CULTURAL INSULATION
Finally, in “A View of Japan through Japanese Art,” Drucker fails to acknowledge the insular nature of Japanese social topology, which is reflected in the country’s demographic of racial homogeneity. Homogeneity in a social topology deeply affects the ability of the collective to innovate.
The principle of social equality is inextricable from social identity. In Japan’s case, the behavior of the society is a function of identity and projected need. Management of history is necessary to prevent perceptual damage to the collective identity. In Japan’s case, we have the Ainu ethnocide. In the case of America, we have the ethnocide (and in some instances, genocide) of the indigenous peoples.
Clearly, the cases of Japan’s and America’s collective disregard for the equality and self-determination of the Ainu and the indigenous peoples of North America, respectively, point to a facet of the countries social topologies that permits them to project their needs (a function of identity) into the landscape of others’. Such incursions are endemic throughout history. China-Tibet, European colonialism, Roman imperialism, and on and on – we can see a preponderance of evidence that the shaping of one collective’s identity can happen at the expense of another’s.
Is there no other way?
The answer lies in the American democracy, and how we ultimately deal with the problem of private ownership (of land). Every aspect of the discussion thus far must be applied to the problem, if a successful outcome is to occur in the future.
