One of my Japanese friends, Yudai, was talking about how he hates that he has to show respect to people who are older than him simply because they are older. I think this is a really interesting point-of-view. I'm from a pretty conservative Christian family so I have always been raised knowing I should respect my elders so this idea isn't too new to me. However, I feel that Japan takes the practice of respect to a whole new level. It seems that every action you make and every word you say conveys a certain level of respect. Certainly, in the US, I will talk a little bit differently when I am chatting with my friends than when I am talking to a teacher, but it is not done to the extreme the Japanese language take is. You're pretty much speaking a different language when you switch politeness levels.
I believe that everyone innately deserves a certain amount of respect simply because they are human beings. However, I do have to lean towards Yudai's POV that someone should not be given additional respect simply because of their age. I would rather have someone prove himself to be honorable and upright through their actions than to simply heap reverence on them for simply living more years than I have. I do not find merely living to be impressive.
I guess this is where the American way-of-thinking clashes with the Japanese. In America we value people as individuals so we are always looking at others to see how they distinguish themselves from everyone else. It is not about "fitting in" to society's mold. Hence, I guess I have grown up with the mentality that a person needs to do something worthy of respect before they get it.
Thanks for these very interesting and thoughtful comments, Kelsee! Somehow, I missed them and so my response is very late. This is another point that might be interesting to talk about in class. In order to talk about it I think we need examples. Linguistic examples are interesting, but sometimes the way one talks is just "lip service." Perhaps we could talk about whether or not people in our class would defer to their parents in making decisions about their own life -- where to go to school, where to work, who to marry, etc.
ReplyDelete