Epistemologically Unsound Conclusions Concerning Japan and the Japanese, Based on Japanese Television

Number two in a series of some.

“Japan's national psychosis of choice is Puer Aeternus.”

Or Peter Pan Syndrome to you and me. Look at this. And this. Also this. The first involves celebrities answering 'pressure study' questions while dressed as schoolchildren. In the second they actually spend an entire day doing actual exams in an actual (well, fake) classroom while dressed as schoolchildren. In the last they are trying to judge the prices of high-end restaurant food. While dressed as schoolchildren. Because, you know, that whole schoolchild - haute cuisine connection there.

Every evening you can turn on the TV and find a show involving adults pretending to be in school; or being taught by ‘star’ teachers; or dressing up as school kids for really no discernable reason at all. And then of course there’s all the porn. The only logical conclusion is the grinding misery and pressure experienced by the average Japanese adult makes them yearn for the slightly less grinding misery and pressure they experienced as an average Japanese high school student.

I actually think there might be something to this one.