After a discussion with "M" (who is from Kansai) about how average Japanese are nearly petrified to talk with gaijin in English (an issue that came up in relation to The Black Guy on the Bus™), I directed her to this video, which I originally saw at Roboseyo's site (it's also at Popular Gusts).
Yup, she says. That's Japan.
I will say, though, that I don't know which is worse, having the locals run from you (e.g., Korea, Japan) or have them angrily and loudly tell you to speak English, dammit! (e.g., the United State of America).
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The point of the ad is that Koreans should welcome foreigners first, at least that's what the voiceover said at the end of the ad, hence the little girl saying "annyeonghaeseyo". It's not meant to be xenophobic, and if anything they're poking fun at Koreans' tendency to shy away from foreigners :P
ReplyDeleteOh, I get the point of the ad, Mlle S. It's not meant to be xenophobic; rather, it's meant to be instructional and amusingly self-deprecating (at the national level).
ReplyDeleteThat's, um, quite some blog you've got there.