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Post by phanax on Jan 30, 2006 15:22:37 GMT
does anyone else find it strange the idea that a man from holland would feel his country wasn't libberal enough to allow homosexuality, or was the place a bit different back then?
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Post by Indefinite Description on Jan 30, 2006 16:01:37 GMT
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Post by chemistry tom on Jan 31, 2006 18:58:06 GMT
I find it stranger that Japan didn't allow foreigners for such a long time tbf.
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Post by lelith on Feb 1, 2006 15:21:46 GMT
Yeah, why didn't they allow foreigners?
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Post by Indefinite Description on Feb 1, 2006 15:52:25 GMT
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Post by phanax on Feb 2, 2006 12:32:57 GMT
I find it stranger that Japan didn't allow foreigners for such a long time tbf. Japan was, and still is in many respects, a rather exenophobic country. This mixes rather strangely with the extreme formality of the society to the extent that they are sort of, 'politely racist' towards you. It's little things you notice when you go there (the word gie-jin was muttered much around our trip). You could live peacefully there for you're entire life, know every little custom, and still be an outsider, it's a bit strange really, espescially when you consider the massive love for western technology, culture etc but that's what Japan seems to be really, a curious contradiction
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Post by lelith on Feb 5, 2006 14:01:08 GMT
What does gie-jin mean? (Some of us know very little Japanese, and google is not being helpful).
I'm never been to Japan, but from the Japanese programmes, and stuff i've seen, western culture does seem to be very popular. It seems strange that western people wouldn't be welcomed. Saying that, it's not like all Westerners are very welcoming to Japanese people either.
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Post by Indefinite Description on Feb 5, 2006 14:50:25 GMT
I think he means gaijin; it's the unorthodox spelling that's stopping Google being helpful.
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Post by Maruno on Feb 5, 2006 22:58:13 GMT
That's the one I use. Very good it is too.
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Post by phanax on Feb 6, 2006 14:57:28 GMT
What does gie-jin mean? (Some of us know very little Japanese, and google is not being helpful). I'm never been to Japan, but from the Japanese programmes, and stuff i've seen, western culture does seem to be very popular. It seems strange that western people wouldn't be welcomed. Saying that, it's not like all Westerners are very welcoming to Japanese people either. giejin, or whatever alternate spelling you opt for (hey it's only phonetics), means "foreigner" though it's also worth noting that the original meaning was akin to some form of devil... this word can also often be used in conjunction with "baka" (fool), hence baka na giejin meaning "stupid foreigners"
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Post by Indefinite Description on Feb 6, 2006 15:31:17 GMT
giejin, or whatever alternate spelling you opt for (hey it's only phonetics) I take it you don't use dictionaries, or Google, or any such resource for that matter. It's a slippery slope, you know. A slipshod spelling here, a muddled romanisation there, and before you know it you're on the dark path to being 1337, and rightly mocked.
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Post by phanax on Feb 6, 2006 15:40:28 GMT
OK, my point is simply that all we really have are the sounds of the japanese words (as I don't think we're gonna start writting in kanji here anytime soon) so I'll admit to being a bit blaze about the "spelling"
that said if anyone is puzzling over which word I mean please just ask, my english isn;t that great either
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