Japan and Never mind

Japanese-American relations the last few years have been characterized by the dispute over the airbase at Futenma, and when and whether it will be removed. In the wake of the earthquake it became clear that relations were likely to stay high for a while, and resentment against an American military presence that was aiding in earthquake relief was likely to stay low.

Those intuitive trends have been institutionalized. As of yesterday, Japanese and American officials announced that Futenma will stay where it is, and a deadline for moving it was dropped. Not sure if this is truly a victory for anyone, but it surely is not one for the Okinawanans who have wanted this base moved since it was built.

Japan and Osama

It's interesting to me that in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, the most frequently the word "Japan" is mentioned in media coverage of the event is drawing parallels between the current celebration and that after the end of WWII. While Japan is not as instrumental or relevant as countries like Pakistan, England, or even Germany to the global fight against terrorism, it's interesting that Japan doesn't get mentioned at all, especially since it's one of our closest military allies.

The paradox inherent in the media coverage is interesting: Japan accrues the benefits of being a part, if not an organizing member, of the Western system of government and economics without having to take the blame. There are several potential explanations. First, a low percentage of the Japanese population is Muslim, so there is no fuel in Japan to start a global jihadist fire. Second, Japan was colonized by the West in a manner that may draw sympathy from jihadis. These reasons, while true, really aren't that compelling, since blaming a country as an active or complicit agent against Islam doesn't really require a tremendously sophisticated rationale. Neither of these factors prevent Japan from becoming a target, even if they explain it. The best reason is simply Japan's involvement in the world. Japan's constitution is explicitly Pacifist, and even though it does in some ways enable American military power, it has none of its own, and all of its interventions globally are humanitarian. That, coupled with a generous foreign aid budget, characterize Japanese foreign policy more than any attempt to further the imperialist agenda. So even though coverage of Osama's death barely involves the Japanese, they can't be complaining.

Japan and the Last Blog

For my last blog, I've been asked to impart a token of the vast knowledge I have acquired in the last 18 years unto the world. Hopefully this will connect to Japan, and hopefully this will connect to the Academy. This post will a discuss a central lesson I've learned through high school and this year, that I wouldn't mind teaching my children once they come into the world in a few months. I mean years. There's a song that sums up what I want to say well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVTbTOpaFb0

I would tell my son (or daughter if that mistake is made) to smile and hang out with intelligent people. The first lesson I learned from blogging about Japan, and the second from my time in the Academy.

It turns out the smiling crosses cultures. A basic course in psychology or human intuition could probably tell you as much, but it's worth noting that a smile can be disarming and signal trustworthiness, especially when it's genuine. Even though happiness (usually expressed by a smile) is an emotion that resonates worldwide, the specifics of a smile from culture to culture can vary. For instance, Americans and Japanese read smiles differently. Japanese tend to focus on the eyes while Americans look at the mouths. The clearest illustration of this fact can be seen through emitcons. In America happy is :) and sad is :( while in Japan happy is ^_^ and sad is ;_;

Intuitively, these sets of symbols all make sense as faces, but they become much more significant when you realize the eyes stay constant in the American version, while the mouth is constant in the Japanese version. Also interesting is that it's much easier to fake a smile in the mouth area than with the highly complex eye muscles. Must be why Americans get along so well; we can never tell when anyone is faking it.

The second part of the lesson is to hang out with intelligent people. My time in the Academy has taught me this lesson. Although apparently intelligent people are more likely to do drugs than their less intelligent counterparts (someone had to invent LSD), being around smart people seems like a good thing to do. Being around intelligent people challenges your mind. It makes you refine ideas and express them better. Intelligent people hold you accountable for what you have to say, but also give you the chance to learn about other perspectives, and develop intellectually. Smart people also can impart developed sets of values. None of this is to say dumb people are necessarily the opposite of any of these categories. However, the idea is to spend time with people who think and act intelligently, not cut off your entourage at an IQ of 140.

Thus my lesson to the world: smile and hang out with intelligent people. Be easy to trust and like, and surround yourself with people who challenge you and help you develop. If you follow both of these steps, it won't matter if the people around you are smarter than you are. At least they'll like you, because you'll smile a lot.