foreigner.

Now Im sure I'll see some thumbs down - and Im sure Im gunna get a little sassy here (the Japan has clean air and Japanese DO NOT DISCRIMINATE OTHERS -her caps not mine - that I came across yesterday really really got me going) seriously just tell the truth...Japan has many good points there really is no need to lie about the bad ones, it only sets the stage for upset and disappointments, and lots of Japan bashing.

BTW I don't live in Tokyo where live is beautiful all the time...I did and it was: but now that dream life has ended and I live amongst the 'normal' folk where my neighbours because they know me give me gifts and want to show off my son to their visitors but one block away I'm the scary gaijin they literally need to shield their children from. Oh yeah and as the name suggests Im not a big scary guy Im a chick, brown hair now and less than 165cm tall so shorter than some Japanese. Explain that!!!

Answer 8

im japanese and live in us right now.
honestly, i didnt like us for a long time.
i love american music and movie but i didnt like some us government's policy. (im not talking about hiroshima)
4 yrs ago we moved in here
my kids study at public school everyday and i got some very good friends....
i do respect american because america is not my country. i live in here as a foreigner.
i had some gaijin friends when i lived in japan too.
some are just harass and mock japanese.
i know they're wrong. so i dont do same thing.
'the fault of another is a good teacher.'
it won't help to complain.
some in here are always complain about japanese. they dont know they are wrong. they are not happy person.
i know i dont need to listen to them.
i'm just writing what i think and belive.
im not journalist but i belive
'the pen is mightier than the sword'.

Answer 9

I think lots of ppl are watching Japan Q (not only this section but also in other questions/answers about Japan).
I am a person someone called "working for Japan government", and the default keyword of search engine is definitely "Japan". I find lots of non Japanese have already answered ahead of me. Some names are familiar. I am glad those ppl like Japan.
But I also know a phenomenon called "hate Japan" arise every year among the ppl who lived in Japan before but they didn't fit to Japan, the ppl who applied VISA hundreds of times but they couldn't get one, and the ppl who never stop talking political and historical issues in Japanese Univ, etc. The numbers of the "haters", in the foreign student studying in Japan, are about 1 to 2 out of 5 (according to one survery of one magazine).
I guess those ppl are still watching Japan section and they have their own opinion. They are the ppl who wanna judge Japan. The personality won't change easily.

But I think the phenomenon is better than nothing (no interesting).

Answer 10

I think some people here are highly opinionated. I think other users are just arrogant. I don't know. Some people just use this site for fun. That is how it should be.

The thumbs down thing is cross-sectional. It happens in every category here.