Favorite Asian Culture?

[Jacob]

Luckily, I can appreciate each of these cultures on its own merits without the need to compare and rank them

Cop out

Whatever, mr. "just because".

[The Brain]

Japanese.

[Valmy]

I guess if strictly on cinema, I'd have to go with India only because of the number of bollywood films that I've seen.

On cinema, it'd be a toss up between Korea (on the strength of a few movies I've really enjoyed) and Japan (more films I've enjoyed, but fewer that have stuck with me as much as my favourite Korean films); but China's a close runner up esp. when you include Taiwan.

On food, I simply can't pick. Same with architecture and history; there's just too much awesome stuff.

It is like asking a parent to pick their favorite kid. 

[Valmy]

Whatever, mr. "just because".

Arbitrary polls are best answered via arbitrary reasoning.

[Queequeg]

Mainland Chinese cinema is really meh. Even once vibrant Honk Kong has been dying since the reincorporation. Only Taiwan does interesting stuff anymore.

Korean and Japanese filmmaking is way more interesting.

Zhang Yimou's late 80s/early 90s stuff is classic. 

[Jacob]

It is like asking a parent to pick their favorite kid.

That's pretty easy for me, what with only having one kid. Should I have more, I'll fall back on the "not going to do that."

Which of your kids are your favourite, Valmy?

[Jacob]

Whatever, mr. "just because".

Arbitrary polls are best answered via arbitrary reasoning.

Alternately, you can argue with Ide about moral relativism.

Ok. You've convinced me. I'll go China, because my wife is Chinese.

[The Brain]

I guess if strictly on cinema, I'd have to go with India only because of the number of bollywood films that I've seen.

On cinema, it'd be a toss up between Korea (on the strength of a few movies I've really enjoyed) and Japan (more films I've enjoyed, but fewer that have stuck with me as much as my favourite Korean films); but China's a close runner up esp. when you include Taiwan.

On food, I simply can't pick. Same with architecture and history; there's just too much awesome stuff.

It is like asking a parent to pick their favorite kid.

They always pick the Asian kid.

[Valmy]

It is like asking a parent to pick their favorite kid.

That's pretty easy for me, what with only having one kid. Should I have more, I'll fall back on the "not going to do that."

Which of your kids are your favourite, Valmy?

I love both but I will vote for the older one just because.

[Barrister]

It is like asking a parent to pick their favorite kid.

That's pretty easy for me, what with only having one kid. Should I have more, I'll fall back on the "not going to do that."

Which of your kids are your favourite, Valmy?

I have a favourite kid.

[Queequeg]

Don't all parents, even if they don't want to admit it to themselves?   

[Valmy]

Alternately, you can argue with Ide about moral relativism.

Ok. You've convinced me. I'll go China, because my wife is Chinese.

Was that so hard?  Seriously though I agree with you, somehow the seriousness of your tone made me want to bust your nuts a bit.

[Ideologue]

Does "culture" for our purposes not include how women are treatment, systems of social organization, intolerance toward religion, racism, etc.

Is it just stuff?

Sure it does, but that's not what you were talking about, that's not what I was talking about, and that's not what anyone else in this thread was talking about until you brought it up right now in your post-posting-justification rear-guard action.

You always accuse me of this!  I only rarely actually do that.

Japan is effectively a Western nation thanks to an early embrace of industrialization, and then forcing us to bomb that industry till they changed their culture into something with recognizable moral values.  Japan is the most like us, and hence Japan is my favorite.

What moral values do you think I was talking about?  The late 1940s turn to naturalistic film peformances rather than formalized theatrical acting styles, and socially aware films rather than propaganda works?

And yeah, I think they have a better and more ethically organized society than PRChina, Iran, or Indonesia.

[Ideologue]

Don't all parents, even if they don't want to admit it to themselves?   

I have a favorite cat.

[The Brain]

Don't all parents, even if they don't want to admit it to themselves?   

I have a favorite cat.

I don't!