Japanese has a special term for something that's a universal concept: Acting a certain way on the outside to the public (tatemae) but feeling something different internally, aka one's true feelings. For Japanese this is usually reserved for business situations, like talking to a boss or co-workers, but it can also refer to
It also has a great deal to do with the current situation of Donald Trump becoming elected President.
The Donald was a very divisive figure during his whole campaign, with those who loved his brash and demeaning attitude (interrupting everyone) while it put others off, very few people having a neutral opinion on Trump. Which is why national election polls might have been so off in the days right before the election- many polls had Hilary with a comfortable lead and a 90%+ chance to win the election. This could have been caused by tatemae: people outwardly indicating the public stance and non-shaming stance of voting for Trump, when in fact they did vote for Trump. (not necessarily because they support Trump's brash behavior and treatment of minorities, women, etc., there are definitely these people among Trump's supporters but to win almost half the popular vote he needed more- people who are Republican but don't want to admit voting for Trump). They told the polls they weren't voting, but in the voting booth when their honne (true feelings) were on the line and nobody could criticize them for it, they voted for Trump, the de facto Republican candidate. Which is their right- there's so many other factors other than personality and treatment of others that matter in a presidential choice.... immigration, foreign policy, domestic policy, stance on abortion, stance on legalization of marijauna, etc., etc........heck, a bunch of my fellow Chinese Americans voted Republican to stop affirmative action (I know, sounds trivial, but that's a real issue for many Asian Americans). And because of the voting discrepancy, for better or worse (and I hope actually it's for the better!) Trump.
How could it be for the better? I admit it's not likely, but I and many other Americans should hope that the Donald's honne (true feelings) doesn't match up with how he presents himself to the public, and more importantly, to his voting base. First of all, Donald Trump is a VERY smart person (I'm not saying he's not a jerk, homophobic, etc., but even his worst critics have to give it up to him that he's smart, not only in his business deals but simply because he somehow became President of the U.S. through smoke and mirrors). That takes real knowledge of the American public. When I was watching the Donald meet with President Obama today in a brief meeting at the White House, though, I wondered as Obama and Donald praised each other and showed mutual respect for each other despite the whole year jabbing at each other during the campaign: What if it's all an act? Trump's a reality TV star, it's totally feasible that he acts a certain way in front of the cameras and now his voting base, says all of the things that a normal politician might say (promises that are destined to be broken), but actually doesn't feel as extreme about those ideas and just wants to become President to help the country? Sure, Trump could just be a lying egotistical maniac who wanted power so badly he'll wreck the country and sacrifice America's moral compass, but I think there's definitely a chance at my scenario. The honne (internal thoughts) could be that he achieved the Presidency, put the campaign behind him, act presidential, and lead the country like many great men before him have. I hope I'm right, and America surely hopes so.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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