Sound Truck Armageddon

The Japanese do not identify with language -- which is just mere fluff -- but with that which they can hear, see or imagine.

The people in this video are doing just that. A politician is driving through the streets of a Japanese town, blaring out his "message" to vote for him. But their is no message. All he is saying is "I am trying hard. Thank you. Thank you." And even though he is sound-polluting the air, even though he has nothing to say in a loud way, his supporter thanks him and expresses her support.

This politicians words are phatic; they mean almost nothing at all. The politician has no policies, no message, nothing linguistic that might differentiate him from his competitors. The important thing, to his Japanese supporters is that he is out there on the streets, that he can be seen, heard, experienced there giving his all, till his voice runs horse. What kind of politician is this man? We do not know, his supporters and detractors, his constituents, are not provided with anything, in words, that might help them choose this man.

But the punters do not object (as I once objected, quite vehemently) to his sound pollution because the important thing is this, his act. He is demonstrating his concern. He is there for everyone to see and hear (but not linguistically understand). He demonstrates that his able and willing to shout till his voice is horse. He is thus a man who tries. Like pachinko players, this politician makes no choices, but he perseveres in spades. And it is the demonstrable fact that he perseveres that encourages his constituents vote for him.

Perseverance can been seen and imagined. Choices (or words that one says to oneself) can not.

And so we are invisible to each other. I say my spiel to my Japanese significant others but do not hear. They are looking at my enthusiasm, posture, bushy tailed health-iness (genkiness). My theories are invisible and thus do not exist. I might as well be saying "Thank you, thank you, I will try hard," in the manner of this politician.

This is identical to the way in which Westerners fail to see the self expression of Japanese. We are zombies to each other. This can lead to Armageddon.

[Lately it seems to me that I keep getting fed so many experiences that conform to my theory regarding Japanese culture that I wonder why everyone does not understand Japanese culture in a way similar to that which I describe on my blog. Or should I say I have been having "Vanilla Sky" type experiences. "Vanilla Sky" is a movie, Starring Tom Cruise, about a guy that has a serious accident that is so dis-maiming that, rather than living the life of a disfigured person, he elects to get plugged in to a machine that feeds him dreams that conforms to his wishes. He becomes a brain in a vat. One of the clues to the fact that he is no longer in the real world is that the sky he sees is too beautiful, a vanilla, or rather raspberry ripple Turner-esque masterpiece of a sky.]