Foreigners complain about Japan
On September 15th, Asahi TV aired a Takeshi Kitano “World Summit” special that examined how other countries view Japan. Much like the infamous “Koko ga hen da yo, nihonjin” series, it included discussion with a large panel of Japanese-speaking foreigners.
Below are two clips from a section in which foreigners named problems the Japan needed to fix.
Clip 1: A narrow mindset / Asking stupid questions
An Bangladeshi and Brazilian both bring up interesting issues. Unfortunately, more discussion time on the program was devoted to the complaints aired in the next clip.
Clip 2: Pornographic Manga / Sexual Harassmen
A Vietnamese woman complaints about the existence of so much pornography and erotic manga in Japan. She fears that it will have a negative impact on her home country. She thinks it is great that Vietnam outlaws pornography.
Next, an American woman starts ranting about sexual harassment in Japan, condemning Japanese men as the most perverted in the world. Another American representative agrees with her statements and declares that he would never want to raise children in Japan.
Just like “Koko ga hen da yo, nihonjin,” most of the show was spent listening to the loudest and most annoying panelists make stupid rants and sweeping generalizations about other nations and cultures. At least a few of the foreigners must have been hoping that saying outrageous things on TV might earn them some fame and income as a foreign tarento.
The full program was 2 hours in length. A lot of clips from it have been popping up on YouTube, so I will try to find some of the other interesting parts and share them in a few other posts.
[huge thanks to Miss Igirisu for informing me about this program!]
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
- Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)
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Find the whaling segment! They had a fair old barney with four Australian people who were going for the emotional response versus the Japanese panel well-prepared with facts.
Interestingly, in the studio vote only about 14 from 50 thought Japan should stop whaling.
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That part is next on my list.
Honestly I am so tired of hearing anything about dolphins. Hasn’t this topic been beat to death?
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No, but the dolphins have….
(You were hoping someone would say that, weren’t you?)
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I was too obvious.
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I think the “narrow mindset” issue is worth a full episode.
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You mean like in the Antebellum South of the U.S.?
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Very interesting clips. I’m used to seeing Japanese tv and it’s narrow portrayal of what a gaijin is so this show is like a breath of fresh air. I’m really interested in seeing further clips. Do you happen to know where I can watch the whole thing?
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I agree with the perversion comment. I never heard of so much ridiculous perversions like Lolicon, Groping, and Enjo Kosai until i came to Japan. Seriously, these guys need better “hobbies” here.
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The porn in Japan is censored, so they have to make up for it somehow.
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Most Japanese frown on them.
And please just google the relevant terms in English , you’ll find articles about so much ridiculous perversions in countries other than Japan.
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Pedophilia, teen prostitution, dry humping… you must not have gotten out much before you came to Japan….
How about… “plushies”?
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Is that like furries? Furry love? That’s something that quite a few people in the US like, from what I’ve read on the internet. To me, that’s a lot more … odd … than the majority of what Japan produces.
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wow, i dont know if i like this, every question except for the black dudes was kind of answered jokingly like they were proud of it, dang. this show is too much us vs them
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“wow, i dont know if i like this, every question except for the black dudes was kind of answered jokingly like they were proud of it, dang.”
yeah, thank you for saying that. I didn’t thing the “thank you” comment was all that clever.
It’s debatable what is perverted or not, but being called “pervert” is like being called “sick” or “disgusting” It’s not something to be proud of, or joke about in a “serious” discussion. wasn’t impressed by him.
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haha IRAN’s government itself is a bully. what a statement from Takeshi
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I used to complain like this about England when i lived there.
You know what I did?
I left
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I once knew of a guy who bitched endlessly about Japan. So he left and went back to England. Not even a year later I walked into the pub I always saw him at, and there he was again, this time bitching endlessly about England!
Most of us realized at that point (if we had not already realized it before) that the problem was not Japan, nor England, but him.
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Amen to that. I’ve lived in England for 7 years now, and I definitely let off the steam sometimes…
when I get home. You wouldn’t go to someone’s house and start slagging off how they do things and talking shit to their family – if you don’t like it, then leave.
I think it’s cool that Kitano hosts shows like these, but most of these gaijin are only showing how belligerent and impossible they are to talk to rationally. Too much yelling for my civilised ears.
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That I suspect is the entire point of the show.
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“That I suspect is the entire point of the show.”
I think so too – and that applies to the Japanese “panelists” on his shows as well.
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I can see what the AMerican woman was talking about but she comes from one of highest rape per capita nations in the world. AMerica is just as perverted if not more with numerous cases of rape, sexual harrasement, combined with murder. Im from America and at least now i dont have to worry about dudes catcalling me from a car and worrying that if I dont respond they might try to hurt me. It is easy for them to complain like they do about Japan but honestly these people who were complaining come from countries whose conditions were so deplorable with a weak economy they had to leave. While they can easily criticize the Japanese, I think the problems in their own countries are just about the same if not worse… There is no such thing as a perfect country but Japan is not dangerous like the other countries I have been to and lived in…
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I just wonder how come she knows that Japanese men are the most perverted in the world. Did she have such boyfriends ?
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I’m not trying to defend the participants of this show or anything. It seemed like many of them were acting sensationally or making jokes. However, I’m fairly sure the producers organized this show and specifically asked the participants to explain what they did not like about Japan. I don’t think these people would have been up there saying these things if they were not asked/invited. So I don’t think there is any reason to be defensive and say “It is easy for them to complain like they do about Japan”. That’s what they were hired to do if I’m not mistaken.
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REPORTS · The United States has the world’s highest rape rate of the countries that publish such statistics. It’s 4 times higher than Germany, 13 times higher than England, and 20 times higher than Japan.
· Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. 1992)
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Yes, but what percentage of rapes in JAPAN are reported. ONe expects it is a much lower rate than America.
In Jpaan there is the combination of high shame for the victim, lack of support from society or the plethora of help groups as in the USA, and of course, the do-nothing Japanese police who tend to just ignore women’s problems as a whole
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“In 2006, says Yomiuri Weekly, there were 1,984 reported rapes nationwide, and an estimated 10 times as many unreported ones. A government survey that same year found 144 of 1578 women surveyed—7.2%—claiming to have at least once submitted against their will to sexual force. The vast majority suffer in silence, with consequences, sometimes lifelong, including insomnia, depression and loss of appetite.”
http://tinyurl.com/5zjqwv
7.2%… If that’s right it’s pretty scary.
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Tokyo Rape Crisis Center
http://www.tokyo-rcc.org/center-hp-english.htm
Since Japan is # years behind the U.S.
It can’t be that the rape rate is lower than the U.S.
It must be that either the unreported cases are much higher or J government is lying.
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America has the highest number of reported rapoes because it is one of the most populous nations on earth. As well as having some of the most dedicated police forces as well means that the cases get looked into far more often.
According to Nation Master.com, here are the top ten most rapey nations of the world, per capita:
# 1 South Africa: 1.19538 per 1,000 people
# 2 Seychelles: 0.788294 per 1,000 people
# 3 Australia: 0.777999 per 1,000 people
# 4 Montserrat: 0.749384 per 1,000 people
# 5 Canada: 0.733089 per 1,000 people
# 6 Jamaica: 0.476608 per 1,000 people
# 7 Zimbabwe: 0.457775 per 1,000 people
# 8 Dominica: 0.34768 per 1,000 people
# 9 United States: 0.301318 per 1,000 people
# 10 Iceland: 0.246009 per 1,000 people
I guess even South Africans have never met a nice South African.
Japan is #54 out of sixty five nations listed.
And my fellow Canadians can go fuck themselves for rating so highly…
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Looking at the figure, who’s going to say the U.S. is ## years behind Japan in this respect?
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A person who used to appear on the old Kokohen explained to me that all the panelists were referrals from a talent agency that specializes in foreign tarento, and I presume this is a repeat of that. You’re right that they are probably chest-thumping so they’ll stand out and get called back. There are subtle rules as to what’s an acceptable argument – making insanely extreme claims is fine, but it’s not cool to for instance badmouth the emperor or (if it ever occurred to them) the entertainment industry.
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Same thing happens elsewhere, anyone will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame (or should I say, shame).
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Interesting post, would have liked to catch the whole thing.
The guests brought up some very interesting points. While no country is perfect I guess the topic of the show was to point out what flaws they felt Japan has. I can totally agree with the statements about pornography and to an extent the “sexual harassment”. I actually don’t really have a problem with porn but I find it very disturbing that people here choose to enjoy it on the train. Being open about sexuality is a good thing in my opinion. But the nature of a lot of this stuff is disturbing and far from normal. Yea its “censored” but honestly I think that only pushes some of them to be more extreme with the content. Yes I am aware that other countries have porn, but my concern is more with the content (sometimes including rape or children) and the fact that it’s difficult to avoid seeing it in public. So in my opinion this is a legitimate negative aspect of Japan.
As far as the sexual harassment, again it’s not exclusive to Japan but you don’t need to look further than Japan Probe to figure out there are some pretty sick things going on that I never heard of in other countries. Now maybe there are organized groping gangs in other countries and they just keep it all under wraps, but I kind of doubt that. Obviously Japan knows this a problem since they have mobilized police to catch these scum bags. And they do have the “women only” trains. I think its safe to say this is something most people have not experienced before coming to Japan other than isolated incidents.
I was disappointed when the woman made the comment about Japanese men being perverted. I don’t think it was fair to say all Japanese men are and the way she said it seemed a bit rude. But I was more taken back by the way they just joked about it and said thanks. I’m not saying that all of the foreign guests on there were right. But in these short clips it seemed like the Japanese were very dismissive of anything they had to say. Also in my opinion I feel Japan does not treat women as fair as other countries do in respect to equal rights and the workplace. It’s true that women are still not completely equal in any country. But I feel like Japan is a good 20-30 years behind the US in this respect.
It would be cool to see something like this with less people trying to be funny or loud. It almost seems like a joke rather than actual concern over what outsiders think of Japan. Every country has there own unique problems and I thought it was interesting to see what problems the non-Japanese picked up on the most. Again, I just wish it had been a more serious format.
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Basically, the idiocy of the things falling from the American woman’s mouth made me contact Japan probe about it. WTF, since when have you seen a sexually invasive Japanese man? She should go stand in Liverpool, UK, after a big football match. THEN she would know that alcohol induced sexual harassment is like.
According to my bfnd, she used to be part of a comedy duo in Japan?
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“According to my bfnd, she used to be part of a comedy duo in Japan?”
Could be – she does look vaguely familiar.
“She should go stand in Liverpool, UK, after a big football match.”
Or a bar in Greece with British tourists – if they still go there after that penis flambe incident of a couple of weeks ago…
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As someone who does go to football games in Liverpool (with my Japanese wife) may I just say that most women emerge unscathed. But I take the point. From what I’ve seen and what I know I think Japan is much safer for women than most countries. Many British ‘tourists’ overseas (especially in the Mediterranean) are a national disgrace. And as every crazy in America can get automatic weapons from the corner store (because it’s ‘their right’) I find it amazing that anyone from that country can call any other unsafe.
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Excuse me if I missed the sarcasm, but you can’t be serious that people in America can just walk into a “corner store” and get “automatic weapons.” If you seriously believe that, I’d recommend you research the gun laws here.
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Pretty easy for anyone to obtain weapons in America without checks. The gun lobby opposes anything that may stop a sale. Just ironic that the American in the clip said he wouldn’t bring up a child in Japan when his own country (like many others) is much more dangerous.
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What are you talking about? How do you obtain a weapon in America without a check? The only possible ways you can obtain a firearm here in America without filling out a Form 4473 are via private purchase or when purchasing certain firearms older than 110 years old, and even in some states, it’s still required for such transactions. However, those scenarios are far from walking down to the “corner store” and purchasing “automatic weapons.” I don’t mind you saying Japan is safer than America, but please, don’t comment on things you obviously know nothing about. If you really knew what it took to acquire a fully automatic weapon legally, you’d probably faint.
<— Type 03 Federal Firearms License Holder
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How come there are so many gunshot deaths in America then? They’re such a daily occurrence these killings only make the news when there are multiple deaths. Firearms are obviously falling into the wrong hands despite the checks you mention.
I didn’t intend to come over as anti-American (I’m certainly not) but was pointing out the irony of Americans saying they felt unsafe in Japan. I’ve been to both countries many times and know where I’d feel safer in an unknown city late at night.
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A lot of those gunshot deaths are from criminals who did not obtain their weapons legally.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Firearmsources.svg
Yeah, there is a huge problem here in regards to gun deaths. As James pointed out, they’re mostly due to criminals who illegally obtained firearms. I also agree with you that Japan is a safer country overall (although it has to do with many factors, not just gun control). The Americans complaining about the sexual harassment embarrassed me, as a fellow American, to no end. The thing that griped me was the misinformation you presented regarding the ability to obtain firearms. Legally obtaining a firearm isn’t quite as easy as people seem to make it out to be. I live in Florida, one of the most lax states on gun control, and even we have to fill out a form, get a background check, wait for X amount of days, etc. BTW, the key to reducing gun crime is not to add more laws but to enforce the ones we already have. Politicians can’t seem to get that through their heads for some reason…
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James, how about informing US in advance when you get word of such a program being aired? It doesn’t do us much good to see short youtube snippets on here. =(
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Well, you could always check the papers I guess – or the electronic progeamming thing all modern TVs seem to have.
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He didn’t know it would be aired- I came home, saw it on tv and told him “this really insane show is on, quickly get it!”
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Why try to correct a land so superior with stupid “I-got-the-period-now,-listen-to-me” preaching?, am I allowed to say FUCK YOU worldwide moral-police! here on japanprobe?
Ban “sinful” things and you put yourself in jail…, just don’t involve me.
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My favorite part was when the panelist asked the Vietnamese woman what people in her country do when they want to feel turned on. Good question.
I read somewhere, don’t remember where now, that Japan has a low rate of rapes, and some believe that it’s because of how open the society is about sexual practices.
There has to be some release, especially for those that aren’t in a sexually active relationship, and something tells me that paper erotic manga would be far more suitable for a country like Vietnam where I doubt that most people have access to internet in a private location.
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Do you see pornography of rape or children in public in Japan?
It seems NY has known the problem as well.
Might it be a good idea that they have women only trains?
What right?
I agree.
But note also there have been many women who have chosen the lifestyle of being mother and homemaker but more and more women, for better or worse, will join the workforce for various reasons—some for economic reason and others for their vision of new lifestyle and still others for other reasons. In this sense, yes, Japan needs fairer treatment of the women in employment, promotion and payment.
When a man works at the company and a woman works as a mother at home, are they not equal in the U.S.?
A female acquaintance of mine reluctantly started doing a part time job where male and female employee are treated equally because her husband’s salary got reduced, is the society advancing?
Incidentally did you notice that the “rude” woman on the video said that when conducting business, they are serious, but once they get alcohol, (in other words, when they are at Izakaya etc outside the workplace) everything change.
Note,
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2036967465
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there is no sexual harassment in the workplace in Japan.
Maybe the Japanese should play the same game?
I agree.
The show is just for fun.
The only precious comment was from the Brazilian black man.
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Yes I have.
And let me be clear, I am talking about manga here. Specifically about hard core manga porn on public transportation. Maybe the whole issue revolves around public transportation. I think Japan is different because more people here use public transportation as compared to larger countries like Australia or the US. So lets just say there is a time and a place for everything. Porn on the train to me is just not appropriate. I’m totally not a prude, but much like smoking it should be a choice to see it or not. Anyway, just my opinion.
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The trains have ads like this,
http://yj.shueisha.co.jp/magazine/
Might count as sexist cover in public in western standard.
Perhaps you are talking about manga on the tabloid for some middle aged men you happen to see on the trains.
I don’t see it closely when I see it but I didn’t notice rape, much less child pornography.
I agree that since they expose the pornographic manga to some passengers when they open the pages, , they shouldn’t read it on trains.
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James – Why did I get this comment from a post that didn’t have a single URL in it?
————–
Hmmm, your comment seems a bit spammy. We’re not real big on spam around here.
Please go back and try submitting it again. It is possible that your username or e-mail was too generic. You may have also included too many links in your comment
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I don’t know. I installed a new spam filtering plugin earlier this week. It has fixed the problems that some other users were having about always having the spam filter eat their comments. It’s not very clear about why it doesn’t let certain comments through, but I’ve found it to be far better than the old Spam Karma plugin. The only drawback is that I cannot figure out what criteria is uses to reject comments.
Instead of eating up the comment, this plugin warns you and lets you change a few words and submit. Certain keywords are used by spambots, so it might be penalizing you on that.
Ah, that might be it. I replied to a comment on pronographee with the short form of the word used twice: bet it thought I was trying to plug something errotich. So here we go again:
——————
Personally I am fine with both seeing cigarettes and smelling pawn mangas. Also, I find that if I don’t want to look at hard-core tentacle rape pawn on the train, I can avert my eyes, but I have not yet succeeded in averting my nose from smokers. And holding my breath can only work for so long….
——————
Yeah, that was really worth posting….
Anyway, it didn’t tell me what words were wrong though. But I shall avoid pee-orn.
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I thought the Bangladeshi guy’s comment was really good. But whatever the comments, good or bae, positive or negative, all that this type of program really shows is how wrapped up in themselves the Japanese are.
Do any other countries have TV programs solely dedicated to discussing their own people?
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… All of them.
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It would be very interesting to see the rest of the programme if you can find time to translate it!
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The show is set up to show opposition from the foreign guests.
The Australian segment was done unfairly, not because of the facts given by the show, but by the gaijin they had on representing Australia. In the Chinese segment, the 4 Chinese panelists were all university professors, with the exception of one, who is a journalist, and all are qualified to give informed opinion on the subject matter. The qualifications of the wannabe gaijin tarento ‘representing’ Australia were non-existent, and the arguments they made were totally retarded.
Chinese and Korean professors that are people of high status in Japan have appeared on Beat Takeshi’s shows, but only very rarely western gaijin of that status and ability. Is it selection bias, or is it just that gaijin of that level are too smart to appear on a show that has foreign opposition to Japan as it’s basic premise?
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I suspect the answer is some of both. These type shows are “entertainment” – although I personally don’t know who would find them “entertaining”, I, my wife and basically everyone I work with heard of the show and rolled our eyes while mumbling “not again – if nothing else is on the tube I guess I’ll read a book…” As “entertainment”, as Adamu said above, they want people to say outrageous but “in bounds” things. People who frame things in black and white. So they wouldn’t want, for example, a Robert Baldwin or Tony Laszlo type who can present a nuanced, coherent argument but requires a couple of minutes to do so. The producer wants people who are going to throw hand grenades and keep the tension high. Conversely, people such as the two I mentioned are probably not going to be interested in acting like public jackasses, they have jobs and reputations and don’t feel the need to sully those reputations by lowering themselves into the pit of the Colosseum for the amusement of the Citizens.
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Interestingly enough, Robert Baldwin was in the crowd for that show (front left), but he not only didn’t get a single line, he didn’t even get a close-up – wifey spotted him and pointed him out during the long shots of the whole gaijin line-up, nowhere else.
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Good point Matt; the China segment was very rational and calm, but I missed the bit about their qualifications. Then we came to the Aussies, fronted by a slightly camp flight attendant sort of bloke. I loved the exchange (from memory):
Oz: You can’t eat whales, they are as intelligent as 7 year olds!
Jp: Would it be OK to eat 6 year old kids then?
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Uh, just to redirect attention to the elephant in the room everyone seems to be ignoring. The woman who complains about being “sexually harassed” said it happens after a few drinks.
This means she IS GOING TO DRINKING PARTIES AND SITS NEXT TO men who she knows like to get jokingly touchy-feely after they’ve had a few. And since it happens all the time to her, it must mean SHE KEEPS GOING!
Hello?
No it’s not her fault, just like it’s not my fault if my fat white ass gets mugged while walking alone at midnight in South Central, just like it’s not a girls’ fault if she shows up at a bar in a tube top and miniskirt and gets drunk with the steroid-using gorillas and ends up raped.
Yes, in such cases, the criminal is responsible, but the victim is stupid for getting into the situation. And they also point out how sily it is to complain about getting touched on the leg at a party you choose to attend.
One of the Top 5 reasons (#1 being lack of BS laws restricting alcohol sales to certain hours) I love Japan is being able to escape this kind of PC bullshit in the workplace that probably would have landed me in “sensitivity training” multiple times over the years. How many of us have to re-learn how to act in the PC manner when leaving Japan, just in order to avoid lawsuits?
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Just to plays devils advocate, it may be necessary to attend parties as a part of work.
Personally, my workplace drinking culture is very benign, but I’ve heard countless stories from friends and people online that attendance to drinking parties (nomikai’s) at their companies is compulsory, and things get really loud and rowdy very quickly at a great majority at them.
Those drinking parties are also used as a way to appease potential customers at a personal level to entice them to make a purchase or enter into a contract.
The organizers certainly can’t literally force you to attend (most of the time), but you’d be branded as “not being a team player” or “not contributing to company profits” and suffer the social consequences from the next day on, however irrational and unfounded those accusations may be.
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That would be my take too. I don’t think this is “devil’s advocate” as such, just the logical reason.
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As long as you live a simple life like me and my colleague—rarely drink, no sexual harassment—-and don’t act like a hooligan or like Charisma Man, I don’t think you have to relearn how to act in the PC manner when leaving Japan.
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This kind of a program is sort of a guilty pleasure, I know I shouldn’t watch it, but I do.
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That Jonathan needs to come to Hollywood! He’s never hung around Sports players in America! What has he experienced, really? Clueless fool!
He has no right to be on that show, that UGLY GEEK BOY who probably never got any action back home!
Unbelievable.
Get some good looking, in-the-forefron, stylish, famous SPORTS STAR from America who is making a decent go of it in Japan to speak about that stuff.
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I agree.
I don’t think he knows his own country well enough to be criticizing somebody else’s.
Now – by no means am I an expert, nor am I advocating anything, nor am I going to bash Japan’s problems – but has this guy ever heard of fraternities and sororities and hazing? Probably not. Has he ever been to Miami? San Francisco? How about Las Vegas? Has he watched Showtime or HBO, or any of the recent shows about drugs and sex in America? Such as Weeds or Californication?
Has he ever seen Cops?
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Is that Rome Kanda? I love that guy. Majide isn’t great, but he’s frickin’ hilarious.
Also, that American chick needs to get her panties out of a bunch. Sexual Harassment is way overhyped. Sure, things like Chikan are a problem, but those can be combated and the US CERTAINLY IS NOT any better. Guess she couldn’t think of a better non-dead-horse-beating subject.
Also, her hyped up man-friend talking about not raising his children in Japan…so you want to move to the states where murder, rape, and general violence is 3-4 times as common?
Consider the difference in population density between the US and Japan. Japan, for having so many people in such a small area, is pretty damn good at self-control.
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You are aware that “Majide” isn’t a real Japanese TV show, right?
Yeah, I caught the first season and I wondered if the contestants are aware it is only made for US TV, because they had a ceremony with some government official and the contestants were saying how great it was to see the ‘fans’.
I saw an episode of the new season, and I don’t know if I’m just imagining it, but I get the impression they told the host to play up the Japanese accent this time around.
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Rob A,
I don’t think that Jonathan has ever seen the GHETTOs in his own country, or ever been to places like the Harlem/Bronx, Detroit, South L.A., Miami, etc etc………
He must have grown up in some really wealthy, safe place in some lovely neighborhood in the U.S.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
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I’m sure he’s at least heard of the ghettos. I doubt he would move to one, though.
I also doubt he thinks America is problem-free.
But isn’t it true that in general, women have more opportunity in the workplace in America and professional standards are more generalized (less gender-specific) in America than in Japan? And that those ideals seem more often enforced in the US?
Is Jonathan not allowed to observe a general climate/attitude in Japan if any other problems exist in the US?
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You mean like this?
http://www.hooters.com
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I live close to a Hooters and although I’ve never been in one I assure you that the general attitude towards women here is nowhere near the premise of Hooters.
A woman in the workplace in the US, in general, is treated differently and has better opportunities, don’t you agree?
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this show epitomizes depravity of human understanding.
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That ugly guy in the glasses talking about sexual harassment was funny.
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I was sort of annoyed by the two Americans.
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Perveted anime and mangas rescue the people living in Japan from crime of raping.
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I would really like to watch this program in its entirety. Does anyone know where I can find it? Or what channel it debuted on?
Thanks!!
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Nevermind! Saw it was on Asahi TV
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