Casiopea said:Wai_Wai said:
I dare say that "thick-skinned" is a universal concept, that it shares the same meaning across cultures. I know that, in Japan, for example, to be thick-skinned is associated with shameless. To be thick-skinned means to be inconsiderate of another's feelings, to ignore criticism, constructive or destructive, which, in Japan, is considered shameless. One should always take into consideration the thoughts of others, and if they don't, well, then, they will eventually be made to feel guilty about it because hammering down the nail that sticks up , a famous Japanese idiom, express the full-bodied foundation of the culture. This is a group dependent society and so majority rules; What other people think of you is important because in a group dependent society the group says what goes! If you pay heed to their advice/criticism, it will grant you safe passage through life. So being open to others (i.e., accepting criticism) as opposed to being closed to others (i.e., ignoring criticism) is what it means to be Japanese. In short, not feeling guilty about not accepting criticism makes one shameless, whereas feeling guilty about not accepting criticism is what makes one a part of the group.No guilt? Aha! You're shameless. I believe that's the meaning in Chinese that NewHope and you were discussing, correct?
In English, thick-skinned means, not sensitive to criticism, also, which, in my culture, Canadian culture, can be considered a good quality or bad quality. 'good' in the sense that a person who is thick-skinned doesn't allow the trivial things in life to bother/upset him/her. The less you let bother you, the stronger/better off you are.
Sam: Did you hear what they said about you on the evening news? It wasn't very pleasant.
Max: I heard it, but I chose not to listen to it. The criticism was unfair.
Sam: You're thick-skinned. I would have been crying my eyes out if it were me.
Canada is not a group society. It's individualism all the way. (Ahem, our independence separates us from the old country). Since we are not a group dependent society, what people have to say re: criticism is up to the individual to decide if s/he wants to listen to it or not. That is, s/he has a choice. There is no group per se, aside from parental advice--which is often is not always worth considering. S/he is not made to feel as if s/he has to or must or has an obligation to one's family or whathaveyou in order to satisfy some unwritten law. In Canada, being thick-skinned can save you, whereas in Japan, being thick-skinned can break you. :wink:
In English, rarely does 'thick-skinned' refer to a 'bad' quality, 'bad' in the sense that a person who is thick-skinned may not be as emotionally in-tune with the world as we would like them to be. The more you ignore criticism, the more likely you'll lose the ability to determine whether the criticism is valid (i.e., whether you should listen to it) or ignore it.
Pat: Max can be so thick-skinned sometimes!
Sam: I know what you mean. Max just doesn't care when Max should care.
In short, In Japanese, thick-skinned and shameless are related to guilt. In English, shameless and thick-skinned, although they share one similarity (i.e., lack of sensitivity), are not related. They express a lack a sensitivity for two different things:
shameless: not sensitive to feeling guilty
thick-skinned: not sensative to criticism.
In Canada, one shouldn't feel guilty when faced with criticism. If it's constructive, it has the power to make one stronger; If it's destructive, it has the power to destroy a person's diginity and spirit, which may result in the person feeling angry or sad, or both. As for guilt, well, what's there to feel guilty about? There's no group pressure. As an individual, I make up my own mind.
In Japan, accepting criticism is par for the course; it's ingrained in the culture: one listens to the group, no questions asked, whereas, in English, it's up to the individual to decide what's worth listening to and what's not worth listening to. Being thick-skinned has nothing to do with 'guilt' as it does in Japan. In Canada, being thick-skinned is a good thing: it can save you from a life of worry and trouble, whereas in a group depedent society, such as Japan, being thick-skinned is less preferred: it can break you. If you don't listen to the group, ties with your family, your group, and your culture will be severed, and quickly.
All the best,
Hi.
It is an interesting idea.
So does you mean "different cultures are different, it may be possible for us to interpret a word differently in case it is still within the boundary?
Thick-skinned, I think it is a neutral word which simply mean one is insensitive to criticism/insults. To English people, they would very often use it as approving (said by you). To some other countries, they may as well use it as disapproving.
You know, insensitive to criticism (which can include some that one should feel guilty of)
Incidentally, I would like to ask you one thing (answer if you wish):
- are you a Japanese or else?
- are you a native speaker of English?
- living in Japan?
If you are a Japanese and non-native English speaker, you are very very great. You can master one language to that so high level. Admiring!!
