to arguing with people and having strong opinions on things. Of course this is just a huge generalization!

「他人と議論する時の温度差」があります。

Every person is completely different. But one of the things that I noticed when I first

もちろん人によって違うので、漠然とした一般論になってしまいますが

came to Japan was the seemingly lack of strong opinions by people here. Or at least the lack

強い主義主張を見受ける機会がアメリカより少ない気がします。

of willingness to express their strong opinions.

インターネット上では溢れていますが、

Now, this is not including arguments on the internet! You will find crazy people arguing

実生活では少ないように感じます。

about everything on the internet and I don't think that's a good reflection of people in

では、まず私の育ったアメリカの議論文化について触れたいと思います。

real life.

アメリカでは強い主張を評価する傾向にあり、

But before I get into Japan, I want to talk about American culture, my culture, a little

また、議題に詳しくなくても、

bit first. I feel like my culture values strong opinions on things. Even if you don't really

特に意見が無くても、賛成か反対かをハッキリしなければいけないような雰囲気があります。

know much about it, or even if you don't really care about it, you’re almost expected to

学校の国語の授業では、数え切れないほど論証文を書かされました。

take sides in arguments. In our school system, at least when I went through school and I

議題の解説、主張、肉付け文、結論

imagine it’s still pretty similar, every year in English class we had to write countless

あらゆる議題（銃規制、死刑、妊娠中絶, etc...）についてエッセイを書きます。

argumentative essays. An essay with an introduction, a thesis statement stating your argument,

どちらか一方の立場(賛成・反対)で自説を主張し、

three paragraphs supporting your argument, and then a conclusion. We wrote these on all

論理的思考と自己主張力を養うのが目的です。

kinds of controversial subjects, from gun control, to the death penalty, to probably

ただ、これが結果として

abortion, I don’t even remember all of them. But we were given subjects and we had to take

議題にあまり知識・関心がなくても、常に立場を主張し合うという習慣につながっている気がします。

a side and then defend that side. And the purpose was to teach us how to critically

また、メディアが二者択一という考えを助長し

think and formulate arguments, but I think a side effect of that is that it also sort

社会が更にそれを助長します。

of ingrained into us that we need to take a side on arguments, whether we've really

友達と気軽に議論し、相手はあなたの立場を知りたがります

researched it well or not, or whether we even really care about it or not.

友好的な場合も、そうでない場合もあります。

And our media has always reinforced this idea that you’re either on one side or another.

私はそうした環境で育ちました。

And society reinforces this idea. We talk about these things with our friends. People

自分の立場を主張できる事が理知的だと考えていました。

want to know where you stand. People get into arguments about it. Sometimes friendly, sometimes

しかも、その考えに疑問を抱くことは一度もありませんでした

not so friendly.

Junに合うまでは。

And that’s how I grew up, thinking I needed to take sides on things, that taking sides

勿論、Junが日本の代表例という訳ではありませんが

on things meant that you were intellectual. And I never really questioned that, like really

彼は多くの面で典型的な日本人で、

questioned whether that was necessary, until I met Jun.

私の人生に大きな影響を与えました。

Now I don’t want to say that Jun is Japan and that he represents Japan, but I think

彼に意見を尋ねると

he is very traditionally Japanese in a lot of ways, and of course he’s the biggest

時々、賛成・反対の両意見を述べました。

Japanese influence that I’ve had on my life.

「賛成、反対、どっちなの？」

And so when I used to talk to Jun about some of these things and I would ask him his thoughts

「どちらの主張も一理あると思う」

and he would tell me both sides of the argument. And I would be like, “Well… what do you

でも、私にはそれが消化できず、

think?” And he would say, “I think both sides have good points.” And I would get

「あなたの意見はどっちなの？？」

so frustrated! I'd be like, "Take a side! What is YOUR opinion on this?!"

私が深く考えずに「〇〇〇って、ダメだよね」と言うと、

And sometimes when I would thoughtlessly say something like, “Oh, of course ____ is bad.

(例)「整形ってダメだよね」

Like, of course plastic surgery is bad.” He would play devil’s advocate and he would

でも、Junはあえて反対の立場になって

ask me, “Well, why do you care so much? Why does it matter to you what they do with

「何故そんなに気にする必要があるの？ 他人が自分の身体に、自分の意志で、自分の為にする事で」

their own bodies? Can't they do whatever they want?” And I would be like, "What are you

「何言ってるの？皆、心良く思ってないじゃない」

talking about? Of course it's bad! Everything thinks it's bad!"

でも、時間と共に

But it made me think. And over time I was like, “Why DO I care? It really ISN’T

(どうして、あんなに気にする必要があったんだろう？

any of my business.” And I don’t know where the exact change was. It was probably

自分には関係の無い事なのに）

very gradual. But eventually I just sort of stopped having a lot of these strong opinions

それから徐々に、私は昔のように強い主張を抱かなくなりました。

that I used to have.

成長した事も関係しているかもしれません。

I think part of it is also just growing up, I don’t feel like I need to answer to anyone

立場を聞かれても、特にどちらでもないと言える自分がいます。

anymore. If someone asks me “Where do you stand on this issue?” I feel confident enough

10代の自分にはありえない発言ですが。

now to say, “Meh. I don’t really have an opinion.” Which is something that I feel

昔はディベートが好きでした。

like would have been unthinkable for me to say as a teenager.

アメリカ人は楽しむ為に議論をします。

I used to love having debates with people. Americans argue things for fun. Is Batman

「バットマンとスパイダーマン、どっちが優れてる？」

or Spiderman better? Uhh obviously batman is better. Is Star Wars or Star Trek better?

「バットマンに決まってんだろ」とか、

Are you kidding me right now? We do this for fun. And I didn’t see that happening a lot

「スターウォーズとスタートレックは？」

in Japan. And I was like, “Why aren’t people having fun conversations like this?”

「それ、ガチで聞いてんの？」

And while I still think conversations like that are fun, I don't really have a lot of

欧米では頻繁にします。

strong opinions on things anymore. Basically all of my opinions revolve around "It’s

でも、日本ではそうした議論の習慣は薄い気がします。

none of my business unless someone is hurting someone else." People ask me aaaall the time,

楽しむ議論では意見しますが、それ以外では強い主張はしなくなりました。

“Rachel what do you think about this controversial subject in Japan?” like I should have a

誰かが傷つくような事でない限り、私の意見は自分には無関係です。

a strong opinion where I say, “Well obviously this side is right and this side is wrong.”

日本関連で論争の的になっている事についてよく質問を受けます。

But I don’t. Which for some reason makes some people really angry, that I’m not completely

しかも、私が必ず賛成か反対のどちらかであると思い込まれています。

on their side and trashing the opposing side. And when I read comments like that, it's really

でも、違います。

shocking to me. This has happened a few times before. When I talked about whaling, I completely

私が片方の意見側でない事に何故か怒る人もいます。

understand both sides of the arguments. I'm not really on a side. But people would write

また、他方側を蔑んだ発言をするべきだと思っている人も何人かいました。

comments and they would be so angry that I wasn't COMPLETELY on their side. I was just

例えば捕鯨の動画などです。

in the middle and people didn't like that. I just, I understand where the other side

私は賛否どちらの意見も理解できます。

is coming from, too. Like when we talked about microaggressions, I said those things don't

賛成でも反対でもありませんが、

bother me at all. I don't care if they happen to me at all. But I also don't care if it

片方の意見だけに完全に賛成でない事に怒る人もいました。

does bother someone else. People got really angry at me that I didn't completely trash

中立の立場の人間が気に食わなかったみたいです。

those people who do get bothered by it. You want me to get angry at people? You want me

他方の意見も理解できるだけです。

to be hateful and rude toward someone else's feelings? This is really confusing to me,

マイクロ・アグレッションの動画では、自分にそれが起こっても全く気にならないと言いました。

the idea of getting angry at someone for being in the middle.

でも、それが気になる人がいても、どうとも思いません。

But then I remembered how much it used to bother me when Jun didn’t take my side on

でも、彼らの悪口を言わなかった事に怒る人たちが沢山いました。

things, and refused to do anything but be thoughtful and neutral. So, I do remember

他人の物事に対して感じる気持ちが気に食わないから蔑むべきだというのは理解できません。

being like that. I used to be like that. I used to feel like Jun having no opinions meant

中立的な立場の人に怒るのはちょっと的外れな気がします。

he didn’t care about things, and that it was a bad thing to not feel passionately about

でも、Junが様々な事に関して中立の立場だった時に、イライラしたのを思い出しました。

something. But I think that was my cultural bias. Because we really value passion. We

ですから、結局、自分も同じでした。

idolize people who stand up for their beliefs. And while I still understand that, now I also

当時、中立なのは関心が無いからだと思っていました。

see that Jun wasn’t being apathetic and indecisive… he was being thoughtful. He

意見を持たないのは悪いことだと。

was being open to new ideas and recognizing that every side has reasons for feeling the

でも、それは文化的偏見でした。

way that they do. He was being a nice person. And I’ve always known Jun is a nice person.

己の主張の為に立ち上がる人は尊敬されます。

It's really obvious that Jun is a super nice person. I’ve always looked up to him for

しかし一方で、Junが無関心でも優柔不断でもない事に気付きました。

that, he’s someone I want to be like. I feel like he’s a better person than I am,

一方の意見だけに縛られず、広い視野で他方の意見にも耳を傾けるように努めていました。

and being around him helps make me a better person, too. I don’t think I’ll ever be

彼は贔屓しない良い人です。

as calm as he is, but looking back at where I used to be, compared to where I am today,

出合った時からずっとそうでした。

I think I’ve changed a lot thanks to him.

そういう所を尊敬していますし、自分も見習いたいと思っています。

Of course we still do have opinions on some things, and I don’t want to say this is

彼ほど落ち着いた人間にはなれないかもしれませんが、

fundamentally Japanese, or anything. It always depends on the person. But I feel like it’s

昔の自分と比べると、お陰でだいぶ変わったと思います。

more common in Japan than in America—I definitely don’t see the insanely strong reactions

勿論、常に中立ではありませんし、

to things here in Japan that I see in America. Again, not talking about the internet--that

それが日本的だとは言いません。

doesn't count. It can be hard for me to tell what is culturally Japanese and what is just

人それぞれです。

Jun, sometimes, but to me I feel like he represents a lot of the best things about Japan. And

ただ、日本よりアメリカの方が物事に対して強い主張が多いと感じます。

I don't think I would have changed like this if I hadn't come here and met him. Thanks

インターネットを除いてですが。

for watching. Bye!

日本的なのか、Jun的なのか、時々区別しにくいですが、