Not following the sound advice of family and friends who warn me against becoming stressed and aggravated, I occasionally monitor Amy Chavez's column.
In her Sept. 29 article, "The encroach of empty-nest syndrome," Chavez goes on merrily insulting Japanese, opening with "Japan has taught me tolerance" in that Chavez has "become far too comfortable living with cockroaches."
She manages to be lame and insulting simultaneously, implying that Japan suffers from a particularly severe cockroach problem. (Apparently she hasn't lived in New York or Los Angeles.) She then maintains that the travails of life in Japan build character. Am I the only foreigner who gets irritated with this?
Make no mistake, I do criticize Japan in terms of government policy, society, etc., when warranted. But I like to think that my kicks do not fall gratuitously below the belt as Chavez's regularly do, delivered in the guise of humor.
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