00:00
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast. Hey guys,how's it going?
Let me read the messages.
Okay, so this is from
Toody-san.
How about you, Mr. Kevin? Do you have the sameimpression?
Do you think Japanese people are not good attalking about politics?
Mr. Kevin also has the impression that hesometimes makes a joke about President Trump.
How about you, Mr. Yama-chan?
It may be difficult to talk about this kind ofthing,
but even if you don't talk about your politicalideas or political systems,
please let me know your thoughts on talking aboutpolitics in an open place.
Thank you for your always fun content. I willcontinue to support you.
People would be like, hey, which one are youvoting for?
The Republicans or the Democrats?
Like, oh, yeah, I'm going for the Democrats.
That was a conversation that actually happened.
Yeah, same in France.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
Very different.
In Japan, if you are a middle schooler or highschooler,
you start talking like, hey, dude.
What do you think about the election, man?
You know, you don't do that, right?
You don't speak like that.
Yeah.
Very different culture, vibe and sphere.
But we should...
Why is it that bad in Japan?
Exactly. Exactly what I want to ask you.
Why is it...
I mean, I can understand how it's...
I understand that there's a taboo vibe going on.
I understand how it's kind of uncomfortable to saywhat you feel like.
But, right, to explain why this is happening,
I have no idea why it feels like a taboo.
There's no logical reason.
Like, political things is something you have todiscuss.
Like, you have to talk about it more.
03:01
Right.
It's like...
Right.
Yeah.
Why does it feel uncomfortable?
True.
Why did...
Yeah, it's true.
Yeah.
True.
Right. I was surprised when I went to France.
They were in the shokudo and start eating.
And, hey, which party are you supporting who?
Yeah.
And like, I am for somebody, somebody this time.
But it's a bit like this.
And they start like discussing.
They are not like some very, very intelligent orsome good student even.
They were like a, you know, very koshippan.
Oh, yeah.
They like chewing gums and like they don't...
They, you know, saboru classes and everything.
But they are very serious about those poeticthings.
I was like, wow.
Okay.
Very difficult.
Yeah.
Very different.
Right.
The vibe that I felt, you know, when I saw themtalking about politics was like...
It was almost like a cool thing.
That, hey, like I'm talking about politics.
Like I know...
Yeah.
Like I'm mature.
Like I'm an adult kind of vibe.
Yeah.
I see from them.
Yeah.
Yeah.
True.
Right.
Like I'm sure that...
I don't know.
I don't think they know the, you know, the...
Kouyaku?
I see.
Like, honestly, what's the real inside of...
Right.
Like I'm sure they know like the big picture andeverything.
But like the details.
Yeah.
I don't think they knew what it was.
It was just like...
Yeah, they were like middle school.
Right.
Right.
So, yeah.
Well, they have that attitude.
Right.
They have that attitude.
Right.
So...
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
Right.
True.
Right.
And it's like...
But like I...
As I grow older, like I want to know more andmore.
I'm more interested in politics.
Yeah.
But like it's pretty hard.
It's pretty difficult.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like I don't think I can get to a point...
I can't see a point where like I'm confidenttalking in front of the camera about politics.
Because like there's so many angles that I don'tknow.
True.
So like, you know, this is a different, you know,angle from feeling the tabooness.
It's like I feel uneducated.
For anyone to...
For me to speak in front of the camera.
And I know that's not like, you know, somethingthat...
I know it's like someone's got to start talking,right?
But like right now, the vibe that I feel in Japanis like if you don't know, well, don't fucking sayit.
Yeah.
It's kind of the vibe that I feel as well.
I get it.
I get it.
Yeah.
If you start something, somebody will come to youand just beat you.
Right.
Like, hey, you're wrong.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Maybe too much vibe of that.
06:01
Like beating each other vibe is too much, maybe.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Like if you...
Right.
It is a topic of like intelligence and stuff likethat, right?
Yeah.
If you're wrong, kind of.
Right.
Yeah.
Right.
That's definitely a vibe that Japan has right now.
Yeah.
That's true.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
We should...
Yeah, me too.
Every time those like vote opportunity comes tome, every time I have to restudy everything.
Yeah.
It's like you have to like read papers.
Like you see whole videos and everything.
Oh, yeah.
You restudy things.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
It's not easy.
Like it's not like, oh, I know this.
I know this thing.
It's like you have to read who is this?
Like who is this?
Right.
What is this party?
Right.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's so true, man.
That's so true.
I went to...
But the one thing that I noticed changed recentlywas that being able to say, hey, I'm going
to go vote.
Like that's...
I think that's the vibe changed on that likestance of like going to vote is much more
like saying that I went voting.
Yeah.
It's something that you see much more often.
True.
I feel like that's a change that I observe.
Yeah.
True.
Yeah.
Good thing.
Right.
Yeah.
I love that.
Whichever the parties you're voting for.
Voting itself is a good thing.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Do you think it's right now kind of a taboo to askwhat you voted on?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, for example, I'd like to ask you about that.
Yeah.
I don't know why, but I feel like I can ask thatto you.
Okay, but like in general, like, I don't know, Idon't know, Tsuji-san or something.
I don't think so. I don't, I don't, I think it's,do you?
I can't.
I don't know why, but it's like a...
Yeah, me too. I don't know why.
Yeah.
I can't.
It feels like, it feels like you're stepping toomuch.
Yeah. I understand. I understand.
It's like, I want to keep it a secret. I want tokeep it like for myself kind of topic.
Yeah.
I do feel that vibe. I don't know why though.
Yeah. And I know, I won't judge him by which partyhe voted for.
So it doesn't change, change nothing, but stilllike it's, don't know why, but like it's, it'ssomething you shouldn't like dig in.
Yeah. I understand. I understand.
09:02
It's a dokutoku.
Right.
Dokutoku vibe.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's interesting how Japan became like this.
It was interesting.
True.
Yeah.
Maybe the education? Because the middle schoolersare like, they, they speak like that, right?
Yeah.
I think it's pure education.
Yeah.
Is it like allowed, like encouraged in school ordo you have those classes?
Not that I remember. Not that I remember.
Okay.
Yeah. I don't think, you know, the teachers saidit to us or anything.
Okay. So naturally.
It wasn't in the curriculum or nothing like that.Yeah. It was like naturally occurringconversation.
The students asked the teacher what the teacherwas going to vote for.
That doesn't happen in Japan.
That doesn't happen in Japan.
Wow.
Yeah.
My math teacher, Ms. Lancaster was like, Ms.Lancaster, what are you going to vote for?
I'm going for the Republican.
Oh, really?
I'm going for the Democrat.
Okay. So we're battling then.
It's literally a conversation.
Wow. Wow. That's interesting.
It is very interesting. It's very interesting.
Yeah.
I want to know what, where this vibe came from.
Right. Right.
Yeah.
And I'm interested if it's going to change in thepast couple of decades or not.
For sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thanks for listening, guys.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.