Gaijin Monkey

Many of the foreigners on TV here are unbearably stupid. Especially those on English conversation shows. For example, this guy...



Words cannot express how much I hate that guy. I don't care how smart he is or how fluent he is in Japanese. I hate him. He is perhaps the most annoying person in the universe, rivaled only by Carrot Top. And while he is certainly the worst of the Japanese TV gaijin, there are many others almost equally as stupid.

I learned a new phrase here in Japan, and that is Gaijin Monkey. The guy in the video is the epitome of a Gaijin Monkey. A Gaijin Monkey is a goofy, dancing, English speaking person who performs for the entertainment of Japanese people. I've felt like a Gaijin Monkey at my job on more than one occasion (the dance at the end of the video is not that different from the song and dance I'm forced to perform in kid's classes), and many foreign people here feel that is all Japanese people want or expect them to be, foolishly goofy and entertaining.

With that in mind, my husband and I have invented a Gaijin Monkey dance to perform the next time someone stares at us on the street or in the train, or when every mother and grandmother comes to watch our kid's class/show. It's a goofy, exaggerated dance with lots of arm and leg motions, similar to the shuck and jive. I doubt we'll be brave enough to try it, but sometimes you gotta give the people want they want.

I know there are other expatriates bloggers who read my blog, and I would like to know your thoughts on the Gaijin Monkey subject. Do you hate the guy on TV as much as I do? Do you sometimes feel like a Gaijin Monkey at your jobs or feel as if you're expected to "perform" somehow? Or am I just being ridiculous?