Monday, October 6, 2008

Hello! Are you shy?

It was nice to meet all of you this last week! And it seems that everyone is really excited about using English in class and that makes me really happy! It looks like we are going to have some great discussions.

In the speaking class, we asked each other "Are you shy?" And I think I heard a lot of people say "yes."

I was just thinking about this and it occurred to me that in the U.S. and maybe most Western cultures, being shy is not considered a positive attribute. It definitely has negative connotations or overtones.

What about in Japan? Do you think being shy is thought in a positive light?

7 comments:

  1. I think being shy isn't always positive in Japan.I'm shy and want to get over it.
    But I think it isn't always bad.
    Because,it's considered one's "personality".
    People has each one.So,some people is positive,other people is negative.It's not strange thing. It's natural there's many kinds of people.

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  2. Under any circumstances, being shy is not positive. Many Japanese tend to feel shy. However, this certain traits prevent people from being outright and voice their opinions. We tend to do this because we dread what people might think or judge about us. It might have been conceived as a positive aspect but in this global era, we need to stand up for ourselves and be expressive.

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  3. In my opinion, Japanese people tend to think being shy as positive. This is partly because people mistake modesty for shyness. In the light of Japanese values, modesty is thought as positive, or virtue. So people mistaking modesty for shyness tend to become shy. But, as you know, modesty and shyness are different from each other. Shyness prevent people from communicating with people. But modesty doesn't. I think people should be active in communicating with others, and at the same time should be considerate toward them.

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  4. In my opinion, being shy is not always affirmative meaning. Surely,as the proverb goes that "Derukuiha utareru(The nail that sticks out gets hammered down)." And most Japanese are shy, and shy is one of Japanese culture, I think. But I think sometimes Japanese should be positive! For example, to speak foreigner.

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  5. I think being shy is not always considered a positive attribute in Japan,too.

    I felt the needs to exprain my feelings,idias and myself under many situations.For example,when be in my class,when playing with my friends and when I think of my futures in the society. I think being shy is not good attitude.

    But in Japan, there is the fraise that "Deru kui wa utareru".It means, don't stand out, and you'll not have any troubles.
    I think this is bad culture of Japan,but it is turu in my country even now. So being shy is sometimes thought in a positive light. It is ,very sad,a way of living in Japan.

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  6. In Japan, being shy is not always positive.
    Even if we have to say our opinion, we can not express what we think. I think that's is a problems.
    In many circumstances, most of the Japanese have own opinions, but we are not used to say it. Because since we enter the shool, we usually don't have enough chances to say our opinion during classes in Japan.

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  7. i am sorry that i made mistakes with ‘name’ .
    upper comments's name, ‘y’goes ‘Yuri Ito’please...

    i did not know how to write comments, i am sorry..

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