Very interesting article

[ibanezmonster]

I know most people will think, "Whaaaat?"  I'm not sure quite what to think- maybe a mixture of good and bad.

http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=629&catid=18

[Josquin des Prez]

Too much feminized anime when growing up. Japanese kids used to grow up to this:




Starting with the 90s however this has been the primary influence of the average Japanese male:


I rest my case.

[ibanezmonster]

Too much feminized anime when growing up. Japanese kids used to grow up to this:

Hmm... not sure that's the cause. While I agree that yes, they should grow up to be cool like that, you have to keep in mind that stuff like DragonBall Z or Naruto is also popular- not just the artistic stuff or shoujo manga/anime (stuff that is meant for girls). In fact, in what is probably the most popular anime right now (Death Note), the main character, "Light," ends up being probably the most ruthless and evil macho protagonist jerk you'd ever see. He even abuses his adoring supermodel girlfriend and treats her like a stupid b****. 

You posted a picture of Titus from Final Fantasy X to make this point before. I think it just so happens to be the effect and not the cause- the main clue being that originally the main character was intended to be a more macho guy, but was changed to be more feminine because more people in Japan would like that (possibly because they could relate).

I was thinking about this today, trying to answer the question: why? I think there are many different factors leading to this.

I get the impression through what I've read that Eastern women are becoming more like Western women. They are more interested in leeching, ahem, excuse me, golddigging, ahem, sorry... they want a man with money. Nowadays, everyone is poor, so there is no way many of them can afford that.

On top of that, a lot of them just stay home and play video games all day instead of playing sports (most popular over there are soccer, baseball, and sumo wrestling). I doubt American football is very popular over there- if I'm wrong I'll be surprised.

On top of that, many of them have no time for friends or dates because they have to study all the time.

On top of that, they might have dads that work so much that they only see them on Sundays. These dads are working nonstop so they can support their family, which they hardly even see. If you are a kid and see your dad like this, how motivated are you going to be to meet a girl and start a family? If you're sane, not much... and this is probably one of the reasons why, despite being a country with its many infamous "love hotels" and condoms being sold in vending machines, it ranked dead last in the world in condom purchases and is possibly the most sexless nation in the world.

I'm not an expert, though... just trying to make sense of it with the best guesses I can, and I could be wrong with many of these points. 

[ibanezmonster]

I would also like to add that, if you want to understand intelligent nations, it might be of some use to contrast them with nations that are poor and uneducated. Let's just say... the whole continent of Africa?

The smartest people in history were the Germans before the war. However, the smartest people nowadays are arguably the Japanese, overall. In Africa, you might have a life expectancy of 45... you have a house made up of poopoo and twigs, and there are genocides all around you, people dying, tyrants, etc. You have no technology to hold onto if you live away from the city, no books... probably they just play soccer as a pastime. All that's really left to enjoy life are sports and mating before you die. Maybe a few things, but none that involve using the brain. I don't mean to pick on Africa, because there are many, many people with this mindset, but it's kind of the only choice for those people because of their environment. What are they going to do, get lost in literature?... oh, wait...

I think these two types are not mutually exclusive, but just tend to clash with each other. They are completely different focuses.

[Szykneij]

Greg, considering many of your past posts, do you see any Otaku in yourself?

[Scarpia]

I would also like to add that, if you want to understand intelligent nations, it might be of some use to contrast them with nations that are poor and uneducated. Let's just say... the whole continent of Africa?

The smartest people in history were the Germans before the war. However, the smartest people nowadays are arguably the Japanese, overall. In Africa, you might have a life expectancy of 45... you have a house made up of poopoo and twigs, and there are genocides all around you, people dying, tyrants, etc. You have no technology to hold onto if you live away from the city, no books... probably they just play soccer as a pastime. All that's really left to enjoy life are sports and mating before you die. Maybe a few things, but none that involve using the brain. I don't mean to pick on Africa, because there are many, many people with this mindset, but it's kind of the only choice for those people because of their environment. What are they going to do, get lost in literature?... oh, wait...

I think these two types are not mutually exclusive, but just tend to clash with each other. They are completely different focuses.

After reading this I get the impression you grew up in a house made up of poopoo and twigs.   

[ibanezmonster]

Greg, considering many of your past posts, do you see any Otaku in yourself?

Maybe... I don't have (and am not interested in) stuff like action figures or toys and don't have any posters in my room at all, but I do have this avatar and that desktop picture. I haven't watched an anime that's over 10 episodes long in nearly a year, and I haven't completed playing a video game in well over a year... I'm a huge fan, but not how I picture an Otaku to be.


A couple other interesting bits I've found on the web:

According to the AFP, a whopping 36.1 percent of teenage boys between the ages of 16-19 said they had little to no interest in sex, and in some cases even despised it, more than twice the 2008 figure of 17.5 percent. Futhermore, the survey, conducted in September 2010, reportedly found that 83.7 percent of Japanese men who turned 20 this year were not dating anyone, while 49.3 percent said they had never had a girlfriend. Girls, it seems, are suffering from a similar lack of heat: 59 percent in the same age group felt the same way, up 12 percentage points from 2008.

About half of men aged 20 to 34, he says, are unmarried and only 20 per cent of them have girlfriends. Thirty per cent, according to Professor Yamada, have never had a girlfriend in their lives. For a country like Japan, which already has a shrinking population, this is a disaster.

I wonder how often this has happened in human history?... 

[bwv 1080]

The smartest people in history were the Germans before the war.

If that's the case, why did the put Hitler in power and invade the USSR?

[Josquin des Prez]

you have to keep in mind that stuff like DragonBall Z or Naruto is also popular

Those are part of the decline as well. You have feminization on one side, and infantilism on the other. A fatal recipe.

In fact, in what is probably the most popular anime right now (Death Note), the main character, "Light," ends up being probably the most ruthless and evil macho protagonist jerk you'd ever see.

Yeah right. You are not helping your case here. Androgynous looking men being prepped up as "cool" is very much a sign Japanese boys have lost too much testosterone, maybe as a result of radiation poisoning. Who knows.

You posted a picture of Titus from Final Fantasy X to make this point before. I think it just so happens to be the effect and not the cause- the main clue being that originally the main character was intended to be a more macho guy, but was changed to be more feminine because more people in Japan would like that (possibly because they could relate).

My point exactly. There are no men left in Japan. This is why the population of the country is declining. Japan used to be a strong warrior culture but they have long since lost their virility.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

There are no men left in Japan.

How the Japanese were, not so long ago

The War Nerd holds forth on the Japanese Red Army, and that charismatic kook Mishima:

http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=7993&IBLOCK_ID=35

[Grazioso]

If that's the case, why did the put Hitler in power and invade the USSR?

Speaking of which, a "strong warrior culture" didn't do much for Germany by 1945

[ibanezmonster]

If that's the case, why did the put Hitler in power and invade the USSR?

That's when they started going downhill.

Yeah right. You are not helping your case here. Androgynous looking men being prepped up as "cool" is very much a sign Japanese boys have lost too much testosterone, maybe as a result of radiation poisoning. Who knows.

Well, I meant in terms of personality, that character happened to be ruthless.
Radiation poisoning? Hmmm... they should do a study- there could be something to that. 

[Josquin des Prez]

That's when they started going downhill.

Did they? They are still the most successful country in Europe.

[Scarpia]

That's when they started going downhill.

Huh?  So picking Hitler was the high-point of their civilization?   

[karlhenning]

Too much feminized anime when growing up. Japanese kids used to grow up to this:

Ah, the good old days, eh?

[DavidRoss]

In Africa, you might have a life expectancy of 45... you have a house made up of poopoo and twigs, and there are genocides all around you, people dying, tyrants, etc. You have no technology to hold onto if you live away from the city, no books... probably they just play soccer as a pastime. All that's really left to enjoy life are sports and mating before you die. Maybe a few things, but none that involve using the brain. I don't mean to pick on Africa, because there are many, many people with this mindset, but it's kind of the only choice for those people because of their environment.

What you seem to believe is knowledge about Africa is not...except for the near universal appeal of soccer as a pastime.

[ibanezmonster]

Huh?  So picking Hitler was the high-point of their civilization?   

Yeah, sure, that's completely what I meant... 

What you seem to believe is knowledge about Africa is not...except for the near universal appeal of soccer as a pastime.

Most of them live in poverty, so they are going to have a different mindset on life based on what is available to them. It's not their fault, though...

Did they? They are still the most successful country in Europe.

Yes, but what happened to all of the German philosophers, composers, etc.? Nowadays, around one of Mahler's old composing huts (I think in Austria), one person reported visiting it and had to put up with German rap music blaring nearby. That's what I'm talking about.

Still, I'd love to visit Germany. I've watched videos of the transportation, and it really is something else. On top of that, they are so clean. 

[Philoctetes]

And sometimes its best to remain silent.

[Josquin des Prez]

Yes, but what happened to all of the German philosophers, composers, etc.? Nowadays, around one of Mahler's old composing huts (I think in Austria), one person reported visiting it and had to put up with German rap music blaring nearby. That's what I'm talking about.

Because other countries are better off then the Germans? Incidentally, the answer to your question is precisely what Hitler purported to fight for, and why he had so many followers.

[Josquin des Prez]

Ah, the good old days, eh?

Hell yeah. I loved watching Godzilla as a kid.