For reading every day, I owe you a thanks and little more. So thanks for reading. You can’t dictate what we should decide to post, though we welcome your opinions on what we post here in the comments. You can trash Ken every time I post one of his vids if you so choose, but I think your time would be better spent on other issues.

Ken does not make fun of someone’s culture or make a quick buck off oppression like the minstral singers; he introduces Japanese culture to many people. He is not running around in a straw hat with buck teeth talking about flied lice. Nor is his act something sinister; it’s just a gimmick to engage the audience.

Wow. You really are a determined man.

He does make fun of inabilities. Specifically, the inability of many Japanese to pronounce English properly. If Japanese spoke English like that on purpose, it might be fair game. But since they do not, it comes across as mocking and condescending. And he probably does say “flied lice” as well.

Now accents are disabilities? Have you never imitated an accent in your life? If so, you are apparently no better than a minstrel singer.

The readers post what they want. It’s your choice to read. Skip over the post next time. I think your time would be better spent on other issues, Claytonian. （棒読み）

…Ok I was being a little childish.
But seriously, it’s not really a constructive way of argument, or is it?

Oh but you might be right; this feels hardly like it is worth my time to fuss over too. Of course, your comments come right to my inbox, so…

A disability and inability are two different things.

There are many Japanese people who have real hard times with English. I guess that you have tried to help someone out who was struggling with certain parts of speech no matter how hard they tried.

Hmm… I find it a little odd that people are trying to defend Japanese people that can’t speak English properly, but I’m fairly certain that most of these same people are the first ones to jump down a non-native Japanese speakers trouble pronouncing Japanese words.

It’s the “nigger” issue here – it’s okay for members of a group to make fun of themselves (eg gaijin learning Japanese), but would you be happy seeing Japanese ‘tarento’ on TV, say, mimicking “gaijin Japanese”? I know I am not.

The members of group who make fun of their inability and enjoy it usually have the ability to distance themselves from the inability and the ability not to take it seriously and it is likely , in my opinion , that they can enjoy a non-member making fun of that inability if the intention and the context is right. I don’t find Ken’s intention and the context wrong.
The context is wrong, for instance, when you mimic the inability in front of the person who is trying hard to overcome it and feel the inability as a disgrace.
To the extent that there are some people who find it a disgrace, Ken’s act might be in the grey zone, but for my part, I find him just funny.

“The context is wrong, for instance, when you mimic the inability in front of the person who is trying hard to overcome it and feel the inability as a disgrace.”

Which is why this should not be broadcast on YouTube to the entire world. Yeah, “free speech” and all, but the legality is not the issue.

And what IS his intention? It started off with him pretending to be an adopted child looking for his birth parents, but no idea where it is going now.

“what IS his intention? It started off with him pretending to be an adopted child looking for his birth parents, but no idea where it is going now.”

Probably even he has no idea where it is going.
But I just don’t think he has a malice intention.

As for whether to broadcast, surely it is a gray zone;some people including a native Japanese like me and a Japanese American on the video find his videos just funny,; others find it offensive. I wonder how many Japanese really care about the vidoes. Sure there will be some, but some native Japanese are working with him. The majority Japanese won’t understand he is mimicing Japanese accent and I wonder how many Japanese who understand it really care about it….it is a gray
zone. It is up to the Japan Probe blogger to decide. And of course people have every right to express their opinions to influence the blogger.

I am not you’re guy’s slave, nor do I have agree with you. I don’t feel it’s wrong to present my side of things when I am criticized.

I for one appreciate you posting it. I enjoyed it.
If you don’t post it from now , I have to go to see youtube on myself. I really enjoy his talk:honestly I’ve watched his videos several times.

I suspect Ponta is not an exception in liking the vids (Ken has a sizeable following on youtube). But he is an exception in that he is not afraid to speak his mind when the negative people come out. Thanks, Ponta.

No one is saying that you are anyone’s ’slave’. All we are saying is that responding to our thoughts on these videos with ‘I’ll post whatever I want whether you like it or not’ is not only childish, it shows that you don’t know how to treat the people who frequent your site. As well, trying to scoff off people’s thoughts about Ken Tanaka’s act as simply being ‘negative’ is more than a little dishonest.

If you want to post Ken Tanaka videos thats fine its your site, but don’t disrespect the people who are offended by those videos. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if people stop coming here as often as they do. I usually like just about every post you, James and Dave have put up, but these ones I really feel we could do without. You don’t want to acknowledge the fact that it could offend people and you make apologies for it. That bugs me just a little.

I value your patronage, ShazzbOt, I just can’t agree with you on the offensive-or-not issue, and do indeed feel bad that you feel dissatisfied. I don’t feel I’ve belittled you by disagreeing though. When all points are moot, I’m gonna stick to my plans.

I don’t think Tanaka is very offensive, more like really boring. Of course you get to present your side of the argument, but starting by saying you will ignore whatever your readers happen to think isn’t very… constructive.