Waves of Hayari and the Expat Belljar

They come in from the televisions and the magazines and wash powerfully over the land--the latest hayari, or fad. A new type of strawberries, a particular marsh in Tochigi, a new omoshiroi talento, the season's colour, a revolutionary means of weightloss, a proven way to improve your English while you sleep. They sweep through carrying all in front of them and die as abruptly as they appeared. The next one arrives.

The expat has immunity. For him it's optional. At first he can't understand the media; later he chooses to shut it out. The only tangible benefit in knowing the latest fad is being forewarned. Fads signal soaring price rises and the guaranteed presence of throngs of imbeciles desperate not to miss out.

But immunity comes at a cost. By exercising it he isolates himself even further. He has chosen not to know what others are talking about, not to have a frame of reference, not to be able to converse.

At home he would not have that choice. He would be immersed while others watched from the sides. But as an expat he does. The expat experience, wherever in the world, heightens individual awareness at the expense of belonging. Expatriatism is a zero sum game.

And so in the world's most lauded group-oriented society the relentless generation of new fads at once reaffirms individualism and excludes belonging. (Some choose to be cultural fetishists, apologists, denunciators, nativists or reporters of the weird, but they are all at best temporary callings.)

He makes no judgment on the people on the waves. He knows their participation is inevitable. As inevitable as his choice of isolation, with its non-negotiable benefits and side effects.

Posted by Setsunai at March 15, 2006 10:48 AM