In Japanese, there is a popular expression, "Kuuki Yomenai." Literally
translated, it means someone who can't read the air...in plain English,
it means someone who is clueless, or bad at reading situations and
understanding what's going. This is a major complaint that older people
have of younger people nowadays--that they are "kuuki yomenai"(KY from
here on out. Also learned that there is "SKY"--"Super Kuuki Yomenai!")
and generally incompetent.
Judging from the people who were in
my class at technical school, I would have to agree with that
assessment. Kids nowadays are very KY. But I don't think it's
necessarily that they are dumb...well...some of them are...but...half
of it is because they are still young and no one teaches you how to
"read the air." The other half is just plain obstinacy--they don't want
to do it.
Essentially, KY is common sense. Sadly, so many
people seem to be lacking it. You know how there are always those
people who are geniuses, but are horrible at having actual human
relationships? It's also a bit like that. But is common sense something
learned--do you pick it up from past experiences, or are you just born
with it? The reason I wonder this is because as stated earlier, I think
that some of the young 'uns aren't actually as KY as they seem to be.
But, between having classmates 10 years younger than me and teaching
English to children, I have to say that a lot of kids and teenagers
here are excessively spoiled by their parent, thus making it harder for
them to learn common sense.
Let me give you an example: In
my class, there was a very charismatic kid named T-chan. He was funny,
outgoing, liked by mostly everyone, incredibly smart when he put his
mind to it, and above all else, lazy.
He stopped coming to class after a bit. When he did come, he would sleep. Teachers let him
sleep. Then the teachers called his parents. His parents said he was
just bored. He barely scraped by to graduate and is now happily working
in a ramen restaurant. Wahoo.
Let me tell you, if I had a 19
year old son and was paying $10,000 in tuition, I certainly wouldn't
let them get away with that kind of behavior. But here, it's okay. If
you're 36 and you amazingly get a new job (because here, 30 is over the
hill for employment and many other things) but you think it's too hard,
you always have the option of just not showing up to work and having
your mom cover your a** for you by calling the company and saying that
"you're just not up to it. It's too hard." Maybe your mom did that for
you when you had a fever in 5th grade, but here everyone expects that.
Probably roll their eyes a bit, but aren't that surprised.
With experience like that, you can't really wonder why there seems to be an overabundance of KY people over here.
Kuuki Yomenai
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Posted by Tue Jan 12, 2010 3:50am PST
Report AbuseIn order to understand Japan, it is imperative to have a sound grasp of the concept of "kuuki." Your blog successfully captures of the idea of "kuuki" which carries common sense with it . However, in my opinion, there is another type of "kuuki" which reflects the common sentiment or ideology. And a sound appreciation of this aspect of "kuuki" will further enhance your understanding of the problems.
This kind of "kuuki" essentially refers to the absence of individuality in Japanese people. Shirasu Jiro, who was educated in England and became one of the principal architects of postwar Japan, once said: "Japanese people entirely lack 'principle,' which is almost universally possessed by the British. Moreover, I cannot find any appropriate Japanese translation for that word." His words indicate that individuality is almost non-existent even in Japan culture. I define here individuality as "the ability to formulate one's own opinion and to act independently based upon it," and I believe that this is what Shirasu considered "principle" to be.
You mentioned that a even 36 year-old man may easily quit his job with assistance from his mother only because his occupation is too hard. The man may not have common sense, but he does not have his own "principle" for his job. In other words, in Japan, the motivation for one's career often does not derive from personal ambition, but from the "kuuki," which leads people to work because everyone is expected to have jobs for reasons, such as age. If he had any personal objective for his job or life at all, he would certainly refrain from such an audacious act. Therefore, most people in Japan act according to the social exceptions and almost all their efforts are directed towards those demands.
The following case provides another good example. Juniors and seniors in Japanese colleges engage in an activity called "shushoku katsudo," or "job-hunting." Sadly, those students are often little different from the teenagers mentioned in your blog. Not only are they able to read "kuuki," but they also fail to have their own principles for their future career. They hurriedly begin looking for jobs because others do the same. They often end up obtaining jobs they would later dislike. Coupled with the lack of common sense, the absence of "principle" is ubiquitous in Japanese life.
In sum, I believe that Japanese people are blindly following this "kuuki" just as the Germans did under the leadership of Hitler. However, the Germans changed, and their popular worship of the dictator was a corollary of the trauma caused by their defeat in WWI and the subsequent economic crisis. On the other hand, the Japanese nowadays practically have nothing to worry about. Yet, they are just as blind as the Germans were. I believe that the fundamental problem of Japan lies in this blindness to the power of "kuuki."
Thank you for your time to read my comment. I am looking forward to reading more posts from you!
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