Have you ever noticed that some descendants or Japanese people seem to feel superior? Do they seem a little arrogant and prejudiced? You weren't the only one to realize this, in this article we're going to tackle the complex issue of superiority.
I am somewhat afraid to write articles like this, as people can't think and reason that when I am talking about something, I am not referring to everyone but a small percentage.
If you are of Japanese descent and do not fit the criticism of this article, congratulations! Please don't think I'm criticizing the descendants, I'm actually a little jealous. This is just constructive criticism for the attitude of some.
I hate it when people read my article and misinterpret it. I hate generalizations and I hate it when people use the terms “Japanese” to criticize prejudice, racism, coldness, suicide or the like.
I'm talking about descendants and Japanese in order to reach a cultural understanding and not a criticism, the superiority complex is something common in any nationality.
I hope you read this article with an open mind and until the end, so you don't think I'm criticizing people of Japanese descent. This article is a self-analysis to know if everyone has this attitude, regardless of being a descendant or not.
Who is he to write about this? If you've asked yourself this question, you're already having a superiority complex and acting arrogantly, because humble people accept or at least listen to advice, no matter who it is. And even if they don't like the criticism, they don't go around talking shit afterwards.
Can only Japanese descendants have this arrogance or superiority complex? Of course! That's why this article is for everyone to reflect!
Table of Content
How did this superiority complex come about?
To understand how this arrogance of the descendants arose, we must analyze that it is due to the mixing of Japanese and Brazilian culture. Japan has a strong hierarchy and nationalism in its culture, while Brazil has a strong tone of freedom and individualism.
For those who don't know, the superiority complex is a need to feel superior to everything or everyone. The list of points below highlights the symptoms of a person with this complex:
- Habit of thinking you are better than others and bragging about it;
- Need to belittle and diminish people, point out defects and make comparisons;
- Distorted view of your values and abilities;
- Arrogance, envy, egocentrism;
- Worries too much about other people's opinions.
- He runs too much after achievements and tries to show them off;
- Excessive perfectionism;
- Need to justify or correct;
- Difficulty in receiving criticism and recognizing one's own mistakes;
These are some symptoms of people with a superiority complex. Now ask yourself, do I fit in with any of these things? Do I need to improve something?
The Origin of the Japanese Superiority Complex
Researching the subject, I realized that there is a superiority complex and, at the same time, an inferiority complex among the Japanese. The superiority complex is very strong in Japan, if not the strongest among all nationalities, but at the same time they are subject to an intense inferiority complex.
Apparently, the traditional Japanese superiority complex was derived from the ancient mythological belief that Japan was created by divine beings and that the Japanese themselves were descendants of these superior creatures.
Furthermore, when the first Westerners arrived in Japan, the Japanese became even more convinced of their superiority, especially in social and cultural activities. To the Japanese, Westerners were like uncivilized savages and barbarians.
Currently, questions about prejudice against Westerners are widely discussed, although I personally find it a huge exaggeration and note that the problems of the superiority complex happen among the Japanese themselves and not the simple fact of the person being or not Japanese or descendant.
In some cases, descendants suffer more prejudice than foreigners without ancestry. The japoneses are not xenophobic; they just do not like people who do not respect their culture and thoughts or who take pride in being different from others.
Now imagine Brazilian descendants who were raised in Brazil enjoying freedom?
Arrogance of Japanese descendants
Why did I choose to cite the arrogance and superiority complex of Japanese descent and not Japanese? Well, I decided to write this article after seeing so much shit being commented on social media like:
When reading these comments I came to the conclusion that for the descendants, they have the absolute truth because they live in Japan and know everything. It's the same thing as saying: Professor, I know more about the history of Europe because I lived there, you never lived there!
They completely forget that there is such a thing as relativity and different realities. They don't accept to hear opinions contrary to theirs, because they always want to be right. And when it's someone with no offspring talking, then they get even more angry.
Some feel better for living in Japan and believe that only they can have that right. They are proud because they live in Japan but they don't know anything about culture, behavior and nothing that helps to contribute to the country, they end up creating an environment like Brazil.
This ignorant attitude is probably a result of the anger that descendants experience in Brazil. Let's suppose you are a descendant and someone comes to you and says: Do you eat dog? All Japanese are the same? Why do you only date Japanese? Why don't you go to Japan? Pastel de Flango...
These questions end up making the descendants and Japanese who live in Brazil, furious, thus creating an inferiority complex that results in a superiority complex. As always, the Brazilians are to blame for these prejudiced stereotypes.
Descendants superiority complex in Brazil
I don't live much with Japanese descendants (because there aren't any here), but several friends of mine who don't have any descendants complain about a certain prejudice, due to the fact that they are Brazilians and are within a circle or community in Brazil related to culture japanese.
Sometimes I wonder if the stereotype that Japanese people are prejudiced is not due to the Japanese from Japan, but rather to the immigrants and descendants who lived in Brazil. Some with a closed face and in a very bad mood. Not without reason, since unfortunately the majority of the descendants or Japanese who came to Brazil have suffered and still suffer prejudice from Brazilians.
In Japan I spent a lot of time surrounded by descendants and Japanese and I could see that the Japanese were much happier. Already some descendants made critical comments (poor thing) for having stayed a week in the house of a Japanese family who were friends with them, but it was one of the best weeks I had.
The Japanese colonies in Brazil tend to prefer to stay among themselves. They don't like to mix and want to maintain purity. I can understand that and would probably do the same, but never in a prejudiced way or thinking I'm superior to others, as happens in some cases. I believe that descendants feel comfortable in their group, as it helps them avoid prejudice from Brazilians.
When looking for information, some comment that the descendants are extremely unfriendly even in tourist neighborhoods like Liberdade. Although some people think I'm talking about the older ones, in reality I see a lot of young people, especially joining the current rebelliousness they've acquired.
I follow many Japanese and descendants on social media and I can see the attitude and the ways they usually act, and I see clearly that young descendants tend to expose themselves as superiors much more than Japanese or older descendants.
Calm down, because some will generalize
I think it's good to make it clear that I am talking about a minority, because people love to take my comments literally. If you have never noticed this kind of attitude, it is quite visible!
There are many good and cozy descendants, I had good experiences among them, but don't try to deny that there are no descendants with a superiority complex or who don't have at least one of the points mentioned in the article.
Not to mention that Brazilians also think they are far superior to many nationalities. When nationalism is strong, humility is zero, the chances of a person having a superiority complex are very high.
Years go by and this superiority complex because of nationality is getting smaller and smaller. Sometimes the inferiority complex is growing, especially with the westernization of the Japanese.
Have you ever witnessed this climate of arrogance? Tell us your experience! Finally, let's leave some articles that will extend a little what we discussed here: