SelfMadeEasy.com "Assertiveness: Stand Up, Speak Out, and Still Garner Others' Respect"

Seizing this opportunity, I would like to announce to all shy and modest people around the world that Japan is the country for you. Japanese culture respects modesty. If you are an American and suffer from you timidity, you are most welcome in Japan. You can not imagine how charming and attractive being an American and modest at the same time is to Japanese people. President Obama was criticized in the United States because he bowed too low before the emperor of Japan. One thing they do not know is how this presidential act made Japanese people respect Mr. Obama. I am not a serious supporter of the emperor system, but bowing foreigners are always highly respected in Japan. In this regard, there is a huge gap between the two cultures. Well, politeness and timidity are two different things, but I wish you never lose your charm in the course of adopting assertive attitude. By the way, this book is, well not bad. Sometimes it is a good thing to become self-reflective about your outer attitude.

残念ながらこれはKindle Editionのみらしい。まあ似たような本はいくらでもあるんで、適当に売れてたり安いのを読めばコンセプトは同じだろう。日本でもしばらく前に「断る力」だとか「怒る技術」だとか、単純に「アサーティブネス」とかいうタイトルの本が結構流行ったと思う。自己啓発はたいてい米国発で、適当な日本人が翻訳したりパクったりして日本でも少し遅れて流行る。大人しくて損をしているとか自己主張が苦手な人向けの本だけど、この本の基準だと、半分以上の日本人が該当してしまう気がする。文化差が大きく、この本を読んで日本で役立つ気がしないけど、アメリカ人風の考え方や言い方を学習するのに役立った気がする。たまには、こういうのを敢えて考えてみるのも悪くないことだろうし。