"The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles"

[flemmings]

I have no hormones left to rage, was my understanding of the process, but they seem to be raging nonetheless. Sadness.

"We met this woman from Montreal," my American housemates in Tokyo said one day. "She really hated Americans. Really hated Americans. Do *you* hate Americans?"

When I'd recovered from my moment's shock I said, "I'm from Toronto, so if I did I wouldn't tell you." I could have been more specific, because some Torontonians are quite upfront on these things- it varies by cultural background- but one must simplify for the layperson.

Of course what I really wanted to say was an irritated "You bet. They ask asshole questions like 'do you hate Americans?'" But I'm Torontonian- that kind of Torontonian- and I was simply incapable of doing it.

Americans are quite capable of doing it. I see them doing it today all over livejournal. I'm half-tempted to weigh in, because some of the thinking is so very *wrong*. Then I remember I'm Torontonian and don't do things like that- even if I occasionally wish I was from Montreal and did- and the people I admire don't either.

So sigh, shrug, Ils sont fous, ces Américains.' (toc toc)

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

How could I hate Singaporeans? Singapore is where bad (middle-class comfortable over-educated over-entitled currently having shitfits on lj) Americans go when they die. Then they have to work like dogs and be guilted by their parents and are flogged with canes when they jaywalk or drop tissues on the street. And no one has a car!

FTR I'm constantly impressed at the sane serenity of the S'pers I read. Possibly because they don't wave their traumas around the way we do, but possibly because they have a sense of proportion. (I know you're not Singaporean. You're one of those bitter cynical Malays that exist in such profusion.)

[mauvecloud.livejournal.com]

Hmm. If Americans come here before they die, they receive inflated salaries for minimal work because the locals have low self-esteem and thus dare not do what the thing the Americans are hired to do (i.e., being a Foreign Talent). Also, if they are male, there is no shortage of Sarong Party Girls to cater to, what else, their partying needs! I have asked around but there seems to no niche for the Sarong Party Boys market. At least the het one. Come on, American girls!


>I am not ethnic Malay either! =P (http://mikeneko.livejournal.com/211446.html)

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Ah, right. You are Malaysian. The only Malay I know is Singaporean. I am a Canadian and also French, but not French Canadian; I'm Anglo as well as anglophone, but I am not English, British, nor (alas) eligible for membership in the EC.

Post-colonialism is fun.

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

ahaha! obviously I didn't read far enough down the posts! sorry for the mistake!

But we loves you whoever/however/ you describe yourself because you are you and to me you are Canadian! Heee!

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

there seems to no niche for the Sarong Party Boys market. At least the het one - Especially the het one. For sure. The ghei scene on the other hand is alive, well adn thriving.

Of course we are not supposed to know/acknowledge such things are we??? ^_~ hee!

[mauvecloud.livejournal.com]

You are not utilizing your national resources (i.e., boys and girls) to the max! Why turn a blind eye to such high-potential source of national income? Franchise it, promote it, IPO it --> profit!

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

ahahahah*falls out of chair laughing!* OMG ...that is like in some cases SO much how it is!!! Heee!

Annnd a bitter cynical Malay!!! Gosh seriously ...I thought I was one of few Malays locally that I do know wow! so cool! I get asked all the time if I'm foreign. Samoan or Fijian ... usually, then it's Thai or Filipina. Uhn --or unless you mean Malaysian.

sane serenity *giggles at being described as such* <<< possibly you can't mean me though thinking about it. considering the few uhmmm instances of 'loss of control' over really mundane things!

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

The few Malays I read (yourself included) and the slightly more ethnic Chinese Malaysians ditto, seem to have a more balanced and sophisticated attitude than, well, us over here, for sure. This in spite of the fact that by NAmerican standards, both Malaysians and LRDers have a lot to complain about, just on a day to day level. 'Ah, my BL manga got grabbed by Customs again, guess I'll have to buy them in Japanese when I go to Tokyo and try sneaking them in.' Consider the shrieking and cursing that would have accompanied that if it'd been a NAmerican.

Yes, do put 'loss of control' in quotation marks. I called it the mildest venting, you call it 'but that's really not *me*.' You prove my point.

[mauvecloud.livejournal.com]

This is weird. When I replied "mustn't complain" to the usual "how are you"s, one of the gone-native Americans remarked, "You have not integrated at all, have you?"

Grouching is a national pastime here. The difference to NAmericans? One complains *and* gets off the couch to do something about the problem. The other... uh blames mommy/government/china/amerika/their ISP for everything and that's it.

[rasetsunyo.livejournal.com]

YES I AGREE.

Not something I'm proud of. >_>

[mauvecloud.livejournal.com]

*dogpiles mjj*

so i am guessing flemming's LJ reading filter plays the role of the rose-tinted glasses here ^^

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

'Pileup', please, 'pileup'. Dogpile suggests that what you're doing is un-called-for. And how can an opinion ever be un-called-for?

[xsmoonshine.livejournal.com]

It is because we pounce on you like enthusiastic puppies all with our own Very Important Opinions! /yapyapyap

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

yes yes pile-up dogpile whatever I agree - we luvs you muchly! hee!!! yap yap yap!

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

You reconcile me to the use of dogpile. ^_^ Yap yap yap and Very Important Opinions, indeed; and *so* boundlessly enthusiastic. If only the process was always as good-natured as dogs piling.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

One complains *and* gets off the couch to do something about the problem.

Only that the first line of doing something, at least online, involves complaining even more loudly in many places and calling on other people to complain loudly as well. Let's send a petition to the station! Let's join fandom_counts! Here's wossface's email, tell him what you think about basic accounts being deleted!

Better than doing nothing? Possibly. Useful? Debatable. And when it's actually a personal matter, like shipping wars, and everyone weighs in to tell a poster how very wrong she is, complete with pornographic macros and death threats? Ay caramba.

[mauvecloud.livejournal.com]

It's the "we can change the world" mentality that I appreciate in you guys. I am so frustrated by the local workforce. They *do* have the capabilities, but they are so frozen by the inertia and lack of self-confidence and fear of responsiblity [1] that they just toil (yes, toil, not Ossie-no-worries-sit) and watch life goes by.


[1] There's a term in the local slang called arrow. It just summarizes the LRD attitude which frustrates me the most. From chatty rooster site:

ARROW (Contributed by Half-Cocked)
Another term inherited from the Army. It means to be tasked with something, usually unpleasant or troublesome.
1. "Wah lau, I kena arrow clean toilet!"
2. "So suay, I was just in the office, den he come and arrow me type his document."

But yeah, why babble? Per icon, this is not the snow in front of my lawn. (Oops, I dont own one.)

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

they are so frozen by the inertia and lack of self-confidence and fear of responsiblity [1] that they just toil (yes, toil, not Ossie-no-worries-sit) and watch life goes by.

Yes, that would get very wearing in very short order. I can see a justfication for the American 'better to do the wrong thing than to do nothing at all' under those circs.

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

"complete with pornographic macros and death threats" Eh? reallly ... I keep thinking I ought to investigate some of these other sites and things other people read and stuff (I get it all secondhand from folk like yourself) ... but then again I think I'm fine with secondhand.

It could be the Singaporean brainwashing training reflex of not wanting to join in and rocking the boat. I mean half the time I can see what the other party means/wants but the other half of it I think well it's life really and think maybe they ought to deal with it. To a lot of people that transltaes to being cold, aloof and robotic or somesuch.

Anyway it''s late and I should refrain from making comments at times where the brain obviously doesn't work at full capacity. ^_^ and obviously not being awake enough to use simple html

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

You're fine with secondhand. Really!

It could be the Singaporean training reflex

It could be. Or it could be you're just sensible and polite. I'd go for the latter.

[rasetsunyo.livejournal.com]

That's pretty weird because whining about The Way Things Are is the unofficial national pastime. Singaporeans do complain. A lot. Most days though I just can't be bothered to translate mild irritation into LJ spleen.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Singaporeans do complain. A lot. Most days though I just can't be bothered to translate mild irritation into LJ spleen.

Maybe that's the difference? Partly that the irritation is mild (read a few FFLs sometime: there's a high level of outrage at quite mundane stuff, and the level of outrage at serious stuff is stratospheric) and partly that you think it unworthy of comment.