On Saturday, TKU will air a program that will include a segment with a foreign resident of Ubuyama-mura. That’s fine but I was sorry to see that that person is referred to as “gaikokujin-san.” “San,” of course, is usually a respectful suffix for names but it has some other usages. It can be be added to certain occupations (“untenshu-san” [driver] or “sumo-san” [sumo wrestler]) and is occasionally added to the word “gaijin.” The usage of “gaikokujin-san” in this blurb from TKU is not normal and makes me wonder what the implication is. I also wonder how the people at TKU would feel if I called them “Nihonjin-san.”
This program has a history of making fun of foreigners (though they might say they are trying to have fun “with” foreigners – but I don’t take it that way):
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Kumamotoi/photos/?tab=album&album_id=818843191522448
Unfortunately, their playful (小馬鹿にしている?) addition of “-san” to the word “gaikokujin” fits the pattern of their previous shows.
– Kirk
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