Website owner: James Miller
Why do American teenagers do so much poorer, in general, than
Japanese teenagers in school? It is just a matter of
attitudes, outlooks and values. American teenagers are
preoccupied with dating, sex, parties and fun. Japanese
teenagers are serious-minded and determined to learn. That is
the whole difference. One is inclined towards a course of fun
and pleasure and the other inclined towards a course of self-
discipline and work. One is light-hearted and the other is
serious. Why the big difference in the attitudes of the youth
of these two countries? It is, at the very bottom, due to the
difference in the cultures of the two countries. It is due to
differences in the attitudes, outlooks and values that
characterize the two cultures. The American culture is a very
permissive, soft, pleasure-oriented culture. The Japanese
culture is an authoritarian, hard-working culture that
emphasizes self-denial, self-discipline, perseverance and hard
work. And these cultural differences are manifested in the
school systems of the two countries just as they are manifested
in other facets of the societies.
Jan 1987