Sunday, June 21, 2009

Not everyone likes us

Recently I posted a video about the challenges and rewards of teaching at Elementary school in Japan. I'm trying to get some of my thoughts and experiences teaching here for 5 years on video before I leave Japan in just over a month.

As always, my vids get comments and I get emails wanting more info, etc.

But this time I got another video posted as a "response" to my video.

The video was about 2 ALTs (maybe JETs - but I'm not sure - they could be with another company) who got arrested in Okinawa ken for having crystal meth. Drugs are a big huge No-No! here in Japan and there is zero tolerance.

But the interesting part was what was written in the sidebar description box...

I've copy and pasted it here with no corrections or additions/deletions.

Just goes to show that for all the kids I've helped become more interested in English over the years and all the Japanese friends I've made, there is still a very small amount of Japanese citizens who resent us being here on the taxpayers dime.

Here is the content:


The superintendent of education said
「Trust in the education is damaged and regrettably. Severe disposal is examined including the dismissal. 」

what a nauseating sight.
This is why I hate gaijins.
this kind of crimes committed by gaijins is on the rise and has become a social problem.
it seems sign of going from bad to worse.
these gaijins doesn't want to follow the rule of japanese society..

**********

Dear jet.
do you get certified as tefl,tesol,M.Ed?
most of your associate in japan are only speaking native tongue...
they are not qualified teacher.

it was originally started in 1987 to trade friction between Japan and the U.S.
How many country would employ, even as simple language teachers, unskilled foreigners who could
not speak, write and read the national language?
only japan.
What a nonsense.

Now, existence value of jet is nothing.
there is a movement to do abolition of jet.
it is positive trend.

the problem is Administrators of jet, called clair.
that's what we call "amakudari",
clair is seen as a symbol of corruption of official.
we japanese have doubt about the way of using taxpayer money.

we'll see the end of the jet programme in not-so-distant future.
slowly but surely many japanese is realizing this.

it's very regretful that
i heard some jet persons are always bad- mouthing japan on the web.
stop it.
that's unforgivable rude
ingratitude to japan.

in fact, you receive very preferential treatment(like striking mismatch)from japan.
You're encouraged to remember that japan spend money 40000 million yen a year to feeding jet foreigners.
this is our tax.
thankyou.

****
I've had comments left on my videos similar to this in the past - and I've even tried to be reasonable and have a discussion with these types of people, but they're not interested in a dialog - just a one-way, narrow minded attack on what they see as a waste of taxpayer money. Of course, I humbly disagree.

Peace,
Jason

3 comments:

Yan said...

Hi. I've been reading your blog for like 1 year already and I know that your contract ends in July. I would just like to ask, what are you going to do afterwards? now that your contract has ended.

I'm planning on doing the same thing as you did (on being an ALT). But what if the contract ends and I still want to stay in Japan? :(

Jason H. said...

you can stay in Japan after you finish with JET, but to stay for more than 90 days, you'd have to find a new job so your new company/school could sponsor your work visa.

I plan on going home to San Deigo.

The Funky Drummer said...

Wow - that's some harsh stuff. Having done 2 years of JET myself I can see where they are coming from though - at least with regards to the tax payers money.

I have to say, that most JETs I knew (myself included) had a great time, but did seem to get paid a lot for the 'work' we actually did.

This was not the fault of the JETs; it seemed to just be that for the most part, we had a lot of free time and the job was very much an easy ride, so I can see how some Japanese might resent this.

Personally, I never experienced anything but kindness and generousity from the Japanese I came into contact with.