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Rationalization of the Year for 1998
Jun. 21st, 2007 03:45 pmSomething else that's old, but which I need to nail to the wall for times when I need to point to it. Emphasis added. I would like to know who the unnamed sociologist is.
Paris, Friday, November 27, 1998
In Dealing With Japan, Be Sensitive
By Reginald Dale International Herald Tribune
WASHINGTON - Why was Japan's artillery much more accurate than its rifle-fire in World War II? Why do Japanese athletes, unlike those of most other countries, perform better in trials for their national Olympic team than in the Olympics themselves?
According to a prominent Japanese sociologist, the answer to both questions is the same: Japanese people do better when they are not being observed by foreigners. The artillery was far behind the front lines, out of sight of the enemy, and only Japanese spectators watch Olympic trials while the whole world watches the Olympic Games.
The sociologist first expounded this theory in the 1970s, since when Japan has gotten much more used to being watched by foreigners - especially where its economic performance is concerned. But many Japanese manifestly feel uncomfortable under a foreign microscope.
( Read more... )
Paris, Friday, November 27, 1998
In Dealing With Japan, Be Sensitive
By Reginald Dale International Herald Tribune
WASHINGTON - Why was Japan's artillery much more accurate than its rifle-fire in World War II? Why do Japanese athletes, unlike those of most other countries, perform better in trials for their national Olympic team than in the Olympics themselves?
According to a prominent Japanese sociologist, the answer to both questions is the same: Japanese people do better when they are not being observed by foreigners. The artillery was far behind the front lines, out of sight of the enemy, and only Japanese spectators watch Olympic trials while the whole world watches the Olympic Games.
The sociologist first expounded this theory in the 1970s, since when Japan has gotten much more used to being watched by foreigners - especially where its economic performance is concerned. But many Japanese manifestly feel uncomfortable under a foreign microscope.
( Read more... )
