Alternative to Cepo's answer, I think that there is a
distinction between an individual and a society.
Traditionally, the North East Asians put more emphasis
on producing higly competent individual both in spirit
and intellects rather than building a system that
would guarantee a majority of many who meet the
minimum standard in terms of physical and intellectual
ability.
Sutzu, Takeda Shingen, Tokugawa, Kenshin, etc. all
mastered martial arts and statragy before the age of
15. In the modern terms, they all got black
belts(really qualified not just those who got due to
seniority nowdays) and Ph.D.'s before the age of at
least 20 year old.
In the west, Napoleon also mastered mathematics,
tactics, stragegy, and literatures before the age of
17, which resembles some of traditions of the North
East countries before the industrial revolution.
> i was wondering if any of it was real?
Yes, it is real, even now for some people. That is why
some Southerners in America have hard time accepting
some foreign students(Not White) superior to them.
> Why were they trying to become so Modern???
This question must be thrown to the government. After
the success of the British industrial revolution in
1820, everything had changed. A few highly qualified
individuals can no longer face with many above average
multitudes. They had to set up the public school
system, which degraded the physical and intellectual
standards but still give opportunity to more people.
One last point to Cepo:
> yet another East Asia country that managed to stay
indipenedent, actually in the long run even longer
than Japan (that was occupied in 1942-1952). It's
Thailand (Siam).
The indepence of Siam was indeed remarkable. But, in
many ways, the North East Asians are strictly
different from the South East Asians culturally. This
difference has been diluted becuase of many Chinese
immigrants to the South during 17-18 centuries. But,
the tradition survives.
Note that the only countries in Asia which made
success in modern economy are North East Asian
countries like Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and
a few other southern countries but whose economy is
dominated by Chinese descendents.
That is why people from Taiwan would get offended very
much if they are confused with Thais in the actuall
life circumstance or in TV shows.
Sincerely,
Changsub Lee
question is if such remara
--- Cesare Polenghi <
cepo@...> wrote:
> On Dec 5, 2003, at 1:20 PM, Marshall lilly wrote:
>
> >
> > Hey gang,
> >
> > I had some questions that i thought you guys
> might be able to answer.
> > First i jsut saw the last samurai and i was
> wondering if any of it was
> > real?
> > and Why was the meiji Gov. trying to change? the
> way of the samurai
> > and all
> > was working just fine!Why were they trying to
> become so Modern???
> >
> >
> > thanks all!!!
> >
> > Captain
> > Marshall Lilly
> >
> >
>
_________________________________________________________________
>
> Capt.,
> Japan was the only country in East Asia who managed
> to save its butt
> thru modernization. I believe the kick came from
> seeing what the
> British were doing in China. As far as romantic fans
> of the samurai
> would always be disappointed when looking at the
> pragmatic Meiji
> restoration, the alternative would have been a
> massacre at the hands of
> the Western powers. There was in fact NO WAY the
> Japanese could have
> resisted the weapons the Europeans had developed,
> and the only city
> that was actually attacked by the British
> (Kagoshima) was badly damaged
> in a few hours of cannoning. Fear of invasions and
> blockades was
> exactly was pushed the Tokugawa government to deal
> with the foreigners
> first (treaties), and to modernize as quick as
> possible.
> One last note: there is yet another East Asia
> country that managed to
> stay indipenedent, actually in the long run even
> longer than Japan
> (that was occupied in 1942-1952). It's Thailand
> (Siam). In fact, in the
> 19th c., after British and French had occupied Burma
> and Indochina,
> rather than entering Siam, they preferred to use it
> as a buffer zone.
> For this reason (=it was not an European colony) the
> Japanese did not
> invade in the 1940s, but rather settled for an
> agreement. Thus,
> Thailand independence is remarkable, but mainly due
> to rather casual
> factors--Meiji Japan, instead, had pull itself out
> of the middle-age.
>
> cepo, honolulu
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
__________________________________
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