Japan Australia

It’s possible for those on either side of the microagressions to take them simply as a learning experiences. Even though I see Debito’s justice seeking and pushy attempts to raise consciousness as unwise and misguided, we can totally understand how someone with his background could react the way he does. There are no bad guys, just a constant series of mostly unconscious slights and a constant pattern of reactivity.

In my two decades here I’ve gradually learned to relax in the face of constant gaijin treatment and have gradually come to see these incidents as opportunities to feel what it’s like to be treated as a minority. It’s a valuable lesson for a white American.

There are aspects of Japanese subconscious racism that are interesting to notice, to learn about, and to talk about. For example, I’m a mild mannered guy in my early 50s. Often I find that mothers of preshcoolers get extra protective and tense when I pass by. I know that they’re not trying to insult me. It’s just reflexive, mild racism. What’s funny about it, though, is that most people in our home countries try not to be so obvoius in our reflexive, mild racism. Here, I’ve always wondered: Don’t you know that it’s obvious to me that you fear me because I’m non-Japanese/non-Asian?

Likewise, someone like Debito is wasting an opportunity to learn from his own reactivity. I mean, I don’t recommend that he flogs himself for putting his aversions and confusions on public display. But, he could just take a breath and notice his reactive patters arising. He doesn’t have to hold on so tightly to his views about justice. He could instead make that holding on the object of his own gentle analysis.

Great post here. And I read all the comments with interest, too.