That trope about Japan has been around a long time, hasn't it? I think that in general in the world, modernization tends to be accompanied with a loss of traditional values, so I guess that is what is being said. That countries can modernize or develop technologically but retain their way of life and not become Americanized. One of the many reasons I love Hawaii so much is that there is not this white-culture default. Did you read Chen's the School for Good Mothers? I thought it was great the way there was no default for characters in terms of race. If the character was white, she called them white, just like she did for her Asian American characters. I always liked books that don't specify so readers can imagine however they want, but Chen's was refreshing too. In my last workshop, one of my characters is named Larry and everyone assumed he is white, but why? I was surprised and so just added a last name but I kind of hated to do that.
That trope about Japan has been around a long time, hasn't it? I think that in general in the world, modernization tends to be accompanied with a loss of traditional values, so I guess that is what is being said. That countries can modernize or develop technologically but retain their way of life and not become Americanized. One of the many reasons I love Hawaii so much is that there is not this white-culture default. Did you read Chen's the School for Good Mothers? I thought it was great the way there was no default for characters in terms of race. If the character was white, she called them white, just like she did for her Asian American characters. I always liked books that don't specify so readers can imagine however they want, but Chen's was refreshing too. In my last workshop, one of my characters is named Larry and everyone assumed he is white, but why? I was surprised and so just added a last name but I kind of hated to do that.