"American Factory": The "Culture Clash" and "Clash of Justice" Faced by Expatriates

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NETFLIX.

As someone in my fourth year of working in the U.S., this is a documentary I encountered shortly after arriving. That is American Factory.

Working in America as an expatriate,
everything resonated with me, and I couldn't look away.

Arguments with local staff,
disagreements,
and sometimes even verbal abuse bordering on racism...

I have had many bitter experiences.

A young person who doesn't know anything and whose English is shaky comes in with the title of "manager" and starts ordering people around.

Just because I am "Japanese,"
my salary, treatment, and position are all higher.
I'm sure there are times when they want to complain.

In the film, there are the "Chinese who work desperately" to send money home to their families left behind in their hometowns, and the "Americans who prioritize themselves and their families above all else," constantly making demands about what they don't like and what they want.

It vividly depicts this contrast in culture.

This cultural difference is neither a fantasy nor anything of the sort,

it is an undeniable, eye-averting reality that any expatriate will experience.

The work further highlights the differences in values
surrounding "labor unions."

While labor unions are taken for granted in Japan and the U.S., they are under the control of the Communist Party in China.

For the Chinese management side,
"Unions = a nuisance that cuts into profits."

However, the factory is in America.
The workers who demanded better treatment
eventually go on strike.

Here, not only a "cultural clash",
but a "clash of justice" is born.

With a Japanese mindset,
one might tend to think, "If you don't like it, just quit,"
but for them, not getting a wage increase immediately means "financial ruin."

There is a background to them that cannot be understood
by thinking surrounded by Japanese conformity and group pressure.

As we are not the parties involved, we cannot judge who is right.

There is no magic to solve cultural differences.
All we can do is "strive to understand and respect the other party's background."

It also overlaps with the current situation in Japan.

Labor unions that have become mere shells, policies that favor large corporations...
Taking advantage of silent workers, they only look upward.

Could one of the factors behind Japan becoming poorer now
be explored from here?

American Factory

For me as an expatriate, and
for those living in Japan,

it offers a glimpse into a "microcosm of cultural differences."

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Thank you for reading until the end.