Interviews
Is non-integration due to the distrust because of what happened in the Second World War? (Spanish)
(Spanish) There is distrust, and there is convenience to stay in the ghetto, because it is a ghetto. But it is not the distrust, it’s not because of the historic experience we’ve had. It’s, as I tell you, because of the immigrant’s mentality. Why….Erich Fromm, the studious man, talked about a type of love or a key detail in how people chooses a partner. Many times….No, not many times. What prevails in this relationship is the projection, the prolongation/extension of itself, of this person. So they find people of the same race or of the same social class, of the same academic level… and why? They want to share the same future. The partners get together to give continuity and descendants to life, whether it is either biologically or culturally. So, first it is for that reason. The Japanese and their descendants feel more comfortable with someone of their same group; they are rebuked less for things, they don’t question themselves too much, it’s more comfortable for them. And I think, an important detail is that the idea of punishment is similar, so they behave well. The idea of infidelity, of monogamy, of descendants, of education to their children is similar. This way, they get along better. I think that is the reason they choose to stay in the group, more than the historic experiences. I think it’s more because of this fact…Jewish people marry Jewish, the people from Huancayo marry people from Huancayo, and it’s like this. People from the Andes with Andean people, people from the coast with people from the coast…
Date: February 26, 2008
Location: Lima, Peru
Interviewer: Harumi Nako
Contributed by: Asociación Peruano Japonesa (APJ)
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