A while back, I conducted a survey on this page about how foreigners should be addressed (that is, to “-san” or not to “-san”) when speaking Japanese.
The overwhelming result from non-Japanese who speak Japanese was “don’t leave off ‘-san’ just because I’m not Japanese.”
At the time, I think I mentioned that the consistent practice of not addressing foreigners with “-san” or some other honorific suffix on a local TV show prompted my interest in this topic. Well, the program was TKU’s Wakkatto Land (若っとランド). Through Facebook, I informed them of the survey results but, sadly, they chose to ignore me. Facebook indicated to me that my message to them was “seen” but they did not respond and yesterday’s program proved that they also ignored the content of my message when they made their program.
The image you see is of the message I posted on their page in response to the latest program. Here’s the URL for this message:
https://www.facebook.com/TKU.WakattoLand/videos/541869055936737/
If you go to this page and are unable to see a Japanese message from me, that would mean that TKU took it down or otherwise made it invisible to visitors.
I’m not sure what my next step should be. In a way, it’s a small issue. In another way, however, I think the symbolism is important. By their refusal to even discuss the results of a survey completed by 80 people, they have indirectly given me the message that they will portray foreigners in whatever way they damn well please and that they have no intention of taking the concerns of Kumamoto’s foreign community into account when they use foreigners as fodder for their programming. That’s something I’m hesitant to let stand.
– Kirk
😡