Readers' responses to Debito Arudou's May 1 Just Be Cause column, "Yes, I can use chopsticks: the everyday 'microaggressions' that grind us down," his followup June 5 JBC column, "Guestists, Haters, the Vested: Apologists take many forms," and Colin P.A. Jones' counterarticle, "Much ado, but microimportant" (Zeit Gist, June 5):
Ice-breakers aren't microaggressions
Yes, Japanese will routinely ask foreigners if they can use chopsticks. But has Debito ever listened to any Japanese-Japanese conversations? One would be hard-pressed to find an interaction between casual acquaintances that doesn't begin with something about the weather.
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