About 10 years ago, I saw a TV show. I think it was called "Kore tte Ari desu ka? (Is This Allowed?), an episode variety show featuring 130 million people," where viewers submitted things that made them want to snap, which were then reenacted in short dramas. There’s one story from it that still leaves me with an uneasy, unresolved feeling.
A Black international student named "Jason" arrives at a university, and the students throw a welcome party for him at a place like an izakaya. The students are all smiling, but Jason has a gloomy expression. Staring at the food before him, he says, "There are so many unfortunate children in the world. They die because they can't even get enough to eat. So, please never do something like this again."
Naturally, the atmosphere became awkward, and the students apologized, saying, "We're sorry." The submitter ended the post by asking, "Am I allowed to get angry at this?"
It might have been self-satisfied, but when I think about the feelings of the students who planned all sorts of things to welcome the international student, I feel terribly sorry for them. On the other hand, from the international student's perspective, it probably felt unpleasant—the Japanese people planned a extravagant party without him asking and tried to drag him into it. Thinking about both sides just leaves me with complicated feelings.
I can understand how Jason felt, but even so, he probably should have at least tried to appreciate the feelings of the Japanese college students a little bit.