"American Joke!"

In Japan, when you don't understand a joke (or don't think it's that funny), if you merely say "American Joke", people will accept it as just a "different" sense of humor. Something that just doesn't make sense, but that they'll let go because it probably makes sense somewhere else...

I'm not kidding. The phrase "American joke" has been adopted into the Japanese language and culture to the extent that people that say they don't know any English (and maybe don't) clearly understand the phrase's meaning and use it freely.

A very common form of "American jokes" is anything including sarcasm. It just doesn't seem to go over very well in this country, much to the dismay of many of us who live here. Therefore, I don't think this blog that my friend forwarded to me would go over very well with most of my coworkers if I tried to show it to them (although some of my more internationally-minded and experienced freinds might find it funny).

Ok, I'm usually against racial stereotyping and jokes, but I have to admit the website is pretty hilarious so I wanted to share it. As I sit here, sipping my green tea in Japan (where I am the only foreigner in the building), listening to the indie rock beats of the Decemberists and My Morning Jacket on my iPod while I update my blog, I fear it's sad to say that - according to the list of Stuff White People Like - I am pretty white.

Let's just say I was going to ask who Michel Gondry was, and when I saw his films listed on the blog, the first thing that popped into my head was, "oh my gosh, I love that guy!" Yeah. Check it out.