Japanese Mortified By Obama's Bow

[pamsback]

It is DONE as a sign of respect, between equals, between masters and students, between rulers, varying degrees for different relationships...I don't need to look it up. I didn't say Obama did a good job of it. His bow should not have been so deep, he overdid it.

Since you are gonna insist I am wrong............."If you are traveling to Japan, knowing how to bow in Japan can be helpful. Bowing (ojigi) is an important custom in Japan. People commonly greet each other by bowing instead of handshaking. It is impolite not to return a bow to whoever bowed to you in Japan. The Japanese tend to feel uncomfortable with any physical forms of contact although they have become used to shaking hands with foreigners.
Bowing in Japan has many functions in one. It expresses the feeling of respect, thanking, apologizing, greeting, and so on. For example, you can bow, when you say, "thank you", "sorry", "hello", "good bye", " welcome", "congratulations", "excuse me", "good night", "good morning", and more.

Bowing seems simple, but there are some different ways of bowing. It depends on the social status or age of the person you bow to. If the person is higher status or older than you are, it's common to bow deeper and longer, showing respect.

The most informal bow is a bend of about 15 degrees for a casual greeting. In casual daily life situations, bowing is often a nod of the head. The most common type of bow is done to a 30-degree angle to greet customers or to thank someone. It's often seen in Japanese business situations. A more formal way of bowing is performed to a 45-degree angle looking down at your feet. This type of bow signifies deep gratitude, a respectful greeting, a formal apology, asking for favors, and so on.

Basically, it is polite to bow, bending from your waist with a straight back. Men usually keep their hands in their sides, and women usually put their hands together on their thighs with their fingers touching."

[pamsback]

 this AIN'T my first rodeo....................



I could sit here and do this little argument we are fixin to have but I got things to do so I will be back later tonight.........

[Anmar]

In japan, bowing is a custom preformed very regularly and it doesn't show subservience to them.

[srkruzich]

Obviously if the Japanese are upset about the display, then it is NOT a customary act.

[Anmar]

Who says the japanese are upset?

[srkruzich]

Who says the japanese are upset?

Read the article. jeeze....  Its not that hard to do you know
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/11/on-president-obamas-bow-to-the-japanese-emperor-an-academic-friend-writes-that-both-the-left-and-the-right-are-wrong.html

"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, 'What should be the reward of such sacrifices?' Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!" —Samuel Adams


Its subservience. slaves only bow to their masters.  

[pamsback]

Its subservience. slaves only bow to their masters.

Over there... it's good manners

[Warph]

Think this "bow" was bad, how about the other day in China when Obama, down on his knees, begging HU Jintao to buy more T bills (which he was turned down) to fund his (hopefully) Healthcare Bill.  Sorry, Zero!

BTW, it was seven bow's, not one.  Count 'em:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0mZfpOfQYc&feature=player_embedded

[Anmar]

The article says nothing about the japanese being upset.  That was just warph's mangled interpretation.  You should know better than to trust anything warph says by now.

Maybe you should be the one re-reading the article.

[srkruzich]

The article says nothing about the japanese being upset.  That was just warph's mangled interpretation.  You should know better than to trust anything warph says by now.

Maybe you should be the one re-reading the article.

Well I'll take warphs view since it most closely resembles the forefathers views.  Better to die on ones feet than grovel.