"Musashi" <Miyamoto@Hosokawa.co.jp> wrote in message
news:1si2d.3061$UF6.2254@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com...
>
> "necoandjeff" <spam@schrepfer.com> wrote in message
> news:odi2d.21809$aM4.9584@newssvr29.news.prodigy.com...
> > "Musashi" <Miyamoto@Hosokawa.co.jp> wrote in message
> > news:ZQh2d.3032$hv6.2388@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com...
> > >
> > > "Shez" <UseReplyAddress@nospam.uk.invalid> wrote in message
> > > news:ghLW9WMRVJSBFwYz@zerex.nospam.co.uk...
> > > > In the faraway land of sci.lang.japan, Musashi
> <Miyamoto@Hosokawa.co.jp>
> > > > said:
> > > > >> Hmm. So you're saying that the British are not Europeans?
> > > > >
> > > > >Yes and No. If we are speaking strictly in a geographical sense,
then
> > > > >obviously British are
> > > > >Europeans. But if we are talking about "how a people or nation
> > perceives
> > > and
> > > > >calls themselves"
> > > > >then I have met plenty of British people who rather pride
themselves
> in
> > > > >being "British or English"
> > > > >and consider themselves seperate from those on the "continent".
> Perhaps
> > > this
> > > > >has somtehign to
> > > > >do with being an island country, in which case it is understandable
> > that
> > > a
> > > > >similar type of mentality
> > > > >would have developed in Japan.
> > > >
> > > > Yes, Britain and Japan are very much alike in this respect, and
indeed
> > > > in many aspects of their historical relations with our continental
> > > > neighbours - wars, invasions, cultural & linguistic influences (e.g.
> the
> > > > adoption of the Roman alphabet in Britain and Kanji in Japan, along
> with
> > > > a lot of loan words from what was otherwise an unrelated language).
> Both
> > > > were even saved from invasion by a divine wind that dispersed an
> > > > invading fleet, IIRC.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Finally someone who understands this.
> > > I've never had much reception to this idea from
> > > my American friends.
> >
> > I agree to an extent. But people sometimes tend to use "island nation
> > mentality" to mean something much bigger. What I have an objection to is
> the
> > tendency Japanese have of explaining everything by pointing out that
they
> > are "shimaguni," even things with respect to which Japan and England are
> > very, very different.
> >
> > Jeff
> >
>
> Can you give an example of that?
> My objection to the shimaguni mentality concept is that some people use it
> as an excuse for everything including lack of attention to human rights,
> racism,
> sexual equality in the workplace, etc etc. While the shimaguni mentality
may
> explain much of Japanese history, Japan really hasn't been a shimaguni
since
> the 20th century began so I don't see it
> an excuse for not moving forward like any developed nation in the 21st
> century.

Those are all great examples of what I'm thinking of.

Jeff