Forum Settings
Forums

Is Western culture actually becoming more conservative?

New
Jan 13, 2022 6:24 AM
#1

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
I mean, in the past, whenever Japanese culture was discussed anywhere, I basically saw people being quite skeptical about the traditional and conservative nature of Japanese culture. I even had to defend Japanese traditions because people were constantly criticizing it.

But lately I've been hearing more and more people express understanding for many Japanese taboos and restrictive cultures, while even criticizing Japanese things that are considered overly liberal to the West.

Don't you think that this can at least partially indicate that Western culture is becoming more conservative or at least reserved? Of course, it is rather controversial to use Japanese culture as a kind of determinant of conservatism-liberalism, but personally it seems to me extremely unusual that over time, Americans or Russians began not only to largely agree with this, but even scold the Japanese themselves because of "excessive liberalism."
Pages (2) [1] 2 »
Jan 13, 2022 6:29 AM
#2
Offline
Jul 2018
564106
Does russia belong to the western culture though. Would it be the tsarist russia, then I would agree that it belongs to western culture, but current russia. Not really.

Back to the topic, no I wouldn't say so. You just experience it way more because of the internet. Yeah, there is a rise in populism in the western world, but it probably seems a more momentary conclusion instead of looking at the bigger picture.
Jan 13, 2022 6:45 AM
#3

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
lillianny said:
Does russia belong to the western culture though. Would it be the tsarist russia, then I would agree that it belongs to western culture, but current russia. Not really.

Back to the topic, no I wouldn't say so. You just experience it way more because of the internet. Yeah, there is a rise in populism in the western world, but it probably seems a more momentary conclusion instead of looking at the bigger picture.


Compared to Japanese culture, Russian culture is quite western. Much that is considered commonplace in Russia would quickly be labeled "Western barbarism" in Japan.

What's the difference? I've been watching this trend for a few years now and it doesn't seem like it's changing in the other direction.
Jan 13, 2022 6:51 AM
#4

Offline
Jul 2016
8888
All I know is that Japan's liberal things are better than Western liberal things.

And Japan's conservative things are better than Western conservative things.

Japan is superior. West should literally emulate Japan.

And I DON'T mean only the attitude. I mean literally the exact culture should be copied. Every part of it.
Western culture is shit.
IpreferEcchiJan 13, 2022 6:54 AM
Jan 13, 2022 7:07 AM
#5
Offline
Jul 2018
564106
RobertBobert said:
lillianny said:
Does russia belong to the western culture though. Would it be the tsarist russia, then I would agree that it belongs to western culture, but current russia. Not really.

Back to the topic, no I wouldn't say so. You just experience it way more because of the internet. Yeah, there is a rise in populism in the western world, but it probably seems a more momentary conclusion instead of looking at the bigger picture.


Compared to Japanese culture, Russian culture is quite western. Much that is considered commonplace in Russia would quickly be labeled "Western barbarism" in Japan.

What's the difference? I've been watching this trend for a few years now and it doesn't seem like it's changing in the other direction.
I mean can you blame them. The reason for the japanese superiority over russia is because they gave a national humiliation to russia in 1905.

And well asians were also regarded as barbarians, so what is the point of this ''western barbarism'' given that the USA gave japan culture twice, in 1853 and after WW2.

And the USA and their polarizing politics are largely covering the ground for conservatism, but the USA isn't the entire western culture. There are still a lot of western countries with a largely liberal culture.
Jan 13, 2022 7:12 AM
#6

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
lillianny said:
RobertBobert said:


Compared to Japanese culture, Russian culture is quite western. Much that is considered commonplace in Russia would quickly be labeled "Western barbarism" in Japan.

What's the difference? I've been watching this trend for a few years now and it doesn't seem like it's changing in the other direction.
I mean can you blame them. The reason for the japanese superiority over russia is because they gave a national humiliation to russia in 1905.

And well asians were also regarded as barbarians, so what is the point of this ''western barbarism'' given that the USA gave japan culture twice, in 1853 and after WW2.

And the USA and their polarizing politics are largely covering the ground for conservatism, but the USA isn't the entire western culture. There are still a lot of western countries with a largely liberal culture.


I'm going to let all this politics go over my head (hell, man, did you even hear about the annihilation of the Kwantung army?) and remind you again that we are discussing culture, not national relations.
Jan 13, 2022 7:25 AM
#7
Offline
Jul 2018
564106
RobertBobert said:
lillianny said:
I mean can you blame them. The reason for the japanese superiority over russia is because they gave a national humiliation to russia in 1905.

And well asians were also regarded as barbarians, so what is the point of this ''western barbarism'' given that the USA gave japan culture twice, in 1853 and after WW2.

And the USA and their polarizing politics are largely covering the ground for conservatism, but the USA isn't the entire western culture. There are still a lot of western countries with a largely liberal culture.


I'm going to let all this politics go over my head (hell, man, did you even hear about the annihilation of the Kwantung army?) and remind you again that we are discussing culture, not national relations.
I don't see how the mandschurian offensive is anything revolutionary. At the very least 1905 was on equal ground and paved the way for japanese believed superiority over western nations.

I finish with saying that populism breeds of crises and 2008 and the pandemic certainly helped populism and conservatism, but it certainly isn't anything outside the norm.
Jan 13, 2022 7:29 AM
#8

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
lillianny said:
RobertBobert said:


I'm going to let all this politics go over my head (hell, man, did you even hear about the annihilation of the Kwantung army?) and remind you again that we are discussing culture, not national relations.
I don't see how the mandschurian offensive is anything revolutionary. At the very least 1905 was on equal ground and paved the way for japanese believed superiority over western nations.

I finish with saying that populism breeds of crises and 2008 and the pandemic certainly helped populism and conservatism, but it certainly isn't anything outside the norm.


I remind you once again that we are not discussing national relations, but culture. Also, 5-6 years ago there was no pandemic, but I have already seen such trends.
Jan 13, 2022 7:29 AM
#9
Offline
Jul 2018
564106
West is seen as overly liberal this day and age. West being America and Western Europe and the North. Japan is seen as a conservative country upholding old believe systems which is evident from their mediums. I can notice a crash of ideologies present as well as creators are not limited to liberals in Japan but to whatever sells regardless of political standings. So you get both extremely liberal and conservative views meshed up. Light Novels are a good representation of extremely conservative creators producing content, where as manga is reserved for mainly liberals. That is what I have noticed. Anime industry itself does not have a giant presence as it used to and now mainly produces anime depending on sales from novels/ or manga.
Jan 13, 2022 7:36 AM
Offline
Jul 2018
564106
RobertBobert said:
lillianny said:
I don't see how the mandschurian offensive is anything revolutionary. At the very least 1905 was on equal ground and paved the way for japanese believed superiority over western nations.

I finish with saying that populism breeds of crises and 2008 and the pandemic certainly helped populism and conservatism, but it certainly isn't anything outside the norm.


I remind you once again that we are not discussing national relations, but culture. Also, 5-6 years ago there was no pandemic, but I have already seen such trends.
Didn't you read what I have just written. 2008 and the pandemic. And a lot of things can be attributed towards the great recession. The bank bailout shifted the culture towards the right, while europe dealt with greece and later in 2015 the refugee crises. Of course there is cultural shift towards the right, because of these events, but it is nothing out of the norm.
Jan 13, 2022 7:47 AM

Offline
Jul 2019
4514
Depends on who you ask, I guess. In my eyes, at least in the U.S, there has been major shift towards fascist right. Conservative is just slightly less of evil. This is, I would argue, mostly the result of Neoliberalism in America.




-[ ~♫~ ll Credit ]-
Jan 13, 2022 8:06 AM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
lillianny said:
RobertBobert said:


I remind you once again that we are not discussing national relations, but culture. Also, 5-6 years ago there was no pandemic, but I have already seen such trends.
Didn't you read what I have just written. 2008 and the pandemic. And a lot of things can be attributed towards the great recession. The bank bailout shifted the culture towards the right, while europe dealt with greece and later in 2015 the refugee crises. Of course there is cultural shift towards the right, because of these events, but it is nothing out of the norm.



It's not about the west being right, man. The point is that Western "progressive" culture is actually very conservative. You stubbornly refuse to accept the real theme of the topic, but at the same time you accuse me of not agreeing with you.
Jan 13, 2022 1:58 PM
ああああああああ

Offline
Apr 2013
5661
Japan is expressing excessive liberalism? That's a new one. Japan is still a largely conservative country to my knowledge. I don't understand where this is coming from.

This ground is soiled by those before me and their lies. I dare not look up for on me I feel their eyes
Jan 13, 2022 2:14 PM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
StarfireDragon said:
Japan is expressing excessive liberalism? That's a new one. Japan is still a largely conservative country to my knowledge. I don't understand where this is coming from.


Read the discussions about the show that have caused controversy over the past 5-6 years. A notable proportion of people complain that the Japanese don't censor "incorrect content".
Jan 13, 2022 2:45 PM

Offline
Nov 2021
870
yes of course, the technological advancement is a tool for conservatives
Jan 13, 2022 2:54 PM
ああああああああ

Offline
Apr 2013
5661
RobertBobert said:
StarfireDragon said:
Japan is expressing excessive liberalism? That's a new one. Japan is still a largely conservative country to my knowledge. I don't understand where this is coming from.


Read the discussions about the show that have caused controversy over the past 5-6 years. A notable proportion of people complain that the Japanese don't censor "incorrect content".


I think that these people may employ a lot of the same pearl clutching tactics that conservatives might, though I don't see this as any indication of a major cultural shift. It is just salty anime discourse at the end of the day.

This ground is soiled by those before me and their lies. I dare not look up for on me I feel their eyes
Jan 13, 2022 4:48 PM

Offline
Oct 2009
554
Western countries are more liberal when it comes to sexual orientation. Gays, lesbian are openly accepted whereas even in the 90s they were not fully accepted. In terms of sexual habits again non-conventional/non-monogamous relationships are less stigmatised. Divorce and marriage have certainly carried less weight than before. Socially it is hard to argue about the west becoming conservative.

As for Japan, it just doesn't feature in discussions as much as before. At least here in the UK it doesn't. I don't think it is a case people understand better rather they don't care. The biggest criticism I hear is the work-life balance and then the fact the culture is more misogynistic not to mention their stance towards foreigners. But you have to go out your way to hear people talk about Japan these days. Most talk is directed towards the Chinese.
Jan 13, 2022 5:00 PM

Offline
Jan 2009
100674
japanese maybe too liberal when it comes to lolicon culture that the rest of the world sees as pedophilia also when it comes to making pretty and badass characters that are inspired by other cultures like see fate grand order and the historical and mythical characters there all over the world

aside from that i see japanese culture as too conservative still like being xenophobic or racist or anti-immigration and anti-multiculturalism, they also need the #MeToo movement there so badly because of how sexual assaults is so common and under reported https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/3/8/sexual-assault-in-japan-every-girl-was-a-victim

as for western culture becoming conservative again its because of economics i think weak social mobility and stagnant real wages (wages adjusted to inflation) as well as increasing high cost of living makes people competitive more than cooperative (cooperation is tied with socialism anyway) so they are also anti-immigration now and culture wars are fuels more since they think immigrants not only took their jobs but also their privileges are lowered
Jan 14, 2022 12:41 PM

Offline
Jul 2013
2404
I thought modern America was extremely liberal especially with major sports leagues hating white men, allowing transgender people or crossdressing freaks to compete in women's sports and donating money to Democrats. NFL, NBA and MLB which were once All-American happen to be the same woke assholes now.

Many big name corporations in America are Democrat donors and many young Americans have yet to give a single damn about their country, so no. Gen Z conservative like the name of some website is a goddamn oxymoron.

An American search engine that I considered All-American giving people lots of privacy one time happens to be made by Democrat donors now. DDG All-American? Hell no it's not. More like the devs are wannabe communists now. I thought that the DDG devs hated the man such as the CCP, Huawei, Google or the NSA. Four spy companies responsible for committing crimes against America and her people. One crime committed is one crime too many.

Young Americans don't even care about the fact that their cheap Chinese phones have integrated spy hardware. Don't even care about espionage being totally un-American. Don't even care about Chinese people making their cheap phones with toxic chemicals or very harmful, carcinogenic substances.

I also can't forget about the fact that Microsoft sold out jobs overseas and made a deal with the NSA allowing Winblows to have a backdoor so that Corporate America or the man can violate your basic rights. That's real American guys.
Jan 14, 2022 2:14 PM

Offline
Apr 2015
3109
I don't think so. While it isn't so cut and clear and depending what the topic is about and what age group you ask etc. you can expect either more liberal or traditional mindset.

Like drugs. In Japan they're mostly seen in negative light while most of Europe and North America there's more liberal take on them. Even in media portray I'd say. Nudity and sexualization of different things in media and how people take them also varies a lot between cultures. In some European countries portraying fictional pornographic image of underage characters counts as cp, but there are countries where it isn't and can maybe even be recommended as an alternative for real cp by professionals. And what I know in such things also vary in USA by state. Meanwhile Japan censors frontal nudity even in works that are not pornographic and you can get jail time for a picture of vagina, if someone is really anal and hates you. I have a feeling though European countries are more lean on teens having sex (with each other or in cases where age difference isn't that big) than in Japan.

Never heard Japan mentioned in negative light tho. More often in positive way.
Jan 14, 2022 2:36 PM

Offline
Jun 2019
6600
No, I would say not at all.

What's happening is that the dogmatism of the official ideology of countries in the Western bloc (some, like the countries of Northern Europe, Western Europe, and Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, moreso than Central Europe and Southern Europe on some cultural, religious, and social issues) has become so stridently liberal-progressive in some areas and libertarian/libertine in others, complementing the neoliberal economic policy of these countries, that this has alienated a still resistant and vocal, sizable enough segment of the population and has produced a vehement and bitter backlash which gives sentiment and voice to precisely the feelings you describe.

There are always at any given time a contingent of people, sometimes small, sometimes large, which disagree with the dominant reigning policies of the government (and official institutions like academia, media, and other culture and trend-setters) in their country and represent opposition to the trajectory they're forcing the country down. It's true today and is not unique to Western bloc countries, but in every single country in the world both historically and in the present-day. You're speaking about the dissenting Western faction rather than the status quo faction.
Jan 14, 2022 2:58 PM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
WatchTillTandava said:
No, I would say not at all.

What's happening is that the dogmatism of the official ideology of countries in the Western bloc (some, like the countries of Northern Europe, Western Europe, and Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, moreso than Central Europe and Southern Europe on some cultural, religious, and social issues) has become so stridently liberal-progressive in some areas and libertarian/libertine in others, complementing the neoliberal economic policy of these countries, that this has alienated a still resistant and vocal, sizable enough segment of the population and has produced a vehement and bitter backlash which gives sentiment and voice to precisely the feelings you describe.

There are always at any given time a contingent of people, sometimes small, sometimes large, which disagree with the dominant reigning policies of the government (and official institutions like academia, media, and other culture and trend-setters) in their country and represent opposition to the trajectory they're forcing the country down. It's true today and is not unique to Western bloc countries, but in every single country in the world both historically and in the present-day. You're speaking about the dissenting Western faction rather than the status quo faction.


Well, in Russia there are similar tendencies among the "old communists", what we call red conservatism. For example, many Stalinists are essentially the Soviet version of the Republicans. Why can't there be similar tendencies in this case?
Jan 14, 2022 3:15 PM

Offline
Jun 2019
6600
RobertBobert said:
Well, in Russia there are similar tendencies among the "old communists", what we call red conservatism. For example, many Stalinists are essentially the Soviet version of the Republicans. Why can't there be similar tendencies in this case?


There are, but my point was that these people aren't in power and driving the decisionmaking of Western countries. They're the minority, dissenting faction. And they have always existed. Only the superficial window-dressing aspects like what the name of their party or movement is might change. But the ideas and people to represent those ideas have never disappeared, but just pushed out of power and suppressed by the dominant faction.

In Western countries, there are two (the U.S.) to five or so (some European countries) revolving door parties which don't change anything substantial about the direction the country takes in any major aspect and essentially all have the same ideology beyond superficial and cosmetic differences and paying lipservice to their constituencies which isn't acted upon, which is inherently anti-democratic because the views of a not insignificant part of the population are not adequately represented or enacted by these parties. They're liberal, but actually very anti-democracy and anti-populism (most Americans and Westerners mistakenly and ignorantly think liberal democracy is a "true" democracy in the sense of direct democracy, and that liberalism = democracy whereas it is just as often in opposition to it as any other ideology).

What transpired is their views were more sufficiently represented in the liberal-conservative parties, like the Republican Party of the U.S., but the ruling parties began shifting in a more left-liberal/centre-left/liberal-progressive direction decades ago opposing traditionalism and rural values in favor of things like free trade, unrestricted open borders immigration either in word or deed, and multiculturalism, all to facilitate a better market environment for neoliberal globalization. Gay marriage used to be opposed by even the leading figures of the Democratic Party in the U.S. as recently as 2010.

The faction rebelling against that goes under different names in different countries. In the 90s in the U.S. there was the paleoconservative movement and third way independents representing the dissent like Patrick Buchanan and the Reform Party of Ross Perot. Now there are new movements but they're not running for electoral office and don't have the same ins within the system. They're more a street-based and internet-based counterculture movement akin to what you saw in the 1960s in the other direction, pre-internet (a popular social protest movement).

So the tendencies are there but it's not really Western countries becoming more conservative. It's Western conservatives reacting to and resisting their countries becoming less conservative due to the policies of the dominant faction in power.
WatchTillTandavaJan 14, 2022 3:21 PM
Jan 14, 2022 3:27 PM

Offline
Feb 2020
418
what are you referencing when you say that some westerners think japan is overly liberal? japan is a pretty conservative country, I'm not aware of any areas that they're more liberal than western countries in.
Jan 14, 2022 3:34 PM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
ponpokorin said:
what are you referencing when you say that some westerners think japan is overly liberal? japan is a pretty conservative country, I'm not aware of any areas that they're more liberal than western countries in.


So liberal that Sleeping Beauty was the victim of great drama because the Prince did not ask the paralyzed woman for a kiss before saving her. And that's not to mention all that pseudo-left shit like cultural appropriation and whiteness.
Jan 14, 2022 3:42 PM

Offline
Feb 2020
418
RobertBobert said:
ponpokorin said:
what are you referencing when you say that some westerners think japan is overly liberal? japan is a pretty conservative country, I'm not aware of any areas that they're more liberal than western countries in.


So liberal that Sleeping Beauty was the victim of great drama because the Prince did not ask the paralyzed woman for a kiss before saving her. And that's not to mention all that pseudo-left shit like cultural appropriation and whiteness.

what does sleeping beauty have to do with japan? I'm asking why you said westerners think japan is overly liberal.
Jan 14, 2022 3:48 PM

Online
Aug 2017
11349
Long live to Japan, we must defend Japan, their people and civilization at all costs. The West is destroying itself with their pseudophilosophy, they claim "trap" is transphobic, they claim cow's milk a symbol of white supremacy, they claim air-conditioning is sexist, they openly use slurs like Latinx, etc.

Banzaiiiii
All weebs creatures of the galaxy, hear this message. Those of you who listen will not be struck by western animation. You will no longer know hunger, nor pain. Your Anime have come to lead you now. Our strength shall serve as a luminous sun toward which all intelligence may blossom. And the impervious shelter beneath which you will prosper. However, for those who refuse our offer and cling to their western animation ways… For you, there will be great wrath.
Jan 14, 2022 6:25 PM
Offline
May 2007
2067
IpreferEcchi said:
All I know is that Japan's liberal things are better than Western liberal things.

And Japan's conservative things are better than Western conservative things.

Japan is superior. West should literally emulate Japan.

And I DON'T mean only the attitude. I mean literally the exact culture should be copied. Every part of it.
Western culture is shit.


I wouldn't say you're wrong. Take for example, American Christians have been trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies through abstinence education. And yet, Japan manages to succeed at this and now has one of the lowest birthrates in the world for the last 25 years, but I doubt it's because of Christian values. If anything, Japan is one of the least Christian countries in the world!

Japan has been becoming progressively abstinent, and yet it has a multibillion-dollar porn industry and semi-legalized prostitution!

And while the US Communist Party is pretty much non-existent nor will it even gain any traction there, the Japanese Communist Party has a visible voice in some parts of local and national government.

But in a realistic sense, what has made Japan's forms of conservatism/liberalism work in its country woud never work outside of it.

Jan 14, 2022 6:57 PM

Offline
Jan 2019
2435
RobertBobert said:
StarfireDragon said:
Japan is expressing excessive liberalism? That's a new one. Japan is still a largely conservative country to my knowledge. I don't understand where this is coming from.


Read the discussions about the show that have caused controversy over the past 5-6 years. A notable proportion of people complain that the Japanese don't censor "incorrect content".

Japan might have a liberal culture towards art and entertainment, but it doesn't necessarily transfer to other things. Brazil was somewhat similar some time ago. Conservative culture of "traditional family made of the values of good people", but all you saw on public TV was semi-naked women, crass humor and mockery.

Except our culture is Christian, so "the gays" were never there unless as jokes, all sorts of prejudice was regurgitated openly, and anything that could be interpreted as demonic or taboo would have to be adapted for the TV or censored. Japan, on the other hand, is not Christian and their media and laws don't seem to care about what happens in fiction.
Jan 15, 2022 1:31 AM
YouTuber / VA

Offline
Aug 2017
1868
Nah all societies naturally move farther and farther to the left over time until things things start moving too fast and too far resulting in a strong backlash snapping society back a decent amount to the right. But then things settle and society starts shifting back to the left again and the cycle keeps on repeating, overall though in the long run the shift is always to the left. It's just that right now we're in the middle of a global snapback.

Typically countries have shifted independently of each other but with the rise of interconnectivity through mass media and the internet the entire west has become connected to a pretty sizable degree. And right now an extremely vocal minority of Americans (about a fifth of the country) largely under the effects of mass deliria are going through a rapid and ludicrously radical rapid shift to the left which is pulling a lot of other people in the West prone to strong emotional swings with us due to the massive footprint Americans have on the internet through social media and entertainment among other things.

It's also a really weird shift because these radicals have monopolized a lot of the intuitions of power in society (media, government, corporations, schools, etc) but the people are largely against this radical shift (but also to wildly different degrees across a wide variety of groups) so there's all these weird mixed messages often completely out of step with institutional narratives and we're also getting a lot more polarization than usual as opposed to mostly just shift.

Btw side note I didn't use the terms Conservative or Liberal because it's highly up for debate what these terms even mean anymore and frankly it differs a lot based on who's using them, like if you look up the definition of Liberal on Wikipedia (which seems to more so be in line with the general European definition) most of the traits are the exact opposite of what American Liberals believe. Our left is kind of weird, hell until recently they were actually significantly to the right of the European left and were even heading further right but in 2008 they hit a turning point then over time started speeding up in their leftward shift eventually passing the median left in Europe in around 2014 (according to most standard data analyses) and when Trump got elected in 2016 it had a profound and earthshaking impact on our left driving many of them delirious resulting in their shift speeding up exponentially beyond what anybody in the country could have imagined. Meanwhile the American right has basically stayed the same since 2000 lol and were actually slowly moving to the left up until s few years ago as unfortunately now a sizable chunk of them have shifted to the right in retaliation to the left's shift (as many people have in this current global snapback the west is going through in retaliation to the left).
Jan 15, 2022 1:59 AM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
ponpokorin said:
RobertBobert said:


So liberal that Sleeping Beauty was the victim of great drama because the Prince did not ask the paralyzed woman for a kiss before saving her. And that's not to mention all that pseudo-left shit like cultural appropriation and whiteness.

what does sleeping beauty have to do with japan? I'm asking why you said westerners think japan is overly liberal.


Who said "I do not know more liberal countries than Western countries"?
Jan 15, 2022 9:10 AM

Offline
Feb 2020
418
RobertBobert said:
ponpokorin said:

what does sleeping beauty have to do with japan? I'm asking why you said westerners think japan is overly liberal.


Who said "I do not know more liberal countries than Western countries"?

...no one did? Lol all that I asked is why you said that some westerners think Japan is overly liberal
Jan 15, 2022 11:01 AM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
ponpokorin said:
RobertBobert said:


Who said "I do not know more liberal countries than Western countries"?

...no one did? Lol all that I asked is why you said that some westerners think Japan is overly liberal


"I'm not aware of any areas that they're more liberal than western countries in" - now your words?
Jan 15, 2022 11:19 AM

Offline
Nov 2019
86
See, westerners have scolded Japanese for liberalism in things like their traditions, culture, and nowadays moreso media... but aside from their culture, Japan is still quite conservative in society while the West (namely USA and EU) are quite liberal in society. Neoliberalism is currently a mostly western phenomenon.

If anything, every culture cherrypicks what is progressive and what is barbaric anyway, so I think westerners criticizing like a couple aspects of Japanese culture doesn't override all the overly liberal things that are only observable in the west. I don't think many Asian countries can call themselves liberal when using US/EU as a frame of reference.

As I'm typing this I'm realizing that it's quite the complicated question. I still consider the west much more liberal than japan and SEA, but nowadays its hard to discuss liberalism and conservatism with people because the common definitions of the words have become so muddled.
ColorZero0Jan 15, 2022 11:23 AM
Jan 15, 2022 11:21 AM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
ColorZero0 said:
See, westerners have scolded Japanese for liberalism in things like their traditions, culture, and nowadays moreso media... but aside from their culture, Japan is still quite conservative in society while the West (namely USA and EU) are quite liberal in society. Neoliberalism is currently a mostly western phenomenon.

If anything, every culture cherrypicks what is progressive and what is barbaric anyway, so I think westerners criticizing like a couple aspects of Japanese culture doesn't override all the overly liberal things that are only observable in the west. I don't think many Asian countries can call themselves liberal when using US/EU as a frame of reference.


It's about conservatism in the context of protecting one's own order, not conservatism as a conservative ideology in general.
Jan 15, 2022 12:00 PM

Offline
Nov 2019
86
RobertBobert said:
ColorZero0 said:
See, westerners have scolded Japanese for liberalism in things like their traditions, culture, and nowadays moreso media... but aside from their culture, Japan is still quite conservative in society while the West (namely USA and EU) are quite liberal in society. Neoliberalism is currently a mostly western phenomenon.

If anything, every culture cherrypicks what is progressive and what is barbaric anyway, so I think westerners criticizing like a couple aspects of Japanese culture doesn't override all the overly liberal things that are only observable in the west. I don't think many Asian countries can call themselves liberal when using US/EU as a frame of reference.


It's about conservatism in the context of protecting one's own order, not conservatism as a conservative ideology in general.


Ok, in that case then I believe that the west in recent history is going more liberal. Historically, the west has not been as open to other culture's influences or at least accepting of them as it is today (i.e. conquering Natives, cultural erasure from British occupation of India), with nowadays there being a growing emphasis on diversity and understanding each other, rather than protecting one's one culture from being influenced by outside cultures.

Jan 15, 2022 12:05 PM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
ColorZero0 said:
RobertBobert said:


It's about conservatism in the context of protecting one's own order, not conservatism as a conservative ideology in general.


Ok, in that case then I believe that the west in recent history is going more liberal. Historically, the west has not been as open to other culture's influences or at least accepting of them as it is today (i.e. conquering Natives, cultural erasure from British occupation of India), with nowadays there being a growing emphasis on diversity and understanding each other, rather than protecting one's one culture from being influenced by outside cultures.



Are you talking about that west where people are accused of being racist for wearing non-white clothes or hair style?
Jan 15, 2022 12:46 PM

Offline
Feb 2020
418
RobertBobert said:
ponpokorin said:

...no one did? Lol all that I asked is why you said that some westerners think Japan is overly liberal


"I'm not aware of any areas that they're more liberal than western countries in" - now your words?

yes, as in I am not aware of any areas of japanese culture/society that would be considered overly liberal to westerners, except maybe anime & other media. That isn't the same as saying "I do not know more liberal countries than Western countries" and tbh I'm confused on how you came to that conclusion
Jan 15, 2022 12:49 PM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
ponpokorin said:
RobertBobert said:


"I'm not aware of any areas that they're more liberal than western countries in" - now your words?

yes, as in I am not aware of any areas of japanese culture/society that would be considered overly liberal to westerners, except maybe anime & other media. That isn't the same as saying "I do not know more liberal countries than Western countries" and tbh I'm confused on how you came to that conclusion


Let's say. But why, when in response to this I sarcastically mentioned cases of toxicity due to Western culture, you say that you did not say these words?
Jan 15, 2022 1:13 PM

Offline
Feb 2020
418
RobertBobert said:
ponpokorin said:

yes, as in I am not aware of any areas of japanese culture/society that would be considered overly liberal to westerners, except maybe anime & other media. That isn't the same as saying "I do not know more liberal countries than Western countries" and tbh I'm confused on how you came to that conclusion


Let's say. But why, when in response to this I sarcastically mentioned cases of toxicity due to Western culture, you say that you did not say these words?

Man, either you are seriously misinterpreting me or you are just trying that hard to ignore what I actually asked. I asked about why westerners would think japan is overly liberal. I'm not here to have a conversation about western liberals and I don't know why you're so fixated on them. I said I didn't say those words because I didn't. What I said was nothing like what you said it was.
Jan 15, 2022 1:16 PM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
ponpokorin said:
RobertBobert said:


Let's say. But why, when in response to this I sarcastically mentioned cases of toxicity due to Western culture, you say that you did not say these words?

Man, either you are seriously misinterpreting me or you are just trying that hard to ignore what I actually asked. I asked about why westerners would think japan is overly liberal. I'm not here to have a conversation about western liberals and I don't know why you're so fixated on them. I said I didn't say those words because I didn't. What I said was nothing like what you said it was.


Have you still not understood that I was not talking about liberal ideology, but simple, "street" liberalism? Even above, I drew the attention of one guy to the fact that I am not talking about a conservative ideology, but about a conservative attitude.
Jan 15, 2022 1:44 PM

Offline
May 2013
13227
Japan is completely awash in Pop culture in a way that even America isn't, though we are the home of pop culture in many ways.

Can pop culture be considered liberal or conservative? Well yes in the sense that both sides are basically accepting of capitalism and democracy.

However it's not necessarily easy to put it in one camp or the other. That's a pretty massive battle, in fact.
I CELEBRATE myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
Jan 15, 2022 1:54 PM

Offline
Aug 2018
206
Pressure increased on those who didn't and those who didn't conform as they tried so hard to be intellectual and rational. their attitude towards normal people deteriorated.
Candies: (2023)

Candies: (2022)
Jan 15, 2022 2:38 PM

Offline
Nov 2019
86
RobertBobert said:
ColorZero0 said:


Ok, in that case then I believe that the west in recent history is going more liberal. Historically, the west has not been as open to other culture's influences or at least accepting of them as it is today (i.e. conquering Natives, cultural erasure from British occupation of India), with nowadays there being a growing emphasis on diversity and understanding each other, rather than protecting one's one culture from being influenced by outside cultures.



Are you talking about that west where people are accused of being racist for wearing non-white clothes or hair style?


Yes, I am. I don't believe that the actions of a minority of dumbfucks that think wearing foreign styles is racism represents the opinions of the population. You say this like it happens all the time, but it only happens in Buzzfeed articles. There are stupid people everywhere, not just in the west.
Jan 15, 2022 5:26 PM

Offline
Oct 2012
16085
Western culture has become more conservative, or shall I say, geared toward fascism. If we define conservatism as conserving the founding principles of a country, then it has not. Upon closer examination, the culture has splintered off into a dichotomy of social democracy and fascism. Whereas in the previous decades under Bush and Obama, mainstream society tended to stay within an Overton window that's shifted a little bit left and right by the ideas of the time, that cohesion no longer exists and both sides have become outright antagonistic. So while it appears that conservative sentiment has rebounded, the pockets of liberalism still persist and are unconvinced, or perhaps even more liberal than before.

Edit
People on MAL in general, including the above posters, have no idea what liberal ideology is about. The topic of appropriation is an open topic to be discussed philosophically, and so critical theory opens up a space in the conversation for people to debate on new perspectives that we could approach society. The contrary view is to satirize critical theory as something extreme in order to shut down the debate because they're fearful of new ideas.

This anti-intellectualism is conservative in a way, but the extent that so-called conservatives now attack the educational institutions themselves is not conservatism, because real conservatives still recognize the value of education in most of Western tradition.

That is indicative of why conservatism has always been more effective in the mainstream. While liberals are debating within themselves, conservatives fall into a hive mind of a uniform bloc, because their only position on the topic is no position at all -- "lalalalalala appropriation doesn't exist".

If you take a position, then you have to figure out where you stand. If you don't take a position, then you automatically agree with everyone else who don't.
katsucatsJan 15, 2022 5:36 PM
My subjective reviews: katsureview.wordpress.com
THE CHAT CLUB.
Jan 16, 2022 2:42 AM

Offline
Mar 2008
49406
No, it's just becoming more authoritarian so it sometimes seems that way
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣸⠋⠀⠀⠀⡄⠀⠀⡔⠀⢀⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⡘⡰⠁⠘⡀⠀⠀⢠⠀⠀⠀⢸⠀⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠁⠀⣀⠀⠀⡇⠀⡜⠈⠁⠀⢸⡈⢇⠀⠀⢣⠑⠢⢄⣇⠀⠀⠸⠀⠀⠀⢸⠀⠀⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⢰⡟⡀⠀⡇⡜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⡇⠈⢆⢰⠁⠀⠀⠀⠘⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠸⠀⠀⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠤⢄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡼⠀⣧⠀⢿⢠⣤⣤⣬⣥⠀⠁⠀⠀⠛⢀⡒⠀⠀⠀⠘⡆⡆⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⠀⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⢵⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡰⠀⢠⠃⠱⣼⡀⣀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠛⠳⠶⠶⠆⡸⢀⡀⣀⢰⠀⠀⢸ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⣀⣀⣀⠄⠀⠉⠁⠀⠀⢠⠃⢀⠎⠀⠀⣼⠋⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠴⠢⢄⡔⣕⡍⠣⣱⢸⠀⠀⢷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⡰⠃⢀⠎⠀⠀⡜⡨⢢⡀⠀⠀⠀⠐⣄⠀⠀⣠⠀⠀⠀⠐⢛⠽⠗⠁⠀⠁⠊⠀⡜⠸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⢀⠔⣁⡴⠃⠀⡠⡪⠊⣠⣾⣟⣷⡦⠤⣀⡈⠁⠉⢀⣀⡠⢔⠊⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡤⡗⢀⠇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⢀⣠⠴⢑⡨⠊⡀⠤⠚⢉⣴⣾⣿⡿⣾⣿⡇⠀⠹⣻⠛⠉⠉⢀⠠⠺⠀⠀⡀⢄⣴⣾⣧⣞⠀⡜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠐⠒⣉⠠⠄⡂⠅⠊⠁⠀⠀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣻⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀⢠⣷⣮⡍⡠⠔⢉⡇⡠⠋⠁⠀⣿⣿⣿⣿⣄⠀⠀⠀⠀
Jan 16, 2022 4:22 AM
Cat Hater

Offline
Feb 2017
8660
Clueless Westerners: Woah, Japan is so conservative. Uh, yeah, everyone wears kimono!
Meanwhile in Japanese universities: "Asking a woman if she has a boyfriend is homophobic."

Like, face it. The Edo period has ended more than a century ago. Konoha is not real. You don't know anything about Japan. Period.
Jan 16, 2022 4:28 AM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
149597871 said:
Clueless Westerners: Woah, Japan is so conservative. Uh, yeah, everyone wears kimono!
Meanwhile in Japanese universities: "Asking a woman if she has a boyfriend is homophobic."

Like, face it. The Edo period has ended more than a century ago. Konoha is not real. You don't know anything about Japan. Period.


Japan also fell victim to this shit? Reminds me of the relatively recent news that the phrase "female genitalia" is transphobic.
Jan 16, 2022 4:37 AM
Cat Hater

Offline
Feb 2017
8660
RobertBobert said:
149597871 said:
Clueless Westerners: Woah, Japan is so conservative. Uh, yeah, everyone wears kimono!
Meanwhile in Japanese universities: "Asking a woman if she has a boyfriend is homophobic."

Like, face it. The Edo period has ended more than a century ago. Konoha is not real. You don't know anything about Japan. Period.


Japan also fell victim to this shit? Reminds me of the relatively recent news that the phrase "female genitalia" is transphobic.


I'd say it is about a decade behind the US. I believe many people just confuse collectivism with conservatism. Japan will soon be very liberal, though I hope it doesn't turn into the woke disaster that is the US. Not to mention that in the US, it is religion that drives most conservatives. In Japan most people are atheist/non-religious regardless of what the official statistics suggest.
Jan 16, 2022 4:53 AM

Offline
Apr 2012
21249
149597871 said:
RobertBobert said:


Japan also fell victim to this shit? Reminds me of the relatively recent news that the phrase "female genitalia" is transphobic.


I'd say it is about a decade behind the US. I believe many people just confuse collectivism with conservatism. Japan will soon be very liberal, though I hope it doesn't turn into the woke disaster that is the US. Not to mention that in the US, it is religion that drives most conservatives. In Japan most people are atheist/non-religious regardless of what the official statistics suggest.


Well, I've read some of the work of Japanese authors with "officially" liberal views and it often comes across as subdued western content.
Pages (2) [1] 2 »

More topics from this board

» Why is there so many discussions about being attracted to anime high school girls ( 1 2 )

girltokyo - Yesterday

50 by Zekkenshin »»
2 minutes ago

» What's your favorite color and why???

hime_Ichigo - Yesterday

36 by zzz »»
18 minutes ago

» Big age differences in relationships ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )

monty1 - Dec 28, 2012

358 by Zarutaku »»
40 minutes ago

» If you could create your own movie or show

Kaimei - Apr 20, 2013

21 by Zarutaku »»
1 hour ago

Poll: » Ronaldo or Messi?

Ba-Cii10 - Yesterday

21 by Merve2Love »»
1 hour ago
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login