I believe in the saying “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” This is one of American proverbs which means that the person who complains or protest the loudest attracts attention and service. In other words, if you wait patiently, no one is going to help you. Changing the point of view, in a real situation, a person who hesitate to say what he or she really want to say often irritates others and be ignored. Many people have a better feeling toward a frank speaker, so do I.
The completely opposite proverb exists in Japan. In Japanese, “Deru kui wa utareru”, literally translating it into English, “The stake that sticks out gets hammered down.” This means a person who stands out or with an outstanding talent or ability is often hated by others. This truly illustrates cultural differences between the US and Japan. Among Japanese people, it is virtue to refrain self-assertion and to go along with those around one. Many people always obey to his or her senior or superior. Therefore, confrontations don’t come into the open so much. This idea is one of the bases of Japanese spirit of cooperation, I think.
Nevertheless, I agree with the former, an American proverb. For me, Japanese one seems negative. Of course, not everyone “gets hammered”. People who are recognized for its prominent effort or charisma also exist. However, in a lot of case, Japanese one’s situation comes from jealousy. In schools in Japan, students seldom express their own view in a classroom for fear of not only mistake, but also doing a thing different from other students. When I was a junior high school student, in such a situation, I presented a lot and got a high grade so easily. In my high school, in spite of claiming my opinions which differ from those of teachers’, rather they look after me, and thanks to that, I could study efficiently for entrance examinations of universities. From these good experiences, I believe in “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” strongly.
However valid “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” is, like the proverb “When in Rome, do as the Romans” says, we sometimes should refrain from too much self-assertion to get along with others, at least living in Japan. Though avoiding offending someone and making a compromise to some extent, I’m going to claim what I think important for me and can’t turn over.