Western dogs vs. Japanese dogs: National stereotypes galore!
On last week’s episode of “Shimura Zoo,” a test was carried out to determine the ways different dog breeds react to disappearing food.
Comedians Taka and Toshi introduced the familiar stereotype of Western people displaying their emotions more than Japanese people and having “big” reactions to everything, and wondered if the same thing was true about dogs from those countries. To find out, they got a few dogs and checked their reacted to having a bowl of food suddenly disappear.
They started off by testing two Japanese dog breeds, the Shiba Inu and the Tosa:
Apparently their reactions were mild enough to confirm that they are just like Japanese people.
Next, we have the U.K. (Labrador Retriever) and the U.S. (Siberian Husky):
Despite the fact that the dogs aren’t even from the two countries [as their names so clearly suggest, they are from Canada and Russia], they are able to find “big” reactions from them and confirm their stereotypes about U.S. and British people.
Let’s move on to the last two dogs, a French Poodle and an Italian Greyhound:
The poodle confirms stereotypes of the French by giving an “elegant” reaction to the disappearing food. The Italian dog reacts violently, just like the Italian people shown in the soccer riot footage included as an example of their national character.
The conclusion: Western dog breeds are just like Western people – they have BIG reactions!
[hat tip to Ken Y-N]
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I am a Westerner and I am outraged and abhorred by the suggestion that we overreact to everything. I am going to send a complaint to the TV company responsible for this, then alert the national news to this atrocity. I will not give in until I see everyone responsible for this atrocity groveling at my feet.
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go ahead.
have fun learning japanese as they won’t understand an english letter
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You do know that was a joke, right? Sandy is writing about over-reacting to a TV show that says Westerners over-react.
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You are proving that Westerners do overreact.
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Yeah, I’m pretty sure Sandy’s comment was sarcastic. An extremely overblown reaction to something pretty mundane but of which the overall claim is that overreactions are common in Americans…? Yeah, that’d be sarcasm, something that’s also very American. XD
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Yes, TwistedCyberChick, too bad I didn’t see you had replied before I did (to the other post taking it seriously).
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Because media of the Westerner also severely insult Japan,I think that it is each other.
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Accurate depictions of Japanese and Western mentalities.
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LOL Sandy 8′)
It’s so true!! I’ve noticed in Japan that I have bigger reactions than most of my friends! It’s just a part of Western culture I guess. ^^
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If I were to take this at face value it would really bother me because it is so blatantly perpetuating false stereotypes (where’s the footage of Hanshin Tigers fans celebrating?) but something tells me nobody making the program took this at all seriously. I don’t accept that as an excuse for being discriminatory, but considering how there’s a weekly show out there that promotes the idea that Japanese people in different regions live shockingly different lives, it seems Japanese television producers spend most of their time dreaming up new ways of “othering” people, both foreign and domestic.
Why can’t Japanese TV just stick to what they’re good at – borderline dangerous stunt-driven variety shows?
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“Japanese television producers spend most of their time dreaming up new ways of “othering” people”
I’m so glad someone else noticed this. It’s so, so true.
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Maybe the “overreacting” foreign dogs just do not expect things to just disappear. This is known as object permanence.
Maybe the Japanese dogs just believe in the mystical.<= This is a B.S. observation but just as valid as the shows dog observation.
Though I do not disagree with the shows premises that the Japanese restraint their emotions a bit.
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I heard they also had a segment with black (Lab, Doberman) dogs but it had to be cut out of the final production after they ended up mugging, raping and violently car-jacking the other dogs.
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lol, that comment might have been funnier if it weren’t statistically true, and not just a stereotype.
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Since I’m Italian I guess I’ve to visit Shimura zoo set and smash everything..
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Interesting that they have those stereotypes, because with the canned studio audience responses on Japanese shows it always sounds like they are way too amazed by things.
And of course all TV food tastings are over-reacted to as well.
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lol, I was going to suggest the same thing. But, as does the ol’ laugh track in shows telling you “when” to laugh. I guess they inform people when to be surprised.
As the food tastings, yes, but to say something isn’t “delicious” is sort of a social err in Japan.
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Yep — I was going to make the exact same comment. 99 times out of 100, the reaction on one of those shows is “Oishii!” I always wait for that one person who, one day, will say, “Waa, mazui!”
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HAH. You will be waiting for that day for quite some time. Can you imagine the blanket of shock that would settle over the whole studio due to someone actually sticking up for their own opinion in contradiction to those around him? It would be so delicious to watch, however it’s something that Japanese culture curbs every time.
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I didn’t really see the dogs reactions as unusual, they all seemed similar. The only exception being that the Italian dog was obviously the smartest (or hungriest).
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It’s not all Westerners that have expressive faces. And Koreans tend to use the same amount of facial expression as Americans.
It’s true that Americans have more facial expression (it’s a conditioned part of communication in the States), but from my perspective Japanese move their bodies way too much in conversation. Their facial expression is transferred to their body.
These are products of social communication. Another difference is that Japanese tend to over-console, to the point of it feeling like condescension, although that wasn’t the intention.
Next time you watch a Japanese reporter go to America for a story, take notice of how they look wired on caffeine compared to the people around them. Or watch Sayuri on the Korean show Global Talk Show (미녀들의 수다) as she makes her own comments about Japanese reactions. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9BTlZI_9_c&feature=related )
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It obviously all comes down to culture and not breed of dog.
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I wonder what blood types the dogs have.
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lololol!!
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rotfl. And according to the dumb blood-type stereotyping, this so-called reserved desposition only applies to ppl with Type A-blood.
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The traditional western image of English people is that they conceal their emotions and reactions — stiff upper lip, and all that.
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The second japanese dog didn’t even notice the food! How can it react if it didn’t know it was there, it was also probaply old/lazy. Also the first japanese dog had bigger reaction than siberian one. All french people are models? Nice one japan! I wonder why didn’t the japanese one took upskirt photos or something else perverted cos that’s how we see you then.
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hohoho. funny one. he was too busy stealing girls underwear, swimsuits and gymclothes.
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If you want to confirm what you already believe about another culture you will always, always, always find it somehow. I’m sure if there was a Somalian dog in the group its “pirate-like “qualities would be pointed out- just conforming to whatever people think they know or expect to see.
Anyway, what’s all this about allegedly muted Japanese reactions? Has anyone seen any o-warai shows(which, in fact, this bit seems to be taken from) recently and all the hysterical and exaggerated reactions? How about Japanese soaps and dramas with the screaming fights, big teary scenes, and bug-eyed shock? How about the “areees” “eeeehhhs” and other boisterous chatter found at any izakaya and among students of all ages at pretty much any location? I’m not criticizing this behaviour- it’s fine by me- but characterizing Japanese as having restrained responses??? It seems the sample must have been limited to train and subway riders.
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Of course, I bet most of these dogs haven’t been in their “home” country for many generations nor (barring the greyhound) do they have foreign owners, and Girolamo doesn’t take doggie out to the riots every weekend, I hope.
However, why is it OK to ascribe temprements to breeds of dogs and cats, but not to races of humans? Is the genetic difference between a Tosa and a Lab greater or less than between a human Japanese and a Brit/Canadian?
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wait till you see those dogs hump…
female jdogs squeal and whine loud like they’re always in pain ;0
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For those of you who are not joking, stop taking Shimura Zoo seriously.
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what about the german dog?? were they afraid that the german dog would have kiled anyone in a50m radius after the food dissapears?^^ xDD(i’m german)
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so which category does the Japanese media personalites fall into? from the way they over react on tv it is ridiculous.
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They’re paid for their overreactions.
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How about the reactions of the Japanese “talent” on the show? Every time something vaguely interesting happens they always let out a “Eehhhhhhh!?”
How is that not big?
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Ugh. How do they mess up the Siberian Husky? USA? He has “Siberia” in his name!
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TV says theres Siberia in the name but in fact its American dog.
im bit surprised westerners are outraged by pointing their overreaction out.its not bad thing at all.imho,just japanese ppl restraint their emotions a bit much.probably its coming from their social-cultural issue.
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It’s nice to put people in tiny, labeled boxes, isn’t it. Now they even do it with dogs. Impressive.
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Uhh… wouldn’t the reaction be dictated by what the individual breed was, well, was bred for? Hunting dogs might look for the food, guard dogs might not care, etc. etc. A breed based reaction seems much more likely.
… and by that token, I’m dubious as to whether the second Japanese dog is really that Japanese. When was that breed introduced to Japan?
I guess the show’s just trying to be funny without being serious, and I enjoy a good laugh, but I dunno. It just doesn’t make me laugh. Not to mention I’ve heard plenty of loud Japanese people (Ehhhhh?!). They may be few and far between, but they’re dead set on making up for their quiet countrymen.
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Thank God they didn’t get a Afghan Hound. What would they have it do, blow up a preschool?
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Every country needs it’s stereotypes concerning foreigners. And every country needs TV shows nobody called for, apparently.
Unfortunately the presenters haven’t heard of or read any of the studies that all have shown that the Masters of self-restraint aka Japanese react exactly the same way as “unrestrained” Westerners. If they’re shown pictures with disgusting, funny or sad content they make the same faces as any American or European would do. But they wouldn’t dare making those faces as long as the investigator of the study is in the same room. As soon as the investigator leaves the room Japanese look exactly like anybody else, reaction-wise. But only if they don’t feel observed.
Anybody really surprised?
Paul Ekman and others have shown and investigated this over and over again, always with the same outcome.
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