I think this is a false equivalence as result of the attempt to fit what's happening there in Western mental models. I don't know anything specific about Japan but I see it happening all the time with Middle Eastern or Eastern European nations.
The problem is, when you say something like that you start attaching other features of the western version and that often doesn't reflect the reality and doesn't have the historical context of the western version.
For example, Turks are much more openly homophobes and antisemitic than people in the West but at the same time Turks were not exterminating the Jews and were not castrating the homosexuals a few decades ago. If anything Turkish academia was practically founded by the Jewish refugees when the west was busy fighting world wars.
The same goes for the Eastern Europeans, a typical Eastern European would be much more racist and macho that a westerner but Eastern Europeans don't have a history of colonisation and slavery. Also, women have much older history of workforce participation and equal rights with men so for an Eastern European men the western culture wars and attempts to "make it right" through affirmative action don't rhyme at all(They are like "Men and women have equal rights? Duh? What's the fuss about"). You will also not find anti-abortion politics, gun rights stuff or anti-tax, anti-government libertarian stuff which you might attribute to typical right winger in the US. The similarities are very superficial.
Just because you can identify a characteristic or two in a foreign person, doesn't mean that they are the same as the group of people from your society who have those treats.
What’s even funnier is that western right wingers sometimes will mistake these things as Eastern Europeans being fascist and will preach how Eastern Europe is the land of the free speech. I attribute their affection for Russia and Putin to this. I had a smirking smile when one of the Chan board admins was disappointed when found out that Russia is not a free speech land, he was able to act however he likes only because it wasn’t bothering the Russians. The moment he touched a local hot button he leaned about the free speech in Russia.
My ancestors in Eastern Europe were usually attached to the land and belonged to the landowner. They had no rights: they owned no property, they could not move, and their owner could treat them any way he liked, including unrestricted violence. They could be bought, sold and inherited as any other property. How is this not slavery?
I get the feeling you are trying to simplify the world so massively it ends up being non recognizable. Colonialism brought oppression, but oppression isn't necessarily colonialist. Only some countries has been colonial powers, but Turkey certainly was one of them.
The holocaust was a specific event and not directly taking part doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Still, thousands of jews were deported to death camps. Wikipedia, as can be expected, has an article on
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_and_the_Holocaust . But every minority has their own story. There are yezidis, kurds, armenians and others.
It is far beyond simplification to say that eastern Europe did not have colonialism and oppression. I don't think I need to go into details. The events of the past century are well documented.
Turks are by no means a saint, after all they used to run a hugely successful empire for centuries but the way they governed was much different that the western ones and that's why doesn't translate 1 to 1 at all. Many of that culture was transferred to modern day Turkey and many was lost and changed but the gist is that it was very different(not better or worse). When France finally let the women elect and be elected, that was 30 years after Turks did it. In the 50s Turks were like "Those French showed big progress in women's rights, good for them!". Turks were over the women's political rights since generations but Turks had very different problems than the French.
It's simply impossible to think in analogies when thinking about nations. It's not even misleading, it's completely wrong.
Eastern Europeans were a part of the Ottoman empire during the colonial age but feel free to point out about that African country which used to be a Bulgarian colony for example. I think you should go into details, I'm very curious about the colonies of Easter European nations.
Is this a question or are you trying to claim something? Why are you talking as if we both know something and you are trying to make me spill the beans?
I'm born in Eastern Europe, our ways are perceived as very racist in the West. Quite a minefield trying not to offend someone but it's also easy to learn because in the west people are still racist but they distilled it to some forbidden keywords. Like Kanye West crossed the line when said the forbidden words and Musk closed his account but before saying the keyword, he was the same guy expressing the same opinions for a long time and everyone knew what he was talking about.
This comment itself is an example of the western "keywordiness". For some reason, attributing national characteristics is considered racist in the west(Spanish are easygoing, Germans are polite and distant but once you crack the surface they are friends for life, Brits are easy to chat hard to form deep friendship - we have all kind of attributions about other nations and we talk about it openly. According to us, this is not racist because we judge the individual and these attributes are just expectation, not judgements ). Also for some reason if you are from the group you are talking about your are exempt.
Funny stuff really. Whe in the UK, I offended so many people that they decided to leave the EU :) JK - not observing political correctness is our national trait but doesn't mean that Eastern Europeans are your average American right winger.
> to see others as resources and to need justify it and self, or enough of them to make such opinions - but see just other people.
Can you write this sentence in a more legible way please? I don't understand what you are trying to say?
It depends. Mediterranean, Atlantic and Continental people can be very diverse. Rural Basques are pretty close compared to the cheerful and jolly Andalusians. The Castillians are kinda like Basques with a bit on openness, but reservated in lot of questions. 50/50. Spain can have weathers from rainy climates (even more than London across the year, trust me, the North it's like that) to literal desserts, from -30C in top of the mountains in Winter to 45+C in the Southern places. Hitting negative temperatures in Winter on non-coastal regions it's the norm.
The problem is, when you say something like that you start attaching other features of the western version and that often doesn't reflect the reality and doesn't have the historical context of the western version.
For example, Turks are much more openly homophobes and antisemitic than people in the West but at the same time Turks were not exterminating the Jews and were not castrating the homosexuals a few decades ago. If anything Turkish academia was practically founded by the Jewish refugees when the west was busy fighting world wars.
The same goes for the Eastern Europeans, a typical Eastern European would be much more racist and macho that a westerner but Eastern Europeans don't have a history of colonisation and slavery. Also, women have much older history of workforce participation and equal rights with men so for an Eastern European men the western culture wars and attempts to "make it right" through affirmative action don't rhyme at all(They are like "Men and women have equal rights? Duh? What's the fuss about"). You will also not find anti-abortion politics, gun rights stuff or anti-tax, anti-government libertarian stuff which you might attribute to typical right winger in the US. The similarities are very superficial.
Just because you can identify a characteristic or two in a foreign person, doesn't mean that they are the same as the group of people from your society who have those treats.
What’s even funnier is that western right wingers sometimes will mistake these things as Eastern Europeans being fascist and will preach how Eastern Europe is the land of the free speech. I attribute their affection for Russia and Putin to this. I had a smirking smile when one of the Chan board admins was disappointed when found out that Russia is not a free speech land, he was able to act however he likes only because it wasn’t bothering the Russians. The moment he touched a local hot button he leaned about the free speech in Russia.