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Would you have been satisfied if the statement said "... are often strongly idealised ..."? Aren't generalizations implicitly simplistic for the majority, whil

Would you have been satisfied if the statement said "... are often strongly idealised ..."? Aren't generalizations implicitly simplistic for the majority, while not necessarily true for the minority? Couldn't you say that you are generalizing too much about the author's generalizations? I found your anecdotes interesting, but I often wonder why people take offense at generalizations. East Asian countries are incredibly distinct from each other. I'm not sure that they value drinking beer more than Germans, or wine more than the French? But one vacation spot I know had drunk Chinese die from drunk drowning on a weekly basis. Which may suggest that some groups drink too much, and lack self-control.

tkgally 3y ago
> Would you have been satisfied if the statement said "... are often strongly idealised ..."? Yes, I would agree with that statement, at least regarding Japan. I don’t have enough first-hand knowledge to comment about other East Asian countries. As you noted, they seem to be quite different from each other. Thank you for your comments on generalization. I will reply to just one: > I often wonder why people take offense at generalizations. One reason, I suspect, is that generalizations about groups of people can become stereotypes, and people can resent being stereotyped, especially if the generalization/stereotype has negative connotations or if it doesn’t apply to one as an individual.
tqi 3y ago
My objection is less to the broad generalizations (though I'm curious what the line between a generalization and stereotype these days) and more that the conclusion the author comes to[1] is exceptionally reductive, and is completely lacking in evidence. Countries like Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark score high on direct negative feedback and confrontation AND have alcohol consumption rates that are similar or higher than Japan[2]. So what are we even talking about here? [1] "If schools and firms explicitly encouraged more direct communication (as does happen in many international East Asian firms), maybe alcohol would be made redundant?" [2] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consumption-per-capita/country-comparison/ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consump...

tkgally 3y ago

> Would you have been satisfied if the statement said "... are often strongly idealised ..."? Yes, I would agree with that statement, at least regarding Japan. I don’t have enough first-hand knowledge to comment about other East Asian countries. As you noted, they seem to be quite different from each other. Thank you for your comments on generalization. I will reply to just one: > I often wonder why people take offense at generalizations. One reason, I suspect, is that generalizations about groups of people can become stereotypes, and people can resent being stereotyped, especially if the generalization/stereotype has negative connotations or if it doesn’t apply to one as an individual.

tqi 3y ago

My objection is less to the broad generalizations (though I'm curious what the line between a generalization and stereotype these days) and more that the conclusion the author comes to[1] is exceptionally reductive, and is completely lacking in evidence. Countries like Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark score high on direct negative feedback and confrontation AND have alcohol consumption rates that are similar or higher than Japan[2]. So what are we even talking about here? [1] "If schools and firms explicitly encouraged more direct communication (as does happen in many international East Asian firms), maybe alcohol would be made redundant?" [2] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consumption-per-capita/country-comparison/ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/alcohol-consump...