Orientalism

You have been loaded with virtues too refined to be envied, and accused of crimes too picturesque to be condemned.

The "you" in that quote is interesting. Kakuzo Okakura, writing 1906, is telling us that some Japanese have done to western culture what we have done to their culture. This is perspective very different from Edward Said who sees distortion of other cultures as a one way crime that only western nations are guilty of.

I wonder if it's true? My first temptation is to say yes but I have been conditioned to think that way by academics. It strikes me that there are two problems with that. The first is that it tends to make us distrust any history that makes for a good story.

The second, and I think much more important problem, is that the vanity of seeking virtue to refined to be envied and committing crimes to picturesque to be condemned is pretty common. Even the most sordid little affair starts off as some combination of these two.

And that raises a final question: Is seeking these things in the exotic evil? Perhaps it isn't.