Kate Elwood had another interesting discussion in her column Cultural Conundrums about individuality in last week's Daily Yomiuri. She takes on the Japanese cultural sterotype reflected in "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down":
The Japanese saying is rarely quoted by Japanese except perhaps when talking about Japanese culture with a foreign person, but all know it. Perhaps it's not necessary to speak of it because it is so embedded as a type of behavioral cautionary advice. It's interesting that, on the other hand, it is quite common in English to give voice to similar types of warnings and guidance such as "Don't make waves," "Don't rock the boat" and "You have to go along to get along" maybe because there are those who would take things too far and, like the Japanese, also get pounded down if not for the recommendation to give up striking out too much on their own on the part of concerned friends.I asked some Japanese high school students what they thought of the character Haruko's use of the nail saying to suggest that if other students preferred text messaging it was better not to stand out by calling. They appeared to find the application of the saying in this context amusing. Text messaging is simply cheaper, quieter in public places, and less intrusive, as the person you are trying to contact may be busy at the particular moment you wish to get in touch. It's certainly not taboo to phone someone, just less common, and students are hardly hammered down for such incidental differences in communication methods.
Interestingly, the young Japanese students I've had opportunities to meet and talk to have been rather harsh in the other direction. They speak quite disparagingly regarding people who copy another's choice in fashion or style. Even in various small things like pencil cases or commuter pass cases, this kind of imitation, known as "pakuri," is a definite no-no. On the other hand, of course, nothing too outlandish is well evaluated, either. But there is quite a bit of leeway for finding your own way, and in any school there are a variety of types of children, just as in U.S. schools.
When I was a girl in the 1970s at a school outside of Boston I remember one incident of non-conformity well. Our eighth-grade social studies teacher, Miss Mellor, was trying to make a point, I guess, about gender differences. She asked each girl and boy in the class to give their opinion about what they thought was the most important attribute for people of their sex to possess. Boy after boy answered "muscles" and girl after girl answered "good looks."
Until a girl who I'll call Karen was called on. Karen's mother was something of an intellectual feminist and it may have been because of this that Karen, instead of saying "good looks" responded "a sense of individuality." It took months for poor Karen to live it down, as boys would snicker when she walked past and in mincing, pseudo-Karen voices say, "I think individuality is important." I don't think it was Miss Mellor's intended lesson, but watching what Karen went through I learned that avoiding divergence from the norm was a very important thing indeed in eighth grade.
It is diffuclut to talk generally about cultures, because there are always exceptions. But it cannot be denied that there are some general patterns in how different cultures operate. And I think conformity tends to be more prevalent here in Japan for a number of reasons (instiutional enforcement, homogenity of the race, necessity for living in densely populated areas, etc...). But Elwood makes a good case for confomrity being valued in all cultures at some level.
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