One aspect of Confucian culture that can make me cringe is how it allows both elderly curmudgeons and comedians to really express themselves in their dotage after lifetimes of slavish thrall to convention. Ozawa Ichiro has finally revealed his inner comedian. It’s time to put him out to pasture.

“I like Americans, but they are somewhat monocellular,” the former Democratic Party leader said. “When I talk with Americans, I often wonder why they are so simple-minded.”

Ozawa didn’t elaborate on what aspect of Americans made him compare them monocellular organisms, a term also used to mean shortsighted or dumb.

(…)

“I don’t think Americans are very smart, but I give extremely high credit for democracy and choices by its people,” he said. “They chose a black president for the first time in U.S. history,” adding that he thought once that would never be possible.

I guess even microbes get lucky? I’m not surly, just perplexed. How can multi-racial, interest-group democracy (something Japanese society will never allow itself to become) be monocellular, especially with a two-party system Ozawa says he wants Japan to adopt? Is Ozawa projecting his own culture upon America? Ozawa clearly needs better material if he’s to survive the Las Vegas circuit. And, his future as a movie critic is doubtful. It remains to be seen whether the Japanese like Ozawa unplugged. There lies the real concern. No one really listens to old people anyway, because they say the dumbest things.

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Filed under: East Asia, Europe, Humor-(less), Politics, USA Tagged: barack h. obama, bridge on the river kwai, britain, japan, ozawa ichiro